Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong is the General Spiritual Director of the New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU) and the Resident Teacher at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Center, the Mother Center of Kadampa Buddhism. Gen-la has studied and practiced Kadampa Buddhism for many years under the guidance of her Spiritual Guide Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.

As one of Venerable Geshe Kelsang’s close disciples, Gen-la Dekyong’s teachings, humor and kindness exemplify the essence of the Buddhist way of life. She is a perfect example of a Kadampa Teacher. Each year, Gen-la Dekyong teaches at International Festivals, National Festivals, and Dharma Celebrations throughout the world.

Kadampa Buddhism is a Mahayana Buddhist Tradition founded by the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha (AD 982–1054). ‘Ka’ refers to Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings, and ‘dam’ to Atisha’s special Lamrim instructions known as ‘The stages of the path to enlightenment’. By integrating their knowledge of all Buddha’s teachings into their practice of Lamrim, and by integrating this into their everyday lives, Kadampa Buddhists learn to use Buddha’s teachings as practical methods for transforming their daily activities into the path to enlightenment by improving their love, compassion and wisdom.

After Atisha, the Kadampa lineage was passed down through a succession of great Kadampa Teachers including Dromtönpa, Geshe Potowa, Geshe Sharawa, and Geshe Chekhawa. These precious Teachers were not only great scholars but also spiritual practitioners of immense purity and sincerity. They placed particular emphasis on the practice of Lojong or ‘Training the Mind’ by which all our daily life experiences, and especially all our problems, suffering, and difficulties, can be transformed into the spiritual path.

The Kadampa lineage passed from generation to generation until the fourteenth century when it reached the great Buddhist Master Je Tsongkhapa. He clarified the teachings of Kadam Dharma and made them accessible to the people of that time. In particular, he showed how to combine Lamrim and Lojong with Mahamudra Tantra in a unified daily practice and his practitioners became known as ‘new Kadampas’.

The New Kadampa Tradition ~ International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU) is an association of over 1200 Buddhist Centers and groups that derive their inspiration from the example of the ancient Kadampa Masters and their teachings, as presented to the modern world by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.

Since the time of Je Tsongkhapa, the new Kadampa lineage has flourished for centuries. In recent years, the Kadampa teachings have been revived and promoted widely throughout the world by the contemporary Buddhist Master, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. By founding the New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union, Geshe Kelsang has created a truly global infrastructure to preserve and promote Kadampa Buddhism for many generations to come.

Rapidly growing, the Kadampa community is an international family, offering support, inspiration and encouragement for this joyful and profound spiritual path at Centers around the world.