with Geshe Thubten Sherab

Monday, December 2 – Sunday, December 8, 2024
see detailed schedule below

in person and online

Program Category: Dharma Education — Foundational

Ngöndro, or preliminary practices, are not just rituals, but are profound methods to prepare the mind of practitioners for advancing in their spiritual path.

In this 4-part course, Geshe Thubten Sherab will guide students through the What, Why, and How of the preliminary practices, and the importance of cultivating the correct motivation for the practices. We will explore how the practices of accumulation of merit and purification of negative karma are important in order to make progress on the spiritual path. Geshe-la will cover:

• The refuge and seven-limb practice, including a commentary on the seven-limb offerings and the dedication section of the King of Prayers.
• Various Ngöndro practices, including Prostrations to the Thirty-five Confession Buddhas
• Purification and merit accumulation practices

Students can request to participate in a formal Refuge Ceremony with Geshe Sherab on Sunday afternoon. This is for anyone who would like to take it for the first time, or renew it again. Watch the video about When Are We Ready to Take Refuge? and read A Beginner's Guide to Refuge Vows.

Read more about Rinpoche’s advice on Life Preliminary Practices.

This course is ideal for individuals who:

• Are familiar with the Stages of the Path (Lamrim) teachings as presented in the Discovering Buddhism program.
• Have a keen interest in integrating Tibetan Buddhist practices into their daily life.

Completion of all the Discovering Buddhism modules is not required.

Geshe Sherab was born in Manang/Nepal in 1967. He attended Kopan Monastery at age nine and was ordained by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. After 10 years of study in Kopan, he went to Sera Je Monastery for further studies in 1987 and graduated as Geshe at the end of 1999. After that, he joined Gyume Tantric College for a year. Then he taught young monks at Kopan for a year.

In 2001, he was sent by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to New Mexico to serve and help at the International Office of FPMT and teach at Thubten Norbu Ling in Santa Fe and Ksiti Garbha Center in Taos as resident teacher. He also served as a Board member of FPMT for two years during that period. By the end of 2003 in December he returned to Nepal to do his own practices. In 2006 he was appointed as Head Master of Kopan Monastery and served for four years. He served as acting Abbot for a year in 2011 when the late Guru Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundup became ill. He also taught at Kopan during the meditation courses there.

He has been resident Geshe at Thubten Norbu Ling Buddhist Center in Santa Fe, NM since 2013. He spends 6 months of the year in Santa Fe and the rest of 6 months, he travels and teaches around the world, in the United States, Canada, many parts of Europe, Asia, Mexico, Guatemala and Australia.