Skip to content
  • English
  • Français
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Português
  • 简体中文
  • 日本語
  • English
  • Français
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Português
  • 简体中文
  • 日本語
Search
About

The Founder

The Founder of Modern Kadampa Buddhism, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, a world-renowned meditation master and Teacher inspired thousands of people around the world to apply the pure teachings of Buddha to their modern lives to solve their personal problems and discover a deep and lasting inner peace and happiness.

Read about Venerable Geshe-la's life →

General Spiritual Director

Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong is the General Spiritual Director of NKT-IKBU and Resident Teacher and Special Teacher Training Programme Teacher at Manjushri KMC, the mother centre of modern Buddhism

Read more →

Working for World Peace
International-Project-Web-Page-Artwork

Working for World Peace

Study

Study & Meditation

5star arizona kadampa temple community teaching ginaw

Festivals & Celebrations

Spain-1

Temples

malaga-centre

Centers

Gen-la-Dekyonng-Cile

Qualified Teachers

4star

Statues & Temple Art

003-DSC_8109-Mirror of Dharma

Collected Works

The Spotlight: featured stories and updates

Development of Dharma in Penang & Tara IKRC

Jun 11, 2025

Offering our Faith | Celebrations 2025 ~ Part 2

Jun 10, 2025

Offering our Faith | Celebrations 2025 ~ Part 1

Jun 9, 2025

More features →

Events

Spring Festival 2025

MAY 23 - 28

Summer Festival 2025

JUL 25 - AUG 9

Fall Festival 2025

OCT 3 - OCT 9

More events →

Podcasts

The Power of Genuine Confidence

Jun 9, 2025

How to improve mindfulness

May 27, 2025

The things I normally see do not exist

May 26, 2025

More podcasts →

Blogs

Shared Wisdom, Shared Strength : The Role of Community in Spiritual Growth

Nov 18, 2024

Relief from anxiety

Sep 12, 2024

kindness.feeding a bird

Instead of seeing potholes I see the kindness in between

Aug 30, 2024

More Blogs →

Learn more
  • Reference
  • About Buddha
    • The Birth of Buddha
    • Buddha’s Renunciation
    • Buddha’s Ordination
    • Buddha’s Enlightenment
    • Buddha’s Teachings
  • About Dharma
    • Buddhadharma
    • Dharma Wheel
    • Dharma Practice
    • Dharma Centers
    • Dharma Publishing
  • About Tantra
    • What is Tantra?
    • Why Practice Tantra?
    • Authentic Tantra
    • Levels of Tantra
    • Attachment & Tantra
    • Tantric Teachers
    • Books on Tantra
  • Glossary of Buddhist Terms
    • Glossary of Buddhist Terms: Letters A – E
    • Glossary of Buddhist Terms: Letters F – J
    • Glossary of Buddhist Terms: Letters K – O
    • Glossary of Buddhist Terms: Letters P – T
    • Glossary of Buddhist Terms: Letters U – Z
Find a meditation center

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Follow on social media

Download Free eBooks

Modern-Buddhism-frnt
how-to-transform-your-life-book-front-2016_5-1
NKT Logo

New Kadampa Tradition

|      Founder Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche

Kadampa Buddhism is a Mahayana Buddhist school founded by the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha (AD 982-1054).

In the word, ‘Kadampa’, ‘Ka’ refers to Buddha’s teachings, and ‘dam’ to Atisha’s special Lamrim instructions. Kadampas, then, are practitioners who regard Buddha’s teachings as personal instructions and put them into practice by following the instructions of Lamrim.

By integrating their understanding of all Buddha’s teachings into their practice of Lamrim, and by integrating their experience of Lamrim into their everyday lives, Kadampas use Buddha’s teachings as practical methods for transforming daily activities into the path to enlightenment.

The great Kadampa Teachers

After Atisha, the Kadampa lineage was passed down through a succession of great Kadampa Teachers including Dromtönpa, Geshe Potowa, Geshe Sharawa, and Geshe Chekhawa.

These precious Teachers were not only great scholars but also spiritual practitioners of immense purity and sincerity.

They placed particular emphasis on the practice of Training the Mind (Lojong) by which all our daily life experiences, and especially all our problems, suffering, and difficulties, can be transformed into the spiritual path.

The New Kadampas

The Kadampa lineage passed from generation to generation until the fourteenth century when it reached the great Buddhist Master Je Tsongkhapa.

Je Tsongkhapa clarified all the teachings of Kadam Dharma and made them very accessible to the people of that time.

In particular, he showed how to combine Lamrim, and Lojong with Mahamudra Tantra in a unified daily practice.

Just as the union of study and practice was a hallmark of the early Kadampas, so the union of Sutra and Tantra was to become a hallmark of the New Kadampas, as the followers of Je Tsongkhapa became known.

Modern Kadampa Buddhism

After Je Tsongkhapa, the New Kadampa lineage flourished for hundreds of years, down to the present day.

In recent years, it has been promoted widely throughout the world by the contemporary Buddhist Master, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.

By founding the New Kadampa Tradition, the International Kadampa Buddhist Union, Geshe Kelsang has created a truly global infrastructure to preserve and promote Kadampa Buddhism for many generations to come.

Use the menu to discover more about Kadampa Buddhism.

Discover more

The Spotlight

Centers

Development of Dharma in Penang & Tara IKRC

June 11, 2025
Centers

Offering our Faith | Celebrations 2025 ~ Part 2
Jun 10

Centers

Offering our Faith | Celebrations 2025 ~ Part 1
Jun 9

Blog

Shared Wisdom, Shared Strength : The Role of Community in Spiritual Growth

November 18, 2024

Relief from anxiety

Instead of seeing potholes I see the kindness in between

Podcasts

About NKT
Study & Meditation
Festivals & Celebrations
Temples
Centers
Teachers
Statues & Temple Art
Books

Learn

Learn about Kadampa Buddhism
Tharpa Shop - books, art, audio and meditation
nkt-logo-black

This site is owned and managed by New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU), an international association of Mahayana Buddhist study and meditation centers that follow the Kadampa Buddhist tradition founded by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. Registered charity 1015054.

Make a donation

Stay connected

Subscribe to the newsletter

Find a Kadampa Center

© 2025 NKT-IKBU. All rights reserved worldwide.

privacy notice         cookies         safeguarding