The Centre
Tara Kadampa Meditation Centre
Welcome to Tara Kadampa Meditation Centre. The Centre was founded in 1994 by the renowned Buddhist meditation master Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. Tara Centre is located in Dublin and provides a peaceful and relaxed environment in which people can discover the benefits of meditation and modern Buddhism for themselves. We hold regular classes and courses in Dublin and throughout Ireland, where anyone can experience the benefits of meditation and deepen their understanding of Buddha’s teachings.
The centre is run by friendly volunteers
Tara KMC is run by a team of friendly volunteers who are always happy to answer your questions and tell you more about the Centre. Drop in and experience the tranquility of the meditation room, browse the book and gift shop and enjoy this peaceful oasis in the heart of Templeogue village, Dublin. We provide meditation classes, courses and study programs and everyone is welcome. No one is turned away due to lack of funds. All income goes back into the organisation to fund the provision of these offerings for all the people of Dublin and Ireland.
Resident Teacher
Kadam Adam Starr
Kadam Adam Starr is the Resident Teacher of Tara Kadampa Meditation Centre, Dublin. He has studied, practised and taught Kadampa Buddhism and meditation for many years under the guidance of the fully accomplished meditation master and internationally renowned teacher of Buddhism, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche.
Originally from Dublin, Kadam Adam has been teaching meditation and Kadampa Buddhism extensively in the UK and in Europe since 2004. He returned home to Ireland in 2017, where he has continued to teach throughout the country, as well as internationally. He teaches from the heart in a clear, warm and relaxed way, that is always practical and relevant for our times.
Other Teachers
In Dublin & Ireland
Aileen Hartley
Rosita Kelly
Anne Crehan
Leo Crehan
Barry Walsh
Steph Atkinson
Keelin Lee
Be Part of Our Community
Tara Kadampa Meditation Centre is both a non-profit and charity. All work done at the Centre is done voluntarily and there are many ways you can support the activities and help us flourish. Volunteering is a fun way to meet like-minded people, learn new skills and get more involved. Volunteering can be undertaken by anyone and can take as little or as much time as you wish. Every little help will be greatly appreciated!
Sign Up
Volunteer at the Centre
NOTE: We do not have accommodation at our centre, therefore cannot facilitate working holiday/volunteer visits.
Let us know your skills and how you’d like to help. We will get back to you soon. Thank you!
Kadampa Buddhism
Tradition & Lineage
Kadampa Buddhism is a Mahayana Buddhist school founded by the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha (AD 982-1054). ‘Ka’ refers to Buddha’s teachings, and ‘dam’ to Atisha’s special Lamrim instructions known as ‘the stages of the path to enlightenment’. Kadampas learn to use Buddha’s teachings as practical methods for transforming all their daily activities into the path to enlightenment.
The Kadampa tradition was later promoted widely in Tibet by Je Tsongkhapa and his followers, known as the ‘New Kadampas’, who were not only great scholars but also spiritual practitioners of immense purity and sincerity.
Buddha Shakyamuni
Buddha Shakyamuni is the founder of Buddhism who demonstrated the attainment of full enlightenment and how to awaken from the sleep of ignorance and cyclic rebirth. He then passed the teachings, or dharma, in an unbroken lineage through the ancient Kadampa teachers Atisha and Je Tsongkhapa.
Venerable Atisha
The great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha (982-1054 AD) was responsible for reintroducing pure Buddhism into Tibet. He was asked to present a Dharma that everybody could follow and show how all paths of Sutra and Tantra could be practised together. Atisha wrote Lamp for the Path, the original Lamrim text that served as the basis for all subsequent Lamrim instructions.
Je Tsongkhapa
Je Tsongkhapa was a great 14th century Tibetan Buddhist Master who promoted and developed the Kadampa Buddhism that Atisha had introduced three centuries earlier. His followers became known as the ‘New Kadampas’, and to this day New Kadampas worldwide study his teachings and strive to emulate his pure example.
Modern Buddhism
The New Kadampa Tradition
After Je Tsongkhapa, the New Kadampa lineage flourished for hundreds of years, down to the present day. In recent years, it has been promoted widely throughout the world by the contemporary Buddhist Master, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, who founded the New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU). The New Kadampa Tradition is an association of over 1200 Buddhist Centres and groups that derive their inspiration from the ancient Kadampa Buddhist Masters and aim to preserve Kadampa Buddhism for the future.
