Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College

01/07/2021

SNOW LION MEETS EUROPE - CALL FOR PAPERS

Dear Dharma friends,

We are about to publish a revised (third) edition of Snow Lion Meets Europe (please see the second edition here: https://www.amazon.com/Meets-Europe-Khenpo-Kyosang-Rinpoche/dp/0578616262/; free digital versions on https://www.wattpad.com/story/50495556-snow-lion-meets-europe, on https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/279213 and on https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/khenpo-kyosang-rinpoche-and-ludwig-roemer-and-don-mcintosh-and-don-mcintosh/snow-lion-meets-europe/ebook/product-8m8ev9.html) in order to commemorate seven years of Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche's Passing Away in July 2014. In this light we are asking anyone who is interested to please send your annotations on the book, essays, inspired by it, and / or your opinions on the Eight Moral Guidelines, composed by Rinpoche's closest disciples in order to comprise Rinpoche's teaching in a nutshell (please find them here: https://jetsongkapa.wordpress.com/community/).

You are very welcome to express critical opinions on the book: after all, it is an objective, honest, and thoughtful analysis of its ideas and Rinpoche’s spiritual legacy that we are looking for.

Please send your papers at [email protected] or at [email protected]. You also can use the contact form on our website (https://jetsongkapa.wordpress.com/contact-us-2/). We would be happy to have your texts by July 25, 2021.

We intend to include a number of selected opinions / annotations / essays in the new book (as an appendix to it). Opinions of Dharma teachers, Dharma instructors, Western Buddhist teachers, community leaders, and Buddhist monks / nuns will be especially valued.

We will be happy to send a digital certificate of participation to each author.

A free PDF version of Snow Lion Meets Europe can be forwarded to you at your request.

Please use the contact form below. Or specify your inquiry: GENERAL QUESTIONS, MEMBERSHIP, PARTNERSHIP Christian Lauer, Chairman of the Board of Directors Email: [email protected] Valerie Lam…

31/01/2018

The new official website of JTL BC is https://jetsongkapa.weebly.com/

10/03/2017

RESOLUTION
of the board of directors

The directors of Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College, elected on March 3, 2017, have recently discovered that the College has received no accreditation from a government body in the United Kingdom.

Granting academic degrees by an education provider, not accredited by a government body, may violate (and in fact violates) Art. 214 of the Education Act of 1988.

Two possible ways to solve this problem are

(1) applying for accreditation from a competent government accreditation agency, or

(2) changing the name of the ‘Bachelor’ programme of the College.

To our opinion, the first option clearly goes against the Eight Moral Guidelines, as they were laid by the meeting of disciples of Kyosang Rinpoche in 2015. The Eighth Moral Guideline clearly states that ‘[N]o worldly power, institution, or regime may be regarded as a supreme ethical authority.’

Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College, having merged with the International Community of Kyosang Rinpoche’s friends, sees now as its duty to comply with the Eight Moral Guidelines.

This being so, the directors now see themselves compelled to resolve,

(1) that the ‘bachelor’ programme of Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College shall from now on be called ‘Missionary’ programme, as ‘missionary’ is not an academic degree, and no violation of Art. 214 of the Education Act of 1988 occurs in this case,

(2) that those students who have already given their donations in order to complete the ‘Bachelor’ programme and receive a ‘bachelor’ degree may receive a refund of 30 per cent for any of their donations at their request,

(3) and there is no need to declare any diploma or certificate, issued by the college, invalid, for the reason that the programme in question is available only since 2017 and no ‘bachelor’ diplomas have been issued.

You may send your request claiming to receive a refund to [email protected].

The general meeting of the members has power to cancel this resolution.

Board of Directors

06/03/2017

A general meeting of Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College, held on March 3, 2017 in Saarbrücken, has resolved

that Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College and the International Community of Kyosang Rinpoche’s Friends shall merge into one organization,
that the name of the aforesaid organization shall be Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College,
that Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College in its capacity as a charity company shall be regarded as an international community of Kyosang Rinpoche’s friends and followers,
that individuals and organizations who declare their agreement with the Moral Guidelines may apply for membership,
that the current director, Mr. Roemer, must retire from his office according to Art. 32 of the Articles,
that Ms Senet, Mr Lauer, and Mr Andellat shall be elected as directors,
that all professors, lecturers, and fellows of Je Tsongkapay ling Buddhist College properly appointed by a resolution of a general meeting or by the directors constitute its Academic Board,
that the Academic Board of Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College shall have full power to resolve all academic, spiritual and religious questions which are to be resolved in order to accomplish company’s goals, as long as their activities and resolutions comply with legislation,
that directors may only interfere into activity of the Academic Board as long as latter’s activities and decisions go, or tend to go, against the law, the current Articles, or bylaws of the company,
that the position of Vice-Chancellor shall be created,
that the Vice-Chancellor shall be elected permanently and may be dismissed only by a resolution of a general meeting of the company,
that the Vice-Chancellor shall permanently chair the Academic Board and have a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes,
that Mr Roemer shall be elected as Vice-Chancellor,
and that Dr Schulthess, being of of the closest disciples of Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche, shall be granted the title of a honorary member of the Academic Board.

06/03/2017

RECOGNITION OF BUDDHIST TEACHERS

The Academic Board has elaborated the guidelines according to which any graduate of Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College or even a person with no previous relation to the College may be recognized as a Western Buddhist teacher.

These guidelines are as follows:

[1] The person in question must have an academic degree in Buddhist studies.

[2] He or she must keep at least one type of Buddhist Pratimoksha vows.

[3] He or she must have a Dharma experience (which means engaging in Buddhist practices) of at least ten years.

[4] He or she must have spiritual disciples, i.e. persons who regard him or her as their teacher.

[5] He or she must have completed a monastic / ascetic retirement of a considerable duration.

[6] He or she must receive teachings, blessings, initiations, or empowerments from
trustworthy Buddhist teachers.

[7] He or she must author at least one book that explains Dharma or otherwise concerns Buddhist subjects.

[8] He or she must be active in spreading Dharma in his or her country.

Meeting even all of the aforesaid criteria does not guarantee applicant’s recognition as a Western Buddhist teacher. At the same time, special achievements or activities of the applicant may lead to his or her recognition even regardless his or her failure to meet all the criteria mentioned above.

To receive a recognition, the candidate must submit his or her application, including all necessary proofs and statements (such as certificates, testimonies of witnesses, books and articles etc.). He or she is also expected to give a donation of GBP 100. This fee may be diminished for monks and nuns.

An application form will be sent to you at your request.

06/03/2017

COMMUNITY

Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College in its capacity as a charity sees itself as an international community of Ven. Kyosang Rinpoche's followers and friends throughout the world. Anyone who agrees with the Moral Guidelines of the community may apply for membership.

The Moral Guidelines of the community were elaborated in correspondence with Kyosang Rinpoche's books and oral teachings and were approved by the general meeting of his disciples. They are as follows:

[1] Tolerance is not the way to solve social or spiritual problems. It shall be replaced by either compassion towards those who suffer and are in need, or by counteracting evil deeds and intentions

[2] Men and women have different spiritual qualities and features.

[3] Facilitating children’s sexual development does harm to their spiritual development.

[4] Only a partnership of a man and a woman who both avoid sexual misconduct and adultery can be seen as a true marriage.

[5] Faithful people shall make efforts to make social life better.

[6] We shall not applause to a free choice of any person if this choice leads to evil deeds, words, or thoughts. We shall counteract this choice.

[7] Religion still may gain back its spiritual and social influence if had once.

[8] No worldly power, institution, or regime may be regarded as a supreme ethical authority. Only Religion is a trustful source of knowledge of what is Good and what is Evil.

19/02/2017

FOUNDER

Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College was founded 2001 by Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche.

Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche was a spiritual teacher (lama) of Tibetan Buddhism. Born in Tibet 9 years before the Chinese invasion of 1959, he was ordained as a monk at his tender age. In the same year he flew with other monks to the South India and grew up in a monastery in exile, where he worked as an assistant teacher. At the age of 33 he has received his geshe hlarampa degree (doctorate in Buddhist philosophy) and the title of khenpo (abbot). In 1988 Rinpoche went to London to spread the Teaching of Buddha in Europe. Having experienced many difficulties, he finally founded in 2001 Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College and Home Retirement (Tib. rje tsong kha pa’i rig pa’i ‘byung gnas gling) and remained its director until his Passing Away in July 2014.

This is an unofficial webpage, created by graduates of Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College.

19/02/2017

RECOMMENDED DONATIONS

An average donation is £40 for a course (£80 or £ 120 in some cases). This sum covers costs of materials, tuition, and examination costs.

Please feel free to contact us in order to learn more about a specific course.

You shall regard the sums given above as an invitation to donate, not as a fee.

We await no donations from Buddhist monks and nuns.

19/02/2017

HOW TO ENROLL

To be enrolled into the Foundation Programme, please download, fill out, and mail to us the application form below (please go to our website to download it).

If you are enrolled into the programme, we will mail to you study materials and set the deadline for the initial payment. Please do not pay before being accepted into the programme.

Your application must include the following items:

(1) Application Form
(2) a short resume of your education and work experience
(3) a brief summary of your Dharma experience
(4) a statement of purpose: a short essay (500 – 1000 words) stating your motivation for completing the Foundation Programme and explaining how this programme suits you.

Please send your application to:

[email protected]

Please send all the requested documents together as attachments in one Email.

19/02/2017

MISSIONARY PROGRAMME

The Missionary Programme of Buddhist Studies

The Missionary Programme, introduced by the Academic Council since late 2016 , is an in-depth study program of seventeen units, which are as follows:

General Courses

C1 The King of Prayers of Excellent Conduct
C2 The Garland of Views by Padmasambhava
C3 Exchanging Self and Others
C4 Emptiness of the Four Schools
C5 Seventy-Six Short Instructions by Ven. Kyosang Rinpoche
C6 Introduction to Ta**ra

Special Courses

D1 Vinaya Intermediate
D2 Madhyamaka Intermediate
D3 Pramana Intermediate
D4 Prajna Paramita Intermediate
D5 Abhidharma Intermediate

Optional Courses

(Students have to complete at least three of the optional courses in order to qualify for their diploma.)

E1 Ethics in Schopenhauer and Buddhism
E2 The Identity Problem in Buddhist Ethics
E3 Buddhist Manuscript Cultures: Knowledge, Ritual, and Art
E4 Buddhist Philosophy and the Ideals of Environmentalism
E5 Precepts and Lineage in Chan Tradition
E6 Vietnamese Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices

Upon the successful completion of six general, five special, and at least three optional units you are also expected to provide and to defend your thesis containing at least 50 pages.

Graduates from the Programme are awarded a Missionary Diploma.

STUDYING COURSES SEPARATELY

It is also possible to study one or more courses separately. Completion certificates are provided upon their successful completion.

19/02/2017

FOUNDATION PROGRAMME

Foundation Programme of Buddhist Studies

The Foundation Programme is an in-depth study program of seventeen units, which are as follows:

General Courses

A1 Early Buddhism
A2 Buddhism Worldwide
A3 Buddhism in Europe
A4 Women in Buddhism
A5 Tibetan Buddhist Schools
A6 Comparative Study of Buddhism and Christianity
A7 Buddhist Non-Sectarian Ethics

Special Courses

B1 Lam Rim 1
B2 Lam Rim 2
B3 Lam Rim 3
B4 Tibetan Language
B5 Vinaya
B6 Madhyamaka
B7 Pramana
B8 Prajna Paramita
B9 Abhidharma
B10 Applied Meditation

Download Foundation Programme Curriculum 2014.

Graduates from the Programme are awarded a Foundation Diploma.

STUDYING COURSES SEPARATELY

It is also possible to study one or more courses separately. Completion certificates are provided upon their successful completion.

19/02/2017

ABOUT US

Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College is an education provider for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, founded by Ven. Khenpo Kyosang Rinpoche (1950-2014) in 2001. We offer regular courses on Buddhism, meditation, and other topics, all aimed at the development of the human qualities of kindness, compassion, and wisdom.

The College community consists of a sangha of monks and laypeople, recognized by Rinpoche as qualified Buddhist teachers, and an international body of lay students and visitors.

As an international school for Buddhist studies and practice, Je Tsongkapay Ling Buddhist College attracts students from around the world who are interested in deepening their understanding of Buddhism and the mind through intensive study of Buddhist philosophy and psychology.

Our teachings are in the tradition of Mahayana Buddhism according to the Tibetan Gelug School founded by Je Tsongk(h)apa, of which His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the most widely renowned representative today. The College does not engage in the practice of Shugden.