New Rigpa Spiritual Care Centre in Germany

After more than a year’s painstaking search, Rigpa has found the perfect place for its new Spiritual Care Centre in Germany, and has acquired the land. Situated approximately 70km south east of Berlin, in the old spa-town of Bad Saarow, the land adjoins the largest lake in the region, the Scharmützelsee, with beautiful views across the waters.

 

Apart from the natural beauty of its lake-side location, the sense of peace and positive uplifting energy  makes the location ideal for a spiritual care centre. Also, Bad Saarow has excellent transport connections to Berlin and a well developed infrastructure of local medical services. 

The site has been visited by His Holiness Sakya Trizin (seated, 3rd from left) and

Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche (seated, centre), both of whom made prayers there.

The plot of land covers an area of approximately 8,000 square meters, which is an ample size for the project.  A large, disused building already stands on the site. It will need to be demolished before future works can begin

In January 2011, an interview and selection process for architects for the new Centre will begin.
The land has been purchased by the recently formed Tertön Sogyal Foundation in Germany, which is currently responsible for the project.

For more information, or to support the project in any way, please contact the project team in Germany at info@tertoen-sogyal-stiftung.de or by telephone at: +49 (0) 30 23 25 50 27.

Colégio Rosário, Porto Alegre, Brasil

At the invitation of Chagdud Khadro, on the 8th of November, Sogyal Rinpoche taught on "The Art of Living and Dying" to an audience of over 1000 people, including many doctors, nurses and health care professionals in Porto Alegre, Brazil, a nexus for medical care in South America. The above slideshow was posted by Brazilian photographer Pedro Rocha.

Sogyal Rinpoche in New York City

Sogyal Rinpoche recently traveled to the United States where he attended and spoke at the International Conference on Tibetan Buddhism at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. The conference was inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Following this conference Rinpoche gave a public talk and weekend of teachings in New York City (21 & 23-24 October). The teachings were attended by many members of the New York Tibetan community. After the public talk Rinpoche spent a long time giving blessings and speaking with them.

Rinpoche will return to the United States to teach at Stanford University (17 November) and in San Francisco (19 November) before heading to San Diego for the Rigpa Autumn Retreat (26 November-5 December).

More information on the retreat is online here.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche convenes first meeting of Western Dharma Instructors

As the Dharma becomes established, or re-established, in many different countries throughout the modern world, important questions arise as to which teachers are authentic and which are not, since would-be students often do not know what qualities they should be looking for in a teacher. This difficulty applies both to Tibetan teachers and also to the Western instructors now emerging in different sanghas.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche has taken the initiative to bring together instructors from his own sangha, Chagdud Rinpoche’s sangha and the Rigpa sangha as a first step in cross-sangha collaboration on this issue.

Thirteen instructors met with Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche from 25 to 27 October in Bodhgaya, including Chagdud Khandro herself and Dominique Messent representing Rigpa. Drubgyü Tenzin Rinpoche also attended. The discussions focused on the specific challenges faced by Dharma instructors these days. A document reflecting this exchange will soon be edited and made widely available. It will serve as the basis for a training programme for Dharma instructors, the core of which Rinpoche hopes could become common to all Dharma groups.

For the next step, Rinpoche proposed a three-day training for instructors from several sanghas to be held in the near future.