This particular Festival was extremely potent for me personally. When I was six years old, my mum took me to a Green Tara empowerment with Venerable Geshe-la at Manjushri Centre. I didn’t have any idea what was going on at the time!

But nineteen years on, I feel a real relationship with Tara and an undoubted uplift in my mind due to her swift blessings, proving to me that Dharma seeds really do ripen in magical ways. Gen-la Dekyong’s teachings on Lamrim and Gen Rabten’s retreat also caused in me a new inspiration to practice transforming my daily activities into Dharma experiences.

This has given rise to a buoyancy in my mind that I could not have developed without their support. I hope to maintain this special state of mind at my workplaces in Brighton. I am really impressed by the kindness and joy of the Kadampa community as usual, and particularly the Festival organisers and Teachers; with Geshe-la most definitely at their hearts! The most profound effect of the Festival on me is that I feel a greater sense of meaning and purpose in my life and a renewed spirit.

- Jared from UK