A Scholarly & Experiential Dzogchen Teaching Series
An ongoing series of weekend immersions
Taught by David Germano, PhD
Hosted by Pema Khandro, PhD and the Buddhist Studies Institute
Live Online | Recordings Included | 1-Year Access
Finding Wisdom Awareness
Buddhia Nature
Participants may join at any point.
Attend live or enroll for recordings. All participants must register to access course content.
Members receive automatic discounts or free tuition depending on level.
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Join us for a transformative weekend with two Dzogchen scholars of the highest calibre. In this online course, we dive into the luminous heart of the Dzogchen tradition through the lens of the great fourteenth-century Buddhist master Longchenpa. Study his profound instructions recorded in the Treasury of Words and Meaning (tshig don mdzod), which offers a profound mapping of the mind’s nature, the ground of reality, and the path of awakening.
Guided by Dr. David F. Germano — distinguished Tibetologist whose scholarship illuminates Longchenpa’s philosophical architecture. And hosted by Dr. Pema Khandro— scholar of Dzogchen history and lineage holder in the Nyingma tradition, bridging deep contemplative practice with academic rigor.
Together, they will lead you to engage Longchenpa’s text not only as a philosophical treatise but as an experiential gateway: to contemplate Buddha-Nature and integrate that wisdom into daily life.
David Germano teaches and researches Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia, where he is a professor in the Department of Religious Studies. His scholarship has focused on Tibetan esoteric traditions of Buddhist narrative, lives, thought, and practice, particularly in the Great Perfection tradition (rdzogs chen). He has lived for many years in Tibetan communities in Asia, where he has studied Buddhist philosophy and contemplation, and worked extensively on programs of community engagement and support, participatory knowledge creation, and digital technology adapted for support and preservation of Tibetan forms of knowledge. He is currently focused on supporting Tibetan entrepreneurship and relaunching the Tibetan and Himalayan Library. From 2011-2023 he founded and directed the Contemplative Sciences Center, in which context he worked on educational reform recentering educational institutions on the facilitation and support of the flourishing of students as whole individuals in the face of the current crisis of wellbeing amongst youth. He currently leads the Generative Contemplation Initiative, which is developing a new scholarly model and methodology for understanding Tibetan Buddhist contemplation, exploring microphenomenological research on Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, creating a new contemplative design process and toolkit, and designing new contemplative applications for specific social contexts.
Dr. Pema Khandro is an internationally renowned teacher and scholar of Buddhist philosophy. She is the founder of Ngakpa International and its three projects, The Buddhist Studies Institute, Dakini Mountain and the Yogic Medicine Institute. In her work as a Buddhist teacher she is an authorized Lama and lineage holder of the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions and was enthroned to carry on the lineage of her predecessor, the first Pema Khandro, an early twentieth century yogini from Eastern Tibet. She has led a vibrant world-wide community since 1999. Through the Buddhist Studies Institute, she also offers a complete curriculum of training in Tibetan meditation and Buddhist Philosophy. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, a Master’s degree specializing in Tibetan studies, and a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Virginia. Her scholarly research focuses on the history of Dzogchen Nyingthig and on Women in Tibetan Buddhism.
This program is open to the public, all are welcoming, but ngondro is traditional pre-requisite for Dzogchen practice and is thus recommended for continuing on with the practice after the retreat.
Early Enrollment Tuition by March 17, 2026 – $199
General Tuition – $277
Financial Aid Considerations All course costs are set at a minimum fee already, with financial aid built into all tuition rates. Because we are a non-profit organization, the costs of all activities and overhead of our organization must be covered by the participants of the courses or donations and all courses are offered at below cost. For those who are experiencing genuine financial hardship and wish to enroll in the course, Scholarship applications are available. Applications must be received in advance. Programs are always free for monastics.
Financial Aid Application: https://forms.gle/xwYaTamt2autMLKa9
Monastic Scholarship Application: https://forms.gle/yudBajX8wXXXsB2FA
