
- This event has passed.
Geshe Gedun Sherab on Tibetan Buddhist Retreat: A Conversation with David DiValerio
September 27, 2018 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
FreeLocation: Rouss Hall 403
In conversation with David DiValerio, Geshe Gedun Sherab will share his unique experiences on the rigors and rewards of traditional Tibetan Buddhist retreat. An accomplished meditator, Geshe Gedun Sherab has undertaken numerous long-term retreats in a number of sacred sites in East and South Asia.
Geshe Gedun Sherab began his studies of Tibetan Buddhism at Rongpo Monastery in the Amdo region, becoming the official tutor to the monastery at age twenty-three, and teaching courses in Pramāṇa, Madhyamaka, and Pāramitā. A deft debater, he was later appointed professor and taught courses at Sera Monastic University in Lhasa and other Geluk monasteries. In addition to his scholarly achievements, before the age of forty, Geshe Gedun Sherab had spent over three years in strict meditative retreat, and has continued to spend 8-9 months per year undertaking retreat practices. During the rest of the year, Geshe Gedun Sherab devotes his time to charity work.
David DiValerio is Associate Professor in Religious Studies and the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His current research focuses on long-term meditative retreat traditions in Tibetan Buddhism, and the ways in which those practices transform the yogins’ relationships with society, the world, and their own bodies.
This event is co-sponsored with UVA’s Contemplative Sciences Center.