Beginning in late September of this year, the IBA will be expanding its educational role to offer a three-year Post-Graduate training program for a very dedicated group of young monks. Participants in the program will already have completed their monastic training and attained a high academic standing in Buddhist Philosophy. These young monks will also be highly motivated to serve others through their development of leadership skills.

Each participating monk will choose to study either Mandarin Chinese or the English language. Training in oral and written Translation and courses in Computer Literacy and Accounting will also advance their capabilities in Communication and Administration. The skilled mentoring of their teachers will be both example and guide for the monks’ Leadership learning experiences.

This specialized training will take place for three consecutive years during the eight months in which International students are not in residence at the IBA for their program of Buddhist Philosophy and study of the Tibetan language. The IBA summer courses will continue to occupy the Academy’s focus during the months of June, July, August and half of September. During those months when students from around the world are in residence at the IBA, the monks in the three-year Post-Graduate training program will be visiting their families, friends, or their home monasteries.

Many of the student monks will be from Tibetan refugee families. Most of those entering this program will have no funding at all for their studies, and need to rely on sponsors for their tuition and their room and board expenses, which total approximately $40. US dollars per month. It is hoped that some sponsors will be able to make a full three-year commitment of support. Shorter commitments and group sponsorships are also important ways of accumulating the resources needed by the monks in order to complete this intensive program.

Supporters of the IBA can help to welcome the new Post-Graduate program by assisting in organizing sponsorships. Though these monks are without financial resources, their determination, focus, Dharma knowledge and personal qualities have earned them a place in this educational initiative.

It is extremely important for the bright and capable young monks of the next generation to receive opportunities such as this in order to enable them to make the fullest possible contribution to their communities.

Helping just one of these future leaders will result in bringing benefit to so many others!

Our web-site will be updated over the next few months to give some background information on individual monks requiring sponsorship, and more information on the Post-Graduate Leadership Training program. If you wish to donate now, please go to our “How To Help” section for information on bank transfers, and, eventually, other payment methods.

The IBA’s Khenpo Jorden recently made a five-day visit to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, from Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., where the Khenpo teaches at the University of Chicago. The visit was sponsored by Geshe Tashi Namgyal’s Victoria Dharma Centre, and was greatly enjoyed by those members (of Sakya Thubten Kunga Choling), whose beloved teacher, Geshe-la, is 85 years old, and is still teaching (and teasing) his students.

In addition to informal meetings with Geshe-la and members of the Centre, Khenpo Jorden translated for two of Geshe-la’s teachings: Chandrakirti’s Seven-Part Reasoning on the Selflessness of Persons,and The Wisdom of Hearing & The Four Seals of Buddhist Practice.

In addition to answering his students’ questions, through Khenpo Jorden’s translations, Geshe-la also directed questions towards his students, as is his custom, to see if his teachings had been understood. There was a lot of laughter as well as learning, and Geshe-la really enjoyed Khenpo Jorden’s presence.

The Khenpo also gave a public Dharma teaching at the University of Victoria, titled “The Basis, the Path, and the Result of Buddhist Practice”, with the Two Truths as the Basis, the Two Accumulations as the Path and the Two Kayas as the Result. There were many interesting questions which allowed additional mini-teachings by the Khenpo. As a special treat for his audience of approximately 65 people, Khenpo Jorden offered a very moving recitation of a prayer, in English translation, (usually titled “The Tibetan Prayer for Peace”) followed by a most exquisite and subtle chant of the same prayer in Tibetan, a truly memorable gift to the audience of practitioners.

Before he left Sakya Thubten Kunga Choling, the Khenpo was presented with a videotape of his public teaching and with a set of three DVDs containing digital sound recordings of almost three hundred of Geshe-la’s teachings, from 1984 to 1997, for the IBA archives.

The Victoria Buddhist Dharma Society’s members look forward to a return visit from the Khenpo, whose kindness in accepting their invitation was greatly appreciated.

In an intensive schedule over the last two months, Khenpo Dr. Ngawang Jorden has just completed bestowing the full transmission of Maitreya’s Mahayanasutralamkara, (including the “lung”), to a group of IBA students who consider themselves extremely fortunate to have received the blessing of hearing this highly inspiring work.

Our base text was a recently published English translation (from a committee headed by Dr. Robert Thurman) of Maitreya’s root text, accompanied by Vasubandhu’s commentary. The root text is compact and often cryptic, and at all times extremely profound. Since the use of more than one commentarial support proves to be highly beneficial, Khenpo Jorden kindly gave us a full English translation directly from a beautifully clear and detailed Tibetan commentary by Gyalsay Togme Sangpo. This excellent commentary was an invaluable resource throughout our study.

Among the five treatises of Maitreya, transmitted through Asanga, this one possesses the broadest range of topics, actually encompassing all aspects of the Mahayana teachings. The Mahayanasutralamkara “ornaments” the vast scriptures of the Mahayana sutras (approx. 30 vol.).

Among the vividly presented and extensive teachings recurring in the Mahayanasutralamkara, each time within a different context or from a new level, are clear explanations of ( just to name a few) The Six Perfections, The Five Paths of the Bodhisattva Vehicle, The Three Natures, The Kayas, Suchness, The Four Seals, and The Four Reliances.

Maitreya himself summed up the entire Path of the Higher Trainings in this verse from the root text (which was used as a guide by Sakya Pandita for his work on the Foundation, Path and Result aspects of the Mahayana teachings: Clarifying The Sage’s Intent. ):

“The Universal Vehicle is summarized as awakening the spiritual “gene”,
having faith in the Dharma, the conception of the spirit, the practice of
generosity and so forth, the advance to predetermination, the evolutionary
development of beings, the purification of the universe, the unlocated
Nirvana, the supreme enlightenment, and the manifestation of the Buddha deeds.”

Some student comments at the conclusion of this course:

“This text would be wonderful to study again and again, and with
different commentaries.”
“I think it’s incredibly important, as a student, to get these basics.
Without a foundation, a house can’t be built.”
“I was amazed at how motivating this whole course was. I thought it
might be pretty dry stuff, but I actually had tears in my eyes sometimes,
because it was so powerful and inspiring”
“By studying it, you realize that it is the basis and essence of the
Mahayana path, without which Tantra doesn’t make sense.
It (Tantra) has to be based on that. The MSA is so rich and complex
and beautiful all at the same time and it’s something I want to spend
years re-studying because I can really sink my teeth into it, with
subject matter that’s just beyond this world!”
“This teaching is a great treasure, I had no idea it even existed before!”

A recent donation of books from the estate of Kenneth L. Javonovich has made a significant contribution to the IBA’s library. Mrs. Javonovich, of Chicago, Illinois,U.S.A., arranged for this bequest to be given into the care of Khenpo Ngawang Jorden when he was in Chicago, earlier this year. Thanks to the financial support of an anonymous donor from Singapore who took care of the considerable costs of shipping, Khenpo Jorden was able to arrange for safe delivery of the books to the IBA. Student volunteers gave each of the hundreds of books the IBA stamp, and arranged them on shelves in each category. The IBA, in addition to its large selection of Tibetan “pechas” now has a wide selection of “codex” style books on General Buddhism, Philosophy, Buddhist Practice, Art and Iconography, Reference, Language Study, History, Biography, Theravada Tradition, Mahayana Tradition, Mantrayana, Tibetan Medicine, Culture, and others.

We have recently completed our 10 day retreat and it went very well. It was more of a contemplation retreat that a strict meditation retreat. We had a full house for the retreat, 70+ students and over 300 monks who came every morning to listen to Khenchen Appey Rinpoche teach. Rinpoche taught one session per day; we had a review session in the afternoon, a guided group meditation in the evening and 3 individual meditation sessions in our rooms. It was an amazing teaching and experience. A 10 day summary of the whole path. We are very happy we were able to have 2 additional languages this year, Spanish and Mandarin.

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