“Eliminating the distractions of my mind completely,

Observing and holding a single object of meditation with mindfulness

And preventing the obstacles of mental sinking and excitement from arising,

In this way I will control my mind with clear and joyful meditation.” - Request to the Lord of All Lineages, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche

 

Would you like to do a silent meditation retreat? It’s not always easy to be still with your own mind, so you might want to take advantage of this opportunity to do so in a safe, supportive environment. The emphasis will be on training in meditation in several sessions each day, following the instructions on how to attain tranquil abiding. If you are unfamiliar with these instructions, please feel free to ask us about them. A brief explanation of how to engage in the retreat will be given in the introduction, most other sessions are silent and self-guided. In between sessions, you can enjoy KMC North Carolina’s beautiful meditation center, yards and gardens, neighborhood and parks within walking distance.

 

The benefits of silent retreat conditions are many. Maintaining verbal silence and physical isolation with a spiritual motivation makes it easier to recognize and reduce more subtle distractions, thereby experiencing a deeper level of inner peace than we normally experience in daily life. With our mind clearer, our meditations can lead to deeper insights and experiences than in daily life alone.

 

Participants are encouraged to prepare for this retreat by training in meditation on a daily basis until the retreat. If you are interested but unsure of how to prepare, please ask us. If you are brand new, just let us know and we can explain how to meditate in a simple way.

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Schedule

Friday

6:30-7:45pm Introduction

 

Saturday

9-10am Session 1 (silence begins)

11am-noon Session 2

2-3:15pm Session 3 w/ teaching

4-5pm Session 4

7-8pm Session 5

 

Sunday

9-10am Session 1

11am-noon Session 2

2-3:15pm Session 3 w/ teaching (coming out of silence after this session)

4-5pm Session 4

About the Teachers

Gen Kelsang Norbu is the Resident Teacher of Kadampa Meditation Center North Carolina. He was ordained in 2006 by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, and was requested by him to be the Resident Teacher of KMC North Carolina. He earned the title ‘Gen’ in 2012, indicating that he is a senior ordained teacher in the New Kadampa Tradition of modern Buddhism. He is known for his loving and gentle nature and holds a very clear and sharp understanding of Buddha’s teachings.