Thekchen Choling Presents Healing Festival in September

The Medicine Buddha Vaidurya Healing Festival returns to Thekchen Choling Syracuse, a Tibetan Buddhist center in Minoa, New York. Every weekend in September, the festival offers different healing modalities for individuals and groups of people. Thangka Painting Workshop Sept. 5-6The healing festival gets underway with a thangka painting workshop led by Thomas Edwards on Sept. 5-6. Open to adults with little or no artistic experience, the workshop explores thangka art as a spiritual practice. Thangkas are Tibetan Buddhist paintings dating back more than a thousand years. Edwards will teach you how to paint two versions of the Medicine Buddha—one simple and one complex—in the traditional thangka style. The schedule is as follows: Saturday, Sept. 5 9:30 a.m. to noon: Session No. 1 Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Vegetarian lunch 1:30-4 p.m.: Session No. 2 5-7 p.m.: Gallery showing and sale Sunday, Sept. 6 9:30 a.m. to noon: Session No. 3 Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Lunch 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Gallery showing and sale Tuition is $175 and includes the cost of select supplies and Saturday’s lunch. Chinese Healing Arts Program Sept. 12-13 Diane Macchiavelli, a Rochester-based holistic healthcare practitioner, presents a weekend of Chinese healing arts, Sept. 12-13. On Saturday, she will offer three auricular acupuncture sessions, designed to reduce stress, increase relaxation and provide a deep sense of well-being. The following day, Macchiavelli will lead a program of tai chi and qigong—gentle exercises that have been practiced in China for millennia. The schedule is as follows: Saturday, Sept. 12 Community Acupuncture 11 a.m. to noon: Session No. 1 1-2 p.m.: Session No. 2 3-4 p.m.: Session No. 3 Suggested donation per session: $10-$30 Sunday, Sept. 13 Tai Chi and Qigong 10-11:45 a.m. Suggestion donation: $15-$25 'Clear Mind, Calm Body' Meditation Sept. 20 Anne Teich leads a program titled “Calm Mind, Clear Body" on Sunday, Sept. 20, from 1-4 p.m. The sessions draws on her extensive study, practice and teaching of different styles of Buddhist meditation, including metta, or loving-kindness, meditation. Whether you’re new to meditation or a longtime practitioner, the experience provides an array of physical, mental and cognitive benefits. By donation only. Healing Chod Ritual and Teachings Sept. 26-27 Lama Heather Vilbrin (aka Lama Chodma Urgyen Drolma) presents a weekend-long program titled “The Healing Chod,” Sept. 26-27. Events culminate with a chod healing ceremony, replete with chanting, drumming and bell ringing. Chod refers to the practice of cutting through fear, self grasping and emotional turbulence, all of which are at the root of suffering. The practice traces its origins to "The Prajnaparamita," a collection of ancient texts central to Mahayana Buddhism. The schedule is as follows: Saturday, Sept. 26 9:30 a.m. to noon: Meditation, prayers, discussion and Q&A Noon to 2 p.m.: Lunch (on your own) 2-4 p.m.: Chod healing ritual. Please bring a pillow, blanket and yoga mat. 4-4:30 p.m. Closing prayers Sunday, Sept. 27 9:30 a.m. to Noon: Meditation, prayers and Dharma teaching. Students are invited to experiment with and purchase ritual bells and drums. Noon to 2 p.m.: Lunch (on your own) Weather permitting, everyone is invited to meet afterward at Delphi Falls County Park in nearby Cazenovia for meditation and Dharma practice. Suggestion donation is $75 (cash) for the weekend. Registration required.