Gompa

Donna will be away.

Noland’s farm is a lovely setting for retreat – a peaceful place in the country with lots of space for reflection. The accommodations are quite rustic – sleeping is indoors, but be prepared to bring sleeping bags and padding. Camping is also an option. The farm is not fully handicapped accessible, including uneven ground for walking and stairs or steps to entrances. The farm is located in Alamance County, off Route 87 about halfway between Route 40 and Route 64 (about 15 minutes north of Pittsboro). Exact directions will be sent after registration.

At the retreat, we uphold the five retreat precepts of no lying; no taking something that isn’t freely given; no killing; no sexual contact; no use of drugs, alcohol or smoking.

Please plan to arrive at the farm on Friday betwen 3:30-5:30pm (if possible to check in). Dinner will be at 6:00pm and a mandatory orientation session begins at 7:00pm.

Final activity on Sunday is a mandatory final cleaning and packing session.

Registration below:

Join us for a service opportunity to benefit students at Nash Correctional Institution who attend meditation classes led by Andre Smith, member of the Kadampa Center Prison Project. During Family Camp last year we discovered a talent for making malas and want to make an offering of this work to those in prison who complete a course with Andre.

All ages welcome! Most kids age 8 and up will be able to do this with some occasional assistance. Younger kids may need more assistance or to be given a task of sorting or counting. We also have the opportunity to write cards of encouragement, appropriate for any age.

Supplies for malas are provided. You are welcome to bring art supplies for the cards if you wish.

Please make sure your kids know ahead of time that these malas are being made for others and are not to take home.

Join us for a service opportunity to benefit students at Nash Correctional Institution who attend meditation classes led by Andre Smith, member of the Kadampa Center Prison Project. During Family Camp last year we discovered a talent for making malas and want to make an offering of this work to those in prison who complete a course with Andre.

All ages welcome! Most kids age 8 and up will be able to do this with some occasional assistance. Younger kids may need more assistance or to be given a task of sorting or counting. We also have the opportunity to write cards of encouragement, appropriate for any age.

Supplies for malas are provided. You are welcome to bring art supplies for the cards if you wish.

Please make sure your kids know ahead of time that these malas are being made for others and are not to take home.

Humans have a natural capacity for compassion. However, everyday stress, social pressures and everyday experiences can make it difficult to fully express this capacity. The process of cultivating compassion involves training our own minds, developing specific skills in how we relate to others, and ourselves, and intentionally choosing compassionate thoughts and actions. The training process includes: Daily meditation practices to develop loving kindness, empathy and compassion A two-hour weekly class that includes lecture, discussion, and in-class partner and small-group listening and communication exercises Real-world “homework” assignments to practice compassionate thoughts and actions. In this program, you will learn to: Cultivate/enhance a daily meditation practice Increase kindness and compassion Calm the mind and direct thoughts more positively Sharpen the ability to focus and pay attention

Cultivating compassion goes beyond feeling more empathy and concern for others. It develops the strength to be with suffering, the courage to take compassionate action, and the resilience to prevent compassion fatigue. Compassion Cultivation can:
•    Improve personal relationships
•    Support health, happiness and well-being
•    Increase self-compassion and self-care
•    Reduce stress, anxiety and depression
•    Enhance connection with others
CCT is designed to support anyone who wants to cultivate compassion for themselves and others. This includes parents, caregivers, educators, healthcare professionals, therapists, executives, public servants and people in a wide range of professions and life contexts. No previous meditation experience is required.

Registration is limited; pre-registration is required. You may register here.

This course is offered within Kadampa Center's tradition of relying completely on the heartfelt generosity of the students to cover our costs and to thank the course leader for her expertise. Other venues charge as much as $100 to attend. We happily accept all donations! You can offer donations at class time, or click here:

Course Donation

Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) is an eight-week program designed to develop the qualities of compassion, empathy, and kindness for oneself and for others. CCT integrates traditional contemplative practices with contemporary psychology and scientific research on compassion. The program was developed at Stanford University by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists, and researchers, including Dr. Thubten Jinpa, a former Buddhist monk who frequently acts as English translator for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This is an independent course that was not developed by FPMT.

About the course leader: 

Robin Hart has facilitated meditation instruction and practice since 2002. Robin became a CCT certified instructor in 2013 and moved from Southern California to the Triangle region in 2014.

A sutra is a holy scripture -- the very words of the Buddha, written down so that all can receive the teachings. The practice of doing group readings of sutras began in the monasteries, where it continues today. The pages of the sutra are divided evenly among all participants, so that each person has a different set of pages than the others. Then all begin reading aloud at the same time, so that the room is filled with the joyful sound of precious teachings. It creates a wonderful current of energy, and everyone in the room hears the entire sutra and gets it on their mindstreams, although of ocurse they are not consciously taking in the words spoken by the others.

From FPMT:  The Sanghata Sutra is a direct teaching by the Buddha that promises to transform all who read or recite it. At www.sanghatasutra.net, visitors can learn all about this sutra, view stories of how others have been changed by the text, and get tips on reciting the text. The site includes a global satellite map marking places the text has been recited or copied, and a discussion forum devoted to the Sanghata.

A sutra is a holy scripture -- the very words of the Buddha, written down so that all can receive the teachings. The practice of doing group readings of sutras began in the monasteries, where it continues today. The pages of the sutra are divided evenly among all participants, so that each person has a different set of pages than the others. Then all begin reading aloud at the same time, so that the room is filled with the joyful sound of precious teachings. It creates a wonderful current of energy, and everyone in the room hears the entire sutra and gets it on their mindstreams, although of ocurse they are not consciously taking in the words spoken by the others.

From FPMT:  At the beginning of the Sutra of Golden Light, Buddha Shakyamuni, the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Fully Enlightened, calls to anyone experiencing misery and affliction, bad health, poverty, loss, abuse, ill will, fear, nightmares, or other harms. He says to make the mind virtuous and to come and listen.

This “King of Glorious Sutras,” contains everything needed, from daily happiness to complete enlightenment. It contains a heart-rending practice of confession and rejoicing, profound teachings on dependent arising, reliable assurances of protection, guidelines for ideal government, and awe-inspiring stories of the Buddha’s previous lives, in which the Buddha shows how, even before he had completely eliminated the delusions, he liberated countless beings from the ocean of suffering through compassion and personal courage.

A sutra is a holy scripture -- the very words of the Buddha, written down so that all can receive the teachings. The practice of doing group readings of sutras began in the monasteries, where it continues today. The pages of the sutra are divided evenly among all participants, so that each person has a different set of pages than the others. Then all begin reading aloud at the same time, so that the room is filled with the joyful sound of precious teachings. It creates a wonderful current of energy, and everyone in the room hears the entire sutra and gets it on their mindstreams, although of course they are not consciously taking in the words spoken by the others.

From FPMT:  Along with the Heart Sutra, the Vajra Cutter Sutra (also known as the Diamond Cutter Sutra or Diamond Sutra) is one of most well-known sutras of Mahayana Buddhism. The Vajra Cutter Sutra is a discourse on the Buddhist concept of emptiness or “Wisdom Gone Beyond.”