Venerable Tenzin Tsepal

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal was first introduced to meditation in high school in the 1970s. While working as a dental hygienist in Seattle and hospital administration in Yakima, she practiced and attended retreats in the Vipassana tradition. In 1995, she found Dharma Friendship Foundation and teachings with Venerable Thubten Chodron. She attended the Life As A Western Buddhist Nun conference in India as a lay volunteer in 1996. Following a life-changing 3-month Vajrasattva retreat in 1998, Ven. Tsepal lived in Dharmsala, India for two years where she further explored the idea of monastic life. She received novice ordination as a Buddhist nun with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in March of 2001. After ordination, she was immersed in the full-time residential Buddhist Studies Program at Chenrezig Institute in Queensland, Australia, principally with Khensur Rinpoche and Geshe Tashi Tsering. As a qualified FPMT teacher, Ven. Tsepal was appointed the Western Teacher at Chenrezig Institute from 2004 to 2014, teaching the Discovering Buddhism series, tutoring for the general program and leading retreats. In 2015, she tutored three subjects for the FPMT Basic Program. Venerable Tsepal arrived at Sravasti Abbey in mid-January for the 2016 Winter Retreat. She joined the community in September 2016, and received Shiksamana training that October.

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Buddhist Reasoning and Debate

Review of Definitions

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal leads a review of definitions from the divisions of the selfless, up…

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Buddhist Reasoning and Debate

Review of definitions

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal leads a review of the definitions and relationships between the seven divisions…

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Buddhist Reasoning and Debate

Permanent phenomena and functioning things

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal continues in Chapter 10, covering Examples of Permanent Phenomena and Functioning Things.

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Buddhist Reasoning and Debate

Impermanent and permanent phenomena

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal teaches on the first division existents into permanent and impermanent phenomena.

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Buddhist Reasoning and Debate

The equivalents of existents

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal teaches on the seven equivalents of the term existent, and engages the…

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Buddhist Reasoning and Debate

Review: Chapters 7-8

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal leads a review of Chapters 7 and 8, and begins going through…

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Buddhist Reasoning and Debate

Syllogisms review

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal reviews Chapter 6 “The Buddhist Syllogism,” focusing on the three criteria of…

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Buddhist Reasoning and Debate

Statements of qualities review II

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal finishes reviewing the section on statements of qualities.

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Buddhist Reasoning and Debate

Statements of qualities review

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal leads the class through a review of the Statements of Qualities section…

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Buddhist Reasoning and Debate

Buddhist ontology

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal gives a brief overview of Buddhist ontology and walks the class through…

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Gomchen Lamrim

The perfection of generosity

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal teaches on the perfection of generosity, and how we can relate to…

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Ven. Tsepal standing with group of retreatants.
Living with Impermanence

Mindfulness of death and impermanence

Maintaining an awareness of death and impermanence brings energy to making our life meaningful and…

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