Gelong Thubten is a Buddhist monk, meditation teacher and author from the UK. Gelong is a title meaning ‘senior monk’. Thubten was educated at Oxford University, and then became an actor, in London and New York. At the age of 21, tremendous amounts of stress led him to join a monastery. He ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk in 1993 at Kagyu Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery. He has trained there under some of the world's most accomplished teachers of meditation, and has spent six years in intensive meditation retreats, the longest of which was four years. More on Thubten here.

This talk will explore the cultivation of inner happiness and compassion through meditation practice. Life in the modern world has grown increasingly busy and pressurised, and the search for happiness from material things has become more intense than ever - and yet as a society we seem more dissatisfied. Perhaps we have been looking in the wrong places.

Meditation helps us connect with our inner capacity for genuine, stable happiness as well as greater compassion for ourselves and others.

We will explore the brain chemistry of stress and how that affects our lives. Studies have shown that meditation regulates the brain’s amygdala (which creates the ‘fight or flight’ response) thus reducing the over-production of stress hormones such as cortisol snd adrenaline. This creates greater balance in our brain and body chemistry.

Thubten will share practical tips on how to practise meditation on a daily basis, so that we can achieve tangible benefits in our lives. He will explain the benefits of compassion and it can be developed and practised. He will lead some guided meditation so that participants are provided with tools they can use on their own later and how to practice mindful moments throughout the day, even in the busiest situations.