Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, accompanied by Bernard Benson, Côte de Jor, January 1975.
Compiling Dhagpo’s History at 50 Years
2025 marks fifty years since His Holiness the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje first set foot in France and visited the Dordogne, leading to the founding of Dhagpo Kagyu Ling.
To prepare for this year-long commemoration, Lama Jigme Rinpoche has underscored the importance of precisely chronicling Dhagpo’s history since 1975, noting that there are gaps in our knowledge.
Rinpoche will also marks his fifty years at Dhagpo in 2025.
To this end, under Rinpoche’s guidance, the Dhagpo Kagyu Ling community has embarked on a research project to compile this history, documenting it month by month since 1975. This includes chronicling visits, teachings and intensive practices by great masters, establishment of study courses, new constructions, as well as the Centre’s administrative development.
Emphasis is placed on all key activities that have planted seeds to render the Buddha’s teachings accessible to westerners and contributed to preserving the Karma Kagyu tradition. To facilitate the task, ten groups have been set up, each focused on collecting information over a five-year period, supported by a team in charge of overall coordination, documentation and archiving.
Gathering Dhagpo’s memory together
Rinpoche has stressed that this research project is a collective effort. Aware that practitioners around the world may hold valuable information to build this knowledge base, we invite you to share resources that you might have kept over the years. Documents may be scanned, or originals shared and returned to you upon request.
Here are some examples of what we are looking for:
- dated photos of historical value
- dated recordings of teachings
- dated administrative records
- dated press clippings
- any other document that sheds light on Dhagpo’s history.
Every event is being referenced in an archive and will serve to prepare for a year of practice around the 50th anniversary. Each month of the year will be an opportunity to look back on seeds that were planted over the years for the Dharma to flourish today and in the future.
The documents may be sent to the following e-mail address: archives@dhagpo.org
or sent by mail to:
Dhagpo Kagyu Ling
Projet Archives 50 ans
4430 Rte de la Côte de Jor
24290 – Saint Léon-sur-Vézère
For any enquiries, you may write to archives@dhagpo.org
Thank you very much for your participation!
It’s very important to understand our historical background and to connect next year’s events to it. Because the teachings, wishes and transmissions that have taken place here have planted seeds that are blessings. These things are very rare, very important.