General Spiritual Director
Improving concentration and wisdom
May 10, 2025
Spreading Dharma
in all Directions
This month has seen some inspiring events in the UK, Canada and Malaysia, allowing people to connect with the Dharma, meet other Teachers and listen to the teachings gathered with their Sangha. Gen-la Khyenrab at KMC Birmingham , Gen Rabten in Penang and Gen Thekchen in Newfoundland are featured here.
Gen-la Khyenrab in KMC Birmingham
Gen Rabten was in Penang (Malaysia)
Gen Thekchen flew to Newfoundland (Canada)
Developing Fearlessness with Gen-la Khyenrab in Birmingham
On April 12th we enjoyed a truly beautiful day at KMC Birmingham. We were delighted to welcome Gen-la Khyenrab to teach on Developing Fearlessness. Throughout the day we were treated to an abundance of wonderfully clear and practical explanations of how the very subtle - but immensely profound – teachings on the realization of emptiness and exchanging self with others can lead us to true, lasting fearlessness.
Gen-la skillfully shared Buddha's precious teachings on how to develop the wisdom that dispels the root of all our fears - our self-grasping and self-cherishing minds. In each of the three sessions Gen-la closely referenced his explanations to teachings given by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in 2005 and Ven Geshe-la’s book, Eight Steps to Happiness. Using everyday examples, with great humour, Gen-la skillfully addressed the question “Why do we experience fear?”
We then engaged in beautiful meditations on profound love.Gen-la first directed us to meditate on the immense kindness we have received from our mothers and all other living beings. Then to the meditation on equalising and exchanging self with others and then to the meditation on great compassion.
Many Sangha gathered from the surrounding areas and the center was filled with positive energy, laughter and peace; an enjoyable day was had by all. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped with the event and a special thank you to Gen-la Khyenrab for the inspiring and powerful teachings that directed us to begin and make progress along the journey to fearlessness. Also thank you to all the volunteers who made the day special and enjoyable for everyone.
GEN RABTEN VISITS VAJRAPANI KBC, PENANG, MALAYSIA
We were delighted to have Gen Rabten, our National Spiritual Director, visit Vajrapani Centre and lead Prayers for World Peace at the beginning of April. Gen Rabten was in Penang to teach the Southeast Asian Dharma Celebration (SEADC), and we deeply appreciate his kindness to spend an evening with us.
The event celebrated the great kindness of all in flourishing Kadam Dharma worldwide, particularly in Penang. Sixty people, including visitors from Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur, filled our meditation hall for the prayers.
By way of introduction, Gen Rabten gave a clear and concise talk on compassion and described a simple practice for how to bring compassion into daily life. Following the prayers, we gathered outside for refreshments. It was a wonderful celebration of kindness, including that of the center’s benefactors, members and friends, and especially the kindness of our Spiritual Guide, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. Thank you to all for participating and helping make the evening enjoyable.
KMC Ottawa trip with Gen Thekchen
to the Canadian Province of Newfoundland
This month, Gen Thekchen and several of us from KMC Ottawa flew to Newfoundland, an eastern province in Canada, to offer Kadampa Buddhist teachings to the people living there. During the 5-day trip, we offered a Public Talk and a Saturday day-long course in a beautiful modern venue near the heart of St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland.
Staying at the home of the parents of one of our KMC Ottawa students who had grown up in St. John’s, we experienced the wonderful Newfoundland hospitality the province is deservedly well known for, as well as the rugged natural beauty of the St. John’s coastline.
At both of our events, the Public Talk Letting Go of Anxiety and the Saturday course, Transforming Difficult Times into Inner Strength, the new Newfoundland students listened to Gen Thekchen’s teachings with great appreciation, and the room was deeply silent during the guided meditations. Many Kadampa books were purchased at the events, and many of the students attended a special meeting we had planned with the purpose of building a Kadampa community in St. John’s, supported by our center.
We discussed planned visits with teachings from Gen Thekchen and another KMC Ottawa branch Teacher. Afterwards, we had time to do a bit of sightseeing in the beautiful countryside next to the ocean outside of St. John’s. We experienced high winds and the crashing waves the area is so well known for, and we spotted a whale and a colony of puffins on a trip down the coast, south of St. John’s.
As we headed back to Ottawa, we agreed that, all in all, these efforts to bring Kadampa teachings to this wonderful community had been very successful, and that this had been an amazing adventure.
