Forest of Wisdom

06/03/2026

Join us for very special Saka Dawa prayers: a Lama Chopa Tsok offering with Othok Rinpoche! Sunday, June 14th.

Saka Dawa is the 4th month of the Tibetan calendar, honouring the sacred deeds of the Buddha and his appearance in our world; his birth, enlightenment, and paranirvana all occured during this month. Merit made from prayers and other virtuous activity is multiplied 100,000x during this period.

Othok Rinpoche and other monks from Drepung Gomang Monastery (currently living in Groton, CT) will lead a series of beautiful chanted prayers of offering to the holy spiritual masters. Prayers will be followed by a potluck lunch.

Please bring single-serving whole fruits or packaged food items to offer for the tsok. It is also customary to make individual monetary offerings to the monks who will lead the prayers (offering envelopes are available at Forest of Wisdom for your use).

Staying for lunch is optional - but please bring a vegetarian dish if you wish to join!

Additionally, look out for our next event - Sunday, July 5th, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Join us for a joyful celebration of Tibet, its culture, and its spiritual head - His Holiness the Dalai Lama - as we celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 91st birthday. The day will include vegetarian potluck lunch, group meditation, Tibetan chanting and music, and a talk about how to follow the example of the Dalai Lama.

@ Forest of Wisdom - 51 Palmer Road, Scotland, CT.

www.forestofwisdom.love

05/02/2026

What does it mean to develop kindness? How has your life been touched by the kindness of others, or your mind transformed by acts of kindness toward others? Reflecting on the topic of kindness, it is extremely profound. Geshe Langri Thangpa wrote in the Eight Verses of Training the Mind:

"By thinking of all sentient beings
As more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel
For accomplishing the highest aim,
I will always hold them dear."

I am so thankful for the opportunity to train my mind in kindness at our Dharma classes!

04/27/2026

04/15/2026

Hanging fresh prayer flags around the center in preparation for upcoming teachings! Reminder that starting next Sunday, April 19th-Jun 28th at 10-11:30am EST we will be welcoming Othok Rinpoche who will be giving practical instructions on cultivating the compassionate and wise mind known as Bodhicitta. Join us in person at 51 Palmer Road in Scotland, CT, or online:
https://www.forestofwisdom.love/

Snacks and beverages available, all are welcome!

04/07/2026

Here's a wonderful opportunity to see a beautiful Tibetan spiritual art form - the sand mandala - live at UMASS Amherst.

Schedule of events
Monday, April 6 – Friday, April 10

Opening ceremony:
April 6, 12 p.m.
Viewing:
April 6, 7, and 9, 1–7 p.m.
April 8, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Closing ceremony:
April 10, 12 p.m.
Location:
Old Chapel

I am deeply excited and proud that a centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist tradition will be coming to my own campus. In this Year of Compassion, it feels especially fitting to welcome a practice that embodies healing, compassion, interdependence, and impermanence.

From April 6 to 10, monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery will create an intricate Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva of compassion) sand mandala at UMass Amherst. The week begins with an opening ceremony featuring chants, music, and mantra meditation, and the community is invited to witness the mandala’s creation throughout the week, as well as attend a special lecture on community and belonging.

At the close of the week, the mandala will be ceremonially dissolved and released into water, reminding us of life’s impermanence and the spread of compassion beyond the space in which it was created, something especially needed in these challenging times.

Organized by the UMass Fine Arts Center with support from the Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts.
More information: umassarts.site/MysticalTibet



UMass Amherst

04/02/2026

We are happy to announce Othok Rinpoche will be giving teachings in-person at The Forest of Wisdom in Scotland, CT from April 19-June 28! Join us in person or on Zoom any time teachings are taking place to join a warm and welcoming community of people seeking wisdom. Rinpoche will share the time-tested teachings of Buddhist practices in a way that will be applicable to modern people leading secular lives.

02/18/2026

Losar (Tibetan New Year) Greetings from all of us at the Forest of Wisdom 🙌🌱🌿🌳 may this new year give ample opportunities for fresh starts, new outlooks, and deeper fields of compassion in your heart.

Also New Year's blessings for the Chinese, Vietnamese, Mongolian, etc - so many years beginning in one day 🤣 and last but not least - Ramadan Mubarak! ☪️

12/14/2025

Thankyou everyone for coming to the farewell celebration for Geshema Lhadron yesterday @ Forest of Wisdom. We had a wonderful time together. 🙏❤️🌻

12/13/2025

Its Happening Today. Join us at 10am at Forest of Wisdom to celebrate a day of Gratitude and Friendship with our beloved teacher, Venerable Geshema Lhadron, before she returns to India.

🙏🪷🌻❤️😀🌲

❤️Venerable Geshema Lhadron, our current resident teacher, will soon be returning to India. We warmly invite you to join us for a day of gratitude in honor of our beloved teacher and friend. This is also an opportunity to make a personal offering to Geshema in gratitude for her service.

🌻December 13th, Saturday, !0am, at Forest of Wisdom

🌸Schedule
1. Buddhist Psychology Teaching – 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
2. Tea Break – 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM
3. Talk by Geshema Lhadron – 11:30 AM to 12:15 PM
4. Potluck Lunch – 12:20 PM to 1:45 PM
5. Student Feedback – 1:45 PM to 2:30 PM
6. Informal Conversation & Fellowship – 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM
7. Cleaning and Wrap-Up – 3:20 PM

🌲We look forward to sharing this special day together!

11/10/2025

❤️Venerable Geshema Lhadron, our current resident teacher, will soon be returning to India. We warmly invite you to join us for a day of gratitude in honor of our beloved teacher and friend. This is also an opportunity to make a personal offering to Geshema in gratitude for her service.

🌻December 13th, Saturday, !0am, at Forest of Wisdom

🌸Schedule
1. Buddhist Psychology Teaching – 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
2. Tea Break – 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM
3. Talk by Geshema Lhadron – 11:30 AM to 12:15 PM
4. Potluck Lunch – 12:20 PM to 1:45 PM
5. Student Feedback – 1:45 PM to 2:30 PM
6. Informal Conversation & Fellowship – 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM
7. Cleaning and Wrap-Up – 3:20 PM

🌲We look forward to sharing this special day together!