March 5 – 14, 2024
This 10-day residential course is suitable for beginners and experienced students!
Teachings on:
Bodhisattva Shantideva: A Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
Lama Tsongkhapa: In Praise of Dependent Origination
Geshe Dorji Damdul is the Director of Tibet House in New Delhi, eminent scholar and author, and one of the official translators for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Geshe Dorji Damdul is widely renowned for his highly dynamic, engaging and inspiring teaching style – combining his deep understanding of Buddhist philosophy in the Nalanda tradition with the tender heart of Bodhicitta and a keen interest in modern science. This way Geshe-la makes even the most profound and complex topics accessible to new and experienced students alike.
In this course Geshe la will guide us in how to develop the ultimate good heart of Bodhicitta and the wisdom that realises the interdependent nature of all beings. The minds of compassion and wisdom embody the essence of Tibetan Buddhism; to cultivate them in a retreat setting with an eminent teacher, using the various methods as taught by the Buddha, is an rare opportunity and brings incredible benefits for ourselves and others.
Tibet House kindly offered again to provide 75% scholarships to students who need support. Applications need to be directed to Tibet House directly, at this link.
Bodhisattva Shantideva: A Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
In the whole of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there is no single treatise more deeply revered or widely practiced than A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life. Composed in the eighth century by the Indian Bodhisattva Santideva, it became an instant classic in the curricula of the Buddhist monastic universities of India, and its renown has grown ever since. Santideva presents methods to harmonize one’s life with the Bodhisattva ideal and inspires the reader to cultivate the perfections of the Bodhisattva: generosity, ethics, patience, zeal, meditative concentration, and wisdom.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: “If I have any understanding of compassion and the Bodhisattva path, it all comes from studying this text.”
Shantideva composed his text in the form of an inner dialog. He turned his own weapons upon himself, doing battle with his negative emotions. Therefore, when we teach or listen to this text, it is important that we do so in order to progress spiritually, rather than making it simply a subject of academic study.
Lama Tsongkhapa: In Praise of Dependent Origination
Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), the author of The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment and the teacher of the First Dalai Lama, is renowned as one of the greatest scholar-saints that Tibet has ever produced. He composed his poetic In Praise of Dependent Origination the very morning that he abandoned all doubts about – the final view and attained a clear realization of emptiness, the essence of wisdom. Deeply moved by this experience, his gratitude to Shakyamuni Buddha increased exponentially inspiring him to compose a praise to Buddha for having taught dependent origination, the main reasoning which establishes that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence.
[Download Link for the Text]
Teacher
In 1988, Geshe Dorji Damdul joined the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, Dharamsala and went on to gained his Geshe Lharampa Degree in 2002 from Drepung Loseling Monastic University. He then joined Gyudmed Tantric College for Tantric studies. In 2003, recommended by the Office of H.H. the Dalai Lama Geshi La studied English language at Cambridge University, England UK.
Appointed as translator to H.H. the Dalai Lama since 2005, he also translates texts such as Arya Nagarjuna’s “Mulamadyamikakarika” (Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way), Acharya Shantideva’s “Bodhicaryavatara” (Wisdom Chapter). Geshi La has co-authored, scientific, philosophical, Buddhist and secular books with prominent professors in the UK and USA as well as with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
Since 2011 Geshe La has served as Director of Tibet House, Cultural Centre, New Delhi where he gives weekly teaching Buddhist philosophy, psychology, logic and practice. He has also lectured at Delhi University and presented papers for National and International Conferences held in Delhi and Mumbai and is presently writing two books:
- Journey into the Paradox of Brain and Mind, and
- What Constitutes the Ultimate Reality: The Effects of Understanding the Ultimate Reality.
Geshe-la’s passion is to help students gain deep understanding of the Nalanda tradition of Buddhist philosophy and imbue that knowledge with the heart of Bodhichitta, so that practitioners can transform their own continuum into the path of enlightenment. Geshe-la’s knowledge of science and interactions with world renowned physicist give him the unique ability to teach Buddhist philosophy with a modern twist that many of his non-Tibetan students appreciate.
For more information please visit Geshe Dorji Damdul’s website – Bodhiwisdom and Tibet House New Delhi.
Course Requirements
This very popular course requires a non-refundable/ non-transferable deposit. For more information on this, see our FAQs, under Courses General. Please only register if you can make this deposit promptly!
To be clear about conditions of our residential courses, please refer to Programs > Introduction to Buddhism Courses as well as Being Here > The Retreat Environment.
Schedule
March 5 – 14, 2024
This retreat starts with check-in at 1pm on March 5 and finishes with check-out at 1pm on March 14.
The schedule for the check-in and check-out days will be confirmed on short notice.
Please come on time for check-in, otherwise you will lose your space on the retreat!
| 05:45 – 08:00am | Morning Practice in congregation which will include:
|
| 08:00 – 09:00am | Breakfast |
| 09:00 – 10:30am | Teaching followed by Question and Answer – Session I |
| 10:30 – 11:30am | Tea break with Group Discussion (among the participants) |
| 11:30 – 12:30pm | Teaching followed by Question and Answer – Session II |
| 12:30 – 03:00pm | Lunch and free time |
| 03:00 – 04:30pm | Teaching followed by Question and Answer – Session III |
| 04:30 – 05:30pm | Tea Break with Group Discussion |
| 05:30 – 07:00pm | Teaching followed by Question and Answer – Session IV |
| 07:00 – 08:00pm | Dinner |
| 08:00 – 09:00pm | Group discussion (optional) / personal practice Silence till next morning session |
Schedule is subject to change on short notice!
Registration
You can register by filling out our online form.
Please make sure you have read the information on this page first.