We are deeply honored to welcome the 104th Ganden Tripa, Kyabje Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Palsangpo to Kurukulla Center. Tri Rinpoche will bless us with his presence at the Center for more than a week and we hope you can join us during this time.

The Ganden Tripa ‘Holder of the Ganden Throne’ is the title of the spiritual head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), who founded the Gelug school was the first Ganden Tripa. The Gaden Tripa is an appointed office for a term of seven years. Kurukulla Center is a Gelug temple where, at the core of our offerings are the teachings and practices of Lama Tsongkhapa. Therefore it is the highest honor to host the Ganden Tripa.

The teaching schedule is as follows:

Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland

• Wednesday, June 6 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm
• Thursday, June 7 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm
• Friday, June 8 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

Nagarjuna is renowned for his penetrating analysis of reality. In the Precious Garland, he offers intimate counsel on how to conduct one's life and how to construct social policies that reflect Buddhist ideals. The advice for personal happiness is concerned first with improving one's condition over the course of lifetimes, and then with release from all kinds of suffering, culminating in Buddhahood.

Twenty-One Taras Initiation

• Saturday, June 9 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Ārya Tārā's twenty-one emanations each have their own mantra and embody various qualities of enlightened activities such as protection, pacification, long-life, healing, and purification etc. Endowed with motherly loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom, they assist in the removal of obstacles to achieve one’s goals in ordinary life and to attain the highest spiritual goal of Buddhahood.

Amitayus Long Life Initiation

• Sunday, June 10 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Amitayus, the Buddha of Boundless Life, is the sambhogakaya (or “body of enjoyment”) aspect of Amitabha Buddha, particularly associated with longevity. Long life practice is an important aspect of vajrayana practice which uses the skillful (two “l”s) means of tantra in order to increase one's own or others’ lifespan.

Nagarjuna’s Praise to Satisfying Sentient Beings

• Monday, June 11 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

Kurukulla Center has a very precious connection to this text. The late Venerable Geshe Tsulga's final request to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in October 2010 was to give a teaching on this text at the Main Temple of Sera Lachi Monastery from the throne that Geshe Tsulga had sponsored to build. His Holiness gave the oral transmission of this text at the Jangchub Lamrim teachings at Sera Lachi on December 25, 2015, and the Center sponsored the publication of 14,500 Tibetan and English copies of the text that was offered to the attendees. You can download a copy of the English text.

Biography of 104th Ganden Tripa Kyabje Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Palsangpo

His Holiness the Dalai Lama appointed Jangtse Choejey Kyabje Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Palsangpo as the 104th Gaden Tripa, the head of Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism on June 24, 2017.

Kyabje Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Palsangpo was born in Tibet in 1934, Rinpoche was ordained as a monk at the age of seven. Following His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile in 1959, he entered Sera Je Monastery where he was enrolled into Tsangpa Khangtsen at the age of seventeen.

Following a rigorous study of the Buddhist philosophies, he obtained the highest honor of Geshe Lharampa degree in 1979 after debate examinations attended by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other senior Buddhist scholars.

Ater receiving the Geshe Lharampa degree, he entered Gyume Tantric University and two years later became a master of discipline. Rinpoche also studied the esoteric teachings of the Mahayana tradition extensively while he was there at Gyume Tantric University.

In 1985, His Holiness the Dalai Lama appointed him as the abbot of Gyume Tantric University, a position he held for 6 years.

Since then he has taught widely in India and the West. He was also the Spiritual Director at Do Ngak Kunphen Ling dharma center based in North America.

He was appointed to the position of Jangtse Choje in 2010, which placed him second in line for the position of Gaden Tripa after former Sharpa Chojey late Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin at that time.