Dharma Centre of Winnipeg ~ Gerry Kopelow

Gerry is the founder and resident teacher of the Dharma Centre of Winnipeg. He has studied a variety of Buddhist practices and done several retreats over a period of twenty-five years with his principal teacher, Namgyal Rinpoche. He has also done retreat work and studied with Jeff Olson, Mark Webber, Doug Duncan and Ven. Sonam Gyatso. Gerry has received two lay ordinations in the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, and is authorized by Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche to give a number of permission-level empowerments in this tradition.

Gerry Kopelow is also an internationally published author, lecturer, photographer, with a wide range of skills in such diverse fields as the fine arts, business, and personal and community development.

As an artist Gerry has received recognition and support from the National Film Board of Canada, the Manitoba Arts Council, and the Canada Council of the Arts. As a commercial photographer he
operates a international practice with a long list of clients.

Gerry's writing and photography have appeared in many periodicals and magazines, and his textbooks on photography are distributed world-wide and are respected as definitive works in the field. He has lectured and delivered workshops for a wide variety of groups and institutions, including The University of Winnipeg, The University of Florida, The Georgia Institute of Technology and the American Institute of Architects. He is a regular lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was invited to establish a continuing education professional development program.

For more than a decade Gerry has donated his professional services to the United Way of Winnipeg for annual campaigns that raise millions of dollars each year for critical community service agencies. He has provided similar assistance to Winnipeg Harvest Food Bank, the Winnipeg Health Sciences Research Foundation, UNICEF, and to the Winnipeg Childrens' Hospital Research Foundation. Gerry is an active member of the Winnipeg Interfaith Council, which promotes the development of harmony and understanding among Winnipeg's rich mix of ethnic and spiritual cultures.