Do Ngak Kunphen Ling (DNKL) is a Tibetan Buddhist center in Redding, Connecticut, following the Gelug tradition of the 14th Dalai Lama. Located in rural New England, the property formerly belonged to UNICEF founding director Maurice Pate, whose organization donated the 100 acres to the Mahayana Sutra and Tantra center of Connecticut. It’s current form was established by Spiritual Director Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa in 2006 and renamed to DNKL, which they “loosely” translate to the Tibetan Buddhist Center for Universal Peace.
DNKL offers classes, meditation retreats, “interfaith discourses” and public talks to the community in the Gelug tradition of the 14th Dalai Lama. These include meditation, philosophy, and Tibetan language courses both in person and online via Skype. The center is dedicated to the promotion of universal peace through the lens of Tibetan Buddhism, which enlightens students to work to “end the suffering of all beings.” The center is heavily involved in community service and humanitarian efforts, and charity by the center to the community and from the community to the center are central to their practices. The DNKL is funded entirely by the community and members. Their website offers five primary goals in the study of the Gelug tradition and pursuit of Maurice Pate’s humanitarian vision:
1. Conduct classes on Buddhist philosophy and meditation on a regular basis. Since the heart of Buddhist meditation is nonsectarian in nature, the classes will be open to people of all religious traditions and to those with no particular religious affiliation.
2. Offer systematic and graduated levels of training in Buddhist moral discipline, meditative concentration, and transformative wisdom so that participants can incorporate such thought and practice in their daily lives. The courses will be based on the tradition of Buddhist Sutra and Tantra that enjoys an unbroken lineage of transmission from the time of Shakyamuni Buddha.
3. Conduct short and long-term retreats and facilitate solitary retreats.
4. Host public talks, spiritual festivals, and other community events where families can participate.
5. Engage in the community with humanitarian events such as partnerships with secular organizations, share the Buddhist perspective on compassion with local universities, support initiatives in social and emotional learning education, offer children’s programs, and provide aid to Tibetan monks and children with basic education and health needs.
Classes are open to all levels of Buddhist students, including introductory and children’s courses. They are open to both Buddhist and non-Buddhist students, welcoming on their website anyone looking for “skillful methods… to bring peace into daily life.” Intermediate and higher-level classes are offered to experienced Buddhist students, like authentic teachings on Lam Rim, the Guide to the Boddhisattva’s Way, and Tibetan holiday celebrations.
DNKL follows the Gelug tradition, founded by Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) in the early 14th century. Tsongkhapa’s early life in many ways paralleled that of the Buddha’s: when Tsongkhapa was born, a sandalwood tree with leaves adorned with natural pictures of the Buddha Sinhanada grew where the umbilical cord dropped. He was an incredibly intelligent child who naturally leaned towards Bodhisattva behaviors and instructively knew how to read. He took his novice ordination vows at age seven and continued monastic training in Amdo until he was sixteen, at which time he travelled to central Tibet. Tsongkhapa spent the next several years studying traditional Indian texts from various masters. He often had visions of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, who taught him new verses each day. He is remembered for being a great reformer of Tibetan Buddhism, who advocated for strict adherence to monastic discipline and combining sutra and tantra. His Gelug tradition is heavily based in scripture and logic, and Gelug monastics pass 15-25 years of study to earn the Geshe degree, the highest honor of which, the Geshe Lharampa, is the equivalent of a PhD. Tsongkhapa’s nephew inherited his school of Tibetan Buddhism and became the first Dalai Lama (“dalai” means ocean and “lama” teacher, so this can be interpreted as one whose wisdom is like the ocean). The 14th Dalai Lama continues this tradition today.
DNKL classes are lead by the resident monastic community. The Venerable Emeritus Abbot Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa is the monastic leader and founder of the re-invigorated DNKL. Born in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, in 1937, Rinpoche studied at the Sera Mey Monastery of the Sera Mahayana Monastic University. He took his Bhikshu vows in 1959 from Yongzin Ling Rinpoche, the 97th Throne Holder of the Gelugpa Tradition and tutor of the Dalai Lama. During the Chinese occupation of Tibet, Rinpoche fled to India and continued his studies in the exile Sera monastery until completing the final Geshe exam in 1986, receiving the level of Geshe Lharampa. He still teaches at Sera Mey monastic university, and in 1993 became the Discipline Master of Gyumed. He was selected by the Dalai Lama in 1994 to serve as Lama Umdze, the Vice Abbot, of the Tantric College, and in 1996 was appointed by the Dalai Lama as the Abbot of the college. It was during this three year term that he first visited the United States and Canada. Since this time, he has continued teaching in the United States at the Guhyasamaja Center in Washington, DC and the DNKL center in Connecticut. He has also travelled to Singapore and Malaysia to teach.
Two other monastic leaders reside at the DNKL: Geshe Lobsang Dhargey and Losang Tendrol. The former, Geshe-la, was born in 1969 in Arunachal Pradesh, India. He received his ordination as a novice monk in 1982 from Kyabe Ling Rinchope, and his full ordination vows in 1994 directly from the 14th Dalai Lama. In 1998 he completed the Geshe exam and was awarded Geshe Lharampa before travelling to the Gyumed Tantric College in 1999. After receiving the Ngagrampa degree in tantric studies, he continued on to teach in Sera Mey monastery and as resident teacher at DNKL.
Losang Tendrol, a Chinese-American nun, studied Buddhism at Wesleyan University and completed the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition’s masters program from 2008-2017, studying the five great texts. She received her novice ordination vows just before undergoing these studies from DNKL’s Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa. From 2006-2018 she taught at the Guhyasamaja center in northern Virginia, and since 2016 she has taught classes and aided with pujas and special events at DNKL.
DNKL is such a notable Buddhist center that it was visited by the 14th Dalai Lama in 2012, after he was invited to speak at the nearby Western Connecticut State University. On October 18, the Dalai Lama met with DNKL members and gave a short talk during the welcome ceremony.
DNKL works closely with the lay community in Redding, CT, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist. Courses are offered regarding meditation and compassion for non-Buddhist community members, and traditional teachings and ceremonies are held for the Buddhist community. From their website’s photo gallery, they seem to have a consistent and diverse attendance. Some open to the public annual events include animal blessings, paint outs, seminars for local teachers regarding mindfulness, yoga classes, and film viewings. For traditional Buddhists, they offer seasonal retreats, teachings, puja, and devotional practices like Lama Chopa, and holiday celebrations such as Chokhor Duchen (celebrated August 1, the first turning of the dharma wheel). DNKL has found a way to appeal to the secular community of Connecticut and the Buddhist community, becoming a valuable physical and spiritual health resource.
Though community donation is vital to the running of DNKL, they have also provided aid to many humanitarian activities. To contribue to these generous efforts, visit Donations (dnkl.org). In the past year, DNKL has supported:
- Nepal earthquake relief
- New roof for DNKL monastery
- Concert celebrating Dalai Lama’s 80th Birthday
- Summer Children’s Retreat for the children of Tibetan refugees
- Mindfulness and Compassion in the Classroom seminar for educators at WCSU in Danbury, CT
- Support for Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche’s retreat
- Living expenses for monks at DNKL
- Support young student monks living in India
- Raising funds to build a new debate courtyard and classrooms at Sera Mey monastery in India
Their logo embodies the core values and practices of DNKL. Translated literally, Do Ngak Kunphen Ling means “The Place of Sutra and Tantra for the Benefit of All,” though this is not the English subtitle they have chosen to use. Their logo has several important symbols: the lotus, representing the renunciation of samara in order to gain liberation; the moon disc, representing Bodhicitta; the sun disc, representing the ultimate truth of emptiness as the true nature of reality; and the vajra and the bell, which respectively represent transformation and wisdom. The bringing of many traditional ideas together in a space welcoming all communities is relayed through this symbolism.
For more information on DNKL programs or to contact them, visit Home (dnkl.org).