General Spiritual Director
Post Spring Festival retreats – Part 2
Jun 11, 2026
Post Spring Festival retreats
Switzerland, England, Germany and Spain
Across five centers and three countries, teachers travelled to help practitioners get deeper experience of the Spring Festival Teachings.
This is the second of two posts on the post-Spring Festival retreats. Read Part One: Post Spring Festival Retreats in Spain
At the conclusion of the Spring Festival, Teachers set off to guide retreats in Switzerland, England, Germany and Spain. The communities there were ready to take the Spring Festival teachings deeper.
Eight Verses of Training the Mind, the text at the heart of this year's Festival, was the theme of the retreats. On retreat, the Teachers and practitioners had the opportunity to transform these instructions into inner meditative experiences.
This is the second of two posts on the post-Spring Festival retreats. The first covered three retreats in Spain. This one travels to Kailash IRC in Switzerland, Madhyamaka KMC, Tharpaland KMC in Germany, Nagarjuna KMC in England, and KMC Valencia.
In The Swiss ALPs With The Spring Festival Teacher, Gen-la Khyenrab
Kailash International Kadampa Retreat Center
Fifty practitioners from around the world travelled to Kailash IRC in the Swiss Alps for a retreat led by Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab.
At the Festival, Gen-la gave the transmissions of commentaries given by Venerable Geshe-la on The New Eight Steps To Happiness. At Kailash, in retreat conditions, he could guide practitioners deeper.
"What an amazing opportunity to take the teachings of the Spring Festival truly to heart — with enough time to contemplate and meditate deeply on these precious instructions."
- Kailash IKRC Retreater
Eighty People meditating together
Madhyamaka Kadampa Meditation Centre
Gen Kelsang Rabten travelled to Madhyamaka KMC in East Yorkshire, where more than eighty practitioners from across the world gathered for a week of guided retreat.
Gen Rabten encouraged practitioners not simply to receive the Eight Verses as a teaching, but to develop their own objects of meditation — to transform their understanding into something genuinely felt in their hearts.
“He encouraged us to genuinely transform our understanding of the Eight Verses into a heartfelt experience — over 80 Kadampas from all over the world joining together for this special opportunity.”
— Madhyamaka KMC Retreater
Between sessions, everyone enjoyed the grounds of Madhyamaka. The main house sits in beautiful country gardens and the spring flowers were in full bloom. The long northern evenings gave people time to walk and to sit and talk.
Taking Steps To Happiness
Tharpaland Kadampa Meditation Center
Gen Kelsang Devi travelled to Tharpaland KMC for a retreat that participants found deeply uplifting.
With warmth, clarity and gentle humor, she created a peaceful and encouraging atmosphere. She guided practitioners through the teachings on transforming daily difficulties into opportunities to cultivate love, compassion and inner strength and explained how it is possible to identify the faults of the mind while remaining kind and patient with ourself. She also clarified the difference between self-cherishing and self-love, which many people felt encouraged by.
Participants came from a range of backgrounds, and the time between sessions was as much a part of the experience as the actual meditation sessions. Some spoke about their experience of the sessions.
“Gen Devi has the wonderful skill that, although the topic may be deep and challenging, each session leaves you uplifted and inspired.”
— Retreat Participant
“Gen Devi has a special ability to help you feel the Dharma deeply in your heart.”
— Retreat Participant
Slow Down & Reflect
NAGARJUNA Kadampa Meditation Centre · Thornby Hall
Gen Kelsang Chokga travelled to Nagarjuna KMC at Thornby Hall,an Elizabethan manor in the Northamptonshire countryside. The gardens were in full bloom — lupins, roses, and more — and against that backdrop the retreat gave practitioners a chance to stop, breathe, and absorb the Festival teachings.
“A wonderful follow-on from the Spring Festival — peaceful meditations on the Eight Verses, an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and share the experience with such lovely people in such a warm and supportive atmosphere.”
— Nagarjuna KMC Retreater
Retreat continues in spain
Kadampa Meditation Center Valencia
Gen Kelsang Dargyay travelled from his center in Madrid to Valencia, bringing the Spring Festival teachings to the KMC Valencia community.
His focus was on one of the most practical and powerful aspects of the Eight Verses: transforming adversity into spiritual growth. Every challenge, he explained, can be an opportunity to develop the spiritual qualities that lead to happiness. What appears as an obstacle is an opportunity to practice.
“He showed us how every challenge can become a powerful opportunity to develop wisdom, compassion, and inner strength.”
— KMC Valencia Retreater
Between sessions the Valencia community gathered to share meals and enjoy each other's company, reflecting on and sharing their eperiences.
