Public Meditation

Meditations are fully guided and all levels of experience are welcome. Explanations of the meditation will be given for all newcomers. All meditations are held at the center unless otherwise noted.

Monday
7:00 pm

Guru Yoga Meditation on the 16th Karmapa

The session starts with a ten-minute talk on a Buddhist topic relevant to our lineage, given by that day's volunteer. Guru Yoga is the main public meditation of over 480 Diamond Way Buddhist Centers across the world. It focuses on energy and light forms and identification with an enlightened teacher.

Center History

The Whitewater Diamond Way Karma Kagyu Buddhist Center was founded based on idealism and friendship, and is part of a world-wide network of over 480 Diamond Way Buddhist centers on 5 continents. They were founded by Lama Ole Nydahl and his wife Hannah and are under the spiritual direction of H.H the 17th Karmapa Trinlay Thaye Dorje. All work in the center is voluntary, and no one is paid to do it. The activity is spread through a grassroots effort and by being good examples to each other. We aim to provide a relaxed environment at the center, free from dogmatic and stiff ideas.

The Diamond Way Buddhist Center of Whitewater was started in 2001, with the blessings of Lama Ole and Hannah Nydahl, when one of its founding members was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The group started in September 2001 by holding meditations one night per week in a private home, followed by a visit from its first Diamond Way traveling teacher in October. In January of 2002 the group became a recognized student organization on the UW-W campus and started holding on-campus meditations. The group ended its first year of activity having hosted three Diamond Way teachers from three different countries.

The second year sparked more interest from the students at UW-Whitewater, with more attending the on-campus and center held meditations. Three more teachers from three more countries were brought in to speak at the university and at the center. The center started a dharma book study. With the activity and the growing membership, it was decided that a larger space was needed.

In August 2003, renovations were started on a large 4-bedroom house that would become the Diamond Way Karma Kagyu Buddhist Center at 117 N. Fremont St. in Whitewater. The five members of the sangha and various friends worked odd hours around the clock, stripping wood, patching walls, painting and cleaning to have the house ready for the community by the middle of September. In September of 2003 the center hosted its first Open House as a way to invite the community to get to know its new neighbors. Meditations were now held 3-5 nights per week. In October of 2003, the center held its first meditation retreat, hosting over 25 people that weekend. In December the center had its first Bake Sale to benefit a local charity. The bake sale was so successful, it went on for three years.

In spring of 2004, two members of the household moved out, and another fresh young face moved in. This spring also brought in a traveling teacher from the United Kingdom, who took part on a panel discussion with a UW-W physics professor. In July of 2004, a 5-week Introduction to Buddhism and Meditation course was held. This brought many people from the surrounding communities to the center for the first time. Many of these people became what is now the sangha. Meditations were still held on campus and twice a week at the center. Although many students came to participate, it was the community members who really became staples at these meditations.

In November 2004, the center graciously hosted Lama Ole Nydahl, his wife Hannah, and 30 friends from around the United States for an official blessing of the center by our Lama.

In April of 2005, the center moved to the second floor of the big house at 117 N. Fremont St. The start of the 2005-2006 school year was a time of big changes at the center. The founding members moved on to pursue educational goals, while 2 new sangha members moved in - one all the way from Germany. The group continued to hold meditations two days per week at the center, and one day on campus. The activity expanded to include group activities such as hikes, leaf raking projects to help out the community, book studies on dharma books relative to our lineage and time together as friends, whether it is movies or cooking together.

In August of 2006, the center moved to its current location, 298 S Franklin St. with fresh faces. The house underwent extensive remodeling and repairs. With fresh paint and new gardens, the house held its first retreat in February, 2007 during what was the coldest weekend of the season! The center continues to hold mediation on a weekly basis, participating in article discussions from articles read in Buddhism Today. The center is planning on attending the Whitewater Fountain to Fountain Arts Festival to display Tibetan works of art in September 2007.