| Geshe Lobsang Tsephel, the spiritual director of Land of Compassion Buddha and senior teacher of Land of Flourishing Virtue, was born in Lithang, Tibet, in 1931. At the age of five, he began, on his own initiative, to wear the maroon robes of a monk; he formally entered Lithang Monastery at the age of nine. Subsequently he entered Gaden Jangste Monastery and after 20 years of studying and practicing Sutrayana and Tantrayana, Geshe-la was awarded the degree of Lhagrampa Geshe in 1976; in 1992, he was awarded the degree of Ngagrampa Geshe, a supremely high form of recognition within Tibetan Buddhism, gained by very few. He taught at Namgyal Monastery, Nechung Monastery, and the Tibetan Library in Dharamsala, and served as the Assistant Abbot of Gaden Monastery. In addition to becoming a highly recognized scholar and teacher, Geshe Tsephel has demonstrated an equally profound commitment to practice. Before the Chinese invasion of Tibet, he pledged to complete 100,000 full prostrations in front of the Natural Body of Lama Tsong Khapa at Gaden Monastery in Tibet, and completed them within one month. |  |
| In a similar demonstration of his commitment to practicing Dharma, at the
request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe-la, at the age of 56, left India to teach in
the United States, even though he spoke no English. In the United States, Geshe Tsephel
has established centers in San Diego and Los Angeles, and travels to other states, as well
as Taiwan, Singapore, Costa Rica, and Canada to teach. As a teacher, Geshe Tsephel places strong emphasis on the practice of Dharma both "on and off" the meditation cushion. Students are advised to complete their Preliminary Practices, or Nungdros, and to maintain a disciplined daily practice, with equal focus on rejoicing in joyous effort.. Equally emphasized is the practice of compassion in action towards others, with constant mindfulness and awareness of cause and effect. Geshe Tsephel encourages his students to memorize texts, especially The Three Principal Path by Lama Tsong Khapa and The Heart Sutra, and to use these precious teachings to evaluate their daily activities. As a master of Highest Yoga Tantra, Geshe-la gives initiations as requested by his students; the initiations are from all classes of tantra, and can be accompanied by profound and detailed commentaries. Recently, out of his extraordinary kindness, Geshe Tsephel has offered the initiations of Guhyasamaja, Yamantaka, Cittamani Tara, and Heruka Chakrasamvara, along with lengthy commentaries and teachings on Madhyamaka and Shantideva's Guide to A Bodhisattva's Way of Life. In addition, Geshe Tsephel holds frequent retreats, which he personally leads, to give students the opportunity to learn the practices correctly and deeply. Regularly scheduled retreats include Yamantaka, Vajrasattva, Amitabha, Heart Sutra, Avalokiteshvara, and Nyung-Ne. Visitors to the Land of Compassion Buddha and Land of Flourishing Virtue will find that Geshe Tsephel is highly accessible; as one student has remarked, "Whether Geshe-la is giving formal teachings or simply walking around, he is always teaching through his powerful compassion, immense wisdom and profoundly skillful means." |