Collaboration Bringing Meditators Together In U.S.
Kadampas from the Florida State and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States came together for weekend retreats led by an array teachers from multiple centers. This shared experience encouraged an atmosphere of camaraderie and mutual support, strengthening the connections...
Tekef
At a sold-out Away Retreat in Frederick, Maryland, 45 Sangha members from Mid-Atlantic Centers in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey immersed themselves in teachings on love, compassion, and wisdom during the weekend of September 22 to 24. Led by the six Resident Teachers from the region, these students were guided through a special set of meditations presented in Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's book, 'Universal Compassion.'
The retreat featured sessions led by each of the Resident Teachers. It began on Friday with an introduction emphasizing the significance of the preliminaries. Saturday's sessions covered equalizing self with others, recognizing the disadvantages of self-cherishing, and the profound practice of exchanging self with others. The day concluded with a guided meditation on taking and giving. On Sunday morning, Gen Kelsang Demo, Resident Teacher at Kadampa Meditation Center Washington, DC, and U.S. National Spiritual Director in the Midwest, concluded the retreat with two sessions on emptiness and ultimate bodhichitta.
Despite the weekend's stormy weather, as Tropical Storm Ophelia moved north, our dedicated teachers and students skillfully transformed the conditions into opportunities for spiritual growth. They spent time getting to know each other, discussing teachings, and sharing vegetarian meals. Remarkably, the stormy external environment seemed to enhance the spiritual experience, with one retreat participant aptly expressing, 'I feel like we’ve been here for three or four days rather than a weekend—the experiences have been so rich.'
