Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche inaugurates new Dharma center in Lisbon

Venerable Tibetan Buddhist teacher and Dzogchen devotee Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche on July 3 personally inaugurated the Lisbon Dharma House, a new center of Buddhist practice near the Portuguese capital, affiliated with Rinpoche's growing global mandala of Dharma activities.

Dharma House Lisbon was founded with the vision of creating a place where practitioners in Europe could receive authentic Buddhadharma teachings and engage in meditative practices in the Tibetan tradition.

“Our wish is to create a space of openness, where people, especially the Portuguese, can become familiar with their spirit and its essence,” Dharma House Lisbon said earlier this year. “Practicing Buddhist teachings means creating the right conditions for our inherent qualities of kindness, compassion and wisdom to unfold naturally. In our Dharma House Lisbon, one can enjoy and practice with a beautiful view of the vast Atlantic Ocean. It helps us calm down, develop a kind heart and a clear mind. » (Dharma House Lisbon)

Dharma House Lisbon is located in the village of Azenhas do Mar, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, a short distance from Lisbon and a 40-minute drive from Lisbon Airport.

Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche's official inauguration and blessing included his first in-person Dharma teaching at the new Dharma Center. In April, Rinpoche had sent Khenpo Pema Namgyal, a practicing scholar expert in Buddhist philosophy and meditation and one of Rinpoche's most trusted personal assistants, to conduct the first weekend Dharma seminar at the Dharma House from Lisbon.*

“The unsurpassed master is the precious Buddha,” Rinpoche said during the inaugural teaching on Wednesday. “In this world, there are many masters, but our master, the Buddha, has inconceivable qualities. The inconceivable quality of his awakened wisdom is such that he not only knows the natural state as it is, but he also knows everything there is to know. And in this way, his wisdom is truly inconceivable. »

“His loving compassion is so incredible that it extends to everyone, to all beings, without any distinction between friends, enemies or strangers. His care and love extends to all beings, and this is an inconceivable quality of the Buddha's love. His qualities are truly astonishing. The inconceivable quality of her awakened activity is that she remains in this world today, bringing benefits to so many beings...”

Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche is considered one of the greatest living masters of the Dzogchen or “Great Perfection” tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism – a gentle yet imposing figure with a warm and compassionate presence.

The eldest son of venerable Dzogchen master Kyabjé Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and devoted practitioner Kunsang Dechen, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche was born in Tibet in 1951. He was recognized as the seventh incarnation of the Tibetan lama Drikung Kagyu Gar Drubchen. mahasiddha and an offshoot of the second-century Indian Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna.

After the invasion of Tibet, Rinpoche spent his youth in India, studying for 11 years under His Holiness the XNUMXth Gyalwang Karmapa at Rumtek Monastery. He also studied and practiced under the revered masters Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, as well as his own father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.

In 1974, Rinpoche joined his parents in Kathmandu, where he helped them found Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling, a monastery on the outskirts of the city, a few steps from the benevolent gaze of the venerable Boudhanath Stupa. Rinpoche became abbot of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling in 1976, at the age of just 25, and has since overseen the welfare and spiritual education of several hundred monks and monks.

Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling, a shrine dedicated to the study and practice of the Buddha Dharma, is at the heart of Rinpoche's growing mandala of dharmic activities. Among his many initiatives and projects, Rinpoche, now 72 years old, has written several books and founded a network of meditation centers around the world.

In 1997, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche established the Rangjung Yeshe Institute within the grounds of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. The institute affiliated with Kathmandu University in 2002 to form the Center for Buddhist Studies. Today, the center offers a range of courses at different levels, including bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in Buddhist studies and Himalayan languages, with classes taught at the monastery's monastic college.

A Dharma House should be an environment dedicated to making authentic Buddhist teachings and meditation practices easily accessible to all. — Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche

*The Lisbon Dharma House will open its doors in April with the inaugural teaching of Khenpo Pema Namgyal (BDG)

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Dharma House in New York (Facebook)
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