Facilities will be established for craft work in general, and thangka painting in particular. Our Spiritual Directors, Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen, are both master thangka painters – but at present the number of their trainee painting students is limited not by the time of the teachers but by the size of the homes of [...]
Why a Retreat Centre? Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen, along with their teaching students, have offered public teachings and training on a wide range of subjects at many rented venues over the years. Now we are looking for a permanent home for our tradition, to make it more readily accessible to Buddhists and to those [...]
With the work of Ngak'chang Rinpoche, the calligraphy is not simply a brush-and-ink drawing. Each piece carries seals and signatures, in unique combinations. The most easily recognisable perhaps is the seal of scorpion is found in Tibetan calligraphy on the works of both Trungpa Rinpoche (see here) and some of the work of Ngak'chang Rinpoche. Robert [...]
Ngak’chang Rinpoche (pictured above with Khandro Déchen his wife and two children Robert and Raechel) is a Lama of the Nyingma Tradition within Vajrayana Buddhism. Born in 1952 in Hannover Germany—of an English father and German mother—he is the great grand-nephew of Franz Schubert. He was raised in England—attended Farnham Art School—and later Bristol Art School, [...]
We are delighted that Aro Ling Buddhist Centre (in Bristol, Great Britain) will be hosting a display of calligraphies by Ngak'chang Rinpoche on November 25th (start 7.30pm). The evening which will consist of a talk about 'sky signatures' and opportunity to purchase a calligraphy. All proceeds raised will go towards the Drala Jong Retreat Centre appeal. All of the calligraphies [...]
Q: Rinpoche - can you talk a little about students in the context of personal retreat? In the Drala Jong brochure we describe the aspiration to build a dratsang. I understand this translates as ‘tantric college’.NCR: With a residential retreat centre we’d have a larger library. We would concentrate on developing that library, in order [...]
Q: Rinpoche, I hate to ask this question – as I suspect I know your answer . . . and it might upset some people. Drala Jong is intended to establish the lineage for future generations . . . If you don’t wish to answer I’ll understand – but do you think that the Aro [...]
Q: What sort of location do you have in mind?KD: It depends on how much money we raise. It depends on many factors. It would be wonderful . . . perhaps . . . to have a cliff-top hotel . . . Housell Bay Hotel on the Lizard Peninsula . . . It has a [...]
The thing about setting up residential retreats, is that it is almost entirely unlike being a snail.What we do - what we did this last week - was uplift part of our 'home' and take it to some rented venue. This shot of Sonam and Simon's Wedding Blessing shows a hint of what we can [...]
Looks like Kate Humble thinks Drala Jong is such a good idea she is going to copy it (sort of!): www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-14330147. Nice to see support for rural skills from some imaginative councillors and a TV celeb! It is interesting to read the headline that Kate and her husband are looking to invest around £500,000 in [...]
