Spiritual Director
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso is a fully accomplished meditation master and internationally renowned teacher of Buddhism. Ordained a Buddhist monk at the age of eight, he studied in the great monastic universities of Tibet and earned the title 'Geshe', which literally means 'spiritual friend'. After leaving Tibet he spent 18 years engaged in meditation retreats in the Himalayan areas of northern India and Nepal.
In 1977 he accepted an invitation to teach in England at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Center and since then he has worked tirelessly to provide all the conditions Westerners need to enter, make progress on and complete the Buddhist path to peace and happiness.
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso has spread the stainless tradition of Kadampa Buddhism throughout the world by giving extensive teachings, writing many profound texts on Kadampa Buddhism, and founding the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU)
He has written twenty books that explain clearly and practically every aspect of Buddha's teachings from entering, progressing and completing the path to enlightenment. He has established three study Programs for the systematic study and practice of Buddhism, established over 900 Kadampa Buddhist centers and groups worldwide, trained qualified Buddhist teachers, and created a project to build Buddhist temples throughout the world dedicated to world peace and happiness for all living beings.
In his teachings Geshe Kelsang emphasises the importance of applying Buddha's advice in daily life: looking for true happiness within ourselves and not in the external world, and cultivating wisdom and especially a good heart, so that we may effectively help others - qualities that he perfectly shows in his own life.
Because he teaches from example, he inspires people of all ages and backgrounds from around the world. He is much beloved by his thousands of students who refer to him affectionately as Geshe-la.
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