Program & Schedule
About the celebration
The 2025 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 Shakyamuni. After the empowerment, Gen Demo will give commentary to the Liberating Prayer, a short praise to Buddha that is recited at the beginning of teachings and meditations in Kadampa Buddhist Centers all around the world. This special prayer, composed by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, helps us to develop deep faith in Buddha and feel inspired to practice his teachings. Through practicing what Buddha taught we can transform our life and experience profound inner peace and happiness. We will also learn how we can draw close to and receive deep inspiration from living Buddha every day in our modern, busy lives.
Who is Buddha Shakyamuni?
Buddha Shakyamuni is the founder of Buddhism in this world. In general, Buddha means “Awakened One,” someone who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and sees things as they really are. A Buddha is a person who is completely free from all faults and mental obstructions and has become a compassionate refuge and protector for all living beings. Buddha Shakyamuni was born as a royal prince in 624 BC in a place called Lumbini (now part of Nepal). He showed the manner of accomplishing enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in India in 589 BC. Buddha gave eighty-four thousand teachings, and from these precious teachings Buddhism developed in this world. Though his human body passed away, Buddha Shakyamuni’s enlightened mind remains with us, emanating as spiritual guides and other beneficial things and constantly bestowing blessings on all living beings.
What is an empowerment?
A blessing empowerment is a beautiful guided meditation that helps us to make a special connection with Buddha and receive his 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 Chokyi |
| 9-10am | Meditation | Gen Dorje |
| 11am–1pm | Empowerment | Gen Demo |
| 1-3pm | Lunch | |
| 3-4:30pm | Teaching | Gen Demo |
| 4:45-5:15pm | NKT Day Video Presentation | |
| 5:30-6:30pm | Wishfulfilling Jewel |
| 9-10am | Meditation | Gen Dorje |
| 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, Liberating Prayer
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.