Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia

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The Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia is a non-sectarian organization whose membership is open to both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. The main goal of the Center is to stimulate the cultivation of compassion and loving kindness, based on the philosophy and methods taught by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

The Spiritual Director of the Center, Venerable Losang Samten, was born in Ribuce Chang, Tibet in 1953. He escaped to India in 1959, and in 1985 earned the degree of Master of Buddhist Sutra and Tantra Studie] at Namgyal Monastery, the monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Losang is the founder and Spiritual Director of Tibetan Buddhist Centers in Lake Tahoe, El Paso and Hartford, as well as Philadelphia. He is the first Tibetan Buddhist to have demonstrated the creation of the sand mandala in the United States. Losang resides in Philadelphia when he is not visiting the other Centers or creating mandalas in other cities.

The centers educational focus is to teach basic principles of Buddhist thought and practice, although it is not necessary to be a Buddhist to participate in the Center's programs and activities. The Center offers classes in Buddhist topics, meditation sessions, seasonal retreats, workshops in traditional arts such as ritual dance, and social gatherings.