The Purpose of Life

April 25 & 26, 2026

2-day non-residential course led by Venerable Tenzin Thegchog

Open to all levels of practitioners: beginners and experienced alike.

More details about this short course will be published soon!

Teacher

Born in Germany, Venerable Tenzin Thegchog studied literature, psychology and philosophy in Berlin. After working in geriatric care and as a caregiver for homeless people, he became a high school teacher of German literature and philosophy.

He became acquainted with Buddhism in 1993 and practiced Vietnamese and Japanese Zen for ten years. In addition he translated books by Thich Nhat Hanh and H.H. the Dalai Lama for various publishers.

In 2015, he began studying the FPMT Masters Program in Buddhist Studies of Sutra and Tantra at Instituto Lama Tsongkhapa in Italy, and was ordained as a novice monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in the same year. He later received full ordination by H.H. the Dalai Lama.

From 2019 to 2024, Venerable Thegchog lived at Nalanda Monastery, France where he continued his studies of the Masters Program, worked as teaching assistant during a 2-year Lamrim course and helped coordinating several courses taking place at Nalanda.

Since June 2025 Venerable Thegchog is our new resident teacher.

Schedule

This course will be in silence.

Approximate daily schedule for both days:

09.00am – 09.45amMeditation
10:00am – 12:00noonTeaching
12.00 – 2.00pmLunch Break
2.00pm – 4.00pmTeaching
4.00pm – 4.20pmTea Break
4.20pm – 5.00pmMeditation

Please note: This schedule might change on short notice!

Registration in Tushita’s Office Required!

Practical Information

Tushita’s Donation Policy

Tushita Meditation Centre operates entirely on the basis of donations, most of which come from people attending our courses and retreats. We will ask you to please give your full donation for the course in our reception office in the days before the course starts, payable in Indian Rupees only (unfortunately we cannot accept Foreign Currency, Travellers Cheques or Credit / Debit Cards).

For example, the minimum amount that Tushita needs to cover our costs for a 2- / 3-day course is 1500 / 2000 Indian Rupees per person. This includes lunch and afternoon tea on this day. It does not include any other meals or accommodation, since it will be a non-residential course. Of course, extra donations to help Tushita are always welcome!

Course Registration

For our non-residential courses, registration is only possible in our reception office by making your full donation of 1500 INR for this 2-day course

Office hours are: Monday – Saturday (closed Sundays)

  • 9:00 – 11:30am
    – lunch break –
  • 12:30 – 4:00pm

Closed Sundays

Accommodation Options

Since this is a Non-Residential course, it will not be possible to stay here at Tushita. There are many guest houses and hotels nearby however, varied enough to meet all comfort levels and budgets. Here are some tips for finding accommodation in McLeod Ganj.

What to Bring

  • Warm clothing which can be worn in layers and a shawl/blanket for using in the meditation hall are advisable. Bear in mind that we are at a slightly higher altitude than in McLeod Ganj, it is noticeably colder here.
  • You are welcome to take notes during the course, so you may find a notebook, pen etc useful.
  • It is handy to have your own water bottle. Filtered water is available in our dining hall and out of concern for the environment, we strongly discourage students from buying water in plastic bottles.
  • An umbrella or rainwear, depending on the weather that day.
  • Please read our Library page: we sell books and other items, so you may want to bring some extra money with you; or check conditions for borrowing.
  • Please DO NOT bring: any musical instruments, camera, radios / tape / CD / MP3 players or mobile phones as you will be asked not to use them while you are here.

Read more on our Short Courses page