It is the great hope of KTC Jax to one day have a permanent location of our own where we can teach and practice dharma, always with a motivation to benefit countless sentient beings. This aspiration has become more urgent since KTC experienced, several weeks ago, a disastrous flooding incident of the building we have rented for 13 years. As a result, we have had to relocate to a temporary and much smaller space next door, where we continue to hold teachings and practice. We are now faced with paying for repair and restoration of our former, rented space, which belongs to our landlord, in order to safely reoccupy our Center. You can appreciate that the aspiration for a permanent location for our KTC, owned and maintained by us, has become ever more urgent. To foster this vision and launch a more vigorous fundraising effort for our New Building Fund, KTC Jax will host our 2nd annual New Building Fund Benefit Dinner at Ani Karma Lhamo’s residence, to be held Friday, August 5th at 7:00 PM. Please join us for a wonderful vegan meal, and especially, to meet lifelong Tibetan monk and Vajra Master of Karme Ling Retreat, Lama Karma Drodhul, as our special guest. Lama Karma is known for his humor; his tender loving kindness towards all beings; his efforts to save the lives of animals; and an impressive knowledge in the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism. Karma Thegsum Chöling Jacksonville, an affiliate of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra monastery, was founded in June of 1986 by the Venerable Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra. Our practice center and shrine room is located at 1258 South McDuff Avenue in the Riverside-Avondale district of Jacksonville, Florida. There is no charge to attend our weekly practices. Information is provided about Membership in Karma Thegsum Chöling and Shrine Room Etiquette at our regular meetings. Additional teachings are offered on an ongoing basis by visiting Lamas and Rinpoches of the Kagyu Lineage. To stay up to date on all activities, please consider subscribing to our newsletter or visiting us on Facebook. At KTCJax, we meet for Shamata (also known as Shinay or Silent Sitting) meditation practice every Saturday morning from 10:00 am – 10:30 am, before our chanted prayer practice. If you’re interested in Tibetan Buddhist meditation, please join us! We also offer Silent and Sound Meditation on Thursday evenings from 7 pm – 8 pm. If you’re new to Tibetan Buddhist meditation, instruction is available. On Wednesday nights, also from 7 pm – 8 pm, we use a brief version of this meditation at the beginning and end of our Buddhism Basics Discussion gathering, so you have another opportunity to learn this technique then. We offer meditation instructions free of charge. Our instructors at Karma Thegsum Chöling Jacksonville have received approval to teach the Buddhist method of meditation from the Venerable Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery. Donations are welcome and you may contribute at the Center or through PayPal.