Kelsang Gyatso

File:Kadampa Temple for World Peace Spain.jpg

6th Kadampa Temple, based on the design of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and dedicated to World Peace. Inaugurated June 2022

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (Template:Bo; 4 June 1931 – 17 September 2022) was a Buddhist monk, meditation teacher, scholar, and author.<ref>Smith, Jean (1999). Radiant Mind: Essential Buddhist Teachings and Texts. New York: Riverhead Books. p. 324.</ref> He was the founder and spiritual director of the New Kadampa Tradition, a registered non-profit, modern Buddhist organization and new religious movement that emerged from the Gelugpa school.<ref name="Cozort, Daniel 2003 p. 230">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>NKT-IKBU Charity overview. Retrieved 24 December 2009.</ref> It currently lists more than 1,300 affiliated centres in over 25 countries.<ref name="KadampaCentres">Template:Cite webTemplate:PbTemplate:HarvnbTemplate:PbTemplate:Harvnb</ref>

Early life

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso was born on 19 July 1931, in Yangcho Tang, Western Tibet and named Lobsang Chuponpa. At eight years old, he joined Ngamring Jampa Ling Monastery where he was ordained as a novice monk and given the monastic name "Kelsang Gyatso" meaning "Ocean of Good Fortune". He "went on to study at Sera, one of the great monasteries of Tibet’s dominant Gelug school. He was trained in the traditional method of intense scholastic study and debate, and he studied for a geshe degree, an advanced distinction in Buddhist scholarship."<ref name="theguardian.com">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

After escaping to India via Nepal during the 1959 Tibetan exodus, Kelsang Gyatso stayed at the monastic study centre established at Buxa Fort in West Bengal, India. All he brought with him were two Buddhist scriptures — Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life and a text by Je Tsongkhapa. In 1971, the Indian Government donated large tracts of land in South India to the community in exile, where separate monasteries were established.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At this time, Kelsang Gyatso left the monastery at Buxa for Mussoorie (a hill station in the Indian state of Uttarakhand) where he taught and engaged in intensive meditation retreat for 16 years.<ref>Cozort, D.. quoted in Heine, S., & Prebish, C. S. (2003). Buddhism in the modern world: Adaptations of an ancient tradition. New York: Oxford University . p. 230.</ref> At that time Kelsang Gyatso was, as David Kay puts it, "by all accounts, a very well respected scholar and meditator" within the Tibetan exile community.<ref name="Kay, David 2004 p. 56">Kay, David (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation. RoutledgeCurzon critical studies in Buddhism. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 56.</ref> He spent much of his time in India in retreat: "over the next two decades he spent long periods in retreat in the Himalayan foothills."<ref name="theguardian.com"/>

New Kadampa Tradition

In 1976, Lama Thubten Yeshe, Thubten Zopa Rinpoche and Peter Kedge of the Yeshe Foundation visited India to invite Kelsang Gyatso, a former classmate of Lama Zopa's, to teach the programme at Manjushri Institute on a three-year contract.<ref name="Waterhouse1997">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name=ReachingOut>"Reaching Out", Mandala, July–September 2009, pp. 29–30Template:PbTemplate:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Bluck2006">Template:Harvnb</ref> In November 1977, Geshe Kelsang arrived at the Manjushri Institute, on a supported visa, as its first resident teacher.<ref name=ReachingOut/><ref name="Early History">Template:Cite journalTemplate:PbTemplate:Harvnb</ref>

In 1978, the Yeshe Foundation changed its name to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition or FPMT. That year, Kelsang Gyatso also established the Madhyamaka Centre in York under his own spiritual direction.<ref name=Beginings>"Winter at Manjushri", Mandala, January–March 2009, FPMT Publications, pp. 64–66</ref><ref name="problems">Template:HarvnbTemplate:PbTemplate:Harvnb</ref> While the FPMT aimed to embrace all lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, Kelsang Gyatso believed in a more exclusivist teaching, creating conflict between the FPMT's leadership and Geshe Gyatso, which was deepened by the creation of a new centre distinct from the FPMT.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="problems" /><ref name="ReachingOut" />

In November 1986, Kelsang Gyatso oversaw the rebuilding of Ngamring Jampa Ling Monastery after its destruction, and it was fully restored and reopened by September 1988.<ref>Full Moon Magazine 1991</ref> In 1987, Kelsang Gyatso entered a 3-year retreat at Tharpaland International Retreat Centre in Dumfries, Scotland. During his retreat, he wrote five books and established the foundations of what would become the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT).Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

In April 1991, Geshe Kelsang announced the formation of the NKT as an independent organisation, and invited the centres he had established to join.<ref name=p79>Template:Harvnb</ref> In 1992, a new charitable company, Manjushri Mahayana Buddhist Centre, was incorporated, separate from the FPMT. It later became the Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre, which is the flagship center of the NKT.<ref>The New Kadampa Tradition, charity registration number: 2758093, October 1992</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="problems"/><ref name="Cozort 2003 234">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Teachings

Kelsang Gyatso taught the General Programme at Manjushri from 1977 until 1987.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Under Kelsang Gyatso's spiritual direction, Manjushri Institute became an active training and retreat center.<ref>Cresswell, Jamie. "Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition" entry in Melton, J. Gordon, and Martin Baumann. 2002. Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. p. 508.</ref> During this time, on October 13, 1983, Kelsang Gyatso became a naturalized British citizen.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Kelsang Gyatso's teachings have an emphasis on the Lamrim, Lojong and Mahamudra.Template:Sfn<ref>Spanswick, Richard. (2000). The Guide: Following the Buddhist Path. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences. (8:32-8:56)</ref> The NKT-IKBU has three study programs: the General Programme, the Foundation Programme, and the Teacher Training Programme. It aims to provide Buddhist teachings that are accessible to Western practitioners.<ref>Partridge, C. H. (2004). New religions: A guide : new religious movements, sects, and alternative spiritualities. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 205.</ref> Qualification as an NKT-IKBU dharma teacher is generally achieved by attending the NKT-IKBU's Teacher Training Programme, which Kelsang Gyatso regarded as "a western equivalent to the traditional Tibetan Geshe degree", although much compressed.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Kelsang Gyatso established the NKT-IKBU Dharma Centres as mixed communities of lay and ordained practitioners, all on the same teaching programmes. He also promoted the development of local teachers in their own language.<ref>Wishfulfilling Jewels for Dharma Practitioners: The Benefits of the Foundation and Teacher Training Programs by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. 1990-10-??. retrieved 2009-03-12.</ref><ref>Spanswick, Richard. (2000). The Guide: Following the Buddhist Path. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences. (5:49-5:58)</ref><ref>Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (1992). Training as a Qualified Dharma Teacher, quoted in Religion Today: A Reader Template:Webarchive, edited by Susan Mumm, p. 43.</ref>

Exclusivism

Scholars of Buddhism such as Robert Bluck, Daniel Cozort, David Kay, and Helen Waterhouse have described Gyatso's formation of the New Kadampa Tradition as unusual among Tibetan Buddhist groups, since it intentionally distinguishes itself from the traditions that preceded it and its contemporaries.<ref name="Cozort 240">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:HarvnbTemplate:PbTemplate:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Bluck, R. 2006">Bluck, R. (2006). British Buddhism: Teachings, practice and development. Routledge critical studies in Buddhism. London: Routledge. Template:ISBN. p. 145.</ref> It does this while also emphasising the purity of its Tibetan lineage.<ref>Chryssides, George (1999). Exploring New Religions. London: Cassell. pp. 235, 237.</ref><ref name="Belither 2006">Belither, James. quoted in Bluck, R. (2006). British Buddhism: Teachings, practice and development. Routledge critical studies in Buddhism. London: Routledge. Template:ISBN. p. 145.</ref>Template:Sfn

Kelsang Gyatso said his aim was to establish an independent movement which directly followed the "pure" teachings of Je Tsongkhapa and which focussed exclusively on the translations and commentaries of Geshe Kelsang himself.<ref>Template:HarvnbTemplate:PbTemplate:HarvnbTemplate:PbTemplate:Harvnb</ref> Waterhouse has described this view as sectarian.<ref name="Sectarianism" />

Kay says that NKT-IKBU practitioners practice their tradition exclusively, "eschewing eclecticism," and that the NKT defines itself in this way to show that it is adapted for the needs of Westerners, but also to emphasise that it alone is guardian of "the pure tradition of Tsongkhapa in the modern world".<ref name="foundation">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Kay, David (1997). The New Kadampa Tradition and the Continuity of Tibetan Buddhism in Transition, Journal of Contemporary Religion 12:3 (October 1997), p. 286.</ref> According to Bluck, Kelsang Gyatso's "conservative and traditional presentation of Buddhism" may be appealing to Westerners who "wish for a meaningful alternative to spiritual pluralism".Template:Sfn

According to Kelsang Gyatso in Understanding the Mind, "If we try to create a synthesis of different traditions we shall destroy the special power of each and be left only with a mishmash of our own making that will be a source of confusion and doubt."<ref>Kelsang Gyatso. (2002). Understanding the mind: Lorig, an explanation of the nature and functions of the mind. Ulverston, Eng: Tharpa Publications. pp. 161-162.</ref> In Great Treasury of Merit, he said that the most effective way to progress spiritually is by "following one tradition purely — relying upon one Teacher, practicing only his teachings, and following his Dharma Protector."<ref>Kelsang Gyatso. (1992). Great Treasury of Merit: How to rely upon a Spiritual Guide. Ulverston, U.K.: Tharpa Publications. p. 31.</ref>

Tibetologist Robert Barnett says the NKT is unusual in its criticism and rejection of mainstream Tibetan Buddhism.Template:Sfn Kelsang Gyatso himself severed ties with the Gelug teachers in India and Tibet, establishing himself as the organisation's sole religious authority.<ref>Template:HarvnbTemplate:PbTemplate:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Cozort, Daniel 2003 p. 231">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Belither, James 2001 p. 311">Belither, James. In Barrett, D. V. (2001). The new believers: A survey of sects, cults and alternative religions. London: Cassell. p. 311</ref> In 1996, Kelsang Gyatso was formally expelled by the Sera Je Monastery for his worship of Dorje Shugden and criticism of the Dalai Lama, and had his geshe degree revoked.<ref name="Expulsion">Template:HarvnbTemplate:PbTemplate:Harvnb</ref>

Dorje Shugden activism

Template:Main Kelsang Gyatso and the New Kadampa Tradition have been criticised for their involvement with the International Shugden Community and, as a consequence, what David Kay calls its "leading role in a Western-based campaign mounted against the Dalai Lama" during his visit to the United Kingdom in 1996.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Geshe Kelsang is often credited with popularising Dorje Shugden worship to the West. He and the NKT objected to the Dalai Lama's advice that Buddhists should not worship Dorje Shugden, a Gelug Dharmapala (protector deity) associated with sectarianism.<ref>Template:HarvnbTemplate:PbTemplate:HarvnbTemplate:PbTemplate:Harvnb</ref><ref>Christopher Emory-Moore. "Branding a New Buddhist Movement: The New Kadampa Tradition's Self-identification as 'Modern Buddhism'". Journal of Global Buddhism (Vol.21 11–28). Template:ISSN</ref><ref>Mills, Martin. Identity, Ritual and State in Tibetan Buddhism. Routledge 2003, page 366.Template:PbTemplate:Harvnb: "The main proponent of this view [that Dorje Shugden is a Buddha] in recent years has been Geshe Kelsang Gyatso who, like many other popular Gelug lamas, stands firmly within the lineage tradition of the highly influential Phabongkha Rinpoche and his disciple Trijang Rinpoche."</ref><ref name="Kay, David 2004 p. 101-2">Kay, David (2004). Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantation, Development and Adaptation. RoutledgeCurzon critical studies in Buddhism. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 101-2.</ref> The Western Shugden Society, which received backing from the Chinese government to criticise the Dalai Lama, describes Kelsang Gyatso as the final teacher in the Dorje Shugden spiritual lineage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

According to the NKT, Dorje Shugden worship is "the very essence of the New Kadampa Tradition", and the protector is presented as the deity most able to help practitioners. The NTK's The Heart Jewel and Wishfulfilling Jewel sādhanas, as compiled by Kelsang Gyatso, incorporate elements of the Dorje Shugden sādhana. Dorje Shugden may also have influenced Geshe Kelsang's teaching that practitioners cannot mix with other traditions, a view which has been criticised by scholars and other Buddhists as sectarian.<ref name="Sectarianism">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Expulsion" />

In 1996, Gyatso was accused of defamation of the Dalai Lama in relation to the protests. This led to his expulsion from Sera Je Monastic University in India, and the revocation of his geshe (Buddhist teaching) degree.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Retirement and death

In August 2009, he voluntarily stepped down as General Spiritual Director of the NKT-IKBU..<ref>A Moral Discipline Guide: The Internal Rules of the New Kadampa Tradition — International Kadampa Buddhist Union, Section 5§2, retrieved 2010-03-10.</ref> After this, Kelsang engaged in meditation retreat and continued to write books.<ref>Waterhouse, Helen (2001). Representing western Buddhism: a United Kingdom focus. quoted in Beckerlegge, G. (2001). From sacred text to internet. Religion today, v. 1. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. pp. 140, 142.</ref> Richard Spanswick said one of Kelsang's aims was to "produce a complete set of instructions for westerners wishing to set out on the path to enlightenment".<ref>Spanswick, Richard. (2000). The Guide: Following the Buddhist Path. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences. (9:40-9:57)</ref>

Kelsang Gyatso did not make any public appearances between October 2013 and his death in September 2022. The NKT stated he was "in strict retreat".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 19 September 2022, the NKT announced that Kelsang Gyatso had died two days earlier.<ref>NKT-IKBU statement (2022) "Important Announcement VENERABLE GESHE KELSANG GYATSO RINPOCHE" quoted in [1]</ref>

Published works

• The Bodhisattva Vow: A Practical Guide to Helping Others, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 1995) Template:ISBN
• Buddhism in the Tibetan Tradition: A Guide, Routledge & Kegan Paul (1984) Template:ISBN, (Library Edition 2008) Template:ISBN
• Clear Light of Bliss: Tantric Meditation Manual, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 1992) Template:ISBN
• Eight Steps to Happiness: The Buddhist Way of Loving Kindness, Tharpa Publications (2000) Template:ISBN
• Essence of Vajrayana: The Highest Yoga Tantra Practice of Heruka Body Mandala, Tharpa Publications (1997) Template:ISBN
• Great Treasury of Merit: How to Rely Upon a Spiritual Guide, Tharpa Publications (1992) Template:ISBN
• Guide to Dakini Land: The Highest Yoga Tantra Practice of Buddha Vajrayogini, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 1996) Template:ISBN
• Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life: How to Enjoy a Life of Great Meaning and Altruism, a translation of Shantideva's Bodhisattvacharyavatara with Neil Elliott, Tharpa Publications (2002) Template:ISBN
• Heart Jewel: The Essential Practices of Kadampa Buddhism, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 1997) Template:ISBN
• The New Heart of Wisdom: Profound Teachings from Buddha's Heart, Tharpa Publications (5th. ed., 2012) Template:ISBN
• How to Solve Our Human Problems: The Four Noble Truths, Tharpa Publications (2005, US ed., 2007) Template:ISBN
• Introduction to Buddhism: An Explanation of the Buddhist Way of Life, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 2001, US ed. 2008) Template:ISBN
• Joyful Path of Good Fortune: The Complete Buddhist Path to Enlightenment, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 1995) Template:ISBN
• Living Meaningfully, Dying Joyfully: The Profound Practice of Transference of Consciousness, Tharpa Publications (1999) Template:ISBN
• Mahamudra Tantra: The Supreme Heart Jewel Nectar, Tharpa Publications (2005) Template:ISBN
• Meaningful to Behold: The Bodhisattva's Way of Life, Tharpa Publications (5th. ed., 2008) Template:ISBN
• The Mirror of Dharma: How to Find the Real Meaning of Human Life, Tharpa Publications (2018)
• Modern Buddhism: The Path of Wisdom and Compassion, Tharpa Publications (2010) Template:ISBN
• The New Meditation Handbook: Meditations to Make Our Life Happy and Meaningful, Tharpa Publications (2003) Template:ISBN
• Ocean of Nectar: The True Nature of All Things, Tharpa Publications (1995) Template:ISBN
• The Oral Instructions of the Mahamudra, Tharpa Publications (2015) Template:ISBN
• Tantric Grounds and Paths: How to Enter, Progress on, and Complete the Vajrayana Path, Tharpa Publications (1994) Template:ISBN
• Transform Your Life: A Blissful Journey, Tharpa Publications (2001, US ed. 2007) Template:ISBN
• Understanding the Mind: The Nature and Power of the Mind, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 1997) Template:ISBN
• Universal Compassion: Inspiring Solutions for Difficult Times, Tharpa Publications (4th. ed., 2002) Template:ISBN

Sources

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External links

• NKT-IKBU official website
• Tharpa Publications — The publisher of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's books
• Modern Buddhism The Path of Compassion and Wisdom — Free eBook by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
• New Kadampa Truth — Responding to criticism of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
• Template:Usurped Writing and discussion critical of the New Kadampa movement by ex-members. There is a similarly named "New Kadampa Truth" with response to this criticism.