Programs
Shakyamuni Sadhana in Translation and Practice
With Dr. Catherine Dalton
At the express wish of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, long-time translator and Rangjung Yeshe Institute faculty member Dr. Catherine Dalton will lead an online course focused on "The Treasury of Blessings" sadhana of Shakyamuni Buddha. Composed by Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche's (1846-1912) and widely considered to be a "mind-treasure" (gongter), this sadhana is both poetically rich in […]
Online Treasury of Blessings Practice
With Lama Kunzang Drolma
Join our online practice of the Shakyamuni Buddha sadhana from home! This a perfect opportunity to come together and engage in this essential practice, hosted by Ani Kunzang Drolma. SCHEDULE Regular Schedule: Sundays at 8:00 am (Pacific Time) Summer Schedule: Sundays at 7:00 am (Pacific Time) FORMAT Click "Register Now" to enter your information and […]
Personal Retreat at Gomde California
The wild beauty of Rangjung Yeshe Gomde California is an ideal environment for personal meditation practice. The waters of Eel River and Cedar Creek flow through stands of fir and redwood, and ever-changing light pours into the river valley. The natural environment of Gomde California supports a sense of awe and renunciation in our residents. […]
The Practice of Chöd: An In-Depth Workshop
With Dr. Catherine Dalton
Chöd, or “cutting through,” is a profound practice that cuts to the heart of wisdom and compassion. Traditionally attributed to the eleventh-century female practitioner Machig Labdrön, it is prevalent in many Tibetan Buddhist lineages. Combining the view of the Prajnaparamita sutras with tantric visualization methods, chöd is a direct meditational approach to severing ego-clinging. Chöd […]
The Concise Daily Practice of Guru Rinpoche: Exploration of the Tibetan Language
With Dr. Catherine Dalton
This set of recorded teachings is extremely beneficial for anyone wishing to learn the meaning of "The Concise Daily Practice" of Guru Rinpoche, by studying the Tibetan words of the text. No previous knowledge of Tibetan is required to derive benefit from this class. In this online workshop, Dr. Catherine Dalton will elucidate the profound […]
Becoming Divine: Four Stakes that Bind the Life-Force (Concise Daily Practice)
With Lama Tsultrim Sangpo
In this 4-part online series, Lama Tsultrim Sangpo unpacked an essential aspect of tantric practice—the development stage. To properly realize our innate nature through sadhana practice, the great masters from Guru Padmasambhava down to our present teachers emphasize the necessity of "binding the life force" of the deity through planting four "stakes". These four points […]
Sang: The Practice of Smoke Offering
With Lama Tsultrim Sangpo
Sang is the Tibetan Buddhist practice of offering precious incense to clear away obstacles and gather auspicious conditions for our Dharma practice. While the benefits of this practice are well known, the proper method for doing so is rarely taught in detail. Therefore, in this weekend workshop, Lama Tsultrim Sangpo guides us in how to […]
Buddhist Perspectives on Vegetarianism and the Modern Animal Rights Movement
With Dr. Geoffrey Barstow
Tibetan Buddhism contains diverse perspectives on the question of vegetarianism. In this talk, Dr. Geoffrey Barstow will explore some of those perspectives, illuminating the complex ethical debates over eating meat within the Buddhist tradition. He will then look at how those perspectives differ from those of the contemporary animal rights movement, suggesting places where Buddhist ideas […]
Travel, Translation, and Transmission: The Life of Vanaratna
With Dr. Ryan Damron
In this talk, Dr. Ryan Damron will help us explore the Indian pandita Vanaratna's (1384-1468) biography, and discuss the insights it gives us into the patterns of the transmission of Buddhism in fifteenth-century India, Nepal, and Tibet. Vanaratna lived a remarkable life that unfolded across the length and breadth of South Asia and traversed the […]
Luminous Wilderness: Philosophical Reflections on Sacred Natural Sites
With Dr. Stephen Jenkins
This talk aspires to enhance appreciation of wilderness as a valuable resource for Buddhist practice, particularly in regard to the exquisite natural setting of Gomde California. It will examine how, since earliest times, Buddhists spatialized values in cosmology and maṇḍalic thinking and acted on those conceptions through pilgrimage, gardens, forest meditation centers, and visionary engagement […]
Skillful Transitions: A Discussion on Death & Dying With Rhonda LoPresti and Graham Sunstein
With Rhonda LoPresti and Graham Sunstein
Planning for end of life is an act of kindness for ourselves, our loved ones, and our community. Gomde California is offering a three-part community conversation on planning for end of life as a practitioner. These open and supportive gatherings will be led by sangha members Rhonda LoPresti and Graham Sunstein via Zoom. 1st Session […]
Awakening Dignity with Lama Bruce Newman
With Lama Bruce Newman
Awakening Dignity The notion of dignity is crucial to the question of how to live a fulfilling life. Phakchok Rinpoche draws from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to offer an insightful answer to this question. Dignity is the innate purity of our heart that we naturally possess yet often fail to recognize in ourselves. To move […]
Online Accessing the Unconditional Love and Wisdom of our Buddha Nature with Lama John Makransky
With Lama John Makransky
From a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, our Buddha nature is the basic space of our being undivided from vast capacities of awareness, warmth, love, compassion and wisdom. These capacities are always available below our surface consciousness, but often hidden by our habits of self-clinging thought and reaction. One way that Tibetan practitioners start to access them […]
Work Week May 2024
Work Week offers an excellent opportunity for our community to gather before the busy summer activities begin. Throughout the week, we'll tackle various preparatory tasks such as working on the Lama House, setting up tent cabins, facility cleaning, and gardening. We'll also engage in Gomde's daily morning and evening practices. The program includes three meals […]
Buddhist Studies Summer Program 2024
The Buddhist Studies Summer Program (BSSP) is an intensive residential study and practice program. Students in the BSSP spend four to eight weeks at our remote Northern California center, participating in concentrated daily sessions of Buddhist teaching and meditation led by lamas, teachers, and translators from Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Nepal. This summer, we […]