Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso is
a fully accomplished meditation master and internationally renowned teacher
of Buddhism.
Geshe-la, as he is affectionately called
by his students, is primarily responsible for the worldwide revival of Kadampa
Buddhism in our time.
From
the age of eight Geshe-la studied extensively in the great monastic universities
of Tibet and earned the title 'Geshe', which literally means 'spiritual
friend'. Under the guidance of Trijang Rinpoche, his Spiritual Guide,
he then spent the next eighteen years in meditation retreats in the Himalayas.
In 1977 he accepted an invitation to
teach in England. He took up residence at Manjushri
Kadampa Meditation Centre, where he lived for many years giving teachings
and guidance to an ever-growing group of disciples.
Geshe-la has continued to give immaculate teachings on Kadampa Buddhism
in Europe, North America and Asia, and published a series of remarkable books on
Buddhist thought and meditation.
He has established three unique study
programs and over 1000 centres and
branches around the world, trained qualified teachers and a flourishing
ordained community, and created a project to build Buddhist temples in
every major city in the world.
In his teachings Geshe Kelsang emphasizes the importance of meditation
and how to apply it in daily life, the need to be truly happy, and
how to cultivate a good heart to help others — and he demonstrates
these qualities perfectly in his own life.
This remarkable teacher inspires so many people from so many different
countries because he teaches from example.
He is a humble Buddhist monk dedicated
to helping people throughout the world find true happiness in their hearts.
Training Qualified Teachers
Geshe-la´s
wish is that Buddhism may be practiced by anyone, in any culture,
in any country.
To realize this wish he has trained
hundreds of qualified Western teachers who are making Buddha's teachings
available to people in their own language, according to their own culture.
Every major Kadampa
Buddhist Centre has a Resident Teacher who is either studying
on or has completed the Teacher
Training Programme. This programme entails the study of twelve
of Geshe Kelsang's texts, various meditation retreats and the commitment
to follow the Buddhist way of life sincerely and purely. These teachers
hold the lineage blessings of Kadampa
Buddhism and are able to teach all of Geshe Kelsang's books.
They are also available to give personal meditation advice.
To have such experienced and supportive
teachers who can give encouragement and advice in our own language
is a completely new development in the modern world. It is one of
Geshe-la´s
most precious gifts.
The Resident Teacher of Tushita Buddhist Centre in
Cape Town is Gen Kelsang Pagpa. He is a senior disciple of Geshe Kelsang and
has been ordained for twelve years. Gen Pagpa teaches in a way that
shows us how to solve our daily problems and find true hapiness. He
has taught extensively in the UK and has recently moved to Cape Town
after teaching in Malaysia for three years.