Ultimate Bodhicitta with Gen Kelsang Demo in Washington DC
Kadampas from Florida and the Mid-Atlantic region of the US gathered for two weekend retreats that were led by various teachers from multiple centers.
This shared experience cultivated an atmosphere of friendship and solidarity, reinforcing the ties between Kadampa Centers.
At the fully-booked Away Retreat in Frederick, Maryland, 45 Sangha members from Mid-Atlantic Centers in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey spent the weekend of September 22 to 24 engaging with teachings on love, compassion, and wisdom.
The six Resident Teachers from the area provided instruction on a selection of meditations from Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s book, ‘Universal Compassion.’
The retreat was led by the Resident Teachers and kicked off on Friday with an introduction to the importance of the preliminaries.
Saturday focused on equalizing oneself with others, understanding the detriments of self-cherishing, and the powerful practice of exchanging oneself with others. It ended with a guided meditation on taking and giving.
On Sunday morning, Gen Kelsang Demo, Resident Teacher at Kadampa Meditation Center Washington, DC, and U.S. National Spiritual Director in the Midwest, concluded the retreat with two sessions on emptiness and ultimate Bodhicitta.
For those who missed it, Bodhicitta, a key concept in Buddhism, comes in two forms: conventional and ultimate.
Conventional Bodhicitta represents the altruistic intention to benefit all sentient beings and attain enlightenment for this purpose. It deals with conventional truths and is considered genuine bodhicitta.
On the other hand, Ultimate Bodhicitta is the wisdom that directly perceives the emptiness of inherent existence. It is informed by conventional bodhicitta and relates to ultimate truths.
Both forms are crucial in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Conventional bodhicitta is present from the initial stages of the path to Buddhahood, while ultimate bodhicitta spans from the first bodhisattva ground to full enlightenment.
Together, they represent the method and wisdom aspects of the path to awakening.
References
- Collaboration Bringing Meditators Together In U.S.
- Conventional and Ultimate Bodhicitta - Encyclopedia of Buddhism
