Philosophy
Our purpose at KTC is to serve individuals who wish to practice at advanced levels under the guidance of a resident lama, and the high lamas and yogis of the Kagyu lineage, for the benefit of the surrounding community, for the relief of suffering for all beings without exception, and for the preservation of proven, age-old meditation practices for future generations.
Practitioners at KTC Minneapolis train to counter all negative emotions and generate positive energy dedicating all the merit of their meditations, without exception, to relieve all suffering for all sentient beings. The disciplined mind is a powerful tool. Years of meditation produce a high degree of mastery over mind/body and environment.

Buddhism
Buddhism is a system of meditation, self-examination and self-awareness whose goal is understanding the nature of mind and then using that knowledge to free oneself and others from the sufferings of the world. It was first expounded in the modern era in the 6th century BC. by Prince Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Shakyamuni Buddha (awakened one).
The Buddha taught that while all beings thirst for happiness, few can find true peace of mind. In fact, many of the ways people seek happiness only cause more suffering. This, the Buddha said, was because ego-centered attachment, aversion, and indifference create a mental atmosphere of confusion that make it difficult for us to relate openly and honestly with ourselves and the world around us.
This confusion, the Buddha said, can be dissolved through the practice of meditation and the development of compassion, which enable us to unravel our negative ego-centered patterns so we may approach the world and its sufferings with a sense of gentleness and inner strength.
Buddhism stresses the basic sanity and goodness of individuals, called "Buddha nature," and teaches that this sanity and goodness, if freed from the clouds of extreme emotions and confusion, can develop into enlightened awareness.