MedlemHHDL-LLC

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s Library and Learning Center in Ithaca, New York, is located on the grounds of the Namgyal Monastery—Institute for Buddhist Studies.

Its mission is to unite people across the world by promoting the basic human values of compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment, and self-discipline to as broad an audience as possible, both through on-site and virtual programming.

The 9,000-square-foot center features a non-circulating library, large reading room, exhibition area, private meditation room, dharma store, and Great Hall, seating up to 250 people for conferences and other presentations.

At the heart of the library’s collection are the teachings of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, including both printed and electronic copies of all 127 books written by him. These works comprise teachings on secular ethics and human values, compilations of discussions held at the Mind & Life Institute, general teachings on Buddhism, guidance for those new to Buddhism, and detailed commentaries on classical Buddhist texts.

Also archived are recordings of the conferences at which His Holiness participated, a complete set of more than 80,000 hours of teachings recorded since 1964, and other materials currently not available to the public.

In addition to works by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the center holds the collected works of all the previous Dalai Lamas as well as a precious copy, hand printed with wood blocks in Tibet, of the Kangyur (collected teachings of the Buddha) and the Tengyur (the translated commentaries on the Buddha’s teachings by the great Indian Buddhist masters and scholars).

Finally, about 4,000 books containing translations of ancient texts that document the evolution of Buddhist thought, along with numerous Buddhist artifacts from India and Tibet, are also available for review on site.

Goals

The goals of the Library and Learning Center are

• To serve as the central repository for the collected works of the current and previous Dalai Lamas of Tibet, as well as the Tibetan Buddhist canon (the Kangyur and Tengyur).

• To promote positive human values such as loving-kindness and compassion by researching and teaching how to nurture these qualities in individuals and communities.

• To promote harmony and understanding among followers of various religious traditions as well as people without religious tendencies by hosting discussions on shared human values and ethics.

• To foster the science of the mind and consciousness, as elucidated in classical Indian Buddhist texts, and promote discussions between Buddhist scholars, Western scientists, philosophers, educators, and practitioners from around the world.

• To preserve the Tibetan culture of non-violence and environmental protection, as well as the Tibetan language—uniquely suited to philosophical analysis and debate—by supporting the efforts of Tibetan communities to educate their children and to share their heritage with others.

History

To serve the needs of all people through education and empowerment, the Namgyal Monastery—Institute of Buddhist Studies in Ithaca, New York, and Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, India, agreed on a plan to build a center dedicated to the powerful teachings of non-sectarian Buddhism. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama gave his consent to this plan on April 28, 2016.

A groundbreaking for the center was held on April 29, 2022 and the grand opening was celebrated on September 8, 2023, with ceremonial formalities, cultural events, and an interfaith conference.

The Namgyal Monastery—Institute of Buddhist Studies in Ithaca, New York, is the North American seat of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s personal monastery in Dharamsala, India.

The institute’s founding in 1992, on the advice of the Dalai Lama, marked an important new phase in the history of Buddhism and Tibetan culture in America.

In keeping with the tradition of the original Namgyal Monastery in Tibet, Namgyal–Ithaca is a non-sectarian institution that offers Western students the opportunity to study aspects of all sects of Tibetan Buddhism in a monastic setting. It also serves as a cultural center for the Tibetan refugee community living in Ithaca and beyond by hosting celebrations, rituals, prayers, and cultural heritage and Tibetan language classes.

Namgyal–Ithaca programs include weekend teachings, semester-long evening classes, summer retreats, daily meditations, conferences, guided pilgrimages, and the celebration of Tibetan holidays. Topics range from introductory sessions on Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice to challenging readings and discussions of concepts in both sutra and tantra. Students of all ages and interests are welcome.

In addition, as Dü Khor Choe Ling (the Land of Kalachakra Study and Practice), the institute hosts annual Kalachakra religious ceremonies, making it the first monastery in the world devoted to the promotion of the study and practice of the Kalachakra.

The institute’s classes are taught by Namgyal monks on exchange from the parent monastery in Dharamsala, India, as well as prominent visiting faculty, including Western scholars of Tibetan Buddhism, clergy, and teachers from all Buddhist traditions.

Namgyal–Ithaca’s role as a hub in the academic world of Buddhist Studies, connecting scholars and institutions throughout North America and the world, has been further solidified by the opening of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s Library and Learning Center in 2023.

To learn more, visit https://namgyal.org/