SHEDRA, The Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies
NAMO BUDDHA, NEPAL
Namo Buddha, one of the three major stupas in Nepal, is where our supreme teacher Shakyamuni, while still on the path of learning, took birth as the prince Nyingthob Chenpo. It is the supreme and special place where without holding back in the least, he offered his body to a tigress on the verge of starvation. If Dharma activity could happen in such a place, then in the whole world and, in particular in the lands of Nepal and Tibet, the problems of degenerate times, such as disease, famine, war, and disputes, would be pacified, and, further, well being and goodness would grow and flourish. Being certain that all of this happens through the blessings of the teacher and the teachings, Thrangu Rinpoche began to build a new monastery at Namo Buddha in 1978.
Vasubhandu had the following to say on how to follow the teacher, the perfect and complete Buddha, how to practice genuine Dharma, and how to hold the teachings:
There are two aspects to the Buddha's teaching:
The very essence of the scriptures and of realization.
One should hold these in mind, speak about them,
And practice them. Do only that.
So since one must engage in both aspects of the precious teachings-scriptural study and meditative realization-one listens and reflects on the scriptural Dharma, the words of the Buddha, and the treatises. If there were no institute for higher studies where one listens to explanations and no place of practice where one brings into experience the Dharma to be realized-the path of the sutra- and mantrayanas-what are called places of Dharma and monasteries would be a mere reflection of genuine Dharma. For this reason, places of study and practice, which are the heart of the Buddha's teaching, are extremely important. First, in the institutes for higher study, one studies the sutra and mantra traditions along with the various sciences and, thereby, one can generate a special kind of confidence in the teachings, the genuine Dharma, and the one who taught them, the unsurpassed teacher, the Buddha and Bhagawan.
These treatises that are able to bring about certainty in the teachings were composed by Arya Nagarjuna, Acharya Asanga, Dharmakirti, Vasubhandu, Chandrakirti, and others: they are the words of the great and famous panditas from India. The four major treatises deal with Madhyamaka, the Prajna Paramita tradition, the Abhidharma, and the Vinaya. The treatises on Pramana (Dialectics) are concerned with reasonings that lead to direct and inferential valid cognition. The great treatises include the famous five divisions, and in particular, those great treatises forming a basis for the special stages of meditation that clearly reveal the true nature of the mind, the body, and the deity: The Supreme Continuum, The Profound Inner Nature, and The Two Volumes on the Tantra of Hevajra. One should study and reflect on these.
In order to understand in itself the intention of these texts, which is profound and difficult to fathom, one studies various commentaries from the Kagyu tradition, written by the Third Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, by the Seventh Gyalwang Karmapa, Chödrak Gyamtso, by the Eighth Gyalwang Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje, and also by Situ Chökyi Jungne, Kongtrül Yönten Gyatso, and others. By studying for five or ten years, one understands just as it is the thought of the sutra tradition's definitive meaning and the profound tantras of the secret mantrayana. In this way, the key points of Buddhist view, meditation, and conduct are fully comprehended, and the tradition of listening and reflecting, of being teacher and student as practiced at the great Nalanda University and monastic complex does not deteriorate. Studying at an institution of higher learning where the commentarial lineage has been maintained without interruption, one brings to perfection one's knowledge and qualities, thereby creating great benefits. Further, engaging in explanation, debate, and composition is a wonderful way to spread the precious teachings of the Buddha and insure that they remain for a long time.
Located behind Deer Park in Sarnath, India, where Shakyamuni Buddha gave his first teaching, Vajra Vidya Institute is a monastic college offering training in higher Buddhist philosophy. It was established by the Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche to preserve the Karma Kagyu lineage of scripture and realization.
Explaining his aims in establishing Vajra Vidya, Thrangu Rinpoche said, “When the Tibetans had to flee their country, the statues, stupas, and texts were almost all lost. Some Tibetan lamas escaped to India, and among them were quite a few great lamas. Now these great lamas are gradually passing away, and I feel that if we do not train fine people who have good qualities and practice experience, we will lose many of the oral instructions that are so precious. Therefore, the Institute was built to sustain the great tradition of these teachings.”
Vajra Vidya (“Indestructible Knowledge”) is the Sanskrit name of the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Rigpe Dorje.
Visitors to Vajra Vidya are welcomed by a bas-relief mural of the four great kings, the guardians of the four directions, just inside the monastery gate. The gate itself is designed as a Chakrasamvara mandala. Facing the main temple building are statues of Brahma and Indra, the gods who requested Shakyamuni Buddha to teach the Dharma after his enlightenment.
The main temple building was designed with the intention of preserving traditional Buddhist architecture, incorporating elements from the ancient Nalanda Monastic Institute in India, as well as from Samye, Zhalu Serkhang, Karme Yenmoche, and Gazhi Trulnang monasteries in Tibet. The central statue in the main shrine hall is of Shakyamuni Buddha, depicted in the teaching mudra. On either side of the main shrine are statues of the 35 confession Buddhas. One thousand Buddha statues are displayed in niches on the upper balcony. The murals illustrate the lives of the sixteen arhats. The ceiling is painted with mandalas.
Upstairs are four smaller shrine rooms dedicated to the 21 Taras, the protectors Dorje Drölo and Mahakala, and the texts of the collected teachings of the Buddha. On the top floor are suites for high lamas.
Behind the main temple building are a monks’ hostel and the monastery dining hall. Thrangu Rinpoche’s residence is in a separate building to the east.
On the south side of the compound is the Vajra Vidya Dispensary, staffed by a doctor as well as visiting volunteers, providing free medical care and discounted medicines to the local community. The Vidya Shop sells a variety of books, gifts, and Dharma items, and the Vajra Cafe offers drinks, snacks, and sundries; their profits go to the monks’ welfare committee.
The monks enrolled in the monastic college (shedra) follow a seven-year traditional program, studying the major texts of the Kagyu lineage on Buddhist philosophy, logic, debate, grammar, and poetry. The shedra students include several lay men and women from around the world. Also studying at Vajra Vidya are a number of young monks who are learning to read, write, and recite Tibetan. In addition to the daily schedule of prayers, the monks gather several times a month to practice pujas according to the Tibetan lunar calendar. Each year they also do extended pujas of Hevajra and Mahakala.
The Institute’s library houses a large collection of Tibetan texts old and new; audio archives of teachings; and collections of books and journals in English, Chinese, Hindi, and other languages. The library oversees an active publishing department which has produced 35 Dharma books used by the students of Vajra Vidya as well as other Buddhist colleges.
Each winter Thrangu Rinpoche leads the Vajra Vidya Seminar, a two-week program of Dharma teachings for Westerners. Over the years, the Institute has hosted a number of conferences and gatherings of Kagyu lamas, including the Kagyu Gunchö, a month-long annual program of teachings and debate for monks from Kagyu shedras.
There are many ways to help preserve the Buddhist teachings by supporting the Vajra Vidya Institute. Please inquire in the office about:
Located next to the VVI, the guesthouse, Vajra Vidya House, has twenty roms with attached bathrooms, a meditation room and dining hall with kitchen. This facility is suitable for group retreats, as well as individual guests as it is completely self contained in its own compound. In the compound garden is the newly consecrated Kagyu Dharmachakra Stupa where visitors can meditate and circumambulate.
