Lama Justin von Bujdoss is an American vajrayana Buddhist teacher, writer, and the is a co-
founder of Bhumisparsha an experimental Buddhist sangha along with Lama Rod Owens and
Yangti Yoga Retreat Center with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang. He is the author of Modern Tantric
Buddhism: Authenticity and Embodiment in Dharma Practice published by North Atlantic
Books, and contributor to Buddhism and Whiteness: Critical Reflections published by Lexington
Books. From 2016 until December 2021 Justin served as the Executive Director of Chaplaincy
and Staff Wellness for NYC Department of Correction where he also served as Staff Chaplain
supervising over 30 chaplains and guided wellness programming for staff. Justin also has
professional experience in home hospice and hospital settings as a pastoral caregiver. Lama
Justin is currently the chaplain for Hart Island, New York City’s public cemetery.
Justin was ordained as a repa, a lay tantric yogin in the tradition of Milarepa, by His Eminence
Gyaltsab Rinpoche, one of the heart sons of His Holiness the 16 th Karmapa and is a ngakpa in
the Yuthok Nyingthik lineage. Lama Justin has presented on Buddhist practice at Harvard,
Princeton, Yale, University of Chicago, Wellesley, Columbia University, has been a visiting
instructor at Union Theological Seminary, teaches at Pure Land Farms. Justin is passionate
about helping to create the conditions for authentic embodied tantric Buddhist spiritual
practice in the West.
Justin von Bujdoss
Recent Articles
What I Learned in Hell
Buddhist teacher Justin von Budjoss was a chaplain to staff at America’s most notorious jail—Rikers Island in New York. There he learned two important lessons: Buddhism really helps people, and prisons should be abolished.
Our Traditions Can — and Must — Change
Even as we uphold tradition, says Justin von Bujdoss, we also have to leave room for it to grow.
Being Present with Suffering
By accepting our emotions and not reacting, says Lama Justin von Bujdoss, we can learn to effectively serve others.
Lineage Is About More Than Preservation
In this commentary from the Summer 2018 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly, Justin von Bujdoss reflects on changing the way we think about lineage.
Pain, Practice, and Pure View
When the teacher F's up, what's a Buddhist to do? Justin von Bujdoss offers a clarification of the pure view of the tantric Buddhist path.