Lamrim Meditations
Retreat
SAT, Jan 6
9:00am - 5:30pm
with Gen Kelsang Chokyi, Resident Teacher
We all have the potential for self-transformation, a limitless capacity for the growth of good qualities, but to fulfill this potential we need to know what to do at every stage of our spiritual journey. This meditation retreat offers step-by-step guidance on the meditation practices which will lead us to lasting inner peace and happiness.
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The practical meditations presented in this guided retreat are called Kadam Lamrim which is the condensation of all Buddha’s teachings; they are stages of the path to enlightenment. As Kadampas, we use Lamrim meditations as our inner guide using them for our formal meditation practice daily as well as integrating the mindsets into daily life.
Led by Gen Kelsang Chokyi, Buddhist nun and Resident Teacher at KMC Bloomington. Suitable for those with experience of Lamrim meditations and Buddhist prayers.
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Retreat Schedule
9–10:30am Initial Scope meditations
11am–12:30pm Intermediate Scope meditations
Lunch break
2- 3:30pm Great Scope meditations
4–5:30pm Great Scope meditations
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Please arrive at least five minutes prior to the time of the session to cherish others.
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WHAT HAPPENS at a LAMRIM RETREAT
> 4 sessions with breaks
> chanted prayers in association with guided Lamrim meditations
> Led by Gen Kelsang Chokyi to give context of the meditations and the practice of Lamrim
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$20/retreat or $5/session
Retreat included in Memberships:
$40 for 30 Days, FP and Supporting Members
ABOUT KADAM LAMRIM
The stages of the path to enlightenment, or Lamrim in Tibetan, is the backbone of Kadampa Buddhism.
Lamrim is a special set of instructions that includes all the essential teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni arranged in such a way that all his Hinayana and Mahayana teachings can be put into practice in a single meditation session.
It was compiled by the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha, who was invited to Tibet by King Jangchub Ö in AD 1042. Atisha spent the remainder of his life spreading pure Dharma in Tibet.
UNBROKEN LINEAGE
There is a completely pure and unbroken lineage of these Lamrim instructions from Buddha Shakyamuni up to our present day Spiritual Guides.
Many great Kadampa Teachers have said that it is far more important to gain experience of Lamrim than it is to attain clairvoyance, miracle powers, or high social status.
This is true because in previous lives we have often possessed clairvoyance and potent miracle powers, and many times in the past we have been in the highest positions in the human and god realms, but despite this we continue to experience uncontrolled rebirth and physical and mental suffering caused by anger, attachment, jealousy, and confusion.
FREEDOM FROM ALL SUFFERING
If we gain deep experience of Lamrim there will be no basis for these problems; we shall be completely free of all of them. First we must understand the value of Lamrim. Then by joyfully and patiently doing the meditations we shall gradually experience the fruits of Lamrim practice.
Eventually we shall attain freedom from all suffering and the unchanging peace and happiness of enlightenment.
TWENTY-ONE MEDITATIONS
There are 21 Lamrim meditations, which are usually practiced in a three-week cycle as a daily meditation practice:
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Our precious human life
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Death and impermanence
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The danger of lower rebirth
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Refuge practice
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Actions and their effects
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Developing renunciation for samsara
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Developing equanimity
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Recognizing that all living beings are our mothers
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Remembering the kindness of living beings
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Equalizing self and others
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The disadvantages of self-cherishing
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The advantages of cherishing others
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Exchanging self with others
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Great compassion
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Taking
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Wishing love
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Giving
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Bodhichitta
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Tranquil abiding
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Superior seeing
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Relying upon a Spiritual Guide
These meditations, along with instructions on how to practice them and essential background material, can be found in The New Meditation Handbook, How to Understand the Mind, The Mirror of Dharma with Additions and Modern Buddhism. An extensive presentation of Lamrim can be found in Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's book Joyful Path of Good Fortune.