Tuesday Evening Classes
with Gen Kelsang Thekchen at KMC Ottawa
Transforming Difficulties into
Inner Strength
Tuesday evenings, 7-8:30pm
with Resident Teacher Gen Kelsang Thekchen
at KMC Ottawa
879 Somerset Street West
Cost: $15 per individual class
TRANSFORMING DIFFICULTIES INTO INNER STRENGTH
When we experience stress and tension in our lives, it’s easy to feel emotionally overwhelmed or powerless; but it doesn't have to be that way! All of us have inner reservoirs of peace, wisdom, and sanity waiting to be discovered. In particular, we can learn to roll with life’s punches and make peace with adversity. These are essential skills in a world where we cannot always control what happens, whether that’s with personal struggles or the uncertain times we live in. Our real power lies in how we respond and show up for others.
This series will explore powerful mind training techniques and meditations to help turn a difficult situation or person into an opportunity for spiritual growth, compassion and wisdom. Gen Thekchen will explain these methods based on the book “New Eight Steps to Happiness” by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
“When things go wrong in our life and we encounter difficult situations, we tend to regard the situation itself as our problem, but in reality, whatever problems we experience come from the mind. If we were to respond to difficult situations with a positive and peaceful mind they would not be problems for us; indeed, we may even come to regard them as challenges or opportunities for growth and development. Problems arise only if we respond to difficulties with a negative state of mind. Therefore, if we want to be happy all the time and to be free from problems, we must maintain and develop a peaceful mind.”- From: "How to Transform Your Life"
These classes include two guided meditations and an uplifting talk. After each class there is time for Q&A.
Each class is self-contained, so you are welcome to join at any time. No previous experience with meditation is necessary. You don’t need to bring anything with you, and the meditation is conducted on chairs (though you are welcome to bring a cushion if you prefer).
Everybody is welcome!
CLASS SCHEDULE
Tuesday evenings, from 7:00 to 8:30pm
May 6 - Using every situation to increase our compassion for others
May 13 - The healing practice of taking and giving
May 20 - The illusion-like nature of our difficulties
Five Keys to Inner Peace:
A Journey of Love, Wisdom, and Enlightenment
Tuesday evenings, 7-8:30pm
Beginning May 27
with Resident Teacher Gen Kelsang Thekchen
at KMC Ottawa
879 Somerset Street West
Cost: $15 per individual class, or $65 for entire 5-class series, free for members
Five Keys to Inner Peace
Tuesday Evening Classes
Five Keys to Inner Peace:
A Journey of Love, Wisdom & Enlightenment
This five-week series provides the tools to cultivate a peaceful, wise, and compassionate heart. Learn to develop a deeper understanding of how these qualities not only bring ourselves happiness but also ripple out to improve the well-being of others. Through practical advice and Kadampa Buddhist teachings, this series will guide us in learning to make mindful, wise and compassionate choices that contribute to a more harmonious and loving world.
May 27: Choose Peace
- Introduction to meditation techniques that promote peace and mindfulness.
- Understanding the nature of our mind and how to transform negative mental states.
- Practical methods for reducing stress and anxiety in daily life.
June 3: Choose Kindness
- Learn to see kindness in everyone
- Cultivate Peace and Understanding in Difficult situations
- How small acts of kindness lead to greater peace and harmony
June 10: Choose Love
- Meditations on love and kindness
- Techniques for overcoming attachment and cultivating selfless love.
- The importance of loving-kindness for fostering genuine connections in the world.
June 17: Choose Compassion
- The practice of compassion meditation and visualization techniques.
- How to integrate compassion into daily life, both in personal relationships and in social actions.
- Exploring the power of compassion to heal emotional wounds and foster a sense of connectedness to all beings.
June 24: Choose Wisdom
- Meditations on the profound truth of emptiness
- How to live in the dream-like nature of reality
- How to bring wisdom into everyday life
Cost: $15 per class, or $65 for the 5-class series.
Register online in advance, or at the door.
Please note we are unable to accept $100 bills.
The Tuesday evening classes are taught by Resident Teacher Gen Kelsang Thekchen, who is a Kadampa Buddhist monk & senior Teacher in the New Kadampa Tradition. He has been a Teacher under the guidance of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for more than 25 years. Gen Thekchen has taught widely in Canada and in the UK, and is now the Resident Teacher at Kadampa Meditation Centre Ottawa. He is well known for his ability to present Buddha's teachings in a practical, profound and often humorous way, making them very accessible and easy to practise in everyday life.
To hear a sample of a teaching with Gen Thekchen, click on the arrow below.
As conscientious Dharma practitioners, we should observe our own shortcomings instead of being preoccupied with those of other people.