Nitartha Institute

The following article is from the Winter, 1999 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

Nitartha Institute is an intensive study program within the Kagyu tradition. founded by the Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Each year, Ponlop Rinpoche is resident teacher for the duration of the program, along with other Acharyas trained in the nine-year Rumtek shedra (dharma college). In addition, last year we had the good fortune of hosting Khenpo Rinpoche, who gave a powerful series of teachings on the view of mahamudra in the context of madhyamaka insight. Khenpo Rinpoche has been invited back to Nitartha for 1999.

The program is unique in that every day a student typically spends four to six, or more, hours with senior Kagyu teachers in intensive training, as well as enjoying ample opportunities for service, or finding oneself involved in an extracurricular debate in the hall.

The program is residential, and, to make it more available to students, is now available in two week sessions as well as our traditional four week format. The dates are June 12-26 and June 27-July 11 (4 weeks: June 12-July 11). We are being hosted this year at the beautiful Mt. Allison University campus in Sackville, New Brunswick, two hour's from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Though open to all with an interest in broadening and deepening their understanding of the view of buddha dharma, the Institute is best suited to those who have been practicing and studying for a minimum of two years. For more information, application, and a transcript of Ponlop Rinpoche discussing study, debate and Nitartha Institute, call 508-896-4491 or email [email protected] or see us on the Web at http://wvvw.nitartha.org/Education/Institute/institute.html#

Nitartha really helped to ground my understanding of the view, to see that Buddhism is not a universal belief system, but that different schools hold different theories. The prajna that realizes no-self means cutting ignorance and really looking at what I've accepted as tme, analyzing the logic of those beliefs and deconstructing further and further, examining what is true and what is based on my belief in my self. Debate uses this prajna practice with others, so that I can question the logic in their assertions and, at the same time, open myself to their questions about my logic.