Our Spiritual Director: Yangsi Rinpoche

At the age of six, Yangsi Rinpoche was recognized as the reincarnation of Geshe Ngawang Gendun, a renowned scholar and practitioner from Western Tibet. Rinpoche trained in the traditional monastic system for over twenty-five years. In 1995 he graduated with the highest degree of Geshe Lharampa from Sera Je Monastery in South India. In 1998, having the particular wish to benefit Western students of the Buddhadharma, Rinpoche came to the West to teach and has traveled extensively throughout America and Europe.

Formerly a resident teacher at Deer Park Buddhist Center in Madison, Wisconsin for five years and the author of "Practicing the Path: a Commentary on the Lamrim Chenmo" published in 2003 by Wisdom Publications, Rinpoche is currently involved in founding Maitripa University in Portland, Oregon.

Rinpoche teaches in English, and is admired wherever he travels for his unique presentation of the Dharma, his interest and enthusiasm for Western culture, and his evident embodiment of the wisdom and compassion of the Buddhist path.

Mission Statement

·To sponsor qualified Buddhist teachers to teach Buddhist philosophy, psychology, and meditation.
·To provide a mutually supportive spiritual community for Buddhist practitioners.
·To offer the public a variety of Buddhist educational programs ranging from lectures and class series to intensive retreats.
·To foster the spirit of peace, nonviolence, and compassion in our world, following the inspiring example of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by putting into practice the principles in the Eight Verses of Mind Training.

Our History

Under the guidance of Alan Wallace, DFF was founded in Seattle in 1985 in order to make it possible for Gen Lamrimpa to come and teach in the USA for an extended period of time. Born in Tibet in 1934, Gen Lamrimpa became a refugee in India after the 1959 abortive uprising against Communist Chinese rule in Tibet. Gen Lamrimpa was known as an accomplished meditator and a true yogi, although, like all genuine masters, he remained humble and unostentatious. For many years before coming to Seattle he meditated in a stone and mud hut in the mountains above Dharamsala, India. Once in Seattle, he led a one-year samatha retreat at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center, providing earnest Western practitioners the possibility to practice under his guidance. His book Calming the Mind (Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca New York), first published as Samatha Meditation, is the record of some of the teachings he gave during this time. After teaching in the USA for two years, Gen Lamrimpa returned to Dharamsala to continue his practice. He came back to Seattle to teach in late 1992 for several months before returning to India. “Gen la” passed away in meditation in 2004. A remarkable account of his passing can be found here: http://www.snowlionpub.com/pages/N65_10.php

DFF was extremely fortunate to have had Venerable Thubten Chodron as its resident teacher and spiritual advisor for many years. In 2002, Ven. Chodron moved from Seattle in order to begin Sravasti Abbey, an abbey for nuns, monks, and laypeople. She continued to function as the Spiritual Adviser of DFF until September, 2005, when with her blessing and encouragement, the Board of DFF formally requested Yangsi Rinpoche to be our new spiritual adviser.