Ringu Tulku Rinpoche gives inaugural teaching at Ireland's first purpose-built Tibetan Buddhist temple

The venerable master of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, gave his inaugural teachings at the new Dzogchen Beara Buddhist temple in County Cork, southwest Ireland, last month. Construction of the Tibetan temple began around eight years ago at the Dzogchen Beara Retreat and Meditation Center on the tip of the Beara Peninsula in west Cork. The new temple opened its doors to the public for the first time on July 17.

“Ringu Tulku Rinpoche has taught at Dzogchen Beara every year since 1990, so it was fitting that he was invited to present the inaugural teachings from July 12-14, 2024, launching the temple into its new role as the first purpose-built Tibetan temple in Ireland” , Bodhicharya said in an announcement shared with BDG.

“In front of 280 people, many of whom came from the United States and different parts of Europe, Rinpoche began by teaching the Four Noble Truths. . . . Over the next few days, he taught the foundations and meaning of Buddhist practice based on three words: samsara, bodhicitta and buddha nature, one theme expanding on the next with each weekend session. »

Bodhicharya is a non-profit educational and cultural association founded by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche in 1997.

The temple, surrounded by carefully landscaped gardens, occupies a spectacular viewpoint over the Atlantic Ocean. The new building includes a meditation room above the main sanctuary hall, as well as facilities for tourma do and tsok preperation.

“Designed according to the Tibetan science of geomancy, the location and orientation are intended to have a positive influence on its surroundings, while being a source of healing and harmony for the people who visit it,” noted Bodhicharya .

“Unusually for a traditional temple, the walls of the main shrine room are made of glass, allowing views of the ocean, making it appear as if it has magically materialized into a realm of air and light. Yet, rounding the promontory by boat, the temple seems anchored in the cliff as if it had always been there, rising high above the Atlantic, its copper roofs reflecting the sunlight towards the sailors, the dolphins and whales passing by. »

The site was acquired in 1973 by Peter and Harriet Cornish, who purchased 61 hectares of cliff-top farmland, with the aim of creating a place that would provide refuge for people of all spiritual traditions. In 1992, they donated the land and buildings to a charitable foundation under the spiritual leadership of Sogyal Rinpoche, founder of the international Rigpa Buddhist community. Harriet Cornish died of cancer aged 44 in 1993. Her death inspired the creation of the Spiritual Care Center on site, which provides support to people facing long-term or life-limiting illnesses. life expectancy. Peter Cornish died in October 2023 after a short illness.

“Peter Cornish spent his final years in private retirement at Dzogchen Beara, passing away just months before work on the temple was completed,” says Bodhicharya. “His final rites were observed in the shrine hall, where his body, in a sky blue coffin, was placed in front of the statues of Buddha, Green Tara and Guru Rinpoche. He died knowing that his and Harriet's vision of bringing great good to the world had finally been realized. »

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche is a master of the Kagyu school of Vajrayana Buddhism. Born in 1952 in the traditional region of Kham, eastern Tibet, Rinpoche was recognized by His Holiness the XNUMXth Gyalwang Karmapa as the incarnation of a Living Buddha from the Ringu monastery. During his formal training, he studied with some of the most revered and distinguished masters of the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions, including: Thrangu Rinpoche; Dodrupchen Rinpoche; Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche; and the Gyalwang Karmapa.

In 1997, he founded the international organization Dharma Bodhicharya to preserve, transcribe, translate and transmit Buddhist teachings and to promote intercultural dialogues as well as educational and social projects.

Rinpoche is the author of several books in Tibetan and European languages, including: The Path to Buddhahood: Teachings on the Ornamental Jewel of Liberation of Gampopa (Shambhala Publications, 2003); The Ri-me Philosophy of Jamgön Kongtrul the Great (Shambhala Publications, 2006); And Bold Steps Towards Fearlessness: The Three Vehicles of Buddhism (Éditions Lion des Neiges, 2005).

The Tibetan word for Buddha is sangye and this word is very evocative. It means “awake and fulfilled”. What awakens and grows within us is not a new or different intelligence. This is not something we have ever experienced before. It is the realization of what we already know, our true nature. — Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

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Dzogchen Beara – Buddhist meditation center

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche gives inaugural teaching at Ireland's first purpose-built Tibetan Buddhist temple

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