The Guhyasamaja Center is a community of spiritual friends in the Washington DC area dedicated to the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. Our resident teacher, Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa (Geshe Thinley Topgyal), is a former abbot of Gyumed Tantric College. We follow the Gelugpa tradition, the same lineage as His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Visiting teachers who have graced the Center in the past include Ven. Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ven. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, and Yangsi Rinpoche.
Our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, founded the center in 1994 as part of the worldwide Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana. FPMT is an international family of city and retreat centers, monasteries, publishing houses, hospices, and healing centers established by Lama Yeshe.
We have classes for newcomers to Buddhism as well as advanced practitioners. Our introductory classes include "What is Buddhism", and "How to Meditate". We plan on offering the FPMT Discovering Buddhism Program program in the Spring of 2008.
Currently, we are one of the few Centers in the world that offers the FPMT Basic Program. Basic Program intermediate classes cover the Lam Rim and Shantideva's well known text "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life". Our advanced classes include a commentary on Lama Chopa as well as Buddhist epistemology and psychology (FPMT's Mind & Cognition class).
Twice per month we practice the devotional Lama Chopa (guru puja) with tsog, and once a month we practice the Twenty One Taras. In addition, we celebrate all the major Tibetan Buddhist holy days together.
Special events include tantric initiations, weekend meditation retreats, a summer course, and social get-togethers.
Like all FPMT affiliates, The Guhyasamaja Center offers Dharma teachings to the public free of charge. We invite you to make financial donations to our Khensur Rinpoche Teaching fund to cover the costs that make our resident teacher’s classes possible. These costs include airfare, transportation, health insurance, room, board, stipends and medical care.
Member of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition