Our Journey
From a pivotal conversation in Bodh Gaya to a thriving program supporting monastic educators across the Himalayas
Timeline
2015
SINI convened a transformative seminar co-facilitated by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, gathering over 30 monastic teachers representing Tibetan Buddhist traditions from the Himalayan region. This seminal event was inspired by a pivotal conversation in Bodh Gaya with Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche regarding the need to enhance monastic education for the modern era.
2024
Leading up to the in-person training, participants met throughout 2024 online to share their hopes and aspirations. A pilot training curriculum was developed under the planning and participation of experts in the fields of education, technology, Buddhist chaplaincy, and psychology. Modules for each of these areas of focus were developed and translated into Tibetan.
2025
The seminal Three Cups Teacher Training Program was conducted at SINI over an eight-day period. The event hosted over 35 monastics representing all four schools, hailing from throughout the Himalayan region, South India, Australia, and Germany. 32 sessions were conducted.
2026
Our next in-person training will be held January 5-9, 2026. The trainer staff will include experts from the Himalayan and Indian regions, as well as globally.
Bridging Tradition and Innovation
The Context
Over the past decade, the landscape of monastic learning has undergone significant transformations in response to global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the proliferation of online learning platforms, and a decline in the number of monastics. While some Gelugpa monasteries initially embraced science curricula following advocacy from leaders like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, pedagogical approaches within monasteries have seen limited evolution.
Traditional methods, including memorization and debate, have remained central, prompting conversations among monastic leaders regarding the need for more inspiring dharma teachers for future generations. The most reliable way to ensure the perpetuity of the dharma is through a wide range of sustained initiatives taken up by diverse groups, including laypeople, monastics, academics, and practitioners.
Our Vision
Our ultimate goal is to serve as a hub and provider of monastic teacher training, as well as a connector for traditionally-trained monastic teachers as they seek to preserve the integrity of the tradition while simultaneously adapting to evolving audiences and conditions.
We seek to support teachers of young monastics, shedras, lay audiences in both traditional and contemporary contexts, and in secular and inter-faith academic institutions. We serve to provide support to teachers from Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug traditions, and over time all three yanas.
We aspire to continue the tradition and example set forth by the Buddha in the very location of the first turning, Sarnath, over 2,500 years ago. Our hearts are warmed each time one of the participants posts a message or shares an anecdote related to what they learned last year when they gathered with us at SINI.
Training Highlights
Monastics from all four schools
Training sessions
Days of intensive training
Global Participation
Over 35 monastics representing all four schools, hailing from throughout the Himalayan region, South India, Australia, and Germany
Expert Trainers
Daily teachings from Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche plus global teacher trainers, monastic teachers and educational professionals
Recognized Success
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche commented that he considered the training to be a success, with participants rating all trainers' contributions as similarly valuable
Effective Pedagogy
Focus on 2-3 key concepts, linking to participants' experience, with concrete application. Less is more with repetition and collaborative learning
Join Us in Supporting Monastic Educators
Interested in learning more or getting involved?