Marcela: I Love Kadampa Festivals!

I think the festivals are magical. For me, they are an example of how the world could be. We enjoy our cake, we have our cup of coffee, but we also cherish one another and we meditate. The whole setup allows you to devote yourself to the teachings and meditations. That’s why I spend so much of my vacation attending festivals and retreats. I’ve been to so many at this point. I’ve travelled to Spain, Germany, multiple times to the U.K., Canada, three times to the Temple in Arizona, and countless times to our Upstate World Peace Temple in Glen Spey. You get to meet so many people from so many different parts of the world. After a while, it feels like you have family everywhere. Wherever you go, you feel welcome. And the Temples are usually in remote places so there’s always so much nature, too and you can often go hiking in the breaks.

One time I was in a meditation session at one of the retreats and I felt so much love that afterwards I ended up sobbing. I thought: that’s it! If I can be in that place all the time I feel like I won’t really need anything else because I felt so completely loved. I know that that love could heal everything. I felt so whole. There really are no words to describe it.

I want to find the bliss in my mind, 100 percent! I feel super devoted to doing that. I want to realize my potential, and I want to do it in this life.