with Geshe Kalsang Rapgyal
7 Sundays, April 16 – May 28, 2023, 1:00 – 2:30pm, In-Person or via Zoom
Atisha, the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist scholar and saint, came to Tibet at the invitation of the king of Western Tibet, Lha Lama Yeshe Wí, and his nephew Jangchub Wo. His coming initiated the period of the second transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, the revival which followed the persecution of Buddhism by the Tibetan king Langdarma in the ninth century, formative for the Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
Atisha's most celebrated text, entitled Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, was written for the Tibetan people at the request of Jangchub Wo. It sets forth the entire Buddhist path within the framework of three levels of motivation on the part of the practitioner, represented by the Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana paths. Atisha's text thus became the source of the lamrim tradition, or graduated stages of the path to enlightenment, an approach to spiritual practice incorporated within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
For the benefit of our Center’s dharma practitioners, Geshela offers this special teaching. He invites dharma practitioners and other people with interest to participate in these upcoming sessions.
Registration is required for attending both In-Person or via Zoom. Registered students will receive access to the text and any additional class materials. These conditions are requested of all interested in this class:
- study of and experience with Shamatha meditation and Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy
- an intention to practice
- 7 commitment to attend 80% of classes, and to bring the text to each session
If registering to join by Zoom, please plan to join with your device video turned on to enhance the teacher and class interaction.
In gratitude and support of a dharma center from which to teach, we ask that students offer $150 for this class. Please register by April 10 at DrepungGomangUSA.org or by calling 502-614-5616. If this financial offering constitutes a significant hardship, please contact us for an arrangement that works for you. For more information, please email Anne at DrepungGomangCompassion@gmail.com.
