Geshe Thupten Dorjee Geshe Thupten Dorjee Was

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Geshe Thupten Dorjee

Geshe Thupten Dorjee was born Sonam Palden in Tibet in the mid-1950’s. He eventually made his way Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1998, where he declares himself to be a Fayetteville resident but a Tibetan first.

Geshe and his family began their journey as Tibetan refugees who settled in Southern India. At age 13, he entered the Drepung Loseling Monastery in Karmataka, South India. After studying the Five Major Buddhist Philosophies and Lamrim (“Stages of the Path of Enlightenment”—based on the Indian master Atisha’s book “The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment”), Geshe received his novice monk vows in 1972. This was the beginning that culminated in more than 30 years of intense studying. Eventually this lead to his receiving his vows as a fully ordained Buddhist monk from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1980. After mastering the five subject areas of Prajnaparamita, Madhyamika, Pramana, Vinaya and Abhidharma, Geshe was awarded the degree of Lharampa Geshe, in January of 1996. This was followed by further studies in Lamrim, the Five Major Buddhist Philosophies, Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja and Chakrasambara Tantrayana as well as Buddhist ethics and Abhidharma. This course of study resulted in his receiving the highest academic degree possible within the Gelug monastic university system—the Geshe Ngarampa degree at the Gyuto Tantric Monastery University in Dharamsala, India in December of 2005. He also is eligible to become Abbot of the Buddhist monasteries.

Through all of this, Geshe Dorjee was exceedingly fortunate to have had numerous eminent teachers throughout his educational career in the monasteries. Among them are the following: Kyabje Ling Rinpoche (Senior Tutor to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for 45 years), Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche (Gelug Lama), His Holiness Losang Nyima (“Holder of the Tsongkhapa Throne”), Khensur Pema Gyaltsen Rinpoche (Abbot of Drepung Loseling Monastery), Venerable Khensur Lobsang Dorjee Rinpoche (Abbot Gyuto Monastery) Khensur Yeshe Thupten Rinpoche, Geshe Lobsang Tenzin (third in line to the Ganden throne), Rizong Rinpoche (Jetsun Thupten Nyima Lungtok Tenzin Norbu; Throne Holder of the Gelug Lineage), Venerable Namgyal Wangchen (author of ‘The Five

Treatises’), Dhenma Locho Rinpoche (expert on Yamataka and ex-abbot of Namgyal Monastery), and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

With this strong background in Buddhist philosophy and psychology, Geshe came to the U.S., but found in order to teach Buddhist philosophy, he would need to learn English rather than rely on an interpreter. After a crash course at the Intensive English Language Institute at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, he made his first contact with Dr. Sydney Burris, Director of the Honors Program and Religious Studies Program for Fulbright College at the University of Arkansas. In the fall of 2006, Geshe accepted an appointment at the University of Arkansas at Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences where he teaches courses in Tibetan Culture and Buddhist Philosophy. With the continued enthusiasm of the students he now has a permanent teaching position at the University. He currently is the only Tibetan monk serving in the Western university world with two degrees.

Geshe also has received the prestigious University of Arkansas Outstanding Faculty Award from the University of Arkansas’ Associated Student Government and the Arkansas Alumni Association (normally present to faculty after 1-0-20 years of teaching); the John A. White Award for Faculty-Student Collaboration honoring his work in founding the TEXT Program; and the Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology Faculty Award as well as an Honorary Citizen Award from Fayetteville.

In 2007, Geshe and Dr. Sidney Burris founded the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas, dedicated to helping the Tibetan people preserve their endangered culture through education, teaching, exhibits, lectures, films, study trips, etc. During this same year, he became a naturalized United States citizen in the Western District Court of Arkansas. A few weeks later, he received his United States passport; and, for the first time in his life, Geshe Thupten Dorjee had a country and a passport.

Geshe also helped establish the TEXT (Tibetans in Exile Today) Program on campus with the continuing purpose to send a select group of University students and faculty to India to introduce them to Tibetan elders in order to interview and record these interviews. In this way, they helped to preserve

the Tibetan traditions and culture. In addition, he was responsible for the development and support of the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago for the education of Tibetan children in their cultural heritage and for the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas’ Tutors for Tibetans Project.

While teaching at the University, Geshe had noted that neither during his sojourn at the refugee camp in Bhutan nor later in the monasteries in India, had he observed the symptoms of stress or suicide being suffered by those in exile, even under the harshest of conditions in those countries, as he was witnessing here in the United States—especially with the college students and war veterans. Therefore, Geshe initiated the “Mindfulness and Mental Health” class which later progressed to become “The Mirror Program for Health and Happiness”, which was offered to the public at large throughout the U.S.

In 2011, after sending an invitation three years prior, Geshe and Dr. Burris received confirmation that the Dalai Lama would be coming to the University of Arkansas to speak on May 11, 2011. His Holiness was greatly impressed with the reception he was given on campus and with Geshe Dorjee’s progress in his classes on Mindfulness and Health. Many of his students found his message to be universal and to speak to people of all persuasions and cultures.

Besides his other duties, Geshe is also an ordained Buddhist Chaplain teaching bi-weekly dharma classes in Fayetteville and throughout the U.S. Additionally, his other duties include teaching at numerous universities, the mindfulness classes for the local department of corrections, colleges and organizations throughout the United States and Canada on the subjects of “Buddhist Perspectives on Dying” “Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy” and “Tibetan Paths of Healing”.