Shetland Isles reached by Kadam Dharma

In 2018 when Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso established Kadampa Meditation Centre in Aberdeen there was a vision that the centre would serve as a hub for the whole of the North of Scotland.
This vision is becoming a beautiful reality and recently a series of classes were offered in the Shetland Isles.

Sitting far out in the Atlantic Ocean they are by far the most Northerly point of the UK and are almost equidistant between Norway and mainland Scotland. With a wild natural landscape of cliffs, heather covered hills, lochs, fjords and ocean, it is a naturally peaceful place and conducive for meditation. Having said that, people still experience inner and outer suffering and are in need of meditation.

In this pilot visit, classes were offered at the central library, a health and well-being centre and the Mareel Arts Centre. In all over 40 people attended and the participants gave such as warm, friendly welcome and expressed real gratitude that the centre had brought meditation classes to Shetland. There was a great deal of interest and openness to the teachings and to further reading of Geshe-la's books.

On the back of this successful visit there is a plan to return in October to hold some longer courses and a short retreat. Alongside this, those interested can continue classes with KMC Aberdeen via the online programme available to members, which already connects people across the North of Scotland or make use of the daily ferry service to visit the centre in Aberdeen.

Over time KMC Aberdeen plans to visit and offer classes in other parts of the Highlands and Islands, bringing Kadam Dharma to people directly within their local communities.