Gampo Abbey is a Western

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monastery in the

Shambhala In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala ( sa, शम्भल ',''Śambhala'', also ''Sambhala'', is the name of a town between the Rathaprā and Ganges rivers, identified by some with Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. In the Puranas, it is named as ...

tradition in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. Founded by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1983, it is a lineage institution of Shambhala and a corporate division of the Vajradhatu Buddhist Church of Canada. Under the spiritual direction of

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Jampal Trinley Dradul (born Ösel Rangdrol Mukpo on November 15, 1962) is an American and Tibetan Buddhist descendant of the Shambhala lineage and Shambhala, a worldwide network of urban Buddhist meditation center ...

, the spiritual head of Shambhala International, Gampo Abbey is guided by its abbot

Thrangu Rinpoche Thrangu Rinpoche ( ) was born in 1933 in Kham, Tibet. He is deemed to be a prominent tulku (reincarnate lama) in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, the ninth reincarnation in his particular line. His full name and title is the ''Very Venerabl ...

and its principal teacher

Pema Chödrön Pema Chödrön (པདྨ་ཆོས་སྒྲོན། ''padma chos sgron'' “lotus dharma lamp”; born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown, July 14, 1936) is an American Tibetan Buddhist. She is an ordained nun, former acharya of Shambhala Buddhism an ...

. Gampo Abbey is named after

Gampopa Gampopa Sönam Rinchen (, 1079–1153) was the main student of Milarepa, and a Tibetan Buddhist master who codified his own master's ascetic teachings, which form the foundation of the Kagyu educational tradition. Gampopa was also a doctor and ...

, the first monastic in the

Kagyü The ''Kagyu'' school, also transliterated as ''Kagyü'', or ''Kagyud'' (), which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools (''chos lugs'') of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. ...

lineage of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

The community

Residents of Gampo Abbey include monks and nuns who have taken life ordination, monks and nuns who have taken temporary ordination, and laymen and laywomen. The life monastics are all ordained in the Mulasarvastivadin lineages of the

vinaya The Vinaya (Pali & Sanskrit: विनय) is the division of the Buddhist canon ('' Tripitaka'') containing the rules and procedures that govern the Buddhist Sangha (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). Three parallel Vinaya traditions remai ...

, or in the case of the bhikṣuṇīs, a combination of the Mulasarvastivadin and

Dharmaguptaka The Dharmaguptaka (Sanskrit: धर्मगुप्तक; ) are one of the eighteen or twenty early Buddhist schools, depending on the source. They are said to have originated from another sect, the Mahīśāsakas. The Dharmaguptakas had a p ...

lineages. Gampo Abbey's guiding teacher is the well-known author, Buddhist nun, and teacher

. The Abbey also has ties to the local

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

sangha.

Programs

The Abbey offers programs to residents and/or to the public, including: * The Yarne winter retreat * In-house retreats, where people can experience Abbey life for a week or two * Solitary retreats *

Shedra Shedra is a Tibetan word () meaning "place of teaching" but specifically refers to the educational program in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. It is usually attended by monks and nuns between their early teen years and early twenties. N ...

classes (the Vidyadhara Institute) * Shambhala programs * Practice intensives, including

Vajrayogini Vajrayoginī ( sa, italic=yes, Vajrayoginī वज्रयोगिनी; , Dorjé Neljorma; mn, Огторгуйд Одогч, Нархажид, ) is a Tantric Buddhist female Buddha and a . The ''Vajrayogini'' cult dates back to the tenth a ...

druppas

Temporary ordination

At the request of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche introduced temporary ordination (Tsanchö Genyen/Upasaka Brahmacharya ordination) to give Dharma practitioners an opportunity to experience monasticism without making a lifetime commitment. The prerequisite is the Refuge Vow. Temporary ordination is offered after residing at the Abbey for at least three months. Residents may request temporary

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

and be ordained for a minimum of nine months. Temporary monastics shave their heads, wear robes, and train in the disciplines and rituals of monastic life.Gampo Abbey website
Ordination

The Shambhala Monastic Order

In May 2013, the Office of the Kalapa Court, on behalf of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, announced the formation of the Shambhala Monastic Order, which will provide the umbrella organization over Gampo Abbey and any future monasteries within Shambhala. The Sakyong will work with Pema Chödrön, Gampo Abbey’s monastics, and other leaders on the path of Shambhala monasticism. This work will embrace the monastic practices and traditions to which the monastics of Gampo Abbey have already devoted themselves. What will be developed are teachings, practices, and skillful means that further enrich and infuse the monastic discipline with Shambhala vision and culture.The official announcement
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Stupa of Enlightenment

In 1996

, the Abbot of Gampo Abbey, requested that a

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

be built at Gampo Abbey. Supported by

, construction of the stupa began in 1999. After completion, Thrangu Rinpoche consecrated the stupa in August 2001, dedicating it to

world peace World peace, or peace on Earth, is the concept of an ideal state of peace within and among all people and nations on Planet Earth. Different cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations have varying concepts on how such a state would ...

. The Stupa of Enlightenment houses the

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and also symbolizes that the

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

has taken root in Nova Scotia.Gampo Abbey website
Stupa history

Söpa Chöling

Söpa Chöling is the three-year retreat center at Gampo Abbey. It was envisioned by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and founded by

in 1990. The first three-year retreats were designed and taught by the great Buddhist master,

Jamgön Kongtrül Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé (, 1813–1899), also known as Jamgön Kongtrül the Great, was a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, poet, artist, physician, tertön and polymath.Jackson, Roger R. The Tibetan Leonardo, 2012, https://www.lionsroar.com/the ...

, Lodrö Thayé (1813-1899). The three-year retreat remains one of the most important institutions of Buddhism. The third

named the center Söpa Chöling, which means "Dharma Place of Patience." Three-year retreats at Söpa Chöling are done in English, in three segments with breaks in between. This schedule was designed by Thrangu Rinpoche to make the retreat more accessible for people with family and career commitments. Six groups of retreatants have completed the three-year retreat, a total of 56 individuals. The seventh cycle of retreats is currently underway. Notable Söpa Chöling retreat alumni include the renowned Buddhist nun and teacher

. Recent alumni have written about their three-year retreat experience at Söpa Chöling.

Notes

External links

*
'The Trap' - Gampo Abbey members practising 'life release' (short National Film Board of Canada documentary)
{{Authority control Buddhist monasteries in Canada Tibetan Buddhism in Canada Shambhala vision Tibetan Buddhist places Religious buildings and structures in Nova Scotia Buildings and structures in Inverness County, Nova Scotia