At the earnest request of Gaden Shartse Thubten Dhargye Ling Center, His Eminence Zong Rinpoche has graciously accepted to bestow a series of teachings and empowerments in September 2026.
Friday, September 18 through Saturday, September, 26, 2026
Rinpoche will provide commentaries on selected passages from the sutras which have specifically been curated for their practical application and essential value in daily spiritual practice. The Sutras or the Kangyur are the collection of all the Buddha's teachings that have been transcribed from Sanskrit to Tibetan. They consist of the common teachings found in all vehicles of Buddhist practice.
**Please note that due to the vast range of the sutras and limited English translations of specific passages from them, no English texts will be provided at GSTDL.
Two teaching sessions will be conducted daily starting Friday, September 18 and ending Saturday, September 26.
First Session: 2:00pm - 4:00pm (PT/Los Angeles Time)
Second Session: 6:00pm - 8:00pm (PT/Los Angeles Time)
Tsog & Guru Puja & Birthday Celebrations of Lati Rinpoche and Geshe Phuntsok Gyeltsen (Updated 9/13/26)
Monday, September 21, 2026, Time: 7:30pm (Second session will stop at 7pm)
Due to limited space, we kindly ask in-person attendees not to bring individual offerings. The center will provide offerings on behalf of all students and participants.
Those who wish to contribute toward the cost of these offerings are welcome to make a financial contribution online or through the donation boxes available at the center.
Avalokiteshvara Empowerment (UPDATED TIME, 9/24/26)
Sunday, September 27, 2026, 9:00am - 12:00pm (PT/Los Angeles)
IN-PERSON ONLY, NO ZOOM TRANSMISSION
Rinpoche will bestow the Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig) Empowerment, the Buddha of Infinite Compassion.
Avalokiteshvara Initiation (Wang)
Avalokiteshvara is the embodiment of all Buddhas' compassion. Two well-known forms of Avalokiteshvara are Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara and Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara is cultivated for the development of "Great compassion," an essential condition leading to the state of enlightenment. The practice of Avalokiteshvara promotes world peace and gives rise to loving kindness and compassion in the minds of all sentient beings. Participating in this empowerment does not involve tantric commitments.
A "Wang" is an extensive tantric empowerment that gives one permission to practice complete visualizations and recitations of a specific deity in their entirety. A "Je-Nang" is a concise empowerment that gives one permission to engage in general recitations of a specific deity and acts more as an auspicious receiving of that deity's blessings of body, speech, and mind.
Teachings will be available In-Person and Zoom.
No registration required to attend teaching or empowerment, although we encourage students to view via Zoom due to the limited capacity at our center.
ZOOM Information (Updated 9/20/2026)
UPDATE 09.20.26:
We are experiencing internet connectivity issues at the moment. This is affecting our Zoom streaming with Zong Rinpoche's teachings causing listeners to hear a break or pause every few seconds. This morning, we tried to resolve the issue with some IT support. We were not successful, unfortunately. You can still use Zoom while we troubleshoot the issue. We did find out that our Facebook streaming is not affected (as much) and so the audio might be better there than on Zoom (https://www.facebook.com/gstdl).
The videos posted on our website, thankfully, do not have any audio issues. We encourage you to watch and listen to these teachings HERE.
***Special Note for In-Person Hearing Impaired Attendees: GSTDL staff (including Rinpoche himself) strived to improve the sound quality at our center. Should you still have difficulty hearing, we recommend using Zoom app (Zoom Workplace) on your mobile device during the sessions. Zoom may provide clearer and more consistent sound than the FM transmitter system used in previous years. You also have the option to call-in using the numbers provided just down below.
Use earbuds, headphones, hearing aids (bluetooth capable), or another listening device that works with your phone. Adjust the volume on your device to a comfortable level. Important to Note: Please keep your device's microphone muted and use earbuds or headphones to prevent feedback or echo in the room.***
+13126266799,,81395184975#,,,,*559911# US (Chicago)
+16465588656,,81395184975#,,,,*559911# US (New York)
(If you cannot use One tap mobile, simply dial (312) 626-6799 (Chicago) or (646) 558-8656 (New York) and enter the Meeting ID and Passcode provided above when asked.)
We are happy to provide live translation in both Vietnamese and Mandarin Chinese this year! Please see the following:
1) Vietnamese Zoom Video (only) Translation Instructions, click HERE. For Remote and In-Person Attendees outside of the Vietnamese translation room.
2) Mandarin Chinese Zoom Video (only) Translation Instructions, click HERE. For Remote and In-Person Attendees.
Students can meet Rinpoche at L.A. International Airport (LAX), although please consider unexpected delays, ongoing LAX construction, and other logistics taking place over there. We encourage students to welcome Rinpoche at the center. For those who cannot attend in-person, Zoom option will be available.
DATE & TIME: Sunday, August 23, 2026 (THIS EVENT HAS PASSED)
You will be led to the main resource page on our website. Look for the third tab called "Special Events." Click on either English or Tibetan Phonetics under the section called "Prayer Booklet for H.E. Zong Rinpoche's Teachings (August 2024)."
Actual copies will be available at the center. If you have some booklets from last year, we encourage you to bring them with you.
Seating Capacity for All Sessions
Due to the limited capacity in our gompa, chair seating will be reserved for special needs students. We will try our best to accommodate seating for as many students as possible, but the remaining cushions and chairs will be on a first come, first serve basis. A mix of chairs and cushions will be placed in different sections of the center including the bookstore, Vietnamese translation room, and the living room (overflow seating room). If you are a special needs student that needs a chair, please contact us so that we can accommodate.
Parking/Public Transportation/Carpool/Ride Share
GSTDL is located in a residential area with limited street parking. There is no parking lot available at the center. We encourage students to use alternative methods of transportation such as the bus (https://ridelbt.com/), carpool, or use ride share services to our center. This will help minimize traffic and parking congestion in the residential areas.
If you do bring a vehicle and park on the streets, please make sure you read the signs carefully to avoid parking tickets.
Housing Recommendations
For those new to our center, GSTDL does not arrange or coordinate housing arrangements. We recommend using Airbnb and Vrbo for short term stays. Enter "Gaden Shartse Thubten Dhargye Ling" for location. This will generate surrounding housing, although not necessarily close (or walking distance) to our center. Other methods of transportation may be needed.
CONTACT US: For all inquiries, please email us at events@gstdl.org(please note updated email address).
