This course explores death, dying, and living through the lens of Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana teachings, while inviting dialogue across diverse religious and spiritual traditions. Relevant not only for chaplains but for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the human experience, the course considers fundamental questions about birth, death, and what may lie between. Participants will examine how attachment, aversion, indifference, trauma, and habitual emotional responses shape the way we live—and how these patterns may influence our experience of dying, the bardo (the state between death and rebirth), and the possibilities for awareness and transformation. Drawing on teachings about near-death experiences, memory, and the bardos, the course invites reflection on how we prepare for death by the way we live. The course also explores dreams as a profound avenue for understanding consciousness and the nature of reality. What happens when we sleep? Why does consciousness persist even as physical awareness recedes? Through Vajrayana perspectives on dreaming, participants will consider how belief systems shape perception, identity, and experience, both in dreams and in waking life. Interactive discussions will encourage participants to reflect on these questions from their own religious and spiritual traditions, exploring how greater openness to experience and inner intuition can deepen compassionate presence, spiritual care, and chaplaincy practice.

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Date & Time:

Saturday, September 26, 2026, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST
Sunday, September 27, 2026, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM EST
Online & In Person
Union Theological Seminary
3041 Broadway, New York, NY 10027

Meet the Instructor:

Lama Ying-rig Dorjé is a warm, open, and approachable teacher, known for his joyful presence and his ability to explain teachings with clarity and depth. His main purpose has always been to uplift everyone he meets. Before becoming a Buddhist practitioner and teacher, Lama Ying-rig Dorjé taught Pencak Silat, the Indonesian martial art, having studied martial arts since the age of 14. However, he eventually sought greater depth regarding the nature of the mind itself. He received the Ling Gésar robes and implements from Kyabjé Künzang Dorje Rinpoche, and now studies and holds the treasures of Ling Gésar—the epitome of spiritual warriorship and sovereignty in the Vajrayana and Dzogchen traditions. Lama Ying-rig Dorjé has also received training in the martial healing arts associated with Ling Gésar, including the use of knives and swords, as well as other methods such as mantras. These practices focus on raising rLung rTa (enthusiasm), maintaining srog (life force), and enhancing lha (dynamic drive), all of which promote good health, vitality, longevity, and charismatic lucidity. Currently residing in Finland, Lama Ying-rig Dorjé speaks multiple languages, teaches throughout Europe, and travels to the East each year to spend time with teachers and visit sacred sites.