In the early days of January, many centers organize winter retreats where stillness, silence, and blessings take center stage. Set amidst snowy mountains, these retreats offer a serene experience at Kailash IRC in Switzerland and in the Ennstal region of Upper Austria.
Previously we shared photos from centers around the world celebrating New Year’s Eve in various ways. Here we share more from that day. Enjoy!
Centers around the world celebrated New Year’s Eve in various ways, entering 2025 with Buddha’s blessings. Communities gathered to enjoy courses, empowerments, chanted prayers, and festive buffets to start the year in the most meaningful way. See the article to hear from Manjushri KMC and KMC Darlington in the UK, Tharpaland KMC and KMC Hamburg in Germany.
Entering 2025, enjoy an inspiring feature video celebrating the restoration project of the First Kadampa Temple for World Peace. Designed by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche and opened by him in 1997, this temple has welcomed thousands seeking inner peace for nearly three decades. The restoration project revitalized the shrine and temple art, honoring its legacy and ensuring its beauty and significance to last for future generations.
What do all living beings desire most? Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong reveals the universal wish we all share: to be happy and free from pain and problems. Yet, as Gen-la explains, despite this deep wish, we often sabotage our own happiness through anger, jealousy, and selfish habits.
Many Kadampa centers worldwide organize activities on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here we see Manjushri KMC, Tharpaland KMC, KMC Victoria and KMC Trois-Rivières.
Read about some other recent activities organized by Kadampa centers around the world.
Here in this post KMC Cuernavaca (Mexico), Vajrapani KBC (Johannesburg) and KMC Manchester.
In this video Venerable Geshe-la gives strong encouragement to believe in our ability to develop a happy mind all the time, We can make progress through training every day to practice Buddha’s teachings on improving our good qualities of mind.
End-of-the-year celebrations take us to Kadampa centers in Mexico, the UK, and Canada. Communities gathered to share teachings, meditation, and festive joy. In Mexico, KMC Mexico and KMC Merida hosted special courses with their Resident Teachers. In Sheffield, attendees enjoyed a meditation on love, while Aberdeen focused on gratitude and contentment. Ottawa’s Christmas gathering brought warmth, connection, and festive cheer to all who attended.
Part 2 of our festive season celebrations takes us to Kadampa centers in Mexico, the UK, the US, and France. Communities gathered to express gratitude for the past year and welcome the new one with a variety of different events. In Mexico, there were prayers and meals, while the UK enjoyed quiz games and festive fun. In the US, one center celebrated with caroling and a meal, and in France, meditation and a shared meal created a joyful atmosphere, highlighting the unity and joy of the Kadampa family.
General Spiritual Director
