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THE SNOW LION NEWSLETTER
Du Khor Choe Ling: The Land of Kalachakra Study and Practice, A Traditional Tibetan Facility for Namgyal Monastery by Heather Harrick
Artist's rendering of proposed Namgyal Monastery facility |
With an international student base and monks on staff from India, Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies has been a permanent fixture in Ithaca, NY for over fourteen years. The Institute is located in a turn-of-the-century house in Ithaca's charming and eclectic Fall Creek neighborhood.
Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies is the only branch of Namgyal Monastery located outside of India and Tibet. The Institute was originally founded in 1992 by the late Venerable Pema Chogyen, Sidney Piburn and other American friends.
Artist's rendering of the entrance to the monastery facility
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With the blessings of the parent monastery in Dharamsala and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Namgyal Ithaca was established as a not-for-profit religious institution, offering philosophy and language classes and weekend and residential retreats in a traditional monastic setting. In addition to teaching classes and leading meditations and retreats, the Namgyal monks spend a large portion of each year constructing sand mandalas throughout the world at various universities, museums, and religious events. The monastery also serves as a cultural center for the local Tibetan community.
Due to the growing needs for more space and private retreat facilities, a patron of the monastery has made a generous donation earmarked to fund facility expansion. Recently this money was used to purchase a 28-acre wooded lot just south of the City of Ithaca. |
In keeping with Tibetan Buddhist tradition, an elaborate naga puja was performed on the new site to satisfy the local water spirits. Prayer flags were also hung. During a recent visit to Ithaca, Jhado Tulku Rinpoche, former abbot of Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, offered prayers to appease the local land spirits and to request that they remove any obstacles to the project.
Ceremony to bless the land
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Allan McLane Chambliss, Jr., a local architect, collaborated with the monks and members of Namgyal's Board of Directors to create a design for the new facility utilizing traditional Tibetan architectural features and common North American building principles and materials. The result is a plan for a 13,000 square foot monastery resembling a Tibetan Mandala. When asked if incorporating a Tibetan-style building into his own repertoire was a challenge, Chambliss responded, "I've always been drawn to traditional styles of architecture from around the world, and to traditional ways of building, so in that sense the project has been less of a challenge and more of an enjoyable exploration." On working in tandem with the monks he says, "The working relationship has been a pleasure. And it's hard not to feel like a better person after spending some time with the monks—I think something must rub off." |
Namgyal monk performing a ritual dance
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Upon completion, the building plans were presented to the town for review and approval. The Namgyal Building Committee recently received word that the permit has been granted and are now making plans to install major building infrastructure.
Namgyal Monastery has a long history of study and practice of the Kalachakra Tantra that dates back to the 18th century, during the time of the 7th Dalai Lama. It was suggested by Jhado Tulku Rinpoche that the main shrine room at the new facility include features of a three-dimensional Kalachakra mandala. Not only would this be appropriate, given the important role the Kalachakra Tantra has played in Namgyal's history, but it could also be useful for Kalachakra practitioners. This particular visualization practice is a very complicated one. To have a location in North America where practitioners could come and see some of the features of this mandala would be very beneficial, according to Jhado Rinpoche.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has periodically reviewed and approved the plans for this facility. This past winter he named the new site "Du Khor Choe Ling" or "The Land of Kalachakra Study and Practice." The final plans for the center include a 2500 square foot suite to be used exclusively by His Holiness.
Namgyal Monastery plans to offer programming and retreats at Du Khor Choe Ling in 2008. The center will host private guided retreats, group retreats, and Tibetan cultural and religious celebrations. The Manjushri Wisdom library will house a complete set of printed and digital Buddhist texts, both in Tibetan and English.
This project has been met with great enthusiasm by the local Tibetan Buddhist community. The Board of Directors looks forward to expanding the programming at the monastery and to meeting new students and patrons.
"It is absolutely wonderful to see some of the visions of Namgyal becoming realized," says Piburn. "The establishment of Du Khor Choe Ling as an inspired non-sectarian place for the study and practice of Buddha dharma right here in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of upstate New York indeed makes New York State rich with dharma activities. Perhaps this particular center will become a small reflection of the vastness of His Holiness' perspective and of Buddha dharma."
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Contact Information for the project:
For information on the project or to make a donation to the capital campaign that was launched this past May, please visit www.namgyal.org or call 607-273-0739.
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