Faith and Impermanence
with Yangsi Rinpoche
Shantideva Center is delighted to host virtual teachings from Geshe Lharampa Yangsi Rinpoche from Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon. In this series of four teachings, Rinpoche delves into the topics of faith (Tib. dépa; its three kinds and many benefits) and impermanence.
Faith invigorates and nourishes the entire spiritual path, from the first thought that we can let go of our fixations and nurture our virtues all the way to enlightenment. Faith might aptly be depicted as a dry desert becoming rehabilitated and transformed into lush green land. Contemplating impermanence allows us to relax our usually rigid sense of self and be open to perceiving that we are mere guests hosted in the guesthouse of our five aggregates. Meditating on impermanence strengthens our ability to stay aware of the present and gently challenge the notion that we have endless time to fill with leisurely distractions.
In this series, Rinpoche interweaves these topics to give us a rich sense of the invigorating and nourishing power of faith, the clear-eyed wisdom of impermanence, and the importance of both on the spiritual path.
Additional Materials
Recordings
About the Teacher
Yangsi Rinpoche was recognized as the reincarnation of Geshe Ngawang Gendun, a renowned scholar and practitioner from Western Tibet, at the age of six. Rinpoche trained in the traditional monastic system for over 25 years, and in 1995 graduated with the highest degree of Geshe Lharampa from Sera Je Monastery in South India. He then completed his studies at Gyume Tantric College, and, in 1998, having the particular wish to benefit Western students of the Buddhadharma, Rinpoche came to the West to teach and has traveled extensively throughout America and Europe. Rinpoche was a resident teacher at Deer Park Buddhist Center in Madison, Wisconsin for five years, and is currently the Spiritual Director of Ganden Shedrup Ling Buddhist Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Spiritual Director of Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle, Washington. He founded Maitripa College in 2005 in Portland, Oregon. Rinpoche is the author of Practicing the Path: A Commentary on the Lamrim Chenmo, published in 2003 by Wisdom Publications. Rinpoche teaches in English, and is admired wherever he travels for his unique presentation of the Dharma, his interest in and enthusiasm for Western culture, and his evident embodiment of the wisdom and compassion of the Buddhist path.
