Kelsang Gyatso

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Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྐལ་བཟང་རྒྱ་མཚོ་; Wylie: Bskal-bzang Rgya-mtsho) is a Tibetan Buddhist monk, Gelug teacher (scholar) and author of Buddhist books. He was born in Tibet in 1931 and ordained at the age of eight. In 1976 he was invited by Lama Thubten Yeshe, a Gelug Tulku, to teach at his FPMT center Manjushri Institute, Ulverston, England. After a schism with the FPMT^[1] he founded the New Kadampa Tradition in 1991. His teachings have sparked significant controversy.

Contents 1 Early years in Tibet 2 Life in India 3 Education and qualifications 4 Acknowledgement of his teachers 5 Journey to the West 5.1 Books, programs and centers 5.2 Teachings 5.2.1 Faith, devotion and reliance 5.2.2 Compassion, Generosity and Bodhicitta 5.2.3 Dorje Shugden 6 Expulsion from the Sera Je Dratsang Monastery 7 Separation from the Gelug school hierarchy 8 Further activities 8.1 Temple project 8.2 Retreat 9 Controversies 10 Bibliography 11 See also 12 Footnotes 13 References 14 External links 14.1 New Kadampa Tradition links 14.2 Critical links

[edit] Early years in Tibet

He was born in Tibet in 1931 and at age 8 he was ordained at the Ngamring Jampling monastery. Later he studied at Sera Monastery, one of the great Gelug monastic universities of Tibet. He was a member of the Tsangpa Khangtsen, one of the fifteen houses at the monastery.

As a member of that house, and a part of the general monastic community around Lhasa, he attended many public teachings, along with most of the monks and public from the area.

[edit] Life in India

After the exodus of Tibet in 1959, Kelsang Gyatso stayed at the initial location of his monastery, in Buxar. Later, after Prime Minister Nehru donated large tracts of land in South India to the community in exile, the monastery moved South. At this time, Kelsang Gyatso left the monastery at Buxar for Mussoorie (a hill station in the Indian state of Uttarakhand).

[edit] Education and qualifications

Kelsang Gyatso claims to have been awarded a Geshe degree.^[2] According to a documentary film published at the official Homepage of HH the Dalai Lama he is a "self-styled Geshe".^[3]

[edit] Acknowledgement of his teachers

It is also clear that at one time he was highly thought of within the Tibetan Gelug tradition as three of his works contained forewords by previous Ganden Tripas and the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama contributed a foreword to "Buddhism in the Tibetan Tradition" whilst Trijang and Ling Rinpoches (who each held the position of Ganden Tripa) also provided forewords for his books "Meaningful to Behold" and "Clear Light of Bliss" respectively. Kyabje Ling Rinpoche refers to Geshe Kelsang as 'this most precious Spiritual Guide' whilst Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche refers to him as 'The excellent expounder, the great Spiritual Master Kelsang Gyatso...'.

[edit] Journey to the West

In 1976 Kelsang Gyatso was invited by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche^[4] to teach at Manjushri Institute, an FPMT center in England, founded by Lama Yeshe in 1975. Geshe Kelsang arrived in England in late August 1977.^[5]

According to Kay Geshe Kelsang "split away from this organisation to develop a parallel network of his own that he later unified and gave a distinct identity as the NKT."^[6] In the process of that split Geshe Kelsang became the spiritual head of Manjushri Institute and founded the New Kadampa Tradition in 1991 (see NKT history). The Manjushri Institute is located in Ulverston and is nowadays called Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre. It is nowadays the main seat of the New Kadampa Tradition. There he lived from 1977 giving teachings and guidance to an ever-growing group of mainly western disciples.

According to the New Kadampa Tradition source Modern Day Kadampas:

Geshe Kelsang had accepted an invitation by the Christian monk and writer, Thomas Merton, to live and teach in a centre planned in Canada, but after Thomas Merton's tragic death [in 1968] this was no longer possible. Geshe Kelsang was then free to come to England, and Lama Yeshe requested Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche to ask Geshe Kelsang to become Resident Teacher of Manjushri Centre.^[5]

In 1982 Geshe Kelsang became a naturalized British citizen.^[7]

[edit] Books, programs and centers

Geshe Kelsang has written twenty books which aim to provide Western Dharma practitioners with essential Buddhist texts. There are books for beginners like "Transform Your Life" and "How to Solve Our Human Problems", books about the Mahayana path like "Universal Compassion" (Lojong), "Heart of Wisdom" (Heart Sutra) and "Joyful Path of Good Fortune" (Lamrim), and books on Vajrayana (Tantra) like "Mahamudra Tantra", "Guide to Dakini Land" and "Essence of Vajrayana". Two of his books are commentaries on Indian Mahayana texts: the book "Ocean of Nectar" is a commentary on Chandrakirti's Guide to the Middle Way and "Meaningful to Behold" is a commentary on Shantideva's Bodhicharyavatara. His books were first published by Wisdom Publications. Later, he founded Tharpa Publications, and since then Tharpa has been the exclusive publisher of his works.

Furthermore, he has established three study programmes in his Dharma Centres, called the General Programme, Foundation Programme and Teacher Training Programme respectively. In these programs people can study Geshe Kelsang's books with authorized NKT teachers.

He founded the New Kadampa Tradition in 1991 and since that many NKT centers worldwide, according to NKT sources "almost 900 meditation centres in over 40 countries".^[8] They divide into about 200 residential centres and 700 groups at local places, like apartments of members, and rented rooms in libraries and local community centres.

According to NKT Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's teachings "are especially suited to the modern world."^[9]

According to Waterhouse the doctrinally conservative nature of his teachings and the traditionally structured and direct style in which they are presented in his texts reflects his background within the rigorous scholastic and academic training system of Sera Je monastic training system.^[10]

According to Kay Geshe Kelsang follows strongly 'clerical' orientation, as Pabongka Rinpoche did. Kay states further: "For Geshe Kelsang the faithful transmission and continuation of the tradition as it was taught to him has been much more important than adapting the teachings or innovating new ones for westerners. His allegiance to the protective deity Dorje Shugden, also traced back through Trijang Rinpoche and Pabongka Rinpoche, forms another key element of his clerical and exclusive outlook. The clerical and exclusive character of Geshe Kelsang's thought, however, has not been static and fixed throughout his career. His concern with the conservation and preservation of the tradition of Tsongkhapa became increasingly urgent during the time in the West and his exclusivism hardened and intensified."^[11]

[edit] Teachings

[edit] Faith, devotion and reliance

Geshe Kelsang has firmly encouraged faith and devotion in his followers, describing faith as "the root of all virtuous qualities and spiritual realizations".^[12] He encouraged to "be like a wise blind person who relies totally upon one trusted guide instead of attempting to follow a number of people at once",^[13] stating further that "Experience shows that realizations come from deep, unchanging faith, and that this faith comes as a result of following one tradition purely - relying upon one Teacher, practising only his teachings, and following his Dharma Protector."^[14] On the other hand Geshe Kelsang stated as well, that one should check to see whether or not Spiritual Teachers and their teachings are authentic or not, and not to follow them simply out of their reputation.^[15] Bluck states that Interviewees reported that members were encouraged to investigates doubts rather than ignoring them.^[16] However, according to Geshe Kelsang spiritual success is based on "unwavering faith and confidence" and "it is essential to eliminate those doubts that interfere with the development of pure faith."^[17] Faith is described by Geshe Kelsang as "a naturally virtuous mind that functions mainly to oppose the perception of faults in its observed object."^[18]

Although Kay found that in general the teachings and practices of Geshe Kelsang are mostly in line with the presentation of other Tibetan Gelug teachers^[19], and that the importance of cultivating a mind of faith and devotion in a qualified guru or lama is a fundamental element of all Tibetan Buddhist belief and practice, especially in personal Tantric practice where the Guru may be explicitly combined and identified with the Yidam (meditational deity)..., Geshe Kelsang's teachings on this subject have, nevertheless, changed and developed during his time in the West and they now incorporate a number of unusual features.

According to Kay "The main shift in his thought occurred with the creation of the NKT. Discussions of the guru-disciple relationship appearing in his publications from this time reflect an exclusivism that did not characterise his earlier presentation and which is uncommon within traditional Tibetan contexts. Geshe Kelsang's texts list the traditional qualities that should be possessed by the ideal spiritual teacher, and he encourages students to check these qualifications thoroughly before relying upon someone as a spiritual guide. This attitude of critical enquiry should be retained throughout a person's spiritual career^[20]. Since the creation of the NKT in 1991, this teaching on the importance of personal authority in negotiating the Buddhist path has been overshadowed by an emphasis upon developing 'unwavering faith and confidence' in the guru and upon having faith in the teachings 'even if we do not fully understand them'^[21]. The exclusive emphasis on the authority of Geshe Kelsang is also reflected in the texts. The earlier view that practitioners 'must depend upon the advice of experienced guides - fully qualified spiritual masters - and meditate according to their instructions'^[22] was replaced following the NKT's creation with the narrower claim that they must 'rely upon a qualified Spiritual Guide and practise precisely according to his or her instructions'^[23]. According to Geshe Kelsang, the student must now 'be like a wise blind person who relies totally upon one trusted guide instead of attempting to follow a number of people at once'^[24]. The emphasis Geshe Kelsang placed in his earlier texts upon adopting an exclusive approach to one's spiritual tradition was continued following the creation of the NKT. However, this teaching now took place within the organisational and ideological context of the NKT, and it was combined with the new teaching that one should rely exclusively upon only one trusted spiritual guide. Whereas the injunction about committing oneself to a single tradition was previously an attempt to encourage students to practise only the teachings of Lamas within the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, it now became an injunction to practise only within the NKT...Similarly, whilst the teaching that students should only rely upon teachers who 'share the same lineage and view as our principal Spiritual Guide'^[25] is not an uncommon view within Tibetan Buddhism, where lamas will often encourage students to study under others who have a similar orientation to themselves, this teaching carried a very specific and untraditional meaning within the context of the NKT. Since students within the organisation have only one spiritual guide, the teaching is in practice an injunction to study only under Geshe Kelsang and teachers who have trained under him. Even the most exclusively orientated Gelug lamas, such as Pabongka Rinpoche and Trijang Rinpoche, do not seem to have encouraged such complete and exclusive reliance in their students as this."^[26]

[edit] Compassion, Generosity and Bodhicitta

Besides an emphasis "to and maintain a special experience of inner peace" to promote "lasting happiness" and "replacing negative mental states with positive ones" the practice of compassion and generosity is repeatedly emphasised by Geshe Kelsang.^[27] This includes to cherish other beings, take upon oneself their suffering and wish them to be happy. Wishing others to be happy will enable practitioners "to be born as a human or god, to have a beautiful body in the future, and to be loved and respected by many people".^[28]

Other key elements of Geshe Kelsang's teachings are the focus on Bodhicitta and Generosity, and their benefits, the refuge to the Three Jewels, fearing lower rebirth and Samsara and to encourage others to take refuge to the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha). Waterhouse reported that teaching on the hell realms was used to encourage followers "not to break their commitments for fear of future suffering."^[29]

[edit] Dorje Shugden

Because the practice of Dorje Shugden was transmitted by Trijang Rinpoche to Geshe Kelsang, Geshe Kelsang teaches and follows that practice still, seeing it as his commitment not to give it up. Traditionally this practice was performed in private or special shrine rooms outside the main shrine, however, Geshe Kelsang has made it to a public practice performed daily by faithfully NKT followers in the "Heart Jewel" Sadhana at the main shrines and is combined in the NKT with the Tsongkhapa-Guru-Yoga practice (tib. Ganden Lha Gyäma). The controversy regarding the Dorje Shugden practice is described in the article on the Dorje Shugden Controversy.

Geshe Kelsang has described Dorje Shugden as an enlightened Dharma protector (Dharmapala), a manifestation of the Wisdom-Buddha Manjushri and stated:

"From the time of Je Tsongkhapa until the first Panchen Lama, Losang Chökyi Gyaltsän, the principal Dharma Protector of Je Tsongkhapa's lineage was Kalarupa. Later, however, it was felt by many high Lamas that Dorje Shugden had become the principal Dharma Protector of this tradition."^[30]

He claims that:

"There is no difference in the compassion, wisdom, or power of the various Dharma Protectors, but because of the karma of sentient beings, one particular Dharma Protector will have a greater opportunity to help Dharma practitioners at any one particular time...These days, however, we do not have such karma, and so Buddha appears to us in the form of our Spiritual Guide and helps us by giving teachings and leading us on spiritual paths. Thus, the form that Buddha's help takes varies according to our changing karma, but its essential nature remains the same...However, the beings of this present time have a stronger karmic link with Dorje Shugden than with the other Dharma Protectors. It was for this reason that Morchen Dorjechang Kunga Lhundrup, a very highly realized Master of the Sakya tradition, told his disciples, "Now is the time to rely upon Dorje Shugden." He said this on many occasions to encourage his disciples to develop faith in the practice of Dorje Shugden. We too should heed his advice and take it to heart. He did not say that this is the time to rely upon other Dharma Protectors, but clearly stated that now is the time to rely upon Dorje Shugden."^[30]

The Benefits of Relying Upon Dorje Shugden Geshe Kelsang described as follows:

"If we can understand well the nature and functions of Dorje Shugden, we can understand the benefits of relying upon him. Dorje Shugden always helps, guides, and protects pure and faithful practitioners by granting blessings, increasing their wisdom, fulfilling their wishes, and bestowing success on all their virtuous activities... We should understand that the principal function of a Dharma Protector is to protect our Dharma practice, not to help our mundane affairs. Bearing this in mind we should not become discouraged if we do not suddenly become very wealthy, for wealth does not necessarily help spiritual practice and can be a great distraction..."^[30]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "however, has rejected and spoken out against this practice. He has described Shugden as an evil and malevolent force, and argued that other Lamas before him had also placed restrictions on worship of this spirit."^[31]

Besides the Dalai Lama and the present Ganden Tripa, who has spoken as well against the Dorje Shugden practice, there are high-level Lamas who had warned on the dangers of that practice too. According to the The Dolgyal Research Committee (Tibetan Government in Exile), prominent opponents include the 5th, 13th and current Dalai Lamas, the 5th and 8th Panchen Lamas, Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, the 14th and 16th Karmapas among others.^[32] Also Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, a Dzogchen master, "has been insisting on the importance of failing to appreciate the danger inherent in such cults".^[33]

Tibetan Lamas who put emphasis on that practice, besides Geshe Kelsang and others, include: Pabongka Rinpoche, Trijang Rinpoche, Song Rinpoche, Gonsar Rinpoche, and Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche. For more see the Dorje Shugden article.

The different views on Dorje Shugden led finally to a public dispute in the West, and the organisation of public demonstration against the Dalai Lama by Geshe Kelsang's organisation NKT. Those demonstrations and the related press campaign has been named by Bunting as "an aggressive international smear campaign to undermine the Dalai Lama"^[34], whereas Geshe Kelsang stated "Demonstrating was telling him (the Dalai Lama) that he made a mistake. Demonstrating should have been a teacher for him. Demonstrating was loving him, not disrespecting him, not harming him. But he never changed."^[35]

In 1998 Geshe Kelsang has stopped that campaign.^[36]

[edit] Expulsion from the Sera Je Dratsang Monastery

According to Michael von Brück, in 1996 Geshe Kelsang was excluded by a number of abbots and Geshes from the community of the monastery (Sangha) he belonged to:

Fifteen abbots and teachers (Geshes) from Geshe Kelsang's origin monastery, Sera Je Dratsang (now South India) wrote an open letter against Geshe Kelsang, excluded him from the Community of the monastery, named him an "apostate" and compared him with "Mohammed of Gazni".^[37]

[edit] Separation from the Gelug school hierarchy

With the controversies on Dorje Shugden, Geshe Kelsang's views on how the tradition he received from his root teacher (Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche) and other Gelug teachers should be practiced was seen by him as significantly different to the views of the Dalai Lama, the highest Gelug Tulku, and the current Ganden Tripa, the head of the Gelug Tradition. This means he does not recognise the authority of these teachers with respect to how the NKT is organised and what teachings they emphasize.^[38]

The separation between Geshe Kelsang and the wider Gelug tradition has been also underlined through making a number of revisions to the later editions of Geshe Kelsang's earlier publications. Geshe Kelsang's dedications to the long life of the Dalai Lama found in editions of "Meaningful to Behold" are omitted from the fourth edition (1994) onwards. Also Geshe Kelsang made revisions of the list of Mahamudra lineage gurus in the second edition of Clear Light of Bliss, published in 1992. In the first edition, Phabongkha Rinpoche was followed by Trijang Rinpoche and Ling Rinpoche, the 'current holder of the throne of Ganden'. In the second edition he omits Ling Rinpoche and replacing his name with that of 'Dorjechang Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche' (i.e. Geshe Kelsang).^[39] Geshe Kelsang said at a NKT festival in 1995 that the Gelug tradition is in a state of "serious degeneration".^[40] Geshe Kelsang has stated that the most effective way to progress spiritually is "of following one tradition purely relying upon one Teacher, practising only his teachings, and following his Dharma Protector. If we mix traditions many obstacles arise and it takes a long time for us to attain realizations."^[41]

Whereas traditional ordination according to the Vinaya and Pratimoksha is given by a Sangha of minimum five fully ordained monks^[42] the NKT ordination is given from Geshe Kelsang, who still ordains all monastics personally.^[43] Waterhouse states: NKT monks and nuns are simply described as ‘ordained’, and usually take the name ‘Kelsang’ from Geshe Kelsang. She has examined also that the majority of monastic in NKT receive only the lower form of Getsul ordination (novices) and that there is the absence of an available equivalent of the Gelong (skt. Bhikshu) full monastic ordination.^[44]

According to Bluck:

Apart from Geshe Kelsang, there are no ethnic Tibetans in the NKT, and no remaining links with the rest of Tibetan Buddhism. With no remaining Tibetan links, central control of teaching, little contact with other schools, an expanding programme of residential centres, widespread if selective publicity and overt proselytizing, the NKT as an organization is far removed from the mainstream of traditional Tibetan Buddhism.^[43]

One of the effects of this rift is that in the New Kadampa Tradition which Geshe Kelsang founded, he is viewed as the sole spiritual authority.^[45] NKT members have described authority within the New Kadampa Tradition as follows: "There is only one Teacher in the NKT, Geshe Kelsang; all other NKT Teachers are his emanations."^[46] A senior member and long-standing monk of the NKT explained: "The NKT hierarchy is Geshe Kelsang; and then there's a successor, someone who will be the spiritual director of the NKT after Geshe Kelsang passes away; and then there's everybody else, all on the same level really."^[47]

[edit] Further activities

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso continues to give teachings in Europe and North America.

According to NKT:

"From his earliest days at Manjushri Centre, Geshe-la worked tirelessly to guide and inspire his students in every aspect of their spiritual life, and continues to do so for the benefit of his many disciples throughout the world. Geshe-la has given extensive commentaries on a great range of subjects from both Sutra and Tantra, but in addition to formal teachings Geshe-la has always been available for private consultations, helping students with their personal problems and being concerned with their health and welfare. Geshe-la has always encouraged his students to present Dharma in a way appropriate to their own culture and society without the need to adopt Tibetan culture and customs. Realizing that it would be difficult for many of his students to learn Tibetan, he taught himself English. Understanding the importance of presenting authentic commentaries in English and other languages, he devotes himself to writing and editing, as well as organizing the publication and translation of his books. All the royalties that he receives as author of these books he donates to Manjushri Centre."^[5]

[edit] Temple project

Geshe Kelsang has been the driving force behind the building of the NKT temples.^[48] The first temple has been built in 1998 at Manjushri Centre, Cumbria. The second temple was opened in 2005, in Glen Spey, New York. At present the work is underway for a third temple near Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Further Temples are planned at Tara Centre in Derby, England and in Melbourne, Australia as well as in Germany.

"NKT members hope to build a Buddhist temple in every major town and city in the world. This project is known as the International Temples Project for World Peace."^[48]

[edit] Retreat

According to the New Kadampa Tradition source Modern Day Kadampas:

After leaving Tibet in 1959, he spent the next eighteen years mainly emphasizing retreat in various locations in the Himalayan region and northern India...In January 1987, Geshe Kelsang entered a three-year retreat at Tharpaland in southern Scotland. Although Geshe-la gave no formal teachings during this time, in-between his meditation sessions he continued to work on a number of books, and it was during his stay at Tharpaland that he completed Joyful Path of Good Fortune and Universal Compassion, and wrote The Meditation Handbook, Introduction to Buddhism and Guide to Dakini Land. It was also during this period that he designed the three spiritual programs that form the core of the New Kadampa Tradition.^[5]

[edit] Controversies

Although Geshe Kelsang Gytaso was described by his followers as the "Third Buddha, because he has restored the essential purity of Buddha's doctrine and shown how to practice it in extremely impure times"^[49] and is described nowadays as a "a fully accomplished meditation master and internationally renowned teacher of Buddhism"^[50] he is seen as controversial as well.

The Sangha of his order in Sera Je monastery issued a formal "Declaration of Expulsion" on August 22,1996 expelling Geshe Kelsang from his monastery.^[51] This happened after the XIV. Dalai Lama has spoken against the Dorje Shugden practice and after Geshe Kelsang and his disciples denounced the Dalai Lama in 1996 in public of being a "ruthless dictator" and "oppressor of religious freedom"^[52], organizing public protests and a press campaign against the Dalai Lama who, from their point of view, has put a "ban" on that practice.^[53] Geshe Kelsang and the NKT accused the Dalai Lama of impingning on their religious freedom and of intolerance.^[54] Geshe Kelsang received the Dorje Shugden practice from his main Lama (root Guru) Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and instructed his students "to make the worship of the deity a central part of their practice"^[55] (For more see Dorje Shugden Controversy.) After NKT had received a lot of criticism by the international media press, Geshe Kelsang wrote different open letters. In a letter to the Washington Post in 2002 he said: "I can guarantee that the NKT and myself have never performed inappropriate actions and will never do so in the future, this is our determination."^[56]

Members of the FPMT, who stayed with Geshe Kelsang at Manjushri Institute, are quite critically about him:

These students often explain the emergence of the NKT in terms of the desire for power and prestige that, they believe, motivated Geshe Kelsang first to attempt to 'seize control' of the Institute and eventually to 'steal' it from its mother organisation. The origin of this drive for power is variously explained - as a result, for example, of the excessive devotion he received, upon arriving in England, from naive and undiscriminating Western practitioners; or as a product of his 'Extreme envy' of Lama Yeshe, who was formerly a junior student to him in Sera Je monastery but who had now become the key personality behind a growing worldwide network of centres. The emergence of the NKT is thus described as the growth of a 'personality cult', orchestrated by a 'totally unscrupulous rogue geshe' through the 'cynical manipulation' of students and the 'transference of [their] loyalty and devotion' via the practice of guru devotion.^[57]

In the German Buddhist magazine Chökor, his behaviour has been described as fanatical.^[58] BBC states: "Some Buddhists and non-Buddhists regard the New Kadampa Tradition as a cult, but the organisation has continued to grow.^[59] Critics...accuse Kelsang of starting a breakaway movement and argue that the New Kadampa Tradition, as it is known today, is not part of the ancient Kadampa Tradition but a split from the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism."^[60]

On the other hand Geshe Kelsang is described by the NKT as the one who "is primarily responsible for the worldwide revival of Kadampa Buddhism in our time." and that "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."^[61]

[edit] Bibliography

• Transform Your Life: A Blissful Journey, Tharpa Publications (Aug 2001)
• How How to Solve Our Human Problems: The Four Noble Truths, Tharpa Publications (Jan 2005)
• Eight Steps to Happiness: The Buddhist Way of Loving Kindness, Tharpa Publications (April 2000)
• The New Meditation Handbook: Meditations to Make Our Life Happy and Meaningful, Tharpa Publications (1 Sep 2003)
• Introduction to Buddhism: An Explanation of the Buddhist Way of Life, Tharpa Publications; 2Rev Ed edition (18 April 2001)
• Universal Compassion: Inspiring Solutions for Difficult Times, Tharpa Publications; 4Rev Ed edition (1 Jul 2002)
• Heart of Wisdom: An Explanation of the Heart Sutra, Tharpa Publications (27 Aug 2001)
• Joyful Path of Good Fortune: The Complete Buddhist Path to Enlightenment, Tharpa Publications (Dec 1995)
• Understanding the Mind: The Nature and Power of the mind, Tharpa Publications; 3Rev Ed edition (1 Aug 2002)
• The Bodhisattva Vow: A Practical Guide to Helping Others, Tharpa Publications (Dec 1995)
• Meaningful to Behold: The Bodhisattva's Way of Life, Tharpa Publications; 4Rev Ed edition (Jan 1994)
• Ocean of Nectar: The True Nature of All Things, Tharpa Publications (Sep 1995)
• Heart Jewel: The Essential Practices of Kadampa Buddhism, Tharpa Publications (April 1997)
• Great Treasury of Merit: How to Rely Upon a Spiritual Guide, Tharpa Publications (Jun 1992)
• Living Meaningfully, Dying Joyfully: The Profound Practice of Transference of Consciousness, Tharpa Publications (Sep 1999)
• Mahamudra Tantra: An Introduction to Meditation on Tantra, Tharpa Publications (1 Sep 2005)
• Guide to Dakini Land: The Highest Yoga Tantra Practice of Buddha Vajrayogini, Tharpa Publications; 2Rev Ed edition (Mar 1996)
• Essence of Vajrayana: The Highest Yoga Tantra Practice of Heruka Body Mandala, Tharpa Publications (Jul 1997)
• Tantric Grounds and Paths: How to Enter, Progress on and Complete the Vajrayana Path, Tharpa Publications (19 Oct 1994)
• Clear Light of Bliss: Tantric Meditation Manual, Tharpa Publications; 2Rev Ed edition (Aug 1992)
• Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life: A Buddhist Poem for Today, a translation of Shantidevas Bodhicharyavatara with Neil Elliott, Tharpa Publications (April 2003)

[edit] See also

• Dorje Shugden
• New Kadampa Tradition
• Kadampa Buddhist Temple
• New religious movement
• Cult
• Anti-cult movement
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

• Belither, James. "Modern Day Kadampas: The History and Development of the New Kadampa Tradition". New Kadampa Tradition.
• Bluck, Robert (2006). British Buddhism Teachings, Practice and Development. RoutledgeCurzon, ISBN 0-415-39515-1
• Brown, Andrew (1996). "Battle of the Buddhists". The Independent, London, 15 July 1996.
• Bunting, Madeleine (1996). "Shadow Boxing on the Path to Nirvana". The Guardian, London, 6 July 1996.
• Jones, Ken. "Many Bodies, One Mind": Movements in British Buddhism. Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
• Kay, David N. (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation. London and New York: Curzon Press. ISBN 0-415-29765-6

[edit] External links

[edit] New Kadampa Tradition links

• New Kadampa Tradition
• Tharpa Publications - The publisher of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's books
• Pro Documents on the Dorje Shugden - New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) Controversy
• Who is Dorje Shugden? The View of Shugden followers.
• Kelsang Gyatso's Meditate in London site

[edit] Critical links

• Student Direct on NKT and FWBO, 1997
• Articles by the Tibetan Government in exile on Shugden