Buddhist Yogis News

Pema Khandro and Buddhist Yogis News Archive

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

Awakening Innate Wisdom: 21 Semdzin Dzogchen Retreat

With Pema Khandro

August 6 - 10, 2025
In-person in San Diego, and Online   This retreat provides a rare opportunity to receive authentic guidance in these essential Dzogchen methods within a supportive environment conducive to deep practice. Through direct instruction, guided sessions, and periods of integration, participants will learn how these seemingly simple yet profound techniques can cut through ordinary conceptual mind to reveal what has been present from the beginning – one’s own intrinsic wisdom. Join us to explore how the Semdzins—practices not of concentration or fabrication, but of discovery—can open doors to experiencing the natural perfection that is our primordial condition, with practical applications that…
Register now

Choying Dzod Online: Awakening to the Expanse

With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

September 5 - 7, 2025
Join us for the 6th installation of the Choying Dzod, with Dr. Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi Awakening to the Expanse 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,  is the quintessential Dzogchen text…
Register now

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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

Awakening Innate Wisdom: 21 Semdzin Dzogchen Retreat

With Pema Khandro

August 6 - 10, 2025
In-person in San Diego, and Online   This retreat provides a rare opportunity to receive authentic guidance in these essential Dzogchen methods within a supportive environment conducive to deep practice. Through direct instruction, guided sessions, and periods of integration, participants will learn how these seemingly simple yet profound techniques can cut through ordinary conceptual mind to reveal what has been present from the beginning – one’s own intrinsic wisdom. Join us to explore how the Semdzins—practices not of concentration or fabrication, but of discovery—can open doors to experiencing the natural perfection that is our primordial condition, with practical applications that…
Register now

Choying Dzod Online: Awakening to the Expanse

With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

September 5 - 7, 2025
Join us for the 6th installation of the Choying Dzod, with Dr. Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi Awakening to the Expanse 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,  is the quintessential Dzogchen text…
Register now

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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

 

 

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

Awakening Innate Wisdom: 21 Semdzin Dzogchen Retreat

With Pema Khandro

August 6 - 10, 2025
In-person in San Diego, and Online   This retreat provides a rare opportunity to receive authentic guidance in these essential Dzogchen methods within a supportive environment conducive to deep practice. Through direct instruction, guided sessions, and periods of integration, participants will learn how these seemingly simple yet profound techniques can cut through ordinary conceptual mind to reveal what has been present from the beginning – one’s own intrinsic wisdom. Join us to explore how the Semdzins—practices not of concentration or fabrication, but of discovery—can open doors to experiencing the natural perfection that is our primordial condition, with practical applications that…
Register now

Choying Dzod Online: Awakening to the Expanse

With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

September 5 - 7, 2025
Join us for the 6th installation of the Choying Dzod, with Dr. Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi Awakening to the Expanse 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,  is the quintessential Dzogchen text…
Register now

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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

Awakening Innate Wisdom: 21 Semdzin Dzogchen Retreat

With Pema Khandro

August 6 - 10, 2025
In-person in San Diego, and Online   This retreat provides a rare opportunity to receive authentic guidance in these essential Dzogchen methods within a supportive environment conducive to deep practice. Through direct instruction, guided sessions, and periods of integration, participants will learn how these seemingly simple yet profound techniques can cut through ordinary conceptual mind to reveal what has been present from the beginning – one’s own intrinsic wisdom. Join us to explore how the Semdzins—practices not of concentration or fabrication, but of discovery—can open doors to experiencing the natural perfection that is our primordial condition, with practical applications that…
Register now

Choying Dzod Online: Awakening to the Expanse

With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

September 5 - 7, 2025
Join us for the 6th installation of the Choying Dzod, with Dr. Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi Awakening to the Expanse 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,  is the quintessential Dzogchen text…
Register now

by

 

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.

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

Gyaldak Rinpoche – Leads Milarepa Tsok in Berkeley

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

Awakening Innate Wisdom: 21 Semdzin Dzogchen Retreat

With Pema Khandro

August 6 - 10, 2025
In-person in San Diego, and Online   This retreat provides a rare opportunity to receive authentic guidance in these essential Dzogchen methods within a supportive environment conducive to deep practice. Through direct instruction, guided sessions, and periods of integration, participants will learn how these seemingly simple yet profound techniques can cut through ordinary conceptual mind to reveal what has been present from the beginning – one’s own intrinsic wisdom. Join us to explore how the Semdzins—practices not of concentration or fabrication, but of discovery—can open doors to experiencing the natural perfection that is our primordial condition, with practical applications that…
Register now

Choying Dzod Online: Awakening to the Expanse

With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

September 5 - 7, 2025
Join us for the 6th installation of the Choying Dzod, with Dr. Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi Awakening to the Expanse 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,  is the quintessential Dzogchen text…
Register now

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Gyaldak Rinpoche will offer the Milarepa Tsok in Berkeley at the MahaSiddha Center this Sunday, April 8th, 2018. Tsok is a core practice of Tibetan Buddhist Tantra. It is a prayer, meditation and feast ceremony led by Rinpoche. This evening’s Tsok will also include a Vajrayogini mantra initiation. Gyaldak Rinpoche will lead the practice in Tibetan language with translation by Dhondup.

What is Dzogchen Meditation? A Guide to Retreat with 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

Awakening Innate Wisdom: 21 Semdzin Dzogchen Retreat

With Pema Khandro

August 6 - 10, 2025
In-person in San Diego, and Online   This retreat provides a rare opportunity to receive authentic guidance in these essential Dzogchen methods within a supportive environment conducive to deep practice. Through direct instruction, guided sessions, and periods of integration, participants will learn how these seemingly simple yet profound techniques can cut through ordinary conceptual mind to reveal what has been present from the beginning – one’s own intrinsic wisdom. Join us to explore how the Semdzins—practices not of concentration or fabrication, but of discovery—can open doors to experiencing the natural perfection that is our primordial condition, with practical applications that…
Register now

Choying Dzod Online: Awakening to the Expanse

With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

September 5 - 7, 2025
Join us for the 6th installation of the Choying Dzod, with Dr. Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi Awakening to the Expanse 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,  is the quintessential Dzogchen text…
Register now

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What is Dzogchen Meditation?

“Dzogchen is one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most treasured practices for awakening to intrinsic wisdom. Dzogchen means ‘Great Perfection,’ which refers to the natural goodness at the heart of every person. Its goal is to cultivate wakeful, authentic presence.

One of the greatest challenges to well-being is the untrained mind. It is full of conditioned scripts and distracted. It may be so deeply habituated, that the experience of freshness and clarity are difficult to access. Buddhism points out that an untrained mind is plagued by mental afflictions such as anger, grasping, insecurity, depression, and jealousy. Even though most people spend their lives in such states, this is not mind’s ultimate potential. Mind also has a deeper aspect, known as ‘the nature of mind.’

The ‘nature of mind’ is an innermost quality of wakefulness, loving-kindness, and openness. According to Dzogchen teachings, these qualities are the enduring, ever-present, most authentic expression of being. Even though this nature of mind may be temporarily eclipsed by mental afflictions, those afflictions cannot dilute mind’s intrinsic quality. That quality, a natural goodness, is always there, waiting to be harvested. This is why Dzogchen meditation is practiced.

Meditation is a life-long practice. So, having a sustainable practice is crucial. This is why the quality of meditation over the quantity of meditation is valued in Dzogchen. For example, one can begin with shorter sessions and gradually extend them. Also, the practice of silent sitting meditation can be interspersed with breathing techniques. Silent meditations can be alternated with chanting meditation or physical meditation techniques.

Dzogchen meditations incorporate practices for body, speech and mind. Therefore the notion of ‘mind’ is a holistic one. Body, speech and mind are known as the three gates because they are the gateways to recognizing awareness. This is an important element of Dzogchen meditation because working with the posture and physical practices can greatly reduce the obstacles to meditation. But the body is not just a means to an end in Dzogchen meditation. The body itself is pervaded with buddha-nature. It has a natural wisdom and purity. Even though it is impermanent, it is also an expression of the creative compassion of ultimate reality. Therefore the body itself is a field of revelation and insight into authentic presence.”

(Excerpted from the Tibetan Yoga & Dzogchen teaching with Pema Khandro)

What is the Dzogchen Meditation Retreat?
This five-day retreat takes place annually in the redwood forest, in Santa Cruz California. This retreat is practice oriented. It focuses on deep relaxation and supported meditation practices. Since it is the most important event of the year for the Buddhist Yogis Sangha, students come from all around the world to attend.

There are still a few spaces left for this year’s Dzogchen Retreat with Pema Khandro Rinpoche. Register by July 15th for Early Bird Tuition.

 

2017B_Dzogchen Retreat
Join Pema Khandro and the Community of Buddhist Yogis for a week of restorative, peaceful meditation.

Retreat into the beautiful redwood forest, unwind with restorative yoga, experience deep quiet, enjoy vegetarian cuisine, converse with fascinating people and best of all, receive Buddhism’s most profound teachings.

Pema Khandro is a Buddhist teacher specializing in the contemplative practices of Tibet’s Buddhist Yogis. Read more about the retreat teacher – Pema Khandro here – Pema Khandro’s Biography

Click here for Retreat Schedule and Details
Register Now for Early Bird Tuition
Members receive additional Discounts

Ngakpa International
Info@BuddhistYogis.org  |  www.BuddhistYogis.org

16 Students Completed the Teacher Training

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

Awakening Innate Wisdom: 21 Semdzin Dzogchen Retreat

With Pema Khandro

August 6 - 10, 2025
In-person in San Diego, and Online   This retreat provides a rare opportunity to receive authentic guidance in these essential Dzogchen methods within a supportive environment conducive to deep practice. Through direct instruction, guided sessions, and periods of integration, participants will learn how these seemingly simple yet profound techniques can cut through ordinary conceptual mind to reveal what has been present from the beginning – one’s own intrinsic wisdom. Join us to explore how the Semdzins—practices not of concentration or fabrication, but of discovery—can open doors to experiencing the natural perfection that is our primordial condition, with practical applications that…
Register now

Choying Dzod Online: Awakening to the Expanse

With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

September 5 - 7, 2025
Join us for the 6th installation of the Choying Dzod, with Dr. Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi Awakening to the Expanse 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,  is the quintessential Dzogchen text…
Register now

by

The first ever online version of the Meditation Instructor Training created by Pema Khandro was completed last weekend. This course has been taught in a variety of formats over the last fifteen years, a ninety-day course, a twenty-one day retreat, a once a month year-long retreat, and now as an online training. Participants completed 60 hours of training. (Read more about the training here – Pema Khandro’s Meditation Teacher Training.) This included daily meditation practice and lessons led by Assistant Teachers, Satya Shiva and Aruna Rigdzin, as well as a daily teaching on meditation led by Pema Khandro Rinpoche. The lessons focused on the practice of Calm Abiding Meditation and the science of mind in Buddhist thought.

Twenty-one lessons focused on the practice of Calm Abiding Meditation,  known as Zhine in Tibetan or Shamatha in Sanskrit. It included lessons on what is mind, the stages of meditation, techniques for Calm Abiding Meditation, breathing practices for warm-ups for meditation, ethics for teaching, teaching methodology and more. There were extensive weekly exams on the material and weekend workshops on teaching. The weekend workshops were interactive for the trainees using the online format. This gave them an opportunity to see each other, receive feedback on teaching and dialogue as a group. They also completed daily meditation journals throughout the course.

There were extensive weekly exams on the material and weekend workshops on teaching. The weekend workshops were interactive for the trainees using the online format. This gave them an opportunity to see each other, receive feedback and dialogue as a group. They also had daily meditation journals.

One of the surprising elements of the course is the bond formed by all the participants, who practiced together, wrote and read each other’s daily meditation journals, met in workshops and supported each other through the teaching exams.

Twenty-students began the course and sixteen students finished. They were offered the choice to finish the final requirement, which was a teaching practicum, within the month-long period of the training or to take three months to finish it. Four students finished it within the first month and graduated. Twelve more students will have until August to complete their practicum. The practicum required the trainees to teach three meditation classes in an underserved community. This included classes for people suffering from anxiety and trauma, classes for youth with behavioral challenges, classes for mothers in a small town in Bali and classes for people with chronic stress.

Congratulations to the four graduates and best wishes to the twelve students as they complete their practicum.

Meditation Teacher Training

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

Awakening Innate Wisdom: 21 Semdzin Dzogchen Retreat

With Pema Khandro

August 6 - 10, 2025
In-person in San Diego, and Online   This retreat provides a rare opportunity to receive authentic guidance in these essential Dzogchen methods within a supportive environment conducive to deep practice. Through direct instruction, guided sessions, and periods of integration, participants will learn how these seemingly simple yet profound techniques can cut through ordinary conceptual mind to reveal what has been present from the beginning – one’s own intrinsic wisdom. Join us to explore how the Semdzins—practices not of concentration or fabrication, but of discovery—can open doors to experiencing the natural perfection that is our primordial condition, with practical applications that…
Register now

Choying Dzod Online: Awakening to the Expanse

With Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi

September 5 - 7, 2025
Join us for the 6th installation of the Choying Dzod, with Dr. Pema Khandro and Khenpo Yeshi Awakening to the Expanse 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,  is the quintessential Dzogchen text…
Register now

by

Equanimity, calm, peace, inner strength, resilience, centeredness… there are so many reasons the world needs meditation teachers.

It is integrated into schools, corporations, psychology and health care. Indeed, meditation has been turned to so often for health and mental health – that one study showed it was the most popular form of complementary medicine used in the United States. According to a National Health Survey in 2007, 38.4% of Americans had used some form of alternative health measures – with breathing, meditation, and yoga as the most common. (1)

Meditation Teacher Training

In order to offer accessible Meditation Teacher Training – Pema Khandro will offer an online version of her popular course – the Meditation Instructor Training. This course has been offered five times over the last decade. In the newest iteration – the course will be offered through a combination of self-paced video lessons, online meetings, practicum, and workshops.

The course will be taught by Pema Khandro, Satya Shiva and Aruna Rigdzin.

It will culminate in fifty-seven hours of training on the fundamentals of meditation practice and the Buddhist philosophy of mind and emotions.

The Meditation Teacher Training online will be held April 10th- May 8th 2017

For more information click here – Meditation Teacher Training with Pema Khandro:

Meditation Instructor Training

Reference
(1) West, Michael, Ed. The Psychology of Meditation: Research and Practice. (Oxford University Press, 2016).

Contact

Email: info@BuddhistYogis.org