The Five Houses

Geshe Michael

in Phoenix

Door to the Diamond Way 3

in-person &
Online event
October 24–28, 2025
Phoenix, Arizona

Geshe Michael

in Phoenix:

Door to the
Diamond Way 3

Geshe Michael in Phoenix/Door to the Diamond Way 3 continues our journey deeper into a new beginning to Geshe Michael Roach's exciting teachings. We finished a 14-year odyssey through Pabongka Rinpoche's masterpiece on the lam rim last December in Kyoto, Japan, and Geshe Michael has an amazing new journey planned for us—preparing us in loving detail for the Diamond Way teachings he has offered to teach in 2026.

Wow! This is big news indeed. Geshe Michael has not taught Diamond Way courses since 2009, when he prepared a select group of students in live intensive teachings at Diamond Mountain Retreat Center. Now Geshe Michael will offer Diamond Way for everyone! 

We only have 300 in-person seats—you know they sell out fast—so please, register today. We don’t want anyone to be disappointed. The cost to attend in person is $499.

Schedule

October 24-28, 2025

VENUE

Diamond Way is coming in 2026,
and you need to prepare in 2025!

Requirements
for Diamond Way Participation

To take Diamond Way in 2026, each of us is required to prepare. This means we each must attend—in person or online— all four ACI events in 2025, plus an additional two in 2026. The four 2025 events will each feature Geshe Michael teaching an amazing lam rim work written by Je Tsongkapa. Titled A Song of My Spiritual Life, it is Lord Tsongkapa's touching memoir of his spiritual journey. Lam rim is Tibetan for steps on the path to enlightenment. In our tradition, studying lam rim is one of the two main ways to prepare for Diamond Way teachings (the other way is to complete all requirements for the 18 ACI Foundation Courses). 

You are invited to prepare yourself for receiving Diamond Way courses from Geshe Michael by signing up today for the third of the 2025 events—Geshe Michael in Phoenix/Door to the Diamond Way 3, taking place in October in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. In-person registration and online registration are now available. 

In-person Costs:

The cost to attend the event in person is $499.

In addition to the exciting offering of Je Tsongkapa's A Song of My Spiritual Life, Geshe Michael will continue teaching us An Angel Debates the Devil in October. This is the wonderful and funny debate created by Lobsang Chukyi Gyeltsen, the first Panchen Lama, in the 17th century. It's all about emptiness, and is even more relevant today than it was when it was written.

  • We will offer yoga and meditation classes at Geshe Michael in Phoenix.

  • There will be Diamond Way Open Forums with teachers and senior practitioners, including Q&A.

(Hotel cost not included)

We are happy to offer a payment option to make it easier for more people to attend. You can sign up here to pay in five installments of $100 each.

Online Costs:

ACI's Diamond Package is $499 and gives you some extra goodies, plus the virtue of knowing you will help other students attend with scholarships and contribute to ACI's ongoing ability to offer the dharma free to everyone.

Diamond Package participants will get an extra-special bonus: a print copy of a short review of the 14 years of lam rim teachings completed in Kyoto, titled The Essential Guide to Staircase House. This review was prepared for you by Asian Classics Institute.

The Gold Package price is $149, and we encourage everyone who can, to help support the dharma by paying that amount. We honor and thank you for your contribution; it will go a long way to help us with the increased costs of technology, staff salaries, travel, and communications.

If you can't afford $149, we are offering the full Gold Package for the donation amount of your choice. Even $1 works! If you can't afford even a $1 donation, just put $0 in the donation box, and someone will pay it forward for you. We rely on our generous Diamond participants and other donors to support our ability to offer this option.

Please make your 2025 plans accordingly.

The four 2025 ACI events where Geshe Michael will teach A Song of My Spiritual Life, which are required to be eligible for Diamond Way teachings in 2026, are:

FAQ

Many people have been asking questions about the upcoming teachings with ACI/Five Houses that are a preparation for Diamond Way. Below are a few questions & answers that should help to clarify the policies and directions that we are taking.

  • The short answer is Yes. The longer answer is that you will need to attend all of Geshe Michael’s 2025 classes on the Lam Rim live—either in person, online, or during the official rebroadcasts. The additional classes and workshops offered during the programs are for enrichment, but are not necessary as a prerequisite for taking Diamond Way classes with Geshe Michael.

  • No. Just like any serious preparation for Diamond Way—including De Lam, the first three traditional Diamond Way courses—you must be taught by a live person to receive the oral transmission. We will offer catchup courses led by senior teachers if classes are missed. This will happen later in 2025 as a second chance to qualify. Also, if a student joins after the first course or later on, they may join these catchup courses to qualify as well.

  • Yes. There will be a homework and a quiz for each of the required Lam Rim classes, and a final exam at the end of the 15 preparation classes that are being taught over the next year or so, prior to empowerment. The homeworks and quizzes will be available following the end of each course.

  • Geshe Michael would like everyone to study the Lam Rim with him this time, even if you have studied Lam Rim or De Lam previously or have an empowerment already from him or from any other teacher. It’s not that Geshe Michael’s presentation would be deemed better than any other lineage presentation of these teachings, but rather that the Lam Rim is meant to be a lifelong practice and study. It is the traditional preparation for Diamond Way, according to many great teachers including Pabongka Rinpoche and others. Geshe Michael himself was taught Pabongka’s Lam Rim three times by his teacher—we studied it only ONCE with Geshe Michael for over fourteen years—and so it would be natural to review once again prior to receiving Diamond Way from Geshe Michael, whether for the first time or afresh.

  • Geshe Michael is very clear: keep studying with your teacher. These teachings from him will be a delicious dessert, alongside the primary guidance and teachings you are already receiving from your teacher.

  • Not at all. Geshe Michael encourages everyone to keep up with their studies and practices from those 18 courses. This advanced 18 courses of study is the most comprehensive curriculum ever developed, covering all the essential points of the Diamond Way practice. Each student should find a teacher to guide them through those courses when they are prepared and ready. The depth and beauty of those courses is immeasurable, and we encourage everyone to spend as much quality time as possible with these priceless teachings.

  • The normal pathway to enter the advanced teachings is to complete the 18 course foundational series. These cover all the practices and knowledge base one needs to understand all the steps of the path. Additionally, the student needs permission from their teacher to join the advanced courses, which includes an evaluation of their preparedness, understanding, and integration of the learnings in the 18 foundation courses.

ABOUT GESHE MICHAEL ROACH

Geshe Michael Roach

Geshe Michael Roach grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was an honors student with an interest in religion and social issues. He was awarded a scholarship to Princeton University and after graduation he went to study and live at Rashi Gempil Ling, with Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin. In 1995 he completed his studies with Khen Rinpoche and at Sera Monastery in India, and became the first American to be awarded the Geshe degree.

While completing this work, he also developed and taught the seven-year ACI Foundations Study Program, which parallels the same core information taught at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery. That original program of 18 courses captures the essence of the six Great Books of Buddhism, as a means to train the next generations of western Buddhist teachers. Asian Classics Institute began with the mission to provide the recordings online, live teachings and by correspondence for anyone who would like to pursue these studies.

WE TRULY APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE!

By joining us for Geshe Michael in Phoenix/Door to the Diamond Way 3, you're not only investing in your own spiritual growth but also supporting the continuation of these precious teachings.

As a not-for-profit organization, Asian Classics Institute also is asking for financial support to make this event as affordable as possible for anyone to attend. With your help, we can offer scholarships and work-study positions.

Additionally, we have sponsorship opportunities to cover major expenses during the event:

  • Technology fees (equipment, Zoom fees, and dedicated staff)
    Goal: $5,000

  • Teacher support (food and transportation, as ACI teachers, including Geshe Michael, do not get paid for their teaching services)
    Goal: $12,000

  • Scholarships (for online and in-person attendance)
    Goal: $10,000