[Event] Visit to SDC by Geshe Lhakdor

Photo of Geshe
(Courtesy  of  sciencefornmonks.org)

Ven Geshe Lhakdor, who has served as an assistant and translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama would be visiting Malaysia to conduct a Dharma Enrichment Camp organised by Buddhist Gem Fellowship (For more details, pls click HERE )

We are fortunately and honoured that Geshela has accepted our invitation to visit our centre, and Geshela will also give a short Dharma talk during his visit, (being a condensed version of what he had been invited to talk at BGF). Therefore, we would like to invite all of you to join us in meeting, listening and learning from such a learned Buddhist scholar.


Details of his visit are as follows:

Integrating Spiritual Values in Daily Life 

Nagarjuna’s Letter to a Friend.

(Condensed Version)

                 Date         :         Monday, 20 Feb 2012

                 Time         :          8pm - 9pm

                 Venue      :           Sakyamuni Dharma Centre

(Admission is FREE)

Thank you. We look forward to seeing all of you at the centre.

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The following is the biography of Geshela (extracted from the website of BGF)

Profile of Venerable Geshe Lhakdor

Geshe Lhakdor has served His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as his translator and religious assistant since 1989, accompanying him to numerous conferences and forums throughout the world. He has translated many important works from English to Tibetan and from Tibetan to English and offers rare insight into the cultural and philosophical issues surrounding Buddhism coming to the West.

Born in Tiibet in 1956, he holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in English from Punjab University, Chandigarh. He studied Buddhist philosophy at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics where he received his Master of Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), and Master of Madhyamika (Middle Way Philosophy) with distinction in both. In 1989 he also received his Master of Philosophy (M Phil) from the University of Delhi.

He later received his Geshe Degree (Doctor of Divinity), the highest degree of learning in Tibetan Buddhism, from the Drepung Loseling Monastic University in South India. He has translated, co-translated and co-produced several books by His Holiness, including The Way to Freedom, The Joy of Living and Dying in Peace, Awakening the Mind and Lightening the Heart, and Stages of Meditation, among others.

He is a trustee of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility, and the Director of the Central Archive of the Dalai Lama. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute of Tibetan Classics in Montreal, Canada, and an Honorary Professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He currently serves as the Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India.

[News] The start of Weekly Dharma Talk in Mandarin (every Tuesday)

Ven Jampa Chundu

Yesterday evening marked the start of our Weekly Dharma Class in Mandarin. In response to numerous requests by members who are not fluent in English, Ven Jampa Chundu has agreed to share his knowledge of the Buddha Dharma with our members in a language that they are more familiar and comfortable with. Therefore, we rejoice at the kindness and compassion shown by Venerable.

Last night, Ven Jampa Chundu gave a brief introduction of the Buddha Dharma- drawing on his experience of his recent travel to India for the occasion of the parinirvana and cremation puja of his Guru His Eminence Khensur Jampa Yeshe Rinpoche. It was a touching account of an event which is a paradox of great sadness but also a moment of great rejoice.

From next Tuesday onward, Venerable will start to his talk basing on the text written by Je Tsongkhapa, "The Three Principle Aspects of The Path". We encourage you to attend and also to share the news with your families and friends, who may find talk in Mandarin useful.

For those who are not familiar with Ven Jampa Chundu, Venerable was a member of our centre, before he became a monk under Rinpoche. He has great experience in teaching Buddha Dharma, and was a teacher in the Buddhist college in Penang for many years. As such, he has good knowledge in both the Chinese Mahayana tradition as well as those of Tibetan tradition.

Before he became a monk, his family name was "Khoo", so until today, many of us still affectionately refer to him as "Lama Khoo".

"Lama Khoo, & some of our members, at the audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. "
(can you spot him? Hint: it was before he became a monk)

So, we look forward to your attendance at the talk every Tuesday, 8pm, at our centre.