Our Name

Meaning:
Gyalwa Gyatso is the name of the secret aspect of the Buddha of Compassion, Chenrezig (Tibetan), Avalokiteshvara (Sanskrit).

Literally, "Gyalwa" means "Victor" and
"Gyatso" is "Ocean."

The Sanskrit for Gyalwa Gyatso is "Jina Sagara."

Pronunciation:
Try saying 'yell' with a hard 'G' on the front of it. Yell, Gyell. Then add 'wa' with an open 'ah'. Gyell-wah. Or if that's too hard, just ignore the 'y': Gal-wa. (The 'a' is sometimes spelled with an umlaut over it to make it sound like the 'e' in 'get'.)

Similarly, say 'yah', then 'Gyah', then add the ending -tso: Gyah-tso. Or ignore the y and make it 'Gatso'.

In Eastern Tibet, people make the 'gy' combination into a 'j' sound. So it sounds more like 'Jellwa Jatso'. Other interesting things happen in Tibetan dialects, like the 'L' sound dropping out and nasal sounds jumping in. So you might hear a wide variety of pronunciations, like Jaywa Jamtso.

Both of these words - Gyalwa and Gyatso - are very common in Tibetan.

Or you can just call our group 'GGBC'.

Even though, an Anglicized version of our name would be easier for English-speakers to pronounce, we are going to continue to use the Tibetan for now, because that is the name our guru, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, chose for the center. It has auspicious connections and connotations.

Tangka (painting) of Gyalwa Gyatso.

Our Logo

In the Spring of 2007, we got a new logo. It has been carefully drawn by Ven. Ingrid Norzin Braun according to the instructions of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

The mala (string of prayer beads) and lotus are the implements held by Gyalwa Gyatso, who is an esoteric aspect of the Buddha of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara, Chenrezig.

These sit inside a Bodhi leaf reminding us of the tree under which the Buddha sat when he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya, India.

On top of the world is a heap of jewels bringing abundance and good fortune for all our Dharma activities.