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Geshe Lobsang Jamphel with students at Centro Shiwa Lha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 2018. Photo courtesy of Centro Shiwa Lha.
FPMT center Centro Shiwa Lha in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hosted Geshe Lobsang Jamphel, abbot of Nalanda Monastery in France, in July 2018. Ruth Saldanha, event production volunteer, shares the details of Geshe Jamphel’s visit.
Geshe Jamphel graciously accepted our invitation to teach Chapters 1 and 2 of Bodhicharyavatara (A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life) over the course of two weekends in July.
Geshe Lobsang Jamphel with volunteers Marcio Saraiva, Nakedia Carvalho, and Ruth Saldanha at Centro Shiwa Lha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 2018. Photo courtesy of Centro Shiwa Lha.
This is a text that has been studied since the eighth century, when it was written by the Indian scholar Shantideva (Shiwa Lha in Tibetan). It’s a classic of Buddhist philosophy studied by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
We were expecting Geshe Jamphel to give teachings on the last two weekends of the school holiday, July 21-22, and July 28-29. These were Saturdays and Sundays. But luckily for us, he decided to teach on the Fridays, too.
Centro Shiwa Lha recently moved to a listed 19th-century house, which was renovated and recently opened as the new home of the center. The value of our new place is that activities can be accommodated more comfortably.
We have a new meditation room that holds about sixty people. We even have a small yard with trees and a lawn. Upstairs are guest accommodations. We hope to be able to host a resident teacher soon.
Geshe Lobsang Jamphel with Yuri Pinto at Centro Shiwa Lha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 2018. Photo courtesy of Centro Shiwa Lha.
We had a wonderful retreat with Geshe Jamphel, attended by twenty-five students. In addition to helping us absorb the meaning of the path to enlightenment, Geshe Jamphel told us the story of Shantideva.
His words were translated from Tibetan into Portuguese by Susana Montero. In this way we could hear the melodious sound of the Tibetan language. It had a special meaning to us since our center is named after Shantideva.
The lessons were given on Chapter 1 (Bodhichitta), and Chapter 2 (Confession). Geshe Jamphel also gave a talk on “Leading a Meaningful Life.” He offered refuge vows and a White Manjushri empowerment during the red moon eclipse.
We are so fortunate to have him come here for the second year in a row.
Geshe Lobsang Jamphel teaching students at Centro Shiwa Lha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 2018. Photo courtesy of Centro Shiwa Lha.
For more information about Centro Shiwa Lha visit their website:
https://shiwalha.org.br/
To watch Geshe Jamphel’s teachings visit Centro Shiwa Lha’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOkh7XIVXcJX6jzIig3T4zg
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.