Activities

Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK), an international school for the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism, engages in a wide range of activities encompassed in the four fields of Education, Service, Research, and Preservation, each of which supports and enhances the other.

Education

The concept of education at the Institute encompasses a wide variety of courses, meditation retreats, study and training programs, all aimed at enhancing the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the individual. While the main focus of the Institute's activities is the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism, the Institute also offers courses and retreats in other spiritual traditions, as well as courses and training programs in topics related to mind science, psychology, child and adult education, support for the sick and the dying, alternative medicine, and care of the environment. 

Service

The Institute offers service to the larger community through organizing and hosting courses, retreats, study and training programs that promote the development of positive qualities that lead to inner peace, whereby an individual can make a significant contribution to world peace. ILTK also directly offers service to others by setting up and supporting associations that work with children, youth, prisoners, the sick, the dying, and refugees. In addition prayer ceremonies for the sick, the dying, the dead, and the troubled are organized several times a month. An annual festival offers the local community the chance to visit the Institute, see holy images, and learn about Buddhism.

Research

The Buddha himself exhorted his followers to carefully examine his words before accepting them, just as a goldsmith would subject a possible piece of gold to thorough testing. The Dalai Lama likewise strongly encourages modern-day followers of the Buddha to employ a scientific approach to their study of the mind and phenomena. For these reasons, the Institute both initiates and collaborates in research studies that contribute to the understanding of the human mind, the mind-body relationship, and the short and long-term effects of meditation, mindfulness practice, and physical exercises such as yoga that support mental stability and concentration.

Preservation

This broad term covers a variety of activities related to the preservation of Buddhism in general and Tibetan Buddhism in particular, as well as to the preservation of the Tibetan language and Tibetan culture. Activities that support their preservation include the translation and publication of a wide variety of Buddhist texts and practice materials, the organization of courses on the Tibetan language and Traditional Tibetan Medicine, the construction of temples, statues, stupas, and prayer wheels, the promotion of the Tibetan arts of painting and sculpting, and the participation in seminars, dialogues, and marches in support of Tibetan freedom.