Special In-depth Series ～ The Eleven Yogas of Vajrayogini Practice
~ Special In-depth Series ~
The Eleven Yogas of Vajrayogini Practice
This series is intended for practitioners who have received Highest Yoga Tantra empowerments within the New Kadampa Tradition or plan to receive them soon.
Note for newcomers to meditation: We recommend our Sunday morning classes, Wednesday morning or Thursday evening for foundational practice.
After the recent International Kadampa Festival in Brazil, our "Eleven Yogas of Vajrayogini" practice classes offer an in-depth exploration of the eleven Yogas of Vajrayogini in the Generation Stage. Together, we’ll build a solid foundation for establishing a daily practice of Buddha Vajrayogini.
Topics to be covered:
~The yoga of sleeping, rising, and experiencing nectar
(the yoga of daily actions)
~The yoga of immeasurables
~The yoga of the Guru
~The yoga of self-generation
~The yoga of purifying migrators
~The yoga of being blessed by Heroes and Heroines
~The yoga of verbal and mental recitation & the yoga of inconceivability
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These classes are held in the peaceful, spacious and comfortable meditation room at Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada. We also have many books and other meditation materials available at our Temple shop which can help you deepen your understanding of the meditation experience through further study.
Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada
631 Crawford St. Toronto ON M6G 3K1 -
6:30 p.m: Doors open
7:00 - 8:45 p.m:
- guided settling meditation
-brief Buddhist prayer (in English), talk & guided meditation
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Gen Kelsang Chodor is our Resident Teacher at Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada. He has been ordained and has studied under the guidance of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for more than twenty-two years.
He has taught extensively in both the UK and the US, and is now teaching in Canada. He is admired by students because of his practical knowledge, warm presentations and authentic teachings, as well as his natural joy and sense of humor. He is skilled at putting everyone at ease and helping them solve their problems and anxieties with practical Dharma advice.
At Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada, he usually teaches the Sunday morning class, the Tuesday evening class, the Wednesday morning class, as well as special events, courses and workshops and two in-depth study programmes; the Foundation Programme and the Teacher Training Programme.
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Regular: $15 / person
Class pass holders: no charge
Live-streaming option is available to Class pass holders.
(click here for more information about the monthly class pass)How to book: You can book in advance via our website or simply drop in and register upon arrival. Pre-registration is encouraged to allow a smoother registration process and decrease your wait time at the door. Doors will open 30 minutes before the start of the event.
To book in advance, click on the booking button below and fill out the booking form. At the end of the booking process, you will receive an email confirming your booking.
Promo code: If you are a class pass holder, you may enter your promo code at the top of the booking form to get your discount.
Your promo code has been given to you when you first signed up to become a class pass holder.
Payment methods: For pre-registration via our website, we accept credit cards. For registration on site upon arrival, we accept cash, debit and credit cards.
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By public transport: We are located at an equal distance from either the Christie or the Ossington subway station.
By car: We are located close to the intersection Bloor & Christie, on Crawford Street, which is a one way street from Harbord to Bloor.
Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada
631 Crawford St. Toronto ON M6G 3K1 -
Parking spaces are limited in the area. For this reason, it is easier to come by public transport if this is an option for you.
It is possible to find parking in the nearby streets. However, it is generally not possible to park for more than 3 hours during the day. It is necessary to have a permit in order to park overnight in the area.
Temporary day parking spots nearby: Some options are available for temporary day parking spots nearby, for example with the following companies: Green P Parking, Spot Hero.
Temporary on-street permit parking in Toronto: Provided space is available, a temporary parking permit may be purchased by residents and their guests to park a motor vehicle on a street designated under the permit parking program of the city of Toronto. This program generally services those residential areas where driveways are not common. If you choose this option, please avoid parking on Crawford St. if possible. You may get a ticket as it is complaint driven and the residents have limited space for their own street parking on Crawford St.
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If you have any questions or booking inquiries, please email: [email protected]
Booking
Half-Day Course ～ The Wheel of Life
The Wheel of Life
Understanding the Cycle of Samsara
The Wheel of Life was a diagram drawn by Buddha and teaches the complete path to enlightenment as well as detailing the six realms of existence. Included within it are Buddha’s teachings on The Four Noble Truths, telling us what we should know, what we should abandon, what we should practise and what you should attain as well as the twelve-dependent-related links that reveal the inner mechanism that perpetuates a life of suffering.
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.
*Accommodations are available for those attending this event. The rooms are in limited quantity. For further information and to submit a request, please click here.*
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This event is taking place at:
Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada
631 Crawford St. Toronto ON M6G 3K1 -
Saturday, November 4, 2023
- Doors open: 9:30 a.m.
- Teaching: 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
- Refreshments: 11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
- Teaching: 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. -
Kelsang Dipam is a sincere, dedicated student on the Teacher Training Program at Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada.
He is known for his love of Buddha’s teachings, his contagious enthusiasm, his joyful effort in his practice and positive outlook, as well as for his kindness, wisdom and compassionate approach to his teaching.
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Regular: $30 / person
Class pass holders: No Charge
(click here for more information about the monthly class pass) -
Accommodations are available for those attending this event. The rooms are in limited quantity. For further information and to submit a request, please click here.
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Please familiarize yourself with our terms & conditions and refund policy before booking your ticket. For more information, please click here.
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By public transport: We are located at an equal distance from either the Christie or the Ossington subway station.
By car: We are located close to the intersection Bloor & Christie, on Crawford Street, which is a one way street from Harbord to Bloor.
Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada
631 Crawford St. Toronto ON M6G 3K1 -
Parking spaces are limited in the area. For this reason, it is easier to come by public transport if this is an option for you.
It is possible to find parking in the nearby streets. However, it is generally not possible to park for more than 3 hours during the day. It is necessary to have a permit in order to park overnight in the area.
Temporary day parking spots nearby: Some options are available for temporary day parking spots nearby, for example with the following companies: Green P Parking, Spot Hero.
Temporary on-street permit parking in Toronto: Provided space is available, a temporary parking permit may be purchased by residents and their guests to park a motor vehicle on a street designated under the permit parking program of the city of Toronto. This program generally services those residential areas where driveways are not common. If you choose this option, please avoid parking on Crawford St. if possible. You may get a ticket as it is complaint driven and the residents have limited space for their own street parking on Crawford St.
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If you have any questions or booking inquiries, please email: [email protected]
Great Treasury of Merit
Great Treasury of Merit
First Session Only ~ Annual Guru Yoga & Mandala Offerings Retreat ~ with Gen Kelsang Thekchen
For those who wish for a deep inner transformation, this annual meditation retreat offers an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with two in-depth Buddhist practices: Guru Yoga and Mandala Offerings. Both practices are powerful ways to fill our mind with merit, or good fortune, and to receive profound and transformative blessings. They are indispensable for those who are serious about attaining authentic spiritual realizations, in particular the state of full enlightenment.
The practice of Guru Yoga is a special way of relying upon our Spiritual Guide with faith and correct imagination, in order to receive his or her blessings. The practice of Mandala Offerings is an offering of the entire universe visualized as a Pure Land, with all its inhabitants as pure beings.
This session is an introduction to the retreat with our Resident Teacher, Gen Kelsang Thekchen. The rest of the sessions are done individually at home.
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This event is taking place at:
Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada
631 Crawford St. Toronto ON M6G 3K1 -
Sunday, July 16th: Introduction: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. - with Gen Kelsang Thekchen
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Gen Kelsang Thekchen is a senior Teacher in the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU). He began practising Kadam Dharma in Toronto in 1995 and has been a Kadampa monk and Teacher under the guidance of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for 24 years.
He has been the Resident Teacher at Kuluta Buddhist Centre in Kingston, at Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada as the National Spiritual Director, at Kadampa Meditation Centre Vancouver as well as Madhyamaka KMC and Bodhisattva KMC in the UK. He is well known for his ability to present Buddha’s teachings in a simple, practical and often humorous way, making them easy to put into practice in everyday life.
At Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada, Gen Thekchen usually teaches the Sunday and Wednesday morning, and Tuesday evening classes. He also teaches at special events, courses and workshops as well as our two in-depth study programs, the Foundation Program and the Teacher Training Program.
Click here for more information about the Teacher Training Programme.
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Introduction:
Regular: $15 / person
Class Pass Holders: No charge
Teacher Training Programme Students: Included (No charge)
(click here for more information about the monthly class pass)How to book: You can book in advance via our website or simply drop in and register upon arrival. Pre-registration is encouraged to allow a smoother registration process and decrease your wait time at the door. Doors will open 30 minutes before the start of the event.
To book in advance, click on the booking button below and fill out the booking form. At the end of the booking process, you will receive an email confirming your booking.
Promo code: If you are a class pass holder, you may enter your promo code at the top of the booking form to get your discount.
Your promo code has been given to you when you first signed up to become a class pass holder.
It is the letters in the first part of your email address (before the @), excluding dots ( . ), hyphens ( - ) or underscore ( _ ) and with a maximum of 16 digits.
Payment methods: For pre-registration via our website, we accept credit cards. For registration on site upon arrival, we accept cash, debit and credit cards.
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Some items might be useful during this retreat.
- Mandala Kit: Mandala offerings can be done either mentally, through imagination, or mentally and physically, by using a traditional mandala kit and some rice.
- Prayer booklets: We will be using the sets of prayers: Offering to the Spiritual Guide and Request to the Holy Spiritual Guide Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche from his Faithful Disciples.
All suggested prayer booklets and books, as well as mandala kits and precious stones are available at the Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada Bookstore & Giftshop.
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If you have any questions or booking inquiries, please email: [email protected]
How to Live a Spiritual Life (Course)
How to Live a Spiritual Life
Following the Buddhist Path of Going for Refuge
Half-Day Course with Gen Kelsang Thekchen
Living a spiritual life means solving our problems and finding happiness from within. To do this, we need to develop and maintain an experience of inner peace through spiritual practice – recognizing, reducing and eventually abandoning our negative disturbed states of mind and increasing our positive peaceful states. These positive, peaceful states of mind such as love, compassion and wisdom are our inner refuge.
In order to develop these spiritual realizations, Buddhists go for refuge to the Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. We first go for refuge to Buddha, a fully Enlightened being who teaches us how to train and inspire our mind. Dharma refers to Buddha’s teachings and the resultant inner spiritual realizations. Sangha are our spiritual friends who encourage us and show a good example for us to follow. This half-day course will explore these three sources of refuge, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. By going for refuge to the Three Jewels, we will live a profound spiritual life.
This half-day course is introducing the annual refuge retreat happening from June 25th to 28th. Even though this retreat is part of the commitments of the Teacher Training Programme, it is suitable for everyone! Click here for more information on this retreat.
** Accommodation is available for this event. Please visit the Accommodation page for more information and to submit a request. **
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This event is taking place at:
Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada
631 Crawford St. Toronto ON M6G 3K1 -
Saturday, June 24, 2023
1:30 p.m: Doors open
2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m: Teaching & Meditation
3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m: Refreshments
3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m: Teaching & Meditation -
Gen Kelsang Thekchen, is a senior Teacher in the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU). He began practising Kadam Dharma in Toronto in 1995 and has been a Kadampa monk and Teacher under the guidance of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for 24 years.
He has been the Resident Teacher at Kuluta Buddhist Centre in Kingston, at Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada as the National Spiritual Director, at Kadampa Meditation Centre Vancouver as well established Kadampa Centres, Madhyamaka KMC and Bodhisattva KMC in the UK.
He is well known for his ability to present Buddha’s teachings in a simple, practical and often humorous way, making them easy to put into practice in everyday life.
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Regular: $40 / person
Class pass holders: -50% for class pass holders ($20 / person)
(click here for more information about the monthly class pass)How to book: You can book in advance via our website or simply drop in and register upon arrival. Pre-registration is encouraged to allow a smoother registration process and decrease your wait time at the door. Doors will open 30 minutes before the start of the event.
To book in advance, click on the booking button below and fill out the booking form. At the end of the booking process, you will receive an email confirming your booking.
Promo code: If you are a class pass holder, you may enter your promo code at the top of the booking form to get your discount.
Your promo code has been given to you when you first signed up to become a class pass holder.
It is the letters in the first part of your email address (before the @), excluding dots ( . ), hyphens ( - ) or underscore ( _ ) and with a maximum of 16 digits.
Payment methods: For pre-registration via our website, we accept credit cards. For registration on site upon arrival, we accept cash, debit and credit cards.
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Accommodation is available for this event. For more information and to submit a request, please click here.
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If you have any questions or booking inquiries, please email: [email protected]
Great Treasury of Merit
Great Treasury of Merit
Annual Guru Yoga & Mandala Offerings Retreat
with Gen Kelsang Thekchen & others
For those who wish for a deep inner transformation, this annual meditation retreat offers an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with two in-depth Buddhist practices: Guru Yoga and Mandala Offerings. Both practices are powerful ways to fill our mind with merit, or good fortune, and to receive profound and transformative blessings. They are indispensable for those who are serious about attaining authentic spiritual realizations, in particular the state of full enlightenment.
The practice of Guru Yoga is a special way of relying upon our Spiritual Guide with faith and correct imagination, in order to receive his or her blessings. The practice of Mandala Offerings is an offering of the entire universe visualized as a Pure Land, with all its inhabitants as pure beings.
Even though this retreat is part of the commitments of the Teacher Training Programme, it is suitable for everyone. Each session will emphasize a different aspect of these two practices, using clear instructions from the book, Great Teasury of Merit, by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. Although each session will build up on the previous one, they are all self-contained and can be attended individually.
The first session every day will be guided by our Resident Teacher, Gen Kelsang Thekchen. All other sessions will be guided by Teachers currently studying on the Teacher Training Programme (TTP) at KMC Canada. Everyone is welcome!
** Accommodation is available for this event. Please visit the Accommodation page for more information and to submit a request. **
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This event is taking place at:
Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada
631 Crawford St. Toronto ON M6G 3K1 -
Monday, May 1st
Introduction & Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. - guided by Gen Thekchen
Session 2: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - guided by another Teacher
Session 3: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - guided by another TeacherTuesday, May 2nd
Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - guided by Gen Thekchen
Session 2: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - guided by another Teacher
Session 3: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - guided by another TeacherWednesday, May 3rd
Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - guided by Gen Thekchen
Session 2: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - guided by another Teacher
Session 3: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. - guided by another TeacherThursday, May 4th
Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - guided by Gen Thekchen
Session 2: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - guided by another Teacher
Session 3: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - guided by another TeacherFriday, May 5th
Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - guided by Gen Thekchen
Session 2: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - guided by another Teacher
Session 3: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - guided by another Teacher
Session 4: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. - guided by another Teacher -
The main Teacher for this retreat is our Resident Teacher, Gen Kelsang Thekchen. He will be guiding the first session every day. All other sessions will be guided by Teachers currently studying on the Teacher Training Programme (TTP) at KMC Canada.
About Gen Kelsang Thekchen
Gen Kelsang Thekchen is a senior Teacher in the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU). He began practising Kadam Dharma in Toronto in 1995 and has been a Kadampa monk and Teacher under the guidance of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for 24 years.
He has been the Resident Teacher at Kuluta Buddhist Centre in Kingston, at Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada as the National Spiritual Director, at Kadampa Meditation Centre Vancouver as well as Madhyamaka KMC and Bodhisattva KMC in the UK. He is well known for his ability to present Buddha’s teachings in a simple, practical and often humorous way, making them easy to put into practice in everyday life.
At Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada, Gen Thekchen usually teaches the Sunday and Wednesday morning, and Tuesday evening classes. He also teaches at special events, courses and workshops as well as our two in-depth study programs, the Foundation Program and the Teacher Training Program.
-
Regular: $10 / person / session
Class Pass Holders: $5 / person / session
(click here for more information about the monthly class pass)
Teacher Training Programme Students: IncludedHow to book: You can book in advance via our website or simply drop in and register upon arrival. Pre-registration is encouraged to allow a smoother registration process and decrease your wait time at the door. Doors will open 30 minutes before the start of the event.
To book in advance, click on the booking button below and fill out the booking form. At the end of the booking process, you will receive an email confirming your booking.
Promo code: If you are a class pass holder, you may enter your promo code at the top of the booking form to get your discount.
Your promo code has been given to you when you first signed up to become a class pass holder.
It is the letters in the first part of your email address (before the @), excluding dots ( . ), hyphens ( - ) or underscore ( _ ) and with a maximum of 16 digits.
Payment methods: For pre-registration via our website, we accept credit cards. For registration on site upon arrival, we accept cash, debit and credit cards.
-
Some items might be useful during this retreat.
- Mandala Kit: Mandala offerings can be done either mentally, through imagination, or mentally and physically, by using a traditional mandala kit and some rice.
- Prayer booklets: We will be using the sets of prayers: Offering to the Spiritual Guide and Request to the Holy Spiritual Guide Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche from his Faithful Disciples.
- Books: This retreat will be mainly based on the instructions in the book: Great Treasury of Merit, by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, but we will also study a few extracts from the books, The New Guide to Dakini Land and Joyful Path of Good Fortune, also by the same author.
All suggested prayer booklets and books, as well as mandala kits and precious stones are available at the Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada Bookstore & Giftshop.
-
Accommodation is available for this retreat. For more information and to submit a request, please click here.
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If you have any questions or booking inquiries, please email: [email protected]
The Bodhisattva's Way of Life
The Bodhisattva's Way of Life ~ How to Enjoy a Life of Altruism ~ Special Weekend Course with Guest Teacher Gen Kelsang Demo
