The Institute

Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa is one of the largest and most active Tibetan Buddhist centers in the West. It was founded in 1977, in Pomaia (Pisa), Italy, by Lama Thubten Yeshe and his heart disciple, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, as a place for the study and practice of the teachings of the Buddha. Its lineage stems from Nagarjuna and the other pundits of Nalanda Monastery in ancient India as passed down to Lama Tsong Khapa (1357-1419), the great Tibetan master and yogi who founded the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Institute is a member of the FPMT (Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition), of which Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director. Over the years the Institute has been host to a number of the greatest and most prominent lamas in the Tibetan tradition, including His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Ling Rinpoche, Lama Thubten Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and many others.

The Institute hosts a number of the standard FPMT study programs as well as many other Dharma courses of varying lengths and levels, as well as courses in other spiritual disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. Located in the scenic Tuscan countryside about forty kilometers south of Pisa, the Institute is an ideal place for the serious study and practice of Buddhism in the Tibetan tradition.

Mission

Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) is an international school for the study and practice of Buddhism at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Our lineage stems from Nagarjuna and the other Nalanda pandits of ancient India, to Lama Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and our present-day teachers. The Institute is dedicated to fostering the development of the human qualities of kindness, compassion, and wisdom with an approach that integrates study, meditation, and service. To achieve this goal we offer a wide range of activities encompassed in the four fields of Education, Service, Research, and Preservation, each of which supports and enhances the other.