Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche
Founder & Spiritual Guide
Home » Kadampa Teachers »
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, founder of NKT-IKBU, is a truly remarkable person. Born in a remote village high on the Tibetan plateau he ordained as a Buddhist monk at the age of eight and spent the next twenty years studying the teachings of Buddha in the great Tibetan monasteries.
After concluding his studies and being awarded the title 'Geshe', which means 'virtuous spiritual friend', he entered a life of meditation, engaging in deep retreat at first near the Nepali border and later in the mountains of northern India, where he soon developed a reputation as a great meditator, with many coming to regard him as a modern day Mahasiddha.
After almost twenty years in retreat, in 1977 at the behest of his own Spiritual Guide, Kyabje Trijang Dorjechang, Geshe Kelsang graciously accepted an invitation from Manjushri Centre to travel to the West and become the Resident Teacher at what was then a fledgling Buddhist centre that had recently acquired Conishead Priory as its base.
Since that time Manjushri Centre has been Geshe Kelsang's spiritual home, where he has given thousands of teachings. Many of these teachings have been published in 23 highly acclaimed books on Buddhism and meditation.
A Life of Supreme Dedication
He shows us how we can solve our problems through simple scientific methods taught by Buddha.
Venerable Geshe-la designed the first Kadampa Temple for World Peace and inaugurated the International Temples Project
Has founded more than a thousand meditation centres and groups in over forty countries. He is the author of 23 books of modern Buddhism.
He has trained hundreds of teachers and ordained scores of monks and nuns.
Teachings of Venerable Geshe-la
“If we want to be truly happy and free from suffering, we must
learn how to control our mind.”
Geshe
“Happiness and suffering are states of mind and so
their main causes are not to be found outside the mind.”
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
“Our problems do not exist outside our mind.”
Geshe
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche
On 17 September our most precious Spiritual Guide Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche showed the manner of passing peacefully into the clear light.
Venerable Geshe-la requested that for auspiciousness at this time all Kadampa centres around the world engage in a short retreat using his special prayer, Request to the Holy Spiritual Guide Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche from his Faithful Disciples.
Many people engaged in this retreat at Heruka KMC on 20 and 21 September 2022
You who take on the great responsibility of caring in every way for the doctrine and migrators,
Giving to everyone equally, without discrimination, the precious opportunity to accomplish one’s own purpose and the purpose of others;
O Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka,
Please remain at my heart forever,
So that all directions will be pervaded by your matchless, excellent deeds.
Request to the Holy Spiritual Guide Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso from his Faithful Disciples
A quiet humble monk who
changed our world.
I will always be with you.
A stream of nectar of eloquent instructions.