Cara Dost
“One of my first central experiences as a child that stood out among so many important teachings and that I remember very clearly was when my maternal grandfather told me that Nargarjuna said, We don’t have to train in a huge number of things, we can accomplish our goals by just focusing on one thing…compassion or loving-kindness.“
H.E. Avikrita Rinpoche, a lama at Sakya Monastery
Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism is situated in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Seattle, Washington. The outside of the building is a beautiful mix of ornate and homey, fitting in well with the houses around it yet still managing to distinguish itself as a special and holy place. The exterior of the building is painted in traditional Tibetan colors–yellow and red–and there is stunning gold and stone detailing by the main entrance. The American and Tibetan flags fly side-by-side on the front lawn, and on the outer corner of the property is a modest stupa memorializing the late co-founder Dezhung Rinpoche. At first glance, the building looks too small to house its large congregation, but the main sanctuary is spacious enough to bring everyone together for worship.
The building itself was originally built in 1928 as a Presbyterian church. Sakya Monastery traces its roots back to 1974 when Sakya Tegchen Choling Center was founded, but it did not come to be known as Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism until it moved into its current building in 1984. Just a few years later, Sakya Monastery was reorganized under His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Rinpoche after his co-founder Dezhung Rinpoche passed away. Having purchased the building from a Baptist group, there was a great deal of renovation needed to transform the building from a Christian space to a Buddhist space. It took twelve years to complete the shrine room, the center of worship. The 1993 film Little Buddha used Sakya Monastery for certain scenes, which provided much-needed income. In 1998, the co-founder’s memorial stupa was erected and the building was repainted in its current traditional colors. Sakya Monastery completed work on its new library in 2001, which now houses over 2,500 books on “Buddhism, Tibet, and comparative religion.” Since then, the building has not undergone any major changes.
Dagchen Rinpoche and Dezhung Rinpoche were born in Tibet and fled to India in 1959 when Communist China seized control of their country. Both co-founders began their Buddhist education at early ages. Dezhung Rinpoche was born in 1906 and was sent to the Thaglung Monastery in East Tibet at just five years old; Dagchen Rinpoche, born in 1929, was raised to be the head of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism and heir to the Sakya throne, “the third most important political position in Tibet” at the time. Dezhung spent much of his adult life traveling around Tibet, visiting and teaching at different monasteries. He was a well-respected scholar of the many branches and expressions of Buddhism, and he also had a reputation as a skilled practitioner. He held public talks on compassion and the Dharma, and routinely had audiences numbering in the thousands. Dezhung succeeded his lama Legpa Rinpoche as Abbot of Tharlam Monastery just before the Chinese began their invasion. He fled with one hundred others, only forty of which ultimately made it all the way to India. Dagchen completed his political training at a young age and ascended to the Sakya throne at the age of 21 after his father’s death, but soon abdicated and relinquished his throne in order to continue his religious education. Dagchen and his wife, Dezhung’s niece, were among the forty Tibetan Buddhists who successfully reached India in 1959.
Both Dagchen Rinpoche and Dezhung Rinpoche were invited to Seattle, Washington in 1960 to participate in the University of Washington’s Tibetan Studies program–the first ever in the United States of America. The research program, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, aimed to study Tibetan history and culture, and program funding lasted for three years. After the program was over, Dagchen Rinpoche held various teaching positions at the University of Washington until 1974, when Dagchen and Dezhung came together to found Sakya Tegchen Choling Center. Dagchen Rinpoche and his family settled relatively quickly in Seattle; Dezhung Rinpoche, on the other hand, spent the last twenty years of his life traveling North America speaking publicly and founding other Sakya monasteries in New York, Boston, and Minneapolis. Near the end of his life, Dezhung split his time between the United States and Nepal, where he was supervising the construction of Tharlam Monastery. He died in Nepal in 1987. Dezhung’s reincarnation was born in Seattle in 1991, and was “formally enthroned” at Tharlam Monastery in 1994, where he still lives today and continues his education. As mentioned before, Dezhung’s memorial stupa at Sakya Monastery was completed in 1998.
Once reorganized and reborn under Dagchen Rinpoche, the purpose of Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism shifted slightly. Originally a place solely for followers of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism, Sakya Monastery soon began hosting “leading lamas of all four Schools of Tibetan Buddhism,” and even founded its own educational branch, the Virupa Educational Institute. Dagchen Rinpoche places a monumental emphasis on education and introducing people to all forms of Buddhism, and non-sectarianism is a fundamental part of his teachings. In addition to Buddhism in general, the Virupa Education Institute is “devoted to…religions, cultures, and sciences from around the world.” Dagchen’s dedication to ecumenism comes from “his training as a non-sectarian master” under his lamas. He also acknowledges his own experience of coming to the United States as someone seeking religious freedom as being key to his commitment to interfaith dialogue and fellowship. Dagchen Rinpoche occasionally travels to Asia, Europe, and throughout North America to teach and maintain relationships with other Buddhist and religious communities worldwide.
Aside from education and ecumenism, the key focus of Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism is to celebrate and preserve its Tibetan roots. Dagchen Rinpoche has carefully “overseen the religious activities and administration of the center…since its inception,” and he regularly leads meditations, gives teachings and empowerments, conducts refuge ceremonies for recent converts, and will often perform blessings in the shrine room or at people’s homes. In the “Background on Sakya Monastery” document found on their website, the center states that its purpose is to “share and preserve Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan culture” through Buddhist education and “by upholding Tibetan customs and traditions.” The center also states that it considers loving-kindness and compassion to be at the center of Tibetan Buddhist teachings, and thus their “main meditation practices…focus on the cultivation of these qualities.” The twice-weekly Chenrezi public meditations seek to help members develop these qualities, and although there are other services throughout the week, the Chenrezi meditations are the “main communal practice” at Sakya Monastery. The center in Seattle is where all members, lay and monastic, can come together to worship and “preserve their unique Tibetan identity and culture.” For monks or nuns or others seeking “profound meditative experiences,” Sakya Monastery also owns a retreat center and 72 acres on the nearby Whidbey Island.
Sakya Monastery has a surprisingly diverse following, given its dedication to the preservation of Tibetan culture. Its membership varies not only in gender and age, but also in ethnicity. Predictably, a great deal of members are either Tibetan refugees, immigrants, or Tibetan Americans. The remaining members are predominately white; however, all members, regardless of ethnicity, take part in the celebration of Tibetan culture. Sakya Monastery’s membership is fairly evenly divided between men and women, and it is surprisingly diverse age-wise. While other religious traditions are struggling with aging populations and gaining little traction among younger generations, Sakya Monastery appears to be flourishing. Both its general membership and its lamas vary in age, and there appear to be many children being raised in Sakya Monastery’s congregation.
In summary, Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism is a thriving Buddhist center that continues to grow year after year. It was founded in 1974 as the Sakya Tegchen Choling Center, and was originally focused on building a Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism in Seattle. When Dagchen Rinpoche reorganized the center in the late 1980s, Sakya Monastery was born. Dagchen Rinpoche placed a greater emphasis on ecumenism and began inviting Buddhist scholars and lamas from every branch of Tibetan Buddhism, and also provided materials and gave lectures on other forms of Buddhism and other world religions. Sakya Monastery maintains strong ties with other Tibetan Buddhist centers around the world; Dezhung Rinpoche founded other Sakya monasteries around North America, and Dagchen Rinpoche continues to be invited to speak at centers worldwide. The congregation at Sakya Monastery celebrates Tibetan culture, upholds Tibetan tradition, and concentrates its meditative practices on the Buddhist values of loving-kindness and compassion. This rich Buddhist community is one that will surely leave a positive impact on both the city of Seattle and beyond for years to come.
All pictures are from their Facebook page.
All information comes from their very detailed website.