Join us for our first ever community weekend retreat, a collaborative effort by Vajra Light, Menlha KMC and Dharmachakra Centers. This event not only provides the chance to receive teachings and engage in meditation but also offers the opportunity to connect with fellow practitioners from Vajra Light and the surrounding region. This retereat will be led by Kadam Donna; and Gen Kelsang Chogyp, the resident teacher at Menlha KMC and Dharmachakra KBC.

If we draw close to Buddha, we have a supreme and unchanging friend in our corner at all times. One of the central practices of Kadampa Meditation Centers is the recitation and contemplation of The Liberating Prayer. This beautiful praise to Buddha Shakyamuni, composed by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso directly for us, is a profound exploration of the nature of enlightenment that allows us to open up to and connect with the blessings of the Buddhas, thereby greatly inspiring us on our own path to enlightenment.

"Please give me the light of your wisdom To dispel the darkness of my mind And to heal my mental continuum."

Gen Kelsang Chogyop and Kadam Donna will guide meditations and share insights based on Venerable Geshe Kelsang’s commentaries that will allow us to go deeper in our own contemplations on this beautiful, poetic, inspiring prayer.

"The Liberating Prayer is not an ordinary prayer – It is like a text and has profound meaning. All Lamrim teachings – renunciation, bodhichitta, and correct view of emptiness are included in this prayer. I can say very few people understand the Liberating Prayer. It definitely needs verbal commentary by a Teacher. If we understand and contemplate its meaning – it is the best method to develop faith in Buddha and his teachings, which is our spiritual life and the root of all Dharma realizations."
– Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche

Session Times & Meditations

Friday, June 7 
Introduction: 7:30pm – 9:00pm 

Saturday, June 8
Session 1: 9:00am –10:30am
Session 2: 11:30am – 1:00pm
Session 3: 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Wishfulling Jewel: 7:30pm – 8:30pm

Sunday, June 9
Meditation: 9:00am – 10:00am 
Prayers for World Peace: 11:00am – 12:30pm

About Gen Kelsang Chogyop

Gen Kelsang Chogyop is a Buddhist nun and a close disciple of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. She is the main teacher at Menlha Kadampa Meditation Center in Lambertville NJ, as well as Dharmachakra Kadampa Buddhist Center in Millburn NJ.

Gen Chogyop has been studying and teaching Kadampa Buddhism for more than 20 years, and is known for her warm heart, practical teachings and sincere practice of Dharma. She provides an inspiring example of a modern Buddhist practitioner. Through emphasizing the Bodhisattva’s way of life, she encourages all the students at the center to bring their practice of Buddha’s teachings into their daily lives, bringing joy to as many people as possible.