Welcome to the MP Talks of the Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa

The MP Talks are a series of lectures organized within the FPMT Masters Program of the Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa to create a dynamic space of wisdom to deepen, reflect and discuss central themes of Buddhism to enhance our understanding and enrich our meditative practice.

Lectures will be given by teachers with years of experience in Buddhist studies and meditation practice, each session offering a rich and lucid exploration of a key theme (e.g. bodhichitta, the four noble truths among others) chosen specifically from the text being studied in the FPMT Masters Program.

These series are open to anyone interested in exploring the depths of the Buddhist teachings and are also an opportunity to dive into the texts of the FPMT Masters Program.

Talks are offered in Italian, English, and Spanish via Zoom interpretation. Join us!

The first four meetings, which will take place from March to June 2024, are framed within the texts Ornament for Clear Realization (Abhisamayalamkara) by Maitreya. In this series, we will explore important topics of this masterpiece where Maitreya reveals the hidden meaning of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, the different clear realizations developed by a practitioner on the path to Buddhahood. The Abhisamayalamkara is the root text of the lam rim lineage.

Bodhichitta I
ven. Tenzin Gache
March 26, 2:00 p.m.

Buddha Nature
Ven. Tenzin Namjong
April 23, 2:30 p.m.

Bodhichitta II
Ven. Tenzin Gache
May 28, 2:00 p.m.

The four noble truth
Dan Frey
June 11, 2:00 p.m.

Meetings are free through the Institute’s Zoom platform.
A free offering to support activities and organizational expenses is welcome.

Live streaming
To follow the live streaming, simply connect on the day and time indicated for each meeting at the Zoom link:
https://iltk-org.zoom.us/j/87889751899?pwd=d1hmL2xWTXRvM0hSc0ZydldwL1M2QT09

BODHICITTA
awakening mind
March 26, 2:00 p.m.

Bodhicitta, “the expanded mind,” is both the entryway and the heart essence of the Mahayana path. In this talk we will examine various difficult points involved in this important subject, such as:

• Etymology
• Causes and Mental Basis
• Compassion and the Sevenfold Cause and Effect Instructions
• Object of Observation, Object of the Mode of Apprehension, and “Others’ Purpose”
• Aspiring and Engaged Bodhicitta
• Two Simultaneous Conceptions
• Shepherd-Like Bodhicitta
• Ultimate Bodhicitta

The purpose of this talk will be to help serious students engage with this material in a deeper and more refined manner, allowing them to see how what initially seem like straightforward points actually open up vast areas of inquiry for discussion and personal contemplation.

Ven. Tenzin Gache
17th year student of Sera Je

Venerable Tenzin Gache grew up in Boston in the USA, graduating from Tufts University in 2005. In 2006 he was ordained in Dharamsala by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and since that time has been studying at Sera Je Monastery in South India. Currently he is entering in the 17th year of the standard 19 year geshe study program.

His translation of his teacher, Kyabje Choden Rinpoche’s book, Mastering Meditation: Instructions on Calm Abiding and Mahamudra was released in 2020, and he has recently completed a translation of Rinpoche’s teachings on the Six-Session Guru Yoga and the bodhisattva and tantric vows.

Find out more about Ven. Tenzin Gache:

• 2013 The Greatest Honor: Becoming a Rik Chung
• 2015 Memorization: Beneficial Exercise for the Mind
• 2017 Personalizing the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination
• 2020 Lama Zopa Rinpoceh debates with Ven. Tenzin Gache
  • How Does the Merely Labeled I Exist on the Aggregates?
  • What Makes a Table a Table?
  • The First Vital Point Is Recognizing the Object to Be Refuted
• 2021 Mastering Meditation: Instruction and Inspiration from His Eminence Choden Rinpoche
• 2022 Helping Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche Prepare for His Rik Chung Debate: Ven Tenzin Gache Shares the Story

Buddha Nature
April 23, 2:30 p.m.

Download the slides from here>>

Buddha Nature or Tathagatagarbha is sentient beings’ innate potential for enlightenment and it is a core principle of Mahayana Buddhism which is elucidated in Maitreya texts: Abhisamayalamkara, Uttaratanta, and Mahayanasturaalamkara.

Understanding well this topic is very important in Buddhist Practice as leads us to discover what the lineage of buddha is, how we can activate the linage and how we can purify and develop our mind to unlock its full potential attaining enlightenment. .

In this captivating talk, Ven. Tenzin Namjong will explore this transformative concept, complementing the teachings on this topic from FPMT Masters Program, by placing the concept of the Buddha nature in the larger context of the Lam Rim tradition and he will show how to apply this concept to our practice.

Venerable Tenzin Namjong
Born and raised in Hawaii, Ven. Tenzin Namjong studied philosophy at Princeton. His plan was to do a Ph.D. in philosophy, but he became disillusioned with academic philosophy because “it seemed to have lost the big picture, meaning how we should live our lives.”  In Buddhism, he found  a rich philosophical tradition that was still very much connected to how we ought to live.

Venerable Namjong studied and trained in Zen and Theravada traditions before embracing the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, due mainly to the kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. He completed 17 years of the Geshe studies program at Sera Je Monastery in Bylakuppe, India.

Venerable Namjong is a registered teacher of the FPMT and teaches in FPMT Centers all over the world.