General Spiritual Director
Three Continents, One Purpose: retreats for a peaceful mind
Dec 2, 2024
AWAY RETREATS FOCUSED ON GAINING INSIGHT INTO THE MIND
In September, some Kadampa centers organized away retreats to allow their students to focus on gaining insight into the mind. Here KMC Quebec, KMC Victoria and Je Tsongkhapa KBC in Pachuca (Mexico) enjoyed away retreats.
KMC QUEBEC ~ CONNECTING WITH OUR PEACEFUL HEART
For the last 20 years, KMC Québec has organized an away retreat once or twice a year. These popular events inspire students to deepen their meditation practice in a peaceful environment far from the busyness of the city.
This fall, the retreat called Inner Peace, Outer Peace, World Peace was based on the famous quote from Venerable Geshe-la Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible.
After the Friday night’s introduction, everyone was encouraged to remain silent until Sunday lunch. This rare time in silence was deeply appreciated by all. On Saturday, Marie-Claude Martel, our Resident Teacher, guided us through simple meditations, inspired by the Living Meditation Series, for us to connect with our peaceful heart and recognize the clear nature of our mind. We concluded the retreat on Sunday contemplating the power of our mind to create everything and, using this power, create peace around us and throughout the world through improving our love for all living beings.
One participant said
‘We have received inspiring loving energy, a privilege of having met Geshe-la’s precious Dharma.’
Thank you to everyone who made this retreat possible and especially to Venerable Geshe-la for his immense kindness in guiding us along the path to world peace.
We look forward to welcoming you to the next retreat at the end of March 2025.
KMC VICTORIA ~ THE STAGES OF THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT
KMC Victoria hosted a 4-day away retreat in September called How to Transform our Life with Lamrim Meditation: Learning and Practicing the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment.
Our Resident Teacher Gen Zopa focused on meditations taken from The Mirror of Dharma with Additions. We learned how to empower our meditation practice, focusing on steady and gentle progress on the stages of the path to enlightenment.
Venerable Geshe-la’s unsurpassed instructions guided us through the essential steps in preparing our mind for powerful meditation, how to generate the actual object of Lamrim so that our meditation functioned correctly, and how to remember the object of meditation throughout the day so that our life becomes a spiritual path.
In the words of one participant:
The Lamrim retreat exceeded my expectations. The teachings were clear, practical, and built on my understanding, helping me develop a deeper grasp of the teachings.
I was able to take my understanding of Lamrim to the next level, gaining insight into my mind and facing obstacles that revealed what I needed to focus on moving forward. The repetition and structure of the sessions strengthened my familiarity with the practice and supported my spiritual progress.
JE TSONGKHAPA KBC ~ PREPARING FOR tranquil ABIDING
On the last weekend of September, we were fortunate to hold our Concentration Retreat - Preparing for Tranquil Abiding.
During this weekend, twenty-six participants received teachings and guided meditations on the emptiness of the body, the self and all phenomena, transmitted by Gen Kelsang Gawa, the Resident Teacher at Je Tsongkhapa KBC.
We learned that the way our senses perceive phenomena is deceptive and completely contrary to the way they exist. Objects seem to exist from their own side, without depending upon our minds.
To understand this, we must strive to have an understanding of emptiness: the way phenomena actually exist, which is contrary to the way we perceive them. Therefore, to fulfil our deepest desire to achieve enlightenment for the sole purpose of directly benefiting every sentient being every day, we must attain a direct realization of emptiness.
Until we attain enlightenment, we must rely on our Spiritual Guide and, through him, continue to receive the special blessings of Buddha, who is now correctly and sincerely guiding us on the paths of renunciation, bodhichitta and the correct view of emptiness.
We rejoiced in our accumulated merit because it was a very special weekend when we celebrated Buddha's Return from Heaven Day on 22 September. We dedicated our merit for peace in the world and for all sentient beings to attain the pure and everlasting happiness of enlightenment.
We are especially grateful for the infinite kindness of our precious Spiritual Guide, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche.
