Weekend Course: Tonglen — The Practice of Benevolence: Giving and Receiving
In Belgrade, 16–18 October 2026
The Teacher
Valentin Gyurme was born in Siberia. After studying languages at St Petersburg University, he studied Buddhist philosophy, theory of perception, and Tibetan language at the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute (KIBI) in New Delhi, India. To deepen his understanding and integrate it, he undertook several three-year meditation retreats at the Buddhist centre founded by Gendun Rinpoche at Kundrol Ling in Auvergne. After completing his last retreat in 2011, he has lived as a lay practitioner near the Buddhist centre, continuing his ongoing practice and giving numerous lectures on Buddhist teachings and practice, as well as meditation retreats, in France and Europe.
About the Public Talk (Friday)
Drupla Valentin will give a public talk on Friday, 16 October at 8:00 PM at Yoga Studio Mandir. The topic is opening the heart. Openness towards others and concern for their well-being is an essential method on the path to enlightenment. At the same time, it is the surest way to find happiness in shared life. In this public talk, drupla Valentin will explain the Buddhist view of these universal qualities: benevolence and compassion. The talk is open to everyone, with entry by donation.
About the Weekend Course (Saturday and Sunday)
Other living beings have minds and feelings like us. When we care about the feelings of others, compassion arises naturally. A simple and effective practice for developing compassion and stability of mind is the meditation of giving and receiving (tonglen). Using the breath, we give others our merit, happiness, and satisfaction, and in return we take upon ourselves their suffering. In this way, through the practice of tonglen, we discover and develop the benevolence and compassion that already exist in our minds. Over the weekend, through sessions of explanation and meditation, Valentin will introduce us to this practice. This course is equally suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners. Advance registration is required for this course.
The course will be in English (partial translation will be provided if needed, in terms of translating certain expressions; basic knowledge of the language is necessary). Valentin can also give instructions in Russian (in parallel with English).
Schedule
Friday, 16 October — Yoga Studio Mandir, Resavska 30B, gathering from 7:30 PM
8:00 – 9:30 PM — Introductory Talk: Opening the Heart
Saturday and Sunday, 17–18 October — Bodhi Path Buddhist Centre, Budmanijeva 17 — gathering at 9:30 AM
10:00 – 10:45 — Tonglen talk
10:45 – 11:30 — Meditation
11:30 – 12:00 — Break
12:00 – 1:00 PM — Meditation
1:00 – 2:30 PM — Lunch break
2:30 – 3:30 PM — Tonglen talk
3:30 – 4:30 PM — Meditation
4:30 – 5:00 PM — Break
5:00 – 6:00 PM — Meditation
END OF PROGRAMME
Locations
Friday, 16 October — Yoga Studio Mandir, Resavska 30B, from 8:00 – 9:30 PM. Gathering from 7:30 PM.
Saturday and Sunday, 17–18 October — Bodhi Path Buddhist Centre, Budmanijeva 17 — gathering at 9:30 AM.
Budmanijeva 17, in Zvezdara; on the gate it says Yoga Studio Bliss. It is a street parallel to Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra, above the Kluz factory. The street is entered from Mite Ružića Street. From the city centre, trams 5, 6, 7, 14 go there — get off at the penultimate stop. Bus 79 (from the 25. Maj pool) — 2nd stop after Cvetkova Pijaca. Bus 46 runs from the Railway Station.
Costs and Payment
Introductory talk, Friday, 16 October: donations.
Tonglen course, Saturday and Sunday, is 7,000 dinars in total. If you are able to attend only one day, the daily price is 4,000 dinars. For school pupils and students, the lectures are free.
Important: Anyone who is not able to pay the full amount should get in touch, as payment in instalments is possible. Payment is necessary in order to cover the teacher’s travel and accommodation costs. Lack of money is not a reason for not attending the lectures. Contact us so we can arrange it.
Donation — “DANA” in Tibetan
The value of Buddhist teachings is immeasurable.
Our teachers invest selfless effort and energy to transmit these precious teachings to us and help us on the path of spiritual awakening. In accordance with our means, we thank them with a donation, an expression of our generosity, the first of the six paramitas that are the foundation of the enlightened mind.
Notes
You may forward this invitation to those for whom Buddhism is new or who are not members of our centre. But they must register in advance.
Due to limited places, be sure to announce your arrival. The centre has zafu meditation cushions; you do not need to bring your own, but if you need a chair — notify us in good time, as the number is limited.
Register as soon as possible. You can send your registration, as well as requests for additional information regarding logistics, to: bodhipathbgd@gmail.com or call 063 250 644 Ivana and 064 167 41 87 Darko. Questions about the programme can be sent directly to drupla Valentin +33 6 60 34 72 89 (Whatsapp).
The Buddha’s teachings have been preserved in an unbroken line of transmission, of which Karma Kagyu is a part — one of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Bodhi Path centres were founded by, and are guided by, Shamar Rinpoche, who, together with Gyalwa Karmapa, is the holder of the Karma Kagyu lineage. Under the spiritual guidance of Karmapa and Shamarpa, Bodhi Path teachers provide meditation and philosophical instruction to all who are interested in studying and practising Buddhism.
Curriculum of Study and Practice
Bodhi Path provides a curriculum of study and meditative practices composed by Shamar Rinpoche, which is rooted in authentic Buddhist teachings and adapted to the needs and living conditions of contemporary practitioners.
This curriculum is studied in all Bodhi Path centres and can be accessed on the basis of instructions from a qualified teacher.
Shamar Rinpoche
Shamar Rinpoche is the XIV Shamarpa, or the Red Hat Lama. The Shamarpa lineage originated in the 13th century and represents the second line of incarnations in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. Shamar Rinpoche was born in 1952 and spent many years studying Buddhism in India. In 1980 he began to travel and teach at various Buddhist centres throughout Asia and the West, and in 1982 he spent ten months at Berkeley University, where he studied English. In 1996, he began founding Bodhi Path Buddhist centres, a network of centres based on a non-sectarian approach to Buddhism. The curriculum of the Bodhi Path centres is based on teachings originating from the 11th-century Indian Buddhist master Atisha, as transmitted by Gampopa. Atisha’s methods are the most effective for training the mind and deepening wisdom, and moreover can be transmitted and applied outside monastic frameworks.
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