It is the free day at the Festival, the midpoint between week 1 and 2. Those staying the whole period use the free day to rest a little, to absorb the teachings from week 1 and to reset ready for week 2. It is also a chance to get practical things done: to do laundry, get some shopping in town or communicate with loved ones back home.
We are very fortunate at this Festival to be in such a blessed environment, surrounded by exquisitely detailed images of enlightenment that uplift our minds. Even from the back of the Temple, the shrine is radiant. Up close, you can spend a long time taking in the individual Buddhas on the hand-painted thangkas or the carefully crafted statues arranged on the shrine.
The Festival Retreat is a powerful and peaceful experience, providing an opportunity to concentrate in silence and in the company of thousands of people. Everyone is sincerely trying to generate these virtuous intentions and maintain them in their mind.
Today we received teachings on contentment from Gen-la Jampa: how to be satisfied with our inner and outer conditions with a good motivation, how to let go of the endless discontent that drives us to constantly seek and never find satisfaction in external things. Our endless scrolling, our endless acquiring.
Kadampa Festivals are really very unusual and wonderful as holiday destinations. The real holiday location is the inner pure land of Lamrim and the real enjoyment is our own genuine happiness and peace that comes as our mind concentrates on virtuous objects.
The overarching theme of the Festival is how to be a Kadampa, a qualified Kadampa practitioner that strives to emulate the pure examples of our Kadampa Iineage Gurus, and especially the pure example of our own Spiritual Guide.
Our International Kadampa Summer Festival 2025 begins in earnest in the most wonderful way, with a day dedicated to contemplating the deep meaning of refuge, culminating in a beautiful, extremely blessed and powerful refuge ceremony.
It’s day one of the Festival, and there are happy, peaceful and busy Kadampas everywhere. People are greeting each other fondly, happy to meet again and looking forward to spending one or two weeks together immersed in Kadampa life.
It’s the day before the Summer Festival, and it is a very special day: today is the ordination ceremony with Gen-la Dekyong.
Every year during the International Kadampa Festivals, attendees from across the globe can discover a wide range of distinctive items that enhance their daily practice, provide meaningful gifts for others, and acquire essential ritual objects for their center.
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Across the Kadampa community, practitioners recently came together to celebrate, receive precious teachings, and deepen their spiritual practice. From a weekend of Green Tara teachings and empowerment in Amsterdam to the 30th anniversary celebration in Ottawa, these gatherings offered joyful opportunities to…
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