Kagyu Samye Dzong London Tibetan Buddhist Centre for World Peace and Health is the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

branch of Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland. Kagyu Samye Dzong London is under the direct guidance of Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche and Venerable Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche, the co-founder and Abbot of Samye Ling respectively.

History

Kagyu Samye Dzong London initially opened in 1998 in the former Holy Trinity School near

Waterloo station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of t ...

in the

London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London boroughs, London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London ...

. The centre remained here until 2007 when the site became subject to redevelopment as part of the Terry Farrell-designed Founder's Place scheme. This development was subsequently cancelled in 2010. The current Samye Dzong London centre is located in the former

Bermondsey Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, a ...

public library in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, South East London, close to the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...

and

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

. Designed by John Johnson, the building dates from 1892 and was one of the first free public libraries in London. Dr Alfred Salter MP and his wife

Ada Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, Tur ...

(the first woman mayor in London) used the library as a base from which many public health initiatives were launched. It remained in operation as a public library until the 1980s after which it was used as office space by

London Borough of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas ...

. The Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

is adjacent to the

Bermondsey Town Hall Bermondsey Town Hall is a municipal building in Spa Road, Bermondsey, London. It is a Grade II listed building. History The current building was commissioned as an extension to a 19th-century vestry hall which had been designed by George Elki ...

and opposite Spa Gardens. It is within the Bermondsey Spa Regeneration area. The building was bought by Kagyu Samye Dzong London from Southwark Council in 2009. It was renovated by a volunteer workforce and opened to the public in June 2010.

The Centre

The day-to-day running of the centre is overseen by resident director and teacher Lama Gelongma Zangmo. Danish by birth, Lama Zangmo has been practising Buddhism since arriving at Samye Ling in 1977. The main shrine room can seat around 200 people and is used for large events and teachings. The shrine houses a Buddha statue which is approximately 3 metres in height. In April 2013 a second shrine room was opened by

Akong Tulku Rinpoche Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche (, 1940 – 8 October 2013) was a tulku in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and co-founder of the Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland, Tara Rokpa Therapy & ROKPA International Charity. Early life Choje Akon ...

. This followed a five-month project of traditional Tibetan artwork by volunteer artists under the guidance of renowned

thangka A ''thangka'', variously spelled as ''thangka'', ''tangka'', ''thanka'', or ''tanka'' (; Tibetan: ཐང་ཀ་; Nepal Bhasa: पौभा), is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, ...

painter Lama Rigzin who travelled from Nepal to oversee the work. This shrine room is located in the main hall of the original Victorian library.

Activities

The main function of the centre is to provide a place for meditation and teaching on

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 ...

within the

Kagyu 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 (or Himalayan) Buddhism. The Kagyu lineag ...

Tradition. Other activities include Yoga, Tai Chi, martial arts, Parkour dancing, mindfulness training and meditation. A Tibetan Doctor visits the centre monthly for consultations.

Teachers

Visiting lineage teachers

In addition to teachings and empowerments from

and

Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche () is a lama in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and abbot of the Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre, Scotland, the first and largest of its kind in the West. Early years Born in 1943 into a farming fam ...

, Kagyu Samye Dzong London has, since its foundation, hosted a number of visiting lineage teachers including Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche,

Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche () is a prominent scholar yogi in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He teaches widely in the West, often through songs of realization, his own as well as those composed by Milarepa and other masters of the ...

, Ponlop Rinpoche,

Mingyur Rinpoche Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (Tibet: ཡོངས་དགེ་མི་འགྱུར་རིན་པོ་ཆེ། Wylie: yongs dge mi 'gyur rin po che) is a Tibetan teacher and master of the Karma Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhis ...

, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, Khenpo Damcho Dawa Rinpoche and Drupon Rinpoche Khenpo Lhabu.

Dharma and meditation teachers

Rob Nairn Robert G. Nairn (died 30 September 2023) was a South African Buddhist teacher, author and populariser. He was born and grew up in Rhodesia. Nairn was a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, in the Karma Kagyu lineage. Academic education and legal career ...

Alistair Appleton Alistair Appleton (born 12 February 1970) is a British broadcaster, psychotherapist and meditation teacher. Biography Born in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, to Peter and Sally (née Cooper) Appleton, the younger of two sons, Alistair was brough ...

and Clive Holmes regularly teach at the centre on various dharma topics, meditation and mindfulness. The Mindfulness Association also runs certificated training courses at the centre.

Regular teachings

For most of the year Lama Zangmo teaches a weekly class based on a core Buddhist text. She also regularly gives instruction on central Kagyu practices.

London Bardo Group

The London Bardo Group, which is run by volunteers connected with Kagyu Samye Dzong London, can provide assistance to people with critical or terminal illness. It offers both practical and spiritual help.

Manor Place Centre

A second, smaller centre used to be located about a mile away at the

Manor Place Baths Manor Place Baths is a former public baths, swimming pool and boxing venue in Manor Place off Walworth Road in Newington, London. The late-19th century Victorian structure, designed by the company of Edward I'Anson, is a grade II listed building ...

in Manor Place, Kennington. This Victorian building, of a very similar age to the Bermondsey centre, was the original public baths and wash-house for the local population. It was leased and renovated by Kagyu Samye Dzong London as a temporary home before the Bermondsey centre was bought and renovated. The Manor Place centre was used as a meditation centre with regular teachings, introductory meditation classes and short meditation retreats until 2015.

References

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External links

Official Site of His Holiness 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley DorjeSamye Ling websiteKagyu Samye Dzong websiteLama Zangmo on BBC World ServiceLondon Bardo GroupDarshana Photo ArtAlistair Appleton's Meditation website
Tibetan Buddhist organizations Buddhist charities Buddhist temples in London Religion in the London Borough of Southwark Buddhist organisations based in the United Kingdom Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Southwark Bermondsey Religious organizations established in 1998