Long Amitabha Practice

Meditating on Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light, can help us enter his Pure Realm of great bliss (Tib.: dewachen, Skt.: sukhavati) at the moment of death. Tradition says that Amitabha made a promise to grant all beings who hear, think, or utter his name with faith a life of bliss until they attain Nirvana. In this context, Pure Land is not a place but is to be understood as a state of consciousness, an aspect of the enlightened mind.

We can also perform the Amitabha Ritual for the deceased, even if their death occurred long ago.

After an introduction to the practice and the topic of death and transition from a Buddhist perspective, the focus will be on the collective practice of the Amitabha Sadhana.

During this course, the focus will be on the practice for extending lifespan at first, follwed by the practice for the deceased. The retreat concludes with a special Bardo Puja for the recently deceased, during which, among other things, the written names of the deceased are burned to facilitate their transition to the realm of Great Bliss (Tib.: dewachen).

These prayers and rituals can also be used to specifically remember those who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic.

English with German translation.

Additional Texts used for daily practrice: PDF Download

Course Content

Part 1

About Instructor

Acharya Lama Kelzang Wangdi

Acharya Lama Kelzang Wangdi is one of the resident lamas at Kamalashila Institute. He was born in Bhutan and studied and taught for 13 years at the Karma Shri Nalanda Monastic University in Rumtek, Sikkim. He received many teachings from H.E. Gyaltsab Rinpoche, Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. In 2004, Acharya Lama Kelzang Wangdi first went to the USA, where he still teaches today for Nitartha Institute, and then came to Germany. Since then, he has been living and teaching at Kamalashila Institute, and is visiting Buddhist centers throughout Europe and supervising Kamalashila city groups. He is a competent teacher of Buddhist philosophy and the meditation practices of sutra, tantra and Mahamudra, and an expert of the Abhidharma.

72 Courses

Acharya Lama Sönam Rabgye

Acharya Lama Sönam Rabgye has been one of the resident lamas of Kamalashila Institute since 1999. He was born in Nepal and studied at Karma Shri Nalanda Monastic University in Rumtek/Sikkim, later teaching at Karma Lekshey Ling Monastery in Kathmandu. His most important teacher, with whom he took refuge and was ordained, was the 3rd Jamgön Kongtrul Karma Lodrö Chokyi Senge. As part of his teaching activities, he visits Buddhist centers throughout Europe and supervises Kamalashila city groups. He is a competent teacher of Buddhist philosophy and the meditation practices of sutra, tantra and Mahamudra.

58 Courses

Course Content

About Instructor

Acharya Lama Kelzang Wangdi

Acharya Lama Sönam Rabgye

Course Includes