879 Somerset Street West, Ottawa

Meditation calms the mind, making us peaceful, balanced and focused in our daily lives. Ultimately, it enables us to awaken our spiritual potential and find lasting joy and contentment.

The Buddhist way to everlasting happiness can be divided into 21 meditations known as ‘the stages of the path’ or lamrim in Tibetan.

This January, Buddhist monk Gen Kelsang Thekchen will give instruction and guidance on these meditations. Whether you attend every single guided meditation ,or just drop when you can, the January meditation challenge will ensure a truly happy start to the new year.

The retreat is called "Meditations for a Happy and Meaningful Life", and runs from Sat. Jan. 6 - Wed. Jan. 10.

For a more in-depth description of this retreat, click here. 

Everyone welcome.

Schedule

Saturday, January 6

9-10.30am -  An introduction to Lamrim and Precious Human Life

11.15am-12.30pm - Death and Impermanence

2-3.30pm with Q&A -  Dangers of lower rebirth and refuge

7-8.15pm -  Karma

Sunday, January 7

9-10.15am - Renunciation - True Sufferings

11.15am-12.30pm - Renunciation - True Origins

2-3.30pm with Q&A - Renunciation - True Paths

7-8.15pm - Renunciation - True Cessations

Monday, January 8

9-10.15am - Developing equanimity

11.15am-12.30pm - Recognizing all beings as our mother

2-3.30pm with Q&A - Remembering the kindness of mother beings

7-8.15pm - Wishing to repay the kindness of mother beings

Tuesday, January 9

9-10.15am - Faults of Self Cherishing

11.15am-12.30pm - Benefits of Cherishing others

2-3.30pm with Q&A - Exchanging self and others

7-8.15pm - General Program class

Wednesday, January 10

9-10.15am -  Great Compassion

11.15-12.30pm - Bodhichitta

2-3.30pm - Training in the 6 perfections

7-9pm - Offering to the Spiritual Guide

Resident Teacher Gen Kelsang Thekchen will guide this retreat. He  is a senior Teacher in the New Kadampa Tradition, who has been a Kadampa Buddhist monk and Teacher under the guidance of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for more than 25 years. He is well known for his ability to present Buddha's teachings in a powerful, practical and often humorous way, making them easy to put into practice in everyday life.