Join us in January at the beautiful Kadampa Temple in Sarasota for meditation retreat with experienced Kadampa teachers. Each week offers a unique topic to inspire beginners and experienced meditators alike, with peaceful mornings, inspiring afternoons, and time to enjoy our Peace Garden and nearby beaches. On-site accommodations available.

Registration Opens September 10 at 8:00am EST 

Week 1 | Mind Training for Everyday Struggles

January 1–6 with Gen Kelsang Dorje

Start the new year with a fresh approach to life’s everyday challenges. Through guided meditation and practical Buddhist wisdom, learn how to respond to difficult people and situations with greater patience, compassion, and inner peace—and discover how even life’s struggles can become opportunities for personal growth.

Gen Kelsang Dorje is the Resident Teacher at Kadampa Meditation Center Madison. He is admired for his warmth and humor in making Buddha’s teachings relevant to the modern world, and is an inspiring example of how to integrate Buddha’s teachings into a joyful life.

Week 2 | Meditations for a Meaningful Life

Lamrim: The Stages of the Buddhist Path

January 8–13 with Gen Kelsang Lhadron

What is the real meaning of our human life? What happens when we die, and how can we make the best use of the precious opportunity we have now? Through meditation on the stages of the Buddhist path, we will explore these profound questions and discover how to use our life to fulfill our deepest wish for freedom and lasting happiness.

Gen Kelsang Lhadron is the Resident Teacher of Kadampa Meditation Center Florida. Through her kindness and enthusiasm for meditation practice, she provides an inspiring example of a modern Buddhist practitioner for our society.

Week 3 |  Emptiness: The Freedom to Change

Meditations on the True Nature of the Self

January 15–20 with Kadam Kyle

Who is the “I” that feels hurt, disappointed, anxious or stuck? Through meditation on the emptiness of the self, we can begin to loosen our grasping at a fixed, limited sense of who we are and discover how our suffering reduces. As this grasping diminishes, we experience greater freedom and flexibility, opening the door to a completely new way of experiencing ourselves, others and our world.

Kadam Kyle has taught most recently at the NKT centers in Boston, MA, New Bedford, MA and Providence, RI. His joyful and sincere example in daily life, and his clear and practical approach in teachings, have inspired many people in their spiritual life.

Week 4 | The Path of Tantra

Deepening Vajrayogini Practice

January 22–27 with Gen Kelsang Chokyi

In this retreat, we will explore the Mind of All Yogas and the Uncommon Yoga of Inconceivability, these are special methods for attaining the Pure Land of Keajra within this life. Deepen your experience of these extraordinary practices and their potential to transform every moment of your life into the spiritual path.