Amitabha Kadampa Buddhist Meditation Centre

The Foundation Programme has already been running for several years at all the major Centres of the NKT including Amitabha Centre. There are now hundreds of participants who can attest to the unique power of this programme. The secret of its success lies in the slight commitment which participants are asked to undertake. Participants sign up for one book (or in the case of some of the larger books, one section of a book), and commit themselves to attend every class, to learn the relevant material, and to sit an examination. Committing ourselves in this way, we ward off the waverings of our distracted minds, and set up a regime that enables the teachings to mix with and transform our minds. Those people who have tried to practise for years without a programme and without these commitments are especially appreciative of this.

The weekend programme is studying Eight Steps to Happiness on Saturdays.
It has two 2-hour classes, one at 9.15am and the other at 11.45am. See below for class dates.

The weekday evening programme is studying Heart of Wisdom on Wednesday and Friday evenings at 7.30 - 9.30pm. See below for class dates.

If you are interested in joining any of these programmes or would like more details, please let us know.

In Swindon - Tuesday evenings, 6-10pm with Becky Maybury. The programme will start studying Joyful Path of Good Fortune on April 20th 2010.

In Bath -Tuesday evenings, 6-10pm with Gen Kelsang Chonden. The programme is studying Universal Compassion. The dates are shown below:

How much will it cost?
For a regular £42 a month you can buy an FP Centre Card and attend all your Foundation Programme (FP) classes and any evening classes and weekend courses (except special fundraising courses) organised by Amitabha Centre you like for no further charge.

How can I find out more?
Begin by attending a few General Programme (GP) drop-in classes, at the Centre or at one of our branches. If you enjoy consistent attendance at GP classes you can enrol for an FP at any time. You may attend a couple of FP classes before enrolling.
If you would like to enrol for a book (or a part of a book if it's a long one), or if you would like to discuss the programme, please contact Judy Adams, the Programme Co-ordinator or Gen Kelsang Chönden or Kelsang Lamchen or Becky Maybury, the Teachers.

Weekend, Saturdays 9.15am and 11.45am;

Apr 10, 17, 24
May 1, , 15, 22
June 5, 12, 19, 26
July 3, , 17

Geshe Kelsang in his introduction to the Foundation Programme, says:

"We may have received some teachings or read some books on Buddhism and find them relatively easy to understand and accept, but we find it difficult to integrate this advice into our daily lives. We cannot use it to solve our daily problems. At the moment, when we study the Buddha's teachings, our mind remains passive, like someone watching television; it does not engage in the subject or mix with it. Therefore, our daily life and our Dharma remain completely separate and unrelated. Why is this? It is because we are not studying systematically according to a specially designed programme. If we pick at Dharma randomly we shall never gain deep and stable experience."

We also have a Teacher Training Programme that is studying Ocean of Nectar four mornings a week. This programme requires more commitment than the FP and it covers 14 books altogether. If you want more details please look at the Kadampa.org site or ask us.

More detail on the Foundation Programme is given on the Kadampa website

Read Wishfulfilling Jewels for Dharma practitioners by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso