Lama Losang Samten + Mark Epstein

6:00 p.m. Happy Hour at the K2 Lounge
7:00 p.m. On stage conversation, followed by book signing
The Ven. Lama Losang Samten celebrates the publication of his book Ancient Teachings in Modern Times: Buddhism in the 21st Century with a conversation with esteemed psychiatrist and author Mark Epstein.
“Writing this book that offers the essence of the teachings of the Buddha relevant to everyday life in the twenty-first century is a wonderful opportunity to share what I have learned from growing up in a Buddhist family, studying for twenty years in a monastery, and living for over twenty years and teaching in the West.” –Ven. Losang Samten

Venerable Losang Samten is a renowned Tibetan scholar, spiritual teacher, and artist. Losang fled his homeland with his family in 1959; his family first settled in Nepal and then resettled in India in 1963. He became a monk in 1966 and in 1969 moved to Dharamsala, where he joined the Namgyal Monastery (the monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama). Losang earned a Master’s Degree in sutra and tantra, which is the highest degree attainable at the monastery, equivalent to a doctoral degree in the West. He also became a master of ritual dance and sand mandalas. He was the personal attendant to His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama prior to moving to the United States in 1988, as one of the Masters who created the first public sand mandala in the West. Losang has led an illustrious career offering teachings and creating sacred sand mandalas in museums, universities, and galleries throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. This is his second appearance at the Rubin Museum.
Mark Epstein has practiced Buddhism since his twenties and has often addressed the notion of no-self in his work, most notably in Thoughts without a Thinker, Going to Pieces without Falling Apart, and Psychotherapy without a Self: A Buddhist Perspective. A new edition of his seminal work, Going on Being: Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and Psychotherapy, was celebrated at the Rubin Museum of Art in February 2009.
The bookAncient Teachings in Modern Times: Buddhism in the 21st Century is available in the Shop @ RMA for $16.95. Museum members receive a 10% discount.