Fall Festival 2024 ~ Day 4
Oct 29, 2024
The Empowerment day is always a very special day at the Festival. There is gentle morning of meditation to deeply prepare our minds guided by Gen Kelsang Ananda. The finishing touches are put in place for the empowerment shrine and even more abundant offerings appear. Everyone files in to the temple, our General Spiritual Director, Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong enters and there is a special quiet and unity as the empowerment begins.
The first day of the NKT Summer Festival 2024 is a beautiful day, showing the Lake District at its very best, with all the peaks of the mountains visible and the sea tranquil and beautiful in Morecambe Bay.
Today the international ordained Kadampa community had the precious opportunity to gather together for the Summer Festival ordination ceremony with Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab.
It’s the final day of Festival but there is no sense of things slowing down, instead we have the grand finale we have all been looking forward to! The opportunity to engage, as a world-wide Kadampa family, in the Long Protector practice, Melodious Drum Victorious in all Directions.
A beautiful day of retreat guided by Gen Tonglam, with five sessions of meditation using Heart Jewel prayers drawing us closer and closer to Dorje Shugden. The retreat gives us time to meditate on the teachings and bring everything we have learned together into our practice of Heart Jewel. Gen Tonglam takes us on an inner journey step by step through some of the essential teachings from the Festival, giving helpful encouragement and advice on how to practice.
By now there is a strong feeling of harmony at the Festival amongst everyone attending, a pervasive feeling of peace and protection. Everyone is appreciating the teachings, which help us to understand how to improve our own practice and help others to find happiness.
It’s day three and everyone is enjoying the daily program of teachings, meditations and chanted prayers around which everything else is woven. This gives a strong meaningful focus to each day and creates a natural rhythm of quiet periods alternating with a friendly sociable buzz between sessions.
The sunshine and clear blue skies added to the special atmosphere of the empowerment day. People enjoyed preparing well in the powerful and contemplative morning meditations with Gen Devi. Then, after a relaxed and joyful afternoon in the gardens of Manjushri KMC, it was time to enter into Dorje Shugden’s mandala.
The first day of Spring Festival 2024 is here, with over a thousand people arriving at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre from around the world. Whether we are coming for the first time or are regular attendees at International festivals, there is a sense of coming into our spiritual home. We enjoy being in a family of dedicated Kadampa practitioners, working to improve ourself and to benefit others.
Today the international ordained Kadampa disciples had the precious opportunity to gather together for the Spring Festival ordination ceremony with Gen-la Kelsang Kunsang.