The 5th Annual Drukpa Council
The Annual Drukpa Council was created by His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa in 2009 in order to exchange ideas, to strengthen ties within the lineage and for Drukpa masters to share the wealth of their spiritual heritage.
The venue this year is Hemis monastery, the principal seat of the Drukpa lineage and famous worldwide for its annual festival. It will host for the second consecutive year the greatest assembly of Drukpa masters, scholars and Tulkus.
CreativitySri Lanka Eco-Pad Yatra
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATES
Yatra is a Sanskrit term, meaning "journey" or "procession" and Pad Yatra generally refers to a walking pilgrimage to sacred sites.
March 2013 will be the first time His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa undertakes an eco-pad yatra outside of his motherland, India.
You are invited to join the walking pilgrimage and visit the holy sites in Sri Lanka, blessed by the holy saints of the past, and celebrate Christmas with His Holiness and his spiritual entourage with historical meditation caves and archaic frescoes of meditational deities as backdrop. Just like the ancient times when the Buddha walked with his disciples and taught them through his physical actions and verbal expressions, His Holiness and his spiritual sons and daughters will help us relive the ancient traditions of spirituality as well as connect this ancient wisdom with our modern life.
Relics of the Buddha to visit Drukpa UK London Centre
We are delighted to host the Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour at our London centre, from August 31st to September 2nd.
This is a rare opportunity to view these relics, which were found among the cremation ashes of Buddhist masters. The relics resemble beautiful, pearl-like crystals which are believed to embody the master’s spiritual qualities of compassion and wisdom and are deliberately produced by the master at his death.
Visitors often report experiences of inspiration and healing when in the presence of the relics. While some are inspired to pray for world peace and to develop their inner wisdom, others are overcome by emotion as the powerful effects of the relics open their hearts to compassion and loving-kindness.
Khenpo Sonam Gyatso Rinpoche to visit in August
This erudite great Master of the Drukpa lineage is well-known as one of the most important scholars of Tibetan Buddhism. By sharing His experiences and knowledge through a dynamic and lively teaching style as well as His compassion and His wisdom, He helps the greatest number of beings on the path to liberation.
It is at the request of His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa that Khenpo Sonam Gyatso Rinpoche comes to offer His immense knowledge to students at Drukpa centres in Europe. We must appreciate how fortunate we are to welcome the visit of such a great Master in philosophy and take advantage of this excellent occasion to study and instruct ourselves in the light of His profound teachings.
Urgent Disaster Appeal
Major Earthquake Devastates Sikkim, Darjeeling and Nepal
On the evening of September 18th, the Himalayan region was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale. The epicentre was in Sikkim and at least 63 people have been killed there and in the surrounding areas of Bihar, West Bengal, Nepal and Tibet. Hundreds more have been injured by the subsequent mudslides and falling debris and the death and injury toll is rising as rescue workers continue to use shovels and bare hands to pull bodies from destroyed buildings.
Many buildings in and around Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, have collapsed and around 85 per cent of structures and houses have developed cracks. It is estimated that 100,000 homes in the Himalayan region are affected. Areas in north Sikkim have been cut off from the rest of the country as roads are blocked and communication lines damaged by the earthquake.
Live Webcast of Throma Nagmo Retreat
Click here for live webcast of Throma Nagmo retreat with His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa and His Eminence Kyabje Khamtrul Rinpoche, broadcast live from Kathmandu, from October 18th to 25th. Video on demand of previous sessions also available.
Special Retreat and Birthday Celebration 27th February - 3rd March 2012
Click here for information and how to register the forthcoming Retreat and Birthday Celebrations in Nepal
Drukpa UK to sponsor the Vajra Wheel project
Drukpa UK is delighted to be one of the 108 sponsors of the Vajra Wheel project which has been recently launched by His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa. This is a wonderful opportunity for us all to participate in this extremely auspicious project If you would like to contribute towards the $10,000 (aproximately £6,000) required to meet our target please use this link to make an online donation (via paypal).
If you would like to send a donation by cheque please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Many thanks for your kind support
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3rd Annual Drukpa Council - August 16th to 31st
Letter from Drubpon Ngawang, March 8th 2011
Dear Friends,
In accordance with the wish of His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, the Third Council of the Drupka Lineage will take place this year from August 20th to 29th at Shey (Ladakh) at Naropa Palace, very near Druk White Lotus school.
Ladakh, also called “Little Tibet” is a land that is particularly blessed by the presence of numerous Great Drukpa Masters of the past who went there from Tibet, such as the great yogi Taktsang Repa who founded Hemis Monastery, Gyalwa Gotsangpa, as well as the incarnations of the 7th and 8th Gyalwang Drukpa.
Drukpa UK at Primrose Hill Fair
On November 28th we took a stall at Primrose Hill Fair to promote our centre and activities. In spite of the cold weather we had lots of of interest from the local community.
Tree Planting In Ladakh
10.10.10 or 10th October 2010, a day occuring once in every thousand years, was a day to remember by most Ladakhis and the international volunteers. A Guinness World Record (GWR) for "Most Trees Planted Simultaneously" was broken or rather, a new record was set! The feat was achieved in half the stipulated time by 9,313 people who came from villages across Ladakh, and different religious and cultural backgrounds. We broke the record set in Peru earlier this year, where 27,166 saplings had been planted by 8,000 participants in an hour.
Special Shabten Practice This Week
All this week we willl be running special Shabten (Long Life prayer) sessions at the London centre to coincide with the Long Life ceremonies for His Holiness the Gyawang Drukpa, which are taking place in Darjeeling (see calendar on the right for details).
Here is an excerpt from His Eminence Khamtrul Rinpoche's instruction on the importance of Shabten practice (from www.drukpa-shabten.net) :
'As some of you may already know or have heard, from a traditional Tibetan viewpoint, the next 4 years are considered ‘obstacle’ years for His Holiness from the astrological point of view. Though Buddha himself like His Holiness are beyond the dualistic concepts of obstacles it is extremely important for us lay devotees, as well as nuns and monks living in the samsara with dualistic concepts to perform spiritual activities dedicated for the longevity of His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa. These merits should also be dedicated for His Holiness Je Khenpo Jigme Choedra, His Eminence Bairo Rinpoche and Mayoumla and for all the great masters whose mere presence, if prolonged for even a second, can greatly benefit numerous seen and unseen beings'.
We hope that many of you will be able to attend but if this is not possible you can submit your accumulations to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - see www.drukpa-shabten.net for details on how to practice Shabten.