• Welcome
  • Latest News
  • About Pema Khandro
  • Upcoming Events
  • Links
  • DONATE

Buddhist Yogis News

Pema Khandro and Buddhist Yogis News Archive

Letter for the Pandemic

Upcoming Events

Bardo Teachings – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro, Father Francis Tiso, Lama Lhanang Rinpoche, Chagdud Khadro, Shugen Roshi, Julie Rogers, Jim Tucker, M.D., Koshin Paley Ellison and Dr. William McGrath

Open Dates
Teachings on Death and Dying Facing realities of dying, death, and grief are central to our human experience. This program offers practical instructions for helping others in the process of dying and an overview of essential knowledge on death, bardo, and rebirth. This includes self-paced lectures on dying, loss, grief, and illness from Lamas and scholars of Buddhist Studies.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhism & Sexuality – Self Paced Course

With Dr. Nicole Willock, Julie Regan, Ph.D., Pema Khandro, Lama Willa Miller, Amy Langenberg , Dr. Ann Gleig, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Lama Rod Owens, Dr. Jim Hopper, Dr. Elizabeth Call and Damchö Diana Finnegan

Open Dates
Join Pema Khandro and a group of esteemed Buddhist Studies scholars for an exploration of the history of Buddhist Sexualities from celibacy, to sacred sexuality in Buddhist Tantra and a simple approach to embodied integration with nature in Dzogchen.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhist Ethics – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This course on Buddhist Ethics goes through the Five Buddhist Precepts. The five precepts form the basis of a Buddhist way of life and the vows that Buddhists Seek to follow. The Five Precepts are a discipline of freedom, honor, and precision that cover the potent themes of life from the extraordinary perspective of non-duality.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Women in Tantric Buddhism – Self Paced Course

With Holly Gayley, Judith Simmer-Brown, Sarah Jacoby, Amy Langenberg , Damchö Diana Finnegan, Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo and Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This is the missing history of women in Tantric Buddhism. This course addresses the fascinating story of nuns, mothers, teachers, consorts, prophets, and disciples. Taught by scholar-practitioners whose groundbreaking research on women and Buddhism has changed the way we think of Buddhist history. This course will address the history of women in Buddhism, the history of yoginis and dakinis in India and Tibet, the stories of important Buddhist women, Buddhist philosophy on gender, sex, and sexuality, and the role of the consort in historical Tibet, and contemporary manifestations and so much more. Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for…
Register Now

April 14, 2020 by pemacom

This is a repost of a Letter from Pema Khandro in regards to the global pandemic and questions about which practices should be done by Buddhists during this time.
For more information about current changes to the schedule visit ngakpa.org or email us info@buddhistyogis.org

 

Dear Friends and Members,

I feel sorrow with everyone who is losing loved ones, who has lost loved ones or whose loved ones are in peril. And I stand in compassion with everyone who has lost their jobs or face the uncertainty of loved ones risking their lives as essential workers.

These are not easy times. There is much letting go to do.

I hope we can remember both our vulnerability and our resilience.That sense of our vulnerability is wisdom to remember. The tenderness and empathy we feel now is to be cared for. There is a sense of the suffering of ourselves and others and this sense of our shared vulnerability. The pandemic exposes our interdependence with one another. Whatever ideologies we may have had or differences, we are all connected, all want to be free from suffering and we all face our actions and their consequences together. That sense of our interconnectedness is wisdom to remember.

We can reject the dichotomies of being overwhelmed by fear and blind in glib denials by embracing the whole situation. Disasters are a part of human life. So is resilience. Fukushima, tsunamis, earthquakes and wildfire… whatever has come for the whole history of human kind, we  face hardships, adapt and feel resilient again. Indeed we are are facing radical changes, yet we will learn and emerge in new forms. In center of this paradox, here we are with our state of mind defining the quality of our lives.

For now, we are in the bardo – the liminal space between the unknown and the known. How we are in such times is often fraught with suffering because so much of our neurosis is around avoiding uncertainty. But now uncertainty is unavoidable. Its crucial that we train to find a calm center in the face of such uncertainty.

Life is like this, change is unavoidable. And it is within change and uncertainty that only our sense of presence can remain. Therefore, this circumstance is further training.

One sane approach is to take a day by day, step by step mentality. We can focus on the things we can control and do our best to accept and adapt to the rest. To take it to a higher level, as Buddhists, our focus is to raise bodhichitta in the face of whatever comes. We let our altruistic enlightened intent soothe ourselves and others and give us something that cannot be lost.  Sometimes bodhichitta is all we have and that brings with it a profound potential for integrating with what we are.

Many people have asked me what practices they can do during these extraordinary times. There is certainly a need for cultivating serenity and relating to our experiences in the most open-hearted way possible. In that case, I suggest the following practices. They do not substitute for medical care and health practices, but I do believe they can be of great benefit to those who have a heart connection with Buddhism.  Self-care in the form of one’s spiritual practices can be so clarifying. We will need maximum clarity in the times to come.

In Buddhist meditation, our primary practices train us to relate to reality directly, in a straightforward way while remaining calm and focused, yet with perspective. We seek to see things as they are and work with them just as they are. This requires bravery, the bravery to withstand discomfort and uncertainty. For Buddhists, that bravery can be drawn from our meditation practices and rituals. They remind us of a greater purpose.

So with this in mind, here is a list of suggestions for which Buddhist practices to do during this time. Practice these methods or whatever brings you and your loved ones peace.

I hope that your spiritual practices will help to ground you and restore you through these times, and that they will be with you in all the transitions ahead.

May we find peace and comfort through these times by caring for one another.

Yours always,
2015_PemaKhandro_Logo_Font_NgakpaV1
Lama Pema Khandro Rinpoche, Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism
Pema Khandro Foundation – Yogic Medicine Institute – Ngakpa International
Buddhist Studies Institute – Dakini Mountain – House of Bodhichitta – MahaSiddha Center
www.PemaKhandro.org  Email: info@BuddhistYogis.org

  1. For All Buddhists, Mantra Practice
    His Holiness Dalai Lama has suggested that we practice White Tara. Since the first Pema Khandro was an emanation of White Tara, we have a special connection to White Tara. White Tara is a female buddha who comes to our aide in pandemics, epidemics, disasters and emergencies. She represents the energy of peaceful, loving healing in times of crisis. For me, visualizing a loving mother of the buddhas washing myself and loved ones with light rays of compassion is a soothing practice, a respite from fear and stress, a lovely place to rest mind. Gyaldak Rinpoche has bestowed this empowerment numerous times at our Berkeley dharma center, so many of you have learned it already. There is an audio recording of me singing the mantra if you need it to remember the melody – my instagram handle is Dzogchen.PemaKhandro.

The Mantra is:
Om Tare Tu Tare Ture Mama Ayur Punya Jnana Pustim Kuruye Soha

2. For Vajrayana Practitioners, Chod


Severance. If you are a Chod practitioner, then I recommend Chod because it is the most powerful tool I know of for working with fear, facing death, psychologically processing illness and so much more. It was the practice used by Tibetan Buddhists during epidemics, at death, in the face of illness and obstacles. I suggest that all our members who are Chodpas practice this for themselves and their communities every day until the pandemic subsides, or at least on Dakini Day once a month. This is a useful practice because it works with the mental-emotional ‘demons’ who are riled up during these times. If you are at home and not working, you can do a four session retreat day with one feast per session. If you are working and keeping essential services going, I thank you for your bravery and service. In that case, with your shorter schedule, Chod can be the concise Chod with one feast. If you don’t know Chod you can rely on your Yidam practice.

For those of you who practice Vajrayana or Chod,
Dakini Day Chod will be online on April 17th and May 17th 1pm PST / 4pm EST
Sign up for our newsletter at ngakpa.org to see the future meeting times or visit this page.

3. For Daily Rituals, Smoke Offering


Many of you met the Nechung Oracle, Kuten-la during the many times we have hosted him in our various dharma centers. He has suggested that Vajrayana practitioners practice Sang, the smoke offering practice every day. We can offer this upon waking in the mornings. So, I suggest that if you know the Riwo Sang Cho you can practice this. Or if you want to practice the Sur & Protector Practice that we do at the end of every retreat, then that would also be suitable. Or, you may use whatever Smoke Offering practice that is part of your respective tradition. This is a worthwhile daily morning practice even when we are not in a pandemic. Going out to the fresh air at dawn to burn smoke is a lovely ritual that makes me feel more alive.

4. For Health Care Workers, Medicine Buddha


Medicine Buddha. If you are a health-care worker then I suggest Medicine Buddha practice for while you are working with your patients to promote resilience and stave off compassion fatigue. I have recently recorded some classes on this so you can listen to those online to reinforce your knowledge of how to do the practice. Learn More

Many of you who know me from public programs have received Zhine, calm abiding instructions from me as well. I suggest we all have time for Zhine every day. Fear is very taxing to our bodies so it is important to have calming practices to self-regulate. Tension and stress can be dissipated. I have been pleased to see so many free meditation classes on social media. Here is a link to a few of ours.

5. For Emotional Support, Empathy


After hearing so many stories, I have also decided that we will go ahead with our Empathy Training online since so many people need emotional support right now. This is a time when empathy skills are needed most. There is not just the stress of getting sick or avoiding getting sick. There is also interpersonal distress arising as we try to work together to address serious economic distress, family dynamics, loss of loved ones, and loss of the structure of society as we knew it. In these times, empathy is a crucial skill that can present profound relief for our loved ones and friends. I hope that this class will be of help to you.
Learn More about Empathy Training

In Closing
There is so much more to discuss, but ultimately it does all boil down to bodhichitta, the great heart of altruistic enlightened intent. From the Buddhist point of view, whatever practices we do, it is that motivation which matters most.

 

I have set aside time for us to talk about Buddhist teachings on dying, death and caring for a dying person in upcoming online classes. You can join me for those by staying tuned to our newsletter and social media channels. I pray that you have all the support your need.

 

More Reading: Pema Khandro’s Bardo Article https://www.lionsroar.com/four-points-for-letting-go-bardo/

Pema Khandro’s Article, How to Stop A Meltdown

Pema Khandro, Buddhist teachings on Illness – Carrying Illness onto the Path

______________________________________________________________

NEWS

UPCOMING TEACHINGS ONLINE

April
Apr 8   –  Vajrayana Training (Twice a month online)
Apr 13  –  Transforming Fear when Loved Ones are Dying
Apr 15  –  Ngakpa Training (Every month online)
Apr 17  –  Dakini Day Chod
Apr 22  –  Open Teaching: Buddhist Philosophy Online (Once a month online free program)
Apr 22  –  Ngakpa Live
Apr 29  –  Empathy Training

*Our local community meditation classes in Seattle, Santa Cruz, and Richmond, California are canceled until further notice.


 


Pema Khandro offers a Special Preparatory Video for all those who register for Empathy Training

Empathy Training – Online  –  NEW DATES
Wednesdays, April 29  – May 20
12pm – 2pm PST (UTC-7) Timezone Converter

A happy life. Loving relationships. Peace with family. Deeper friendships. Real Love. Emotional Maturity. Spiritual Maturity. Socio-Emotional Intelligence. Harmony with Co-workers and so much more. Join three Buddhist teachers for an eight-week course in the core skills you need to live with an open-heart. Designed and led by internationally renowned scholar and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, Pema Khandro. This training is also led by Aruna Rig’dzin Ross and Satya Shiva, Co- Directors of Ngakpa International and the Yogic Medicine Institute.

Join the 4-week Empathy training. Learn the core skills you need to connect, be heard and be there for others.

 

 

_____________________________________

2020b_Transforming Fear with Pema Khandro_4

Transforming Fear
A Webcast to Support Your Resilience
With Pema Khandro

Do you feel stressed, anxious or afraid in light of the global pandemic? Economic stress weighing you down? You are not alone! We can’t control everything but we can regulate our reactions, to move through fear, into a state of calm, focus and preparedness. Pema Khandro will be offering a weekly class this month focused on building resilience and transforming fear in times of crisis. It will include meditation, lecture, tips for wellness and a time to connect. How to care compassionately for your anxiety & fear. Tips to practice self care and empathy, and how to be there for yourselves and others including:

  • Methods to calm down
  • Focus through Meditation
  • Alternatives to suppressing fear or being overwhelmed by fear
  • Uplift your mind while remaining realistic
  • Soothe and Uplift yourself others
  • Key components of a healthy diet
  • Building your immunity through diet, supplements
  • Reducing the impact of sickness
  • Checking in with classmates every-week to increase social support
  • If you missed the live classes, you can still watch the video series email info@BuddhistYogis.org for more details► Learn More

BUDDHIST YOGIS INFO  ♦  DONATE  ♦  VISIT OUR WEBSITES

Ngakpa.org
PemaKhandro.org
BuddhistStudiesInstitute.org
DakiniMountain.org
YogicMedicineInstitute.org

share

Copyright Ⓒ 2019
Ngakpa International • PO Box 2396 • Nevada City, CA • USA

 

New Years Message from Pema Khandro

Upcoming Events

Bardo Teachings – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro, Father Francis Tiso, Lama Lhanang Rinpoche, Chagdud Khadro, Shugen Roshi, Julie Rogers, Jim Tucker, M.D., Koshin Paley Ellison and Dr. William McGrath

Open Dates
Teachings on Death and Dying Facing realities of dying, death, and grief are central to our human experience. This program offers practical instructions for helping others in the process of dying and an overview of essential knowledge on death, bardo, and rebirth. This includes self-paced lectures on dying, loss, grief, and illness from Lamas and scholars of Buddhist Studies.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhism & Sexuality – Self Paced Course

With Dr. Nicole Willock, Julie Regan, Ph.D., Pema Khandro, Lama Willa Miller, Amy Langenberg , Dr. Ann Gleig, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Lama Rod Owens, Dr. Jim Hopper, Dr. Elizabeth Call and Damchö Diana Finnegan

Open Dates
Join Pema Khandro and a group of esteemed Buddhist Studies scholars for an exploration of the history of Buddhist Sexualities from celibacy, to sacred sexuality in Buddhist Tantra and a simple approach to embodied integration with nature in Dzogchen.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhist Ethics – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This course on Buddhist Ethics goes through the Five Buddhist Precepts. The five precepts form the basis of a Buddhist way of life and the vows that Buddhists Seek to follow. The Five Precepts are a discipline of freedom, honor, and precision that cover the potent themes of life from the extraordinary perspective of non-duality.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Women in Tantric Buddhism – Self Paced Course

With Holly Gayley, Judith Simmer-Brown, Sarah Jacoby, Amy Langenberg , Damchö Diana Finnegan, Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo and Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This is the missing history of women in Tantric Buddhism. This course addresses the fascinating story of nuns, mothers, teachers, consorts, prophets, and disciples. Taught by scholar-practitioners whose groundbreaking research on women and Buddhism has changed the way we think of Buddhist history. This course will address the history of women in Buddhism, the history of yoginis and dakinis in India and Tibet, the stories of important Buddhist women, Buddhist philosophy on gender, sex, and sexuality, and the role of the consort in historical Tibet, and contemporary manifestations and so much more. Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for…
Register Now

January 2, 2020 by pemacom

Dear Friends, Members and Students,

Thank you for a decade of love, practice, service and study. It has been such an honor to study and practice together. Thank you for supporting the Ngakpa International projects including the Yogic Medicine Institute, the MahaSiddha Center, Ngakpa House, House of Bodhichitta and Khandro Ling. A heartfelt thank you to my students and friends who have donated to support my Lama activities. And most especially thank you for those of you who have donated to our Dakini Mountain fundraiser – thanks to you the dream is in reach. Your support has also ushered in a new era – the era of Dakini Mountain. I am overjoyed to be planning our grand opening and am holding high aspirations for the benefit that can be offered there.

Enclosed is an excerpt for you from the text we are studying in the monthly online class, the text from Longchenpa, Excellent Path to Enlightenment. This is its seventy ninth instruction. It expresses the path to happiness – stepping out of self-absorption into altruistic enlightened intent, also known in Sanskrit as, bodhichitta.

May you have calm and courage, good fortune and wisdom in all the times to come. May we meet again (and again) at Dakini Mountain.

Yours always,
Pema Khandro

2015_PemaKhandro_Logo_Font_NgakpaV1

When you enter the house of a bodhisattva, give rise to the mind of bodhichitta, thinking, “May all sentient beings enter the city of liberation.”

When you go to sleep, think, “May all beings obtain the dharmakaya buddha.”

When dreaming dreams, think, “May all beings realize all phenomena to be like dreams.”

When tightening your belt, think, “May all beings be connected to the root of virtue.”

When sitting down, think, “May all obtain the vajra seat.”

When lighting a fire, think, “May the firewood of the kleshas be consumed.”

When a  fire is blazing, think, “May the fire of wisdom blaze.”

When cooking a meal think, “May all obtain the amrita of wisdom.”

When eating food, think, “May all be nourished by the food of meditation.”

When placing your foot down, think, “May I go for the benefit of beings.”

When lifting your foot up, think, “May all beings be lifted from suffering.”

When seeing suffering, think, “May all the suffering of sentient beings be pacified.”

When seeing those who are happy, think, “May all obtain the happiness of enlightenment.”

Excerpted from Excellent Path to Enlightenment, by Longchen Rabjam. Translation by Khenpo Gawang Rinpoche and Gerry Wiener

Celebrating Our
2019 Accomplishments2019B_Fundraiser_ people served

Thank you for your continued support in 2019!

Because of you, Ngakpa International continues to offer in-depth Buddhist Education worldwide. Thanks to you we were able to offer:       

  • 261 Programs in 2019. This was 44 more programs than in 2018, 124 more than in 2017, and 147 more than 2016!
  • We served 1,076 Participants and 75 Members.
  • We offered 161 Free Classes and we gave $20,931 of Financial Aid to those with financial hardship.

This was also another year of training leaders, teachers, counselors, doctors and health professionals. We offered our online Meditation Instructor Training as well as Group Leader Training. Public classes were offered in Nevada City, Seattle, Richmond, Santa Cruz, San Diego, Charlottesville, and Online, as well as Sydney Australia.

We are still raising funds to get permits for Dakini Mountain so we can hold public events there. But already, in 2019, we offered our first member Retreats at Dakini Mountain, including The 100,000 Dakinis Retreat, the Radiance Retreat, and our Annual Dzogchen Retreat. We also offered over 2 months of intensive healing retreats at Dakini Mountain healing center.

We hosted His Eminence Gyaldak Rinpoche at our Retreats and centers in Richmond, California and for the land blessing at Dakini Mountain.

Also in 2019, Pema Khandro Rinpoche continued to be published in Lion’s Roar magazine and Buddhadharma Magazine, with her articles featured on LionsRoar.com.  Her touching article opened the groundbreaking first all-women’s issue of Buddhadharma quarterly, Read it her, Hear Our Voices, Pema Khandro. Here article on kindness and the body was also featured his year, Be Kind to Yourself by Pema Khandro and her article on Meditation offered a potent description of why Buddhists meditate, read the article here –You are Caught in a Dream, Wake up, by Pema Khandro. Finally there was the fascinating forum which included Pema Khandro, a discussion with Buddhist teachers about the teacher-student relationship, you can read the article by clicking here – Is the Guru Model Broken?

Pema Khandro Rinpoche has BuddhistYogis_PemaKhandro_72dp continued to offer us extraordinary access to in-depth training and education in esoteric Buddhist philosophy, Vajrayana and Dzogchen. Through Vajrayana Training and Ngakpa Seminary she has guided students in a classical Buddhist intellectual education while also offering retreats to give ongoing training in the meditation practices of the Buddhist Yogis. This summer’s annual Dzogchen residential retreat at Dakini Mountain and Vajrayana Retreat at Khandro Ling Virginia were major successes with serious practice, much peace and joy.

In pursuit of our commitment to support wellness in body and mind, we led our signature Detoxification and Cleansing Retreats Dakini Mountain.

Meanwhile our local leaders led regular Meditation Classes in five cities.

We also hosted three retreats at Khandro Ling in Charlottesville, Virginia.

This has all been possible due to the massive effort, ceaseless teaching, and tireless generosity of our beloved teacher, Pema Khandro.

But she cannot do this alone – now, more than ever, she needs your help. We have acquired Dakini Mountain, and your participation and support and donations are needed to realize the next phase of this dream!

Our current needs are:

$6000 – 2019 Lodge and Facilities Upgrades including shower and plumbing.

$7,500 – Installation of Vajrayogini statue and temporary shrine to celebrate the feminine in Buddhism and foster the ideals of gender equality, harmony and compassion. This is the first stage of our plan to build a stupa.

$15,000 – Fire Clearing.  Northern California is a very high fire risk zone.  Brush clearing must be extensive and maintained to protect all structures.

$36,600 – Annual Insurance, Property Tax, and Propane Fees.

$40,000 – Government Use Permits.  Local government laws and ordinances require a comprehensive permitting process.

$79,600 – We need a guest cabin for teachers to come lead events including Pema Khandro, guest Lamas, other teachers and guests.

$69,000 – Our yearly fundraising for other infrastructure expenses for the 2019-2020 classes and retreats including website development and hosting, online meeting costs, accounting, printing, and other insurance needs.

$100,000 – Solar System Upgrade.  Dakini Mountain is dedicated to ecological sustainability – therefore it is completely off the grid. We have solar power now but we need to double the capacity of the current system for hosting larger groups.

“Dakini Mountain is the place
where we encounter our intrinsic wisdom.”
~Pema Khandro

You may make a one-time gift and you may also give monthly by being a Member. And for those of you have donated before, for this we heartily THANK YOU! We hope you will consider making a New Year Donation toward Dakini Mountain.

donate now heart

May we Meet at Dakini Mountain!

Ngakpa Intl is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All donations are

Tax Deductible. Federal Tax Id# 68-0529687.

DM_Grand Opening_Save the date

BUDDHIST YOGIS INFO  ♦  DONATE  ♦  VISIT OUR WEBSITES

Ngakpa.org
PemaKhandro.org
BuddhistYogis.org
DakiniMountain.org
YogicMedicineInstitute.org

Copyright Ⓒ 2019
Ngakpa International • PO Box 2396 • Nevada City, CA • USA

 

Powerful and Compassionate

Upcoming Events

Bardo Teachings – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro, Father Francis Tiso, Lama Lhanang Rinpoche, Chagdud Khadro, Shugen Roshi, Julie Rogers, Jim Tucker, M.D., Koshin Paley Ellison and Dr. William McGrath

Open Dates
Teachings on Death and Dying Facing realities of dying, death, and grief are central to our human experience. This program offers practical instructions for helping others in the process of dying and an overview of essential knowledge on death, bardo, and rebirth. This includes self-paced lectures on dying, loss, grief, and illness from Lamas and scholars of Buddhist Studies.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhism & Sexuality – Self Paced Course

With Dr. Nicole Willock, Julie Regan, Ph.D., Pema Khandro, Lama Willa Miller, Amy Langenberg , Dr. Ann Gleig, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Lama Rod Owens, Dr. Jim Hopper, Dr. Elizabeth Call and Damchö Diana Finnegan

Open Dates
Join Pema Khandro and a group of esteemed Buddhist Studies scholars for an exploration of the history of Buddhist Sexualities from celibacy, to sacred sexuality in Buddhist Tantra and a simple approach to embodied integration with nature in Dzogchen.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhist Ethics – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This course on Buddhist Ethics goes through the Five Buddhist Precepts. The five precepts form the basis of a Buddhist way of life and the vows that Buddhists Seek to follow. The Five Precepts are a discipline of freedom, honor, and precision that cover the potent themes of life from the extraordinary perspective of non-duality.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Women in Tantric Buddhism – Self Paced Course

With Holly Gayley, Judith Simmer-Brown, Sarah Jacoby, Amy Langenberg , Damchö Diana Finnegan, Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo and Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This is the missing history of women in Tantric Buddhism. This course addresses the fascinating story of nuns, mothers, teachers, consorts, prophets, and disciples. Taught by scholar-practitioners whose groundbreaking research on women and Buddhism has changed the way we think of Buddhist history. This course will address the history of women in Buddhism, the history of yoginis and dakinis in India and Tibet, the stories of important Buddhist women, Buddhist philosophy on gender, sex, and sexuality, and the role of the consort in historical Tibet, and contemporary manifestations and so much more. Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for…
Register Now

June 28, 2018 by Khandro News

Pema Khandro’s essay on Power in Buddhism was featured in Lion’s Roars Top Stories this week. This was based on a transcript of Pema Khandro’s speech at the Women’s March in Washington D.C. in 2017.

“Just because we avoid talking about power doesn’t mean we are unaffected by it. Power and hierarchy still unfold amidst our silence but are left to manifest in unconscious ways that promote suffering. This is the problem with the defensive avoidance of traumatic material: it always returns, resurfacing again and again until we can see our way through it. And we must see our way through it. If we avoid talking about power and social action, Buddhist ideas lose their relevance. We can’t speak of healthy love and compassion without addressing power dynamics. We can’t talk about interdependence without paying attention to the needs of the collective. It’s easy to say we love all sentient beings and to talk about universal compassion and empathy as abstractions. But how do we enact love and compassion on the ground, in real life?”

Click the link below to read the full article.

The Power of Buddhism

 

 

The Real Reasons…Pema Khandro July Lion’s Roar

Upcoming Events

Bardo Teachings – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro, Father Francis Tiso, Lama Lhanang Rinpoche, Chagdud Khadro, Shugen Roshi, Julie Rogers, Jim Tucker, M.D., Koshin Paley Ellison and Dr. William McGrath

Open Dates
Teachings on Death and Dying Facing realities of dying, death, and grief are central to our human experience. This program offers practical instructions for helping others in the process of dying and an overview of essential knowledge on death, bardo, and rebirth. This includes self-paced lectures on dying, loss, grief, and illness from Lamas and scholars of Buddhist Studies.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhism & Sexuality – Self Paced Course

With Dr. Nicole Willock, Julie Regan, Ph.D., Pema Khandro, Lama Willa Miller, Amy Langenberg , Dr. Ann Gleig, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Lama Rod Owens, Dr. Jim Hopper, Dr. Elizabeth Call and Damchö Diana Finnegan

Open Dates
Join Pema Khandro and a group of esteemed Buddhist Studies scholars for an exploration of the history of Buddhist Sexualities from celibacy, to sacred sexuality in Buddhist Tantra and a simple approach to embodied integration with nature in Dzogchen.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhist Ethics – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This course on Buddhist Ethics goes through the Five Buddhist Precepts. The five precepts form the basis of a Buddhist way of life and the vows that Buddhists Seek to follow. The Five Precepts are a discipline of freedom, honor, and precision that cover the potent themes of life from the extraordinary perspective of non-duality.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Women in Tantric Buddhism – Self Paced Course

With Holly Gayley, Judith Simmer-Brown, Sarah Jacoby, Amy Langenberg , Damchö Diana Finnegan, Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo and Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This is the missing history of women in Tantric Buddhism. This course addresses the fascinating story of nuns, mothers, teachers, consorts, prophets, and disciples. Taught by scholar-practitioners whose groundbreaking research on women and Buddhism has changed the way we think of Buddhist history. This course will address the history of women in Buddhism, the history of yoginis and dakinis in India and Tibet, the stories of important Buddhist women, Buddhist philosophy on gender, sex, and sexuality, and the role of the consort in historical Tibet, and contemporary manifestations and so much more. Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for…
Register Now

June 6, 2018 by Khandro News

There is so much scientific research weighing in on the benefits of meditation! So its also inspiring to also take time to remember why to meditate from the Buddhist point of view. July’s Lion’s Roar Magazine offers an issue that features articles by Pema Khandro and other Buddhist teachers leaders. They write on the subject of the reasons to meditate (from Buddhism’s perspective).

Inside the July 2018 Lion’s Roar magazine

Pema Khandro in Lion’s Roar’s Weekend Reader

Upcoming Events

Bardo Teachings – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro, Father Francis Tiso, Lama Lhanang Rinpoche, Chagdud Khadro, Shugen Roshi, Julie Rogers, Jim Tucker, M.D., Koshin Paley Ellison and Dr. William McGrath

Open Dates
Teachings on Death and Dying Facing realities of dying, death, and grief are central to our human experience. This program offers practical instructions for helping others in the process of dying and an overview of essential knowledge on death, bardo, and rebirth. This includes self-paced lectures on dying, loss, grief, and illness from Lamas and scholars of Buddhist Studies.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhism & Sexuality – Self Paced Course

With Dr. Nicole Willock, Julie Regan, Ph.D., Pema Khandro, Lama Willa Miller, Amy Langenberg , Dr. Ann Gleig, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Lama Rod Owens, Dr. Jim Hopper, Dr. Elizabeth Call and Damchö Diana Finnegan

Open Dates
Join Pema Khandro and a group of esteemed Buddhist Studies scholars for an exploration of the history of Buddhist Sexualities from celibacy, to sacred sexuality in Buddhist Tantra and a simple approach to embodied integration with nature in Dzogchen.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhist Ethics – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This course on Buddhist Ethics goes through the Five Buddhist Precepts. The five precepts form the basis of a Buddhist way of life and the vows that Buddhists Seek to follow. The Five Precepts are a discipline of freedom, honor, and precision that cover the potent themes of life from the extraordinary perspective of non-duality.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Women in Tantric Buddhism – Self Paced Course

With Holly Gayley, Judith Simmer-Brown, Sarah Jacoby, Amy Langenberg , Damchö Diana Finnegan, Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo and Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This is the missing history of women in Tantric Buddhism. This course addresses the fascinating story of nuns, mothers, teachers, consorts, prophets, and disciples. Taught by scholar-practitioners whose groundbreaking research on women and Buddhism has changed the way we think of Buddhist history. This course will address the history of women in Buddhism, the history of yoginis and dakinis in India and Tibet, the stories of important Buddhist women, Buddhist philosophy on gender, sex, and sexuality, and the role of the consort in historical Tibet, and contemporary manifestations and so much more. Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for…
Register Now

June 2, 2018 by Khandro News

The People Who Inspire Us, Uncertainty, the Bodhisattva Path, and the Four Points for Letting Go by Pema Khandro… The Lion’s Roar Weekend Reader is out and includes an article by Pema Khandro Rinpoche. Its perfect timing to join in on contemplating the theme of letting go and Tibetan Bardo teachings while Rinpoche leads a retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains focused on Tibetan Chod Meditation. Enjoy!

The People Who Inspire Us

 

Pema Khandro Teaching in Berkeley Tonight

Upcoming Events

Bardo Teachings – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro, Father Francis Tiso, Lama Lhanang Rinpoche, Chagdud Khadro, Shugen Roshi, Julie Rogers, Jim Tucker, M.D., Koshin Paley Ellison and Dr. William McGrath

Open Dates
Teachings on Death and Dying Facing realities of dying, death, and grief are central to our human experience. This program offers practical instructions for helping others in the process of dying and an overview of essential knowledge on death, bardo, and rebirth. This includes self-paced lectures on dying, loss, grief, and illness from Lamas and scholars of Buddhist Studies.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhism & Sexuality – Self Paced Course

With Dr. Nicole Willock, Julie Regan, Ph.D., Pema Khandro, Lama Willa Miller, Amy Langenberg , Dr. Ann Gleig, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Lama Rod Owens, Dr. Jim Hopper, Dr. Elizabeth Call and Damchö Diana Finnegan

Open Dates
Join Pema Khandro and a group of esteemed Buddhist Studies scholars for an exploration of the history of Buddhist Sexualities from celibacy, to sacred sexuality in Buddhist Tantra and a simple approach to embodied integration with nature in Dzogchen.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhist Ethics – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This course on Buddhist Ethics goes through the Five Buddhist Precepts. The five precepts form the basis of a Buddhist way of life and the vows that Buddhists Seek to follow. The Five Precepts are a discipline of freedom, honor, and precision that cover the potent themes of life from the extraordinary perspective of non-duality.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Women in Tantric Buddhism – Self Paced Course

With Holly Gayley, Judith Simmer-Brown, Sarah Jacoby, Amy Langenberg , Damchö Diana Finnegan, Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo and Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This is the missing history of women in Tantric Buddhism. This course addresses the fascinating story of nuns, mothers, teachers, consorts, prophets, and disciples. Taught by scholar-practitioners whose groundbreaking research on women and Buddhism has changed the way we think of Buddhist history. This course will address the history of women in Buddhism, the history of yoginis and dakinis in India and Tibet, the stories of important Buddhist women, Buddhist philosophy on gender, sex, and sexuality, and the role of the consort in historical Tibet, and contemporary manifestations and so much more. Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for…
Register Now

May 25, 2018 by Khandro News

 

Dear Friends,
We are overjoyed to invite you to a class tonight with Pema Khandro Rinpoche. She will offer a public class tonight in Berkeley, California!
The program is tonight, Friday May 25, at 7pm at the MahaSiddha Center, 2328 Channing Way, Berkeley, California, a few blocks from UC Berkeley. It is free and open to the public (with a suggested donation of $15-$20 to support our non-profit organization!) All are welcome. Click Here for More Info
About Pema Khandro
PemaKhandro_55
Pema Khandro is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher, scholar and humanitarian, specializing in the philosophy and practice of Tibet’s Buddhist Yogis and their Dzogchen teachings. Ordained in the Nyingma lineage, enthroned as a tulku, and trained as an academic, her teachings celebrate the dynamic coalescence of tradition and the modern context. Pema Khandro is the founder of Ngakpa International, the Yogic Medicine Institute and three residential centers. For more information visit www.PemaKhandro.org
 ____________________________
2018FBB_Love in Times of Hate_PemaKhandro_BuddhistYogis
 ____________________________

Meditation Retreat with Pema Khandro
May 29 – Jun 3

Jikoji Zen Center, Santa Cruz Mountains

Register Now  –  We have a couple spots left

This meditation retreat focuses on Tibetan Buddhism’s esoteric practice for transforming the most difficult experiences into opportunities for awakening, known as “Cutting Through” or Chod.

 

Chod is a dynamic meditation practice cherished by every lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. It incorporates, vision, mantra, prayer, music, and ritual to cultivate open-hearted presence as the path to non-dual awareness.

 

It is also a Buddhist method for healing and transforming the hidden content within one’s own mind to release past traumas, undigested emotions and transform difficult experiences.

 

It is an ideal meditation practice for Vajrayana practitioners to train in because Chod includes every Vajrayana practice in its most essential form: refuge, bodhichitta, mandala offering, deity yoga, guru yoga, illusory body practice, transference of consciousness (Phowa) and more.

 

The retreat will alternate between teachings on Buddhist philosophy, training in Chod, dynamic meditation practice and silent sitting meditation. It will include instructions on:

 

  • How to use the instruments, drum, bell and thigh-bone trumpet
  • Chanting the Laughter of the Dakinis Chod in Tibetan & English
  • The visualization and meaning behind Chod
  • Black Vajrayogini Meditation
  • The Chod technique for working with emotions and subconscious mind
  • The song of the Dakinis of the five directions
  • Dzogchen and Chod – Buddhist philosophy on the nature of mind
  • Silent sitting meditation, the direct path to finding calm and quiet
  • The history and significance of the Longchen Nyingthig, the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse

The retreat will begin on Saga Dawa, May 29th, the day of the Buddha’s birth, death and enlightenment, the most important day of the year to be doing intensive contemplative practice. It will continue until June 3rd.

The retreat will be held in the beautiful redwood forest in North California, just outside Santa Cruz, at Jikoji Zen Center. At 2350 ft. elevation in the Santa Cruz mountains, the property has many unique features, such as a large pond (or small lake), places to pitch a tent (in addition to hostel type accommodations), and miles of hiking trails in the surrounding 1800 acres of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

Click Here for more Info

2018F_ChodRetreat_BuddhistYogis 2

Upcoming Events with Pema Khandro

Public Teaching
May 25, 7pm     –  Love in Times of Hate, Berkeley MahaSiddha Center
Residential Retreats
May 29 – Jun 3  –  Vajrayana Meditation Retreat: Chod, Jikoji Zen Center
Aug 14 – 19       –  Dzogchen Meditation Retreat, Mount Madonna Center
Oct 19 – 21        –  Vajra Sangha Retreat, Khandro Ling Retreat, Virginia
Teacher Training
Sep 13 – Oct 6   –  Meditation Instructor Training, Online
Oct 22 – 25        –  Group Leader Training, Khandro Ling Retreat, Virginia

Weekly Online Classes
Wednesdays at 6pm PT / 9pm ET

1st  Wed  –  Vajrayana Training
2nd Wed  –  Dzogchen Day for Members
3rd  Wed  –  Ngakpa Training for Varja Sangha students
4th  Wed  –  Open Teaching – Free for the Public

Pema Khandro at the International Buddhist Women’s Conference

Upcoming Events

Bardo Teachings – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro, Father Francis Tiso, Lama Lhanang Rinpoche, Chagdud Khadro, Shugen Roshi, Julie Rogers, Jim Tucker, M.D., Koshin Paley Ellison and Dr. William McGrath

Open Dates
Teachings on Death and Dying Facing realities of dying, death, and grief are central to our human experience. This program offers practical instructions for helping others in the process of dying and an overview of essential knowledge on death, bardo, and rebirth. This includes self-paced lectures on dying, loss, grief, and illness from Lamas and scholars of Buddhist Studies.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhism & Sexuality – Self Paced Course

With Dr. Nicole Willock, Julie Regan, Ph.D., Pema Khandro, Lama Willa Miller, Amy Langenberg , Dr. Ann Gleig, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Lama Rod Owens, Dr. Jim Hopper, Dr. Elizabeth Call and Damchö Diana Finnegan

Open Dates
Join Pema Khandro and a group of esteemed Buddhist Studies scholars for an exploration of the history of Buddhist Sexualities from celibacy, to sacred sexuality in Buddhist Tantra and a simple approach to embodied integration with nature in Dzogchen.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Buddhist Ethics – Self Paced Course

With Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This course on Buddhist Ethics goes through the Five Buddhist Precepts. The five precepts form the basis of a Buddhist way of life and the vows that Buddhists Seek to follow. The Five Precepts are a discipline of freedom, honor, and precision that cover the potent themes of life from the extraordinary perspective of non-duality.   Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for these precious teachings. Your contribution, big and small, helps makes in-depth Buddhist training and education more accessible for all. May the teachings spread and flourish!
Register Now

Women in Tantric Buddhism – Self Paced Course

With Holly Gayley, Judith Simmer-Brown, Sarah Jacoby, Amy Langenberg , Damchö Diana Finnegan, Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo and Pema Khandro

Open Dates
This is the missing history of women in Tantric Buddhism. This course addresses the fascinating story of nuns, mothers, teachers, consorts, prophets, and disciples. Taught by scholar-practitioners whose groundbreaking research on women and Buddhism has changed the way we think of Buddhist history. This course will address the history of women in Buddhism, the history of yoginis and dakinis in India and Tibet, the stories of important Buddhist women, Buddhist philosophy on gender, sex, and sexuality, and the role of the consort in historical Tibet, and contemporary manifestations and so much more. Support the Buddhist Studies Institute by donating for…
Register Now

June 21, 2017 by Khandro News

Pema Khandro will be presenting at the International Buddhist Women’s Conference in Hong Kong. The Conference begins tomorrow, June 22, 2017. It is organized by Sakyadhita International which is a worldwide organization devoted to benefiting Buddhist women around the world. Since its inception in 1987, it has participated in positive changes to empower women around the globe. The organization and its conferences promote dialogue, harmony, and connection among Buddhist women from different traditions throughout the world. It has over two thousand members in forty-five different countries.

This year’s conference is held in Hong Kong. The theme this year is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation, Cultural Exchange & Social Action.”

 

Pema Khandro Rinpoche’s will be presenting at the conference on Sunday. Her presentation will focus on patterns of the development of women’s identity in Tibetan biographies. The presentation is entitled, “Becoming Vajrayogini, Buddhist Women’s Self-Esteem without Self.” It examines the philosophical precedents for concepts of identity development. The following is a short excerpt of a translation from a text she will discuss.

“For without dharma holders, who will have fortitude? The Buddhists who put Dharma into practice… should not hold the view that men are superior and women are inferior. Now and future generations should look up to these great women and embrace them as models. Then, whatever activities they do, whether dharmic or worldly, they will never be discouraged. They will be brave. They will endure. In this state they will accomplish their vows.1“

For more details about the conference visit http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html

For more information about becoming a member of Sakyadhita International – visit:

http://sakyadhita.org/home/joinus.html

 

Foot Notes:

  1. In English, the title is, “Garland of White Lotuses: The Liberation Stories of Great Female Lives in Tibet.” In Tibetan, it is “Phags bod kyi skyes chen m dg gi rnm par thar ba pd+m dkar po’i phreng b pod dang po bzhugs so.” (Garze: Bla rung arya tare’i dpe tshogs rtsom sgrig khang, 2013).

Recent Posts

  • Last Day to Register!
  • Chakrasamvara Empowerment and Teaching
  • Choying Dzod starts tomorrow!
  • Unwavering Awareness
  • Tomorrow: Love as the Path to Liberation
  • Love as a Path to Liberation
  • Ngondro Starts Today
  • Ends Jan 24 – Final Chance for Early Enrollment Discount on Meditation Teacher Training
  • Deepen Your Practice
  • Finding Community in Ngondro
  • Meditation Teachers Needed: Extended Enrollment Dates
  • Message from Pema Khandro
  • Foundational Buddhist Practice with Pema Khandro
  • New Year Meditation Marathon
  • A New Years Gift of Dharma for All
  • Thriving Together
  • Peace and Prosperity
  • A New Dawn
  • Reset, Recharge, and Renew
  • Pema Khandro’s 21 Tara Birthday Fundraiser is Today!
  • 🪷 Giving Tuesday 🪷

News Archives

Share the News

Search this Site

Contact

Email: info@BuddhistYogis.org

return to top of page

Copyright © Pema Khandro · 2025