Guru Yoga Mandala Offering Retreat
2019-09-01 09:00 - 17:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Retreat sessions will be on Sunday, September 1 and Monday, September 2. The first session of the retreat on Sunday will be an introduction to the practices of Guru Yoga and Mandala Offering by our Resident Teacher, Kadam Keli Vaughan. The retreat is open to everyone. Each retreat session is 90 minutes long including prayers.
The practice of Mandala Offering creates vast good fortune and is a method to attain the Pure Land of a Buddha.
Giving with a mind of compassion unmixed with attachment is the first of the Six Perfections. Buddha taught giving as the first of the Six Perfections so that living beings can generate good fortune, or merit, to sustain all necessary conditions for our spiritual practice. While meditation plants the seeds of realizations within our mind, if our mind is devoid of merit, or good karma, we will be planting seeds in barren ground. Accumulating merit creates a rich and fertile mental environment within which our meditations will swiftly ripen and transform into realizations.
The blessings arising from the practice of Guru Yoga are rain that nurtures and sustains the seeds of our meditation. Guru Yoga is a special and powerful method that enables us to receive the blessings of all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and holy beings. Receiving this inspiration into our mind bestows inner peace and gives rise to realizations of renunciation, universal compassion, and wisdom realizing emptiness.
Session 1 9:00-10:30am (Introduction to the practice on Sunday / Regular session on Monday)
Session 2 11:00am-12:30pm
Session 3 2:00-3:30pm
Session 4 4:00-5:30pm
Each session is $5 or $20 for whole day.
Free for Foundation Program students.

Training In Mindfulness (Lompoc)
2019-07-24 18:30 - 19:30, 2019-07-17 18:30 - 19:30, 2019-07-10 18:30 - 19:30, 2019-07-03 18:30 - 19:30 | 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
“Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible.” ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Prayer and meditation are neither small nor passive actions. Rather, they are a force for change in our shared world. Join us to bring peace to our world through the action of meditation, and dedicating our prayers for world peace. Everyone is welcome – you do not need to be a Buddhist to attend.
Each class consists of a guided breathing meditation, a short teaching on Buddhist meditation techniques, and a guided meditation to practice as a group. The preparatory prayers are in English. Prayer booklets are available for use.
If you pre-register for the whole 4-week guided meditation series, you will receive a copy of The NEW Meditation Handbook, authored by renowned Buddhist scholar and Meditation Master, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Pre-register HERE.
Suggested Donation per single class – $10

Puja & Potluck (Lompoc)
2019-06-06 17:30 | 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Save the Date!
Join us for Heart Jewel prayers at 5:30, then a casual community dinner before our teachers leave for the summer.
We have prayer booklets in English for use during this practice.
At 6:30 we’ll eat together and share ideas about how we can help Mahakankala Buddhist Center North continue to flourish.
Bring a vegetarian dish to share — we’ll have plates, cutlery and water.

Special Prayers to Celebrate Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's Birthday
2019-06-03 17:30 - 19:30 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
We dedicate this heart practice of Offering to the Spiritual Guide to the continued good health and long life of our kind Spiritual Guide, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, for his birthday. Everyone is welcome and invited to join us for this beautiful prayer practice.
Offering to the Spiritual Guide is a special Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra. It was compiled by the first Panchen Lama, Losang Chökyi Gyaltsän, as a preliminary practice for Vajrayana Mahamudra. The main practice is relying upon the Spiritual Guide, but it also includes all the essential practices of the stages of the path (Lamrim) and training the mind (Lojong), as well as both the generation stage and completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra.
May all living beings have the good fortune to meet you, Venerable Geshe-la. Happy Birthday!

Mala Making Workshop (Lompoc)
2019-06-01 11:00 - 14:30 | 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Learn the traditional Buddhist technique for making or repairing a mala.
A mala is a ritual object that Buddhists use to count prayers or mantras. For Buddhist practitioners their mala is a very precious and meaningful object. Making a mala is a very meditative practice in itself. This three-hour workshop includes a brief talk on the beautiful minds of prayer, mantra recitation, and concentration, followed by instruction and hands on mala-making.
Join us for this special event! Cost of workshop is $20 for those donating the mala they make to our center for sale in the bookstore — or leave with your very own handmade mala for an extra $10 materials fee.

Buddha's Enlightenment Day
2019-04-15 17:00 - 19:00 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Everyone is welcome and invited to join us for Offering to the Spiritual Guide Prayers to celebrate Buddha’s Enlightenment Day.
This beautiful prayer practice is a special Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra. It was compiled by the first Panchen Lama, Losang Chökyi Gyaltsän, as a preliminary practice for Vajrayana Mahamudra. The main practice is relying upon the Spiritual Guide, but it also includes all the essential practices of the stages of the path (Lamrim) and training the mind (Lojong), as well as both the generation stage and completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra.
Our prayer booklets are in English, and we have plenty available for use during this special offering. Please join us!

Meditations on the Four Great Seals
2019-04-07 09:00 - 15:30 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Everyone is welcome to enjoy this rare opportunity to meditate on the Four Great Seals of Sutra Mahamudra. These meditations create powerful causes to experience a deeply peaceful, blissful mind and permanent mental freedom. With the intention to share this experience with all living beings, we make the whole day of retreat an offering to the world.
By practicing this sequence of meditations in our life, our mind will become progressively more tranquil and positive, and increasingly more pure and powerful; with practice, we will gradually enjoy an experience of lasting peace and contentment from within our own mind.
All sessions will be guided by our Resident Teacher, Keli Vaughan, as a follow-up to the Saturday Blessing Empowerment of White Tara.
Schedule:
Session 1 9:00am-10:00am — All Functioning Things Are Impermanent
Session 2 10:30-11:30am — All Contaminated Things Are the Nature of Suffering
Session 3 1:00pm-2:00pm — Only Nirvana is Peace
Session 4 2:30-3:30pm — All Phenomena Are Selfless
$30 for Whole Retreat/ $10 per Session/ Free for Members of Foundation Program of MBC

The Blessing Empowerment of White Tara
2019-04-06 10:30 - 17:30 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
During this very special event, the Resident Teacher of Mahakankala Buddhist Center, Keli Vaughan, will grant the Blessing Empowerment of White Tara.
White Tara is a female enlightened being whose function is to bestow long life, wisdom, and good fortune. Because Tara is also the manifestation of the wind element of all Buddhas we can receive her blessings quickly, and by relying on her with faith we quickly receive her protection from contagious diseases, the dangers of fire, and other disasters.
This empowerment is a blissful guided meditation through which we make a deep connection with Mother Tara and receive her healing, joyful, and protective blessings.
The empowerment commentary will focus on the Tantric meditation practice known as self-generation. Practicing this meditation helps us to develop White Tara’s special qualities. Everyone is welcome.
PRE-REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE HERE ON MARCH 8.
Schedule:
10:30 AM – 11 AM Registration
11 AM – 1 PM – White Tara Empowerment
1 PM -2:30 PM Lunch Break
2:30 PM – 3:45 PM – Empowerment Commentary
4:15 PM – 5:30 PM – White Tara Practice
A guided 4-session retreat on the Four Great Seals will follow on Sunday, April 7. More info HERE.

Compassion for Animals: Deepening Our Love for Others
2019-03-23 10:30 - 13:00 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Animals experience many special sufferings. They often live in constant fear, greatly lacking mental and physical freedom. Humans exploit them by the millions without their consent. In this short meditation workshop we will explore methods by which we can deepen our compassion for animals, and use this experience to further our spiritual awareness and development of love for other beings.
This short 1/2 day course will include teachings and meditation in two sessions with a break for refreshments or walking. Meditators of all levels of experience are welcome.
If you would like to Pre-Register to save your place at the workshop, you can do so HERE.

Shifting Away from Depression: A Buddhist Perspective (Lompoc)
2019-02-16 10:00 - 13:00 | 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
This event is in Lompoc, CA.
This Morning’s Workshop:

According to Buddhism, the experience of depression comes about due to uncontrolled and painful states of mind known as delusions. In this special Saturday workshop, our visiting guest Teacher, Gen Kelsang Rigpa, will focus on Buddha’s illuminating teachings regarding these painful minds and how to overcome them. By practicing the methods Gen Rigpa will share with us, we will learn to experience a deep and satisfying emotional freedom. As our delusions diminish we draw closer to the person we wish to be: joyful, confident and loving.
About the Teacher
Gen Kelsang Rigpa is an American Buddhist monk, the Western US National Spiritual Director of the NKT-IKBU and the Resident Teacher at KMC-Hollywood. He is a close disciple of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, having received lineage blessings and oral transmissions directly from him.
Gen Rigpa’s heartfelt and practical teachings are presented with warmth and humor, making them accessible to everyone. He shows the joy of living a spiritual life, and is an inspiring example of Buddhism in practice. 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.

Overcoming Perfectionism, Self-Criticism and Discouragement with Gen Kelsang Rigpa
2019-02-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
We sometimes set up an all or nothing approach to success, feeling that if we are not able do something perfectly then we are a failure. This is a dangerous mind-set, because it can lead to excessive self-criticism and discouragement, which blocks our capacity for learning and authentic spiritual growth.
Through Buddhist psychology we can gain insight into this process and learn practical methods that will help us accept who and where we are at present, and make progress towards becoming the person we wish to be.

About the Teacher
Gen Kelsang Rigpa is an American Buddhist monk, the Western US National Spiritual Director of the NKT-IKBU and the Resident Teacher at KMC-Hollywood. He is a close disciple of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, having received lineage blessings and oral transmissions directly from him.
Gen Rigpa’s heartfelt and practical teachings are presented with warmth and humor, making them accessible to everyone. He shows the joy of living a spiritual life, and is an inspiring example of Buddhism in practice. 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.

Center Cherishing
2019-01-13 11:00 - 13:00 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Our Buddhist Center is our spiritual home. It is a place where we can let go of the worries and stresses of daily life and engage in meaningful activities. We are very fortunate to have such a space that bestows much peace and happiness on many.
Please join us at our Downtown Santa Barbara location and help us clean and spruce up the center! It’s a wonderful way to create some positive karma and help us provide a comfortable and clean place for everyone to enjoy.

Lamrim Wisdom Retreat
2019-01-06 10:30 - 18:15, 2019-01-05 10:30 - 18:15 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Lamrim meditations train our mind in the stages of the path to enlightenment. With concentration we become more familiar with each stage – from the recognition of the preciousness of this human life, to understanding the true nature of reality, and all stages in between. Each session will include preparatory prayers and will include a 30-minute Lamrim meditation guided by our Resident Teacher.
Enjoy hot tea and read from the Kadampa library between sessions.
Session 1 — 10:30-11:45am
Session 2 — 1:45-3:00pm
Session 3 — 3:30-4:45pm
Session 4 — 5:15-6:15 Heart Jewel Prayers
$5 per session
Free for Foundation Program and Monthly Members of MBC

New Year's Day Meditation Retreat
2019-01-01 10:30 - 18:15 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Begin a new year with four sessions of meditation and prayer.
We’ll be using the sadhana of The Great Mother, Prajnaparamita. This practice is to remove obstacles we have in our life, with a particular emphasis on developing profound wisdom.
Prayer booklets will be available for your use. Everyone is welcome to one or all sessions!
Guided by our Resident Teacher, Keli Vaughan.
Session 1 10:30-11:45am
Session 2 1:45-3:00pm
Session 3 3:30-4:45pm
Session 4 5:15-6:15pm Heart Jewel with Meditation
$5 per session.

NYE Meditation
2018-12-31 18:30 - 19:45 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
“Only by creating peace within our own mind and helping others to do the same can we hope to achieve peace in this world.”
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Please consider joining us during the early part of your New Year’s Eve. Together we can create a healthy world with a shift in the way we think and perceive. We make that shift through contemplation, prayer, and meditation.
Bring a friend! Celebrate our collective wish to remove suffering from our world. The evening’s program will include a guided meditation and prayers to Avalokiteshvara, Buddha of Compassion.
This event is free of charge, but donations are always welcome.

Dog Walk for Peace - Our Annual Fundraiser
2018-11-03 10:00 - 12:00 | Hendry’s Beach, 2981 Cliff Dr, Santa Barbara, CA, 93109, United States
Click on Stanley for more info!

Half-Day Meditation Retreat (Lompoc)
2018-10-06 10:00 - 13:00 | 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
This retreat is in Lompoc, CA.
We Can Be Heroes!
It begins with a wish: to bring happiness to others and to remove suffering from the world.
If we cultivate this wish in our mind and become deeply familiar with it through meditation, we are not only protecting others but also building protection for ourself — against our own painful minds of craving, anger, loneliness, and jealousy.
In this half-day retreat we will practice meditations that lead us into our our own good heart — Buddhist methods for developing wisdom and compassion.
Retreat will be guided by the Resident Teacher of Mahakankala Buddhist Center, Keli Vaughan.
Cost of this event is $20 per person or Bring A Friend for $30. Registration is open at 9:30am – please arrive in time to register and settle for beginning of 10am session.
Free for members of MBC’s Foundation Program.

Buddha's Return from Heaven Day
2018-09-22 | CA
The following explanation is an extract from a talk given by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso on this day in 1991:
‘On this day we celebrate Buddha’s return from the desire god realm called Land of the Thirty-three Heavens, where he had been to visit his mother who had been reborn there.
Traditionally this day also marks the end of the summer retreat. Every year, during the summer months, Buddha did a three-month retreat with his disciples. His reason for doing this was to avoid harming insects and other animals.’
Read more…

Mala Making Workshop
2018-09-15 14:00 - 17:00 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States

Guru Yoga Mandala Offering Retreat
2018-09-03 09:00 - 17:00 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
The practice of Mandala Offering creates vast good fortune and is a method to attain the Pure Land of a Buddha.
Giving with a mind of compassion unmixed with attachment is the first of the Six Perfections. Buddha taught giving as the first of the Six Perfections so that living beings can generate good fortune, or merit, to sustain all necessary conditions for our spiritual practice. While meditation plants the seeds of realizations within our mind, if our mind is devoid of merit, or good karma, we will be planting seeds in barren ground. Accumulating merit creates a rich and fertile mental environment within which our meditations will swiftly ripen and transform into realizations.
The blessings arising from the practice of Guru Yoga are rain that nurtures and sustains the seeds of our meditation. Guru Yoga is a special and powerful method that enables us to receive the blessings of all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and holy beings. Receiving this inspiration into our mind bestows inner peace and gives rise to realizations of renunciation, universal compassion, and wisdom realizing emptiness.
Retreat sessions will be on Sunday, September 2 and Monday, September 3. The first session of the retreat on Sunday will be an introduction to the practices of Guru Yoga and Mandala Offering by our Resident Teacher, Keli Vaughan. The retreat is open to everyone. Each retreat session is 90 minutes long including prayers.
Session 1 9:00-10:30am
Session 2 11:00am-12:30pm
Session 3 2:00-3:30pm
Session 4 4:00-5:00pm Heart Jewel
Each session is $5 or $15 for whole day.
Free for Foundation Program students.

Center Cherishing
2018-06-02 15:00 - 17:00 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Our Buddhist Center is our spiritual home. It is a place where we can let go of the worries and stresses of daily life and engage in meaningful activities. We are very fortunate to have such a space that bestows much peace and happiness on many.
Please join us at our Downtown Santa Barbara location and help us clean and spruce up the center for Dharmachakra Day! It’s a wonderful way to create some positive karma and help us provide a comfortable and clean place for everyone to enjoy.

Meditation Workshop: Karma (Lompoc)
2018-05-05 10:00 - 13:00 | 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
This class is in Lompoc, CA.
Meditation has become widely popular in the past few years because of the proven health and wellness benefits for people who meditate regularly. However, Buddha taught meditation — not merely as a temporary solution for anxiety or even for increased mindfulness of a fleeting “present moment” — but to completely transform the inner landscape of our mind by cultivating special attitudes that make our mind peaceful.
In this half-day workshop we will explore Buddha’s teachings to improve our understanding of actions and effects. Without a basic understanding of karma, our minds will remain confused about the causes of suffering and the causes of happiness — believing that people or situations external to us are causing our experiences. In these two sessions we will identify how to begin an authentic Buddhist meditation practice by using methods that deepen our familiarity with the peace that arises from holding special minds of virtue — the cause of happiness — for longer and longer periods of time.
This workshop will be taught by the Resident Teacher of Mahakankala Buddhist Center, Keli Vaughan.
Cost of this event is $20 per person or Bring A Friend for $30. Free for members of MBC’s Foundation Program.

Center Cherishing
2018-04-07 15:00 - 17:00 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Please come and help us clean and spruce up the center! It’s a wonderful way to create some positive karma and help us provide a comfortable and clean place for everyone to enjoy.

Meditation Workshop: The Path of Good Fortune (Lompoc)
2018-03-17 10:00 - 13:00 | 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
This class is in Lompoc, CA.
Meditation has become widely popular in the past few years because of the proven health and wellness benefits for people who meditate regularly. But Buddha taught meditation, not merely as a temporary solution for anxiety or even for increased mindfulness of a fleeting “present moment” — but to completely transform the inner landscape of our mind by cultivating special attitudes that make our mind peaceful.
In this half-day workshop we will explore Buddha’s teachings on improving our minds of giving, the actual cause of wealth and abundant resources. Without basic necessities, our minds are consumed with worries that make it impossible to make progress on spiritual paths. For this reason, Buddha explained how the cause of wealth is generosity towards others. In these two sessions we will identify how to begin an authentic Buddhist meditation practice by using methods that deepen our familiarity with the peace that arises from holding special minds of generosity for longer and longer periods of time.
This workshop will be taught by the Resident Teacher of Mahakankala Buddhist Center, Keli Vaughan.
Cost of this event is $20 per person or Bring A Friend for $30. Free for monthly members of MBC.

The Practice of Heart Jewel
2018-02-10 10:00 - 11:30 | 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
This class is in Lompoc, CA.
Heart Jewel is a prayer practiced by Kadampa Buddhists around the world — chanted in a group or mentally recited to improve our minds of compassion and wisdom.
Our Resident Teacher, Keli Vaughan will give a brief introduction to the meaning of this practice before we engage in Heart Jewel as a group. Prayers are in English and we have copies for use and for purchase for your personal practice.
Donations for teachings accepted.

The Practice of Heart Jewel
2018-02-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Heart Jewel is a prayer practiced by Kadampa Buddhists around the world — chanted in a group or mentally recited to improve our minds of compassion and wisdom.
Our Resident Teacher, Keli Vaughan will give a brief introduction to the meaning of this practice before we engage in Heart Jewel as a group. Prayers are in English and we have copies for use and for purchase for your personal practice.
Donations for teachings accepted.
There will also be an introduction to Heart Jewel practice in our Lompoc branch
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 10-11:30AM
Mahakankala Buddhist Center North
701 E. North Ave, Suite F
(upstairs at Plaza de Oro)
Lompoc, CA
