STUDY & MEDITATION

STUDY & MEDITATION

At the very heart of modern Kadampa Buddhism are the three core study programs developed by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche:

General Program

Foundation Program

Teacher Training Program

These programs are taught at every Kadampa center.

Latest developments:

Increasing your wisdom – course at KMC Guadalajara

At the beginning of September, KMC Guadalajara hosted a special meditation event led by Resident Teacher Gen Shima, drawing a large and enthusiastic audience. The event was divided into two parts: a public talk called “Where is Happiness?” and a retreat called “Release from Pain.”

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Weekend of deeper inner peace

In August some Kadampa Centers organized group retreats to allow their students to gain deeper experience of inner peace.
Here Kailash IRC, KMC Argentina, KMC Vancouver and KMC Fraser Valley.

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Recent Events in Mexico

This August, practitioners in Mexico had a wonderful opportunity to engage in a post-Festival retreat and learn about karma and lojong (training the mind). See below for more details on the courses offered at KMC Mexico, KMC Cuernavaca, and KMC Monterrey.

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Wintertime in the Southern Hemisphere – Recent Events

While people in the Northern Hemisphere enjoy summer in August, those in the Southern Hemisphere are now enjoying their winter events. Check out the recent wintertime events in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Uruguay.

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What’s On in the US

Following the International Summer Festival, Kadampa Centers worldwide are resuming their classes and courses. Check out what’s new in the US at KMC Brooklyn, KMC New York, KMC Maryland, KMC South Carolina, and KMC Washington DC.

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Intensive Teacher Training Program 2024 drawing to an end

Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche created the Teacher Training Program to ensure that Kadampa Teachers around the world will continually improve their correct understanding of Kadam Dharma, pure moral discipline, and teaching skills to become a pure example for others to learn from and follow.

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Everyone welcome!

In recent weeks some Kadampa Centers have opened their doors in a variety of ways to allow many people to find and get to know the Kadampa Tradition.
Here Madhyamaka KMC with its annual Fair, Nargarjuna KMC with its Summer Fete and, in Buenos Aires, Nagarjuna KBC with its Open Doors.

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Nagarjuna’s intention at KMC New York

The Nagarjuna’s Middle Way silent retreat at KMC New York with Resident Teacher, Gen Samten Kelsang, brought over 150 people from all over the US and Canada.

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Visiting Teachers sharing Buddha’s Wisdom

At the end of June, wonderful talks with guest Teachers were organized at several NKT Kadampa Centers. Buddhist monks visited Uma KMC in the UK, KMC Trois-Rivières in Canada, and KMC Metz in France. These talks, focusing on the preciousness of our human life and the concept of impermanence, guided participants to a better understanding of Buddhist wisdom.

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Weekend retreats on faith and a good heart

In June some Kadampa Centers organized group retreats to allow their students to gain deeper experience of the powerful minds of love and faith.
Here Dharmachakra KBC, Vajra Light KBC, and Menlha KMC at KMC New York, KMC Geneva at Kailash IRC and Lamrim KBC in Monts du Lyonnais.

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General Program

The General Program (GP) is taught at every center for Modern Kadampa Buddhism and is an ideal starting point for those interested to find out more about the practical application of Buddhism and meditation to modern life.

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Kadampa-Study-Programmes

Foundation Program

The purpose of the Foundation Program (FP) is to provide a systematic presentation of particular subjects of Mahayana Buddhism to enable practitioners to deepen their knowledge and experience of Buddhism.

Are you ready for Foundation Program?

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Books studied on Foundation Program

Teacher Training Program

The purpose of the Teacher Training Program (TTP) is to provide an extensive presentation of particular subjects of Mahayana Buddhism to enable practitioners to deepen their knowledge and experience of Buddhism, and to train as qualified Teachers of Modern Buddhism.

Books studied on Teacher Training Program

Studying Modern Buddhism

There are three reasons why we need to study and practice the teachings of Buddha - to develop our wisdom, to cultivate a good heart and to maintain a peaceful state of mind:

Develop wisdom
If we do not strive to develop our wisdom we will always remain ignorant of ultimate truth – the true nature of reality. Although we wish for happiness, our ignorance leads us to engage in non-virtuous actions, which are the main cause of all our suffering.

Cultivate a good heart
If we do not cultivate a good heart, our selfish motivation destroys harmony and good relationships with others. We have no peace, and no chance to gain pure happiness. Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible.

Maintain a peaceful state of mind
If we do not maintain a peaceful state of mind we are not happy even if we have ideal conditions. On the other hand, when our mind is peaceful we are happy even if our external conditions are unpleasant.

Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso has designed three special Study Programs for the systematic study and practice of Modern Buddhism that are especially suited to the modern world: the General Program, Foundation Program, and Teacher Training Program. See below for details.

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BENEFITS OF THE FOUNDATION & TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS

By Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche

The following is a transcript of a talk given by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche on the occasion of the inauguration of the Foundation Program at Tara Centre, England, October 1990.

Beginning the Foundation Program at a center presents us with a great opportunity because this program fulfills both our own and others’ wishes.

How does the Foundation Program fulfill our own wishes? By increasing our wisdom and our experience of Dharma. With wisdom and Dharma experience we can solve all the problems we encounter in daily life and we can protect ourselves from danger in the future. Since beginningless time we have had strong, bad habits that arise from our self-grasping and self-cherishing.

We all want to better ourselves and to be happy and successful in life but our bad habits lead us in the opposite direction. Instead of finding happiness we create the cause of more suffering. None of us wants to suffer and yet, because of our bad habits, we are continually strengthening our deluded minds, which are the cause of all our suffering.

With wisdom and Dharma experience we can bring our deluded minds under control. We can reduce our attachment, anger, jealousy, and so forth, and subdue our self-grasping and self-cherishing. By controlling our deluded minds we will come to experience permanent peace day and night. We will bring about a permanent cessation of human problems in particular and of samsaric problems in general. In this way we will become our own protectors.

With wisdom and Dharma experience we will also become our own doctors. Whether we are young or old, rich or poor, famous or of humble origins, without choice we all have to experience mental pain. Within one day we experience mental pain and discomfort many times, sometimes due to unpleasant circumstances and sometimes due to other people, even our friends. Sometimes for no apparent reason unhappiness, disappointment, dissatisfaction, or pain arise naturally due to the ripening of karmic imprints.

We need a remedy for this pain. No one else can give us medicine that will relieve this type of pain, we have to become our own karma-doctor and cure ourselves through Dharma experience. By increasing our wisdom and Dharma experience we will gradually solve all our problems and eventually we will achieve the ultimate happiness of full enlightenment, the bliss of Buddhahood. This is how the Foundation Program can fulfil our own wishes.