Our Inspiration and Lamas

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso

is the spiritual leader of Tibet and also held political leadership until 2011. Dalai is the Mongolian word for “ocean” and lama means “spiritual teacher” in Tibetan. The title Dalai Lama can be translated as “Ocean of Wisdom”.

Since the invasion of Tibet by China he lives as a refugee in the Northern Indian town of Dharamsala, where the Tibetan government-in-exile became established. His Holiness’s tireless commitment to Tibet’s freedom and to world peace has been highly praised and in 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Der schönste Schmuck, den Sie besitzen sind Liebe und Mitgefühl.“
H.H. the Dalai Lama

We have had the honor of welcoming His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to Graz several times. In 1995 he came to the opening of our center and gave it the name “She Drup Ling”, place of knowledge and experience. In 1998, he traveled to Graz again, where he inaugurated the Peace Stupa in the public park Graz Volksgarten on July 12.

At the invitation of the City of Graz and organized by our association, the “Kalachakra for World Peace Graz 2002” took place from 11 to 23 October 2002, during which H.H. the Dalai Lama celebrated a 14-day Kalachakra empowerment in the Graz City Hall with masters from all Buddhist traditions and 10,000 visitors from 70 countries from all over the world.

Ven. Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche

» Prayers for the swift return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche

was born in 1946 in the Solo Khumbu region, near Mount Everest in Nepal. He was recognized as the reincarnation of the Lawudo Lama and started his education as a monk in Tibet. In 1959 Rinpoche fled from Tibet and continued his studies at Sera Je monastery in Buxa Duar, in the north of India. There he became a student of Geshe Rabten and of Lama Thubten Yeshe.

„Geist ist wie Teig, du kannst ihm jede Form geben.
Du kannst ihn zu Leid kneten oder
zu höchstem Glück ausrollen“
Lama Zopa Rinpoche

In 1971, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa started the famous meditation courses for western people in the new Kopan Monastery in the Kathmandu valley. Due to many requests they were among the first teachers travelling around the world to teach Tibetan Buddhism. They founded the international organization Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) in 1975. At present it comprises more than 140 institutions and projects worldwide. After the death of Lama Yeshe in 1984 Lama Zopa Rinpoche assumed full responsibility for FPMT until his death on 13. April, 2023.

Ven. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche

» Prayer for the return of Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche

was born in 1926 in the province of Amdo, eastern Tibet, and at the age of six was recognized as the reincarnation of the abbot of Kirti Gompa. At the age of 32, after having completed his monastic studies, he was appointed abbot of Kirti Gompa. Rinpoche received teachings from many high lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and was a lineage holder of the Kalachakra Tantra. Having fled from Tibet in 1959 Rinpoche settled down at Dharamsala. At the age of 45 he began a 15-year meditation retreat.

Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche was one of the teachers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and gave teachings all over the world. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche was very well known for his kind nature. On Rinpoche’s advice, we opened our center in Graz in 1995. He visited us in 1999, transmitted some initiations at She Drup Ling and gave an introductory public lecture on the Kalachakra Tantra. After a serious illness Rinpoche passed away in December 2006.

Erw. Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoche

heads the “Rimé Institute” in Australia and the international umbrella organization “Dzokden”. In 2022, his association took over the Kalachakra Kalapa Retreat Center we founded, which has since been known as the Dzokden Kalapa Center.

Rinpoche also travels extensively to give teachings all over the world and visits the Dzokden Kalapa Center in the countryside of western Styria every year. He pursues two main goals: To teach the non-sectarian Buddhist philosophy and, as the holder of a Jonang Kalachakra lineage, to introduce practitioners to the Kalachakra Tantra.

Erw. Jhado Rinpoche

was recognised as the sixth incarnation of the Jhado Rinpoche already at age three. In 1959 he fled to India and finished his 19 years’ studies in Buddhist philosophy with the degree of a Geshe Lharampa in 1991. In the same year, on the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, he began to teach at Namgyal Monastery, Dharamsala. From 1997 to 2004 Rinpoche also was abbot of the monastery.

Jhado Rinpoche received initiations and transmissions from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his two tutors as well as from Ven. Trulshik Rinpoche und Ven. Choegye Trichen Rinpoche. He teaches and leads retreats in Dharma centres in America, Europe, Taiwan and Japan and is known for his erudition and the clarity of his visualisations.

Ven. Jhado Rinpoche attended the Kalachakra for World Peace Graz 2002 and gave an introduction to Kalachakra. On 23 October 2002, together with twenty monks from Namgyal Monastery, he consecrated the newly erected Kalachakra Stupa on the premises of the Kalachakra Kalapa Retreat Center at Garanas, southwestern Styria, Austria. In 2005, he also gave detailed explanations of the Kalachakra Tantra for an international audience of practitioners at Kalachakra Kalapa Centre.

Ven. Geshe Tashi Tsering

At the age of 13 years Geshe-la entered Sera Me Monastic University in South India and graduated 16 years later as a Lharampa Geshe (the highest degree). Afterwards, he studied for another year at Gyuto Higher Tantric College. Geshe Tashi started to teach at Sera, later he taught at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, and at the Gandhi Foundation College at Nagpur, India. Geshe-la’s first stay in Europe was at Nalanda Monastery in southern France. In 1994 he moved to Jamyang Buddhist Centre London until His Holiness Dalai Lama has asked him to lead the monastery in Sera Me in 2018.

Geshe-la teaches in English and is renowned for his warmth, clarity and sense of humour. Geshe-la initiated and teaches the “Foundation of Buddhist Thought”, a two-year correspondence and campus course on the basics of Tibetan Buddhism.

Webseite: https://geshetashi.org/

Erw. Gyurme Lamo (Lore Dandl)

was a Buddhist nun in the Tibetan Kagyu tradition from Graz. We still continue her White Tara practice, which she practiced for many years, on a weekly basis at She Drup Ling. Gyurme Lamo has made a great contribution to the integration of Buddhist practices into everyday life. She inspired and guided us until her death on December 28, 2012.

Next White Tara Memorial Puja for Lore Dandl:
28. December, 2024, 8.00am

Ordained Guest Teachers

Ven. Lama Ngawang Senge

has been a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition since 2004. He lived for over 11 years in Nepal, India and Tibet, where he spent many years in retreat, including 14 months in a cave in Lapchi. He inspires us with his detailed way of describing meditative experiences and giving clear meditation instructions.

Ven. Ani Losang Palmo

Swiss born Ani Losang Palmo (Rita Riniker) has been a Western Tibetan Buddhist nun since 1991. All over the world she teaches courses on the fundamentals of Buddhism and meditation. With her characteristic sense of humour, her down to earth and compassionate way of teaching, Ani-la Losang succeeds in bridging Buddhism and Western religions for us “Westerners”. Ven. Losang explains Buddhist topics in a way to make them directly applicable in our everyday life.

Ven. Losang Drime (Dr. Birgit Schweiberer)

is an ordained nun in the Gelug tradition since 1998. She completed the Buddhist Basics and Master Programmes on Sutra and Tantra at Lama Tzongkhapa Institute in Italy with Ven. Geshe Jampa Gyatso, Ven. Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Jampa Tekchog and others. On the basis of her profound knowledge and precise analysis of the traditional texts Ven. Birgit teaches with a good sense of humour in a clear and structured way. Additionally, she graduated in medicine, worked in anaesthesiology and is a several times European champion in karate.

Our Meditation Instructors

Barbara Klell

In addition to her work as chairperson of our board, she leads meditation courses for beginners and open practice groups for us. She can look back on many years of Tibetan Buddhist practice and has received initiations from H.H. Dalai Lama, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Garchen Rinpoche and Khentrul Rinpoche, among others.

Contakt: bk(at)shedrupling.at

Manfred Klell

DI Dr. techn., many years as a professor of thermodynamics; founder of the center; three-year stay in the Himalayas to study and practice Buddhist philosophy; initiations and teachings from H.H. Dalai Lama, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Khentrul Rinpoche and many other masters; over 30 years of Buddhist practice, focus on concentrated meditation (Shamatha)

Contakt: mk(at)shedrupling.at

Michael Aldrian

Mag. Michael Aldrian is a Buddhist religious teacher for the Styria region, social pedagogue and adult educator. As a representative of the Austrian Buddhist Union, he is also active in interreligious dialog. He regularly gives introductory talks and teaches meditation for advanced practitioners at our center.

Contakt: ma(at)shedrupling.at