Stories of Kindness: Jataka Tales and Q&A
with Venerable Losang Gendun
Tuesdays & Thursdays, Sep 8, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 & Oct 1, 3-5pm EDT
IN-PERSON & ONLINE
Join us for an informal and engaging session with Venerable Gendun as he shares some favorite jataka tales and offers an extended Q&A session for students. On the night of his awakening, the Buddha went through a series of transformational stages, one of which was the spontaneous recollection of past lives. While for him this was a mark of accomplishment, a siddhi, later these stories of past lives were used by the Buddha and others as instructional fables for those on the path. Their engaging quality spawned a whole genre of South Asian literature, the beloved jataka tales. Jatakas were important to early Buddhists and a separate class of oral reciters (jataka-bhanaka) preserved their transmission. For us, they provide an engaging and intuitive way to grasp important points of Buddhist ethics, outlook, and practice.
Sponsorship
Due to Ven. Gendun’s extended stay, our costs for hosting will be substantially higher than normal – anticipated to be around $5,000 for flights, housing, transportation, food and other miscellaneous expenses. We welcome your support to enable these precious teachings to happen. Any amount is greatly appreciated and very karmically beneficial!
If you plan to attend in-person or via Zoom, please donate using the registration process (Register button).
If you just wish to help sponsor the teachings or make additional donations, you can do so via this link using any card, PayPal or Venmo. Please remember to select “Ven. Losang Gendun – New York Visit 2026”.
Please note that donation via this link is separate from and is not a registration. Please email us at registration@shantidevanyc.org if you need assistance.
Food Offerings
Important Note
This is an in-person and online event. For online, the events will be administered using Zoom*.
After registering, the system automatically sends a confirmation and/or a receipt email that contains the Zoom meeting link and/or other instructions. If you don’t immediately receive the system email(s) or you have any other questions, please contact us at registration@shantidevanyc.org.
*Zoom is an interactive video-conferencing tool that allows participants to see one another and ask questions. You will need a computer, a tablet or a smartphone with the Zoom application to attend. If you are using Zoom for the first time, please login earlier to allow any necessary installations on your device.
Registration
Suggested: $20 per session
Other offering options: free, $5, $10, $30
The suggested amount helps support teacher offerings and expenses, direct costs and rent. Shantideva member benefits will apply automatically if you have a membership in MindBody.
Shantideva Center may publish recorded sessions in the public domain (e.g., on YouTube). By registering for this event, you are agreeing to give your consent to this process. Please be conscious of any personal information you share. Recordings are typically made to spotlight only on the teacher or facilitator so participants are usually not visible.
Time zone: US Eastern Daylight Time (GMT/UTC-4)
For questions regarding registration, please email registration@shantidevanyc.org for assistance.
Additional Materials
Recordings
Available soon.
About the Teacher
Venerable Losang Gendun has dedicated nearly four decades to practicing Buddhism and has served as a Bhikshu (Buddhist monk) in the Tibetan tradition for the past 18 years. Prior to his ordination, he worked in diverse fields such as palliative care, technology, refugee organizations, and commercial management. His extensive training includes ten years of studying Buddhist philosophy and practice in monasteries across France, India, Nepal, and Myanmar. Additionally, he spent over four years in retreat, immersing himself in Tibetan sutra and tantra, as well as the Burmese Theravada Forest Tradition.
For the last 15 years, Ven. Gendun has been a dedicated teacher, sharing his knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, psychology, and meditation worldwide. He serves the aspirations of H.H. the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche as part of the FPMT (Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition). Ven. Gendun is also a member of Mind & Life Europe, a multidisciplinary laboratory that brings together researchers and contemplative practitioners to explore the nature of experience.
Beyond his Buddhist affiliations, Ven. Gendun serves as an interreligious canon at the Peace Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia, and feels at home at a Mevlavi Sufi dargah in Istanbul. In 2023, he founded The Buddha Project, which engages in long-term guidance for Buddhist meditators, scientific research, art projects, and intercontemplative social engagement.
