Kadampa Meditation Center Fort Lauderdale
Miami Kadampa Buddhist Center
Welcome!
Our centers offer practical meditation classes that help us solve life’s problems and find a deep and lasting inner peace. Most classes are self-contained and open to everyone.
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 training in meditation.
– Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, How to Understand the Mind
Meditation & Modern Buddhism in South Florida
Our center was founded by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, a world renowned Buddhist meditation master who has pioneered the introduction of modern Buddhism into contemporary society.
Gen Kelsang Norbu
Resident Teacher
Gen Kelsang Norbu has been practicing meditation and studying in the Kadampa Buddhist tradition for over 10 years. He was ordained as a monk in 2006 by the Tibetan-born master Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, and has been teaching classes and guiding students along the spiritual path since that time. Gen Norbu’s approach to practice emphasizes the joy of meditation, as well as the importance of each individual personally integrating Buddha’s teachings into their modern life.
Shelli Snyder
Education Program Coordinator
Assistant Teacher
Shelli has been a faithful and loving presence in our Teacher Training Program class for many years now. Her teachings are characterized by a softness and gentle, balanced understanding that gives students the power to develop their own understandings and insights. She teaches the Sunday morning Prayers for World Peace class in Fort Lauderdale, and she assists in teaching the Foundation Program in Fort Lauderdale.
Jay Radin
Assistant Teacher
Jay has been studying for many years now, and is a sincere and faithful practitioner with personal experience of the effectiveness of Kadam Dharma in transforming one’s life. He is currently enrolled in the Teacher Training Program. As a teacher, Jay is delightfully personable, easy-going, and inspiring in his view and presentation of how to meditate.
Fort Lauderdale General Program Classes
The General Program (GP) provides a basic introduction to Buddhist teachings and meditation that is suitable for beginners. Through these classes we can learn how to use Buddha’s advice in our daily lives to solve our problems and find the peace and happiness we seek. General Program also includes advanced teachings and practices from both Sutra and Tantra.
Fort Lauderdale In-Depth Study Classes
The Foundation Program (FP) and Teacher Training Program (TTP) provide the opportunity to engage in a structured study and meditation program on the essential teachings of the Buddhist spiritual path.
Through regular teachings and meditation, systematic study, and group discussion, these programs offer the same training followed by spiritual practitioners in an unbroken lineage dating back to Buddha Shakyamuni. In this way we can gain authentic experience of the Dharma while still maintaining our contemporary lifestyle.
Fort Lauderdale Special Events & Day Courses
Kadampa Meditation Center Fort Lauderdale offers an extensive program of one day courses, meditation classes, study programs and retreats. The methods and practices taught at the Center are suitable for all individuals, whatever your level of interest. Following Buddha’s special advice, we can relax our mind, dissolve our pain and fear and become of greater benefit to others.
Fort Lauderdale Free Meditations & Pujas
Why we need Buddhism in Modern Times
The source of all our daily problems and suffering is our uncontrolled desire, also known as ‘attachment’. Since beginningless time, because we have had uncontrolled desire for the fulfilment of our own wishes, we have performed various kinds of non-virtuous actions – actions that harm others. As a result, we continually experience various kinds of suffering and miserable conditions in life after life without end.
When our wishes are not fulfilled we usually experience unpleasant feelings, such as unhappiness or depression; this is our own problem because we are so attached to the fulfilment of our wishes. When we lose a close friend we experience pain and unhappiness, but this is only because we have no ability to control our desire. When we lose our possessions and the things that we like, we experience unhappiness and we become upset and angry.
This is because we have uncontrolled desire for these things. If we were able to control our desire there would be no basis to experience these problems. Many people are engaged in fighting, criminal actions and even warfare; all these actions arise from their uncontrolled desire for the fulfilment of their own wishes. In this way, we can see that there is not a single problem experienced by living beings that does not come from their uncontrolled desire.
This proves that unless we control our desire our problems will never cease. Therefore, anyone – whether Buddhist or non-Buddhist – who does not wish to experience problems and suffering should learn to control their desire through training in the particular meditations that are presented in Buddha’s teachings.
Miami General Program Classes
The General Program (GP) provides a basic introduction to Buddhist teachings and meditation that is suitable for beginners. Through these classes we can learn how to use Buddha’s advice in our daily lives to solve our problems and find the peace and happiness we seek. General Program also includes advanced teachings and practices from both Sutra and Tantra.
Miami In-Depth Study Classes
The Foundation Program (FP) and Teacher Training Program (TTP) provide the opportunity to engage in a structured study and meditation program on the essential teachings of the Buddhist spiritual path.
Through regular teachings and meditation, systematic study, and group discussion, these programs offer the same training followed by spiritual practitioners in an unbroken lineage dating back to Buddha Shakyamuni. In this way we can gain authentic experience of the Dharma while still maintaining our contemporary lifestyle.
Miami Special Events & Day Courses
Miami Kadampa Buddhist Center offers day courses, meditation classes, study programs and retreats. The methods and practices taught at the Center are suitable for all individuals, whatever your level of interest. Following Buddha’s special advice, we can relax our mind, dissolve our pain and fear and become of greater benefit to others.
VENERABLE GESHE KELSANG GYATSO RINPOCHE
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, the Founder of NKT-IKBU, is a contemporary Buddhist meditation Master who has dedicated his entire life to world peace by spreading the compassion and wisdom of Buddha throughout the world. Through the International Temples Project, which he founded, he has created hundreds of meditation centers and Temples worldwide, developed special study and meditation programs, and trained modern Buddhist Teachers in over 40 countries. Geshe-la is the author of numerous highly acclaimed books on Buddhism and meditation that present even the most profound aspects of Buddha’s teachings in ways that are easy to understand and integrate into our busy lives. By applying his teachings to their lives everyone—Buddhist or not—can learn to solve their daily problems, improve their relationships with others, and follow a pure spiritual path that leads to permanent inner peace and happiness.
“Without improving our mind there is no way to solve our human problems.”
~ Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche
Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong
General Spiritual Director of the New Kadampa Tradition, and Principal Resident Teacher at Manjushri KMC
Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong is a modern Buddhist nun dedicated to helping people from all walks of life attain lasting happiness through developing inner peace. She has been a student of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso for thirty years, and she has inspired many thousands of people through her sincere reliance on her Spiritual Guide, her tireless dedication to helping Kadam Dharma flourish throughout the world, and her clear and accessible teachings.
Gen-la Kelsang Jampa
Deputy Spiritual Director of the New Kadampa Tradition
Gen-la Kelsang Jampa is the Deputy Spiritual Director of the New Kadampa Tradition, and Resident Teacher of Kadampa Meditation Center Texas. He is dedicated to helping people solve their daily problems by developing the capacity of their mind through the practice of meditation and modern Buddhism. Gen-la is well-loved for his clear and inspiring teachings, and his ability to touch people’s hearts through his sincerity and loving-kindness.
Kadam Morten Clausen
Eastern US National Spiritual Director
Kadam Morten Clausen is the Eastern US National Spiritual Director of the New Kadampa Tradition and Resident Teacher at the Kadampa Meditation Center New York City, and also Bodh Gaya Center in Bayside, Queens. For over 30 years he has been a close disciple of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, who gave him the title “Kadam,” indicating that he is a senior lay teacher of the Kadampa Tradition.
Gen Kelsang Rigpa
Western US National Spiritual Director
Gen Kelsang Rigpa is an American Buddhist monk, the Western US National Spiritual Director and the Resident Teacher at KMC-Hollywood and KMC-California. Through his clear presentation, he is able to help student discover for themselves how to integrate these timeless teachings into our modern world, making everyday life joyful and meaningful.
MEMBERSHIP
Please consider supporting the Center’s beneficial activities by joining one of our monthly membership levels. Simply ask to fill out a membership form at the center. You not only receive the benefits of attending unlimited GP classes, but you are also helping our center flourish for everyone in South Florida!
“Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible. We all wish for world peace, but world peace will never be achieved unless we first establish peace within our own minds.” ~ Ven. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
DONATIONS
If you have enjoyed the offerings at KMC Fort Lauderdale, please consider supporting KMC Fort Lauderdale with a 100% tax-deductible gift! Our Center completely depends on class fees, memberships and donations to operate. In this world, wracked by discord, violence, and mental turmoil, KMC Fort Lauderdale is a refuge for all people, teaching them how to transform their minds and their lives for the better.
Whether you become a Supporting Member or give a one-time gift of $25, $50, $100, or whatever you can afford, this donation can make all the difference in our ability to better serve the South Florida community. We are a registered non-profit 501(c)(3), thus all donations are tax-deductible.
BOOKSTORE
The Kadampa Meditation Center Fort Lauderdale Buddhist shop is an excellent resource for books on Buddhism, ritual items, and accessories. We are affiliated with Tharpa Publications, a non-profit corporation that publishes books on Buddhism and meditation by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
We have audio CDs, Buddhist art, and Sadhanas for prayer and meditation. Books are available in English, as well as in Spanish and many other languages. The shop also carries a wide selection of Buddha statues, shrine items (such as offering bowls) and ritual items (such as malas, vajras, and bells). Accessories, from jewelry and hand-made book covers to incense and journals, complement Buddhist practice and make excellent gifts.
FLORIDA CENTERS
