General Spiritual Director
Special Events in the US, Mexico and France
Dec 14, 2024
Events in the US
May was a wonderful time with special events in the US. A well-attended talk & retreat organized by KMC Colorado, statue-filling weekend with IKRC Grand Canyon, 10th Anniversary of KMC Maryland, and silent retreat in Arizona. Find out more about these events!
Clarity & Emptiness: A Rocky Mountain Retreat with Gen Samten & Kadam Lucy James
At the beginning of May, we had the honor of hosting a long weekend "Clarity of the Mind & Emptiness" retreat with beloved Teachers Gen Samten and Kadam Lucy James. We are thrilled to announce that over 75 individuals participated in the retreat in the serene backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.
Gen Samten began his visit to KMC Colorado by giving a public talk to almost 100 attendees. His talk called "Heart-Centered Living" explored how to live in the modern world with a heart of compassion and love. Everyone walked away feeling much more positive about the world and their potential for peace!
The public talk was followed by the weekend retreat with over 75 attendees. Each person was immersed in teachings and deep meditations learning about the true essence of their minds and the nature of reality. The event was a transformative experience, fostering growth and insight for all present! This recent 4-day immersive retreat provided a serene and supportive environment for all participants to unwind, reflect on the teachings and meditations, and engage in meaningful conversations. With silent mornings promoting introspection and lively interactions during afternoons and evenings, attendees experienced a perfect balance of teachings and relaxation. The event left a lasting impact on all who participated. The overwhelmingly positive feedback and shared experiences laid the ground for future retreats. We are looking forward to doing this again!
Statue Filling Workshop at IKRC Grand Canyon
A two-day statue-filling workshop at IKRC Grand Canyon from May 17-18, was led by Kit Gianis for a group of eager students who either brought their statues to be filled or helped fill statues for others according to the Kadampa Buddhist tradition.
As we know, statues of Buddhas are a source of profound blessings for the people of this world. Even for non-Buddhists simply looking at a statue of Buddha will bless their mind and sow the seeds of virtue and future happiness. Since statues, stupas and so forth must be properly prepared and filled correctly, it is a beautiful spiritual activity for practitioners to gather together and create the causes “to become filled with realizations.”
It is said that if we fill a statue correctly we accumulate merit for as long as the statue exists. Those who are sincerely interested in learning these techniques are strongly encouraged to train with others who are qualified in this practice. It has been a lovely weekend enjoyed by all participants!
10th Anniversary of KMC Maryland
This May we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the grand opening of KMC Maryland! Although there has been Kadam Dharma in the Baltimore area for 27 years, 10 years ago the renovations were completed on our current Temple building which has a large meditation space and has allowed us to grow.
Gen Chogden, Kelsang Gyaltsen, and Gen Menla all shared their memories and photos from the renovation and art project (thank you Gen Menla for sending us your message via video!). We enjoyed a celebratory cake too!
This special weekend celebration at KMC Maryland was graced with the blessing empowerment of Je Tsongkhapa.
This has been a special time to remember the kindness of our Founder, Venerable Geshe-la, our lineage Guru, Je Tsongkhapa, and the kindness of the Sangha volunteers past and present who helped build this Temple and who continue to maintain and cherish it so it can remain for many generations to come.
Silent Retreat in Arizona
KMC Arizona hosted its annual Aravaipa Canyon silent retreat on the nature of the mind. The weather was beautiful, the teachings were inspiring, and all participants had a magnificent time! We are looking forward to hosting this retreat again next year.
