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The Three Jewels is a dharma, meditation, yoga, and outreach center located in a lovely loft space at 61 Fourth Avenue, (3rd Floor.) between 9th and 10th streets, at Astor Place in New York City.
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At the Three Jewels you will find a bookshop with gifts and yoga supplies, the Tara Lending Library, yoga, meditation and dharma classes, spiritual study groups along with Three Jewels Outreach Center programs.
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| Practice and Tradition |
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The founders and directors of the Three Jewels Outreach Center & Bookstore are all students of the Gelukpa order of Tibetan Buddhism, which began about 500 years ago, and is the tradition of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They have received extensive training in the sacred books of Buddhism from Khen Rinoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin, who is the former abbot of Sera Mey Tibetan Monastery, one of the largest in the world.
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They are all enrolled in or teaching courses of the Asian Classics Institute of New York, a training institute for teachers and translators of Tibetan Buddhism. Staff members are all students at ACI, who volunteer their time.
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| History |
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Geshe Michael Roach and Ani Thupten, both students of Khen Rimpoche, provided the conceptual framework for the original The Three Jewels. Established in 1996 at 211 East 5th Street, amidst the youthful and vibrant backdrop of New York's East Village, The Three Jewels functioned as a "drop-in" Dharma Center where one could get a cup of coffee, surf the web, borrow or purchase precious texts, meditate, escape the "noise" of daily life for a few hours, and discuss spiritual or personal matters of importance to themselves and others.
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The original storefront closed its doors in July of 2004 to make way for the more spacious multipurpose loft, located at 61 Fourth Ave, Third Floor, which currently houses The Three Jewels.
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| Mission Statement |
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The Three Jewels Outreach Center was established to reach out to those in need of love, guidance, and spirituality through meditation, yogic practice, dharma teaching, and hands-on serving of the community.
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Giving Dharma - Buddhist library, ACI and language classes,
prison outreach.
Meditation and yoga.
Giving Protection - Our Dharma lounge is a refuge for those in
need.
Giving Material Things - Help locating charitable services.
Giving Love - friendship, social and spiritual counseling
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| Current Operations/Resources |
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The Three Jewels is administered by a Board consisting of senior Asian Classics Institute students and managed by younger ACI students. Three Jewels continues its past traditions of offering Dharma, Meditation, Outreach, a Lending Library, and Bookstore.
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The wonderful increase in space has opened up a whole new aspect of the Three Jewels to offer a variety of Yogic styles from Tibetan and Indian traditions, which compliment our Formal Study Courses and informal drop-in classes. We hold special events and teachings from an array of resident and visiting masters and scholars in many areas of study and practice. Our store has expanded to include more books, as well as Buddhist and Yoga accessories. Teachers, practitioners, and groups are encouraged to rent one of our accommodating spaces at very reasonable rates.
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| Synergies |
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The Three Jewels works with other Worldview organizations, including the Asian Classics Institute, which holds classes at The Three Jewels and the Asian Classics Input Project, which shares space with ACI for scanning ancient texts into digital format, and Godstow Retreat Center.
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| Community Partnerships |
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Last year, The Three Jewels engaged in a number of new partnerships with other community groups and organizations, including The 4th Street Food, the Distribution of Opportunity Network (a downtown small business alliance) and World in Balance, (in conjunction with the UN World Summit on sustainable development) and NYU Students for a Free Tibet.
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