General Spiritual Director
Conishead Priory Grounds & Paths
Jun 5, 2026
New Year's Eve Celebrations
Part 1
New Year celebrations at Kadampa centers united communities worldwide. In the first post showing these events, see how over 200 people gathered in the First Kadampa Temple for World Peace for teachings and prayers, alongside celebrations at KMC Madrid, KMC Colombia, Heruka KMC in Brazil, and a joyful New Year greeting from Atisha KMC, Darlington.
Time for a New Perspective - Learning to be happy whatever happens!
New Year’s Eve was celebrated by over 200 people in the first Temple for World Peace in Ulverston, Lake District, UK. Many people came to join the evening talk, followed by a vegetarian buffet in the main dining hall of Manjushri KMC. Vibrant and joyful was the theme of the evening.
Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong, the General Spiritual Director of the NKT-IKBU, began the evening with an inspiring teaching encouraging us to check the direction we are taking in life and ask ourselves, are we going in the correct direction for happiness? She highlighted that we must apply inner effort to achieve a happy New Year, rather than simply repeating the unhelpful mental habits of the previous year.
The talk was followed by a scrumptious buffet prepared by volunteers and continued into the night with the 24-hour Tara chanting sessions. The Temple welcomed the New Year in the most beautiful way, with everyone praying for happiness and peace for all living beings.
New Year Retreat at KMC Madrid
With great joy, we welcomed 2026 at KMC Madrid, a very special year in which we begin our 30th anniversary. Our New Year retreat was a deeply meaningful occasion, allowing us to close one cycle and start the new year with enthusiasm, inspiration and renewed spiritual motivation.
Throughout the different sessions, we gradually discovered the inspiring story of Arya Green Tara, allowing her example of active compassion and protection to guide our meditations and reflections. Each session contributed to a harmonious and continuous experience, especially during the powerful practice of 24-hour Tara chanting.
At midnight, we shared the joyful and heartfelt Spanish tradition of eating twelve grapes with twelve chimes, creating a very special, uplifting energy as we welcomed in the New Year together as a Sangha community.
During the retreat, we also received two special teachings from our Resident Teacher Gen Dargyey, entitled Good Resolutions and Create the Best Version of Yourself, which offered clear and practical guidance for starting the year with a strong and meaningful spiritual direction.
This retreat marked a beautiful beginning to our 30th anniversary year, which we will joyfully experience throughout 2026 with very special visits and unique events. We sincerely thank everyone who participated and helped make this retreat possible. May the merit we accumulated benefit all beings.
welcoming the New Year with Tara’s mantra
At KMC Colombia in Bogota, we began the year immersed in the practice of Green Tara, doing a 24-hour Tara chanting retreat with the prayers Liberation from Sorrow. In a particularly meaningful moment, we welcomed in the New Year by reciting Tara’s mantra together. We also shared a meal as a community, with both new and familiar faces.
New Years at Heruka KMC, Brazil
At Heruka KMC in Brazil, we celebrated the New Year with Arya Tara’s blessings. Celebrating New Year’s Eve in the middle of summer allowed us to enjoy an open-air buffet, where we came together as Sangha, enjoyed each other’s company, and wished one another the best for the upcoming year, 2026.
Happy New Year from Atisha KMC, Darlington
Happy New Year from Atisha KMC, Darlington! We had a wonderful 24-hour Tara chanting retreat and welcomed in 2026 with a heart-warming guided meditation on immeasurable compassion and a beautiful candle-lit prayer session. Thank you to everyone who came along - including many people attending for their first time.
