The Founder
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, affectionately known as ‘Venerable Geshe-la’, a world-renowned meditation master and Teacher, he is a truly international Teacher who presents Buddha’s teachings in ways that anyone, regardless of nationality, culture or age can easily understand and apply to their modern daily lives. Through helping people to integrate the pure and life-transforming teachings of Buddha in their daily experience, Venerable Geshe-la has enabled them to solve their personal problems and to discover a deep and lasting inner peace and happiness.
Inspired by his extraordinary vision, a global infrastructure of Temples, centres, books, teachings, meditation and teacher training programmes, for this and future generations, has arisen, creating a truly international Buddhist tradition that benefits all living beings equally and without discrimination.
Venerable Geshe-la is the Spiritual Guide of many thousands of people, whose hearts have been touched by his extraordinary wisdom and pure example. The legacy of his life’s work enriches and will continue to enrich the lives of people of all nationalities and cultures throughout the world.
The Teacher
Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab is a retired General Spiritual Director of the NKT-IKBU, he has trained closely with Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for more than forty years. His humility and pure example reflect his many years of reliance on his Spiritual Guide. He is greatly admired as a sincere practitioner and a powerful Teacher. He is also well-known for his wisdom and deep understanding of Buddha's teachings, and for his pure example of compassion and loving-kindness.
Upcoming Lectures
Time, Space, Persons and Mind
What is our place in the universe?
Friday 15th November 7:30-9:00pm
We are persons, or people, who possess minds but how do we connect to or relate to time and space? Where do we fit in within the vast expanse of the universe? To understand this, we must first know a little about Buddhist cosmology. This system of viewing the universe in Buddhism is quite different from current scientific theory and contains ideas that would be difficult to accept if interpreted too literally or concretely. However, if we bear in mind the purpose of this cosmology, namely that it allows us to see the entire universe as a pure land the initial strangeness of this system will soon disappear.
Buddha taught that there are countless world systems in the universe; some are like our own while others are vastly different. Our own world system is composed of four 'continents’ arranged in the cardinal directions, and we live in the southern continent. At the centre of this world system stands a vast, four-sided mountain. This is Mount Meru.
We need an open mind and not reject this view of the universe with a large mountain and four continents simply because it does not appear that way to us. The way the world appears depends upon the mind that is viewing it, and Buddha described the world in many different ways depending upon the karma of the people he was addressing.
Reincarnation
Where are we from and where are we going?
Friday 14th March 7:30-9:00pm
Many people believe that when the body disintegrates at death, the continuum of the mind ceases and the mind becomes non-existent, like a candle flame going out when all the wax has burned. That is not true!
Our body and mind are separate entities, and so even though the body disintegrates at death, the continuum of the mind remains unbroken. Instead of ceasing, the mind simply leaves the present body and goes to the next life.
We can gain an understanding of past and future lives by examining the process of sleeping, dreaming, and waking, because this closely resembles the process of death, intermediate state, and rebirth. On this Friday Night Lecture, Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab will explain the process of death, intermediate state and rebirth, and the reasons supporting the belief in reincarnation.
Overnighter @ Tara!
Why not enjoy an overnight stay with us? Relax into the beautiful environment as well as enjoy the World Peace Cafe and Tharpa Book store and gift shop. Breakfast is also available!