the learning lab

AN ANGEL
DEBATES
THE DEVIL

Online Course
MAY 15 - JUNE 11 - July 6, 2024

 The learning lab

An Angel
Debates
The Devil

Geshe Michael Roach is bringing back An Angel Debates The Devil! Join us beginning in May for an exciting series of events to enrich your understanding of Geshe Michael's long-running presentation of this important text by the first Panchen Lama. We'll have three Learning Lab classes to bring you up to speed for the main event, occurring July 26-28, when Geshe Michael presents the next installment live (and online) in beautiful Mexico City.	
Our three Learning Lab classes will broadcast previously-unreleased sessions of An Angel Debates The Devil from 2021, when Geshe Michael taught it to a handful of students in Sedona, Arizona. Now everyone in the world can share and enjoy that experience. On May 15, June 11, and July 6, Asian Classics Institute will present these hour-long classes from 2021. They will be introduced by ACI teachers who will also lead a 30-minute discussion where we will explore how to apply the ideas to our daily life and answer questions. These broadcasts are free and open to everyone. Don't miss them!

Three sessions only:

  • May 15 at 6:00 am to 8:00 am AZ time
  • June 11 at 6:00 am to 8:00 am AZ time
  • July 6 at 6:00 am to 8:00 am AZ time

Each class includes:

  • a 60-min Geshe Michael Roach pre-recorded class	
  • a 15-min discussion of how to apply the learnings to daily life
  • a 15-min Q&A
These teachings are a dialogue between the good (the Angel) and evil (the Devil) that happens in our own mind. The text, and Geshe Michael’s presentation of it, is at the same time extremely funny and extremely deep, as it reveals the tricky ways that our mind deceives us into believing we are thinking and acting in a way that actually helps us. In reality, our mind too often is leading us astray.	
The presentations are based on a traditional text called An Argument with the Tendency to Think that Things are Real. It was written by Lobsang Chukyi Gyeltsen, the first Panchen Lama, who lived 1565-1662. He was an extraordinary practitioner, thinker, and contemplator; a yogi; a poet and writer among the greatest who have ever lived; and an ardent pacifist who once stopped a war single-handedly, by walking out between the opposing armies.

An Angel Debates The Devil helps us to unravel the seductive arguments of the Devil in our own mind in order to be successful in this life, and to learn how to develop the skills necessary to confront any obstacle.

A Huge Asian Classics Institute Giveaway!

Wow! Asian Classics Institute is offering an opportunity to win big—one fully-paid scholarship from anywhere in the world so you can attend, live and in-person, the upcoming event with Geshe Michael Roach, An Angel Debates the Devil, July 26-28 in Mexico City.

  • All you have to do to qualify is:

    1. Make a one-minute video about how you apply the Angel/Devil teachings to your daily life. Be creative! We want to know how ACI teachings are real in your life.

    2. Submit your video on your own social.

    3. Tag it #angeldevil2024 plus also @asianclassicsinstitute

    4. Upload it to our ACI drive here

    5. Videos are due on June 20! Apply here by June 20 with your contact info and links to your video on both social media and the ACI drive.

  • · By uploading/submitting a video, you consent automatically for us to use it in our marketing materials.

    · Attend our May 15 and June 11 An Angel Debates the Devil Learning Lab classes to get more content information.

    · We may promote your videos on Asian Classics Institute social media.

    · People who see your videos on social will vote for their favorite online.

    · A jury of three senior ACI people will choose the winner based on the following criteria:

    * The most popular video
    * The best content video
    * The winner will combine both

    · The winner will be announced at The Learning Lab: An Angel Debates the Devil on July 6!

· ACI will buy your plane ticket (up to $2000)
· ACI will pay your hotel and breakfast/lunch expenses
· ACI will pick you up at the airport in Mexico free of charge
· ACI will give you full access to all levels of the teaching!

Class 1 - May 15

Nick Lashaw

Nick has been practicing yoga for 24 years and has been a serious aspiring yogi for over 10. He has studied yoga asana under Sri Dharma Mittra, Richard Freeman, and other great teachers in a variety of lineages, and of course with his wife Erin Lashaw.  He has been a dedicated close student of Geshe Michael Roach for 10 years.


In 2009, after getting a degree in mechanical engineering, Nick made learning and practicing a spiritual path the focus of his life. He has spent the last 10 years going deeper into the teachings of dharma by studying and learning to translate ancient Tibetan and Sanskrit texts, practicing meditation and doing retreats. He runs Diamond Cutter Classics, a group of translators involved in translating key wisdom texts from Tibetan.


He has been co-owner of a yoga studio with his wife, and the latest iteration of his practice involves embarking on the path of raising a beautiful baby girl. He and his family live in southern California (USA).

Session 2 - june 11

VENERABLE LOBSANG GYELSE

“Ever since I was a young girl I wanted two things: to make others happy, and to know why I came into this world–what was my purpose and what was I supposed to do with this life?”


Venerable Lobsang Gyelse has studied Tibetan Buddhism for over 30 years with many of the great Tibetan masters. Her main teacher is Geshe Michael Roach.


For the last 20-plus years she’s been involved in the development and support of Diamond Mountain Retreat Center in southeastern Arizona. At Diamond Mountain, she has worn many hats, including that of operations manager, volunteer coordinator, and teacher.  At present she is the Diamond Mountain Board president.

Venerable Gyelse completed a three-year, three-month, three-day silent meditation retreat in 2014 at Diamond Mountain with 28 others; she has completed many other solitary retreats as well. She was ordained as a nun in the winter of 2006 and is the mother of a grown son. She is currently engaged in building a house in central Arizona near Geshe Michael and the Sedona College of International Management. Venerable Gyelse is a chaplain/spiritual care provider and counsels people around the world.

Session 3 - july 6

Timothy Lowenhaupt

Timothy Lowenhaupt has been the Executive Director of the Asian Classics Institute since 2017, a translator for the Diamond Cutter Classics since 2022, and teaches extensively around the world.
He previously was the Managing Director of Red Capital Education & Travel, which owns a portfolio of hotels and commercial properties in Sedona, AZ, from 2019-2024. In 2023, one of its properties, the Adobe Grand Villas, was rated the #1 small hotel in the United States by TripAdvisor, and another lodging property was rated the #1 Bed & Breakfast in Sedona, AZ.
He has also worked in translation and interpreting, both as a translator and in project management, as well as in pharmaceutical marketing and patient technology development.
He received a master’s degree (MA) from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003 and graduated with honors and distinction from Penn State with a Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) in 2001. Tim also is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

🗓️ The Learning Lab: An Angel Debates The Devil - SCHEDULE:

Session 1 - May 15
Session 2 - June 11
Session 3 - July 6

ALL CLASSES AT 6AM
(ARIZONA TIME)