Kamalashila Institut

11/09/2026

🙏🏻❤️

30/08/2026

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

I was deeply saddened to hear the news of the recent floods and landslides on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Hundreds of people—including many from Tibet and Nepal as well as visitors from all over the world—have lost their lives. Many more are still missing, and houses, buildings, and bridges have been swept away. Not only have many lost their lives, many people in this region have also lost their livelihoods.

Hearing of this, I felt we must do something to help. Thus I would like to ask the Kagyu monasteries and nunneries in Nepal to organize relief operations to bring aid to the people. I will provide support for these efforts.

As we can see with our eyes, the environmental situation throughout the world and in the Himalayas in particular has grown more severe. Temperatures have risen, glaciers are melting, and rainfall has grown stronger and more unpredictable, leading to floods, landslides, and severe storms throughout the world. But we see the destructive results most clearly in the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau. I would like to ask everyone to do whatever you can to preserve and protect the environment so that we can prevent any future disasters.

Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
29 August 2026

28/08/2026

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We would like to offer an excerpt from the Disaster Management Guidelines for Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries and Nunneries written by His Holiness the Karmapa in 2017, titled "Healing the Heart and Mind” where he reminded us of the importance of not ignoring emotional and mental trauma post-disaster and stabilizing ourselves with our meditation practices as well as utilizing western psychological techniques skillfully.

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Disasters threaten both our physical health and our mental and emotional well-being. When people come to us for help in a disaster, we cannot only focus on the body and ignore the heart and mind. In fact, emotional and mental trauma is much harder to observe and to treat than physical injury.

Many people have spoken to me about their trauma from recent disasters such as the flood in Ladakh and the earthquakes in Nepal and Sikkim. They described experiencing emotions of shock and disbelief, of fear and helplessness. Some of them spoke of losing their faith. Some described feeling shame for continuing to struggle months or years later. For this reason, I decided to dedicate a section of these guidelines to the topic of inner resilience.

This chapter combines psychology as taught and practiced in the west with mind training methods found in the Buddhist tradition. For some people, application of western psychology such as therapy may be the right strategy whereas for others, Buddhist meditative practices such as Shinay that focus on tranquility and calm abiding may be a better coping mechanism. For others yet, they might want to combine elements from both traditions. Please be mindful and discerning as you read through this section and apply these techniques carefully.

To begin, I would like to say that emotional disturbances are natural and inevitable. Only enlightened and highly realized practitioners can escape feeling fear and confusion in the face of devastation. Our terror emerges from the realization that we do not have control over our lives and our future. This fear gives rise to anger because we feel cheated out of the sense of security we previously took for granted. Feeling betrayed, we can lose faith in the devotion and practice that we thought would protect us. Sometimes, guilt arises because we are relieved to be alive while knowing that others died or suffered great losses. Let me reassure you that all of these reactions are normal under such circumstances. This is the nature of samsara.

However, the time it takes for you to recover tranquility of mind is up to you. For monastics and seasoned practitioners, meditation on impermanence and emptiness is crucial. You will need the compassion and equanimity from your practice to help others in their time of need. One of the main tenets of Buddhism is that the basic nature of mind is pure and limitless like the sky. The panic and fear that take over is temporary, like rain clouds that come and go on the face of the sky. Just as clouds block our view of the sky and may momentarily convince us that the sky is dark and gray in nature, dark and disturbing thoughts will attempt the same but eventually dissolve.

Being able to continue your Shinay and Lhaktong meditation practices and training will give you the inner resilience you need. Of course, it is one thing to meditate on impermanence and another to experience it under alarming conditions. However, you can recover your emotional equilibrium by restarting your daily meditation practice as soon as it is feasible.

For lay people who do not have a strong meditation practice, it is critical that you keep your faith in the Buddha, the dharma, and your lamas. Hold your mind steady by reciting protection prayers and mantras as much as you can. Visualize peaceful and protective deities such as Chenrezig [Avalokiteshvara] and Dolma [Tara] who embody qualities of limitless compassion and wisdom.

I also encourage you to begin meditation as a means to manage your trauma. Scientific evidence shows that meditation lowers and normalizes blood pressure and stress hormones in the body. It increases the production of serotonin, the chemical that naturally gives rise to happiness, and improves our immune system. It changes our brain wave patterns and helps us stay calm. Meditation will help with what you’re experiencing in those physical ways.

For anyone who is struggling with guilt, I ask that you try out a different perspective. Your escape from death has given you an opportunity. You now have a newborn chance to dedicate the rest of your life to benefiting all living beings and alleviating their suffering. You can dedicate the merit of your commitment in the name of your loved ones.

There are many meditation techniques that can work to ease trauma. It is important to remember that practices which work for some people may not work as well for others. Apply meditation techniques in very short periods of time at first to assess how well they suit you. There are a variety of techniques -- breathing exercises, tonglen [taking in suffering, breathing out compassion and healing], guru yoga or deity yoga. However, it is very important that you learn these techniques from an experienced master. You should have personally received the initiation from them and you should follow their instructions carefully.

The following advice has been gathered from experts who have worked on this issue for many years. I hope these steps prepare you mentally and emotionally for the aftermath of disasters. At the same time, I urge you to find solace in your dharma practice and to be good dharma friends to each other. Times of suffering should provide the motivation for us to renew our Bodhisattva vows. They offer us the valuable reminder that that our human life is precious and not to be wasted.

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You can download the entire Disaster Management Guidelines here: https://www.lokainitiative.org/khoryug

27/08/2026

🙏🏻 Our Thoughts and Prayers Are With Tibet and Nepal 🙏🏻
It is with deep sorrow that we have learned of the devastating floods in Tibet and Nepal and of the many people who have lost their lives, been injured, or lost their homes and livelihoods.
Lama Sönam, Lama Kelzang, and the Kamalashila Institute would like to express our heartfelt compassion and solidarity with the people of Tibet and Nepal and with all those affected by this disaster.
Our thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones, with those who are still waiting for news of missing family members, and with everyone facing an uncertain future in the aftermath of such destruction. We also hold in our thoughts, with deep gratitude, all those who are working tirelessly to rescue, care for, and support the people affected.
We include all those who have passed away in our prayers and wish them peace and an auspicious rebirth. For the survivors and their families, we pray for strength, protection, courage, and hope – and that they may receive the support they so urgently need.
May the blessings and compassion of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas surround Tibet and Nepal and its people.
🙏🏻 May suffering be alleviated.
🙏🏻 May all those affected find protection, help, and safety.
🙏🏻 May those who have passed away find peace.
🙏🏻 May Nepal and its people find strength, healing, and hope.
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
With prayers and heartfelt solidarity,
Lama Sönam & Lama Kelzang
Kamalashila Institute for Buddhist Studies and Meditation

26/08/2026

✨ Impressions from Kagyu Monlam Germany & the Marme Monlam Festival of Lights 2026 ✨

With great joy and gratitude, we look back on these special days of Kagyu Monlam Germany at Kamalashila Institute — days of shared prayer, practice, encounters, and a deep sense of connection. 🙏

During these days, we could once again feel the special strength that can arise when many people come together with the same intention. When we recite aspiration prayers together and direct our minds toward the welfare of all beings, our individual practice joins with the power of the community. In this way, a space of compassion, hope, and wholesome intention is created whose effects can reach far beyond the individual moment.

Lama Kelzang extends his heartfelt thanks to Ringu Tulku Rinpoche for his profound online teachings on the Instructions on the Fivefold Mahāmudrā, as well as to:

from Benchen Monastery in Kathmandu:
Khenpo Karma Jinpa Tarchen, Lama Ngawang (Benchen Allmuthen), Lama Sherab Gyathso, Umze Sonam Wangdra, and Karma Kunga Gyatsho,
Umze Lama Tenzin from Pullahari,
Chopon Karma Phuntshok from Bhutan,
Lama Migmar from Kagyu Romania,
Lama Karma Tenzin from Sonadhar, Darjeeling,
Lama Demed Dawa from TTC Hamburg,
Lama Andrea, and
Lama Phuntsok
for their presence, their practice, and their contribution during these special days. 🙏

Our equally heartfelt thanks go to our translator Helen, all contributors, volunteers, staff members, on behalf of the board: Heike and Kunga, artists, and all participants — both online and in person. And of course, we thank everyone who, before, during, and after Kagyu Monlam, contributed with great dedication to making this shared event possible and allowing it to unfold in such a beautiful way.

The aspiration prayers of the Monlam remind us that our heartfelt wish for peace, compassion, and liberation does not concern ourselves alone. Recited together and dedicated to the welfare of all, they carry the hope and aspiration that favourable conditions may arise — for ourselves, for others, and ultimately for all sentient beings.

A particularly beautiful highlight was our Marme Monlam Festival of Lights. In the special atmosphere created by countless lights, prayers, music, and a variety of artistic performances came together to form a moving conclusion to our shared Monlam.

Through these photographs, we would like to bring some of these precious moments to life once again — the joy of being together, the beauty of the performances, the many encounters, and the special atmosphere that accompanied us throughout these days.

May the power of our shared aspiration prayers, and all the goodness that arose during these days, extend far beyond this place and this time, contributing to the peace, happiness, and well-being of all beings.
✨ Impressionen vom Kagyu Mönlam Deutschland & Marme Mönlam Lichterfest 2026 ✨

Mit großer Freude und Dankbarkeit blicken wir auf besondere Tage beim Kagyu Mönlam Deutschland im Kamalashila Institut zurück – Tage des gemeinsamen Gebets, der Praxis, der Begegnung und der tiefen Verbundenheit. 🙏

Gerade in diesen Tagen wurde wieder spürbar, welche besondere Kraft entstehen kann, wenn viele Menschen mit derselben Ausrichtung zusammenkommen. Wenn wir gemeinsam Wunschgebete sprechen und unseren Geist auf das Wohl aller Wesen ausrichten, verbindet sich die persönliche Praxis mit der Kraft der Gemeinschaft. So entsteht ein Raum von Mitgefühl, Hoffnung und heilsamer Ausrichtung, dessen Wirkung weit über den einzelnen Moment hinausreichen kann.

Lama Kelzang dankt von Herzen Ringu Tulku Rinpoche für seine tiefgründigen Online-Belehrungen zu den Unterweisungen der Fünffachen Mahāmudrā sowie
aus dem Kloster Benchen in Kathmandu:
Khenpo Karma Jinpa Tarchen, Lama Ngawang (Benchen Allmuthen), Lama Sherab Gyathso, Umze Sonam Wangdra und Karma Kunga Gyatsho.
Umze Lama Tenzin aus Pullahari,
Chopon Karma Phuntshok aus Bhutan,
Lama Migmar von Kagyu Rumänien,
Lama Karma Tenzin aus Sonadhar, Darjeeling,
Lama Demed Dawa vom TTC Hamburg,
Lama Andrea und
Lama Phuntsok für ihre Anwesenheit, ihre Praxis und ihr Wirken während dieser besonderen Tage. 🙏

Ein ebenso herzlicher Dank gilt unserer Übersetzerin Helen, allen Mitwirkenden, Helferinnen und Helfern, Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern, für den Vorstand Heike und Kunga, Künstlerinnen und Künstlern sowie allen Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmern – online und vor Ort. Und natürlich danken wir all jenen, die bereits vor dem Kagyu Mönlam, während dieser Tage und auch danach mit großem Einsatz dazu beigetragen haben, dass dieses gemeinsame Ereignis möglich wurde und in so schöner Weise stattfinden konnte.

Die Wunschgebete des Mönlam erinnern uns daran, dass unser innerer Wunsch nach Frieden, Mitgefühl und Befreiung nicht nur uns selbst betrifft. Gemeinsam ausgesprochen und dem Wohl aller gewidmet, tragen sie die Hoffnung und das Bestreben in sich, günstige Bedingungen entstehen zu lassen – für uns selbst, für andere und letztlich für alle fühlenden Wesen.

Ein stimmungsvoller Höhepunkt war unser Marme Mönlam Lichterfest. In der besonderen Atmosphäre unzähliger Lichter verbanden sich Gebete, Musik und verschiedene künstlerische Darbietungen zu einem berührenden Abschluss unseres gemeinsamen Mönlams.

Die Bilder möchten einige dieser kostbaren Augenblicke noch einmal lebendig werden lassen – die Freude des Zusammenseins, die Schönheit der Darbietungen, die vielen Begegnungen und die besondere Atmosphäre, die uns durch diese Tage begleitet hat.

Mögen die Kraft der gemeinsam gesprochenen Wunschgebete und alles Heilsame, das in diesen Tagen entstanden ist, weit über diesen Ort und diese Zeit hinauswirken und zum Frieden, Glück und Wohlergehen aller Wesen beitragen. 🙏✨

24/08/2026

✨ A Special Gift from H.H. the Gyalwang Karmapa ✨
Our heartfelt gratitude goes to His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa for this meaningful and precious gift. 🙏🏻
Last weekend Kamalashila Institute had the great joy of receiving special lamps depicting Kṣitigarbha (Dizang/Jizō) riding Dìtīng, which, at the wish of His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa, were distributed to various Dharma centres in Germany, The Netherlands, Romania and Belgium.
The image of Kṣitigarbha (Dizang/Jizō) riding Diting symbolizes the union of boundless compassion and discerning wisdom.
Kṣitigarbha (Sanskrit; Chinese Dizang, Japanese Jizō) is one of the great Bodhisattvas of Mahāyāna Buddhism and is especially revered in East Asia.
Diting’s extraordinary hearing represents the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood and perceive the cries and suffering of beings in all realms. Kṣitigarbha’s wish-fulfilling jewel, meanwhile, illuminates the darkness of ignorance and the hell realms.
Together, Kṣitigarbha and Dìtīng convey a message that touches us deeply: to perceive with an open heart where suffering exists, not to turn away from it, but to bring light, protection, and guidance.
That these lamps have now found their way to the different Dharma centres is a source of great joy for us and a precious sign of connection. May they continually remind us of compassion, pure motivation, and the aspiration to act for the benefit of all beings.
May it bring blessings, inspiration, and auspicious connections for the benefit of all beings. 🙏

✨ Ein besonderes Geschenk von S.H. dem Gyalwang Karmapa ✨
Unser herzlicher Dank gilt Seiner Heiligkeit dem Gyalwang Karmapa für dieses bedeutungsvolle und kostbare Geschenk.

Am vergangenen Wochenende hatte das Kamalashila Institut die große Freude, besondere Leuchten entgegenzunehmen, die Kṣitigarbha (Dizang/Jizō) auf Dìtīng darstellen und auf Wunsch Seiner Heiligkeit des Gyalwang Karmapa an verschiedene Dharma-Zentren in Deutschland, den Niederlanden, Rumänien und Belgien verteilt wurden.
Die Darstellung von Kṣitigarbha (Dizang/Jizō) auf Dìtīng symbolisiert die Verbindung von grenzenlosem Mitgefühl und unterscheidender Weisheit. Kṣitigarbha (Sanskrit; chinesisch Dizang, japanisch Jizō) ist einer der großen Bodhisattvas des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus und wird besonders in Ostasien verehrt.

Dìtīngs außergewöhnliches Hörvermögen steht für die Fähigkeit, Wahrheit von Unwahrheit zu unterscheiden und die Rufe sowie das Leiden der Wesen in allen Daseinsbereichen wahrzunehmen. Kṣitigarbhas wunscherfüllendes Juwel wiederum erhellt die Dunkelheit der Unwissenheit und der Höllenbereiche.Gemeinsam vermitteln Kṣitigarbha und Dìtīng eine Botschaft, die uns tief berührt: mit offenem Herzen wahrzunehmen, wo Leiden ist, sich nicht davon abzuwenden, sondern Licht, Schutz und Orientierung zu bringen.Dass diese Leuchten nun ihren Weg in die verschiedenen Dharma-Zentren gefunden haben, ist für uns eine große Freude und ein kostbares Zeichen der Verbundenheit. Mögen sie uns immer wieder an Mitgefühl, reine Motivation und das Bestreben erinnern, zum Wohl aller Wesen zu wirken.

Möge dieses Geschenk Segen und Inspiration bringen und glückverheißende Verbindungen zum Wohl aller Wesen schaffen. 🙏

20/08/2026

🙏🏻❤️

A Short Prayer for the Long Life of the Holders of Kamtsang Lineage

Through compassionate manifestations, Lokeshvara
Tames the many beings of all realms in the ten directions.
May the seventeenth emanation of Simha, the Sixth,
Live long, and may his activity flourish.

I pray that the Thousand Blazing Lights, the Dharma Lord Maitreya,
Vairochana embodied, the Lord of Secrets Vajrapani,
The greatest siddha Pawo, Nagarjuna’s emanation,*
And other precious great masters live long lives.

May all the great beings, wherever they may be,
Who preserve and spread the teachings of the Buddha
Live long and overcome all obstacles
So that the banner of the teachings may soar in all directions.

The first stanza transforms into a prayer an image from a dream I had in 2020, whereas the latter two were written for the long life of all those who uphold Buddhism in general and the traditions of the Practice Lineage in particular. Through this, may a blaze of auspiciousness ornament the world!
Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
August 16, 2026

*These three lines refer to the six heart sons: Shamar Rinpoche, Chamgon Tai Situ Rinpoche, Jamgon Kontrul Rinpoche, Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche, Pawo Rinpoche, and Treho Rinpoche.

11/08/2026

11/08/2026

🌸 Greetings from the Kamalashila Institute 🌸

Here is a brief glimpse into our preparations for the Kagyu Mönlam, taking place at the Kamalashila Institute from August 21–23, 2026. Feel free to sign up and take a look at the handmade tormas created by Choepen Karma Phunthso.

🌸Hallo aus dem Kamalashila Institut 🌸

Hier ein kleiner Einblick in unsere Vorbereitungen für das Kagyu Mönlam vom 21.-23.08.2026 im Kamalashila Institut. Meldet euch gerne noch an und schaut euch die Ergebnisse der handgefertigten Tormas von Choepen Karma Phunthso an.

https://kamalashila.de/programm/veranstaltungen/veranstaltung/gebetsfest-fuer-den-frieden-kagyu-moenlam-deutschland/