On a chilly June morning, Rinpoche sits cross-legged in the living room of Kim Pedersen and Cynthia Shumway, talking about Tibetan Buddhism as he fingers a string of wooden beads. Originally from eastern Tibet, he now travels the United States to give talks and retreats. The members of the Utah Sangha Ja Na Ling are his students: At his suggestion they read books such as "The Four Noble Truths" by the Dalai Lama, and they go online once a month to to listen to his Internet teachings.

This weekend, the Utah Sangha has brought him to Utah for two days of teachings at the Inner Light Center, 4408 S. 500 East. (The event is open to the public, with a suggested donation of $35 per day, and runs from 9 a.m. to noon, and 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday; 1 to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The public may attend either or both days. Cushions are recommended.)

"If they don't have a qualified teacher, many think they're practicing Buddhism, but they don't understand the important points," Rinpoche says, adding that a qualified teacher "knows The Path in its entirety and profundity."

Americans, he says with a calm, easy smile, tend to be impatient about reaching enlightenment.

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