Tibetan lama makes his home in suburban New Jersey

Geshi Dakpa survived the Chinese invasion of his homeland, Tibet, in 1959.

Photos by Jim Purcell

A Howell Township Tibetan Buddhist temple is the home to Geshi Dakpa, a lama who has survived the Chinese invasion of Lhasa, Tibet, studied Buddhism in India and Thailand, and taught at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dakpa is the spiritual shepherd of more than 300 families now and discusses life, death and loss as he reveals his insights about living a full and happy life. Are there secrets about enlightenment and living life happily? Surprisingly, nothing each of us do not already know.

The New York Theological Seminary is an institution dedicated to multiculturalism, diversity, social justice and religious tolerance. The mission of the seminary is to prepare men and women, from every walk of life, for careers in ministry.

Dalai Lama to quit role as head of the exiled Tibetan government

The Dalai Lama, 75, has stated he is seeking to quit his role as ceremonial leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile. This was reported by one of the Dalai Lama's aides on Tuesday. It is being speculated that this represents another step in the process of the aging Dalai Lama in passing the torch of succession.

As the leader of the dominant Gelug arm of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is the top religious leader in Tibet. However, many of the Dalai Lama's predecessors also served as Tibet's ruler. This Dalai Lama was ruler of the country when Chinese troops forced him into fleeing to India in 1950.

The New York Theological Seminary is an institution dedicated to religious tolerance, multiculturalism, diversity and social justice. The mission of the seminary is to prepare men and women, from every background, for careers in ministry.