Lerab Ling is a

Tibetan Buddhist 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 ...

centre founded in 1992 by Sogyal Rinpoche in

Roqueredonde Roqueredonde (; oc, Tiudaç) is a Communes of France, commune in the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region in southern France. Les Cabrils station has rail connect ...

, near

Lodève Lodève (; oc, Lodeva ) is a commune in the département of Hérault, in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The derivation of the city's name is from Gaulish ''Luteva'', composed of lut-, swamp, ...

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It contains perhaps the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Europe, which was officially inaugurated by the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

in 2008 at a ceremony attended by

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

History

Before it became a buddhist retreat centre, the land was known as L'Engayresque, which means 'the place of springs' in the ancient

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

language. The site was chosen by

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche Tashi Paljor, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche () (c. 1910 – 28 September 1991) was a Vajrayana master, scholar, poet, teacher, and recognized by Buddhists as one of the greatest realized masters. Head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism from 198 ...

in 1990, and was then blessed by Dodrupchen Rinpoche in 1991. It has hosted

Rigpa In Dzogchen, ''rigpa'' (; Skt. vidyā; "knowledge") is knowledge of the ground. The opposite of ''rigpa'' is ''ma rigpa'' ('' avidyā'', ignorance). A practitioner who has attained the state of ''rigpa'' and is able to rest there continuously ...

's annual summer retreats since 1992. Since then it has been visited by many of the highest ranking lamas of all Tibetan Buddhist schools, including the Dalai Lama who visited both in 2000 and 2008, and

Sakya Trizin Sakya Trizin ( "Sakya Throne-Holder") is the traditional title of the head of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism.''Holy Biographies of the Great Founders of the Glorious Sakya Order'', translated by Venerable Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen, Ani Kunga ...

in 2007. From 2006 until 2009 a traditional three-year retreat took place with over 300 participants.

Temple

The three-storey temple at Lerab Ling with its distinctive copper roofs is based on traditional

Tibetan architecture Architecture of Tibet contains Chinese and Indian influences but has many unique features brought about by its adaptation to the cold, generally arid, high-altitude climate of the Tibetan plateau. Buildings are generally made from locally availabl ...

. Its centrepiece is a statue of

Buddha Shakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

crafted in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

. It also includes 1000 bronze buddha statues representing the 1000 buddhas of this

kalpa (aeon) A ''kalpa'' is a long period of time (aeon) in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, generally between the creation and recreation of a world or universe. Etymology ''Kalpa'' ( sa, कल्प, , a formation or creation) in this context, means "a lon ...

. There is a statue of

Padmasambhava Padmasambhava ("Born from a Lotus"), also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from India who may have taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries)... According ...

in the lake to the north-east of the main temple.

Monastic community

Ordained monks and nuns living in Lerab Ling have been formally recognized as a religious congregation under French law.

Tourism and Visits

In one of the most beautiful and natural environments northwest of Montpellier in France, you can find a magnificent temple, which is at the heart of the Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Centre, Lerab Ling. In all aspects, the temple is inspired by the art and architecture of ancient Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the Himalayas. Inside the temple is a statue of the Buddha as well as many authentic paintings and statues. To respect and maintain the atmosphere of meditation and retreat, Lerab Ling is only open to the public: * On Sunday afternoons only from 2pm to 5pm for visits from April to 4 November. Outside these periods Lerab Ling is closed. * Upon request only (at least 14 days ahead) and during certain periods (from Tuesday to Saturday), it is possible to visit Lerab Ling in groups. It is also possible for the group to book a meal and join the community for lunch. Thanks to always check the times and dates of the visits on lerabling.org

Gallery

File:Lerab Ling Buddhist Temple 1.jpg File:Lerab Ling Buddhist Temple 2.jpg File:Lerab Ling Buddhist Temple 3.jpg File:Lerab Ling Buddhist Temple 4.jpg File:Lerab Ling Buddhist Temple 5.jpg

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Official websiteVideo of the inauguration of the temple in 2008
Tibetan Buddhism in France Nyingma monasteries and temples Buddhist temples in France Buildings and structures in Hérault Tourist attractions in Hérault