About Gomde Pyrénées
History
Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche visited the Pyrénées in 2016 to support his students in their search for a new practice center in Europe, especially suitable for long term retreats.
Impressed by the location and the beauty of the Catalan region, Rinpoche noted that the land where Gomde is now located would be a perfect place for meditation practice and long retreats. In the past, Christian masters from the Cathar community—who believed in past and future lives—practiced meditation in this region as well. We have the sacred Canigou mountain behind, the Mediterranean sea in front, and are blessed with a vast open view with frequent blue skies, and a mild climate. So now we have the perfect retreat place—please come join us for practice!
Video about Gomde
Vision
Gomde Pyrénées strives to be an ideal place for meditation practice in retreat. The Tibetan word "Gomde" translates to a place ("de") for meditation ("gom"). Gomde provides both the space and the facilities necessary for dedicated practitioners to engage in short and long-term retreats, either individually or in a supportive group setting. It is the first location in the West to offer 3-year retreats in the Chokling Tersar lineage.
Under the guidance of the esteemed Retreat Master, Drubpon Lama Tenzin Sangpo, various group retreats are held throughout the year. The annual 3-month spring retreat has proven to be a stepping stone toward participating in the 3-year retreat
Seminars with Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and other masters and Khenpos, offer both new and long-term students the opportunity to gain a deep understanding of Buddhist wisdom and practices. Gomde also serves as a welcoming place for people from the surrounding community, as well as newcomers to Buddhism, who can explore its teachings through visits, participation in daily group practices, and volunteering.
Facilities
Gomde is continuously evolving to offer an accommodating and inspiring environment for retreatants, visitors, and volunteers. Located on the top floor, the shrine room provides breathtaking views of the vast open sky, the surrounding hills, and the distant Mediterranean Sea. This is where the twice-daily group practices take place, where teachings are given, and where individuals can meditate at any time throughout the day.
We offer 13 comfortable rooms, each with a beautiful view. Shared bathroom facilities are available on each floor. Each room is equipped with a shrine space for personal practice. We recommend bringing your own shrine items, as our supply is limited.
On the ground floor, you'll find the living room — a cozy space to relax, engage in conversation with others, or enjoy some quiet time by the fireplace. A selection of Buddhist books is also available for you to explore. Adjacent to the living room is the dining area, where three vegetarian meals are served daily. Coffee, tea, and fresh fruits are available throughout the day. The kitchen is reserved for our volunteer staff. As encouraged by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Gomde’s spaces are furnished with simple yet charming antique furniture, mostly purchased locally. In a small shop, authentic shrine and practice items from Nepal, including small statues, offering bowls, pecha holders, brocades, khatas, and prayer flags can be purchased.
Gomde’s grounds span approximately 20 hectares of mixed forest and pastureland, with numerous hiking trails offering opportunities to connect with nature. The land also holds great potential for cultivating organic vegetables and herbs, a project we've begun on a small scale.
Spiritual Lineage
2500 years ago, Buddha Shakyamuni taught the path to enlightenment to the people of his day. In the centuries after the Buddha’s passing, his teachings flourished all over India and eventually spread to most countries in Asia. The 8th century Indian master Padmasambhava (or Guru Rinpoche) was a chief figure in bringing the Buddhist teachings from India to Tibet. In particular, he transmitted a collection of spiritual teachings and methods known as the ‘Great Perfection’, or ‘Dzogchen’, which are said to embody the essence of all the Buddhist wisdom. Terchen Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa (1829-1870) was one of Tibet’s great revealers of treasure termas from Padmasambhava. His revealed teachings, known collectively as the Chokling Tersar, make up more than 40 large volumes of literature that have been practiced by both the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and his late father Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche are direct descendants of Chokgyur Lingpa, and the teachings of the Chokling Tersar have been passed down to them. At the request of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, was established by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche in 1974. It is at present the main place of residence of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Multiple affiliated “Gomde” centers have been established around the world, connected to our monastery, so that those who are interested in the Buddhist teachings and the practices of the Chokling Tersar lineage have a place for study and practice close to home.
Teachers
Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche
Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche is a world-renowned teacher and meditation master in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in Tibet in 1951 as the oldest son of his mother Kunsang Dechen, a devoted and realized Buddhist practitioner, and his father Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, an accomplished master of Buddhist meditation. As a young child, Chokyi Nyima—“Sun of the Dharma”—was recognized as the 7th incarnation of the Tibetan meditation master Gar Drubchen. Rinpoche spent his youth studying under some of Tibetan Buddhism’s most illustrious masters, such as His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, and his father, Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.
In 1974, Rinpoche left India to join his parents in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he assisted them in establishing Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. Upon its completion in 1976, H.H. the Karmapa enthroned Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche as the monastery’s abbot. To this day, Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling remains the heart of Rinpoche’s ever-growing mandala of activity.
Chokyi Nyima—
“Sun of the Dharma”
Drubpon Lama Tenzin Sangpo
Lama Tenzin was born in the Tingri region of Tibet in 1967. After his escape from Tibet in 1976, he received ordination and a traditional monastic education at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery, in Boudhanath, Nepal. He successfully completed a traditional three-year retreat and served for many years as the recitation master of the monastery’s extensive Buddhist ritual practices. He is one of the most knowledgeable and respected lamas at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling. Presently, Lama la resides in Gomde Pyrénees where he is the retreat master of the 3 year retreat, the annual three months retreat and many other retreats. He also travels frequently to teach at many Gomde centers around the world.
Heidi Koppl, MA
Heidi is a translator of Tibetan language and editor in chief of Tara’s Triple Excellence Program. She has studied with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and authentic teachers in the Tibetan scholarly tradition at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery since a young age. Since 2022, Heidi is in a three year retreat.
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