History

Fifty Years of Buddhist Teachings

Since its founding 50 years ago, The Tibet Center has fulfilled Khyongla Rato Rinpoche’s goal of keeping the dharma flourishing and evolving to meet the needs of the modern world through free talks and discussion. Rinpoche taught classes twice weekly. He was joined by Venerable Khensur Rinpoche Nicholas Vreeland in 1999.

Guest lecturers have included teachers from the Chan, Theravadan and Zen traditions as well as non-Buddhist teachers representing Christianity, Hinduism and Jainism. Other speakers have included scientists and philosophers.

The Tibet Center has hosted the most important Tibetan masters of our time including Venerable Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, the Senior Tutor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; Venerable Tsenshab Serkong Rinpoche, who served as the official debating partner of H. H. the Dalai Lama; Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, the hereditary head of the Sakya order of Tibetan Buddhism; Venerable Trulshik Rinpoche of the Nyingma tradition, and Venerable Tenga Rinpoche of the Kagyu tradition.

Venerable Rato Khensur Rinpoche Nicholas Vreeland currently offers bi-weekly classes in secular ethics and Buddhist practice and theory, using ancient Indian and Tibetan texts. Classes offer students methods of integrating the teachings into their daily meditation and practice. TTC also hosts a bi-monthly White Tara meditation/Sadhna along with guest lecturers.

Co-Sponsorsing of Teachings by H.H. The Dalai Lama

The Tibet Center has co-hosted six New York City teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

• 1991 —  Richard Gere and The Tibet Center's Khyongla Rato Rinpoche invited His Holiness the Dalai Lama to bestow the Kalachakra initiation in New York City. A magnificent Kalachakra mandala was created in the eight-day preparation period, after which His Holiness conferred the Kalachakra initiation on more than four thousand people in Madison Square Garden's Paramount Theater.
  

• 1999 — His Holiness delivered teachings on Kamalashila's Middle Length Stages of Meditation and Togmay's Sangpo's Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas. He also addressed an extraordinary public gathering in Central Park attended by over 200,000 people.
  

• 2003 — At the invitation of The Tibet Center and Healing the Divide, His Holiness gave a four-day teaching on Root Verses on Indian Philosophies by the 17th-century Tibetan scholar Jamyang Shepa and The Seven-Point Mind Training by the 12th-century Geshe Chekawa. He also gave a public talk in Central Park on The Bodhisattva's Jewel Garland by Atisha, again attended by over 200,000 people.
  

• 2007 — His Holiness bestowed teachings on the Diamond Cutter Sutra by Shakyamuni Buddha and Seventy Verses on Emptiness by Nagarjuna. He gave a public talk on “Peace and Prosperity” at Radio City Music Hall to an audience of 6,000. His appearance was hosted by The Tibet Center and Healing the Divide.
  

• 2010 — His Holiness the Dalai Lama offered a three-day teaching on Commentary on Bodhicitta by Nagarjuna and A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life by Shantideva. There was a public talk “Awakening the Heart of Selflessness” at_Radio City Music Hall_ for __6,000_ people. His appearance was hosted by The Tibet Center and Healing the Divide.
  

• 2013 — The Gere Foundation and The Tibet Center hosted His Holiness at the Beacon Theatre for teachings on The Heart Sutra, The Sutra of the Recollection of the Three Jewels, and the ninth chapter of The Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life by Shantideva. His Holiness bestowed an initiation into The Buddha Establishing the Three Pledges and gave a public talk on the Virtue of Nonviolence at The Beacon Theatre to _3,000  people.  

The Tibet Center / Kunkhyab Thardo Ling 

PO Box 1873 New York, NY  10156

ph 718 222 0007 fax 718 222 0087 

info@thetibetcenter.org