Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Our Spiritual Director

From the age of eight Geshe-la studied extensively in the great monastic universities of Tibet and earned the title ‘Geshe’, which literally means 'spiritual friend'. Under the guidance of Trijang Rinpoche, his Spiritual Guide he then spent the next eighteen years in meditation retreats in the Himalayas.

In 1977 he was invited to teach in England. Since arriving in the West, Geshe-la has given immaculate teachings on Kadampa Buddhism in Europe and North America, and published a series of remarkable books on Buddhist thought and meditation.

He has established three unique study programs and over 800 centers around the world, trained qualified western teachers and a flourishing ordained community, and created a project to build Buddhist temples in every major city in the world.

This remarkable teacher inspires so many people from so many different countries because he teaches from example.

He is a humble Buddhist monk dedicated to helping people throughout the world find true happiness in their hearts.

Gen Atisha was ordained as a Buddhist monk by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso,
and has studied under the foremost Kadampa Buddhist Masters of our time.

The name 'Atisha', given to him by his Spiritual Guide, means 'peace' and was
also the name of the 11th century founder of Kadampa Buddhism.

Having studied and meditated on Buddha's teachings extensively for a number
of years, Gen Atisha has become a qualified meditation teacher, skilled in conveying
the ancient teachings of Buddha in the context of contemporary American society.

Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso has recently appointed Gen Atisha as the new Resident Teacher of Vajrarupini Center.