Venerable Amy will be bringing tsa tsas to Sangha this evening for those who would like some to take home.

The weather this evening is tracking to start as rain and then turn to snow later on, so we are still meeting in-person, but Zoom is also an option. Venerable Amy will be bringing several different tsa tsas that she has made as an offering to us. Below is an explanation of what tsa tsas are from Ven. Amy. If you are unable to attend in-person this evening, but would like a tsa tsa please email us which images you prefer and we will set it aside for you.

Making tsa tsas is a purification practice in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. I have a variety of molds that I purchased from our monastery, Nalanda Monastery (https://nalanda-monastery.eu) located in the south of France. They have a lot of information on their site about the practice.

Most of the images I make are a 20-image tile of Migtrupa (in Tibetan) or Akshobya (in Sanskrit) which purifies broken vows and anger, a lovely 8-image Medicine Buddha plaque that aids in healing, and a smaller 3-image piece of 3 aspects of the Buddha (Chenresig at the top representing infinite compassion, Manjushri on the left bottom representing infinite wisdom and Vajrapani on the right bottom representing skillful means or divine power). There are also some larger altar-size Shakyamuni Buddhas and smaller solitary Medicine Buddhas. While some of these images have traditional colors, I include colored pigments in the hydrostone mix to make them more interesting. However, this is not a business and the images are not perfect. I have even fixed some air bubbles and imperfections in them with colored molding clay as instructed by my teacher so best to leave them as is unless you feel to paint them. Inside each tsa tsa is a special bead blessed by my main teacher, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, so they are properly consecrated.

You do not need to be a Buddhist to enjoy them or have them in your home. They are perfect for wall ornaments, as gifts for all occasions, and can be framed, etc. They are available in a variety of colors so please let me know if you would like to order more of a certain color and type. I also have white ones you can paint any color you like. I have friends who have a two-wall display of 108 white tiles gracing their dining room and it’s beautiful.

As they are sacred images, please don’t put in bathrooms, on floors, lower than knee level, or use as trivets, coasters, etc. They cannot be thrown away, even if they are broken, but can be repaired or if badly damaged, put in large bodies of water like the ocean or lakes to bless the creatures living there.

The hydrostone and pigments can be pricey so if you feel to make a donation, it will go back into these materials. If you’d like to make a donation toward this practice, PayPal works well with email amymiller@bmegroup.com and please let me know that you have made a donation toward tsa tsas.

Select the button below for the address and details.

This Sunday 4:00pm - 5:30pm the Venerable Amy Miller is back for part two of The People Who Push Our Buttons: Karma and Working with Difficult Relationships. If missed January’s Sangha no need to worry, the subject will be the same, though with new material. Open to all levels. See the teaching description below:

Are you tired of the same challenging people showing up in your life? Have you ever wondered why certain relationships trigger strong reactions—or why familiar patterns keep repeating?

This two-part series offers a fresh and practical way to understand and work with difficult relationships through the lens of karma. Rather than trying to make challenging people disappear, we’ll explore why they appear and how these encounters can become powerful opportunities for growth and transformation.

Through brief meditation, reflection, and practical exercises, participants will learn how habitual reactions are formed, how karmic patterns play out in everyday interactions, and how to respond with greater clarity, compassion, and freedom.

All are welcome to attend the Lehigh Valley Buddhist Group’s monthly Sunday Sangha series. Sangha is open to Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike. When arriving enter through the rear entrance of the church, not the front entrance on N 3rd St. There is free parking located directly behind the church. Ample chair seating is available, as are cushions for floor seating if desired.

Suggested donation is $20 and all funds go to the teacher. Keep in mind that Ven. Amy is an ordained Buddhist nun and she relies on the generosity of others for support, so if you are called to give more please do so. Additional details can be found by selecting the events link. If you have questions please reply to this email or use the contact link on the website.

If you want to attend virtual please use the link below. Donations can be given directly to Venerable Amy here: Ven. Amy Donations

Zoom Meeting Link

Meeting ID: 851 5394 5320 Passcode: 766431

Venerable Amy J. Miller (Ven. Lobsang Chodren) first encountered Tibetan Buddhism in the spring of 1987 during a course at Kopan Monastery in Nepal. Since then, she has spent a great deal of time engaged in meditation retreats, study, teaching, and Buddhist center management throughout the world. Prior to meeting the Dharma, Amy was a political fundraiser in Washington, DC and also worked for Mother Jones Magazine in San Francisco, California.

Amy also trained as an emotional support hospice counselor during the peak of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco and offers courses and retreats on death and dying and end-of-life care.

From 1992-1995, Amy managed Tse Chen Ling Center in San Francisco, California. She then served as Director of Vajrapani Institute, also in California, from 1995-2004. From 1998-2002, she was also the Manager of the Lawudo Retreat Fund (which supports the center in which the sacred cave of Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche is located) in the Mt. Everest region of Nepal. In 2004, after resigning as Director, Amy completed a seven-month solitary retreat at Vajrapani. For most of 2005 and 2006, she organized international teaching tours for and traveled with the esteemed Tibetan Buddhist master, Ven. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche until Rinpoche’s death in 2006. Amy then became a touring teacher for the FPMT (the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition). From 2008-2014, Amy was Director of Milarepa Center in Barnet, Vermont.

Amy has also had the good fortune to visit Tibet in 1987 and again in 2001 as a pilgrimage leader for the Institute of Noetic Science in the United States. She has also led pilgrimages to India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The next pilgrimage Amy is leading may be in the spring of 2026 (possibly late April to mid-May) to Lawudo Retreat Center in the Mount Everest region of Nepal. See Amy’s website below for more information.

Amy was ordained as a Buddhist nun in June 2000 and has been teaching extensively since 1992. Her teaching style emphasizes a practical approach to integrating Buddhist philosophy into everyday life. She is happy to help people connect with meditation and mindfulness to gain a refreshing perspective on normally stressful living. Amy’s courses and retreats focus on establishing and maintaining a meditation and mindfulness practice, death and dying, overcoming anxiety and depression, battling addiction, dealing with self-esteem issues, and cultivating compassion and loving kindness.

Amy is the co-author of Buddhism in a Nutshell - and a contributor to Living in the Path, a series of online courses produced by FPMT.

Amy currently teaches and leads retreats and pilgrimages around the world. Her teaching schedule and other information can be found at www.AmyMiller.com.