The Venerable Lobzang Dorje, Leon E. Pettiway, Ph.D., began his dharma studies in January 1999 and took refuge under the guidance of Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche in May of that year. In 2002, he received Getsul (Novice) Vows in Kathmandu, Nepal, and took Gelong Vows (full ordination) in Switzerland from Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche in 2005. While he has studied with and has received numerous empowerments from many Gelug teachers, he also had the opportunity to study at Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Centre of Buddhist Studies in Kathmandu, where he studied Tibetan and Buddhist Philosophy.

As the founder of Dagom Geden Kunkyob Ling, a Buddhist monastery in Indianapolis, Ven. Lobzang Dorje fulfills a wish to provide a space where Buddha’s teaching would be available to an urban audience, particularly to minority group members and other underrepresented group members. In doing so, he hopes to create a setting that supports the ideals of social engagement where it intersects with concerns around racial and gender equality, sexuality, poverty, crime, and justice.

Ven. Lobzang Dorje holds graduate degrees from the University of Cincinnati, the University of Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and much of his adult life has been spent teaching as a university professor. After 33 years of university teaching, he retired as Professor Emeritus from Indiana University, Bloomington. As a faculty member in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, one of his primary research interests was the integration of geographical and criminological theories to explain patterns of crime in urban areas.

For more information about Ven. Lobzang Dorje, please visit: https://www.leonpettiway.com/

For more information about Dagom Geden Kunkyob Ling, please visit: https://dgklbuddhistmonastery.org/ 

We talked about moving to Bloomington, IN from Philadelphia, mystical experiences and meeting Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche, the novice vow experience vs. full ordination, and remembering that you are not your mind or your body and to never ever give up!