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Address: 52 Kingfisher Drive, Fourways
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Phone: 011 326 1982
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Meditation - Kadampa Buddhism
We offer Meditation courses and spiritual programmes.
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, our Spiritual Guide, has designed three special spiritual programmes for the systematic study and practice of Kadampa Buddhism that are especially suited to the modern world, being the General Programme, the Foundation Programme, and the Teacher Training Programme. We also offer a monthly membership package to become a supporting member of Vajrapani Buddhist Centre.
There are various membership types and many, many benefits in becoming a supporting Member of the Centre.
- Weekly Classes
- Benefits of Meditation
- Why Meditate?
- The General Programme
- The Foundation Programme
- The Teacher Training Programme
- Contact Us
Benefits of meditation
The meditation practices we teach are open to everyone. Our practice is gentle and everyone can learn according to their wish and their capacity. Within these practices you can find everything from simple relaxation techniques to profound methods leading to the attainment of the pure everlasting happiness and inner peace.
Why meditate?
If we examine our life we will discover that most of our time and energy is devoted to mundane activities, such as seeking material and emotional security, enjoying sensory pleasures, or establishing a good reputation. Although these can make us happy for a short time, they are not able to provide the deep lasting contentment that we long for. Sooner or later our happiness turns into dissatisfaction.
Directly or indirectly, worldly pleasures cause us mental and physical suffering by stimulating attachment, jealousy, and frustration. Moreover, seeking to fulfil our own desires often brings us into conflict with others.
Find peace from within
Happiness is a state of mind, therefore the real source of happiness lies in the mind, not in external circumstances. If our mind is pure and peaceful we’ll be happy, regardless of our external conditions, but if it is impure and unpeaceful, we will never find happiness, no matter how much we try to change our external conditions.
The purpose of meditation is to cultivate those states of mind that are conducive to peace and well-being, and to eradicate those that aren’t. Meditation is an effective tool to combat stress, depression, anxiety and other negative habits of the mind. Through learning meditation we develop habits of positive thinking
The General Programme
The General Programme (GP) provides a basic introduction to Buddhist view, meditation, and practice that is suitable for beginners. It also includes advanced teachings and practices from both Sutra and Tantra. It is taught at every Kadampa Buddhist Centre and is an ideal starting point for those interested to find out more about Buddhism and meditation.
Classes, which are usually held in the evenings, are open to everyone and are supplemented by optional day courses, weekend courses, and meditation retreats.
Subjects covered by the programme include:
- Who was Buddha?
- Understanding the mind
- Past and future lives
- What is karma?
- Our precious human life
- What is meditation
- Death
The Foundation Programme
The Foundation Programme ( FP) provides an opportunity to deepen our understanding and experience of Buddhism through a systematic study of six texts. The benefits of studying and practicing these texts are as follows:
Many practitioners have a sincere wish to deepen their knowledge and experience of Buddhadharma and to gain authentic spiritual realizations through a structured programme of Dharma studies. The Foundation Programme is designed to fulfill this wish. It provides a systematic presentation of the subjects of Mahayana Buddhism and forms a perfect basis for a daily meditation practice. Its special quality is that we gain authentic experience without abandoning our modern lifestyles; we acquire great confidence in the methods for transforming our mind from basic techniques to practices unveiling the profundities if Buddhist philosophy.
The Teacher Training Programme
The Teacher Training Programme ( TTP) is intended for people who wish to train as authentic Buddhist Teachers, and also for those who wish to gain a clear insight into Buddha's teachings and deep experience of their practice.
All Resident Teachers of Kadampa Buddhist Centres follow this in-depth program of study and practice. The programme involves the study of thirteen texts of Sutra and Tantra.
In addition to completing the study of these thirteen texts, participants are required to observe certain commitments with regard to behaviour and way of life, and to complete a number of meditation retreats.
Participants can either begin and study with the Foundation Programme and then change over to the Teacher Training Program, in which case the subjects already studied on FP will automatically count towards TTP, or they can enrol in the Teacher Training Program from the outset. In addition to the five years on Foundation Program, the Teacher Training Program takes a further nine years to complete.
Contact Us
Contact us for more information call us on 011 326 1982 or please email us on
