Time for retreat

Summer Festival 2019

Day 6

Time for retreat

"The mind can go a long way in two days, two minutes, two seconds actually. We are only one intention away from shifting the arc of our entire life."

Festival life

The power of festival retreats

A rain of blessings

According to modern Kadampa Buddhism, we follow a special sequence at Festivals and other major events. After receiving an empowerment and commentary from the Teacher, the students withdraw into retreat to take the teachings to heart and deepen their understanding and experience.

My First Festival

Elektra & Peta

Australia

"Coming from school to here is so different. I’m 15 and the girls my age at school can be so judgemental. But I love how the people here are always happy and positive and everyone helps everyone out. It’s so refreshing." - Elektra

"I think retreat is a very special part of the festival. You can put the teachings into practice and have the opportunity to gain spiritual experience." - Peta

Today, at the 2019 Summer Festival, we entered into a brief retreat led by Gen Kelsang Rigpa, National Spiritual Director of Western United States.

Both inside and outside the Temple a mellow, contemplative atmosphere pervades the center. Everywhere we see people studying and meditating - in the lounge, in the woods, in the garden - even under umbrellas!

The more this Festival unfolds, the clearer becomes the meaning of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's words, that these Festivals are our meaningful holidays. Indeed it is difficult to imagine a more meaningful use of our summer vacation!

Listen to 5 minutes of wisdom

Taking our Prayers to Heart

What people are saying

John Reddington

"For me retreat is about bringing all the teachings together and integrating them into one focused moment. It’s good to restrict your interactions so you can become very internal and concentrated, making your mind go powerfully inwards, and this effect lasts for a long time, even until the next festival!”

Rosemary Lindfield

"Here we have the most conducive environment for retreat. Seeing the example of all the Sangha, especially the more experienced Sangha, and mixing with people who smile all the time helps me to remember to put the effort in."

Mariko Armstrong

Japan

"Retreat is a great opportunity to absorb the teachings into your heart and keep that heart all the time. This is the real practice during the meditation break. Understanding that people all over the world have the same problems, and working to connect with our Buddha nature is helping to bring about the world peace that Geshe-la talks about."