Episode 4: Khenpo Tashi Dorje | Three Cups Podcast

Khenpo Tashi Dorje was born in Kham, Tibet, and first came to Namdroling Monastery in South India in 1996. He completed his traditional Buddhist education at Namdroling and received the title of Khenpo in 2011. In 2014, Khenpo Tashi Dorje became one of the first students of the Namdroling Research Center. Under the supervision of Professor Dorje Wangchuk, he began his research on the Mahāpaṇḍita Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo. In 2017, his research thesis received first place in its examination. Khenpo is the author of two major research works, Chozang Rigpai Namchö and Nangwa Lhar Drubpai Tsul la Takpa, and has published numerous research papers. He has also organised and hosted academic conferences, research workshops, and other gatherings focused on Buddhist studies. Khenpo Tashi Dorje currently serves as a supervisor at the Namdroling Research Center. He is also working at ARCAS and continues his work in the study and preservation of Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist knowledge at both the traditional and international levels. Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:44 - How did you become a monk? 05:11 - What qualities of a teacher affect how well students understand? 09:27 - How can teachers increase students’ motivation and inspiration to study? 17:20 - Have you experimented with different teaching methods? 23:03 - How do you assess the different capacities of your students? 24:44 - When teaching a text, do you prioritise key points or the overall meaning? 28:11 - Why is summarisation not emphasised in traditional education? 35:35 - Can modern research methods be introduced into traditional education? 40:32 - Do students complain about having too many lessons? 44:13 - What qualities make Namdroling stand out as an institution? 50:26 - Can monasteries do more to attract new monks? 52:31 - Can the research centre and modern education encourage more monks to study? 53:29 - What do you think Namdroling will be like in 10 or 20 years? 55:29 - What advice would you give to future teachers? … Find out more about the SINI Three Cups Initiative and Teacher Trainings: https://www.sinithreecups.org/ Hosted by Gangar Metok Produced by Stephen James Pigott (https://www.guruviking.com) and Senge Catherine (https://www.sinibridge.org/team/)