Making the festival experience extremely rich

Summer Festival 2019

Day 5

Making the festival experience extremely rich

"If we wish to help others cease their samsara, ours must have ceased. How can we lead others to a place we have not been ourself?"

Festival life

Meaningful discussions

Every encounter is a discussion

At International Festivals we meet people from literally all over the world, and have an opportunity to discuss and share experiences with them. People who are naturally open and following the same spiritual path. These discussions, formal and informal, make the festival experience extremely rich.

My First Festival

Samantha

New York City

"Things sink in at a deeper level when you're at the Festival. It's a much better way to spent your time off. You still get that vacation feel, but it's more productive and fulfilling - and there's great coffee!"

Within Modern Kadampa Buddhism, discussion with Dharma friends is a cornerstone of our spiritual development. How precious it is then, to have an opportunity to discuss the profound teachings on the Oral Instructions with so many people!

Almost any encounter - waiting in line, eating lunch, walking on the beach - can turn into a profound discussion about the teachings we have received, our meditation experience, or questions that remain unanswered.

Where else can we make our day so meaningful? The opportunity to mix with the international Kadampa family in this way is indeed a precious gift from Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche.

Listen to 5 minutes of wisdom

How to be a skilful practitioner

What people are saying

Gen Rigden_Reta_Michel_69_talking_festival

Gen Rigden, Rita Aguirar & Michel Martins

Portugal

"Discussion helps us to clarify the meaning of these teachings, which are quite profound. It also helps to refresh our memory so that what we have learned becomes more stable in our mind." - Gen Rigden

"Through discussion we can discover new things, and students and teachers who are at different levels of understanding and experience can talk about and share their experiences together." - Rita

"We have had so many profound teachings - now we need to keep improving our understanding by discussing them." - Michel

Sofia Perez & Kelsang Oden

Spain & UK

"Hearing another point of view can be very useful - it helps to put a picture together." - Sofia

"You can hear something and maybe not understand it correctly, so by talking to other Sangha or to your teacher you can clarify things and avoid misunderstandings. It makes the whole experience rounded." - Oden

Yung & Carla De Freitas

Hong Kong & UK

"Discussion helps us to deepen our understanding of the teachings, and we can share a different perspective on the same topic, which broadens our experience." - Yung

"I really value having the discussions afterwards with like-minded people who want to learn and grow, experience more from life and help others." - Carla