The Practice of Heart Jewel
2018-02-10 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | 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

Mahamudra Retreat
2018-01-27 10:30 - 18:30 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Developing tranquil abiding on the nature of the mind according to The Oral Instructions of the Mahamudra.

Meditation on our root mind is particularly powerful in overcoming distracting thoughts – the main obstacle to concentration – and in ripening the realization of clear light.
Session 1 — 10:30-11:45am
Session 2 — 1:45-3:00pm*
Session 3 — 3:30-4:45pm*
Session 4 — 5:15-6:30pm*
*Sessions 2-4 are open only to Highest Yoga Tantra Practitioners and those who will receive their HYT this year.
Each retreat session on Saturday is $5.
Free for Foundation Program Students.

Mahamudra Retreat Intro
2018-01-26 19:00 - 20:30 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Developing tranquil abiding on the nature of the mind.
To introduce this 4-session retreat, our Resident Teacher, Keli Vaughan, will give some encouragement and explanation of meditating on the clarity of the mind from The Oral Instructions of the Mahamudra.
Meditation on our root mind is particularly powerful in overcoming distracting thoughts – the main obstacle to concentration – and in ripening the realization of clear light. During the retreat practical instruction on training in meditation will be combined with explanation of the nature of our mind.
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
Session 1 — 10:30-11:45am
Session 2 — 1:45-3:00pm*
Session 3 — 3:30-4:45pm*
Session 4 — 5:15-6:30pm*
*Sessions 2-4 are open only to Highest Yoga Tantra Practitioners and those who will receive their HYT this year.
Each retreat session on Saturday is $5.
Free for Foundation Program Students.

Silent Concentration Retreat
2018-01-20 10:30 - 2018-01-21 17:00 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
The center will be open for intermediate meditators who wish to deepen their practice of concentration in four sessions. Silence will be observed within the center during retreat.
Each session will begin with the preparatory practices of prayers, up to visualizing receiving blessings from Buddha Shakyamuni and all the Enlightened Beings.
The remainder of the session will be in silence with no concluding prayers. Timed chimes will alert participants to each session’s end.
SCHEDULE
Saturday:
Session 1 10:30 am – 11:45 am
Session 2 1:45 pm – 3:00 pm
Session 3 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm
Session 4 5:15 pm – 6:30 pm
Sunday:
Session 5 1:45-3:00pm
Session 6 3:30-4:45pm
GUIDELINES

Please come prepared with your meditation object. When training in developing concentration we practice meditating on the same object in all sessions. Examples of meditation objects : Death and Impermanence, Renunciation, Compassion, Taking, Giving, Emptiness of the Body
Please arrive early so you can start prayers on time. Coming late will disrupt others’ session.
Once the session starts, please be prepared not to leave your cushion or chair. This determination will support your practice as well as prevent disturbing each other’s practice.

Cost to attend whole retreat (including Friday introduction) $40, or $5 per session.
Thank you for supporting Meditation in Santa Barbara!

Concentration Retreat Intro
2018-01-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
In this introduction to the practice of retreat we will review setting retreat boundaries and the levels of concentration we can accomplish through continual familiarity with one meditation object.
During the silent retreat that follows, the center will be open for intermediate meditators who wish to deepen their practice of concentration in four sessions. Silence will be observed within the center during retreat.
Each session will begin with the preparatory practices of prayers, up to visualizing receiving blessings from Buddha Shakyamuni and all the Enlightened Beings.
The remainder of the session will be in silence with no concluding prayers. Timed chimes will alert participants to each sessionâ€™s end.
GUIDELINES FOR THIS 2-DAY RETREAT

Please come prepared with your meditation object. When training in developing concentration we practice meditating on the same object in all sessions. Examples of meditation objects : Death and Impermanence, Renunciation, Compassion, Taking, Giving, Emptiness of the Body
Please arrive early so you can start prayers on time. Coming late will disrupt othersâ€™ session.
Once the session starts, please be prepared not to leave your cushion or chair. This determination will support your practice as well as prevent disturbing each otherâ€™s practice.

Cost to attend whole retreat including introductory talk – $40.
Introductory talk on Friday – $10.
Each stand-alone session – $5.
Thank you for supporting Meditation in Santa Barbara!

Special Prayers for Montecito
2018-01-17 18:30 - 19:45 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Please Join us for Transference of Consciousness prayers
for the peaceful transition of all the people and animals who died in the local mudslide. Everyone Welcome.
(The regular Wednesday night series of introductory meditation classes will begin next week, January 24.)

Peace Is Possible - Torma Making
2018-01-07 15:15 - 17:15 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Peace Is Possible is our Ten-Teens group.
Please contact us for information about registering your child. 🙂

Lamrim Wisdom Retreat
2018-01-06 10:30 - 18:30 | CA
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 — 5:15-6:30pm

Lamrim Wisdom Retreat Intro
2018-01-05 19:00 - 20:30 | 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.
To provide an introduction to Saturday’s 4-session retreat, our Resident Teacher, Keli Vaughan, will give guidance and encouragement on how to make progress in a disciplined Buddhist meditation practice. Everyone Welcome!

The Practice of Prostrations
2018-01-04 18:30 - 19:45 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
A Brief Teaching on the Practice of Prostrations to the 35 Confession Buddhas
Our Resident Teacher, Keli Vaughan will give a brief introduction to the meaning of this practice. We will then engage in The Mahayana Sutra of the Three Superior Heaps as a group. Prayers are in English and we have copies of the prayers for use and for purchase for your personal practice.
Newcomers welcome! Wear clothes that allow you to bend — long, cool pants are best.
Donations for teachings accepted.

The Practice of Powa
2018-01-02 18:30 - 19:45 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
A Brief Teaching on Transference of Consciousness with Prayers
Through practicing transference of consciousness — known as ‘powa’ — with faith, compassion, and concentration we can transfer the consciousness of those recently deceased to a higher rebirth or to the Pure Land of a Buddha.
The Powa Ceremony can be done either by a group of practitioners or individually on behalf of one or more deceased persons, or countless deceased beings. By engaging in this practice we also create a great collection of virtue, which will also lead us into the pathway to a Buddha’s Pure Land.
Our Resident Teacher, Keli Vaughan will give a brief introduction to the meaning of this practice before we engage in Powa as a group. Prayers are in English and we have copies for use and for purchase for your personal practice.
Donations for teachings accepted.

New Year's Day Retreat - The Great Mother
2018-01-01 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Begin a new year with four sessions of meditation on the Great Mother, Prajnaparamita. Prajnaparamita means the Perfection of Wisdom, and she is called the Great Mother because from the wisdom of emptiness, all Buddhas are born. By engaging in sincere prayers to her we can develop and increase our wisdom, reduce our ignorance, and eliminate obstacles to our spiritual practice.
The first two sessions will be 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 5:15-6:30pm

Blissful Path Retreat
2017-12-02 10:00 - 17:30 | Mahakankala Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1825 State Street Suite 202, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
These guided retreat sessions are open to Highest Yoga Tantra practitioners and those who will receive their first HYT empowerments in 2018.
Spend a day improving your self-generation meditation practice. In these four sessions, we will use the prayers The Blissful Path to improve our visualization and to increase our understanding of the meanings of Vajrayogini practice.
All sessions will be guided by our Resident Teacher, Keli Vaughan.
Session 1 10:00 am
Session 2 11:30 am
Session 3 2:30 pm
Session 4 4:00 pm

Peace Is Possible
2017-11-12 14:00 - 17:00 | CA
Our Ten-teens meditation group is called Peace Is Possible. Last month after our meditation the kids faced off with a blank white vinyl banner and produced an amazing sign for our fundraiser.
This month’s meeting is off-site. After short Dharma teaching and meditation, we will be baking and making cards for local senior centers for Thanksgiving.
Parents who would like more info about Peace Is Possible please email us at info@meditationinsantabarbara.org.
