Meditation Home: Gomde Pyrenees

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!

Vision

Gomde aims to be an ideal place for meditation practice in retreat—this is actually the meaning of the Tibetan word “gom” means to meditate, and “de” is the place where that happens. Our goal is to be a place for dedicated practitioners to do short and long term retreats, both individually or in a supportive group. In the near future, we hope to offer retreats of 6 months, 1 year and 3 years as well. Seminars with Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and other esteemed teachers allow both new and long term students to gain a genuine understanding of Buddhist wisdom and practices. Gomde is also a place where people in the surrounding community and those new to Buddhism can come and explore its teachings through visiting, attending our daily practices or volunteering. We are growing a variety of vegetables and herbs in our garden and hope to become increasingly self-sufficient for our food.

Facilities

Gomde is continuously developing to become as accommodating and inspiring as possible for retreatants, visitors and volunteers. Our detailed plans for the future will be shared here soon. We currently have 14 beautiful rooms, each with large windows looking out into the famous skies of the Mediterranean region. We are in the process of making renovations to the main house, so currently each room is a simply furnished space with a shared bathroom and very good view! Gomde’s grounds are about 20 hectares of mixed forest and pastureland, connected to many walking and hiking trails for opportunities to stretch one's legs in nature. Our talented team of gardeners grow organic seasonal vegetables year-round, using our own compost combined with that from our neighbor’s farm. These veggies combined with produce bought from a local farm in Vinça, are what our volunteer cooks use to make the delicious vegetarian food served each day.

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.

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 serves as the resident Lama of Gomde Germany-Austria and travels to teach at many Gomde centers around the world. He has served as the retreat master for all of the 6-week and 3-month retreats at Gomde Pyrenees.

Mag, Heidi Koppl

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. Right now she resides with us here at Gomde Pyrenees working for Tara’s Triple Excellence online meditation program, giving teachings on various topics at Rinpoche’s request, helping with the three year retreat project, and doing a few retreats herself here and there.