General Spiritual Director
Awakening to Emptiness with Gen Rabten in Germany
Aug 28, 2024
NKT-IKBU International
Summer Festival 2024
Festival Diaries
The Empowerment Day
The Empowerment Day is always a very special day at the Festival. There is a gentle morning of meditation to deeply prepare our minds, guided by Gen Kelsang Ananda. The finishing touches are put in place for the empowerment shrine and even more abundant offerings appear. Everyone files in to the Temple, and when our General Spiritual Director, Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong enters, there is a special quiet and unity as the empowerment begins.
Day 2 ~ The Wisdom blessings of the Great mother
Gen-la welcomes us to the Festival, including all those joining online, and reminds us how fortunate we are, in particular to be revisiting the teachings with Venerable Geshe-la in 2013. She gives special advice for those not at the 2013 Festival on how it is possible to feel they are receiving the teachings directly from him and to personally meet him in 2024 through these teachings.
We are reminded of who Prajnaparamita is: how she is one nature with Tara and Vajrayogini to whom we already feel so close; and how she is a manifestation of Buddha's perfection of wisdom appearing in the beautiful form of the Great Mother, Prajnaparamita. The whole empowerment is very clear, very blessed: a meditative journey from the ordinary, through the doorway of emptiness, to complete purity.
The benefits of wisdom with Gen-la Dekyong
Developing our wisdom brings so many extraordinary benefits and is essential for progressing on the spiritual path. It is the higher perfection of wisdom, a mind realizing emptiness directly held by the mind of great compassion for all living beings, to which we aspire. So having received the wisdom blessings of the Great Mother, we are ready to listen intently with our whole heart to our Guru's precious teachings on emptiness.
After the empowerment, everyone looks radiant, joyful, blessed and so happy to be on this Summer Festival spiritual journey. People enjoy each other's company, or some quiet reflection in the late afternoon sunshine. Some people are inspired to practice the Heart Sutra which, as Gen-la reminded us, can be done as a daily practice.
Meditation ~ scientific methods to be happy
"I felt encouraged to go deeper - to really take the Refuge and Bodhisattva vows and to meet my Spiritual Guide in emptiness."
Jess"I feel grateful to be part of a powerful Sangha community. A feeling of togetherness and belonging. I feel part of something very uplifting that is providing a lot of hope for this world."
Kelsang Pagpa
