March 1, 1982 – Anchoring the Dharma in the City: Creation of the First Urban Center in Biarritz

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Écriture de Rangjung Rikpé Dorjé, Sa Sainteté le XVIᵉ

Karma Teksum Tchöling.
Handwritings of Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa.

Offering the opportunity to connect to the Dharma in the city, close to home—this is the vocation of the Karma Teksum Tchöling centers, the first of which began in Biarritz in March 1982.

To begin, what is the meaning of this name given by His Holiness the 16th Karmapa? Karma indicates that the center is under the spiritual authority of the Gyalwa Karmapa. Teksum means three (sum) vehicles (tek), in reference to the three spiritual paths, which indicates that practice is always connected to the Buddha’s teaching. Tchöling means place of the Dharma.

The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa expressed the wish that centers connected to Dhagpo be created in different cities in France in order to make it easier to discover the Buddha’s teaching.

“People came to Dhagpo Kagyu Ling, received the teachings, studied the Dharma, practiced it, but they have to return home due to their obligations,” explains Lama Jigme Rinpoche. “Therefore, this is the reason why the KTTs were created, in order to give people who came to Dhagpo the opportunity to connect, to gather afterward where they lived. This was the primary purpose of the KTTs: bringing people together, offering access to the Dharma, and then connecting with Dhagpo.”

Lama Jigme Rinpoche

Starting in 1980, Gendun Rinpoche and Lama Jigme Rinpoche travelled across France and beyond to support disciples’ interest in creating these urban centers. Shamar Rinpoche and Jigme Rinpoche visited Biarritz in 1980. Jigme Rinpoche returned in 1981 with Gendun Rinpoche and gave a seminar in Bayonne.

Eugène Deherme, who would become the first president of the Biarritz KTT, had attended the Black Crown Ceremony carried out by the 16th Karmapa at Dhagpo Kagyu Ling in 1977 and took refuge with His Holiness. This intense moment stayed with him.

As stated in the first issue of Tendrel magazine, the first KTT that was formed was that of Périgueux, though it had no legal structure. The first legal structure is recorded by the Bayonne subprefecture as an association under France’s 1901 law, and was published with an entry in Journal Officiel on March 1, 1982.

Starting in April 1982, after its creation, a group of some forty people gathered for three days of teaching given by Gendun Rinpoche. In addition to teachings and meditation practices, the KTT also organized a Tibetan Week in April of 1986 to nurture connection and openness with the local community. The event included an exhibition of Tibetan Art and several talks at the Basque Museum of Bayonne. The KTT also contributed support to Anila Rinchen so that she could take part in the first three-year-three-month-three-day retreat in 1984.

The creation of the Biarritz KTT was the beginning of a new dynamic. The Nantes KTT was created in 1982, followed by Pau, Bordeaux, and La Rochelle in 1983, and Clermont Ferrand, Toulon, Poitiers, Perpignan as well as Bilbao in 1984.

Today, fifty-four urban centers and twenty Dharma groups exist in France and several other European countries (Belgium, Spain, Italy, and more). Each is dedicated to gathering people for teachings, practice, and study. Over time these urban centers evolve under the spiritual guidance of Jigme Rinpoche. The first KTT has become Dhagpo Pays Basque, located in Anglet. KTTs located in the same region support each other, in order to exchange and access teachings from khenpos and acharyas coming from India. “It’s a work in progress so that we can acquire better education in the Dharma, and for this to be able to support meditation practice,” explains Jigme Rinpoche.

Shamar Rinpoche’s words in issue number eleven of Tendrel Magazine from 1987 resonate just as much today as they did then,

“The KTTs are threads of a fabric woven by His Holiness around the world, and one that I am striving to expand. It is important that the members of these centers feel connected to each other, as relays of His Holiness the Karmapa’s activity. The KTTs task is essential for allowing the accomplishment of His Holiness’s wish to bring the Dharma to the greatest number of beings possible.”

Shamar Rinpoche

KTT Biarritz

Then and now

KTT Paris

Then and now

KTT Bordeaux

Then and now

KTT Bilbao – Spain

Then and now

KTT Poitiers

Then and now

KTT Brussels

Then and now

KTT Emilia-Romana – Italy

Then and now

These photos come from our archives or were collected as part of the research for Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s 50th anniversary. We have not been able to identify all the authors. The use of these photos is solely for informational purposes within the context of Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s 50th anniversary celebration. Their use is limited to this event and our website and is not for commercial purposes.

Event

To mark this event, on March 1st, Lama Jigmé Rinpoche will continue his account of life alongside Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa.

Streaming in several languages will be available.