Spiritual Director

Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche

The Spiritual Director of the Kadampa Buddhist Centers in Northern California is Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Geshe Kelsang is a fully-accomplished meditation master and internationally-renowned teacher of Kadampa Buddhism.

Geshe-la, as his students affectionately call him, was ordained as a Buddhist monk at the age of eight and then spent almost forty years in concentrated study and meditation.

He has dedicated his entire life to teaching Buddhism and to providing conditions conducive for the study and practice of Buddha's teachings, with the sole aim of helping others discover a meaningful life and solve their problems.

He is the Founder and Spiritual Director of New Kadampa Tradition, International Kadampa Buddhist Union.

Geshe-la has written twenty highly acclaimed books that reveal the complete path to enlightenment, trained hundreds of meditation teachers through the Teacher Training Program, and established more then 1,100 meditation centres in over 40 countries.

A humble monk, he is made extraordinary by his selfless wish and tireless work for others to have everything they need to follow the spiritual path.

Through his instructions, Geshe-la shows how we can integrate Buddha's advice into our modern lives and find real, lasting peace and happiness.