Ava Fischer
Introduction
El Centro Budista Padmasambhva or the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center is a Nyingmapa center of Buddhism located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the first Vajrayana Buddhist center established in the country of Puerto Rico, focusing on compassion and meditation as a means to reach nirvana. The Nyingma School of Ancient Tradition emerges from Vajrayana, Himalayan, and Mahayana Buddhisms. The Padmasambhava Buddhist Center of Puerto Rico (PBC Puerto Rico or CBP) is an extension of the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center in Sidney Center, New York and was established by the Venerable Master Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Venerable Master Khenpo Tsewang Rinpoche. The Padmasambhava Buddhist Center in New York is the headquarters and has branches throughout the United States, India, and Russia along with the Puerto Rican branch.
Despite not belonging to the school of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Centro Budista Padmasambhava (CBP) had the honor of hosting the fourteenth Dalai Lama in September 2004.
Nyingma School of Buddhism
El Centro Budista Padmasambhava (CBP) identifies as a Vajrayana Buddhist center emphasizing teachings and practices from the Nyingmapa tradition. The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism is a type of Vajrayana Buddhism which emerges from Himalayan/Tibetan Buddhism which is a form of Mahayana Buddhism. The Old Translation School, more commonly known as Nyingma, was the first form of Tibetan Buddhism founded by Indian Guru Padmasambhava and Tibetan King Trisong Deutsen. The tradition of passing knowledge from master to disciple began with Buddhist master Padmasambhava and his twenty-five disciples. Prior to Padmasambhava and Trisong Deutsen, Buddhism had not been well established in Tibet despite a number of attempts. According to tradition, Buddhism was not able to thrive in Tibet until Padmasambhava converted Tibetan demons to Buddhism under the instruction of Trisong Deutsen. With the conversion of the demons to Buddhism, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet was built, solidifying Buddhism’s roots in Tibet.
The Nyingma School emphasizes wisdom, compassion, and meditation as a means of reaching nirvana. A common belief amongst Vajrayana Buddhism, the parent of Nyingma, is that nirvana can be achieved in one lifetime. Besides the sutras passed on from the Buddha, Nyingma Buddhism also draws upon tantras and termas for guidance. Tantras are shared amongst all schools of Vajrayana Buddhism while termas are specific to the Nyingma school. Tantras are simply advanced practices that buddhists utilize to work towards achieving nirvana. Termas, on the other hand, are revealed teachings that are not ready to be received and began with Padmasambhava and his first disciple Yeshe Tsogal. The idea behind termas is that the master will plant the terma, also known as a treasure, into his disciple’s mind for it to be revealed for later generations. The most well known terma is known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Another defining component of Nyingma Buddhism is Dzogchen, the great perfection. Dzogchen meditation is the central teaching of the Nyingma school which is supposed to have rigpa, awakened awareness, flow through daily life. Essentially, the idea behind Dzogchen is that enlightenment does not have to be gained, that it has always existed, and it just needs to be revealed. This practice, however, is not unique to Nyingma as it is also utilized in the indigenous religion of Tibet, Bon. Together, tantras and the practice of Dzogchen make nirvana achievable in this lifetime. Despite the higher probability of reaching nirvana, Dzogchen requires close guidance of a master and rigorous practice in order to be effective.
El Centro Budista Padmasambhava Sangha
The Sangha of the CBP is composed of laypeople and rely on the guidance of Venerable Master Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche. Although there is no public data on the sangha of el CBP, limited pictures found on the website, Facebook page, and internet have shown a more “convert” Buddhist community. El Centro Budista Padmasambhava appears to have a majority, non-Asian community seeing that the approximate percentage of Asian Puerto Rico residents is 0.19% as of 2024.
Unlike meditation centers, the CBP provides free resources surrounding other aspects of Buddhism besides meditation alone. Like anywhere, members can take what they want from teachings, but Buddhism at the CBP is taught as a full picture. This allows the center to cater to people with varying levels of interest in Buddhism. The CBP does have some emphasis on meditation, primarily Samatha meditation, Vipassana, and Dzogchen meditation. Samatha meditation deals with tranquility of consciousness and Vipassana with full attention; together proper meditation can be achieved. Dzogchen meditation is a practice somewhat unique to Vajrayana Buddhism which aims to focus on calming observations as a path to direct immersion of consciousness. The CBP hosts weekly meditation practice, liturgy, and sutra readings every Sunday along with various bi-weekly seminars and practices that can all be found on a Google Calendar found on the CBP’s website. Members also have the opportunity to attend retreats guided by Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche whose attendants come from all of the PBC’s centers.
Active members of the CBP have a small range of membership plans for individuals, couples, students, seniors, and sponsors. The payments from these membership plans are used for the upkeep of the CBP and dues to the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center International. Members and guests are also welcome to donate money separate from membership fees. Members are also able to purchase books, CDs, prayer flags, and other items at the Dharma Shop & Bookstore Bod Pai Tsong Khang. Among these resources that require a monetary exchange, the greater Padmasambhava Buddhist Center provides free access to recordings and live streams of events, translated print teachings, audio recordings of teaching, and the Pema Mandala magazine which is the official magazine of the PBC.
Very little information was available on how the center functions in terms of who leads weekly events, any form of an administrative body, etc.
The Founders
Pictured above on the left is co-founder Venerable Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche. Born in eastern Tibet in 1938, he grew up in a semi-nomadic family living in the village during winter and herding during the summer. His family became the managers of Gochen Monastery in the Dhosul region of Tibet which allowed him to begin his Buddhist journey at the age of four. He finished his education at Riwoche Monastery prior to the Chinese invasion. Soon after the Chinese invasion of Tibet, he and his family fled to India in 1960 and remained there until 1984. In 1984, Sherab Rinpoche moved to the United States to work with former head of the Nyingma School Head, his holiness Dudjom Rinpoche. In 1988, Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and his brother Khenpo Tsewang Dongal Rinpoche founded the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center with branches in the United States, Russia, and India along with the CBP in San Juan. The Venerable Master Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche entered mahaparinirvana in June, 2010.
The other co-founder of the greater Padmasambhava Buddhist Center is the Venerable Master Khenpo Tsewang Dongal Rinpoche who is the younger brother of Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche. Dongyal Rinpoche was also born in eastern Tibet, twelve years after his older brother in 1950. As a newborn, he was identified as a reincarnation of Khenpo Sherab Khyentse. Unfortunately, due to the Chinese invasion, his Buddhist education came to a brief pause. Dongyal Rinpoche received a bachelor’s degree, BA, from the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies along with another BA and a masters degree from the Nyingmapa University of West Bengal. He has travelled around the world teaching, writing books in English and Tibetan, and continues to serve the sangha of the PBC. Together, Khenpo and Khenchen Rinpoche co-authored thirty-five books in English.
Website, Address, Contact Information & Social Media
https://www.padmasambhavapr.org/
Valencia Street #108
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907
+1 (787) 722-7156
centrobudistapadmasambhava@gmail.com
Resources
https://www.padmasambhavapr.org/