Ngondro Training
Jan 27th - Oct 27th, 2025. Ngondro is the core preliminary practice of Buddhist Tantra. Next module, Vajrasattva Purification, begins April 14th
Meditation Teacher Training
Feb 10 - Aug 4, 2025. 200 Hour Certification. The MTT provides the necessary training to lead meditation classes.
Vajrayana Training
Live, bimonthly, interactive Dharma study and practice with Dr. Pema Khandro. This is our core community program, open to all.
Ngakpa Training
This is our most advanced program, studying advanced esoteric texts; prerequisites and permission required.
Upcoming Programs
Chakrasamvara Empowerment and Teachings
May 2-4, 2025. with Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and Pema Khandro. This is the practice that raises the innate wisdom to persevere, even in the face of tremendous difficulties.
Cutting Through Fear: Dzogchen Chod Retreat
May 28-June 1. San Diego and Online. Chod is the profound method of psychological transformation in esoteric Buddhism, a dynamic practice of cutting through fear and facing death.
Fierce Compassion: 5-Month Chod Training
June 9-Oct 13. Embark on a transformative five-month journey into the heart of Dzogchen Chod. This comprehensive Chod training offers a rare opportunity for an in-depth immersion in the Dzogchen Chod system, Healing Chod, and the Secret Black Dakini Teachings.
Breakthrough: Tekchod Retreat
June 27-29. Cutting through Solidity. Each day will include study and practice of breakthrough practice, Trekchö (ཁྲེགས་ཆོད་, sometimes transliterated as “tekcho”), from the Heart Essence of the Dakinis (mkkha’ ‘gro snying thig) one of the most beloved Dzogchen texts in Dzogchen History
Self-Paced Courses – By Donation
Women in Tantric Buddhism
This is the missing history of women in Tantric Buddhism.
Buddhist Ethics
The Five Precepts are a discipline of freedom, honor, and precision that cover the potent themes of life from the extraordinary perspective of non-duality.
Bardo Teachings
This program offers practical instructions for helping others in the process of dying and an overview of essential knowledge on death, bardo, and rebirth.
Buddhism & Sexuality
Join Pema Khandro and a group of esteemed Buddhist Studies scholars for an exploration of the history of Buddhist Sexualities.
Welcome to the Buddhist Studies Institute
An online educational platform for the study of Buddhist philosophy and practice –
from the scholar-practitioner’s perspective.
Join us for the study of Buddhism at the intersections of tradition and historical context, in conversation with the profound intellectual developments of psychology, technology, medicine, and science.
Study Buddhism from classical source texts.
Engage in Buddhist meditation.
Train in the full range of Tibetan Buddhist contemplative practices from preliminaries to Dzogchen.
Learn from scholar-practitioners from Tibet, North America, and Europe.
Join a vibrant community that celebrates genuine learning and rigorous inquiry.
Listen In
On conversations with Pema Khandro, Geshe Sonam, Jan Willis, Ven. Thubten Chodron and so many more
Enjoy In-Depth Study
In live online courses, on-demand education and at-home retreats online
Why online Buddhist Study?
1. For access. We believe that online dharma study provides access for in depth practice for those who might not otherwise ever be able to access it. Caregivers, parents, people engaged in demanding careers, people who live far from a dharma center, people with differently-abled bodies, those who are unable to learn another language and travel to Asia… there are so many who long for serious engagement with Buddhist teachings who need access to the highest quality study and practice. Just as the Buddha taught in the 84,000 languages of the 84,000 types of beings, so too does the dharma continue to be shared in limitless ways for those who have pure motivation.
2. To encounter Buddhism from a scholar’s perspective. Guided by Lamas, Khenpos, Scholars from around the world, let your journey be supported by experts. Books are not enough, there is too much information to sort through on one’s own. Let Pema Khandro and a community of scholar-practitioners from around the world support your exploration of the rich world of Buddhism.
3. To join a learning community. At the Buddhist Studies Institute, online classes do not mean isolation and anonymity. Dynamic, engaged learning is a part of every program. At almost every retreat you will also have the opportunity to meet with the Lama in private online meetings throughout the year to get your questions answered, and foster a connection with a teacher.
You don’t have to do it alone. Experience the life-changing experience of dharma study within a beautiful community of international dharma friends! This is a vibrant, dynamic, growing and ever changing community where members become dharma friends, make life-long friendships, reunite with old friends, meet people from other cultures, meet best friends, and even marry! A rich community makes dharma study easier, more enjoyable, and more rewarding
4. To effectively support serious practice. Students in this community finish ngondro, accumulate millions of yidam mantras, complete the 108 charnel grounds chod, study shedra style Buddhist philosophy classes, take short term and long term courses…. the proof of the effectiveness of online learning is evident here!
5. To learn in a diverse environment. The community is diverse, with beginners and advanced students from a variety of backgrounds. This is possible because the Buddhist Studies Institute programs feature every stage of the path from the preliminaries to the most esoteric contemplative practices, engaging the tradition fully, from a scholar’s point of view.
Buddhist Foundations
Freedom from suffering and the big questions in life from the Buddhist point of view. Start here and return again and again to firm up your foundations.
Buddhist Meditation
Study the practice, meditation and its context in the Buddhist way of understanding mind, body, emotions and relationships.
Meditation Instructor Training
200 Hour Certification Program. For Teachers Facing A Diverse Tumultuous World.
Ngakpa Seminary
A Buddhist philosophical college to support advanced study of Buddhist Classics in Tibetan Tantra and Dzogchen.
Study – Practice – Thrive
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Find Support
For whole-hearted, vigorous engagement with Buddhism and its diverse interpretations
Take Live Classes
Study Buddhist Classics with Pema Khandro
Pema Khandro is a scholar and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. Ordained in the Nyingma lineage, enthroned as a tulku, and trained as an academic, her teachings celebrate the dynamic coalescence of tradition and the contemporary context.
Pema Khandro is an authorized Lama and lineage holder of the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and she was enthroned to carry on the lineage of a Tibetan Yogini who lived and taught in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth century. As a scholar-practitioner, her approach to teaching is to frame Buddhist study and practice within its historical, philosophical and intercultural context. Her mission is to foster conversations between scholar-practitioners and Buddhist communities, to open up greater perspectives on the practice of Buddhism in the contemporary world. For more information visit www.PemaKhandro.org
The world has turned to Buddhism for its wealth of insight into meditation, sciences of mind, regulation of emotions, and models of peaceful living.
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For those who seek access to in-depth Buddhist study however, there have been many challenges that have limited such studies to a few people – including the need to learn another language, live in Asia, or leave behind family or work commitments.The Buddhist Studies institute meets the need for an in-depth study which is highly accessible and available in English. In fulfillment of this goal, we have facilitated study with Buddhist scholars from around the world. As a tradition dedicated to cultivating wisdom, compassion, self-awareness and interpersonal peace, Buddhism offers rich resources for investigating mind, body, self, others and reality. However, the study of Buddhism is historically rooted and has changed from culture to culture, from one era to another, from the point of view of one lineage to another, yielding a dynamic, diverse tradition. Foregrounding this diversity creates a fertile ground for exploring Buddhism within the challenges of the post-modern world. The Buddhist Studies Institute’s mission is to provide opportunities for accessible in-depth study of Buddhist philosophy and practice, while highlighting its historical contexts and numerous interpretations.
Our Affiliations
BSI is a project of Ngakpa International a non-profit organization dedicated to sustaining the traditions of householder Yogis of Tibet. Although our project is sponsored by a Nyingma Lama and focuses on Nyingma materials for weekly shedra classes, we also provide many Buddhist classes with a non-sectarian focus led by Lamas, Khenpos, Geshes and Scholars of various traditions in order to celebrate the beautiful diversity of Buddhist thought. Our goal is to present Buddhist philosophy and meditation in its full splendor, as a resource for rigorous inquiry and development of self-awareness. We aim to offer this while providing abundant resources focusing on the core texts of the Nyingma shedra, the traditional Tibetan Buddhist Philosophical college and the gomdra, the Buddhist meditation retreat training.
The Yogic Medicine Institute
Learn About Our Sister Project
Let the ancient knowledge of Himalayan medicine restore vibrant well-being in your body and mind.
Enjoy the detoxification and longevity practices of Ayurveda, Tibetan Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
In Panchakarma Radiance Retreats you will enjoy 3 to 35 days of therapies, massage, nutrition, cleansing, and rejuvenation in a small group setting or private retreat. Protect your body while allowing it to remove toxins safely, efficiently, and thoroughly.
Ayurvedic Panchakarma helps your body let go of layers of undigested material. Each body is different, so your cleansing program is tailored just for you. Enjoy luxurious integrative therapies, bliss yoga, shirodhara and so much more. Panchakarma Radiance Retreats are led by Dr. Satya Shiva and Aruna Rigdzin. Benefit from their decades of training, warm hospitality and extraordinary guidance. Learn more here
