In October 2006 over two and half thousand people converged on KMC USA to take part in the NKT International Fall Festival.
They were treated to sublime teachings by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso on How to Solve our Human Problems , followed by empowerment and commentary on the practice of Medicine Guru.
After the course, which because of the vast numbers of people attending was held at a nearby hotel, a fleet of buses brought everyone to the Kadampa World Peace Temple for the official opening ceremony.
After opening the Temple and giving an inspiring teaching on its meaning, Venerable Geshe-la presided over a special Offering to the Spiritual Guide ceremony to bless the Temple.
In October 2005, three and a half thousand people gathered at an idyllic location just outside Berlin for the biggest ever Kadampa Buddhist Festival.
Those fortunate ones sat at the feet of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and received teachings on the three principal paths — renunciation, bodhichitta, and the profound view of emptiness — followed by empowerments and commentary to the Tantric practice of Heruka and Vajrayogini.
From the depths of our hearts we thank Venerable Geshe-la for this sublime blessing.
This site tells the story of the Festival in videos, pictures, and sound — all produced during the Festival by people attending it.
We were there for the 2005 International Summer Festival of Kadampa Buddhism.
During the two weeks of the Festival we received the empowerment and commentary of Buddha Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion, and teachings on transference of consciousness, or powa , from Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso .
Geshe-la never ceases to amaze us with his ability to convey the most profound and meaningful aspects of the spiritual path in a way that is easy to understand and easy to put into practice.
So powerful were the blessings from the teachings, meditations, and retreats that the whole Festival became the practice. Everywhere you turned you saw happy people cherishing others in thought, word, and deed - a living example of a truly compassionate society.
It left us all feeling that it is possible for the world in which we live to become a Pure Land. If three thousand people can live together so happily, cherishing others so deeply, three million can — the whole world can!
And what a blessing to learn how to help others not only while they are alive but also while they are dying and in their future lives!
Over 2,500 people gathered in England in May for the 2005 International Spring Festival of Kadampa Buddhism.
On this auspicious occasion, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso , the Spiritual Director of NKT, granted the empowerment of Buddha Vajrapani, the Holder of the Vajra.
Through this profound practice we receive extraordinary blessings on our very subtle mind creating the cause to transform it into the actual Vajra - the ultimate union of inseparable bliss and emptiness of a Buddha's Truth Body.
Because the principal practice is meditation on ultimate truth emptiness, Geshe-la gave special teachings on the subject and taught a meditation on emptiness that is simple to practice, but which yields the most profound results.
Geshe-la finished by encouraging us all to practice the generosity of giving the gift of wisdom to the people of this world.
And as a bonus we were able to meet and practice with over 2,500 Kadampa Buddhists from around the world - a truly wise and caring society of individuals who inspire, encourage, and assist us in our spiritual practice.
It is difficult to imagine a more meaningful vacation than a Kadampa Festival. Use the menu at the top and bottom of each page to watch excerpts of the teachings and view photos of the event.
Open to everyone, the annual Festival is an opportunity to receive teachings and empowerments directly from the renowned meditation master, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso , and to study, meditate, and practice with like-minded people from all over the world.
This year, over 3,500 people attended, making it the biggest Festival ever.
The end of May saw 2,400 people from all over the world gather at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre in England for the tenth annual Spring Festival of Kadampa Buddhism.
Every year thousands of people from all over the world journey to a remarkable place - Manjushri Buddhist Centre in the English Lake District.
Their destination is the Spring and Summer Festivals, where they receive teachings from a great contemporary meditation master - Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - and join hundreds of like-minded people in meditation retreat, spiritual discussion, and a relaxing vacation in the English countryside.
This is the story of the 12th Summer Festival held in August 2003.
