STUDY & TEACH ABROAD

Bridges of Goodness

An international initiative that builds spiritual and cultural bridges between East and West. SINI’s monastic graduates travel to Nyingma Centers across Europe, South America, and the United States, leading retreats, giving talks at hospitals and universities, visiting schools, and creating warm spaces for deepening understanding and practice.

3 teaching fellows
3 continents
8 cities worldwide
1,200+ participants since 2024
Khenpo Kunga Dakpa teaching at the Nyingma Center in Amsterdam

About the Program

Bridges of Goodness is the natural continuation of SINI’s English for Dharma Purposes program. Monastics who arrived at SINI unable to speak a word of English now travel the world sharing the Dharma with Western audiences, leading retreats in Amsterdam, giving talks at hospitals in São Paulo, visiting elementary schools, and teaching at Google headquarters in California.

Each tour lasts several weeks and includes multi-day retreats, open Dharma talks at Nyingma Centers, hospitals, and universities, sacred art workshops, school visits with children as young as four, and community gatherings, bridging ancient wisdom with the pace of modern life.

Format Annual teaching tours (3–4 weeks)
Regions Europe, South America, North America
Activities Retreats, Dharma talks, school visits, cultural exchange
Fellows 3 SINI graduates (Khenpo Kunga Dakpa, Khenpo Kalsang Dhundrup & Khenpo Kongchog Norbu)
Khenpo Kunga Dakpa visiting an elementary school in Amsterdam

Bridges Around the World

What began as a pilot exchange between SINI and the European Nyingma Centers has grown into a global initiative spanning three continents.

Europe

Amsterdam · Cologne · Winterswijk

Each year, the European tour brings SINI teaching fellows to the Nyingma Centers in Amsterdam and Cologne for several weeks of practice, teaching, and connection. The program includes daily morning meditations, weekend retreats, school visits, and community gatherings. A highlight of the 2025 edition was visiting the future site of the World Peace Stupa Center in Winterswijk, a country retreat shared by the Dutch and German Nyingma communities where a 15-meter stupa will be built as a symbol of peace.

2024 First edition:Cologne & Amsterdam
2025 Second edition:Amsterdam, Cologne & Winterswijk
2026 Third edition (upcoming)
Khenpo Kunga Dakpa with sangha at the Nyingma Center in Amsterdam

South America

São Paulo · Rio de Janeiro · Porto Alegre

The first edition of Bridges of Goodness Brazil took place in August 2025. Over 23 days, Khenpo Kongchog Norbu visited three cities, leading retreats, workshops, guided meditations, and a sacred art workshop on clay stupa blessings. At the Hospital Sírio-Libanês in São Paulo, his public talk on impermanence and death drew 350 attendees, the program’s largest single event.

2025 First edition:São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro & Porto Alegre
Khenpo Kongchog Norbu at the Nyingma Center in Rio de Janeiro

North America

California

In the Bay Area, Khenpo Kunga Dakpa gave talks at Dharma College, led a series of retreats at Ratna Ling, and was invited to Google headquarters to share teachings on patience drawn from Shantideva’s Way of the Bodhisattva, bridging ancient wisdom with the pace of modern life.

Khenpo Kunga Dakpa at Google headquarters in California
TEACHING FELLOWS

Meet Our Fellows

Khenpo Kunga Dakpa

Khenpo Kunga Dakpa

SINI Fellow · Senior monk from Mindrolling Monastery

Khenpo Kalsang Dhundrup

Khenpo Kalsang Dhundrup

SINI Fellow · Harvard Divinity School International Fellow

Khenpo Kongchog Norbu

Khenpo Kongchog Norbu

SINI Graduate · Former Principal of SINI Monastic Administration

Support Bridges of Goodness

Help Our Monastics Share the Dharma Worldwide

Your donation directly supports our teaching fellows as they travel the world sharing Buddhist wisdom with new audiences. From retreats in Amsterdam to talks in São Paulo, every contribution helps build bridges of goodness between East and West.

MAKE A DONATION
Khenpo Kunga Dakpa and Renate at the Cologne Nyingma Center