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Welcome
Welcome to Mahakaruna Buddhist Meditation Center's web site. Thank you for visiting. We offer this site as a service to everyone seeking Dharma, information about Buddhism, instructions on effective meditation, opportunities to meditate together, or simply some peace of mind as you go about your daily life.
Mahakaruna Buddhist Meditation Center offers instruction and opportunities to practice Kadampa Buddhism. Kadampa Buddhism is a time-honored tradition that for centuries has made Buddha's teachings and meditation practices available to people throughout the world. Kadampa Buddhism is a Mahayana tradition, meaning that our primary meditation is to benefit all living beings.
The foundation of the practice is meditation. More specifically, there are 21 meditations, together known as “Lamrim”, which comprise the complete path to enlightenment. By practicing these 21 meditations repeatedly, we gradually transform ourselves, developing our compassion, our wisdom, a deep inner peace, and a commitment and capacity to help others. The practice also includes prayers, mantras and tantric practices, but the foundation is always the 21 Lamrim meditations.
Mahakaruna Buddhist Meditation Center
Located in Petaluma, California, Mahakaruna Buddhist Meditation Center is the main branch for all venues of Kadampa Buddhism in northern California, from Petaluma and Sacramento up to the Oregon Border, as well as Nevada. Visit our Contact Us page to for more information about the locations we serve. If you'd like to find a center in a region other than northern California and Nevada, please visit our Other Centers page.
Exploring
Feel free to use the navigation bar on the left to explore the site. Or, if you prefer, we'll guide you to an appropriate section based on what you're looking for:
- I'm curious about Buddhism.
- I'm curious about Kadampa Buddhism and the New Kadampa Tradition.
- I'd like to learn about meditation.
- I'd like to lead a meaningful life.
- I want to try out a class.
