Hi everybody, I am new here, from New York City.

[bas]

Hello,
My name is Bas, I live in New York, although I was born in Amsterdam Holland.
I am very interested in Buddhism, and Iam reading seceral books at the same time, I love it.
Can anyone recommend any great books that they have read.
I also am looking for a place in the New York area to meet other people like me, or teachers, a temole would be great.
I know of some temples in my area, but would love to hear which one is a good one to visit.
Thanks all.

[Adamantine]

Hi Bas, Welcome to Dharma Wheel! Which tradition of Buddhism do you feel most drawn too? There's a wide variety of Mahayana and Vajrayana temples in NYC.

[bas]

Not sure if you received my first reply?
Mahayana Buddhism.

[Virgo]

Hi Bas,

I recommend Treasury of Dharma by Geshe Rabten Rinpoche.

Good luck.

Kevin

[bas]

Thank you Kevin.
Much appreciated.

[DNS]

Welcome to Dharma Wheel!

[bas]

Thanks for being so welcoming.

[Adamantine]

Not sure if you received my first reply?
Mahayana Buddhism.

No, didn't see a prior reply. So, just to be clear: Vajrayana is a branch of Mahayana, it just has a wide array of skillful methods. But if for instance you are interested more in sutra Mahayana, than which cultural expression do you feel most resonant with? For instance, if you explore the site you'll see subforums for East Asian traditions: Zen, Chan, Seon, Rinzai, Soto, Pure Land, Tendai, Nichiren, Shingon(although Shingon is a Japanese expression of Vajrayana)
Likewise you'll find subforums for the "Tibetan" expressions, although the term Tibetan Buddhism is misleading since many of those lineages were and are still practiced in India, Nepal and Bhutan as well as Mongolia and China.

I am just wondering if you have any preference, since as I said there's so many temples in NYC to choose from.

[lesliejoyB]

Hello there! I'm from California. I'm a article author of life, love, goals, politics, news, health, and other interesting things. I find this site interesting and informative and I know I'll enjoy it here as well as learn more to widen my views.

[bas]

Thank you all for the information.
I am so new to this that I really don't know what kind of Buddhism I prefer, I read 2 books from the Dalai Lama, and that really touched me.
Does that mean that I like Tibetan Buddhism?, I think so, but then what kind of Tibetan Buddhism do I prefer?
That is a question that I don't know the answer to.
That is why I'm interested in joining a Buddhist Temple in my area.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks Bas

[seeker242]

Thank you all for the information.
I am so new to this that I really don't know what kind of Buddhism I prefer, I read 2 books from the Dalai Lama, and that really touched me.
Does that mean that I like Tibetan Buddhism?, I think so, but then what kind of Tibetan Buddhism do I prefer?
That is a question that I don't know the answer to.
That is why I'm interested in joining a Buddhist Temple in my area.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks Bas

This is a good place to find the temples. http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/province. ... ince_id=53

The best is to visit several of them and see which ones you like.

[kirtu]

Hi bas!

In NYC I would begin by going to the Shambhala Meditation Center at 118 West 22nd Street on the 6th Floor. For one thing it has been there a long time and it is a pretty large place for NYC (many places in NYC are relatively small). However this is only to get you started. The Shambhala Community is not for everyone long term but it is probably a great place to get started esp. in NYC. They also have a young person's group and they actively deal with current societal challenges. You can begin to meditate there also (they used to have meditation basically everyday so it is a great resource for that in particular). Most of the meditation there is a kind of Zen sitting meditation. This isn't a Zen place per se though.

A few other places to check out would be Tibet House which is not actually a temple but is more a Tibetan lineage meeting space. They are at 22 W 15th St. Check out their website to see what's coming up.

There is an empowerment coming up on March 8 at the Palyul NYC center (my TB background is Palyul and Sakya) which will definitely expose you to the strong Asian side of Tibetan Buddhism (this group is a Tibetan, Chinese, Nepali Western mix of students following the Palyul lineage which is itself part of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism). They are now at 121 Bowery 3rd Floor (which is down the street from a famous Buddhist temple at 222 Bowery at John Giorno's residence and has been the site of many Buddhist events in NYC).

There is Khenpo Pema's Palden Sakya group that meets at 4 W. 101 St. #63, New York. You will need to contact them beforehand (the place there is very tiny and they might be meeting elsewhere now). Khenpo Pema teaches much of the month in NYC. In April there are major Sakya events coming up.

There is the Shantideva Meditation Center affiliated with Lama Zopa and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. Their mailing address is 302A West 12th Street, #216, New York, NY 10014. They use the space at Tibet House and Lama Gelek's Jewel Heart Center in NYC. Lama Zopa is from the Gelug lineage which is the same lineage as HH Dalai Lama. I haven't personally been to Shantideva Meditation Center events but I'm certain that they are excellent.

Then there are many others. Unfortunately I no longer get up to NYC much (now less than 1x a year) but as a Dharma brother who lived in NYC told me years ago, the problem with NYC is that at any given moment there are 5 or 6 things going on that you want to go to and you have to decide which one to pick. We were Zen practitioners at that time and he really knew the NYC Dharma scene. This is less true of just Tibetan Buddhism but once you include Zen then this is a very true statement. There is almost always something of value happening in NYC esp. on weekends.

Kirt

[bas]

Again.
Thank you so much for your help, it really means a lot and says a lot about this website and Buddhism.
Thanks for the detailed information about New York City Temples.
Thanks Bas

[Adamantine]

Hi Bas, if you are indeed interested in Tibetan Buddhism then I would recommend visiting a temple in Manhattan named Yeshe Nyingpo. The head Lama, Shenphen Dawa Rinpoche, is the son and lineage heir of his father, HH Dudjom Rinpoche who was actually one of the Dalai Lama's own teachers (he taught him Dzogchen, the highest practice of Tibetan Buddhism, as did Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as well). This is a good time because Rinpoche usually resides at his retreat center in upstate NY, but he is here in the city for the Tibetan New Year practices. What I would recommend if you had the time and resources, is to attend a teaching with Rinpoche-- they do not occur often but he is giving one after the Tibetan New Year on the weekend of the 6th 7th and 8th of March, beginning on the evening of the 6th. This is a teaching on the practice of Phowa. This is not necessarily a basic teaching, however it is one everyone should know, as it pertains to the most important time of one's life: the time of dying, but it also relates to the entirety of Dharma practice. SD RInpoche speaks perfect English, which is rare for a Tibetan Lama of his generation and experience. Because of his qualities and accessibility, I think this is the best place to go personally. However, the pujas such as the tsoks are performed very traditionally in the Tibetan language so it may be overwhelming and incomprehensible to attend one of these as a first approach. That is why I recommend attending a teaching with Rinpoche as an introduction. Here is a bit about him: http://www.tersar.org/?page_id=439There are also classes with senior disciples regularly (weekly or bi-weekly) on Shamatha meditation, ngondro (tantric preliminary) practice, and practice sessions like Chod.

While some of the other centers Kirtu mentioned above are good places to explore, I will mention a few things regarding each one:

At Shambhala NYC you will mostly find teachings with the American senior students of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche who went on to follow his son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche does not visit often, perhaps once a year I believe. They have weekly Dharma gatherings (last time I checked) which give meditation instruction for free, a type of Shamatha (calm-abiding) meditation. This is a good introduction to a basic and quintessential meditation discipline and a foundation for everything else. That said, if you were wanting to jump into doing Vajrayana preliminaries or practices they are extremely slow and conservative about this and you would probably have to make your way through various programs for years before accessing those. This may be the perfect approach for some people, and may not be for others.

Tibet House has some visiting meditation instructors from various Buddhist traditions on a semi-regular basis.. usually local western teachers such as Sharon Salzberg. They also occasionally host seminars or teachings with visiting Tibetan Lamas or scholars, etc. including with Robert Thurman, the scholar who founded the center. It is a good resource, but not quite a living community at this point. It is primarily intended as a hub to assist in preserving Tibetan culture in exile.

The Palyul Center is a nice small temple in Chinatown, with a wonderful lineage mainly devoted to the late Penor Rinpoche. There is not really a resident Lama, although there is a Khenpo who teaches on occasion. They have regular practices, but with only occasional instruction. There is a new short teaching series on the Longchen Nyingthig practice of Chod coming up soon, which may be a bit complex for a beginner but you may have a deep karmic connection, in which case it would seem familiar, not complex. Overall it is a good community.

Khenpo Pema Wangdak is a wonderful teacher. He is a good resource especially if you feel a connection with the Sakya lineage, but he also teaches Tibetan language (I think he still does this) and the center is indeed small but well set up and cozy. I am not sure of the schedule but it is worth checking out.

There is also a Nechung center where a monk named Lama Pema Dorje leads weekly practice sessions or teachings. Often they simply watch video of the Dalai Lama's teachings and Lama Pema will elaborate a bit after. He is very devoted to HH the Dalai Lama. They mostly will recite prayers according to the Nechung Monastery's daily prayer book with a minimum of time in meditation. This may or may not be a good introduction depending on your preference.

I have no experience with the Shantideva center, so can not comment.

It could be a good thing to visit any or all of these places or teachers to see what you feel a connection with, energetically or aesthetically, or even program-wise.