What to expect at a class

Meditation Classes

The meditation classes are suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators. Everyone is welcome.

What happens at a class? At the beginning of each class the teacher will guide a gentle, relaxing meditation in which he or she will help us to develop a beneficial motivation for attending the class.

Then the teacher will give a practical teaching on some aspect of Buddhist meditation and practice. There is usually time for discussion and questions and answers. The teachers have all trained on the Teacher Training Program and are skilled in helping us to apply Buddha's advice to our own daily lives, with appropriate analogies, stories, reasoning and humor.

The session ends with a guided meditation, designed to help us take the teaching to heart in such a way that we are confident to practice it on our own.

Afterwards, for those who wish, there is a chance to talk to the teacher and other students informally.

Ongoing Practice

Having learned some methods for improving our mind, we can then continue to train in these meditations and special practices on our own. If we put these methods into practice we will experience our mind gradually becoming more peaceful, our problems diminishing, and our relationships improving.

As all General Program classes are based on Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's books, the teacher will often reference a particular section. This gives us the opportunity to deepen our familiarity with the topic by engaging in follow-up study.

Although the General Program classes are taught as a series, each class is self-contained, so we can attend any one. Occasionally there are also day courses and retreats that are suitable for beginners. We hold classes in Huntington, Bay Shore and Port Jefferson which are an excellent way to begin this spiritual adventure.