with Tubten Pende

Four Sunday morning sessions
January 12 – February 2, 2025
10:30am – 12:30pm PST (Pacific Standard Time)
in person and online

Program Category: Dharma Education — Intermediate

Join us as we explore the profound teachings of Lama Atisha (980–1054), a highly revered Buddhist master from Bengal, India. Renowned for his wisdom and compassion, Atisha played a pivotal role in revitalizing Buddhism in Tibet. His teachings, emphasizing the cultivation of compassion and the path to enlightenment, laid the foundation for Tibetan Buddhist traditions, particularly through his seminal text "The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment."

Lojong, or mind training, is a Tibetan Buddhist practice focused on cultivating compassion and wisdom through meditation techniques and thought transformation. Atisha’s The Bodhisattva's Jewel Garland is a key text within the Lojong tradition, offering practical guidance on developing bodhicitta—the altruistic intention to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. Atisha’s teachings in this text emphasize the importance of selflessness and positive mental attitudes, making it essential for those engaged in mind training practices. The principles in this work help practitioners transform their minds, enabling them to face life's challenges with equanimity and compassion.

This course is ideal for individuals who:

• Are familiar with the Stages of the Path (Lamrim) teachings, as presented in the Discovering Buddhism program (completion of all modules is not required).
• Have an interest in using classic Lojong texts to inspire and deepen their own mind-training practice.

Tubten Pende, a.k.a. Jim Dougherty, has been a practicing Buddhist since 1972 when he was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism in India. Pende was included in the first wave of FPMT’s Western Buddhist teachers. He was the coordinator of the Geshe Studies Program at Manjushri Institute in the UK; spiritual program coordinator, director, and later resident teacher at Nalanda Monastery in France; and an FPMT International Office Education Services program developer of the Masters Program at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa in Italy. He is interested in the effective application of Buddhist theory and practice in the daily life of ordinary people.

"Tubten Pende is one of FPMT's most senior teachers," says Merry Colony, former director of FPMT Education. "As a monk Pende studied with Khensur Jampa Tegchok at both Manjushri Institute and Nalanda Monastery for many years. Pende was instrumental in getting FPMT's Masters Program off the ground and headed up FPMT’s Education Department in the 1990s. Later he was one of the FPMT senior teachers invited to help formulate the Discovering Buddhism program. Since its inception, Pende has been involved with the program, first as a teacher of module 12, the Wisdom of Emptiness, and later as an elder for the DB online forum and assessor for DB certificate students. Pende has always stood out as an exceptional teacher of all topics, but most especially emptiness, having the very sharp analytical mind necessary for delving deeply into this profound topic. Pende's presentations are always exceptionally clear and to the point."

Pende is the course teacher of the renowned November Course in 2024, a one-month teaching and meditation retreat at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal.