Program & Schedule
About the celebration
The 2026 Midwest Dharma Celebration welcomes everyone in the Midwest to come receive an energizing blessing empowerment, listen to inspiring teachings, engage in powerful meditations, and visit with spiritual friends – all for the purpose of creating a more peaceful world for ourself and others. During this meaningful weekend, Gen Kelsang Demo, Midwestern US National Spiritual Director, will grant the blessing empowerment of Buddha Green Tara. After the empowerment, Gen Demo will give instructions on how to receive Green Tara’s enlightened care and blessings in daily life and then guide us in meditations and short group practice. After the empowerment, Gen Demo will teach from the Liberation from Sorrow sadhana and how to overcome the 8 inner and outer fears mentioned in the sadhana introduction. Through these teachings, we learn to rely on the swift power of Tara in our busy modern lives.Who is Buddha Green Tara?
Tara is a female Buddha, the embodiment of the fearless wisdom of all enlightened beings, who moves more swiftly than the wind to help anyone who is suffering and anxious. She has a particularly close connection with the Kadampa tradition of Buddhism, and pledged always to help Kadampa practitioners throughout the ages; this is as true today as it has ever been.What is an empowerment?
“An empowerment bestows upon us special blessings that heal our mental continuum and awaken our Buddha nature.” — Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso RinpocheThis blessing empowerment is a beautiful guided meditation that helps us to make a special connection with Buddha Arya Tara (Green Tara) and receive her powerful blessings so that we can experience supreme inner peace. Through this we can awaken our spiritual potential – our own Buddha within – and make fast spiritual progress. Everyone is welcome!
Celebration schedule
Click tabs to view schedule for each day. All times are listed in Central Daylight Time.
| 7-8:30pm | Introductory talk | Gen Zamling |
| 9-10am | Meditation | Gen Chokyi |
| 11am–1pm | Empowerment | Gen Demo |
| 1-3pm | Lunch | |
| 3-4:30pm | Teaching | Gen Demo |
| 4:45-5:15pm | NKT Day Video Presentation | Gen Dorje |
| 5:30-6:30pm | Wishfulfilling Jewel |
| 9-10am | Meditation | Gen Chokyi |
| 11am–12:30pm | Teaching | Gen Demo |
| 12:30-2pm | Lunch | |
| 2-3:30pm | Teaching | Gen Demo |
Every living being has the potential to become a Buddha, someone who has completely purified his or her mind of all faults and limitations and has brought all good qualities to perfection. Our mind is like a cloudy sky, in essence clear and pure but overcast by the clouds of delusions. Just as the thickest clouds eventually disperse, so too even the heaviest delusions can be removed from our mind.
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, The New Eight Steps to Happiness
Prayer booklets and books
The following prayer booklets will be used during the Celebration: Prayers for Meditation, Request to the Holy Spiritual Guide Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, Wishfulfilling Jewel, Liberation from Sorrow
We encourage you to bring your own copy of the prayer booklets, if you have them. We will have some copies available for use during the sessions. These prayer booklets and books will be available for purchase in the shop at KMC Madison. You can also purchase them in advance at this link.
For the Benefit of All
All International and National Festivals and Dharma Celebrations are hosted by Kadampa Meditation Centers and Kadampa Buddhist Centers, and many are held in Temples for World Peace. All profits from these events are dedicated to public benefit through the International Temples Project (ITP). Simply by attending this and any Kadampa Dharma Celebration you are helping to bring peace into the hearts of this and future generations.