Gompa

Noland’s farm is a lovely setting for retreat – a peaceful place in the country with lots of space for reflection. The accommodations are quite rustic – sleeping is indoors, but be prepared to bring sleeping bags and padding. Camping is also an option. The farm is not fully handicapped accessible, including uneven ground for walking and stairs or steps to entrances. The farm is located in Alamance County, off Route 87 about halfway between Route 40 and Route 64 (about 15 minutes north of Pittsboro). Exact directions will be sent after registration.

At the retreat, we uphold the five retreat precepts of no lying; no taking something that isn’t freely given; no killing; no sexual contact; no use of drugs, alcohol or smoking.

Please plan to arrive at the farm on Friday betwen 3:30-5:30pm (if possible to check in). Dinner will be at 6:00pm and a mandatory orientation session begins at 7:00pm.

Final activity on Sunday is a mandatory final cleaning and packing session.

Registration below:

Join us for a service opportunity to benefit students at Nash Correctional Institution who attend meditation classes led by Andre Smith, member of the Kadampa Center Prison Project. During Family Camp last year we discovered a talent for making malas and want to make an offering of this work to those in prison who complete a course with Andre.

All ages welcome! Most kids age 8 and up will be able to do this with some occasional assistance. Younger kids may need more assistance or to be given a task of sorting or counting. We also have the opportunity to write cards of encouragement, appropriate for any age.

Supplies for malas are provided. You are welcome to bring art supplies for the cards if you wish.

Please make sure your kids know ahead of time that these malas are being made for others and are not to take home.

Join us for a service opportunity to benefit students at Nash Correctional Institution who attend meditation classes led by Andre Smith, member of the Kadampa Center Prison Project. During Family Camp last year we discovered a talent for making malas and want to make an offering of this work to those in prison who complete a course with Andre.

All ages welcome! Most kids age 8 and up will be able to do this with some occasional assistance. Younger kids may need more assistance or to be given a task of sorting or counting. We also have the opportunity to write cards of encouragement, appropriate for any age.

Supplies for malas are provided. You are welcome to bring art supplies for the cards if you wish.

Please make sure your kids know ahead of time that these malas are being made for others and are not to take home.

Humans have a natural capacity for compassion. However, everyday stress, social pressures and everyday experiences can make it difficult to fully express this capacity. The process of cultivating compassion involves training our own minds, developing specific skills in how we relate to others, and ourselves, and intentionally choosing compassionate thoughts and actions. The training process includes: Daily meditation practices to develop loving kindness, empathy and compassion A two-hour weekly class that includes lecture, discussion, and in-class partner and small-group listening and communication exercises Real-world “homework” assignments to practice compassionate thoughts and actions. In this program, you will learn to: Cultivate/enhance a daily meditation practice Increase kindness and compassion Calm the mind and direct thoughts more positively Sharpen the ability to focus and pay attention

Cultivating compassion goes beyond feeling more empathy and concern for others. It develops the strength to be with suffering, the courage to take compassionate action, and the resilience to prevent compassion fatigue. Compassion Cultivation can:
•    Improve personal relationships
•    Support health, happiness and well-being
•    Increase self-compassion and self-care
•    Reduce stress, anxiety and depression
•    Enhance connection with others
CCT is designed to support anyone who wants to cultivate compassion for themselves and others. This includes parents, caregivers, educators, healthcare professionals, therapists, executives, public servants and people in a wide range of professions and life contexts. No previous meditation experience is required.

Registration is limited; pre-registration is required. You may register here.

This course is offered within Kadampa Center's tradition of relying completely on the heartfelt generosity of the students to cover our costs and to thank the course leader for her expertise. Other venues charge as much as $100 to attend. We happily accept all donations! You can offer donations at class time, or click here:

Course Donation

Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) is an eight-week program designed to develop the qualities of compassion, empathy, and kindness for oneself and for others. CCT integrates traditional contemplative practices with contemporary psychology and scientific research on compassion. The program was developed at Stanford University by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists, and researchers, including Dr. Thubten Jinpa, a former Buddhist monk who frequently acts as English translator for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This is an independent course that was not developed by FPMT.

About the course leader: 

Robin Hart has facilitated meditation instruction and practice since 2002. Robin became a CCT certified instructor in 2013 and moved from Southern California to the Triangle region in 2014.

A sutra is a holy scripture -- the very words of the Buddha, written down so that all can receive the teachings. The practice of doing group readings of sutras began in the monasteries, where it continues today. The pages of the sutra are divided evenly among all participants, so that each person has a different set of pages than the others. Then all begin reading aloud at the same time, so that the room is filled with the joyful sound of precious teachings. It creates a wonderful current of energy, and everyone in the room hears the entire sutra and gets it on their mindstreams, although of ocurse they are not consciously taking in the words spoken by the others.

From FPMT:  The Sanghata Sutra is a direct teaching by the Buddha that promises to transform all who read or recite it. At www.sanghatasutra.net, visitors can learn all about this sutra, view stories of how others have been changed by the text, and get tips on reciting the text. The site includes a global satellite map marking places the text has been recited or copied, and a discussion forum devoted to the Sanghata.

A sutra is a holy scripture -- the very words of the Buddha, written down so that all can receive the teachings. The practice of doing group readings of sutras began in the monasteries, where it continues today. The pages of the sutra are divided evenly among all participants, so that each person has a different set of pages than the others. Then all begin reading aloud at the same time, so that the room is filled with the joyful sound of precious teachings. It creates a wonderful current of energy, and everyone in the room hears the entire sutra and gets it on their mindstreams, although of ocurse they are not consciously taking in the words spoken by the others.

From FPMT:  At the beginning of the Sutra of Golden Light, Buddha Shakyamuni, the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Fully Enlightened, calls to anyone experiencing misery and affliction, bad health, poverty, loss, abuse, ill will, fear, nightmares, or other harms. He says to make the mind virtuous and to come and listen.

This “King of Glorious Sutras,” contains everything needed, from daily happiness to complete enlightenment. It contains a heart-rending practice of confession and rejoicing, profound teachings on dependent arising, reliable assurances of protection, guidelines for ideal government, and awe-inspiring stories of the Buddha’s previous lives, in which the Buddha shows how, even before he had completely eliminated the delusions, he liberated countless beings from the ocean of suffering through compassion and personal courage.

A sutra is a holy scripture -- the very words of the Buddha, written down so that all can receive the teachings. The practice of doing group readings of sutras began in the monasteries, where it continues today. The pages of the sutra are divided evenly among all participants, so that each person has a different set of pages than the others. Then all begin reading aloud at the same time, so that the room is filled with the joyful sound of precious teachings. It creates a wonderful current of energy, and everyone in the room hears the entire sutra and gets it on their mindstreams, although of course they are not consciously taking in the words spoken by the others.

From FPMT:  Along with the Heart Sutra, the Vajra Cutter Sutra (also known as the Diamond Cutter Sutra or Diamond Sutra) is one of most well-known sutras of Mahayana Buddhism. The Vajra Cutter Sutra is a discourse on the Buddhist concept of emptiness or “Wisdom Gone Beyond.”

Kadampa Center will open at 6 am; the Eight Mahayana Precepts will begin at 6:15 am.

6:15 am  The Eight Mahayana Precepts,  a set of eight vows taken for a period of 24 hours, from sunrise on one day to sunrise the following day. The vows include no killing, stealing, sexual activity, lying, sitting on high

The first time you take these precepts, it must be from a qualified master. After that, you can take them from your altar. Geshe Gelek will offer precepts if students request it.  If you wish to take precepts for the first time, please register here.

Please register ONLY if you have not taken precepts before.

Following the precepts, we will have a light breakfast and a group reading of a sutra.

The Eight Mahayana Precepts are a set of vows that are taken for 24 hours, from first light before dawn to sunrise of the following day. The only prerequisite is that the first time one takes precepts it should be from a qualified teacher who has received the oral transmission of the practice. Thereafter you can perform the ceremony at first light yourself, reciting the prayers before an image of your teacher or the Buddha, imagining you are taking the vows from Buddha himself.

 It is good to take them on full and new moon days, and especially beneficial on Buddha Holy Days, when Karmic results are multiplied exponentionally, according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, citing the Vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic.

These Mahayana Precepts enable you to live in the essence of pure moral conduct, and since you take them with the strong motivation of cherishing and wishing to benefit all others, their value is immeasurable. Taking these precepts is a powerful and effective way for you to build, maintain and increase deep propensities for spiritual practice and attainment and thus is a profound method for giving meaning to this precious human life. 

The essence of this practice is to recall the Mahayana motivation; to take these precepts in order to become enlightened in order to lead all sentient beings to enlightenment.

The eight precepts are:

1. Not to kill, even insects.
2. Not to steal (Not to take what is not offered).
3. Not to engage in sexual contact.
4. Not to lie.
5. Not use intoxicants: alcohol, tobacco and drugs (except for medicinal purposes).
6. Not to eat at wrong times.*
7. Not to sit on high, expensive beds or seats with pride. Avoid sitting on animal skins.
8. Not to wear jewelry, perfume, or makeup; and not to sing, dance, or play music with attachment.

*It is alright to eat a light breakfast before or after the precepts. Avoid eating black foods: meat, eggs, onions, garlic, and radishes. The main meal of the day is to be finished by midday. After that one can take light drinks, but not undiluted whole milk or fruit juice with pulp, nor any food until sunrise of the following day.

Here is a link where you may read more about the precepts:

http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=503&chid=973

We offer this Medicine Buddha Puja to benefit Chris Kettner, who passed away February 10. Medicine Buddha puja is a beautiful prayer service that includes lyrical praises to the seven Medicine Buddhas, requests for their help and aspirations for our own spiritual attainments. It is beneficial for mental and physical healing and world peace, and is especially beneficial for those who are experiencing physical or mental illness or those who have recently passed away. Geshe Gelek encourages all of us in the Kadampa Center community to attend services for those who have died, even if we don't know them, as a support to their families. This service is very welcoming to newcomers and beginners. Typically we do Medicine Buddha Puja in English.

More about the benefits of Medicine Buddha puja

From the Service Manual for Spiritual Program Coordinators, FPMT:

Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, that their names become wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses and diseases of sentient beings. They vowed that their prayers will be actualized during these degenerate times when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. When they became enlightened, one of the ten powers of a Buddha is the power of prayer - that means that all the prayers that have been made get fulfilled. As the Buddha's holy speech is irrevocable, you can wholly trust in their power to quickly grant blessings to help all sentient beings in these degenerate times. They are called the Seven Medicine Buddhas, the main one is `Lapis Buddha of Medicine, King of Light'. Buddha Shakyamuni taught the teachings on the Medicine Buddha, and according to one tradition, is also considered as one of the Medicine Buddhas, and hence the Eight Medicine Buddhas.

The seven Medicine Buddhas manifested in order to pacify the obstacles to the achievement of temporary happiness, liberation and the ultimate happiness of full enlightenment. They are powerful in healing diseases as well as for purification. The Medicine Buddha practice can be used to help purify those who have already died and liberate them from suffering. It is also very powerful in bringing about success, both temporary and ultimate.

The reason why the Medicine Buddha practice brings success is that in the past when the seven Medicine Buddhas were bodhisattvas practicing the path to enlightenment, they promised and made extensive prayers to actualize all the prayers of living beings of the degenerate time when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. They generated a very strong intention to become enlightened for this reason; this was their motivation for meditating on and actualizing the path.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, "It is very important that the elaborate Medicine Buddha puja with extensive offerings be done regularly. The offerings should be as extensive and as beautiful as possible, and done in order to benefit all sentient beings."

60 students from Leesville Road HS for tour and talk about Buddhism