Buddhist Studies Institute

BODHISATTVA’S WAY
Excellent Path to Enlightenment – Module 3 with Pema Khandro

*Free and open to the public!

May 1st – 22nd, 2023

1-1:30pm San Francisco [PDT]

4-4:30pm New Yorkl [EDT]

9-9:30pm London [BST]

This class covers essential topics of Buddhist philosophy including emptiness, bodhichitta (the altruistic enlightened intent) and the nature of wisdom.

Text to be Studied: Excellent Path to Enlightenment, Longchenpa; Transl. Khenpo Gawang, Gerry Wiener.

Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

with Pema Khandro, Aruna Rig’dzin & Dr. Satya

May 24 & June 5, 12, 19, 2023

Geared towards supporting Meditation Instructors, this class is open to Meditation Instructors certified through the Buddhist Studies Institute or currently enrolled in Meditation Instructor Training, and to meditation instructors who received their instruction and training through other programs and schools. It is also offered as part of the 180-hour Meditation Instructor Training curriculum offered through the Buddhist Studies Institute.

Optional weekly 30 minute Focus Groups offer review and discussion of self-paced coursework and time for fostering community connections.

Ngakpa Training with Pema Khandro

5pm PST Wednesday, April 26, 2023

For students enrolled in Ngakpa Training, we will have a Ngakpa Training discussion group to talk about key parts of our reading from the Treasury of Words and Meanings. Discussion group to TBA.

2023 Schedule of Events

ONGOING MONTHLY TRAINING

Daily Meditation Online
Vajrayana Training – 1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month
Ngakpa Training – 3rd Wednesday of each month
Meditation Instructor Training – Jan 21-Jun 16

APRIL

Apr 7-9 –  Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings
Apr 24-Jun 12 – Ngondro 2 – Purifying the Mind

MAY

May 1-22 – Excellent Path: Bodhisattva’s Way

May 24-Jun 19 – Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 3 – Saga Dawa Celebration

Jun 19 – Aug 14 – Ngondro 3 – Mountain of Jewels

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Retreat & Graduation

AUGUST

Aug 3-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat Online w/Khenpo Yeshi & Pema Khandro

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

Click Here to view the BSI Calendar View
Click Here for Events List and Registration
*All Times are noted in Pacific Time (PT) – Check your Timezone

Buddhist Studies Institute

Purifying the Mind

Ngondro Training Module 2 – Online with Pema Khandro

Starts Monday, April 24 – Online

5-6:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

8-9:30pm New York (EDT)

10-11:30am Sydney (AEST)

Have you ever wanted to do something important to you, went through cycles of trying and failing, given up in frustration and then later went back to it and found, to your extreme joy and possibly to your surprise, that, yes, you could do it?

Through the Buddhist Studies Institute, Pema Khandro has made your successful practice her top priority. And perhaps the most seminal of the practices of Tibetan Buddhism is the Ngondro (pronounced “Non dro”) which literally translates as “Before Going.”

Ngondro provides a firm basis for living the meaning of Buddhist practice by training the body, speech and mind in the vast view. It provides an immersion into the core techniques of Buddhist tantra. Module 2, Vajrasattva meditation and purification of karma, is a highly effective practice. It’s an education that teaches you the attitudes, mindset and ways of a successful practitioner.

This training is designed with busy people in mind and if you cannot attend a segment of the training live, you will have access to the recording so you can view at a time that fits your schedule.

Chod Retreat

At Dakini Mountain with Pema Khandro

June 1st – 4th, 2023

Chod is the profound method of psychological transformation in esoteric Buddhism. Chod means cutting, referring to cutting through fictions to authentic presence.

Tsok, Chod dances and Secret Chod small group sessions will take place throughout the weekend, with transmissions and teachings from Pema Khandro.

This is a profound occasion of the sangha gathering for the first in person retreat since the pandemic at the glorious land of Dakini Mountain in the scenic Tahoe National Forest of Northern California. We will also celebrate Saga Dawa, the birthday and enlightenment day of the Buddha together in person with spiritual community!

Ngakpa Training

5pm PST April 26, 2023

For students enrolled in Ngakpa Training, we will have a Ngakpa Training with Pema Khandro on April 26th and a discussion group to talk about key parts of our reading from the Treasury of Words and Meaning to follow.

Impermanence, Illness, and Health Podcast

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and Pema Khandro Rinpoche

Author, teacher, and founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, Tenzin Palmo has a frank discussion with fellow teacher and scholar, Pema Khandro Rinpoche about what advice Buddhism has to offer about health and illness during a time of pandemic. Tenzin Palmo also shares what she’s learned about suffering and gratitude while on solitary retreat in a Himalayan cave for 12 years, and what she did after.

2023 Schedule of Events

ONGOING MONTHLY TRAINING

Daily Meditation Online
Vajrayana Training – 1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month
Ngakpa Training – 3rd Wednesday of each month
Meditation Instructor Training – Jan 21-Jun 16

APRIL

Apr 7-9 –  Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings

Apr 24-Jun 12 – Ngondro 2 – Purifying the Mind

MAY

May 1-22 – Excellent Path: Bodhisattva’s Way

May 24-Jun 19 – Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 3 – Saga Dawa Celebration

Jun 19 – Aug 14 – Ngondro 3 – Mountain of Jewels

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Retreat & Graduation

AUGUST

Aug 3-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat Online w/Khenpo Yeshi & Pema Khandro

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

Click Here to view the BSI Calendar View
Click Here for Events List and Registration
*All Times are noted in Pacific Time (PT) – Check your Timezone

Buddhist Studies Institute

Dzogchen Chod Retreat with Pema Khandro

At Dakini Mountain Retreat, Nevada City, CA

June 1st – 4th, 2023

Early Enrollment Discount Extended to April 30th

Join the community of Buddhist Yogis for a weekend of practice and celebration of the Dzogchen Chod, a profound method of healing and liberating through fear.

Chod is a Tibetan meditation which is a potent, dynamic practice for cutting through fear and facing death. It is a practice of healing through ultimate compassion.

Mornings will focus on the Dzogchen Chod, known as Khandro Geykyang, the Laugher of the Dakinis, the concise version. Pema Khandro will give the transmission, lead the practice sessions and lead workshops on cutting through fear through the secret chod practice.

Midday sessions will focus on Troma practice, the profound deity yoga meditation on the black wrathful dakini from the Jeweled Garland of Chod, (the Rinchen Trengwa).

Evening sessions will focus on the Secret Chod – a path of profound psychological and embodied transformation. It is a direct path to healing through fear done in solitary practice and small community workshops.

The early enrollment closes April 30th, sign up now to get a discount.

2023 Schedule of Events

ONGOING MONTHLY TRAINING

Daily Meditation Online
Vajrayana Training – 1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month
Ngakpa Training – 3rd Wednesday of each month
Meditation Instructor Training – Jan 21-Jun 16

APRIL

Apr 24-Jun 12 – Ngondro 2 – Purifying the Mind

MAY

May 1-22 – Excellent Path: Bodhisattva’s Way

May 24-Jun 19 – Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 3 – Saga Dawa Celebration Online

Jun 19 – Aug 14 – Ngondro 3 – Mountain of Jewels

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Retreat & Graduation

AUGUST

Aug 3-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat Online with Khenpo Yeshi & Pema Khandro: ཆོས་དབྱིངས་མཛོད་, Chöying Dzö.

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

Click Here to view the BSI Calendar View
Click Here for Events List and Registration
*All Times are noted in Pacific Time (PT) – Check your Timezone

Buddhist Studies Institute

Entering the Heart of the Vast Expanse

Ngondro Training Module 2: Purifying the Mind

Starts Monday, April 24 – Online

5-6:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

8-9:30pm New York (EDT)

10-11:30am Sydney (AEST)

Join an international community on a profound journey into the heart of Vajrasattva meditation.

Vajrasattva is a transformative process of inner change and interpersonal healing. This meditation is used for clearing unprocessed experiences and past misdeeds and making amends for wrong doing.

Ngondro are the foundational tantric buddhist meditation practices. They include prayers, rituals, visualizations and meditations for purifying, training and empowering the body and mind.

Testimonials From Recent Ngondro Grads

“What a precious opportunity it has been to receive the transmissions, dharma teachings and practices of the Longchen Nyingtig Ngondro from Pema Khandro Rinpoche! Having completed Longchen Nyingtig Ngondro even just once has been foundational to my life and my practices.” ~K

“Being able to persevere and go beyond so many limitations in both body and mind, and through that glimpsing some profound potentials of the path. This entire year has been my refuge, the practice will continue to reverberate even once I complete the recitations, and I think that it’s given me an orientation for my life going forward.” ~C

“This was such a great experience that it made me think a lot about the possibility of this practice, of the high level of beauty, magic, integrity, and tenderness – all of it’s there. It is a better world. It’s a world that I can go to and that’s really like a refuge. I didn’t know what a difference I would feel when I started this. The shimmering of life is dulled down for all these weird reasons, and this is a great remedy for that.” ~I

“I got a lot more kindness for myself, which I was in need of. I built a digital Sangha. The words that I’m saying at the beginning [refuge], were just words, and now feel true, it’s such a warm, lovely feeling, and it makes me excited to keep learning and exploring my practice.” ~G

“Deep and rich, in so many dimensions – to be practicing either literally or just in daily experience, it’s very meaningful and significant, and I felt a lot of growth through that.“ ~R

All of the ngondro meditations are highly psychological and psycho-physical. They deal with the fundamental issues of a spiritual life, ones identity, body, relationships, past and future.

Dzogchen Chod Retreat with Pema Khandro

At Dakini Mountain Retreat, Nevada City, CA

June 1st – 4th, 2023

Chod is a Tibetan meditation which is a potent, dynamic practice for cutting through fear and facing death. It is a practice of healing through ultimate compassion.

Mornings will focus on the Dzogchen Chod, known as Khandro Geykyang, the Laugher of the Dakinis, the concise version. Pema Khandro will give the transmission, lead the practice sessions and lead workshops on cutting through fear through the secret chod practice.

Midday sessions will focus on Troma practice, the profound deity yoga meditation on the black wrathful dakini from the Jeweled Garland of Chod, (the Rinchen Trengwa).

Evening sessions will focus on the Secret Chod – a path of profound psychological and embodied transformation. It is a direct path to healing through fear done in solitary practice and small community workshops.

Lion’s Roar: Be Kind To Yourself

with Pema Khandro

“You have enlightened nature,” Pema Khandro Rinpoche.

If we visualize in meditation that our body-mind is a landscape of buddhas, we are motivated to attend to it compassionately.

2023 Schedule of Events

ONGOING MONTHLY TRAINING

Daily Meditation Online
Vajrayana Training – 1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month
Ngakpa Training – 3rd Wednesday of each month
Meditation Instructor Training – Jan 21-Jun 16

APRIL

Apr 7-9 –  Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings

Apr 24-Jun 12 – Ngondro 2 – Purifying the Mind

MAY

May 1-22 – Excellent Path: Bodhisattva’s Way

May 24-Jun 19 – Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 19 – Aug 14 – Ngondro 3 – Mountain of Jewels

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Retreat & Graduation

AUGUST

Aug 3-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat Online w/ Khenpo Yeshi & Pema Khandro

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

Click Here to view the BSI Calendar View
Click Here for Events List and Registration
*All Times are noted in Pacific Time (PT) – Check your Timezone

Buddhist Studies Institute

BODHISATTVA’S WAY

Excellent Path Module 3 – Online with Pema Khandro

Mondays, May 1st – 22nd

1-1:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

4-4:30pm New York (EDT)

9-9:30pm London (BST)

This class covers essential topics of Buddhist philosophy including emptiness, bodhichitta (the altruistic enlightened intent) and the nature of wisdom.

By Donation. The text to be studied is Longchenpa’s Excellent Path to Enlightenment. Free and open to the public.

Ngondro Module 2- Purifying The Mind

Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro – Module 2, Purifying the Mind

Mondays, Apr 24 – Jun 12

5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern

Purifying the Mind (Module 2) focuses on cleansing karma. This features one of the most important practices of Buddhist tantra – the Vajrasattva Meditation. This meditation is used for clearing unprocessed experiences and past misdeeds and making amends for wrong doing. Vajrasattva is a transformative process of inner change and interpersonal healing. Vajrasattva mantras and meditation are introduced and instructed by Pema Khandro followed by weekly Monday night ngondro practices led by Tsalgyur.

Ngondro means ‘before going.’ In traditional Vajrayana practice, it represents the cognitive, physical, emotional and philosophical components which are keys to the practice of liberation. It is the basis for all Vajrayana practice and thus it is used as a the pre-requisite for the great practices of the Vajrayana tradition. However, ngondro itself is a beloved meditation series for its own sake. It is often practiced many times throughout a life cycle by great yogis of the Nyingma tradition such as Patrul Rinpoche (eighteenth century).

Without proper instruction ngondro can be incredibly complex and difficult. This course offers a simple, thorough, direct and supported experience of ngondro – making the heart essence of Vajrayana accessible for serious practitioners.

Chod Retreat

At Dakini Mountain with Pema Khandro

Nevada City, California

June 1st – 4th, 2023

Chod is the profound method of psychological transformation in esoteric Buddhism. Chod means cutting, referring to cutting through fictions to authentic presence.

The 2023 Chod retreat is a profound occasion of the sangha gathering for the first in person retreat since the pandemic at the glorious land of Dakini Mountain in the scenic Tahoe National Forest of Northern California. We will also celebrate Saga Dawa, the birthday and enlightenment day of the Buddha together in person with spiritual community!

Everything is Wisdom: Pema Khandro on the source and true nature of ourselves for Lion’s Roar

“The goal of Vajrayana Buddhism, as practiced in the Tibetan tradition, is to realize and identify with the primordial wisdom that is already within us, that is our very being.”

2023 Schedule of Events

ONGOING MONTHLY TRAINING

Daily Meditation Online
Vajrayana Training – 1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month
Ngakpa Training – 3rd Wednesday of each month
Meditation Instructor Training – Jan 21-Jun 16

APRIL

Apr 7-9 – Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings
Apr 24-Jun 12 – Ngondro 2 – Purifying the Mind

MAY

May 1-22 – Excellent Path: Bodhisattva’s Way

May 24-Jun 19 – Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 19 – Aug 14 – Ngondro 3 – Mountain of Jewels

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Retreat & Graduation

AUGUST

Aug 4-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat Online with Khenpo Yeshi & Pema Khandro

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

Click Here to view the BSI Calendar View
Click Here for Events List and Registration
*All Times are noted in Pacific Time (PT) – Check your Timezone

Buddhist Studies Institute

Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings

with Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and Pema Khandro

April 7-9, 2023

9AM-12PM San Francisco (PDT) / 12-3PM New York (EDT)

Join us for this special event, the Chakrasamvara Empowerment, an initiation into the inner tantra practice of deity yoga. In our ongoing commitment to the practices of Vajrayogini, this exceptional program will feature the practice of Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini in union. This is concise Chakrasamvara from the nineteenth-century Tibetan Buddhist master Orgyen Nuden Dorje.

We are honored to host the most excellent interpreter, Ina Bieler! The empowerment will be translated into lucid and easy-to-understand English.

What is Deity Yoga?

Receive a direct and potent pathway to go beyond the limiting concept of self to disinhibit the profound wisdom within.

By understanding the transformative potential of how things appear in deity yoga practice (yidam), one enters into a direct experiential engagement with the view of emptiness and appearance as co-emergent, non-dual, and the basis of liberation. This wisdom is not created or constructed, it is the authentic, uncontrived wisdom that lives within being. This is not merely a mental exercise but instead, it is a transformation of embodied experience

Ask the Teachers with Pema Khandro for Lion’s Roar:
What separates secular mindfulness from Buddhism?

How do I uphold something specific without falling into dogma or fundamentalism?

Myozen Joan Amaral, Rev. Marvin Harada, and Pema Khandro Rinpoche answer a practitoner’s question about secular expressions of Buddhism.

2023 Schedule of Events

ONGOING MONTHLY TRAINING

Daily Meditation Online
Vajrayana Training – 1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month
Ngakpa Training – 3rd Wednesday of each month
Meditation Instructor Training – Jan 21-Jun 16

APRIL

Apr 7-9 – Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings
Apr 24-Jun 12 – Ngondro 2 – Purifying the Mind

MAY

May 1-22 – Excellent Path: Bodhisattva’s Way

May 24-Jun 19 – Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 19 – Aug 14 – Ngondro 3 – Mountain of Jewels

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Retreat & Graduation

AUGUST

Aug 3-6 – Dzogchen Teachings Online with Khenpo Yeshi & Pema Khandro

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

Click Here to view the BSI Calendar View
Click Here for Events List and Registration
*All Times are noted in Pacific Time (PT) – Check your Timezone

Buddhist Studies Institute

Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings
with Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche & Pema Khandro

April 7-9, 2023

9am-12pm San Francisco [PDT]

12-3pm New York [EDT]

5-8pm London [BST]

Join us for this special event, the Chakrasamvara Empowerment, an initiation into the inner tantra practice of generation stage meditation, led by Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and Lama Pema Khandro. This exceptional program will feature three mornings of instructions, empowerment and meditations of Chakrasamvara. It will be led by Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche who will give the empowerment and Lama Pema Khandro who will give the instructions for practice. We are honored to host the most excellent interpreter, Ina Bieler! The empowerment will be translated into lucid and easy to understand English.

About the Teachers

Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche

Drupon Rinchen Dorjee joined the Drikung Kagyu Institute in 1993, and has received instruction in philosophy, Gongchig, Theckchen Tenying, Dhagpo Thargyan, and Uttaratantra from Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen and other profound teachers of the Lineage. In 1995 Drupon received full ordination vows from His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, and in the same year accomplished the ngondro practices to mahamudra and the grand mantra recitation of Chakrasamvara. In 1996, he received initiation into the Profound Path of the Six Yogas of Naropa. Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has completed two (2) three-year retreat courses, one at Almora and one at Labchi, the holy retreat place of the great yogi, Milarepa. He has received profound instructions too numerous to mention during these retreats.  In 2005, he received the five-deities Hevajra according to Marpa’s tradition of empowerment, transmission and instructions from His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, and in 2006 he completed the grand mantra recitation of glorious Hevajra’s fire puja at the Almora retreat center.

Pema Khandro, PhD

Pema Khandro is an internationally renowned teacher and scholar of Buddhist philosophy. She is the founder of Ngakpa International and its three projects, The Buddhist Studies Institute, Dakini Mountain and the Yogic Medicine Institute. In her work as a Buddhist teacher she is an authorized Lama and lineage holder of the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions and was enthroned to carry on the lineage of her predecessor, the first Pema Khandro, an early twentieth century yogini from Eastern Tibet. She has led a vibrant world-wide community since 1999. Through the Buddhist Studies Institute, she also offers a complete curriculum of training in Tibetan meditation and Buddhist Philosophy. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, a Master’s degree specializing in Tibetan studies, and a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Virginia. Her scholarly research focuses on the history of Dzogchen and on Women in Tibetan Buddhism.

2023 Schedule of Events

ONGOING MONTHLY TRAINING

Daily Meditation Online
Vajrayana Training – 1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month
Ngakpa Training – 3rd Wednesday of each month
Meditation Instructor Training – Jan 21-Jun 16

APRIL

Apr 7-9 – Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings

Apr 24-Jun 12 – Ngondro 2 – Purifying the Mind

MAY

May 1-22 – Excellent Path: Bodhisattva’s Way

May 24-Jun 19 – Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 19 – Aug 14 – Ngondro 3 – Mountain of Jewels

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Retreat & Graduation

AUGUST

Aug 3-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

SEPTEMBER

Program TBA

OCTOBER

Oct 6-8 – Vajra Sangha Retreat – Location TBA

NOVEMBER

Nov 1 – Season of Practice Begins

Nov 3-5 – Bardo Teachings

DECEMBER

Dec 1-3 – Buddhism & the Environment

Dec 13 – Pema Khandro Birthday Celebration & Fundraiser

2024

Jan 8 – Feb 5, 2024 – Mahayana Program: The Heart Sutra

Feb 12, 2024 – Losar Tibetan New Year Celebration for Members

Feb 19, 2024 – Ngondro Training Begins

Click Here to view the BSI Calendar
*All Times are noted in Pacific Time (PT) – Check your Timezone

Buddhist Studies Institute

Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings

with Drupon Pinpoche and Pema Khandro

April 7-9 2023

9am-12pm San Francisco [PDT]
12-3pm New York [EDT]
5-8pm London {GMT]

Tibetan tantric meditation unravels the root of suffering through addressing the mind’s relationship with self and identity. Through the deity yoga practice (yidam), tantric meditations provide a direct and potent pathway way to go beyond the limiting concept of self to disinhibit the profound wisdom within.

Led by Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and Lama Pema Khandro, this exceptional program will feature three mornings of instructions, practice, and meditations led by Lama Pema Khandro, and the empowerment of Chakrasamvara given by Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche.

We are honored to host the most excellent interpreter, Ina Bieler! The empowerment will be translated into lucid and easy to understand English.

Ngondro Training Module 2

Purifying The Mind

Monday, April 24th – Online with Pema Khandro

5-6:30pm San Francisco [PDT]
8-9:30pm New York [EDT]
10-11:30am Sydney [AEST]

Vajrasattva Meditation – Purification of Karma
Ngondro self-paced classes and live webinars will be led by Lama Pema Khandro, scholar and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. Khandro-la’s teachings emphasize Buddhist philosophy and practice from a trauma-informed, feminist perspective that engages tradition with the great questions of our time. Classes with Pema Khandro will be given by self-paced videos and live meetings once a quarter, with practice sessions led in between by Tsalgyur.

Ngondro in the Dzogchen Tradition
This Ngondro training focuses on the foundational esoteric practices of the Nyingma tradition, of Tibetan Buddhism which emphasizes reliance on intrinsic wisdom, through its highest teaching, Dzogchen. The Heart of the Vast Expanse is a cherished ngondro cycle of the Nyingma lineage. It is also known as the Longchen Nyingthig, (klong chen snying thig). This is a cycle revealed by the brilliant eighteenth century Buddhist yogi, Jigme Lingpa, poet, leader, historian, and treasure revealer, whose texts synthesize Longchenpa’s teachings.

Pema Khandro recommends Ngondro teachings for serious students who wish to do intensive contemplative training, in an accessible format. Dedicated to training yogis, householders and lay people outside of the monastery, Pema Khandro presents these practices in their concise, essential form. This comprehensive course on Ngondro is taught in four modules to support the accomplishment of practice over the period of one year, with the training modules completed in nine months.

Testimonials From Recent Ngondro Grads

“What a precious opportunity it has been to receive the transmissions, dharma teachings and practices of the Longchen Nyingtig Ngondro from Pema Khandro Rinpoche! Having completed Longchen Nyingtig Ngondro even just once has been foundational to my life and my practices.” ~K

“This was such a great experience that it made me think a lot about the possibility of this practice, of the high level of beauty, magic, integrity, and tenderness – all of it’s there. It is a better world. It’s a world that I can go to and that’s really like a refuge. I didn’t know what a difference I would feel when I started this. The shimmering of life is dulled down for all these weird reasons, and this is a great remedy for that.” ~I

All of the ngondro meditations are highly psychological and psycho-physical. They deal with the fundamental issues of a spiritual life, ones identity, body, relationships, past and future.

Pema Khandro on cultivating the boundless love of a bodhisattva for The Lion’s Roar

How to Open Your Heart Further

“When our love is tired or has hit its limits, Buddhism suggests we open our hearts further and tap into a more expansive love”.

This is the advice to cultivate boundless love for all sentient beings when we are parted from those we love is a teaching for us all.

Ngakpa Training Discussion Group

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

For students enrolled in Ngakpa Training, we will have a Ngakpa Training discussion group to talk about key parts of our reading from the Treasury of Words and Meanings.

The Ngakpa Training offers an in-depth study of Vajrayana Buddhism. The five-year curriculum focuses on a study of Vajrayana Buddhist history, philosophy and practice, focusing on the Inner Tantras of the Nyingma Tradition, also known as MahaYoga, AnuYoga, and Dzogchen. These studies alternate with one on one dialogues with the Lama in phone classes, private meetings, and Vajra Sangha retreats.

Pre-requisites

This class is open to students who have completed the following requirements

• Foundations of Buddhist Philosophy Series

• Buddhist Meditation Series

• A period of six months in Vajrayana Training or attending three in-person retreats with Pema Khandro

• Application

• Interview

To schedule an interview email Membership@BuddhistYogis.org.

2023 Schedule of Events

ONGOING MONTHLY TRAINING

Daily Meditation Online
Vajrayana Training – 1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month
Ngakpa Training – 3rd Wednesday of each month
Meditation Instructor Training – Jan 21-Jun 16

MARCH

Mar 3-5 – Buddhism & Sexuality

Mar 6-27 – Teaching Trauma-Informed Meditation

Mar 25-Apr 24 – Healthy Boundaries for Teachers & Leaders

APRIL

Apr 7-9 – Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings
Apr 24-Jun 12 – Ngondro 2 – Purifying the Mind

MAY

May 1-22 – Excellent Path: Bodhisattva’s Way

May 24-Jun 19 – Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 19 – Aug 14 – Ngondro 3 – Mountain of Jewels

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Retreat & Graduation

AUGUST

Aug 3-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat, San Diego County

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

SEPTEMBER

Program TBA

OCTOBER

Oct 6-8 – Vajra Sangha Retreat – Location TBA

NOVEMBER

Nov 1 – Season of Practice Begins

Nov 3-5 – Bardo Teachings

DECEMBER

Dec 1-3 – Buddhism & the Environment

Dec 13 – Pema Khandro Birthday Celebration & Fundraiser

2024

Jan 8 – Feb 5, 2024 – Mahayana Program: The Heart Sutra

Feb 12, 2024 – Losar Tibetan New Year Celebration for Members

Feb 19, 2024 – Ngondro Training Begins

Click Here to view the BSI Calendar View
Click Here for Events List and Registration
*All Times are noted in Pacific Time (PT) – Check your Timezone

Buddhist Studies Institute

Have you wondered how to identify and keep healthy boundaries as a leader?

This webclass is open to Meditation Instructors certified through the Buddhist Studies Institute or currently enrolled in Meditation Instructor Training, and to meditation instructors who received their instruction and training through other programs and schools. It is also offered as part of the 180-hour Meditation Instructor Training curriculum offered through the Buddhist Studies Institute.

Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings

with Drupon Dorjee Rinpoche & Pema Khandro

April 7 – 9, 2023

Join us for this special event, the Chakrasamvara Empowerment, an initiation into the inner tantra practice of generation stage meditation, led by Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and Lama Pema Khandro. This exceptional program will feature three mornings of instructions, empowerment and meditations of Chakrasamvara. It will be led by Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche who will give the empowerment and Lama Pema Khandro who will give the instructions for practice. We are honored to host the most excellent interpreter, Ina Bieler! The empowerment will be translated into lucid and easy to understand English.

Buddhism on Sickness & Health

“The sooner you let it into your heart, the sooner the pain passes.” Listen in as Pema Khandro interviews Toni Bernhard as part of a a mini-series on Buddhism and sickness.

2023 Schedule of Events

ONGOING MONTHLY TRAINING

Daily Meditation Online

Vajrayana Training–1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month

Ngakpa Training–3rd Wednesday of each month

Meditation Instructor Training– Jan 21-Jun 16

MARCH

Mar 3-5 –Buddhism & Sexuality

Mar 6-27 –Teaching Trauma-Informed Meditation

Mar 25-Apr 24 –Healthy Boundaries for Teachers & Leaders

Apr 7-9 –  Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings
with Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche & Pema Khandro

APRIL

Apr 24-Jun 12 –Ngondro 2 – Purifying the Mind

MAY

May 1-22 – Excellent Path: Bodhisattva’s Way

May 24-Jun 19 – Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 19 – Aug 14 –Ngondro 3 – Mountain of Jewels

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Retreat & Graduation

AUGUST

Aug 3-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat, San Diego County

Aug 21-Oct 16 –Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

SEPTEMBER

Sept 8-17 – Buddhist Psychology Training

OCTOBER

Oct 6-8 – Vajra Sangha Retreat – Location TBA

NOVEMBER

Nov 1 – Season of Practice Begins

Nov 3-5 – Bardo Teachings

DECEMBER

Dec 1-3 – Buddhism & the Environment

Dec 13 – Pema Khandro Birthday Celebration & Fundraiser

2024

Jan 8 – Feb 5, 2024 – Mahayana Program: The Heart Sutra

Feb 12, 2024 – Losar Tibetan New Year Celebration for Members

Feb 19, 2024 – Ngondro Training Begins

Click Here to view the BSI Calendar View
Click Here for Events List and Registration
*All Times are noted in Pacific Time (PT) –Check your Timezone

Buddhist Studies Institute

Embodying Natural Heroism

with Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and Pema Khandro

April 7-9, 2023

9AM-12PM San Francisco (PDT) / 12-3PM New York (EDT)

Receive a direct and potent pathway way to go beyond the limiting concept of self to disinhibit the profound wisdom within.

By understanding the transformative potential of how things appear in deity yoga practice (yidam), one enters into a direct an experiential engagement with the view of emptiness and appearance as co-emergent, non-dual, and the basis of liberation. This wisdom is not created or constructed, it is the authentic, uncontrived wisdom that lives within being. This is not merely a mental exercise but instead, it is a transformation of embodied experience.

Join us for this special event, the Chakrasamvara Empowerment, an initiation into the inner tantra practice of generation stage meditation, led by Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and Lama Pema Khandro. This exceptional program will feature three mornings of instructions, empowerment and meditations of Chakrasamvara. It will be led by Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche who will give the empowerment and Lama Pema Khandro who will give the instructions for practice. We are honored to host the most excellent interpreter, Ina Bieler! The empowerment will be translated into lucid and easy to understand English.

This is the practice that raises the innate wisdom to persevere, even in the face of tremendous difficulties.

Join Pema Khandro for The Dalai Lama
Global Vision Summit

March 16-20, 2023

Presented by Lion’s Roar and Tibet House US, with the express support of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, you can look forward to 5 inspirational days of free video sessions from 20 speakers exploring how we can navigate our increasingly uncertain world with compassion, goodness, and virtue.

How do we navigate the increasingly uncertain world we live in with compassion, goodness, and virtue?

The Dalai Lama’s kindness, humility, and wisdom lead the way and set an example for us all, and we are pleased to invite you to explore his vision and key messages to the world in The Dalai Lama Global Vision Summit 2023.

Join us for this incredible opportunity to hear from an esteemed panel of Buddhist teachers, experts, spiritual leaders, and activists to celebrate and reflect upon what it means to be human in our modern world.

PS. Sign up today and get a special gift: a downloadable selection of teachings from Lion’s Roar’s exclusive publication The Vision of the Dalai Lama: Wisdom for a Compassionate World.

Celebrate Women’s History Month with Pema Khandro in Lion’s Roar

Hear Our Voices

Introduced and moderated by Pema Khandro Rinpoche, hear Myokei Caine-Barrett, Narayan Helen Liebenson, Rebecca Li, and Myoan Grace Schireson as they share their experiences and insights into being a female teacher and leader in today’s world.

2023 Schedule of Events

ONGOING MONTHLY TRAINING

Daily Meditation Online
Vajrayana Training – 1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month
Ngakpa Training – 3rd Wednesday of each month
Meditation Instructor Training – Jan 21-Jun 16

MARCH

Mar 3-5 – Buddhism & Sexuality

Mar 6-27 – Teaching Trauma-Informed Meditation

Mar 25-Apr 24 – Healthy Boundaries for Teachers & Leaders

APRIL

Apr 7-9 – Chakrasamvara Empowerment & Teachings
with Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche & Pema Khandro

Apr 24-Jun 12 – Ngondro 2 – Purifying the Mind

MAY

May 1-22 – Excellent Path: Bodhisattva’s Way

May 24-Jun 19 – Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 19 – Aug 14 – Ngondro 3 – Mountain of Jewels

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Retreat & Graduation

AUGUST

Aug 3-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat, San Diego County

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

SEPTEMBER

Sept 8-17 – Buddhist Psychology Training

OCTOBER

Oct 6-8 – Vajra Sangha Retreat – Location TBA

NOVEMBER

Nov 1 – Season of Practice Begins

Nov 3-5 – Bardo Teachings

DECEMBER

Dec 1-3 – Buddhism & the Environment

Dec 13 – Pema Khandro Birthday Celebration & Fundraiser

2024

Jan 8 – Feb 5, 2024 – Mahayana Program: The Heart Sutra

Feb 12, 2024 – Losar Tibetan New Year Celebration for Members

Feb 19, 2024 – Ngondro Training Begins

Click Here to view the BSI Calendar View
Click Here for Events List and Registration
*All Times are noted in Pacific Time (PT) – Check your Timezone