STRENGTHEN
Special Events
Day Courses,
Public Talks,
Retreats
ACTUALIZE YOUR FULL POTENTIAL
“What is enlightenment? It is the inner light of wisdom that is completely free from all mistaken appearance, and whose function is to bestow mental peace upon each and every living being every day.”
- Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Community Meeting
Sunday, Oct 12th • 12:00pm• After Sunday Morning Meditation
Everyone Welcome • Light Lunch will be Served
Please join us for our First Community Meeting on Sunday, October 12th at 12:00pm, following our weekly Sunday class (10:30am–11:45am). At the meeting, you’ll hear from our Resident Teacher, John Baker, Administrative Director, Karen Swiecicki, and our Education Team.
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Together, we’ll share highlights from the past year, reflect on challenges we’ve faced, and most importantly, present our vision for the future. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect, learn, and be part of shaping our community. Everyone is welcome - your presence and support make everything we do possible.
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A light lunch will be served! No RSVP necessary, just drop-in!
Familiarity & Focus - Wisdom
Mini Retreat Day
with Resident Teacher, John Baker
Sunday, Oct 26th • 10:30am-1:45pm • $20 (Includes Sunday Morning Meditation, TTP & FP discounts apply)
Everyone Welcome • No Experience Necessary
SESSION TIMES
10:30 - 11:45am Sunday Morning Meditation Class
11:45am - 12:30pm Break
12:30 - 1:00pm Meditation
1:00 - 1:15pm Silent Break
1:15 - 1:45pm Meditation
One of the main ways that our meditations improve is through familiarity with an object of meditation. Your mindfulness gets a boost and your object starts to come into focus becoming clearer and free from distractions.
Try out a mini retreat at our beautiful meditation center in Old City. The topic will be wisdom, a virtuous intelligent mind. Included is a main teaching in the morning with a guided meditation, a short break, and then two guided meditations with a short SILENT break in between.
SCHEDULE:
7:00 - 8:00pm Talk & Meditation
8:00 - 9:00pm Party & Refreshments
Fright Night!: A Buddhist Meditation on Fear
with Resident Teacher, John Baker
Friday, Oct 31st • 7:00 - 9:00pm • $20 (TTP & FP discounts apply)
Everyone Welcome • No Experience Necessary
Halloween is a time for fright nights, scary movies, and ghost stories. Jump scares and zombies are fun, but did you know that fear can also be powerful motivator for our meditation practice? The mind is so powerful that it creates worlds for us. The scariest places are created by the most negative states of mind. When we have an insight - a wisdom fear of the potential of our mind to create havoc - we become empowered to seek protection and train our mind. We can then be liberated from all suffering and all fears.
Join us for a special Halloween teaching and meditation. Costumes are welcome and treats will be served following the meditation!
SCHEDULE:
Session 1 - 10:30 - 11:45am
Tea Break - 11:45am - 12:15pm
Session 2 - 12:15 - 1:30pm
The Power of Maybe: Meditating on Impermanence
with Meditation Teacher, Eve Miller
Saturday, Nov 8th • 10:30am - 1:30pm • $20 (TTP & FP discounts apply)
Everyone Welcome • No Experience Necessary
Do you feel like your life is on autopilot and passing you by? Do you recognize the benefits of meditation but never seem to find the time? Meditating on impermanence brings our life into clear focus and energizes our meditation practice. Learning to hold the insight that we “may die today” completely transforms our awareness. If we allow this "maybe" to touch our heart we can change our life for the better. In this half day course we will learn how to meditate on impermanence without being morbid or gloomy, and learn how to make powerful use of the amazing opportunity that is our life.
SCHEDULE:
11:00am - 12:00pm Teaching on the Power of Mantra
12:00 - 2:00pm Mala Making
A String and a Prayer: Mala Making Course
with Kadampa Meditation Teachers, Vickie Clement & Eve Miller
Saturday, Dec 6th • 11am - 2pm • $40 (materials included)
Everyone Welcome • No Experience Necessary
A mala is a traditional Buddhist rosary used to recite mantras. In this course you will learn about the practice of mantra recitation and the traditional Buddhist techniques for making and using a mala. For Buddhist practitioners, a mala is very precious and meaningful. Through regular use, it becomes a very blessed and powerful object.
All materials for this course will be provided, including a selection of beads, threading and tassel materials. You will come away with a completed mala and understand how to use it to benefit yourself and others. Malas also make excellent gifts! Everyone welcome, no experience necessary. Light refreshments will be served during the mala making portion of class.
Bringing the Light Of Love:
A Method for Enjoying the Holidays
with Resident Teacher, John Baker
Saturday, Dec 13th • 10:30am - 1:30pm • $20 (FP & TTP discounts apply))
Everyone Welcome • No Experience Necessary
SCHEDULE:
Session 1 - 10:30 - 11:45am
Tea Break - 11:45am - 12:15pm
Session 2 - 12:15 - 1:30pm
When the days are dark and cold it can be difficult to stay positive. So, we light our surroundings to celebrate the holidays and delight those around us.
Buddha taught that with a mind of love, we not only protect ourselves from dark states of mind, but help others to do the same.
In this half-day course we’ll become familiar with Buddha’s methods for recognizing and reducing our negative states of mind, and cultivating loving and positive states. Knowing these methods will help us bring a loving attitude to our relationships. We can "light up" by practicing being present, loving and kind with our friends, family and neighbors during this winter holiday season and all year long.
INTERNATIONAL & REGIONAL EVENTS
A Life Beyond Fear
with Internationally Renowned Buddhist Nun, Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong
Thursday, September 11, 2025 • 7-8:30pm
The Town Hall • 123 W 43rd St, New York, NY 10036
In NYC - One Night Only!
Everyone Welcome
In times as stressful and uncertain as the ones we seem to be experiencing more and more often, we may ask, is a life beyond fear even possible?
In truth, fear arises from our mind, not from our environment. The fear and the anxiety that so many experience is not inevitable. If we come to recognize their underlying sources, we can learn to change our relationship to them.
Through the practice of meditation, we can learn to work skillfully with our fear. Instead of allowing it to overwhelm us, we learn to redirect it, so that it moves us towards developing those states of mind that naturally give rise to peace, confidence and a strong sense of purpose.
Based on her nearly 40 years of experience of meditation, Buddhist nun Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong, senior disciple of the great Buddhist teacher, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche and Spiritual Director of the New Kadampa Tradition, will guide us into recognizing our potential for a meaningful and joyful life truly beyond fear.
Everyone welcome