Dharma Centers

Being Considerate toward Our Spiritual Teacher Serkong Rinpoche always stressed being considerate of all lamas and not wasting their time. He suggested avoiding the example of the devout people of Spiti. When lining up to present him with ceremonial scarves (kata), his...

A brief picture of Buddhism in Asia and the West.

Sangha in the West In the West, the word “sangha” is used for members of a Dharma center or group of centers, almost like an equivalent for the members of a church, the “congregation” as it is called in English. This is not at all a traditional usage of the word “sangha” –...

Authorization of a Western Spiritual Teacher As Buddhism takes root in the West, more Westerners are becoming spiritual teachers in its traditions. Some Tibetan mentors have formally given permission for their accomplished Western disciples to teach. A few have even named...

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has called for 21st-century Buddhism, with the emphasis not on ritual, prayer and devotion, but rather on study, especially of the works of the seventeen great Nalanda masters. In keeping with Buddha’s skill in methods, study needs to fit the...

On August 18, 1987, at a private audience with His Supreme Presence, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in Dharamsala, I reported to His Holiness on my recently completed 15-month lecture tour to 24 countries. I presented several suggestions concerning the operating policies of...

I would like to address my remarks today to the topic of protecting the endangered Tibetan Buddhist cultural heritage. The main facet of this heritage is the Dharma. To protect the heritage of the Dharma in the West, we need to look at the historical precedent of how the...

The Importance of Achieving Mental Comfort and Peace of Mind Indeed I am very, very happy, and it is a great honor to meet with people, including Tibetans, who are actually dedicated to the Buddhadharma. I have a few points I’d like to share with you. There are seven...

Nonviolence and Dialogue Now we are in the 21st century, and of course material development has reached a very high, very advanced level. Still, among humanity there are quite a substantial number of people who have a genuine interest in religious faith. There are some...

Initial Contacts between Western Seekers and Tibetan Spiritual Teachers Since the migration of the Kalmyk Mongols to the Volga region of European Russia in the early seventeenth century, the Tibetan form of Buddhism has been present in the West. Over the centuries, contact...