30/04/2026
The concluding session of the "Two-Week Introductory Workshop on Tibetan Buddhist Tradition" - organized by the International Centre, CIHTS, for visiting venerable monk-students from the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka - was held on 29 April 2026 in the Committee Room of the Vice Chancellor’s Office. Led by their faculty member, Ven. P. Narada, the visiting group was joined by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof. W. D. Negi, and the Registrar, Dr. Sunita Chandra, who both graced the session.
The proceedings were conducted by Dr. Himanshu Pandey (Deputy Registrar and Coordinator of the International Center and the Program), along with Ven. Dr. Karma Sonam Palmo (Coordinator of Academic Exchange Programs and Co-coordinator of the Program), and program assistants Ven. Dr. Konchok Tseten and Ven. Nyima Gyaltsen Acharya. During the session, a brief report summarizing the two-week workshop was presented by the co-coordinator of the program. Both the leading faculty and the students shared their experiences, extending their deep appreciation to the Institute for conducting a program they found to be extremely beneficial. They also expressed their aspiration to return with a new group in the future.
The authorities, participants, and the organizing team collectively felt and shared that this workshop was more than a mere academic exercise; it was a meeting of traditions. It represented the convergence of the Theravada and Indo-Tibetan Nalanda Buddhist traditions - Sri Lanka and India, Pali and Sanskrit - right here in Sarnath, the very ground where the Buddha first turned the Wheel of Dharma.
Over the course of two weeks, the visiting students were introduced to the breadth and depth of Tibetan Buddhist learning through five distinct daily sessions. In the first session of each day, they journeyed through a historical overview of Tibetan Buddhism, covering the Early and Later Disseminations and the four major schools: Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Geluk. This provided an understanding of not just the teachings, but the historical evolution of these traditions.
The second session introduced the key figures who shaped the tradition: the great Acharya Shantaraksh*ta, who laid the philosophical foundations in Tibet; Padmasambhava, who tamed the land with wisdom and power; and Atisha Dipamkarasrijnana, who restored the Dharma during the Later Dissemination. They also studied the Tibetan Dharma Kings Songtsen Gampo and Trisong Deutsan, the lineage of His Holiness the Dalai Lamas, and the towering masters of each school, including Longchen Rabjampa, Mar Mi Dag Sum, Sachen Gongma Namnga, and Je Yabse Sum.
The third session opened the treasure house of Tibetan canonical literature. Students encountered the Kangyur, Tengyur, and Sungbum - the vast scriptural collections preserving the living voice of the Buddha and the commentarial tradition. They were introduced to seminal texts such as the Bodhicharyavatara, Bodhipathpradipa, the Lojong lineages, Kunzang Lamai Zhalung, Dhagpo Thargyan, Thupai Gongsal, and the Lamrim Chenmo - each a pillar of its respective school’s practice.
Afternoons were devoted to the philosophical heart of the tradition. In the fourth session, students explored the Four Seals of Buddhism - impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and selflessness - as well as the profound meditation systems of Dzogchen, Mahamudra, Khordey Yerme, and Umachenpo. The Madhyamaka, Yogachara, Sautrantika, and Vaibhashika philosophical schools were presented with clarity and rigor.
In the fifth session and the enriching evening Q&A discussions, students explored the living dimensions of the institution, including Sowa Rigpa, Tibetan Fine Arts, Bhot Jyotish, and the Research Departments. These were complemented by Tibetan and Sanskrit language sessions, an inspiring Nalanda Debate demonstration, and extraordinary cultural experiences visiting the Sarnath Stupa, Museum, Tibetan Buddhist temples, the sacred Ganges, and a weekend trip to Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, and Nalanda.
At the conclusion of each teacher’s final class, the visiting students honored their teachers with a token of appreciation - a blessed statue of the Buddha brought from Sri Lanka - and extended similar gratitude to the coordinating team during the concluding session. The coordinating team thanked the students for the curiosity, earnestness, and openness that made the workshop truly alive.
The concluding session highlighted that this workshop is a small but meaningful step in bridging two great Buddhist civilizations: Sri Lanka, which has preserved the Pali Theravada tradition with remarkable fidelity for over two millennia, and the Tibetan tradition, which carried the complete Nalanda Buddhist tradition of India into Tibet and the Himalayan world. Indeed, the Nalanda tradition belongs to everyone. The Indo-Tibetan Buddhist heritage that CIHTS was founded to preserve and transmit is not a closed treasure, but an open invitation to all who seek wisdom. We hope this workshop has offered our Sri Lankan Dharma brothers a window into that world. It is hoped that the foundations laid over these two weeks will continue to grow through further study, correspondence with our faculty, and the enduring relationships formed between our two institutions. The Institute rejoices in the aspiration shared by the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka to deepen this partnership, warmly welcoming the opportunity for further academic and spiritual exchanges in the years to come.
The session concluded with the presentation of certificates by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, followed by the presentation of souvenirs from the Institute by the Registrar and Deputy Registrar to the venerable monks. As the participants return to Sri Lanka, they carry with them more than just notes, certificates and souvenirs; they carry the lived experience of Sarnath - the dawn meditations, the debates, the chants, the rivers, and the ancient stupas. Finally, there was a group recitation of dedication prayer and group photo. May these experiences continue to illuminate the path and may the merit of this gathering benefit all beings.
