We Believe in Inner Peace
At Ganden Center, we believe that happiness comes from inner peace.
We believe that peaceful people lead to peaceful families and workplaces; peaceful families and workplaces lead to peaceful communities; and peaceful communities lead to a peaceful world. Understanding how important inner peace is, all our activities at Ganden Center are designed to help others discover their own inner peace.
How Inner Peace Is Generated
“The actual creator of everything is the mind.” — Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
While many people these days seek inner peace by controlling their external environment — such as controlling where they live or where they work — we believe that inner peace is best generated by learning about and developing the good qualities of our own mind. By eliminating negative states of mind, such as anger, and cultivating positive states of mind, such as wisdom and compassion, we believe we can both solve our daily problems and simultaneously make profound spiritual progress.
Buddhism for the Modern World
“The great Master Dromtonpa said, ‘Kadam Dharma is like a mala made of gold.’ Just as everyone, even those who do not use a mala (prayer beads), would be happy to accept a gift of a golden mala because it is made of gold, in a similar way, everyone, even non-Buddhists, can benefit from Kadam Dharma.” — Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
We believe everyone can benefit from Buddha’s practical advice about developing our mind and growing our good heart. Everyone can learn simple meditations that help to reduce stress and deepen inner peace, including non-Buddhists. Everyone can learn how to increase their patience, their compassion, and their love for others.
To this end, Ganden Kadampa Buddhist Center follows the lineage of Kadampa Buddhism, one of the many precious traditions of Buddhism in this world. Modern Kadampa Buddhism was brought to the West and popularized by the living Buddhist master, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (b. 1931). Ganden Center, like all the 1,100 Centers and branches of Centers in the New Kadampa Tradition around the world, follows the presentation of Kadampa Buddhism presented by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, or Geshe-la, as he is affectionately known by his many students.
What Ganden Center Does
Ganden Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that offers classes on meditation and Buddhism for all levels of interest. It is not necessary to be Buddhist or to intend to become a Buddhist in order to attend and benefit from Ganden Center’s classes and events. Everyone is always welcome.
In addition to the classes and events we hold at our main location in Columbia, SC, we also offer classes and events throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Our teachers are all qualified, experienced practitioners of Kadampa Buddhism.
We are also happy to provide speakers about Buddhism and meditation. We have worked with church groups, high school classes, university classes, university researchers, and state prisons as part of our public outreach.
How to Get Started
You can drop in for any of our many weekly classes. Use the menu above to choose the class that fits best with your schedule and your interests. No prior experience is required and beginners are always welcome.
Be sure to keep in touch with us by joining our email list (click the green icon on the right), liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing to our YouTube channel (click the icons in the bottom right-hand corner).
How to Support Us or Get Involved
As a non-profit organization, we rely upon the fees we charge for our classes and events and the donations of others to cover all of our operating expenses, which include rent, utilities, branch class costs, publicity, and the support of our Resident Teacher. If you would like to give to the Center, whether you would like to make a financial contribution or donate your time, we would very much appreciate your help. You can click here to learn more.
