Nalandabodhi
Encyclopedia
Nalandabodhi is a Tibetan Buddhist organization founded in the United States
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
in 1997 and named after the historic Nalanda
university of India
. There are now Nalandabodhi centers and study groups in Mexico
, Canada
, Europe
and Asia
. "Nalanda" translates literally as "the place that confers the lotus (of spiritual knowledge)," and Bodhi
translates as "enlightenment
." The stated goals of Nalandabodhi are to provide a curriculum
of study for students of the Dharma
, publish commentaries
by contemporary teachers, translate and publish historical teachings, and support the communication between western
and international Buddhist practitioners. In 1998, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
was named Spiritual Director of Nalandabodhi and works closely with The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche in developing the Nalandabodhi study curriculum.
and several western
Mitras and eastern
lama
s and acharyas. The Mitra Council are Western teachers appointed by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche in 2005 who guide the Practice and Study Curriculum of Nalandabodhi. "Mitra" is a Sanskrit word derived from kalyanamitra or "spiritual friend". Mitras are available for teaching programs, personal practice interviews and study questions, giving refuge vows
, giving bodhisattva vows
, reading transmissions for the preliminary practices ("ngöndro
"), and wedding
, funeral
, and other ceremonial services.
Nalanda West, located in Seattle, Washington and inaugurated in 2005, is the primary seat for The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Nalandabodhi. There are also centers in other major cities throughout the United States
and Canada
including New York
, New York
; the Maitrivana center in Vancouver
, British Columbia
; Boulder
, Colorado
; and West Hartford, Connecticut
. Individual study groups are located globally, and Nalandabodhi also offers the option of independent home study and online classes
for their study curriculum.
Bodhi
is a quarterly magazine published by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche that is geared towards meditation students in general and Nalandabodhi students specifically. It often features teachings by Ogyen Trinley Dorje (the disputed 17th Karmapa), the Dalai Lama
, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, and others. Teachings in Bodhi relate to the different Buddhist schools and the practices associated with those schools.
The Nalandabodhi practice curriculum was developed by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
as a graduated study in Buddhist meditation
practice. Students can meet with trained Practice Instructors who are encouraged to guide and befriend newer students. General meditation
instruction is also available at all Nalandabodhi centers.
The practice curriculum begins with shamatha, or "calm-abiding" meditation. After gaining familiarity with shamatha, students continue to vipashyana and analytical meditation. Students explore shunyata
(or "emptiness"), ultimate reality
, and dependent arising. At this stage of meditation, students are encouraged by their Practice Instructors to practice for longer periods of time, join the weekend long meditation programs at their Nalandabodhi center, or to go on group practice retreats. At this stage of practice, refuge vows
may be taken and community practice is encouraged.
The second stage of practice begins one year after a student completes shamatha-vipashyana practice and focuses on lojong
(or mind training), tonglen
, and the four reminders. Each of the four reminders is contemplated upon for two weeks by the student. The student then discusses the importance of the reminders with their Practice Instructor, usually in the form of written essay. During the second stage of practice, bodhisattva vows
may be taken.
Following the second stage of practice, students may continue on to study Vajrayana
, Mahamudra
, and Dzogchen
practices under the guidance of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
and is available at Nalandabodhi Centers and study groups, online
, or by individual home study. The curriculum adapts the traditional curriculum taught in Tibetan Buddhism
for Western
audiences, and the study curriculum is graduated, covering topics from hinayana
, mahayana
, and vajrayana
Buddhism
. As such, the material is designed to compliment the Nalandabodhi practice curriculum as well as the material covered at the Nītārtha Institute
, a school of advanced Buddhist studies also headed by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
. The material is primarily derived from the teachings of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, with the support of his teacher, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
, and explores topics from the Kagyu
and Nyingma
lineages
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
The 7th Dzogchen Ponlop, Rinpoche is an abbot of Dzogchen Monastery, president of Nalandabodhi, the founder of Nitartha Institute, a leading Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and a meditation master...
in 1997 and named after the historic Nalanda
Nalanda
Nālandā is the name of an ancient center of higher learning in Bihar, India.The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 55 miles south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from the fifth or sixth century CE to 1197 CE. It has been called "one of the...
university of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. There are now Nalandabodhi centers and study groups in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. "Nalanda" translates literally as "the place that confers the lotus (of spiritual knowledge)," and Bodhi
Bodhi
Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English with the word "enlightenment", but which means awakened. In Buddhism it is the knowledge possessed by a Buddha into the nature of things...
translates as "enlightenment
Enlightenment in Buddhism
The English term enlightenment has commonly been used in the western world to translate several Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese and Japanese terms and concepts, especially bodhi, prajna, kensho, satori and buddhahood.-Insight:...
." The stated goals of Nalandabodhi are to provide a curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
of study for students of the Dharma
Dharma (Buddhism)
Dhamma or Dharma in Buddhism can have the following meanings:* The state of Nature as it is * The Laws of Nature considered collectively....
, publish commentaries
Commentary (philology)
In philology, a commentary is a line-by-line or even word-by-word explication usually attached to an edition of a text in the same or an accompanying volume. It may draw on methodologies of close reading and literary criticism, but its primary purpose is to elucidate the language of the text and...
by contemporary teachers, translate and publish historical teachings, and support the communication between western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
and international Buddhist practitioners. In 1998, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche is a prominent scholar yogi in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He teaches widely in the West, often through dohas composed by Milarepa and other masters of the past...
was named Spiritual Director of Nalandabodhi and works closely with The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche in developing the Nalandabodhi study curriculum.
Organization
The organization encompasses meditation centers, study groups, the Mahasiddhi Retreat Center, Bodhi magazine, Nalandabodhi Publications (a publishing house), and other enterprises. Nalandabodhi is overseen by The Dzogchen Ponlop RinpocheDzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
The 7th Dzogchen Ponlop, Rinpoche is an abbot of Dzogchen Monastery, president of Nalandabodhi, the founder of Nitartha Institute, a leading Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and a meditation master...
and several western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
Mitras and eastern
Eastern world
__FORCETOC__The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures or social structures and philosophical systems of Eastern Asia or geographically the Eastern Culture...
lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
s and acharyas. The Mitra Council are Western teachers appointed by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche in 2005 who guide the Practice and Study Curriculum of Nalandabodhi. "Mitra" is a Sanskrit word derived from kalyanamitra or "spiritual friend". Mitras are available for teaching programs, personal practice interviews and study questions, giving refuge vows
Refuge (Buddhism)
Buddhists "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels . This can be done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.The Three Jewels general signification is: * the Buddha;* the Dharma, the teachings;...
, giving bodhisattva vows
Bodhisattva vows
The Sanskrit term Bodhisattva is the name given to anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhichitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. What makes someone a Bodhisattva is her or his dedication to the ultimate welfare of...
, reading transmissions for the preliminary practices ("ngöndro
Ngöndro
Ngöndro refers to the preliminary, preparatory or foundational 'practices' or 'disciplines' common to all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and also to Bön...
"), and wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
, funeral
Funeral (Buddhism)
In Buddhism, death marks the transition from this life to the next for the deceased.Among Buddhists death is regarded as an occasion of major religious significance, both for the deceased and for the survivors. For the deceased it marks the moment when the transition begins to a new mode of...
, and other ceremonial services.
| Acharyas | Lama Lama Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries... s |
Mitras |
|---|---|---|
| Tashi Wangchuk | Rabten Tshering | Karl Brunnholzl Karl Brunnholzl Dr. Karl Brunnholzl has been a translator and oral interpreter for Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche at Nitartha Institute since 2000. He has received the traditional “dharma tutor” degree from Khenpo Lama Thubten of Germany’s Kamalashila Institute and is the author of a Madhyamaka compendium, "The Center... |
| Lhakpa Tshering | Tenam | Lee Worley |
| Mark Power | ||
| Tyler Dewar |
Nalanda West, located in Seattle, Washington and inaugurated in 2005, is the primary seat for The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Nalandabodhi. There are also centers in other major cities throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
including New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; the Maitrivana center in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
; Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
; and West Hartford, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Individual study groups are located globally, and Nalandabodhi also offers the option of independent home study and online classes
Virtual education
Virtual education refers to instruction in a learning environment where teacher and student are separated by time or space, or both, and the teacher provides course content through the use of methods such as course management applications, multimedia resources, the internet, and videoconferencing...
for their study curriculum.
Bodhi
Bodhi Magazine
Bodhi Magazine is a 72-page internationally distributed full-color glossy format Buddhist periodical that is issued on a quarterly basis. First printed in 1997, its content is created by and for Nyingma and Kagyu sanghas...
is a quarterly magazine published by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche that is geared towards meditation students in general and Nalandabodhi students specifically. It often features teachings by Ogyen Trinley Dorje (the disputed 17th Karmapa), the Dalai Lama
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...
, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche is a prominent scholar yogi in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He teaches widely in the West, often through dohas composed by Milarepa and other masters of the past...
, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, and others. Teachings in Bodhi relate to the different Buddhist schools and the practices associated with those schools.
Practice Curriculum
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
The 7th Dzogchen Ponlop, Rinpoche is an abbot of Dzogchen Monastery, president of Nalandabodhi, the founder of Nitartha Institute, a leading Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and a meditation master...
as a graduated study in Buddhist meditation
Buddhist meditation
Buddhist meditation refers to the meditative practices associated with the religion and philosophy of Buddhism.Core meditation techniques have been preserved in ancient Buddhist texts and have proliferated and diversified through teacher-student transmissions. Buddhists pursue meditation as part of...
practice. Students can meet with trained Practice Instructors who are encouraged to guide and befriend newer students. General meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
instruction is also available at all Nalandabodhi centers.
The practice curriculum begins with shamatha, or "calm-abiding" meditation. After gaining familiarity with shamatha, students continue to vipashyana and analytical meditation. Students explore shunyata
Shunyata
Śūnyatā, शून्यता , Suññatā , stong-pa nyid , Kòng/Kū, 空 , Gong-seong, 공성 , qoγusun is frequently translated into English as emptiness...
(or "emptiness"), ultimate reality
Dharmakaya
The Dharmakāya is a central idea in Mahayana Buddhism forming part of the Trikaya doctrine that was possibly first expounded in the Aṣṭasāhasrikā prajñā-pāramitā , composed in the 1st century BCE...
, and dependent arising. At this stage of meditation, students are encouraged by their Practice Instructors to practice for longer periods of time, join the weekend long meditation programs at their Nalandabodhi center, or to go on group practice retreats. At this stage of practice, refuge vows
Refuge (Buddhism)
Buddhists "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels . This can be done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.The Three Jewels general signification is: * the Buddha;* the Dharma, the teachings;...
may be taken and community practice is encouraged.
The second stage of practice begins one year after a student completes shamatha-vipashyana practice and focuses on lojong
Lojong
Lojong is a mind training practice in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition based on a set of aphorisms formulated in Tibet in the 12th century by Geshe Chekhawa...
(or mind training), tonglen
Tonglen
Tonglen is Tibetan for 'giving and taking' , and refers to a meditation practice found in Tibetan Buddhism.-Practice:...
, and the four reminders. Each of the four reminders is contemplated upon for two weeks by the student. The student then discusses the importance of the reminders with their Practice Instructor, usually in the form of written essay. During the second stage of practice, bodhisattva vows
Bodhisattva vows
The Sanskrit term Bodhisattva is the name given to anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhichitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. What makes someone a Bodhisattva is her or his dedication to the ultimate welfare of...
may be taken.
Following the second stage of practice, students may continue on to study Vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
, Mahamudra
Mahamudra
Mahāmudrā literally means "great seal" or "great symbol." It "is a multivalent term of great importance in later Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism" which "also occurs occasionally in Hindu and East Asian Buddhist esotericism."The name refers to the way one who...
, and Dzogchen
Dzogchen
According to Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, Dzogchen is the natural, primordial state or natural condition of the mind, and a body of teachings and meditation practices aimed at realizing that condition. Dzogchen, or "Great Perfection", is a central teaching of the Nyingma school also practiced by...
practices under the guidance of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
Study Curriculum
The Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum is one of the first compilations of such material ever assembled in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and is available at Nalandabodhi Centers and study groups, online
Virtual education
Virtual education refers to instruction in a learning environment where teacher and student are separated by time or space, or both, and the teacher provides course content through the use of methods such as course management applications, multimedia resources, the internet, and videoconferencing...
, or by individual home study. The curriculum adapts the traditional curriculum taught in Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
for Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
audiences, and the study curriculum is graduated, covering topics from hinayana
Hinayana
Hīnayāna is a Sanskrit and Pāli term literally meaning: the "Inferior Vehicle", "Deficient Vehicle", the "Abandoned Vehicle", or the "Defective Vehicle". The term appeared around the 1st or 2nd century....
, mahayana
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
, and vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. As such, the material is designed to compliment the Nalandabodhi practice curriculum as well as the material covered at the Nītārtha Institute
Nitartha Institute
Nītārtha Institute is a school of advanced Buddhist studies for Western students designed based upon the traditional Tibetan monastic university curriculum. Its teachers include the published translator Karl Brunnholzl, as well as the head of Nalandabodhi, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.-External...
, a school of advanced Buddhist studies also headed by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
The 7th Dzogchen Ponlop, Rinpoche is an abbot of Dzogchen Monastery, president of Nalandabodhi, the founder of Nitartha Institute, a leading Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and a meditation master...
. The material is primarily derived from the teachings of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, with the support of his teacher, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche is a prominent scholar yogi in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He teaches widely in the West, often through dohas composed by Milarepa and other masters of the past...
, and explores topics from the Kagyu
Kagyu
The Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today regarded as one of six main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other five being the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, Bon and Gelug...
and Nyingma
Nyingma
The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...
lineages
Lineage (Buddhism)
An authentic lineage in Buddhism is the uninterrupted transmission of the Buddha's Dharma from teacher to disciple.The transmission itself can be for example oral, scriptural, through signs, or directly from one mind to another....
.