On the advice of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama and as an initiative to respond to the growing interest in Tibetan Buddhism, Tibet House has organized formal religious discourses by prominent Tibetan masters of the four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

In 1982, Kyabgon Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, Head of the Sakya tradition, gave the first discourse in the series at Tibet House on ‘Parting from the Four Clingings’. This teaching consisting of one verse of four lines, was received by the founder of the Sakya tradition, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092-1158), at the age of twelve through a direct vision of Manjusri. It elucidates the entire path leading to Buddhahood.

The late Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche, Senior Tutor to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and 97th Throneholder of Gaden, gave a discourse at Tibet House in 1983 on ‘The Four Mindfulnesses’. This teaching was originally received by Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug tradition, in a direct vision of Manjusri. This teaching contains the essentials of sutra and tantra. This discourse turned out to be his last public discourse.

The late Kyabje Dilgo Khyentze Rinpoche, a leading master of the Nyingma tradition, gave a discourse on the ‘Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones’ at Tibet House in 1984. The discourse was based on a text written by Paltrul Rinpoche, a reputed scholar, poet and realized Siddha of the 20th century, regarded as an emanation of Acharya Shantideva. The text contains the essence of the Sutrayana and Mantrayana, dealing in a practical way with philosophy, meditation, and conduct.

The late Most VenerableLama Kalu Rinpoche, a meditation master of the Kagyu tradition, gave a discourse at Tibet House in 1985 on ‘Mental Peace and Enlightenment through Meditation’. He spoke on the fundamental teachings of the Buddha, including the law of karma, the impermanence of life, the suffering nature of samsara, guru devotion and the nature of the mind.

In 1989, Kyabgon Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche, head of the Drikung order of the Kagyu tradition, conducted the five-day retreat at Asoka Mission on the ‘Five-Fold Path of the Mahamudra’ and administered the Bodhicitta vow according to the Drikung Lineage. Rinpoche also imparted the precepts on the Great Transference of Consciousness (Phowa).

In 1990, Khamtrul Jamyang Dhondup Rinpoche, a renowned Nyingmapa meditation master, gave a discourse based on a special precept of Nyingmapa meditation, the ‘Realization of the Vajrasattva Mind’ at Tibet House.

Rinpoche also gave an introduction of Dzogchen meditation in 1997 at Hamdard University. Invited to Italy by the eminent indologist Prof. Guiseppe Tucci in 1960, Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche worked at IsMEO, Rome and later as Professor of Tibetan and Mongolian languages and Tibetan cultural history at the University of Naples till his retirement.

Prof. Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, an eminent Tibetan academician and meditation master, who is one of the greatest exponents of Tibetan culture in this century, conducted a retreat at Tibet House on Yantra Yoga in 1994. Yantra Yoga was first introduced into Tibet by the great translator Vairocana in the eighth century. This tradition is based on the Anuttaratantra and is known as Nyi-zla kha-sbyor gyi ’phrul-’khor (union of sun and moon yantra).

Denma Lochoe Rinpoche is one of the foremost living masters of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche based his discourse on the Lamrim Serzhunma (essence of refined gold), a commentary written by the Third Dalai Lama on Je Tsongkhapa’s ‘Song on the Stages of the Spiritual Path’.The Most Venerable Denma Lochoe Rinpoche gave a teaching in 1995 on ‘The Spiritual Path and Mantrayana Practice’ at Tibet House. A former abbot of the Namgyal Monastery at Dharamsala (H.H. the Dalai Lama’s monastery),

Ugyen Tseten Rinpoche also conducted teachings on the Seven-Point Mahayana Mind Training, one of the widely practiced precepts of the Lojong tradition at Tibet House. From November 6 to 11, 2001, participants from Indonesia, Israel, Finland, Germany, UK, USA and India converged at Tibet House to receive these teachings and an initiation of Avalokitesvara with eleven faces. The discourse was a rare opportunity to learn the practice in the living tradition of Tibetan Buddhism from a Lama of high spiritual attainment. Rinpoche concluded the teachings with Longevity Blessings of Amitayus.In 1998, the Most Venerable Ugyen Tseten Rinpoche, a revered saint-scholar of the Gelug tradition, a former abbot of Gyudmed Monastery at Hunsur, Karnataka, performed an initiation called Anujna of Arya Tara at Tibet House. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Tara sadhana is an integral part of one’s daily practice. It is believed that the dharma practitioner who wishes to remove obstacles and negative influences to his practice and to achieve swift progress can have no better ally than Goddess Arya Tara.

Tibet House organised a two-day Dharma Discourse in Bangalore on ‘Three Principal Aspects of the Path to Enlightenment’ by Ugyen Tseten Rinpoche at the Study Centre, Krishnamurti Foundation India in Bangalore on February 27 and 28, 2002. The participants also received the Tara initiation (Anujna) during the discourse.