Siddhartha's Intent

On March 31, 2006, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche inaugurated Deer Park Institute in Bir, India with a 5-day teaching on The Sutra of Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels. In 2004, when Dzongsar Institute moved to nearby Chauntra and was renamed Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute, the old facilities in Bir were left empty but not abandoned. Since then, Rinpoche has realized his vision of turning the old institute in Bir into a space where nonmonastics--both Indians and students from all over the world--can come to study and explore classical Buddhist traditions. Rinpoche named the new school Deer Park Institute, referring to the place in Sarnath where the Buddha first taught.

In keeping with the ecumenical tradition (rimé in Tibetan) that has inspired the original Dzongsar Institute in Tibet throughout the last hundred years, the courses at Deer Park will be taught by masters from all traditions of Buddhism, including the Zen and Shravakayana traditions of Japan, Thailand, Burma, and elsewhere. Rinpoche wishes for Deer Park to become a modern version of the ancient Indian Nalanda University, where scholars, monks, and lay people applied themselves to the study of Buddhist Philosophy, along with all schools of classical Indian philosophy. Although the scale of Deer Park is much smaller than that of the original Nalanda, the mission is just as grand--to keep these wisdom traditions alive and accessible to all who are interested.

Deer Park will offer classes on philosophical texts, commentaries, and other essential teachings, as well as classical languages such as Pali and Sanskrit. Courses on culture, aesthetics, literature, history, and poetry will vary in length to accommodate the schedules of people from all walks of life. The primary language of instruction will be English, along with programs in Indian regional languages.

Deer Park Institute operates under the newly formed Siddhartha's Intent India (SII). Rinpoche serves as president and chair of the board of directors of SII.

Contact Information
Prashant Varma
Deer Park School
P.O. Bir, District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh
176 077 India
Email: deerparkindia@gmail.com ; prashant@deerpark.in
Website: www.deerpark.in

Learn how you can support Deer Park Institute in India.

Rinpoche's Vision for Deer Park

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche had this to say about the idea behind Deer Park and the rimé tradition:
"Buddha said that at the core of Buddhist practice, there are three things one should avoid--desire, anger, and ignorance. Rimé liberates one from these--attachment. The spirit of rimé should not be understood as a sort of new age movement where everything is collected under one roof. Dissolving sectarianism is the quintessence of rimé. Historically, human beings have suffered because of their attachment to their countries, concepts, and especially religions. And they become attached even within their particular sect of that religion. This attachment can be expressed as anger toward others or at least as a sort of disinterest in the activities of others. Such sectarianism has existed with great cost to Christians, Muslims, Jews, and even Buddhists. At least between Buddhist sects there has been no bloodshed, only the loss of many great teachings.... Buddha's teaching is like the lion's roar. The only danger to a lion is the decay from within. And to prevent this, it is essential for the authentic teachings of the Buddha to be studied and practised."
 
Siddhartha's Intent India Board Members

Patron: His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Title	Name	Background
President	Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse	Buddhist teacher
Vice President	Deepak Kumar Thakur	High court lawyer
General Secretary	Naresh Sahai Mathur	Supreme court lawyer, trustee of the Dalai Lama Trust
Secretary	Prashant Varma	Social worker, honorary director of Deer Park Institute
Treasurer	Raji Ramanan	Writer and translator at the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Executive member	Vidya Rao	Vocalist and scholar of Indian classical music
Executive member	Kajoli Khanna	Social worker, educator

Advisory Board

Professor Prabodh Parikh   
Poet and philosopher, Bombay University

Suresh Jindal     
Film maker, art collector

Professor Wangchuk Negi      
Buddhist scholar, Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath

Professor V.S. Negi        
Buddhist scholar, Department of Buddhist Studies,  HP University