Festival experience

Festivals are a spiritual holiday like no other. They give us an opportunity to step away from the busyness of daily life and to make time for our inner spiritual development for a concentrated period of time. In this way we accelerate our meditation practice, deepening our understanding and experience in a relatively short period of time.

The Summer Festival is set in the beautiful location of the Lake District in the UK with many nearby visitor attractions, so it is also possible to combine a spiritual Festival with a family holiday.

Everyone is welcome
We also have the opportunity to meet and be part of a diverse and international community from all walks of life. People of every age and background are welcome to attend the Festivals and no prior experience is necessary.
The Festivals are very friendly occasions; it is easy to meet new people through volunteering and at mealtimes. As everyone is trying to put the teachings into practice, there is an openness and acceptance that makes being at the Festival a very safe and inclusive experience.

A vision of a better world
At Kadampa Festivals everyone is trying to improve their state of mind through the teachings and guided meditations. An immediate effect of this is that at Festivals we begin to see what a world would be like if everyone helped each other without delusion or negativity. This vision is both inspiring and empowering. We come to believe a better world is possible and we develop the wish to work towards this.

At Festivals we see the teachings in action everywhere we look - people living together harmoniously, people listening and meditating in the Temple, children of many nationalities playing together, volunteers working together joyfully and we see the pure example of the Teachers leading the Festival.

By attending the Festival in person, you can see for yourself the profound and compassionate vision of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche - a world at peace in which everyone respects and cherishes each other.

You have to be at an International Festival to feel the power of this vision, which is why these Festivals are so important, and why Venerable Geshe-la encourages us to attend them.

We will not find this experience elsewhere.