Karma Drubdey Palmo Chokyi Dingkhang
Khenchen Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Karma Drubdey Nunnery
Khenchen Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenchen Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
© copyright Thomas Mitchell
Khenchen Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche is one of the foremost living teachers of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, a great scholar and master of meditation who traveled the world teaching in Buddhism centres everywhere.
While in Tibet, Rinpoche spent his early youth in retreat in the mountains until his teacher told him to study for the benefit of others.
During the communist invasion of Tibet, Khenpo Rinpoche fled to India along with 13 nuns.
After he completed nine years of study in India, he came to Bhutan with the help of the 16th Karmapa and the Queen Mother Ashi Phuntso Choden Wangchuk in 1968.
Prior to the establishment of our nunnery in 1972, Rinpoche and his nuns stayed in the Kuenga Rabten palace in the winter and Buli Lhakhang in Bumthang in the summer.
The 16th Gyalwang Karmapa sent Rinpoche to Europe in 1977. He taught throughout Europe and later travelled worldwide training many translators.
Rinpoche has a unique way of teaching his students by singing extemporaneous songs of realization. In this way, his lifestyle resembles that of the lord Milarepa, and therefore is widely known as the Milarepa of our time.
As a renowned scholar, he excels in philosophical debate and always aims to turn the minds of his opponents and students towards their own inner experience rather than getting lost in intellectual fabrications.
Rinpoche also established Tek Chok Ling Nunnery in Boudha, Nepal and a retreat center in Yolmo, Nepal, the site of one of Milarepa’s retreat caves.
Karma Drubdey Nunnery
The main nunnery, which needs to be relocated.
Khenchen Rinpoche chose land on a steep hillside above the village of Kuenga Rabten for our nunnery in 1972. One of the reasons he selected it is that being on a steep hillside, it is not land that can easily be farmed and therefore does not deprive the local people of farmland.
We started with only few buildings that we built ourselves. As more women joined the nunnery in years that followed, more buildings were constructed, and its size expanded to what is now like a mini town.
It is divided into three parts: the main nunnery, a retreat center, and a shedra (monastic college).
There are about 110 nuns studying in the main nunnery, including about thirty-five who attend the local school.
Shedra
Our shedra, Shedrub Pheljeling Buddhist college for nuns, started in 2011, and our first class graduated in 2021. Many of the graduates are now teaching in the shedra. Currently there are about 60 nuns studying in this twelve-year program.
Retreat Center
Typically there are 10 nuns in one-year retreats.
Only our main nunnery needs to be relocated.
The land beneath the shedra and retreat center is stable.
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