General Spiritual Director
Renewal, joy and togetherness at Dharma Celebrations in Northeastern USA and New Zealand
May 7, 2024
Bringing meditators together in the U.S.
Kadampas from the Florida State and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States came together for two separate weekend retreats led by an array teachers from multiple centers. This shared experience encouraged an atmosphere of camaraderie and mutual support, strengthening the connections between Kadampa Centers.
Awakening the Heart: Mid-Atlantic Retreat
At a sold-out Away Retreat in Frederick, Maryland, 45 Sangha members from Mid-Atlantic Centers in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey immersed themselves in teachings on love, compassion, and wisdom during the weekend of September 22 to 24. Led by the six Resident Teachers from the region, these students were guided through a special set of meditations presented in Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's book, 'Universal Compassion.'
The retreat featured sessions led by each of the Resident Teachers. It began on Friday with an introduction emphasizing the significance of the preliminaries. Saturday's sessions covered equalizing self with others, recognizing the disadvantages of self-cherishing, and the profound practice of exchanging self with others. The day concluded with a guided meditation on taking and giving. On Sunday morning, Gen Kelsang Demo, Resident Teacher at Kadampa Meditation Center Washington, DC, and U.S. National Spiritual Director in the Midwest, concluded the retreat with two sessions on emptiness and ultimate bodhichitta.
Despite the weekend's stormy weather, as Tropical Storm Ophelia moved north, our dedicated teachers and students skillfully transformed the conditions into opportunities for spiritual growth. They spent time getting to know each other, discussing teachings, and sharing vegetarian meals. Remarkably, the stormy external environment seemed to enhance the spiritual experience, with one retreat participant aptly expressing, 'I feel like we’ve been here for three or four days rather than a weekend—the experiences have been so rich.'
The profound practice of the seven limbs: Florida Retreat
Over 100 members of the Florida sangha came together this past weekend to delve into seven essential methods for empowering their spiritual practice. Each of the seven Resident Teachers from the following Florida Centers: Kadampa Meditation Center Florida (Sarasota), KMC Tampa Bay (Safety Harbor), KMC Fort Lauderdale, KMC Miami, Maitreya Buddhist Center (Jacksonville), Samudrabhadra Buddhist Center (Fort Myers), and Vajrapani Center (Orlando), provided teachings and guided meditations on the profound practice of the seven limbs. These limbs are the essential spiritual practices for creating the necessary inner conditions for our spiritual growth and meditation.
In between sessions, many participants had the pleasure of enjoying a delicious coffee and scones at the World Peace Café while basking in the tranquility of the world peace garden, shaded by magnificent bodhi trees. "We look forward to making this an annual event!"
