Buddhist Studies Institute

Letter from Dr. Pema Khandro

Dear Dharma Friends,

I recently taught our first in person retreat at Dakini Mountain since the pandemic. After so much anticipation, it was good news that no one got covid, and instead we had a beautiful, joyous, and deep experience together. It was one of the best retreats in memory. Partly because so many people had done online study, the preparation had really showed. We also had new friends, and the mixture of people from all the different time periods of my teaching felt like a sunny showcase of all years of our sangha. During the retreat practices we worked on preparation for death and investigating what demons had power over us so we could set them free through Chod practices. We explored emptiness in a practical way, and there was a very powerful night of the Laughter of the Dakinis. There were so many beautiful aspects of the retreat, but one of my favorites was hearing the sound of all our drums beating together, and hearing all the different voices while we were chanting together. It was a revitalizing experience. Thank you everyone who made it possible, how lovely to be in the Vajra world together with you.

Afterwards, Satya, Aruna and I spent three days talking, walking, and doing practice together at Dakini Mountain. Being in a time of increased uncertainty, all we can do is put one foot in front of another and take one step at a time. Yet even flying blind, we still have bodhichitta to guide us, so we are taking steps forward.

With that aspiration, we offered a special Vajrayogini practice, Calling 100,000 Dakinis prayer and afterwards dismantled the Vajrayogini shrine to make room for the next phase, whatever that will be. Currently the Panchakarma clinic there is still up and running but we are no longer planning retreats there (unless the circumstances drastically change). So the Vajrayogini practice was our pivotal moment. We recited the prayer sitting in front of the blessed statue and then packed her up in her case and opened up to what is next.

Then it started pouring and pouring rain. There was so much rain, rain that was difficult to walk in and dangerous to drive in, like a flood from the sky. This rain was auspicious on numerous counts, first because it was the end of a puja and rain signals its success. But secondly, because this is California, rain means protection from wildfires, so on a primal level, it was received as a relief. And because we are in a period of uncertainty, anything that happens in the environment is gratefully received as a present moment event that is other than uncertainty, and therefore an event to be relished.

That rain reminded me of the line in Mipham’s “Shower of Blessings,” in which we pray to the dakinis and devas to shower down their compassion, “pour down your blessings like a rain of compassion! …shower down a great rain of dharma profound and vast!” Here is an excerpt from it for you to enjoy, may a rain of benevolence shower down upon all of us!

སྐྱབས་གནས་ཀུན་འདུས་མཁྱེན་བརྩེའི་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ། །

All sources of refuge in one, a great treasure of wisdom and love,

དུས་ངན་སྙིགས་མའི་སྐྱབས་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ། །

In this dark age, the dregs of time, precious, greatest protector

ལྔ་བདོའི་རྒུད་པས་མནར་ཤིང་གདུངས་ཤུགས་ཀྱིས། །

When I call on you, suffering, tormented and drained by the five afflictions,

གསོལ་འདེབས་བུ་ལ་བརྩེ་བས་ཐུགས་ཀྱིས་གཟིགས། །

Look upon your praying child with the love of your exalted mind,

དགོངས་པའི་ཀློང་ནས་ཐུགས་རྗེའི་རྩལ་ཕྱུངས་ལ། །

From your vast expanse of realization, let the power of your compassion burst out

མོས་ལྡན་བདག་གི་སྙིང་ལ་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། །

And flood my devoted heart with your blessing.

རྟགས་དང་མཚན་མ་མྱུར་དུ་སྟོན་པ་དང་། །

Quickly show the signs and symbols

མཆོག་དང་ཐུན་མོང་དངོས་གྲུབ་སྩལ་དུ་གསོལ། །

And grant me accomplishments ordinary and supreme

Of course, that is what came to mind because that is what Buddhism trains us to do. In Vajrayana the view we train in links us to re-interpret our world, to re-appraise it in terms of its benevolent possibilities, a language of elements and dakinis that is a link to present moment appreciations. This is so often done by rewiring the senses and the environment so that rain, wind, thunder, sky… our world becomes a cue for contemplative experience. Rivers that become prayers. Space that becomes mind. Even without much instruction, we can meditate like this sometimes in the most simple, intuitive ways, this is the brilliance of Dzogchen, and a message from an afternoon rain at Dakini Mountain. Just listening to the rain. Just feeling the wind. The environment can be a cue to be simple and present, and therefore rest our minds. Just those few moments of having a native peace. This is not even about eventual liberation, or what will happen in the future. Just a small island of peace and quiet that is for its own sake.

My very best to you always,

The Basic Space of Being  
With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

The profound manual for liberating the mind

August 4-6, 2023 – Online

9am – 12:00pm San Francisco (PDT)

12pm – 3:00pm New York (EDT)

“Choying Dzod has also been used as a sacred introduction (ngo sprod)

for dying meditators. By reciting it, a practitioner introduces the person

passing away to his or her true nature and reminds him or her to remain

in the right mental state. Generally, the process of dying is the most crucial

experience in life, the time when we need the greatest support. It is

also a time when our mental attitudes can make a significant difference

in our future, because at the time of death we are suddenly free of the

bonds of our gross body and all its limitations.”

-Venerable Tulku Thondup Rinpoche

Study the profound Dzogchen manual for meditation and liberation. This text is read to a dying loved one, the crucial support at the most important time. It guides the dying person to realize the nature of mind. Indeed, The Treasury of Basic Space has been read at the time of death of many great Dzogchen masters.

Join Buddhist Studies Institute for this special program taught online by two esteemed Dzogchen scholars, Khenpo Yeshi, and Dr. Pema Khandro. Experience the power of the coinciding of study and practice.

Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro Training 

Module 4 Intrinsic Wisdom

Starts Monday, August 21st – Online

5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern

What are Ngondro meditations? Ngondro meditations are the foundational practices for purifying, training and empowering the body-mind. They form the basis of Vajrayana meditation and serve as the foundation for the highest practices of the nature of mind. Ngondro means ‘before going.’ In traditional Vajrayana practice, it represents the cognitive, physical, emotional and philosophical components which are keys to the practice liberation. These are done before engaging in Tantra or Dzogchen practices in order to set a stable foundation.

This module will focus on Intrinsic Wisdom including Receiving the Four Empowerments and Merging into Buddhahood.

Pema Khandro reserves Ngondro teachings for serious students who wish to do intensive contemplative training. 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 will be taught in four modules to support the accomplishment of practice over the period of one year, with the training modules completed in nine months.

It is possible to join Ngondro Training at any time, and it can be taken in any order. Join current modules live and take previous modules at your own pace. 

Finding Rest & Ease in the Nature of Mind

Online Retreat with Pema Khandro

September 8-10, 2023

8:00am-12:30pm PST San Francisco

11:00am-3:30pm EST New York

4:00pm-8:30pm BST London

Encounter the profound instructions of the trilogy of comfort and ease, the exposition on the stages of the journey by one of the great Tibetan philosopher, Longchenpa (1308-1364).

Experience three days of profound study and meditation in a three-day online retreat with Dr. Pema Khandro.

Cultivate states of rest and ease in a supportive community of joyful dharma friends.

Meditation in Dzogchen is a method of awakening to innate wisdom and unraveling the obstacles to experiencing it. This is a path of allowing intrinsic wakefulness to manifest through letting go, settling in and supporting the body and mind to discover natural calm.

The retreat three-day online retreat is led by Buddhist scholar and teacher, Dr. Pema Khandro, founder of the Buddhist Studies Institute. She will lead the study of and practice of the ngal gso skor gsum, Longchenpa’s trilogy on Finding Comfort and Ease.

Self & Non Self:
Buddhism with Pema Khandro

“How we exist is highly momentary…” Pema Khandro

How do ideas of true-self, finding one-self and being the authentic self  relate to the Buddhist idea of an-atma, non-self? Listen to Pema Khandro discuss Buddhism’s view of the person as a dynamic presence rather than a fixed identity separate from the world and limited by the past.

2023 Schedule of Events

Ongoing Monthly Training with Pema Khandro

Join Dr. Pema Khandro and your dharma friends for a deep study in the classics of Vajrayana & Dzogchen. These classes explore the depths of inner tantra, Tibetan yogas and Dzogchen philosophy through the eyes of the most brilliant masters of Buddhist history. Study. Discuss with dharma friends from around the world. Meet community leaders. Integrate practices directly in your own body, in your own mind!

Vajrayana Training – 1st & 2nd Wednesday of each month
Ngakpa Training – 3rd Wednesday of each month

You Can Meditate Everyday (if you have support!)

New to meditation? Do you want to have a daily practice? You are not alone. Join this small group of fellow travelers for a daily dose of meditation! It is taught by the wonderful faculty at BSI.
Daily Meditation Online

AUGUST

Aug 4-6 – The Choying Dzod with Khenpo Yeshi & Pema Khandro

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

SEPTEMBER

Sept 8-10 – Finding Rest and Ease in the Nature of Mind: Online Retreat with Pema Khandro

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

Buddhist Studies Institute

The Basic Space of Being

Choying Dzod Retreat 
With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

August 4-6, 2023 – Online

9am – 12:00pm San Francisco (PDT)

12pm – 3:00pm New York (EDT)

Choying Dzod is the meaning of the innate nature of mind, dharmakaya.

It elucidates naked primordial wisdom without affirming or negating anything.

It is the heart essence of the visions of the Omniscient Lama Longchen Rabjam.

It is the most profound of all profound teachings.

It is the vivid arising of pure dharmakaya as the teaching.

This excellent teaching is a living buddha.

It fulfills the Buddha’s activities in this world.

It manifests the absolute vision of the Buddha.

Even if you were to see the Buddha in person, there would not be [any] greater teaching than this

– Paltrul Rinpoche

Beyond effort and achievement is the state of natural ease, the basic space of being. How to breakthrough to find this innate expanse is the focus of a profound Buddhist meditation manual known as The Treasury of Basic Space, The Choying Dzod (chos dbyings rin po che’i mdzod). It presents the essence of esoteric Tibetan Buddhism, known as Great Perfection, or Dzogchen (rdzogs chen) in verse form. Venerated as a manifestation of the expanse of reality itself, The Treasury of Basic Space is the quintessential Dzogchen text by the fourteenth century master, Longchenpa.

Join Buddhist Studies Institute for this special program taught online by two esteemed Dzogchen scholars, Khenpo Yeshi, and Dr. Pema Khandro. Experience the power of the coinciding of study and practice.

Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro Training 

Module 4 Intrinsic Wisdom

Monday, August 21st – Online

5pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern

Practice Liberation.

Establish a Solid Foundation for Your Life.

Strengthen your Compassion for Self, Others & Your World.

Practice Ngondro in a Supportive Community.

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).

Intrinsic Wisdom. This module focuses on the key theme of Vajrayana, which is empowerment, to experience the power of the indestructible buddha nature within oneself. It begins with Vajrayogini meditation and the seven line prayer, a prayer used widely in the Nyingma tradition to supplicate the awakened mind. This is followed by the guru yoga meditation and merging into Buddhahood.

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

Ngakpa Training & Tummo Discussion Group 

July 19, 2023 5:30 PM-6:30 PM PST

Lead by De’dzin Drolma and Namkhai Jigdral

Tummo (Tib. གཏུམ་མོ་, Wyl. gtum mo) is the spiritual practice of ‘inner heat’, one of the  the ‘root of the path’ techniques of Tibetan Vajrayana, according to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Paying focused attention to the breath can help beginner and expert meditators by bringing them back to the present moment and reducing the influence of the “monkey mind“.

Join De’dzin Drolma and Namkhai Jigdral on the third Wednesday of the month for this accent practice that involves raising the body temperature to new levels using a combination of visualization, breathwork, and muscle tensing.

Finding Rest & Ease: In the Nature of Mind

Longchenpa’s Guide to Dzogchen with Pema Khandro

September 8-10 Online

8am – 12:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

11am – 3:30pm New York (EDT)

Encounter the profound instructions of the trilogy of comfort and ease, the exposition on the stages of the journey by one of the great Tibetan philosopher, Longchenpa (1308-1364). Experience three days of profound study and meditation in this three-day online retreat with Dr. Pema Khandro.

Lion’s Roar: The Four Points of Letting Go in the Bardo with Pema Khandro

“The bardo teachings are really about recognizing the value of giving up the game, which we play without even giving it a second thought.” Pema Khandro

In this article, Pema Khandro explains four essential points for understanding what it means to let go, and what is born when we do.

“Confusion is the raw material of wisdom.” Pema Khandro

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

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Finals & Graduation Online

AUGUST

Aug 4-6 – The Choying Dzod with Khenpo Yeshi and Pema Khandro

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

SEPTEMBER

Sept 8-10 – Finding Rest and Ease in the Nature of Mind: Online Retreat with Pema Khandro

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

The Basic Space of Being Dzogchen Retreat 
With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

August 4-6, 2023 – Online

10am – 11:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

1pm – 2:30pm New York (EDT)

The Treasury of Basic Space, The Choying Dzod (chos dbyings rin po che’i mdzod), is the quintessential Dzogchen text written by the great fourteenth center Dzogchen master, Longchenpa. It refers to cho ying, the expanse of reality and pure experience of meaningfulness as the revelation of the ground of being.

Offered by Khenpo Yeshi and Dr. Pema Khandro for the first time through the Buddhist Studies Institute, you can experience and learn from the manual for meditation and liberation, which is also the text that one reads to a dying person to introduce them to the nature of mind at death.

Read during dying, The Treasury of Basic Space offers the crucial support at the most important time, by guiding the dying person to realize the nature of mind. Indeed, The Treasury of Basic Space has been read at the time of death of many great Dzogchen masters.

The Treasury of Basic Space details the elements of breakthrough meditation (trek cho), instructions which cut through misunderstandings of emptiness and point to the vivid wakefulness of sublime knowing.

Join Buddhist Studies Institute for this special program taught online by Khenpo Yeshi, Dzogchen Nyingthig scholar and Drikung Kagyu teacher and Dr. Pema Khandro, Dzogchen scholar, lama and lineage holder of the Nyingma tradition. The three days of online classes will include the lung, the oral initiation into this profound text which will be given by Khenpo Yeshi, study, and practice led by Khenpo Yeshi and Dr. Pema Khandro.

Finding Rest & Ease in the Nature of Mind 
with Pema Khandro

September 8-10, 2023 – Online

8am – 12:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

11am – 3:30pm New York (EDT)

The Annual Dzogchen Retreat
Dive into the Depths of the Great Perfection (Dzogchen) through the guide to the entire path written by Longchenpa

Encounter the profound instructions of the trilogy of comfort and ease, the exposition on the stages of the journey by one of the great Tibetan philosopher, Longchenpa (1308-1364.)

Experience three days of profound study and meditation in a three-day online retreat with Dr. Pema Khandro.

Cultivate states of rest and ease in a supportive community of joyful dharma friends.

This is a precious opportunity to experience the methods taught in Dzogchen meditation, Tibetan Buddhism’s most treasured path. Dzogchen means ‘Great Completion,’ because it focuses on the natural wisdom at the heart of every person. Even though each person has intrinsic goodness, states of chronic tension and fixation can impede its expression. Meditation in Dzogchen is a method of awakening to this wisdom and unraveling the obstacles to experiencing it. This is a path of allowing intrinsic wakefulness to manifest through letting go, settling in and supporting the body and mind to discover natural calm.

This online retreat is led by Buddhist scholar and teacher, Dr. Pema Khandro, founder of the Buddhist Studies Institute. She will lead the study of and practice of the ngal gso skor gsum, Longchenpa’s trilogy on Finding Comfort and Ease, a classic text of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, which has been presented section by section annually for eight years at the Buddhist Studies Institute.

Ngakpa Training & Tummo
Discussion Group 

July 19, 2023 5:00 PM-6:30 PM PST

Lead by De’dzin Drolma and Namkhai Jigdral

Tummo (Tib. གཏུམ་མོ་, Wyl. gtum mo) is the spiritual practice of ‘inner heat’, one of the  the ‘root of the path’ techniques of Tibetan Vajrayana, according to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Paying focused attention to the breath can help beginner and expert meditators by bringing them back to the present moment and reducing the influence of the “monkey mind“.

Join De’dzin Drolma and Namkhai Jigdral on the third Wednesday of the month for discussion of this month’s teachings by Pema Khandro on this accent practice that involves raising the body temperature to new levels using a combination of visualization, breathwork, and abdominal holds.

Tibetan Buddhism in a Nutshell 

by Dr. Pema Khandro

Who are you really? What underlies all persons? What is the true nature of mind?

Pema Khandro answers these questions and offers an introduction to 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

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Finals & Graduation Online

AUGUST

Aug 4-6 – The Choying Dzod with Khenpo Yeshi & Pema Khandro

Aug 21-Oct 16 – Ngondro 4 – Intrinsic Wisdom

SEPTEMBER

Sept 8-10 – Finding Rest and Ease in the Nature of Mind: Online Retreat with Pema Khandro

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

Buddhist Studies Institute

The Basic Space of Being

Online Dzogchen Teachings
With Khenpo Yeshi and Pema Khandro

August 4-6, 2023 – Online

10am – 11:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

1pm – 2:30pm New York (EDT)

Join us for this once in a lifetime opportunity!

The Treasury of Basic Space is a manual for meditation and liberation, as well as being a text that one reads to a dying person to introduce them to the nature of mind at death. Read during dying, it offers the crucial support at the most important time, by guiding the dying person to realize the nature of mind. Indeed, The Treasury of Basic Space has been read at the time of death of many great Dzogchen masters.

Khenpo Ngakchung recalls receiving this transmission from the great Tibetan teacher, Patrul Rinpoche.

…he said, “You are so lucky that you can study sitting down. I received these teachings [alone] from Paltrul Rinpoche at Dzogchen Kangtrod, at the expense of his sleep. If he sat down, he tended to fall asleep because of his advanced age, so I would walk backward holding the text in my hand for him, and he would teach me walking after me. The teachings continued in this way for many days and nights.” He continued, “Since it is said that Choying Dzod is the essence of all teachings, it was Rinpoche’s main meditation manual and it is supposed to be mine, too. Now, you must treasure this teaching in your heart….”

-Khenpo Ngakchung (1879-1941) recalling dialogues with Patrul Rinpoche

The Treasury of Basic Space details the elements of “breakthrough meditation,” (trek cho), instructions which cut through misunderstandings of emptiness and point to the vivid wakefulness of beginningless knowing.

Join Buddhist Studies Institute for this special program taught online by Khenpo Yeshi, Dzogchen Nyingthig scholar and Drikung Kagyu teacher and Dr. Pema Khandro, Dzogchen scholar, lama and lineage holder of the Nyingma tradition. The three days of online classes will include the lung, the oral initiation into this profound text by Khenpo Yeshi, study, and practice led by Khenpo Yeshi and Dr. Pema Khandro.

Tummo Practice

for Vajrayana Training Participants

June 23, 2023 5-5:30pm PST

and

Ngakpa Training Discussion Group 

June 23, 2023 5:30 PM-6:30 PM PST

Lead by De’dzin Drolma and Namkhai Jigdral

Tummo (Tib. གཏུམ་མོ་, Wyl. gtum mo) is the spiritual practice of ‘inner heat’, one of the  the ‘root of the path’ techniques of Tibetan Vajrayana, according to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Join De’dzin Drolma and Namkhai Jigdral on the fourth Wednesday of the month for this accent practice that involves raising the body temperature to new levels using a combination of visualization, breathwork, and muscle tensing. 

Paying focused attention to the breath can help beginner and expert meditators by bringing them back to the present moment and reducing the influence of the “monkey mind“.

From True Self to the Bare Fact of Being

Pema Khandro on Waking Up While Facing Crisis

“The idea of non-self is not just a philosophical or abstract issue. Quite practically – it could lead to seeing oneself in a way that fosters adaptability, fluidity and responsiveness.” – Pema Khandro for BuddhaDharma Quarterly

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

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 5,12,19 – Teaching in a Multicultural World

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 – 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

Teachings on Karma

for Meditation Teachers

with Dr. Pema Khandro, Aruna Rigdzin, and Dr. Satya

June 21-July 10, 2023

In its original traditions, meditation is shaped by views of karma. This course takes you beyond stereotypes of karma to understand the vision of mind, karma and transformation that led to the development of Buddhist meditation in its indigenous contexts.

This class is geared towards supporting Meditation Instructors and is open to the public. It is also offered as part of the 180-hour Meditation Instructor Training curriculum offered through the Buddhist Studies Institute.

The Basic Space of Being Dzogchen Retreat 
With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

August 4-6, 2023 – Online

10am – 11:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

1pm – 2:30pm New York (EDT)

“Homage to all the vast hosts of victorious ones!

I pay homage to the original protector, Samantabhadra

flawless and totally pure like space,

the deity of the kayas and timeless awareness,

which do not come together or separate,

the glory of both conditioned existence and the peace of nirvana.

For all beings in samsara, which is like an illusion

clearly apparent without truly existing

bound by their reifying perceptions as though in a dream,

the ultimate meaning of great perfection is
that they are by nature totally free.

I will give a detailed explanation of
this supremely spacious state of spontaneous equanimity.”

-The introduction to the Treasury of Basic Space

Beyond effort and achievement is the state of natural ease, the basic space of being. How to breakthrough to find this innate expanse is the focus of a profound Buddhist meditation manual known as profound scripture known as The Treasury of Basic Space, The Choying Dzod (chos dbyings rin po che’i mdzod). It presents the essence of esoteric Tibetan Buddhism, known as Great Perfection, or Dzogchen (rdzogs chen) in verse form. Venerated as a manifestation of the expanse of reality itself, The Treasury of Basic Space is the quintessential Dzogchen text by the fourteenth century master, Longchenpa.

To receive the transmission of this system is a rare and difficult to attain opportunity. Join Buddhist Studies Institute for this special program taught online by two esteemed Dzogchen scholars, Khenpo Yeshi, and Dr. Pema Khandro. Experience the power of the coinciding of study and practice.

Tummo Practice

for Vajrayana Training Participants

June 23, 20323 5-5:30pm PST

and

Ngakpa Training Discussion Group

June 23, 2023 5:30 PM-6:30 PM PST

Lead by De’dzin Drolma and Namkhai Jigdral

Join De’dzin Drolma and Namkhai Jigdral on the fourth Wednesday of the month for this accent practice that involves raising the body temperature to new levels using a combination of visualization, breathwork, and muscle tensing. 

Tummo (Tib. གཏུམ་མོ་, Wyl. gtum mo) is the spiritual practice of ‘inner heat’, one of the  the ‘root of the path’ techniques of Tibetan Vajrayana, according to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Paying focused attention to the breath can help beginner and expert meditators by bringing them back to the present moment and reducing the influence of the “monkey mind“.

Pema Khandro for Lion’s Roar:
When We Have No Choice

In our greatest hardship, to also think of other people’s sorrow seems like too much. But by the power of our interdependence with beings, by acknowledging this interconnection through open-hearted presence, we actually find relief.

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

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 5,12,19 – Teaching in a Multicultural World

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 – 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

Mountain of Jewels

Ngondro Training Module 3 – Online with Pema Khandro

Starts Monday, June 19 – Online

5-6:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

8-9:30pm New York (EDT)

10-11:30am Sydney (AEST)

Join the community for an experience the perfection of wealth, gratitude, and inner resources.

Mountain of Jewels is the course that addresses the mandala offering meditation. This is the practice of discovering our vast resources and abundance through generosity. Through the mandala offering we learn to discover our sense of vast resources, interdependence and connection.

This is part of a series of ngondro meditations. What are Ngondro meditations? Ngondro meditations are the foundational practices for purifying, training and empowering the body-mind. They form the basis of Vajrayana meditation and serve as the foundation for the highest practices of the nature of mind. Ngondro means ‘before going.’ In traditional Vajrayana practice, it represents the cognitive, physical, emotional and philosophical components which are keys to the practice liberation. These are done before engaging in Tantra or Dzogchen practices in order to set a stable foundation.

Because of the self-paced videos that are available, it is possible to join Ngondro Training at any time, and it can be taken in any order. Join current modules live and take previous modules at your own pace. This module will focus on Mountain of Jewels including Mandala Offering, Vajrayogini Practice and the Seven Line Prayer.

Teachings on Karma

with Pema Khandro

June 21st – July 10th, 2023

In its original traditions, meditation practice is shaped by views of karma. This course takes you beyond stereotypes of karma to understand the vision of mind, karma and transformation that led to the development of Buddhist meditation in its indigenous contexts.

Geared towards supporting Meditation Instructors, this class is open to meditation instructors from any tradition, or those interested in teaching meditation. It is also offered as part of the 180-hour Meditation Instructor Training curriculum offered through the Buddhist Studies Institute.

The Basic Space of Being Dzogchen Retreat 
With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

August 4-6, 2023 – Online

10am – 11:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

1pm – 2:30pm New York (EDT)

Beyond effort and achievement is the state of natural ease, the basic space of being. How to effortlessly find this innate expanse is the focus of a profound Buddhist text known as The Treasury of Basic Space, The Choying Dzod (chos dbyings rin po che’i mdzod), the quintessential Dzogchen text written by the great fourteenth center Dzogchen master, Longchenpa. It refers to cho ying, the expanse of reality and pure experience of meaningfulness as the revelation of the ground of being.

“Choying Dzod is the meaning of the innate nature of mind, dharmakaya.

It elucidates naked primordial wisdom,

without affirming or negating anything.

It is the heart essence of the visions
of the Omniscient Lama Longchen Rabjam.

It is the most profound of all profound teachings.

It is the vivid arising of pure dharmakaya as the teaching.

This excellent teaching is a living buddha.

It fulfills the Buddha’s activities in this world.

It manifests the absolute vision of the Buddha.

Even if you were to see the Buddha in person,
there would not be [any] greater teaching than this.”

– Paltrul Rinpoche

The Treasury of Basic Space is a manual for meditation and liberation, as well as being a text that one reads to a dying person to introduce them to the nature of mind at death. Read during dying, The Treasury of Basic Space offers the crucial support at the most important time, by guiding the dying person to realize the nature of mind. Indeed, The Treasury of Basic Space has been read at the time of death of many great Dzogchen masters.

The Treasury of Basic Space details the elements of breakthrough meditation (trek cho), instructions which cut through misunderstandings of emptiness and point to the vivid wakefulness of sublime knowing.

Join Buddhist Studies Institute for this special program taught online by Khenpo Yeshi, Dzogchen Nyingthig scholar and Drikung Kagyu teacher and Dr. Pema Khandro, Dzogchen scholar, lama and lineage holder of the Nyingma tradition. The three days of online classes will include the lung, the oral initiation into this profound text by Khenpo Yeshi, study, and practice led by Khenpo Yeshi and Dr. Pema Khandro.

Tummo Practice

for Vajrayana Training Participants

June 23, 2023 5-5:30pm PST

and

Ngakpa Training Discussion Group

June 23, 2023 5:30 PM-6:30 PM PST

Lead by De’dzin Drolma and Namkhai Jigdral

Tummo (Tib. གཏུམ་མོ་, Wyl. gtum mo) is the spiritual practice of ‘inner heat’, one of the  the ‘root of the path’ techniques of Tibetan Vajrayana, according to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Join De’dzin Drolma and Namkhai Jigdral on the fourth Wednesday of the month for this accent practice that involves raising the body temperature to new levels using a combination of visualization, breathwork, and muscle tensing. Paying focused attention to the breath can help beginner and expert meditators by bringing them back to the present moment and reducing the influence of the “monkey mind“.

What is Karma?

pt. 2 with Pema Khandro

Pema Khandro discusses the Tibetan Buddhist idea of Karma in two parts.

Part two focuses on the idea of “karmic vision,” habitual ways of interpreting our world that get in the way of direct communication with reality and direct communication others.

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

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 5,12,19 – Teaching in a Multicultural World

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 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

Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

TODAY with Pema Khandro

Mondays 1 – 1:30pm, PDT
June 5, 12, 19, 2023

Multicultural awareness involves appreciating the uniqueness of every student and what they can bring to the class. This series is led by Pema Khandro, Aruna Rig’dzin & Dr. Satya. Pema Khandro will  teach today and the focus groups with Aruna and Dr. Satya are on June 19th.

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.

Mountain of Jewels

Ngondro Training Module 3 – Online with Pema Khandro

Starts Monday, June 19 – Online

5-6:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

8-9:30pm New York (EDT)

10-11:30am Sydney (AEST)

What are Ngondro meditations? Ngondro meditations are the foundational practices for purifying, training and empowering the body-mind. They form the basis of Vajrayana meditation and serve as the foundation for the highest practices of the nature of mind. Ngondro means ‘before going.’ In traditional Vajrayana practice, it represents the cognitive, physical, emotional and philosophical components which are keys to the practice liberation. These are done before engaging in Tantra or Dzogchen practices in order to set a stable foundation.

Mountain of Jewels addresses the mandala offering, the practice of discovering our vast resources and abundance through generosity. Through the mandala offering we learn to discover our sense of vast resources, interdependence and connection.

It is possible to join Ngondro Training at any time, and it can be taken in any order. Join current modules live and take previous modules at your own pace. This module will focus on Mountain of Jewels including Mandala Offering, Vajrayogini Practice and the Seven Line Prayer.

Teachings on Karma

with Pema Khandro

June 21st – July 10th, 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.

The Basic Space of Being Dzogchen Retreat 
With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

August 4-6, 2023 – Online

10am – 11:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

1pm – 2:30pm New York (EDT)

“I am inalienable sublime knowing.

Outer, inner, and secret are perfect in me.”

-The Treasury of Basic Space

Study the profound Dzogchen manual for meditation and liberation. This text is read to a dying loved one, the crucial support at the most important time. It guides the dying person to realize the nature of mind. Indeed, The Treasury of Basic Space has been read at the time of death of many great Dzogchen masters.

Join the Buddhist Studies Institute presenting practice of the Treasury of Basic Space with Khenpo Yeshi and Dr. Pema Khandro, online Aug 4-6.

What is Karma?

pt. 1 with Pema Khandro

An Interview with Pema Khandro on the Buddhist View of Karma.

Pema Khandro describes how internal mental habits relate to our external circumstances. Based on mental and emotional habits, karmic scripts and karmic conditioning our lives habituate towards certain themes. It is possible to change our karma and get free from it.

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

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 5,12,19 – Teaching in a Multicultural World

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 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

Teaching Meditation
in a Multicultural World

Mondays 1 – 1:30pm, PDT
June 5, 12, 19, 2023

We are not practicing meditation in a monoculture!

This is not the same world that mindfulness was created in, awareness of race, class, and culture absolutely define the context of your meditation classes. Teaching in a way that minimizes harm requires acute sensitivity of the diversity that is present in your class.

Multicultural awareness involves appreciating the uniqueness of every student and what they can bring to the class. If you are not sure how to make your meditation class inclusive, this training is for you.

This series is led by Dr. Pema Khandro, Aruna Rig’dzin & Dr. Satya.

Geared towards supporting Meditation Instructors, this class is open to:

• Meditation Instructors certified through the Buddhist Studies Institute

• Students currently enrolled in the 180-hour Meditation Instructor Training curriculum offered through the Buddhist Studies Institute.

• Meditation instructors who received their instruction and training through other programs and schools.

Dr. Pema Khandro will teach June 12th  and the focus groups are June 5th and 19th led by Aruna Rig’dzin and Dr. Satya.

Mountain of Jewels

Ngondro Training Module 3 – Online with Pema Khandro

Starts Monday, June 19 – Online

5-6:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

8-9:30pm New York (EDT)

10-11:30am Sydney (AEST)

Mountain of Jewels addresses the mandala offering, the practice of discovering our vast resources and abundance through generosity. Through the mandala offering we learn to discover our sense of vast resources, interdependence and connection.

It is possible to join Ngondro Training at any time, and it can be taken in any order. Join current modules live and take previous modules at your own pace. This module will focus on Mountain of Jewels including Mandala Offering, Vajrayogini Practice and the Seven Line Prayer.

Annual Dzogchen Retreat: The Choying Dzod

with Khenpo Yeshi and Pema Khandro Rinpoche

August 4-6, 2023 – Online

10am – 11:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

1pm – 2:30pm New York (EDT)

Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to receive transmission in one of the most important Dzogchen texts.

Beyond effort and achievement is the state of natural ease, the basic space of being. How to breakthrough to find this innate expanse is the focus of a profound Buddhist meditation manual known as The Treasury of Basic Space, The Choying Dzod (chos dbyings rin po che’i mdzod). It presents the essence of esoteric Tibetan Buddhism, known as Great Perfection, or Dzogchen (rdzogs chen) in verse form. Venerated as a manifestation of the expanse of reality itself, The Treasury of Basic Space is the quintessential Dzogchen text by the fourteenth century master, Longchenpa.

Join Buddhist Studies Institute for this special program taught online by two esteemed Dzogchen scholars, Khenpo Yeshi, and Dr. Pema Khandro. Experience the power of the coinciding of study and practice.

Why the World Needs Ngakpas

An Introduction to the History of Tibetan Buddhist Yogis – the Ngakpa Lineage by Dr. Pema Khandro

The Ngakpa tradition is important for the future of Buddhism. This tradition has a long history of literature and philosophy that is relevant to male and female practitioners. Buddhism outside institutions developed brilliant resources for a very direct access to spiritual experience and philosophical inquiry. Such practices are tailored towards the complex lives of people with jobs, families, children; it offers resources that a purely monastic celibate Buddhist lineage does not.

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

JUNE

Jun 12,19 – Teaching in a Multicultural World

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: The Choying Dzod 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

Saga Dawa Celebration (Free!)

With Pema Khandro

June 3, 2023 – Online

10am – 11:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

1pm – 2:30pm New York (EDT)

Saga Dawa is the most auspicious day of the Tibetan Buddhist Calendar and a day celebrated by Buddhists all around the world. It is the anniversary of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and the day he passed away into parinirvana. The effects of actions on this day are said to be multiplied by ten million times because of the spiritual power of this full moon on the fourth month of the lunar calendar. Join us for prayers and aspirations on this auspicious occasion.

Chod Retreat

with Pema Khandro

June 1-4, 2023

Available online free for Snow Lion and All Access Pass Members

This 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.

Teaching Meditation in a Multicultural World

Developing Multicultural Awareness

Mondays – June 5, 12, and 19

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. Pema Khandro will teach for 1 hour on June 12th and the focus groups are June 5th and 19th are 30 minutes.

Teachings on Karma

Online with Pema Khandro, Aruna Rigdzin & Dr. Satya

June 21, 26 & July 10

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

The Basic Space of Being Dzogchen Retreat 
With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

August 4-6, 2023 – Online

10am – 11:30pm San Francisco (PDT)

1pm – 2:30pm New York (EDT)

Beyond effort and achievement is the state of natural ease, the basic space of being. How to effortlessly find this innate expanse is the focus of a profound Buddhist text known as the Treasury of Basic Space, The Choying Dzod (chos dbyings rin po che’i mdzod), the quintessential Dzogchen text written by the great fourteenth center Dzogchen master, Longchenpa. It refers to cho ying, the expanse of reality and pure experience of meaningfulness as the revelation of the ground of being.

It is a manual for meditation and liberation, as well as being a text that one reads to a dying person to introduce them to the nature of mind at death. Read during dying, The Treasury of Basic Space offers the crucial support at the most important time, by guiding the dying person to realize the nature of mind. Indeed, The Treasury of Basic Space has been read at the time of death of many great Dzogchen masters.

The Treasury of Basic Space details the elements of breakthrough meditation (trek cho), instructions which cut through misunderstandings of emptiness and point to the vivid wakefulness of sublime knowing.

Join Buddhist Studies Institute for this special program taught online by Khenpo Yeshi, Dzogchen Nyingthig scholar and Drikung Kagyu teacher and Dr. Pema Khandro, Dzogchen scholar, lama and lineage holder of the Nyingma tradition. The three days of online classes will include the lung, the oral initiation into this profound text by Khenpo Yeshi, study, and practice led by Khenpo Yeshi and Dr. Pema Khandro.

When Buddha Was a Woman

Buddhist Women Who Made History

with Pema Khandro

Early on in his succession of lives, in the third lifetime, the Buddha was a born a princess who was also the sister of the Buddha of previous aeons, Buddha Former Dipankara.

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

JUNE

Jun 1-4 – Chod Retreat at Dakini Mountain

Jun 5,12,19 – Teaching in a Multicultural World

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

Jun 21-Jul 10 – Teachings on Karma

JULY

July 15-16 – Meditation Instructor Training Finals & Graduation Online

AUGUST

Aug 4-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat Online: The Choying Dzod 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

Dzogchen Chod Retreat with Pema Khandro

At Dakini Mountain, Nevada City, CA

June 1st – 4th, 2023

Chod is a method of reclaiming the profound inner wisdom of fierce compassion.

Chod practice engages every aspect of ones being through prayers, visualizations, meditations, songs, dances and playing instruments. It is famously known for the central visualization of ones death and offering ones corpse to lovingly pacify and liberate demons.

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.

This retreat is led by scholar, Lama and Tulku, Pema Khandro. Pema Khandro is a lineage holder of the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions and presents in-depth, traditional study and practice with the expanded perspective that engages the most important questions of our time from a scholar-practitioner’s point of view.

Reviews from Past Chod Retreats & Teachings

What I particularly liked is the very deep and insightful translation of Chod by Pema Khandro with a more western psychological approach, which is hard to decipher. Pema Khandro gave me so much insight in a way I hadn’t had explained before” ~L

“This was a deeply inspiring teaching and practice. I particularly liked Pema Khandro’s ability to make these teachings so clear and accessible to Westerners like myself. She is a gifted teacher and I look forward to learning more.” ~J

“Much gratitude to Rinpoche for a brilliant clarification of the view of the practice and precious pointing out instructions on the nature of mind.” ~M

Lion’s Roar: Pema Khandro Rinpoche recites a prayer to awaken bodhicitta

“…I generate immeasurable love, compassion, joy, and equanimity of the awakened mind, the heart of bodhicitta.” Pema Khandro Rinpoche

This clip was recorded at the Lion’s Roar 2017 Annual Retreat at Garrison Institute “Boundless Love.”

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

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 Finals & Graduation Online

AUGUST

Aug 3-6 – Annual Dzogchen Retreat: The Choying Dzod with Khenpo Yeshi and 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