Kadampa Meditation Center Colorado is a spiritual community, a sanctuary in the city, in which we can learn to practice Kadampa Buddhist meditations and use wisdom to solve our daily problems, grow spiritually, and transform our world. Based on the books of the contemporary Buddhist master, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, and the lineage of Kadampa Buddhist masters, KMC CO presents Buddha’s teachings in an authentic and accessible manner that can easily be integrated into busy modern life. Located in the Slohi neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, and streaming classes online, we offer meditation classes for all levels of interest and experience.
In 1994, Kadampa Buddhist master Geshe Kelsang Gyatso established Heruka Kadampa Buddhist Center in Fort Collins and requested one of his students, Buddhist nun Gen Losel, to become the Resident Teacher. Heruka Kadampa Buddhist Center started off in a small house in Fort Collins with a branch in Denver. The Denver community grew and grew until it made sense for Denver to become it's own Kadampa Meditation Center, originally named Avalokiteshvara Buddhist Center; and in 2001, even purchase a beautiful house in Cap Hill neighborhood to function as the main Kadampa center in Colorado.
Kadam Lucy James, one of Geshe Kelsang’s earliest disciples, was invited by him to become our new Resident Teacher in 2013, and the Center and its community continued to flourish. With a lot of people seeking these teachings and meditations each week, we outgrew our space in Cap Hill. And in 2016, in addition to continuing to hold classes at Cap Hill, we leased a commercial store-front space in downtown Denver only two blocks from the 16th Street Mall. Our hope and intention is to soon find and purchase a new space with plenty of room to continue to grow our community.
You don’t have to be a Buddhist to learn Buddhist meditation and find peace, positivity and joy in your life, whatever circumstances you find yourself in. Meditation means familiarizing ourself with positive and happy ways of thinking and overcoming negative habits of mind that cause unhappiness. Buddhist meditation is open to everybody who wants to learn it; it doesn’t belong to Buddhists. It resonates with a lot of people these days because it provides very practical methods for finding peace, happiness, and meaning in the midst of busy modern daily lives. And it also provides practical and effective ways of helping others and dealing with many of the problems in the world today.
New Kadampa Buddhism is a special presentation of Buddha’s teachings designed especially for the people of the modern world. All the practices come from Buddha Shakyamuni and have been preserved over the centuries by an unbroken lineage of fully realized Teachers.
Venerable Geshe Kelsang’s presentation retains all the meanings and insights of Buddha’s original teachings, while offering them in a way that is accessible and suitable for modern-day practitioners. Through this great skill everyone – regardless of race, nationality, background, age, or gender – now has the opportunity to follow practice scientifically proven methods for solving the problems of daily life that ultimately lead to true and lasting happiness.
The New Kadampa Tradition was founded by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso after he moved to the West in 1977 on the request of students in England seeking authentic Buddhist teachings and meditation.
The New Kadampa Tradition started at Manjushri Centre in England, and is now established in more than 1400 locations throughout the world
Since his arrival in the West, Geshe Kelsang has written 24 books which explain modern Buddhism, a special presentation of all of Buddha’s teachings of Sutra and Tantra that is suitable and accessible for contemporary society.
We offer a wide variety of weekly classes, most of which are drop-in and suitable for all levels of practitioner. Our Resident Teacher Kadam Lucy James teaches on Sunday mornings , Wednesday and Thursday evenings. These wonderful classes include guided meditation and practical teaching. We also have a Tuesday evening class with LJ Aaen which is excellent class for all levels.
Our weekend program includes beginners’ workshops—which are ideal for making some headway into meditation—, special one-time courses, and mini-retreats covering particular Buddhist themes. These are usually open to all levels of practitioner, but check each event’s page for details. These practical courses and workshops allow us to delve deeper into different areas of Buddha’s teachings and meditations.
We offer meditation retreats that range from half day retreats on Saturdays, to full weekends, and also away retreats where we stay at retreat centers in the mountains. These relaxing and often profound retreats help us create the space to more deeply contemplate and meditate on specific teachings and gain deep experience.
Looking for a relaxing, short and peaceful guided meditation? Our simple 30-minute meditations are an enjoyable way to ease into meditation. These are currently offered on Tuesdays afternoons and Wednesday mornings and are free or by donation. We also have on-demand 30 minute meditations with Kadam Lucy James you can access anytime you wish!
For those wishing to go deeper by studying and practicing more systematically, KMC CO offers the Thursday In-Depth Meditation Series and Teacher Training Program. These require enrollment and regular attendance.
We also offer regular sessions of meditation prayers throughout the week, each comprising prayers in English and silent time for meditation. All the essential practices of Kadampa Buddhism are included in a series of sadhana booklets prepared by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and published by Tharpa Publications.
Currently on hold, when we start up in-person classes again, we will continue to offer a Kids Meditation Class (5 – 12 years old)! Kids learn how to meditate and are introduced to foundational Buddhist concepts, through teachings and fun crafts and stories, like: how to connect to a sense of inner peace, how to identify with their astounding potential, how to develop compassion and gratitude for others, and how to let go of agitating states of mind such as anger.
When we can meet again in person, we hope to continue offering drop-in classes at branch locations in Cap Hill, Lakewood, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Evergreen; as well as public talks at places such as the Wash Park Boathouse and Denver Art Museum.
Every year the New Kadampa Tradition ~ International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT~IKBU) organizes regional and worldwide Kadampa festivals—gatherings on Buddhism and meditation that explain how to apply Buddha’s teachings (Dharma) to modern life. These include International Festivals, National Festivals, and regional Dharma Celebrations
