Moonbeams of Mahamudra Course

Exclusively over Zoom, third Saturdays from January through May 2026 at 10:00 – 11:30 AM Pacific time.

Prerequisite: Open to all who have practiced shamatha (calm abiding) meditation for at least one year. The class will assume basic familiarity with the practice to allow us to immediately engage with the text.

As part of opening KCC’s 50th anniversary year, we are delighted to invite Elizabeth Callahan to lead us in five sessions of teaching, meditation, and discussion on mahamudra shamatha. This is sure to be a deeply beneficial and inspirational series, and we hope that many of you partake in it!

Mahamudra shamatha establishes the space in which we behold the nature of mind. This program will explore these instructions as presented in Dakpo Tashi Namgyal’s Moonbeams of Mahamudra, an early comprehensive work in this tradition. The guidance presented therein reflects the Dakpo Kagyu shamatha meditation: resting quietly in nonconceptuality with the sharp clarity of mindfulness and alertness.

The primary focus of this series of classes and discussion groups will be to support and deepen our personal practice of mahamudra shamatha. Preparation for each session will include a reading in Moonbeams of Mahamudra (no reading assignment for the first session).

Each class will include an introductory talk, guided meditation, and breakout group discussions.

Between the monthly classes, it is expected that participants will spend some time practicing the specific shamatha instructions. Lama Eric Triebelhorn will hold a discussion group on the first Saturday of each month to allow for more guided practice and conversation around the teachings.

Required text: Moonbeams of Mahamudra (if not using this link, be sure to purchase Elizabeth’s newer translation of the text.) Discounted copies of the text can be purchased from KCC’s bookstore.

Registration is required to attend. We ask participants commit to attending the sessions led by Elizabeth Callahan. Review sessions with Lama Eric are optional, but we strongly encourage participation.

To support ease and flexibility, monthly installments can be selected through the registration form. If you would prefer to pay by check, we ask that it cover the full course fee.

Elizabeth Callahan began her contemplative training and Tibetan studies in 1977 and completed two three-year retreats at Kagyu Thubten Chöling, New York, under the direction of Kalu Rinpoche. She is a student of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and has translated key texts of the Kagyu tradition, including Mahamudra: Ocean of Definitive Meaning, Profound Inner Principles, Moonbeams of Mahamudra and, most recently, Treasury of Precious Instructions, Marpa Kagyu. She has been a Tsadra Foundation Fellow since 2002 and is a director of Marpa Foundation.

Having completed the translations of two of the most influential works on Mahamudra in the Kagyu tradition, Elizabeth’s willingness to lead study and practice groups on shamatha and vipashyana over the past several years has been met with deep gratitude and appreciation.