His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the head of
state and spiritual leader of Tibet. He is recognized throughout the world
as a leading proponent of human rights and world peace. In 1989, he was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and accepted it on behalf of the oppressed
everywhere, and all those who struggle for freedom. His Holiness follows
the life of a Buddhist monk, often saying "I am just a simple Buddhist
monk - no more, nor less." He is an outstanding example of how to live a
simple, happy, spiritual life in these complicated, stressful times. More Information...
Lama Thubten Yeshe was born in Tibet in 1935. At the age of six, he
entered Sera Monastic University in Tibet where he studied until 1959,
when as Lama Yeshe himself has said, "In that year the Chinese kindly told
us that it was time to leave Tibet and meet the outside world." Lama
Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, together as teacher and
disciple since their exile in India, met their first Western students in
1965. In 1974, the Lamas began touring and teaching in the West, which
would eventually result in the FPMT. Lama Yeshe died in 1984; his
reincarnation Lama Tenzin Ösel Rinpoche was born to Spanish parents in
1985. More Information...
Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, FPMT's Spiritual Director, is the reincarnation
of the Sherpa Nyingma yogi Kunsang Yeshe, the Lawudo Lama. Rinpoche was
born in 1946 in Thami, not far from the cave Lawudo, in the Mount Everest
region of Nepal, where his predecessor meditated for the last twenty years
of his life. He began teaching courses on Buddhism to Westerners in 1965,
along with Lama Yeshe. They founded several centers that eventually became
the building blocks of the FPMT. As of December 2001, there are 132 FPMT
centers and projects worldwide. More Information...
Geshe Gelek Chodha was born in Sikkim, the oldest of five children.
At the age of seven, Geshe-la went south to live at Sera Jey monastery
and become a monk. He achieved the degree of Geshe Lharampa in 1997,
continuing on to the Gyume Tantric College to learn the intricacies of
tantric rituals. At the suggestion of his classmate, Yangsi Rinpoche,
Geshe-la was requested by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to come to Kadampa Center and
be our resident teacher. Since his arrival in 1999, we have been
privileged to have Geshe-la as our spiritual friend while he teaches us
the Buddha Dharma with sincerity, humor, and patience.
In response to Kadampa Center's request for a long life prayer for Geshe Gelek, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Delek, one of Geshe Gelek's closest teachers, recommended that we recite at least 200,000 Tara mantras annually and dedicate them to Geshe Gelek's long life. We will be reciting these regularly at the Center, and invite those who feel a close connection to Geshe-la to recite mantras on their own. A page on our website has been dedicated to keeping count of the mantras recited both at the Center, and by those reciting them on their own. Please add your totals to ours!
Kadampa Center, Raleigh, NC, USA
Affiliated with the Foundation for
the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition in the lineage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama