Our Teachers
These are the teachers who instructed the participants of the first cycle of the Milinda Program until now.
Khepo Choying Dorje
(2017,2018,2020,2022)
Khenpo Choying Dorje has been the Milinda program's principle khenpo. Over four different years, he has taught Chandrakirti's Madhyamakavatara, Sakya Pandita's logic text Tsema Rigter, Maitreya's prajnaparamita text Abhisamayalankara, and Sakya Pandita's A Clear Differentiation of the Three Vows.
Karl Brunnholzl
(2020, 2021, 2024)
Karl Brunnhölzl is a teacher, interpreter, and translator in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and one of the Milinda Program's regular visiting teachers and advisors. Over three different years, Karl taught Maitreya's Abhisamayalankara, Maitreya's Mahayanasamgraha, and Maitreya's Uttaratantrashastra.
Scott Wellenbach
(2021)
Scott Wellenbach is co-director of the Nitartha Institute and a member of the Nalanda Translation Committee. He presented Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso's commentary on the 7th Karmapa's lorig text, Presentation of the Classifications of Mind: The Essence of The Ocean of Texts on Reasoning.
Khenpo Sonam Tsewang
(2022)
Khenpo Sonam Tsewang is a khenpo at Ngagyur Nyingma Institute, the advanced centre for Buddhist philosophical study at Namdroling Monastery in India. Along with Khenchen Pema Sherab he taught Dudjom Rinpoche's commentary on Ngari Panchen's classic text on the three vows, the Dom Sum Namngé.
Judy Lief
(2022)
Judith Lief is a senior teacher and editor of the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. She taught various selections from Trungpa Rinpoche's Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana seminary teachings on the three vows, from her edited work The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volumes 1, 2, and 3.
Phil Stanley
(2023)
Phil Stanley is a Professor of Religious Studies at Naropa University, USA and Dean of Academic Affairs at Nitharta Institute. He taught the ninth chapter of Shantideva's Bodhicharyavatara, using Pawo Tsuglak Trengwa’s commentary from the translation included in Karl Brunnhölzl's The Center of the Sunlit Sky.
Larry Mermelstein
(2017, 2018)
Larry Mermelstein was a close student of the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and is the executive director of Nalanda Translation Committee. Over two different years, at Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's request, Larry gave teachings from Trungpa Rinpoche's Buddhist seminary and Shambhala teachings.
Lopon Sonam Jamtsho
(2022)
Lopon Sonam Jamtsho is a brillant Bhutanese postdoc researcher at the University of Hamburg and has a wealth of knowledge on Buddhist philosophy. He worked as a translator during various years of Milinda program, and also taught Jamgom Kongtrul's Treasury of Knowledge Book 5, on Buddhist ethics.
Stephanie Johnston
(2024)
Stephanie Johnston is a long-time faculty member of Nitartha Institute, a senior teacher and director of practice instructors for Nalandabodhi International. She and Karl Brunnhölzl co-led Milinda’s 2024 session. They used the three prajnas to systematically review, discuss, and meditate key first and second turning teachings during the first month. Using the same method they taught the entire Uttaratantra for the last two months.