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Today we celebrate the anniversary of Lama Tsongkhapa’s parinirvana (Ganden Namchoe) with a Guru Puja, as well as prayers commemorating his exceptional qualities and achievements. This anniversary is honored each year on the 25th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan calendar.
Lama Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) is the founder of the Tibetan Buddhist Gelug lineage, the tradition we follow at Kurukulla Center. Also known by his ordination name Losang Drakpa and the abbreviated Je Rinpoche, Lama Tsongkhapa undertook extensive study, contemplation, and meditative retreat in all the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. By merging teachings on mind training (lojong) with lamrim (stages of the path) and Sakya tantric teachings, he established a comprehensive view of the ideal Buddhist practice. He also emphasized the importance of monasticism bound by strict adherence to ethical standards and founded Ganden Monastery.
His legacy includes extensive writings on emptiness as well as the incorporation of tantric practices into lamrim training. Although he is most famously revered for his composition of the Lamrim Chenmo (Stages of the Path to Enlightenment), he composed numerous other works that make up eighteen volumes. Several shorter works such as The Foundation of All Good Qualities found on page 119 in the Kurukulla Center Prayerbook) and The Three Principal Aspects of the Path summarize his stages of the path teachings.
A biography of Lama Tsongkhapa can be found on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website.
In addition to participating in our Guru Puja, Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends these additional practices on Lama Tsongkhapa Day.
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