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Phuntsok Dargye Ling
For more than twenty-five centuries, the light of Lord Buddha has passed from master to disciple. In an unbroken lineage, each generation has been taught by his or her master and then passed the teachings on to his or her own disciples to create a living oral tradition. Committed disciples spend years studying texts, and practicing meditation in order to understand and actualize the meaning of these sacred teachings. If even a single generation allows a break, the lineage of teachings is lost forever. The light will go out.
Contemporary practitioners have inherited a priceless treasure from their forefathers in Tibet. Despite the hardships of war and the diaspora of the Tibetan people, the Buddha's unique teachings have been preserved, intact, by these masters. Following in the tradition of Marpa the Translator, who crossed the Himalayas on foot three times to receive these teachings, and of Milarepa, who nearly starved to death rather than interrupt his meditations, monks and nuns of the last Tibetan generation have kept the teachings alive. Against all odds they have kept the light burning.
Now it is our responsibility. We are part of the first wave of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, and it is up to us to take care of those who follow. If the living tradition of Tibetan Buddhism is to continue, we must work to establish deeper roots of the Dharma in the West. Not everyone can devote their full energies to study and meditation, but a few can. The rest of us can ensure that they have the necessary facilities and teachers to do so. This is the timeless pattern of interdependence that keeps the light shining.
In 1996, the Tibetan Meditation Center made the decision to develop a retreat facility, Phuntsok Dargye Ling (PDL) or "Place for the Expansion of Sublime Perfection." The purpose of these facilities is to create a place for students to do short- and long-term retreats. Recognizing the necessity for long-term solitary retreat to fully establish the Drikung lineage in the West, and finding that enough students in the West are ready to make this kind of commitment, TMC is committed to seeing that an appropriate facility is available.
See His Holiness the Dalai Lama's letter of support for this project.
Project Progress Overview |
