Did you know…our calendar includes many courses and meditation offerings available on a drop-in basis.
We also offer a variety of in-depth programs and trainings via enrollment. These do not appear here, but you can find out what’s currently open or join a waitlist in our Enrollment Center.
- This event has passed.
Integrating Tibetan Contemplative Practice into Western Psychotherapy
Event Navigation
With Dr. Lobsang Rapgay
Now that mindfulness has become well known in the West, and found its way into new forms of psychotherapy, the next phase in the integration of Buddhist psychology involves the many methods of cultivating compassion which were refined and preserved in Tibet. Nowhere in the Nalanda tradition is the cultivation of compassion more methodically and meaningfully presented than in seven part cause-effect practice handed down by Tibetan masters.
In this talk, Dr. Rapgay will share his perspective on the dialogue between Buddhist and Western psychology, and his experience integrating that practice into his own work as a psychotherapist. He will lead the class though the first three steps of the cause-effect method—remembering the good enough mother/nurturer, developing gratitude for her/his kindness, and repaying that kindness—as the most accessible way of developing real love, which is the foundation we need to cultivate compassion. Finally, he will discuss how people can build a regular practice of these steps, to accelerate psychotherapy and transform daily life.
Lobsang Rapgay, PhD is Adjunct Assistant Professor and researcher at the Department of Psychiatry, UCLA. He was the Director of the UCLA Behavioral Medicine Clinic — a training center for psychiatric residents, psychology interns and externs, for six years, and is on faculty at the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. His current research is in the neural and behavioral correlates of working memory in anxiety. He maintains a private practice in West Los Angeles. His blog post in Psychology Today addresses the psychological issues related to the current social and political crisis in the US and larger world. He was a Buddhist monk for 18 years and is a leading authority on Tibetan medicine and Tibetan Buddhist contemplative science and practice.
This event is co-sponsored with Tibet House US.
Visiting Faculty: Dr. Lobsang Rapgay
Date: Friday, November 9 from 7pm–9pm
Tuition: $25 (10% discount for Nalanda Institute attendees who pre-register. Use code: nalanda2018)
Registration: Register via Eventbrite
Location: Tibet House US, 22 West 15th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)