General Spiritual Director
Urban retreats at local centers around the world – Oases of peace
Jan 28, 2025
Urban retreats at local centers around the world
Oases of peace in the middle of the city - a photo story
Most Kadampa centers around the world regularly organize retreats, so that everyone can have the opportunity to put aside their normal activities for a while and emphasize going deeper with particular spiritual practices. Some of these retreats are residential retreats, but many are right in the city.
People get most out of the retreats when they are able to put aside some time, even one or two days. However, it is also possible to join for individual sessions around work or family commitments. In this way something extraordinary is happening, with meditation retreats being offered and participated in - that are suitable for busy modern people and fit in with their lives.
SOME KADAMPA CENTerS AROUND THE WORLD REGULARLY ORGANIzE RETREATS
Although you will find short retreats programmed througout the year, January is the Kadampa retreat month, when you are most likely to find longer retreats on offer in the city center spaces.
It's such a good time of the year to meditate. The busyness of Christmas and New Year celebrations is over, so the retreat offers time to relax, step back and renew our spiritual intentions. There is motivation to start the New Year in a good way, setting up habits for happiness and peace throughout the year.
KMC Mexico
KMC Sheffield (UK)
KMC Hong Kong
KMC London
KMC Texas (US)
KMC Mexico
KMC Argentina
KMC Chicago (US)
KMC Hamburg (Germany)
KMC France
KMC Birminghan (UK)
KMC Singapore
KMC New York City (US)
A reset and recalibrate. A small hibernation within which something magical and transformative occurs through the power of meditation.
People find these retreats very inspirational, enabling them to deepen their practice. Busy people don't find it too difficult attending the retreat and managing distractions. The essential thing is setting up some boundaries at the beginning. So a person might decide no television, but they do the last session each day online so as to be at home with the family. In this way participants are able to maintain their motivation for engaging in their practice even when ordinary life surrounds them.
Being at the center and meditating together many times each day creates a very blessed and peaceful environment - a true sanctuary. Those who have experienced retreat before often say they couldn't wait to be back in retreat.
KMC Malaga (Spain)
Retreats help to clarify the practices, to see how they work together and enables real progress on the spiritual path.
Through concentrating on virtuous objects in many meditation sessions each day many people experience a significant increase in their inner peace. All this builds confidence and faith in the practices. Through retreat we find out what's possible spiritually, then after retreat we need to integrate our insights and maintain a steady, continuous practice.
Another benefit of doing the retreats on offer at the local centers is that you spend time as a group with members of your local community.
KMC Colombia
Everyone talks together and it feels like family. People remark how special this is, really creating and experiencing a community, with deep connections formed and time to spend with each other between sessions, instead of just coming and going from weekly classes. There are many opportunities to help and learn during the retreat.
Vajrapani KBC (South Africa)
KMC Monterrey
KMC Colombia
KMC Monterrrey
KMC Mexico
KMC Austria
KMC Florida
KMC Valencia
KMC Florida (US)
KMC Hong Kong
KMC Ottawa
Everyone joins in, learning to make offerings, serving food, cleaning the meditation room, manning reception and so on.
It is also wonderful for people to have the space to enjoy sitting and reading Dharma books, and enjoying being in such a blessed, accepting environment.
KMC Germany
