Welcome To

thekchen choling
Syracuse

Upcoming Events

Tibetan Yoga and Medicine for Mental Health:

Wisdom of the Emotions

In this weekend retreat, participants will explore meditation, yogic breathwork, movement and mantra practices for mental health and physical wellbeing.

We will explore Tibetan medical wisdom around detoxification and rejuvenation, as well as emotional and stress regulation as pillars to health and longevity. Participants will learn practical methods for self-healing through yoga, diet, herbs and self-massage.

This well-rounded wellness approach based in Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan Medicine), subtle body yoga and meditation will leave you with many new tools and insights into mental and emotional wellbeing! Clinicians and therapists will find useful integrative methods for Mindbody care.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Friday, March 29

6:30-8:30 PM: Evening session

Saturday, March 30

7:00 AM: Early yoga Session

8:00 AM: Breakfast (temple)

9:00 – 12:00 PM: Morning yoga session

12:00 PM: Lunch (on your own)

2:00 – 5:00 PM: Afternoon yoga session

Sunday, March 31

7:00 AM: Early Yoga Session

8:00 AM: Breakfast (temple)

9:00 – 12:00 PM: Afternoon yoga session

WEEKEND COST:

Sliding scale: $150, $125 or $100 (Does not include donation for the teacher.)

Space is limited: Participants must pre-register by Tuesday, March 26th: Contact 315-480-1088 or tccl.syracuse@gmail.com

Thekchen Choling Syracuse Announces Registration for Thangka Painting Workshop
June 7-9

Thomas Edwards will teach the ancient art of Tibetan Buddhist painting.

Professional Thangka painter Thomas Edwards will present the first of a series of weekend workshops at Thekchen Choling Syracuse (109 East Ave., Minoa) on Friday-Sunday, June 7-9.

Suitable for people with no drawing or painting skills, the workshop blends history, theory and practice.

Tibetan for “recorded message,” Thangka refers to a form of Buddhist art that originated in that country in the 11th century.

Thangka paintings are tools for meditation, worship and teaching, explains the Cortland, New York, resident, who has created thousands of such works. “Each painting follows a strict set of rules differing from those of traditional fine art.”

Edwards’ workshop is open to teenagers and adults of all backgrounds, including Buddhist scholars and practitioners. Space is limited. To register or receive more information, contact Thekchen Choling Syracuse at tccl.syracuse@gmail.com or call 315.480.1088.

Tuition is available on a sliding scale ($150, $125 and $100) and includes the cost of an instructional booklet, materials and supplies. In addition to providing their own lodging, attendees can cultivate Buddhist merit by making a monetary donation to Edwards.

Babette Teich-Visco is president of Thekchen Choling Syracuse, which marks its 10th anniversary this fall. Edwards’ program, she says, is part of a larger effort to raise awareness of the temple—and Buddhism, in general—and foster a sense of community.

“Thomas has a laid-back style that belies his expertise and years of experience,” Teich-Visco continues. “Whether you’re new to Buddhism or have been practicing it for a long time, you’ll appreciate his fun, engaging approach.”

Attendees will learn about the history, types and techniques of Thangka art, before sketching, outlining and painting their own figure—specifically, the head of Shakyamuni Buddha, who founded Buddhism more than 2,500 years ago.

The process is incumbent on measurements and proportions, notably a grid system that determines the size and placement of visual elements.

“Nothing is left to chance,” says Edwards, adding that a Thangka painting usually takes about a month to complete. “The core purpose of this practice is to help sentient beings attain enlightenment.”

Edwards is rare among American Thangka painters in that he creates in a traditional Tibetan style, known for its smooth, ornate preciosity, and then mounts his own work.

A lifelong learner, he regularly travels to Dharamshala in northern India—home of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama—to study Buddhist art. Edwards’ teachers include Tenzin Ngodup and Mimar Tsering, both students of the late Sangye Yeshi, His Holiness’ personal Thangka painter.

Whether depicting a deity, a mandala (a geometric figure with symbolic meaning) or a significant event from the life of a Buddhist master, Edwards adheres to exacting standards—unsigned and undated illustrations of deities with identical proportions and curated stances, all courtesy of a confined color palette.

“Thangka paintings can house the spirits of deities,” says Edwards, who compares his work to sacred geometry. “These paintings are capable of revealing hidden dimensions of the truth.”

According to Buddhism, art is one of the five major sciences of knowledge. The others are grammar, medicine, logic and philosophy. Thekchen Choling Syracuse is part of Thekchen Choling, a Buddhist temple with branches in Singapore and Malaysia. The Syracuse-based organization offers programs and activities and houses an array of rare, precious relics.

Thekchen Choling Temple

WINTER CLASSES 2024

SUNDAYS: January 7 to February 25

9:30 -10:15 AM: Meditation Class ($5-$10 donation)

10:30 – 11:30 AM: Dharma Teaching: Geshe Thinley Namgyal

 

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS: January 3 to February 28

7:00 – 8:15 PM: Study & Discussion group with Geshe Thinley Namgyal

TEXT: The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva

 

SPECIAL DHARMA ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Fri. Jan. 5 & Feb. 2 (7 PM): Medicine Buddha Puja

Fri. Jan 12 & Feb. 9 (7 PM): Green Tara Practice

Fri. Jan. 19 & Feb. 16 (7 PM): Lama Chopa w/ Tsok

Sun. Feb. 11 (9:30 AM): Losar / Chinese New Year Celebration

Most of the above activities are FREE and open to all. Donations to help support the temple are always appreciated. For more information please contact: (315) 480-1088 or write: tccl.syracuse@gmail.com

THE SHANTIDEVA STUDY AND DISCUSSION GROUP
 
Please join us Wednesday evenings at 7PM as the Shantideva Discussion Group continues with Geshe Thinley Namgyal. This group is always relaxed and fun. We read verses from the text out loud, and students are asked to give their own commentary and have an opportunity to ask Geshe la questions directly. There are lively discussions and debates with Geshe la and the other students.
 
We will meet at 7PM in the second floor living room. When you arrive at the temple don’t try to enter through the front doors. Instead, please walk up the driveway on the left and enter the building through the side door which will be open.
 
This group is free and open to all. Extra copies of the text (The Bodhicharyavatara) will be on hand to lend for those who need one.
About Thekchen Choling Syracuse

On the auspicious day of the 29th day of the eighth lunar month of the Wooden Horse year (22nd October 2014), Thekchen Choling USA (Syracuse) - a new temple for the cultivation and practice of Buddhadarma was officially established.

Our Mission: "Living and Propagating the Buddhadarma for the fulfillment of others and self".

Connecting All with Divine Hearts

About Us

A Buddha Relic Temple located in Central New York

It is said that merely seeing the relics of Lord Shakyamuni Buddha is the same as seeing the Buddha himself. Buddha relics are the crystallized remains that formed after the Buddha’s holy body was cremated in India over 2500 years ago. These relics are known to have tremendous power and can bring great blessings to individuals and the surroundings. Offered to Thekchen Choling Syracuse by Singha Thekchen Namdrol Rinpoche in 2014, the temple houses a small collection of Buddha relics on its altar for public viewing. Visitors to the temple are welcome and encouraged to sit, meditate and feel the Buddha’s blessings in the presence of these precious relics. (In special circumstances and upon request, these relics can be taken out into the community to hospitals, nursing homes and animal shelters to give blessings to those beings who are sick, dying or suffering in other ways.)

Our mission is to practice and propagate the Buddhadharma for the fulfillment of self and others.

We invite you to explore our web site via the links above, and to join us for events at the Thekchen Choling Vajrayana Temple.