Geshe Michael Roach
JoinedSeptember 11, 2015
Articles413
Geshe Michael Roach (born December 17, 1952) is the first American to have been awarded the degree of Geshe, or Master of Buddhism, after more than 20 years of study in Tibetan monasteries. He has used this training to become a prominent international teacher, businessman, philanthropist, author, educator, public speaker, textual scholar, and musician. Geshe Michael graduated with honors from Princeton University and has received the Presidential Scholar Medal from the President of the United States at the White House. In 1981 he helped found Andin International Diamond Corporation and bring it to annual sales of over $100 million, donating his profits to international aid projects. His book about achieving business and personal success through generosity, The Diamond Cutter, has become a global bestseller in 20 languages. He is the founder of the Asian Classics Institute, Diamond Mountain University, the Asian Classics Input Project, Worldview, the Yoga Studies Institute, Star in the East, Global Family Refugee Aid, Three Jewels Community Outreach Centers, and the Diamond Cutter Institute.

Master Kamalashila Meditations on the Diamond Cutter Sutra, Part 5 – The Honor of Being A Teenager (2018, Arizona)

During the last two years, in silent retreats at Diamond Mountain Retreat Center, we’ve learned and meditated upon the great ideas of the Diamond Cutter Sutra. We’ve used the ancient Indian commentary of Master Kamalashila, with secrets that haven’t been explored for over a thousand years. In the final teaching of this series, the Buddha answers five mysterious questions from his student, Subhuti. Somewhere in the answers to all these questions is the key to getting everything we want in our life. We’ll explore the inside of our minds during the all-day retreat, following a daily, dawn session, exploring these questions. You’ll also learn new parts of the Lion’s Dance that we’ve never covered before to go deeper.
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Kamalashila’s Surprise Ending to the Diamond Cutter Sutra (2018, New York)

Returning to New York City, Geshe Michael Roach presents Kamalashila’s surprise ending to the Diamond Cutter and teach us how to develop five different sets of eyes, so that we can see far beyond what we see ordinarily see. Amazingly, Kamalashila also predicts the arising of the worldview of science: a belief held and ingrained so deeply by many across the globe that we aren’t even aware we have it. In a few brilliant pages, he shatters this worldview, and replaces it with a way of looking at the world which will lead to a planet of peace and enlightenment.
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A Gift of Liberation 28: Building My Practice Space Retreat (2017, Thailand)

For the second year, we return to Thailand for another installment of the Gift of Liberation series, which is based upon the Lam Rim teachings of Pabongka Rinpoche, in his seminal book, "Liberation Thrust into the Palm of Your Hand". At this retreat on the stunning beaches of Thailand, Geshe Michael Roach will teach us how to identify the six majors problems that most people experience at one time or another, and the how to finally end them.
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Master Kamalashila Meditations on the Diamond Cutter Sutra, Part 4 – The Nine Messages: Kamalashila’s Surprise Ending to the Diamond Cutter Sutra (2017, Arizona)

In this final course of Master Kamalashila: Meditations on the Diamond Cutter Sutra, Geshe Michael Roach teaches the deepest meanings of ultimate reality and how to reach those states using a series of meditations from Master Kamalashila's commentary. Each meditation is designed to increase and stabilize our understanding, step-by-step.
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A Gift of Liberation 27: The Four Flowers (2017, Arizona)

Based on the great Tibetan Classic, A Gift of Liberation: Thrust into the Palm of Our Hand written by Pabonka Rinpoche, this retreat focused on using death meditation to reinvigorate your life and your practice and included the popular 3 day “Retreat within a Retreat”. This 10-day installment finished the portion of the text describing the animal and hell realms, included a beautiful death meditation and began the section of the Lam Rim which discusses the beautiful practice of going for refuge.
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Shutting Down the Cycle of Pain: A Secret Teaching on the Wheel of Life (2017, Mexico)

Based on the great Tibetan Classic, A Gift of Liberation: Thrust into the Palm of Our Hand written by Pabonka Rinpoche, this retreat focused on using death meditation to reinvigorate your life and your practice and included the popular 3 day “Retreat within a Retreat”. This 10-day installment finished the portion of the text describing the animal and hell realms, included a beautiful death meditation and began the section of the Lam Rim which discusses the beautiful practice of going for refuge.
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A Gift of Liberation 26: The Reality of Karma (2017, Mexico)

Based on the great Tibetan Classic, A Gift of Liberation: Thrust into the Palm of Our Hand written by Pabonka Rinpoche, this retreat focused on using death meditation to reinvigorate your life and your practice and included the popular 3 day “Retreat within a Retreat”. This 10-day installment finished the portion of the text describing the animal and hell realms, included a beautiful death meditation and began the section of the Lam Rim which discusses the beautiful practice of going for refuge.
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A Gift of Liberation 25: Perfect Shelter (2017, Arizona)

Based on the great Tibetan Classic, A Gift of Liberation: Thrust into the Palm of Our Hand written by Pabonka Rinpoche, this retreat focused on using death meditation to reinvigorate your life and your practice and included the popular 3 day “Retreat within a Retreat”. This 10-day installment finished the portion of the text describing the animal and hell realms, included a beautiful death meditation and began the section of the Lam Rim which discusses the beautiful practice of going for refuge.
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The Realized Asanga on Higher Protection, Part One (2016, Arizona)

In this series of classes, Geshe Michael dives deeper into the subject of protection using a famous book called The Necklace of Understanding (Abhisamayalankara), which was revealed by Maitreya to Arya Asanga, in which he teaches about what it means to take refuge by covering the following three topics: 1. What it means to go for refuge, 2. Where you go for refuge (The Three Jewels), and 3. The Four Bodies of a Buddha.
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A Gift of Liberation 23: Protection from Life & Death (2016, Arizona)

Based on the great Tibetan Classic, A Gift of Liberation: Thrust into the Palm of Our Hand written by Pabonka Rinpoche, this retreat focused on using death meditation to reinvigorate your life and your practice and included the popular 3 day “Retreat within a Retreat”. This 10-day installment finished the portion of the text describing the animal and hell realms, included a beautiful death meditation and began the section of the Lam Rim which discusses the beautiful practice of going for refuge.
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Asian Classics Translator Course 1 (Arizona, 2017)

In this series of courses currently taking place at the Sedona College of International Management, Geshe Michael's goal is to create and guide a team of young translators to translate these great classics. First stage is to translate these great classics into English and from there they can be easily translated into modern Chinese, Spanish, German, Russian and many other languages.
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Master Kamalashila: Meditations on the Diamond Cutter Sutra, Part Two (Arizona, 2016)

This is the second in a four-part series based on Master Kamalashila’s commentary on the Diamond Cutter Sutra led by Geshe Michael Roach. This retreat provided a unique opportunity to delve deeply into rarely taught meditations on emptiness. The retreat consisted of morning sessions led by Geshe Michael Roach followed by individual practice in the student's private retreat cabin.
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