Would you like to bring some more wisdom and compassion in your life? Connect in person in the cosy winter landscape of Lerab Ling or online with the Rigpa Shedra and let the wisdom and compassion of Shantideva transform your day, including your practice, wherever you are!
We invite Buddhist students to join the 2027 Rigpa Shedra, for a period of in-depth study with Rigpa Shedra teacher Verena Pfeiffer.
Verena will teach chapter 9 – the paramita of wisdom – of the Bodhicharyavatara, over a period of 2 months, from 11 January to 5 March, using classical commentaries of the great Tibetan Master Khenpo Kunpal called “Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech” und The Ketaka Jewel by Mipham Rinpoche, as well as commentaries by contemporary masters.
At the beginning Verena will give a short summary of the first eight chapters of the text and an introduction to the topic of wisdom, to establish the proper context for the teachings in chapter 9.
The Text
Countless great masters have praised the value of studying and taking to heart Shantideva’s magnificent, practical and profound teaching.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: “If I have any understanding of compassion and the bodhisattva path, it is entirely on the basis of studying the Bodhicharyavatara that I possess it.”
Sogyal Rinpoche, who taught extensively on the Bodhicharyavatara during the first year of the Three Year Retreat, said: “The Bodhicharyavatara shows us how to educate ourselves dharmically and transform our basic character. It is called ‘Entering the Bodhisattva Way of Life’ because it offers us an entire culture, a whole way of life and being which is completely different from the ordinary samsaric culture that we’re used to living in. When you really take these teachings to heart, they make you into a perfect human being—a true bodhisattva.”
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche: “In the opening verse of Chapter 9, Shantideva reveals that the preceding chapters, with their profound teachings on the paramitas of generosity and other virtues, are all stepping stones on our transformative journey toward wisdom. It is wisdom itself that holds the key to liberating ourselves from the clutches of suffering. Within this chapter, Shantideva succinctly imparts profound insights into the nature of reality—the dual nature of conventional and ultimate truths. Furthermore, he unveils the true essence of emptiness, an extraordinary concept that serves as the remedy for the immense anguish we endure.”
While going through this chapter, Verena will take time to also explain certain topics that Shantideva assumes we are familiar with, in order to gain a deeper understanding and experience. She will do this in her own unique teaching style, by not just providing the theoretical framework of the progressive stages of the view, but also giving us a flavour of how to apply wisdom in our daily life, to really bring about a transformation.
This program is offered for in-person attendance in Lerab Ling, France. Spending 2 months together in a small group of like-minded people is such a precious opportunity to share our love of the dharma and give ourselves a chance to go through a deep transformative process.
Since not everyone is able to come in person we do also offer an online option for dharma students around the globe.