Monks and Nuns in Western Buddhism:
What Is Their Role?
with Venerable Losang Gendun
The Buddha said, for the Dharma to spread, four types of people are needed: lay men and women, and ordained men and women. Why did he say this? Join us for a fascinating teaching where Ven. Gendun addresses this question and more.
Venerable will share his own experience with Buddhist monasticism (training in the Burmese Forest Tradition and 18 years ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk). Why did he choose to ordain: did he feel that he would advance more quickly on the Buddhist path? Did he meet someone who inspired him to take robes? Does he feel he made the right decision?
Apart from personal experience as a monk, Venerable will share his perspectives about the role of monastics in Western Buddhism. Western and Eastern views of monastics differ, and Venerable can talk to us about this. How can Western Buddhist monasteries help spread the Dharma? What unique contributions can Western monastics offer?
These are questions which any serious Western Buddhist eventually asks, and we are grateful that Ven. Gendun will address them.
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.
