Gompa

Join Geshe Gelek as he guides us to selected points in the road to enlightenment.

Currently Geshe-la is teaching Mind Training.. This is an excellent extension of what students will have learned in the Discovering Buddhism module, "Transforming Problems."

Geshe-la will teach from the text "Twenty Seven Verses of Mind Training" by Je Tsongkhapa

In his great compassion, Shakyamuni Buddhia opened the gates to this road to enlightenment through his teachings.

Many years later, Lama Atisha organized all of the Buddha's teachings into a step-by-step guide -- a road map to the territory of practice --  in a short text called "Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment."

Lama Tsongkhapa (the founder of our Gelugpa lineage) wrote a detailed explanation of Lama Atisha's text to help students understand and practice the instructions, called The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim Chenmo). This lamrim foundation is the basis of all practice in our lineage, including tantra.

These incredible teachings by Geshe Gelek on this text are a rare and precious opportunity to gain insights into how to practice.

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Are you interested in Buddhism but don't know where to start? Have you heard words like dharma and karma and samsara and wondered what they meant or why they mattered? Do you want to get an overview of Buddhism without making a long-term commitment? Then this is the program for you. In five short classes, we introduce you to the major terms and concepts of Buddhism - a fast tour of the basics to enable you to take the next steps if you want more. This course provides a broad, basic overview of key aspects of Buddhism and our practice. There is no required reading, no homework and no quizzes!

Topics covered include:

• The Four Noble Truths
• Different kinds of Buddhism: Theravadan, Mahayana, Vajrayana, etc.
• Buddha's teachings in a gradual form for the practice of one individual...where to start, what next, etc.
• A brief introduction to meditation

Registration requested. Click here to register.

In keeping with our long-standing tradition, Kadampa Center does not charge a fee for any Dharma course. These teachings are too precious to allow money to be an obstacle for anyone to hear them!  We do, of course, have expenses to offer the course, so we happily welcome any heart-felt donations. 

This session is led by Sandy Carlson

Our Sunday morning teachings are a vibrant, interactive experience where we explore applying the methods of Buddhism to the nitty-gritty of daily life.

With the guidance of one of our resident teachers, Geshe Gelek Chodha or Geshe Palden Sangpo, we discuss the complications that make us unhappy, and how the tools of Buddhism sheds new light on our thoughts and emotions. In this process we discover how to steer our minds toward happiness.

Sunday mornings typically begin with prayers, a brief meditation, and the rare opportunity to learn from a highly trained Buddhist monk. When Geshe Gelek and Geshe Sangpo are away, one of several senior students will lead the session. The teachings and prayers are in English.

Geshe-la welcomes questions and frequently will ask for questions from us, so that he can tailor his teachings to our needs.  We collect questions at any time at the Center (there’s a box on the desk just inside the door for them), and you can also submit questions online.

Sunday is a great time for a first visit to Kadampa Center – students at every level come, from newcomers to practitioners with 30+ years of experience, and it's a great opportunity to meet others and start making new friends. 

We offer a full range of children's programs on Sundays. Children are invited to sit on the blue cushions at the front of the gompa, and then depart to their classes after opening prayers. Any child who wishes to is welcome to remain in the gompa for the teachings.

On many Sundays, we also host other events, such as the Newcomer Orientation, New Member Orientation, pujas, and more. Special events for holy days, special practices, or exhibits and visiting teachers are also occasionally held on Sundays, so for all these events please check the calendar for more information and specific times.

Did You Know?

Join us March 31st in the gompa before the teachings for a lively presentation from our leaders

• Ever wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes at Kadampa Center? 
• Ever wondered what our Spiritual Program Coordinator, Donna Seese really does?
• Ever wondered what our Center Manager, Jill Marie really does?
• Ever wondered what our Family Program is all about?
• Ever wondered what Management team is up to?

Learn about all these things with door prizes and quiz questions sure to keep us all engaged!

See you then!
ps. If you wear Kadampa Center swag you will get a prize automatically!

Join us for our quarterly cleaning session at Kadampa Center!

Ever wondered how our Center gets cleaned? Try the quiz

1. We have a janitor
2. Members are paid to clean
3. Fairies come in the night
4. It’s like a self-cleaning oven

Join us for our quarterly cleaning session at Kadampa Center!

Ever wondered how our Center gets cleaned? Try the quiz

1. We have a janitor
2. Members are paid to clean
3. Fairies come in the night
4. It’s like a self-cleaning oven

Dharma study is rich with ideas for understanding our lives and how to live them. We can come out of a class with our minds buzzing:

"What about this aspect of karma?"

"Understanding impermanence really helped me come to grips with that loss in my life... I wonder what others took from it."

"I still can't get my mind around emptiness and dependent arising."

Our teachers advise us that discussion and debate are a good method for bringing the teachings alive and weaving them into our thought processes. In these facilitated discussion sessions, we invite everyone --  past and future Discovering Buddhism students and teachers, and anyone else who wants to discuss foundational Buddhist topics in the context of day-to-day practice. Each week will have its own topic as a jumping off point.

Click here to let us know you'll be joining the discussion. 

February 18 - Most of us have experienced some level of depression or anxiety. When these feelings arise, what remedies work for you? How does Buddhism help?

February 25 - What is happiness? What does a happy person look like? We say that all beings want to be happy. What does that mean?

Spiritually, the first two weeks of the Tibetan year are particularly powerful. These weeks mark a time when Shakyamuni Buddha was challenged to a duel of mystical powers by a group of  teachers who did not believe in the Buddha's teachings. During each of the 15 Days of Miracles, the Buddha's actions led to many people attaining realizations, ripening karms for higher rebirths and being liberated from samsara. Each day in this two-week period is an auspicious day for practice. FPMT says: Any actions done during that period of time, both auspicious and harmful, are multiplied in their power. Karmic results are multiplied by one hundred million, as cited by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the Vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic. It is a very powerful time to practice and increase one’s commitment to both practice and study.

Our schedule of special events for this holy season: