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More than 2500 years ago an Indian Prince, Siddhartha, renounced the worldly
life and found a path that brings happiness and ends suffering. He became known
as the Buddha, and his practice, Buddhism, has spread throughout the world.
There are many forms of Buddhism; ACI-Cape Ann embraces Mahayana Buddhism.
Mahayana literally means “big capacity.” In other words, we have a big capacity to
take things on, including bringing happiness to ourselves and others. The spiritual
practice of Mahayana Buddhism includes the study of the teachings of the Buddha
and commentaries by renowned scholars, meditation, and Heart Yoga.
Lama Marut brings us the form of Mahahayana Buddhism originally brought to our
country by exiled Tibetan Buddhist monks and passed down directly from the Buddha
through an unbroken chain of teachers. Our lineage, which is the Gelukpa lineage from
Tibet, began with Je Tsongkapa (1357-1419). This is the lineage of the Dalai Lamas,
including His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the current spiritual leader revered by
Tibetan Buddhists.
In 2005, American actress and life-long Cape Ann summer resident Lindsay Crouse
founded a Buddhist educational retreat at the Windhover Center for the Performing
Arts in Rockport, MA, to which she invited her Heart Lama, Venerable Sumati Marut.
The following summer, one of the participants, Phil Salzman, asked Lama Marut to
continue an exploration of the powerful teachings offered at the Windhover Retreat.
Lama Marut suggested that Phil and others create a community of support, or a
Sangha. What started as a small North Shore gathering has grown immensely.
In August of 2008, after the fourth Windhover Retreat, Lama Marut blessed the new
Vajramudra Dharma Center on Granite St. in Rockport. ACI-Cape Ann now offers the
Dharma, or Buddhist teaching, to all who are searching for it.
ACI-Cape Ann is dedicated to the serious study and personal practice of authentic
teachings of Mahayana Buddhism in a western context and in ways that enhance
and deepen intellectual, cultural, and spiritual understanding. Through our Spiritual
Director Venerable Sumati Marut, we offer a comprehensive series of courses.
This curriculum, called the Asian Classics Institute (www.acidharma.org), was
established by Geshe Michael Roach under the spiritual direction of Khen Rinpoche
Geshe Lobsang Tharchin, a distinguished scholar and master of Buddhism from
Tibet. It condenses the essence of the Six Great Books of Buddhism into 18 Courses
with additional meditation and practice modules. This program is based on the
20-year geshe course in a Tibetan monastery, although it is designed to be
completed within six years.
Contact us for more information. We can be reached at sangha@aci-capeann.org
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