The 50 Years of
Dhagpo Kagyu Ling
The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Dhagpo Kagyu Ling, the transmission place of Gampopa’s lineage, and the European seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
Every month this year, from the moment in January when the Gyalwa Karmapa, in his 16th and 17th incarnations, set foot in Europe twenty-five years apart, right up to the present day, we will highlight milestones that planted the seeds for women and men from across Europe and beyond to receive authentic Buddhist teachings, experience the Buddhist path, and for Buddhist knowledge to be preserved and shared.
This is a year to learn about the precious Karma Kagyu lineage, to be inspired by what has been accomplished and to pay tribute to the masters that made it all possible. In this way, we deepen our confidence in the Buddha Dharma.
The year will be marked by dedicated practices on key dates to connect us to Dhagpo’s history, an online series of talks on the life of the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, and special events that will be announced over the months to come.
Follow the story here, month after month and let us celebrate Dhagpo’s 50th anniversary together!
It was a month of…
January
January 8, 1988: Official Recognition of Karme Dharma Chakra Congregation
The French government legally recognizes the Karme Dharma Chakra Buddhist monastic community, based in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère. The decree carries the stamp of Prime Minister Jacques Chirac. This is the first nonCatholic congregation to be recognized by the French government. The Tibetan Buddhist tradition is thus officially designated by the state as a religion that is established and practiced in France, opening the door for other Buddhist schools to also receive such recognition.
January 9, 2000: During His Inaugural European Trip, the 17th Karmapa Visits Dhagpo
Under gusty skies at the turn of the new century, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje, was greeted at Dhagpo Kagyu Ling on January 9— three days after arriving in Paris on his first visit to Europe.
Addressing some two thousand practitioners under a large marquee, the 16-year-old Gyalwa Karmapa recalled his predecessor’s instructions for Buddhism to take root in the West […]
Event
To mark this date, we will gather in Dhagpo’s Institute to recite the Five Royal Sutras and the practice of Vajrasattva as requested by the 17th Karmapa, as well as the Sutra of Longevity.
The practice will also be streamed.
January 17, 1975: The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa Meets Pope Paul VI at the Vatican
In a highly symbolic moment marking the Church’s openness to a Buddhist presence on European soil, Pope Paul VI met with the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje at the Vatican, in Rome, on January 17, 1975.
Welcoming the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, the Pope stated that “the Second Vatican Council expressed admiration for Buddhism in its various forms and for the contribution it makes to the spiritual elevation of man.”
Event
Dhagpo Kagyu Ling will perform a day-long garsang, a ritual practice that restores any damage caused to the inner or outer environment.
January 21, 1975: The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa Touches Down in Dordogne
During a day trip to Dordogne on January 21, 1975, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa Rangjung Ripge Dorje visited the stretch of land on the Côte de Jor that was to become Dhagpo Kagyu Ling.
He was invited by Bernard Benson, a British industrialist who owned the Château de Chaban and surrounding land on the Côte de Jor. […]
Event
On January 21st, Lama Jigme Rinpoche will give a talk on the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, who described him as “his heart.”
Streaming in several languages will be available.
January 21, 2023: the Library Receives an Exceptional Collection
The Dhagpo Kagyu Ling Library receives a collated collection from China of the Kangyur (the Buddha’s teachings) and the Tengyur (commentaries by Indian masters of the past). Counting more than 200 volumes, this collection is the fruit of over ten years of work carried out by scholars to collate four different editions of the Kangyur and Tengyur, hailing from Derge, Narthang, Beijing, and Chone. The late Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche had asked the Dhagpo library to acquire this exceptional work, to complement the version from Derge held in the traditional pecha format in its collection.
Read more on the Library’s website
Coming soon… Key dates for the month of February
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