Meditate in Pasadena

💙 REGISTRATION OPENS SAT, APRIL 10 AT 11AM!
THE BLESSING EMPOWERMENT OF BUDDHA VAJRASATTVA WITH GEN KELSANG RIGPA (LIVESTREAM) • APRIL 30–MAY 2

Where do all our good and bad experiences come from?

Good and bad experiences arise from our karma. If we understand the law of karma we will understand how we can control our future experiences by purifying and abandoning our negative karma that are the causes of anxiety, worry, unhappiness and all mental and physical pain. The wonderful news is that negative karma can be cleansed and purified; there is a Buddha who can specifically help us to purify our mind.

Vajrasattva is the Buddha of Purification, who possesses the special power to remove negative karma. Through receiving Vajrasattva’s empowering blessings and practicing the meditation and mantra recitation of Vajrasattva, gradually all the obstacles to our happiness and good fortune will be purified. This empowerment is a special opportunity to enrich your spiritual life, bring benefit to all, and learn how to progress swiftly on the path to enlightenment.

WHAT IS AN EMPOWERMENT?
An empowerment is a blissful guided meditation through which we make a deep connection with this inspiring Buddha and receive his healing, joyful and protective blessings.

REPLAY OPTION
This weekend event will be available for replay until Sunday, May 9 at 3:30pm.

COST:
Saturday Only – $50
Full Weekend Event – $70
Go to MeditateInLA.org > Special Events to view all the details!

WHO CAN REGISTER?
If you would have planned to attend this event if it were in person, you are welcome to register.

FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY?
We know many people are having a harder time making ends meet due to the pandemic. If you are in need, please email Raymond Leung, our Administrative Director at [email protected] for reduced fees.

TOMORROW - SATURDAY, MARCH 27 • 9:30AM-12PM • OVERCOME DEPRESSION AND DISCOURAGEMENT WITH GEN KELSANG RIGPA

The pandemic is wreaking havoc on the mental health and happiness of millions of people throughout the world. With social connections lacking, life routines disrupted, financial stressors increasing and looming uncertainty, many are feeling stressed, discouraged and depressed.

What can we do?

Buddhist teachings offer very beautiful and practical tools for transforming the experience of discouragement and unhappiness into a powerful opportunity for insight and internal development. In this short course, Gen Kelsang Rigpa will explain a number of Buddhist practices and meditations that we can immediately apply to help us look at our suffering through a different lens, transforming it into a meaningful aspect of our spiritual life.

IN THIS COURSE YOU WILL LEARN:
•The power of patient acceptance
•The role of discomfort in spiritual practice
•The psychology of attachment and discouragement
•How to harness the power of your own mind

Don’t miss this special opportunity to learn tools to transform depression–you won’t regret it, and you may be able to help others with what you learn as well.

Everyone is welcome! See Gen Rigpa's invitation at bit.ly/OvercomeDepressionSat.

Cost: $20 for half day workshop + 48 hour replay option
50% off for Level 1 and 2 members
FREE for Level 3 and 4 members

In Advice from Atisha’s Heart Atisha says...

Friends, until you attain enlightenment, the Spiritual Teacher is indispensable, therefore rely upon the holy Spiritual Guide.
We need to rely upon our Spiritual Guide until we attain enlightenment. The reason for this is very simple. The ultimate goal of human life is to attain enlightenment, and this depends upon continually receiving the special blessings of Buddha through our Spiritual Guide. 🤩

Excerpt from the book Modern Buddhism:

DON"T MISS THIS RARE EVENT STARTING TONIGHT AT 7:30PM -
PERCEIVING ONLY EMPTY-LIKE SPACE: HOW TO SEE THE THE ACTUAL NATURE OF THINGS IN DAILY LIFE WITH GEN-LA KELSANG KHYENRAB • MARCH 19-21 • iNCLUDES ONE-WEEK REPLAY OPTION

In his latest book Mirror of Dharma with Additions, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso says:

“In the Heart Sutra Buddha said that there is no form other than emptiness. The meaning of these words is: Because the real nature of form is the emptiness of form, when we perceive form, in truth we perceive only the emptiness of form, but because of ignorance we cannot understand this.”

During this weekend of teachings and meditation Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab will guide us to an understanding of these words of wisdom. If we put this advice into practice we can solve our daily problems of uncontrolled desire, anger and ignorance and make our human life meaningful.

We are so delighted to have Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab teach a weekend course virtually at KMC LA! He is the Resident Teacher of Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada and the NKT National Spiritual Director for Canada.

A retired General Spiritual Director of the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT-IKBU), he has trained closely with Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for over thirty-five years and holds the lineages of his blessings in his heart. He is greatly admired throughout the world for his powerful teachings, his wisdom, as well as his pure example of humility and loving-kindness.

COST:
$70 for Full Weekend + one week replay
Free for Level 4 Members
Go to MeditateInLA.org > Special Events for registration and full schedule.

WHO CAN REGISTER?
If you would have planned to attend this event if it were in person, you are welcome to register.

FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY?
We know many people are having a harder time making ends meet due to the pandemic. If you are in need, please email Raymond Leung, our Administrative Director at [email protected] for reduced fees.

At the moment our mind is like muddy water, murky and polluted by delusions. However, just as it is possible to separate mud from water, so it is possible to purify the mind of all delusions. With no delusions remaining in our mind, there is nothing that can disturb our inner peace and joy. 🤩 Excerpt from the Book How to Transform Your Life by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche

There is no creator other than mind - Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche 🙏

HOW NOT TO STRESS - PUBLIC TALK • MONDAY, MARCH 15 • 7:30-9PM

No matter our life circumstances, we all experience stress and anxiety sometimes, or maybe often.

In this class, we will explore Buddhist wisdom that can change our perspective on life and can enable us to reduce and finally eliminate the stressors of life. By applying this advice in our daily life we can come to enjoy peace of mind.

You will learn Buddhist meditations and ways of thinking that will help you to completely transform your ordinary response to difficult situations. Instead of being controlled by your mind, learn how to control your mind.

According to Buddha, stress comes from the mind. This is wonderful news! It means with the right techniques we can learn to control our mind in order to eradicate all stress from our lives. Buddhist meditation teaches us how we can do this.

Through understanding Buddha’s profound insights into the mind, we will uncover where our stressful response comes from, and discover how we can let go of that mistaken perception and instead respond skillfully and peacefully. This advice is more relevant now than ever!

Everyone is welcome. Register at MeditateInLA.org > Special Events

COST: $15 | Free for Members | Financial Difficulty? – Please see below
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This class is part of a 6-week series on Monday evenings. Buy the Class Pass and save $20! Go to bit.ly/HowNotToStress.

Q&A WITH GEN RIGPA AT 9PM
You’re invited to a Q&A session with Gen Rigpa immediately after the event.

24 Hour Replay Option

Financial Difficulty?
We know many people are having a harder time making ends meet due to the pandemic. Please know we don’t turn anyone away for financial reasons. If you are in need, please email Raymond Leung, our Administrative Director at [email protected] for reduced fees.

TOMORROW! FIND OUT ABOUT KADAMPA BUDDHISM AND MEDITATION WITH GEN KELSANG RIGPA • SATURDAY, MARCH 13 • 9:30AM-12PM

2,600 years after Buddha lived and taught in this world, his timelessexample and profound teachings still resonate. This half-day course will explain the essential principles of the Buddhist way of life and how we can gain personal benefit from applying these teachings in our busy modern society. We will also explore how we can use meditation as a tool for developing good qualities such as inner peace, love and wisdom.

This course is perfectly suited for those developing an interest in Buddhism as well as those who simply wish to lead their life with more meaning, wisdom and compassion.

IN THIS COURSE, WE WILL EXPLORE:

What is Kadampa Buddhism?
–How to meditate
–What are the principles of mind-training?
–How do you integrate spiritual practice with daily life?

SCHEDULE
9:30am-10:30am Session 1
11am-12pm Session 2

48-HOUR REPLAY OPTION AVAILABLE

COST: $20 – Register at MeditateinLA.org > Special Events
Membership Pricing: 50% off for Level 1 and 2 members
FREE for Level 3 and 4 members

MARCH MEMBERSHIP SPECIAL: BECOME A NEW MEMBER AND GET TWO SAT HALF-DAY COURSES FOR FREE!

If you have been coming to class for a while, and want to take the next step in your spiritual growth, consider becoming a member! Basic Level 1 membership is $75 a month, and you’ll have unlimited access to:

• All intro classes (Sunday mornings, Monday and Wednesday evenings)
• All guided Midday Meditations
• PLUS 2 FREE HALF-DAY SATURDAY COURSES IN MARCH:

March 13: Find Out About Kadampa Buddhism and Meditation
March 27: Overcoming Depression and Discouragement

This adds up to over $275 worth of classes and guided meditations! By becoming a member of KMC LA and attending classes regularly, you are committing to your practice and creating the causes to experience inner peace.

Considering the value of these free Saturday events, you are effectively getting access to all drop-in classes and midday meditations in March for $35!

To take advantage of this opportunity, sign up today at MeditateInLA.org!

THE WHEEL OF LIFE WITH GEN KELSANG RABTEN • APRIL 9-11
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

The Wheel of Life was a diagram drawn by Buddha that teaches the complete path to enlightenment. Included within it are Buddha’s teachings on The Four Noble Truths, telling us what we should know, abandon, practice and attain; it also illustrates the Twelve-Dependent Related Links, a chain-like series of cause and effect that reveals the way in which we are bound to samsaric rebirth.

This course will give a practical and contemplative tour of the Wheel of Life and show how we can use this diagram to inspire our meditations and guide us along the spiritual path.

Everybody welcome!

ABOUT THE TEACHER
Gen Kelsang Rabten is the National Spiritual Director for Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. He has studied under the guidance of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for over 20 years. Gen Rabten exemplifies the essence of the modern Kadampa’s way of life, and brings a warm heart and joyful attitude to sharing Buddha’s teachings and the practice of meditation.

BOOK
Joyful Path of Good Fortune

REPLAY OPTION
This weekend event will have a replay option that will expire in one week on Sunday, April 18 at 10:15am.

COST: $70 for Full Weekend
Free for Level 4 Members (Please see your Member’s page for access.)
Register at MeditateInLA.org > Special Events

WHO CAN REGISTER?
If you would have planned to attend this event if it were in person, you are welcome to register.

FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY?
We know many people are having a harder time making ends meet due to the pandemic. Please know we don’t turn anyone away for financial reasons. If you are in need, please email Raymond Leung, our Administrative Director at [email protected] for reduced fees.