All ‘Buddhist Centres’ posts

Lama Ole Nydahl visits London and the Beaufoy Institute, January 2013

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013
Old electricity switch in the Beaufoy Institute building

Old electricity switch in the Beaufoy Institute building

From 23-27 January 2013, Lama Ole Nydahl visited London for a momentous and action-packed visit. Arriving at Heathrow Airport at lunchtime on Wednesday 23 January, fresh from his winter tour of Russia, Lama Ole with his travelling group including Tomek Lehnert were greeted by members of the London sangha as well as Caty Hartung, who had already arrived one day previously. The main focus of the visit was the London Diamond Way Buddhist Centre‘s new home at the Beaufoy Institute in Lambeth, the sale of which had completed on the auspicious day of 21 January (a Guru Rinpoche day). Caty had already spent quite a lot of time the previous day with friends in London, sharing her decades of experience in building up Diamond Way Buddhist Centres, and helping to answer many important practical questions about the big project ahead to transform the building.

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12-12-12: The Bardo Ends

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

Lama Ole Nydahl, H.H. Karmapa, Lama Jigme Rinpoche and friends outside the Beaufoy Institute

Today, 12/12/12, marks the end of the three-month statutory waiting period or “intermediate state” (Tib. Bardo), after which final approval for planning permission for the Beaufoy Institute could be confirmed. During this time the opportunity was present for a judicial review to be launched into Lambeth Council’s decision to grant Diamond Way Buddhism UK planning permission to turn the Beaufoy into our new Buddhist centre. However, no such appeal was lodged, reconfirming the satisfaction of all parties with Lambeth’s decision.

We are therefore pleased to share the delightful news that there is now nothing holding us back from completing the sale of the Beaufoy Institute and moving into our new home and headquarters in Lambeth’s future London Diamond Way Buddhist Centre, a big and representative centre for the Karma Kagyu lineage in South London.

We would like to show our recognition of the enormous amount of meticulous planning, hard work, compromise and personal sacrifice made by people too numerous to name individually, both from within the Karma Kagyu Dharma family, and from Lambeth’s community. It was these people whose unrelenting efforts – particularly from March 2012 when the planning consultation opened – led us to this triumphant result.

On the international Diamond Way Buddhism website, there’s a new article where you can read more about our project for a new Diamond Way Buddhist centre in Lambeth.

H.H. 17th Karmapa in London – the Wish Fulfilling Jewel and the Victorious Banner

Monday, July 23rd, 2012
The Wish Fulfilling Jewel

The Wish Fulfilling Jewel

Victorious Banner

The “Victorious Banner” (Tib. Gyaltsen) was originally a military standard of ancient Indian warfare. Early Buddhism adopted the banner as a symbol of Buddha Shakyamuni’s triumph over the armies of Mara, the personification of obstacles on the path to enlightenment, whose demonic warriors bore it as an emblem. Legend says that this banner was placed at the summit of Mount Meru, the mythological centre of the cosmos, as a symbol of the Buddha’s victory over the entire universe. The top of the banner was surmounted by the “Wish Fulfilling Jewel” (Tib. Yidzhin Norbu), which is a famous epithet of the Karmapa…

July 2012 marked some of the most significant events in the history of the Karma Kagyu lineage in the United Kingdom: the Wish Fulfilling Jewel appeared once again in the UK, and a victorious banner was raised above the Beaufoy Institute in Lambeth. In the midst of the celebrations of the enormous success, after a long process of planning consultation, in planning permission being granted for Diamond Way Buddhism’s new London Centre at the Beaufoy Institute, H.H. 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje arrived in the UK for a momentous 10 day visit.

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Celebration! Diamond Way paves the way to London’s largest Buddhist Centre

Monday, July 9th, 2012
Initial design for the New London Diamond Way Buddhist Centre at the Beaufoy Institute, Lambeth

Initial design for the New London Diamond Way Buddhist Centre at the Beaufoy Institute, Lambeth

On 3 July 2012, Diamond Way Buddhism was granted Planning Permission to complete the sale of the Beaufoy Institute, 39 Black Prince Road, Lambeth. We will transform the Beaufoy into the biggest Buddhist meditation centre in central London, and brought back into use for the whole community. Our vision for the Beaufoy is one that will breathe new life into the building, preserving the heritage of the original listed building, whilst ensuring it meets the needs of the Buddhist community in London, local people in Lambeth and London as a whole (click on thumbnails below to see artists impressions of the project).

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Video of Diamond Way Buddhism’s exhibition “Space for Art” in Lambeth

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

This video captures the “Space for Mind, Space for Art” exhibition in Lambeth, London at The Spring from 28th May – 3rd June 2012, the first major exhibition the Diamond Way Foundation has undertaken in the UK. The exhibition linked Tibetan Buddhist treasures with modern art and local artists.

Diamond Way Buddhism’s exhibition “Space for Art” in Lambeth draws acclaim

Monday, June 25th, 2012

The “Space for Mind, Space for Art” exhibition was the first major exhibition the Diamond Way Foundation has undertaken in London or the UK. For the first time the exhibition linked the treasures of Tibetan Buddhism to modern art and local artists.  It was held in Lambeth at The Spring from 28th May – 3rd June 2012, and was made possible by a number of donors and sponsors.

Diamond Way Buddhism exhibition setup at The Spring, Lambeth

The interior of The Spring was transformed into a gallery

The exhibition aimed to build a rich and atmospheric experience for people to enter into the realms of the Buddhas and a contemporary art response. This came from local artists in Lambeth whose works were displayed alongside pieces of national significance kindly loaned by the British Council Collection.

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Diamond Way Buddhism at Exeter Respect Festival

Sunday, June 17th, 2012

Exeter Respect 2012

Exeter Buddhist Centre recently manned a stall for the two day Exeter Respect Festival in Belmont Park, Exeter on 2-3 June 2012.

The Exeter Respect Festival is an expanding and very popular local community festival. It was launched in a very small way a few years ago to celebrate cultural diversity in the city. Since it moved outdoors, into Belmont Park, it has increased hugely in popularity and now has lots of delicious and exotic food on offer, as well as music, singing and dance from around the world.

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“Art of Enlightenment” Exhibition in Brighton

Tuesday, May 29th, 2012
Dorje Chang Statue

Dorje Chang Statue

In connection with the ‘Space for Mind, Space for Art: treasures of Tibetan Buddhism and contemporary responses‘ which is happening this week at The Spring Project, in Lambeth, London, the sangha in Brighton decided to put on their own exhibition ‘Art of Enlightenment’.

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