On the road with our Diamond Way Teachers this October: from the Highlands to the bright lights of London

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Diamond Way Teacher Tomek Lehnert begins the London October Course by giving a lecture in the great hall of the Beaufoy

Thankfulness is the basis of any meaningful human exchange and has enabled the Buddha’s teachings to be passed on successfully from teacher to student in an unbroken lineage for over 2,500 years.The importance of thankfulness was therefore a common theme in the lectures given by Diamond Way Teachers at the London October Course at the Beaufoy, as well as during Tomek Lehnert’s tour of the UK this October.

Tomek Lehnert’s UK tour

Tomek’s tour of the north of England and Scotland included visits to Diamond Way meditation groups in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Tomek’s journey also took him to many places of outstanding natural beauty, the pinnacle of which was undoubtedly Loch Lomond.

Tomek mentioned that what struck him the most was the way in which the bonds within the Sangha (community of practitioners) of that region had strengthened since his last UK tour in 2005. Although the meditation groups are still small, he describes them as “strong and clear” in terms of their familiarity with their practice and the friendships between the different groups. This is due to the fact that they meet regularly, despite the large distances separating them.

Tomek’s UK tour ended with the London October Course, where over 200 people had the pleasure of also attending lectures given by Diamond Way Teachers Maggie Lehnert, Manfred Maier and Michaela Fritzges. Lama Ole Nydahl had originally planned to teach at the London October Course but, on the advice of Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche, he is currently on a six-month retreat until the end of 2016.

Our noble heritage

Manfred Maier and Michaela Fritzges shared their experiences of the teacher-student relationship and gave explanations about the pure view, topics which lie at the heart of Diamond Way Buddhism. Maggie reminded us of our noble heritage and provided rare insights into the extraordinary lives of the 14th Shamarpa (1952–2014) and Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche (1918–2003), two of the greatest Buddhist masters of the 20th century who protected the Karma Kagyu lineage throughout times of immense crisis and political turbulence. Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche was in fact Lama Ole and Hannah Nydahl’s first  Buddhist teacher.

The encounter between Lama Ole and Hannah Nydahl and the 16th Karmapa, their training by other exceptional teachers such as Kalu Rinpoche, and stories of their travels throughout the world were shared by Tomek.

The Beaufoy

All of the visiting teachers and many attending the course praised the idealism at the heart of the Beaufoy project, which is, even after three years of hard and dusty refurbishment work, still in quite a raw state.

In terms of its function in bringing people together, the Beaufoy is said to equate to a “small version of the Europe Centre” (Diamond Way Buddhism’s international meditation centre and meeting point located in the German alps). As a great compliment, Tomek said that in terms of the way in which people work together on a voluntary basis was “an example for the whole world”.

Tomek, along with a few friends also made a visit to see the place where Diamond Way Buddhism established its roots in London, a converted former garage in Holborn where it held group meditations for 14 years. The leap from here to a 2,600 m2 refurbishment project in the heart of London was truly courageous! This humble premises in fact hosted many of our greatest teachers such as Lama Ole and Hannah Nydahl, the 14th Shamarpa, Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche and the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje, to whom we owe so much gratitude.

Diamond Way Buddhism in the UK

The first Diamond Way meditation group was set up in Cambridge in 1994 and most of the 15 UK Diamond Way centres and groups have held official programs for over a decade. The Beaufoy in London was bought on 23 January 2013 and is the crowning achievement of the combined activity and devotion of the whole UK Sangha. The success of the project is indeed the result of a global effort on many levels, and the doors of the Beaufoy are open to the whole world.

Click on the images below to enlarge.

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