Join us for our Ballard Open House, coffee and FREE pancake breakfast from 8am-12 noon
Drop-in to a 15-minute Guided Meditation at 9:30am, 10:30am and 11:30am
Enjoy delicious pancakes, tour our beautiful meditation room and shrine, see the Kid's Class classroom, visit our bookstore and garden, and enjoy community
With Cecilia Watson
Saturday, July 18
9am-12pm
By training in meditation, we create an inner space and clarity that enable us to control our minds regardless of the external circumstances. Gradually, we develop mental equilibrium, a balanced mind that is happy all the time, rather than an unbalanced mind that oscillates between the extremes of excitement and despondency.
Join us for an evening of deep inspiration and celebration of our founder Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, with videos of his life and accomplishments, refreshments and community.
From a humble monk to a world-renowned Buddhist meditation master, we can all see reflections of our own spiritual potential through accounts of his dedication, compassionate actions and kindness. Through his profound yet practical teachings of Buddhism for modern people, we meet Venerable Geshe Kelsang in our heart and can become continually inspired by him.
7:00-8:30pm
7pm - Refreshments
7:30 - Video presentation of Venerable Geshe-la's life & accomplishments
Every day, we remember the extraordinary kindness of Venerable Geshe-la, our Root Guru and Founder of the New Kadampa Tradition, but on this auspicious day, with minds of rejoicing and gratitude, we will offer him our faith through using the special prayer Request to the Holy Spiritual Guide Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso from his Faithful Disciples and collecting our Guru’s name mantra in a one-day retreat.
There will be three sessions of retreat using the sadhana The Hundreds of Deities of the Joyful Land According to Highest Yoga Tantra and the special request prayer. The retreat will conclude with Offering to the Spiritual Guide chanted prayers with a food offering.
Join in on this beautiful retreat as part of celebrating Buddha’s Turning the Wheel of Dharma Day, or Dharmachakra Day, marking Buddha’s first teachings in this world. Attend one or all sessions. This event is free and open to everyone.
This empowerment is a sublime guided meditation through which we make a deep connection with Arya Green Tara and gain insight on how to rely on her blessings in our spiritual practice.
Arya Tara is a female Buddha, a manifestation of the ultimate wisdom of all enlightened beings. “Tara” means rescuer; if we rely on Tara with strong faith she will care for us throughout this life and all our future lives.
The event includes the blessing empowerment of Arya Green Tara, instructions on how to receive her enlightened care and blessings in our daily life, and the opportunity to engage in group practice to strengthen our connection to Tara.
Through this empowerment we will receive the special blessings of Amitayus, the Buddha of long life, wisdom and merit.
Then, based on Eight Verses of Training the Mind, Gen-la Khyenrab will explain how we can transform all the problems and difficulties of our daily life into opportunities for developing authentic love and compassion, and for finding true and lasting happiness.
'If everyone were to practise cherishing others, many of the major problems of the world would be solved in a few years.'
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche The New Eight Steps to Happiness
This is an excerpt of the Heart Sutra, viewed to be the quintessence of Buddha's explanation of emptiness, or "ultimate truth". From one point of view, it is utterly simple and a bare revelation of the truth. From another angle, it is like a beautiful puzzle to be explored and understood that will yield never-ending insights. Its raw power, when recited with a compassionate motivation, shifts the mind and empowers change.
To aid our understanding of this profound practice, we will receive the empowerment of Buddha Prajnaparamita. Prajnaparamita is the embodiment of the higher perfection of wisdom. Empowerments are blissful, guided meditations that help facilitate a connection with a certain enlightened being. Through receiving this blessing empowerment, we will gain inspiration to understand these deep truths of the Heart Sutra and feel energized to make positive change in our life. Everyone welcome!
Intro: Nyungnay - Compassion Fasting Retreat
Tuesday, April 7
7:00-8:30pm
Participants are encouraged to attend the introductory talk for this retreat. Instructions and reading materials will be available.
Introductory talk is FREE
Everyone is welcome!
In this retreat, we’ll learn to recognize the incredible kindness we have received from others — from our mother of this life, from countless beings who provide for us, and from those who guide and inspire our spiritual growth.
Through guided meditations and practical teachings, we’ll gradually open our hearts to see all living beings as our mothers and awaken a deep appreciation for the limitless kindness we have received since beginningless time.
With gentle meditation sessions, peaceful reflection, and the calming presence of the ocean, this retreat gives you the chance to relax, refresh, and connect with a warmer, more open heart.
Return home uplifted, inspired, and motivated to bring greater kindness into your life and the world around you.
An away retreat with Pacific Northwest Resident Teachers
~ A blissful weekend at Ocean Park Retreat Center ~
Intro: Refuge Retreat
7:00 pm - 8:30pm
Participants are encouraged to attend the introductory talk for this retreat. Instructions and reading materials will be available at each session.
Everyone is welcome!
MOVIE NIGHT: Life of Buddha
7:00 pm
Join us for a special movie screening of ‘The Life of Buddha’ in our meditation room. Movie length: 1 hour, 53 minutes
This film, The Life of Buddha, was filmed in the Temple for World Peace at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Center, UK, from plays performed and produced by dedicated volunteers during the NKT-IKBU Summer Festivals between 2006 and 2012.
Join us for a movie night and refreshments afterward.
Everyone is welcome!
Join us for a Community Talk and Preyers with Gen Gomlam 6:30pm and 7:00pm Offering to the Spiritual Guide Prayers.
Bring a Tsong offering
Kadampa Festival Journey Evening & Potluck
6:30 - potluck
7:30-8:30pm - Kadampa Festivals presentation and discussion
Did you know that Kadampa Buddhism is a worldwide tradition? At our international festivals, we meet Kadampa Buddhists from all over the world, speaking more than 20 different languages, and get to enjoy our truly global community. At this relaxed evening at Kadampa Meditation Center, learn all about Kadampa Festivals, through the experiences of local practitioners.
Bring one of your favorite dishes to share!
FREE EVENT
Everyone is welcome.
Have your own unforgettable experiences, by attending one of the upcoming festivals!
Join us for our Ballard Open House, coffee and FREE pancake breakfast from 8am-12 noon
Drop-in to a 15-minute Guided Meditation at 9:30am, 10:30am and 11:30am
Enjoy delicious pancakes, tour our beautiful meditation room and shrine, see the Kid's Class classroom, visit our bookstore and garden, and enjoy community
Join us for our biggest gathering of the year, the 2026 Northwest Dharma Celebration!
This year our Western National Spiritual Director and visiting Teacher Gen Kelsang Gomlam will grant the blessing empowerment of Buddha White Tara. An empowerment is a uniquely qualified guided meditation in which we receive special blessings into our mind. Gen Gomlam will also offer teachings on subtle impermenance, one of the “Four Seals” of Buddhism.
Guru Yoga and Mandala Offering Retreat
The practices of accumulating merit and receiving blessings
We all wish for spiritual realizations, but these depend upon creating certain inner (mental) conditions such as purifying our negativity, accumulating merit (good fortune), and receiving blessings.
In Guru Yoga Mandala Offering Retreat we focus on the practices of accumulating merit and receiving blessings.
Making mandala offerings (offering a pure universe) is the gateway to accumulating the collection of merit and attaining an enlightened pure land, and Guru yoga is the gateway to receiving the powerful blessings of all the Buddhas through our Spiritual Guide.
The retreat starts on Tuesday evening with an introductory talk, taught by Kadam Trina. This talk is mandatory for TTP students and for those wishing to participate in this retreat who have not engaged in this retreat before. All retreat sessions (Wednesday-Saturday) are self-guided.
Kadam Trina will give an introductory talk to this retreat on Tuesday, Oct 28, 7:00-9:00pm. Everyone welcome!
Kadampa Meditation Center Washington is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Member of the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union.
