Visit our Events Calendar for more information about upcoming teachings and practice opportunities with Lama Tashi.
Category: Uncategorized
Please provide your input on programming for Lama Tashi’s return this Fall
The Jefferson Tibetan Society is pleased to announce the return of Lama Tashi this Fall! We are looking forward to offering programming that suits the needs and dispositions of the Charlottesville community. Please help us design the experiences that will be of most benefit to you by completing this short survey. Your feedback is much appreciated!
Celebration of H.H. the Dalai Lama’s 89th birthday
On Saturday, July 6th at 1:00 p.m at Unity of Charlottesville’s Fillmore House, join us in celebration of H.H. the Dalai Lama’s 89th birthday, with meditation, long life prayers for His Holiness, recitation of the Heart Sutra, and a Dharma talk on understanding the Heart Sutra practice in the context of Buddha’s teachings on the Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma, followed by social time with some birthday cake! Advance registration is strongly encouraged; walk-ins are welcome.
Art of Happiness Series: Connecting Study and Meditation Practice
Beginning April 20, join us on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m at Unity of Charlottesville’s Fillmore House for a new reflection and meditation series based on H.H. the Dalai Lama and psychiatrist Howard Cutler’s bestselling book, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living. Learn more about the series here. Advance registration is requested due to space limitations. To register for individual events in the series, visit our calendar of events.
Our Lineage of Practice
The Jefferson TIbetan Society’s primary function is to provide teaching & meditation practice in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, as exemplified for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings. Our center has a long history from the Ri-mey (non-sectarian) tradition. For many years, we sponsored teachings from all 4 schools of the Tibetan tradition, as well as some Theravadin teachings. Our resident teachers have been from the Geluk-pa tradition.
Our first teacher was Khensur Yeshi Thupten, a renowned abbot from Drepung Loseling Monastery. He came from India to teach at U.Va. and we sponsored weekly classes for him in the community for many years to provide opportunities for the general public to have access to such a great lama.
After Khensur Yeshi Thupten returned to India, his student Geshe Jampel Thardo became the resident lama of Jefferson Tibetan Society where he taught for more than 25 years. H.H. the Dalai Lama had a deep fondness for Geshe-la & described him as one of his best monks in America. Geshe-la was a deep meditation practitioner & taught the classic Mahayana texts each week at our center, as well as leading retreats. At the time of his passing, Geshe-la demonstrated physical signs of a very high level of realization demonstrating the ability to have complete control of the death process. We are so grateful for all the guidance he provided to our sangha and the central Virginia community. As it was Geshe-la’s wish for our Dharma center to continue to function as a teaching & practice center, we continue to offer on-going opportunities for study and practice.
Practicing generosity
The Jefferson Tibetan Society relies on the generous support of its participants & members to serve Charlottesville and the central Virginia community. We greatly appreciate your donations and the work of our volunteers. Visit our Support Us page to find out how you can help!