Buddhist meditation, psychology & philosophy

FPMT In-Depth Meditation Training - Mahamudra & Kriya Tantra

Sat, Oct 3 · 3:30 PM CEST

Location not specified yet

To join this training you need to register via our website.

The course
Meditation is essential for personal transformation and a crucial complement to Buddhist studies. This 4-year online FPMT course provides students with long term, in-depth support in their meditative development. This is a collaboration between The Buddha Project and 14 FPMT Buddhist Centers around the world.

The Vajra Ground - Mahamudra & Kriya Tantra
In this culminating fourth year of our journey, our path turns inward to the mind itself—its empty, luminous nature—and outward to the transformative methods of tantra, where the naturally pure nature of our perception is recognized as the very ground of awakening.

The teacher - Ven. Losang Gendun
Venerable Losang Gendun has spent nearly four decades in Buddhist practice, living as a fully ordained Bhikshu in the Tibetan tradition for the past twenty years. His training spans ten years of monastic study across France, India, Nepal, and Myanmar, and more than four years in solitary retreat in both Tibetan and Burmese Theravāda traditions. For the past eighteen years he has taught Buddhist philosophy, psychology, and meditation worldwide within the FPMT, serving the vision of H.H. the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. In 2023 he founded The Buddha Project, offering long-term guidance for serious meditators and fostering dialogue between Buddhist traditions, contemplative science, and the arts. Its core program is the four-year FPMT In-Depth Meditation Training.

New to the training and have questions? Please write to amsterdam@maitreya.nl.

Thangka workshop - animals on the Thangka

Sun, Oct 4 · 10:30 AM CEST

Location not specified yet

# A wonderful day with the renowned Thangka painter Carmen Mensink

“The Tibetan Thangka is a mirror of the mind.” – Happinez Magazine
For this workshop you need to register via our website.

### What is a Thangka?

Thangkas are Buddhist scroll paintings depicting, for example, Buddhas and mandalas, painted according to an ancient Tibetan tradition.

### Why are Tibetan Thangkas drawn and painted?

A thangka is more than just art; it opens a window onto spirituality by combining craftsmanship with deep symbolism, thereby illuminating the path to enlightenment. Every detail on a thangka tells a story, inviting people to reflect and grow.

### The workshop: Drawing Animals in Tibetan art

During this special one-day workshop on World Animal Day, you will learn to draw animals as they are depicted in the traditional Tibetan thangka tradition. Animals depicted include, for example, deer, yaks, fish and birds. They form part of the landscape surrounding a Buddha on a thangka.
Animals are important in Tibetan Buddhism in any case, as it is recognised that all sentient beings want exactly the same thing as we humans: simply to be happy and not to suffer.
The day begins with a short meditation and a talk on the background and symbolism of animals in the Tibetan tradition, after which you’ll get to work yourself.

### Who is this introductory workshop for?

• For anyone interested in the art of Thangka drawing
• For those who wish to deepen their (Buddhist) practice.
• Among other things, it helps you to visualise more effectively during your meditation
• For anyone wishing to embark on a fascinating journey into Tibetan art
• And for anyone who is simply curious and interested in art in general and/or Buddhism in particular!

This day is suitable for everyone, including beginners with no drawing experience whatsoever. All materials are included!

### What do others say about the workshop?

“For me, drawing a thangka is a form of meditation.”
“Your vast wealth of knowledge and skill is evident in everything you offer and show us. It’s not just any ordinary lesson you give: you truly stand behind everything you say. Thank you for your dedication, your encouragement and your enthusiasm.”

### Who is Carmen Mensink?

Carmen lives and works in Amsterdam, where she paints and teaches Tibetan Buddhist art and philosophy. She has been giving lessons and lectures at museums, universities and centres around the world for over twenty years. She also restores thangkas and gilds and paints Buddha statues. In addition, she has been featured in dozens of publications. The enthusiasm and dedication Carmen brings to her lessons have already guided and inspired thousands of people on the path of Buddhist art.
Click here for an interview with Carmen Mensink for the Dutch tv.
Carmen is also sought after for related forms of Tibetan art, including the metre-long floor paintings of the ‘Eight Auspicious Symbols’ which she created to welcome the Dalai Lama to the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.tibetanbuddhistart.com

### Practical information

• Day: Sunday October 4
• Time: 10.30 - 17.00 hrs. With an hour lunch break (bring your own sandwich or find one of the many nice places nearby)
• Language: Dutch (with possibility for English translation and guidance)
• Location: Maitreya Instituut Amsterdam, Tilanusstraat 8A
• Materials: All necessary materials will be provided
• Advice: Bring some thick socks and possibly a notebook
• Minimum number of participants: 8 (max. 16)
• Last minute registration: Please also email amsterdam@maitreya.nl to confirm your spot.

FPMT Ngöndro Lam Rim Training

Mon, Oct 5 · 7:00 PM CEST

Location not specified yet

For this course you need to register via our website

A Two-Year Journey in the Common and Uncommon Preliminary Practices

Introduction to FPMT Ngöndro Lamrim Training
The Lamrim - "Stages of the Path" in Tibetan - is a systematic presentation of the entire Buddhist path to Awakening, written by the great Tibetan master Je Tsongkhapa in the 14th and early 15th century, based on writings of the Indian master Atisha. It arranges every essential teaching of the Buddha into a single, coherent, graduated sequence tailored to your mind, exactly as it is right now. Its true power lies not in study alone, but in practice. Each teaching is carefully arranged to meet the mind where it is and guide it-step by step-toward genuine change.
The uncommon preliminary practices (ngöndro) are powerful methods to purify the mind and prepare it for lasting transformation.
Over a period of two years, the FPMT Ngöndro Lamrim Training (NLRT) offers 16 months of training in the common and uncommon preliminary practices. The training is designed to generate the motivation that supports the development of calm abiding, special insight, and tantra. By cultivating the inner qualities needed to ease unskillful patterns of mind that are the cause of hindrances on the path, it facilitates deep transformation.

Aims
The training helps establish a consistent daily meditative practice in support of its overall aim: to engage in contemplative meditation in a way that genuinely transforms the mind's outlook on the world and gives one's life a new direction. Students gain a deep understanding of how to accumulate merit and purify unskillful karma while cultivating a healthy relationship with the Three Jewels and their teacher. The emphasis is on learning to meditate in a personally tailored way, in accordance with one’s psychological makeup and life conditions.

About the teacher
Venerable Losang Gendun has spent nearly four decades in Buddhist practice, and has been living as a fully ordained gelong in the Tibetan tradition for the past twenty years. His training spans ten years of monastic study across France, India, Nepal, and Myanmar, and more than four years in solitary retreat in the Tibetan Mahayana and the Burmese Theravāda traditions.
For the past eighteen years he has taught Buddhist philosophy, psychology, and meditation worldwide within FPMT, serving the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. In 2023, as a gesture of gratitude to his teachers, he founded The Buddha Project (TBP), offering long-term guidance for serious meditators.

Who is it for?
The training is designed for students with a solid grounding in the Lamrim or an equivalent Dharma background - particularly for those seeking structured support in their practice, for those preparing for śamatha, vipaśyanā, and especially tantra, or for those encountering challenges in their meditative practice. While not a prerequisite, the training forms an excellent preparation for the FPMT In-Depth Meditation Training.

Format
The NLRT teaching sessions are prerecorded. Each week, a 90-minute teaching together with 2 guided meditations are uploaded. On other days, advanced students contribute additional guided meditations. The teacher, Venerable Gendun, offers regular online Q&A sessions.