Dharmata Fellowship Ceremony

Dharmata Fellowship Ceremony

Via Zoom and In-Person on Sunday, October 18th, 12:30pm PST (3:30 pm ET)

*Capacity is limited to first-time vow takers

About the Dharmata Fellowship

Many endeavors in our life require aspiration, courage, and wisdom as well as external supports, including friendship, which is foremost among them. The path to inner awakening is no different. Spiritual friends and guides help to inspire us and lead us to personal transformation. This is why Buddha created the Kalyana-mitrata or Noble Friendship, which he emphasized as the whole of the holy life. For this very reason, we offer the Dharmata Fellowship, which creates a mandala of friendship with Anam Thubten in the role of Dharma guide. The Dharmata Fellowship has many members from around the world composed of like-minded people who entered the fellowship with an aspiration of practicing the Buddhist teachings to awaken. In this way we are walking the path in the company of well-intentioned friends.

In order to enter the Fellowship, each individual takes Refuge and the Bodhisattva vows. These ordinations are taken by those who make a sincere commitment to the Buddhist path. These are vows that non-monastics can take without the need of abandoning their ordinary lifestyle or becoming a renunciate. The vows, taken from a living teacher, are a form of commitment to ourselves to practice the dharma as the means of inner awakening. They provide us with a strong foundation for our spiritual practice that leads to freedom of mind and heart.

The meaning of the refuge vow is to take refuge in the Buddha as noble guide, Dharma as the path to inner awakening, and sangha as companions on the path. The essential precept of this vow is ahimsa, nonviolence. A Bodhisattva holds the vow to be in the world and help all beings to find happiness and freedom. The essential precept of the Bodhisattva vow is to benefit all beings.

If you are interested in joining the Dharmata Fellowship, you can register on this website. If you have further questions, please email dharmatafellowshipceremony@gmail.com.

How to Participate

This ceremony will be offered simultaneously in-person at Dhumatala Temple (235 Washington Ave, Pt. Richmond, California) and online via Zoom. We ask that you register for this event whether you plan to attend in-person or via Zoom. For more information on how to participate in a Zoom gathering, click here: Zoom Info.

Further information and connection details will be sent to you prior to the event. However, immediately upon registering here, you will receive a confirmation email from Humantix. If you do not receive the confirmation email (and it is not in your Spam folder), please contact dharmatafellowshipceremony@gmail.com.

About Anam Thubten

Anam Thubten grew up in Tibet and entered a Tibetan Buddhist monastery as a young boy. He currently resides in Northern California and is the founder and spiritual advisor of Dharmata Foundation, teaching widely in the US, Europe and Asia. His many publications include Embracing Each Moment; No Self, No Problem; Releasing the Knot of the Mind and The Magic of Awareness. For more information, visit Dharmata.org.

FAQ

If I have taken the vows with another teacher, can I still take part in this fellowship ceremony?

Yes.

If I have already taken the vows with Anam Thubten, can I witness this ceremony to renew my vows?

Because space is limited, we ask that you not register for this ceremony, so that people who are just taking the vows for the first time can participate.

Do I need to be a member of Dharmata Foundation to participate?

No, membership with Dharmata Foundation is a way of offering financial support for Anam Thubten and his world-wide teachings, the temple in Pt. Richmond, CA, and various ongoing projects. It is separate from the Dharmata Fellowship and there is no fee for membership. You can find out more about membership in the Dharmata Foundation here: Membership.

If I cannot join this event, will there be another opportunity to take the vows?

Yes, the next offering (approximately quarterly) will be on the Dharmata Calendar. You can check the calendar for ongoing updates here.