Meditation Courses, Retreats & Events

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Public Talks, London Sat 10 May 2025

Join Us for a Transformative Day with Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong, General Spiritual Director of the NKT-IKBU

The Power of a Calm Mind: 11am to 12.30pm

The Science of Peace: 2.30pm to 4pm

Logan Hall, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL

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The Inner Gift of a Happy Heart

Saturday 7 December 2024

10am to 1:15pm

At Heruka Kadampa Meditation Centre, Golders Green

With Kadam John McBretney

“Cherishing others is the best method to solve our own and others’ problems.” Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.

In these modern times we each live in the pursuit of our own happiness, misled by the delusion of self-cherishing. Because we are so familiar with self-cherishing, we continue to encounter problems and suffering.

In this half-day course, we will learn a simple method to change the focus of our cherishing from ourself to others. Through learning to cherish others we can see how our life transforms and our relationships with others become more stable and satisfying.

The power of cherishing others cannot be underestimated; learning to cherish others solves all our problems!

You will discover:

  • Cherishing others brings happiness
  • How to fulfil all your wishes
  • All suffering and problems will disappear

Schedule

  • Session 1 - 10am - 11.15am
  • Break - 11.15am - 11.45am
  • Session 2 - 11.45am - 1.15pm
  • Lunch - 1.15pm

£25.00
£5.00

 

Free for Silver, Gold & Platinum members.

Available live-streamed on Zoom for members

Become a member.

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Christmas Party & Prayers for World Peace

Saturday 14 December 2024, 12 noon

With Resident Teacher Kadam John McBretney

Prayers for World Peace, including Meditation, 12 noon

Vegetarian Christmas Buffet, 1pm

Enjoy giving the gift of Prayers for World Peace with Kadam John McBretney at 12 noon

Then enjoy a delicious vegetarian buffet in the World Peace Café of Heruka KMC

Family, friends, newcomers welcome!

Tickets: £20
Silver members 25% discount
Gold & Platinum members 50% discount
Under 16 £10
Child FREE

£20.00

£10.00

£0.00

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Love is all you need

Cultivating a warm heart for the holidays

Saturday 21 December 2024

10am to 1.15pm

With Guest Teacher, Kadam Lucy James

Ready to spread some festive cheer?

The best gift we can give this season is love. How hard is that? Not as hard as we may think. And yet love has huge, compelling benefits!

“If everybody sincerely practices affectionate love, all problems between each other will be solved and never arise again. This is guaranteed; I will give my signature.” ~ Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Loving-kindness is arguably the most important example we can show in our troubled world. Nothing else makes as much sense. If we learn how to make ourselves happier and less stressed through love, we can help those around us become less stressed too.

On this relaxing half-day course, Kadam Lucy will guide us through effective meditations on the three aspects of love taught by Buddha – affectionate, cherishing, and wishing love — so that we can really make a difference to our world and solve our own problems. It’s a win win. You’ll leave feeling calm, centered, and ready for the festive frenzy.

Kadam Lucy James is the Resident Teacher of KMC Colarado, USA. Kadam Lucy is a senior teacher of the New Kadampa Tradition of Buddhism. She is appreciated for her deep wisdom, clear mind and inspiring yet practical presentation of Buddha’s teachings and meditations. She is very skilled at explaining how to make these teachings immediately effective in our busy modern lives to help both ourselves and everyone around us.

Schedule

  • Session 1 - 10am - 11.15am
  • Break - 11.15am - 11.45am
  • Session 2 - 11.45am - 1.15pm
  • Lunch - 1.15pm

At Heruka Kadampa Meditation Centre, Golders Green

£25.00
£5.00

 

Free for Silver, Gold & Platinum members.

Available live-streamed on Zoom for members

Become a member.

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New Year's Eve Party and World Peace Prayers

With Resident Teacher Kadam John McBretney

Tuesday 31 December 2024, 9pm to past midnight

Celebrate New Year’s Eve and start the New Year with a peaceful, positive mind and a loving heart.

This special event is a wonderful opportunity for making our resolutions for the New Year heartfelt and effective, and creating causes for world peace.

Enjoy a delicious vegetarian buffet and non-alcoholic drinks in good company.

Be inspired by guided meditation and Prayers for World Peace with Kadam John which will see us into the New Year.

Family, friends, everybody welcome!

Tickets: £20
Silver members 25% discount
Gold & Platinum members 50% discount
Under 16 £10
Child FREE

£20.00

£10.00

£0.00

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Heruka Retreat

Friday 3 to Monday 6 January 2025

At Heruka Kadampa Meditation Centre, Golders Green

With Kadam John McBretney

We will use the sadhana, "The New Essence of Vajrayana", which is a Heruka body mandala and self-generation practice of the Ganden Oral Lineage, available from Tharpa UK New Essence of Vajrayana prayer booklet

Vajradhara Trijang Rinpoche says in his ritual prayer of Heruka:

"As times become ever more impure,
Your power and blessings ever increase,
And you care for us quickly, as swift as thought;
O Chakrasambara Father and Mother, to you I prostrate."

"As times become spiritually more degenerate, it is harder to receive the blessings of other Tantric Deities such as Yamantaka or Guhyasamaja; and, as the number of Gurus in the lineage increases, it takes longer to receive attainments. However, the opposite is the case with Heruka.

As times become more impure, Heruka’s blessings become more powerful and we receive them more easily; and the greater the number of Gurus in the lineage, the more swiftly we receive attainments."

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Essence of Vajrayana

Daily Schedule, 3, 4, 5, 6 January 2024

  • Session 1 - 9am - 10.30am
  • Session 2 - 11.30am - 1pm
  • Session 3 - 3pm - 4.30pm
  • Session 4 - 5.30pm - 7pm

The retreat will be guided by Kadam John McBretney

Please note: This retreat may be attended only by those who have received the Highest Yoga Tantra empowerments of Heruka and Vajrayogini, or who have the sincere determation to receive them at the earliest opportunity.

Price: £40 all four days. £15 a day. Free for members. Become a member.

£40.00
£15.00

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Vajrayogini Retreat

Tuesday 7 to Saturday 10 January 2025

At Heruka Kadampa Meditation Centre, Golders Green

With Kadam John McBretney

We will use the sadhana, "Quick Path to Great Bliss", which is a Vajrayogini self-generation practice, including a body mandala practice, avaliable from Tharpa UK Quick Path to Great Bliss sadhana

Here are just two of the many benefits of this practice.

"These instructions are easy to practise. The instructions on the practice of Vajrayogini contain concise and clearly presented meditations that are relatively easy to practise.
The mantra is short and easy to recite, and the visualizations of the mandala, the Deity and the body mandala are simple compared with those of other Highest Yoga Tantra Deities. Even practitioners with limited abilities and little wisdom can engage in these practices.

By Practising these Instructions we quickly receive great and powerful blessings. When we practise these instructions we quickly receive great and profound blessings from all the Buddhas. These blessings help us temporarily, and eventually enable us to attain the ultimate goal of full enlightenment."

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. The New Guide to Dakini Land

Daily Schedule, 7, 8, 9, 10 January 2025

  • Session 1 - 9am - 10.30am
  • Session 2 - 11.30am - 1pm
  • Session 3 - 3pm - 4.30pm
  • Session 4 - 5.30pm - 7pm

Session 4 on 10 Jan, Vajrayogini Day, will be Offering to The Spritual Guide puja

The retreat will be guided by Kadam John McBretney

Please note: This retreat may be attended only by those who have received the Highest Yoga Tantra empowerments of Heruka and Vajrayogini, or who have the sincere determation to receive them at the earliest opportunity.

Price: £40 all four days. £15 a day. Free for members. Become a member.

£40.00
£15.00

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Lamrim Guided Retreat - The Stages of The Path to Enlightenment

Saturday 11 to Friday 17 January 2025

At Heruka Kadampa Meditation Centre, Golders Green

With Kadam John McBretney

We will learn and be guided in the meditations of the stages of the path to enlightenment from texts including "The Mirror of Dharma with Additions," available from Tharpa UK Mirror of Dharma with Additions

"We want to be happy all the time, even during sleep. How can we do this? We can do this through training in meditation because meditation makes our mind peaceful, and when our mind is peaceful we are happy all the time, even if our external conditions are poor. On the other hand, when our mind is not peaceful we are not happy, even if our external conditions are excellent. We can understand this through our own experience. Since the actual method to make our mind peaceful is training in meditation, we should apply effort to this training. Whenever we meditate, we are performing an action or karma that causes us to experience peace of mind in the future. From this we can understand the importance of training in meditation."

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. The Mirror of Dharma

Daily Schedule, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 January 2024

  • Session 1 - 9am - 10.30am
  • Session 2 - 11.30am - 1pm
  • Session 3 - 3pm - 4.30pm
  • Session 4 - 5.30pm - 7pm

The retreat will be guided by Kadam John McBretney

Please note: Everybody is welcome to attend this retreat

Price: £50 all seven days. £15 a day. Free for members. Become a member.

£50.00
£15.00

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Empowerment of Buddha Amitayus, Commentary & Guided Retreat

At Heruka Kadampa Meditation Centre, Golders Green

With Resident Teacher, Kadam John McBretney

Saturday 22 to Sunday 23 February 2025, from 10am both days

Amitayus means "immeasurable life span." When we receive the blessing empowerment of Buddha Amitayus, and open our heart to his help and guidance, he will help us increase our wisdom, our merit (our ability to fulfill our wishes) and, most importantly, he will help us protect our most precious possession — our life. Through his blessings, we increase our energy and lifespan with which to complete the spiritual path.

The weekend provides an ideal opportunity to draw close to Buddha Amitayus and learn how to rely upon him through profound and effective meditations anyone can practice. Through this training, we will gradually free ourself from all obstacles and unhappiness, enjoy a long and happy life, and develop profound ability to benefit others.

An empowerment is a blessing ritual and guided meditation through which we make a deep connection with a Buddha and create the cause to actualize that Buddha's enlightened state.

Kadam John will grant the empowerment, explain the practice of the Yoga of Buddha Amitayus, the Buddha of Long Life, and guide the retreat. This beautiful practice helps us to lengthen our own and others’ lifespans and increase our wisdom and good fortune. With this practice we will find meaning and happiness in our busy daily lives, and gradually free ourself from all obstacles and unhappiness. It is traditional to engage in this practice early each year for the auspiciousness of the whole year.

We are very fortunate to have this precious opportunity which will give great meaning to our lives.

Everybody welcome.

Saturday
• Blessing empowerment: 10.30am – 12.30pm
• Vegetarian lunch
• Commentary and practice: 2.30 – 4.30pm
Sunday
• Session one:  10am - 11.15am
• Session two:  11.45am - 1pm
• Vegetarian lunch
• Session three:  2.15pm - 3.30pm

£50 whole weekend.
£40 Saturday only.
£15 Sunday only.
50% discount for Silver members, not including lunch.
100% discount (Free) for Platinum & Gold members, not including lunch.
Lunch £5 each day.
Become a member.

£50.00

£40.00

£15.00

£5.00


FAQs about meditation courses

Everyone is welcome

"Happiness is a part of the mind that experiences inner peace, or peace of mind, so the real source of happiness must lie within the mind, not in external conditions."

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

"When the turbulence of distracting thoughts subsides and our mind becomes still, a deep happiness and contentment naturally arises from within.” 

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso