Everyone Is Welcome at Kadampa Meditation Center in Water Mill

By Elizabeth Vespe


Everyone is welcome at the Kadampa Meditation Center The Hamptons in Water Mill.

“A saying in the tradition is that the teachings are like a diamond: even the tiniest piece is worth something,” Kelsang Gechog said while readying the room for the Sunday meditation and prayer session. “You might just come and enjoy today, and that’s your little piece of the diamond.”

Kadampa Meditation Center offers Buddhism and meditation classes, both introductory and in-depth. Classes take place in their meditation room and are suitable for people of all levels, from those who seek relaxation to those who wish to find lasting inner peace and contentment through following the Buddhist path.

“We keep it very light and fun,” Kelsang Neyma said, dovetailing Kelsang Gechog’s sentiments. “We want it to be joyful.”

All monks take Kelsang as their name, followed by a Tibetan name that is decided when becoming a monk, or, for a woman, a nun. Both Kelsang Gechog and Kelsang Neyma were ordained in England at the main center. Neyma means “fortunate, peaceful one.”

People say the classes help them improve their happiness and relationships, both nuns explained. Mediation has health benefits too, relieving stress.

The meditation classes offered at Kadampa Meditation Center are an hour and a half long and include a 15-to-20-minute meditation, teaching and opportunities for discussion.

On a recent Sunday, a class of about 35 people sat silently with their eyes closed and turned their attention to their breathing as Kelsang Gechog spoke in a relaxing tone, making the guests aware of their breathing as it slowly entered and left their nostrils.

“My purpose is to give Dharma to everyone,” Kelsang Neyma said, adding that Dharma means “protection” and is the teaching of Buddha. Kadampa has centers all over the world with “every continent, except Antarctica,” Kelsang Neyma said, adding that she started attending classes and meditating 23 years ago.

Kadampa Meditation Center The Hamptons welcomes all faiths. The current general spiritual director of the New Kadampa Tradition is an ordained female nun, Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong. The spiritual guide is Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a Tibetan monk who died in 2022 at 91 years old.

The faith follows 23 books by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, who presents Buddha’s teachings in a way easy to understand for people of modern times. He rewrote the books and had them translated into various languages.

There are 1,300 Kapama Centers all over the world.

Locally, there are branches in Mattituck, New York City, Huntington and Port Jefferson.

The classes are $10 to $15 each. Classes are offered on Saturdays from 5 to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to noon. More classes will be offered starting in September. In addition, half-day workshops and retreats are offered, with topics including developing patience, love and compassion, as well as overcoming painful minds, such as anger, jealousy and loneliness, and how to live a meaningful life, developing the inner wealth of love, compassion and wisdom. 

“I come every week as much as I can,” Mary McGrane, a participant said on a recent Sunday during a full room. “Sometimes life and work get in the way, but I’ve been coming since 2018.”

At that time, McGrane was suffering from a terrible concussion. “Coming here and meditating helped me to heal. It quiets your mind. I found it very helpful. I come pretty much every week.”

Megan Frey is a teacher at the Mattituck branch. “We explore concepts of the true perfection of patience through medication,” Frey said of her classes while attending the Water Mill location’s Sunday class. “We figure out how to put space between our thoughts and our actions.”

Frey, originally from Port Jefferson, has been teaching for a year now. 
“I found out about mediation classes at the branch in Port Jefferson. I walked into the class, and I kept going every Sunday, because I loved the engagement and the psychological exploration.”

Now, Frey is helping to grow the Mattituck branch and teaches in Water Mill, too. “It gets packed at times. There is something that we all share which is a seeking mentality.”

About 20 years ago, Kelsang Neyma and Kelsang Gechog stumbled upon an article in Creations Magazine about meditation. “We both saw the same article, and started at the same time,” Kelsang Gechog explained of their original involvement before becoming ordained as nuns.

Kelsang Neyma first attended a center in Huntington. “The monk was so capitulating, it really inspired me,” she said, adding that the main purpose is peace, and peace in your heart.

Before being ordained, Kelsang Gechog had a career as a school psychologist, and Kelsang Neyma was a business owner who ran a deli and other businesses.

Two of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s books are available as free downloads to everyone: “How To Transform Your Life, a Blissful Journey,” and “Modern Buddhism, the Path of Compassion & Wisdom.” Like all Buddhist lineages, it traces back to Buddha Shakyamuni in India.

Kelsang Neyma is going to England in a couple of weeks for additional training. There are three international festivals a year, two at the main hub in England and another one that moves around the world, bringing the international community together.

“Not only do we enjoy the teachings that change our life, but we’ve made lifelong friends,” KelsangNeyma said. “Everyone loves each other genuinely from their hearts.

“I want to impact as many people as I can by giving them these teachings and methods to help them in life. Everyone that has been here, they will tell you that ‘this has changed my life for the better.’”

“We’re planting virtuous seeds on our spiritual path, and we welcome everybody,” Kelsang Neyma said. “We have a sign that says: ‘Everyone Welcome.’”