Gampo Abbey is located on the Northwest coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, at 1533 Pleasant Bay Rd. It was founded in 1983 by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche with the purpose of making Buddhism accessible in the West, and offers a beautiful view of Pleasant Bay as well as many hiking trails around the abbey. It primarily practices the Shambhala Terma teachings, and was headed by Abbot Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche until his unfortunate passing in June earlier this year. The principal teacher at the abbey is currently Pema Chödrön.
The abbey primarily practices the Shambhala Terma teachings that come from its founder Trungpa Rinpoche. However, since it is hard to practice Buddhism completely divorced from all other traditions, many other traditions are mixed in, borrowing from the Karma Kagyu (teaching lineage) and Nyingma (old school) traditions. Broadly speaking, it is in the Tibetan traditions, but those who come from another tradition are allowed and encouraged to continue practicing as they find best for them.
The Shambhala teachings primarily focus on cultivating “basic goodness,” with not only personal Enlightenment achievable but an entire society of enlightened beings possible. It is also called the Way of the Warrior, as it focuses on actively practicing Buddhism in modern society in order to cultivate that basic goodness in others.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was one of the most influential modern figures in expanding Buddhism in North America. Gampo Abbey is just one of many institutions he founded, alongside Naropa Institute in Boulder, CO and many other Shambhala meditation centers across the continent. He is also known for his controversial “crazy wisdom,” veering from the traditional perception of spiritual gurus by drinking, smoking, and sleeping with some of his students. However, it is debated as to how much of this activity was simply to generate controversy and challenge conventional ideas of gurus, and how much was vice.
The previous abbot, Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, was the 9th incarnation of Thrangu Rinpoche, the first of which was appointed as abbot of Thrangu Monastery by Gyalwa Karmapa. He received Gelong ordination alongside Chögyam Rinpoche in 1960, and is a full holder of the Kagyu Vajrayana lineages. He did much to spread Buddhism in the West, traveling in Europe and North America, and established Namo Buddha Monastery in Nepal.
Pema Chödrön first met Trungpa Rinpoche in 1972, and studied with him until his death in 1987. She had a close and personal relationship with him, and became the first director of Gampo Abbey in 1984. She was explicitly instructed by Trungpa Rinpoche to make the abbey available to Western monks and nuns, to help spread Buddhism in the West. She has been another influential person in the spread of Buddhism in the West, with her books and teachings reaching widespread acclaim. In 2006, the Pema Chödrön Foundation was established to ensure that her teachings, and the wider teachings of Buddhism, remain accessible and sustainable into the future. The foundation is supported by the royalties of her books, as well as through donors, and provides a generous grant to the abbey each year.
The abbey consists of both monastics and lay residents, with residents abiding by the 5 basic precepts, and monastics abiding by more, either novice or full vows depending on their level of ordination. Monastic life at the abbey is structured around a daily schedule from Monday to Friday, which includes up to 4 hours of meditation, chanting, teaching, and chores, and silence is observed before noon and after 8pm. Saturday is a free day given to the residents, and Sunday is a day devoted to silent practice. Short and long-term residencies are offered (although currently on hiatus), with short residencies being 1 to 3 months long, and long term residencies being an 11 month commitment. For those in a long-term residency, they may request temporary ordination after 2 months. The path to full bhikshu or bhikshuni ordination takes around 5 years, and requires several progressive steps and vows.
The daily schedule (M-F) for residents is as follows:
| 6:00-6:40 am | Morning chants and sitting meditation |
| 6:40-7:00 | House jobs |
| 7:00 | Breakfast |
| 8:00-11:00 | Sitting meditation/practice period |
| 11:00-12:30 pm | Mind/body period |
| 12:30 | Lunch (silence ends) |
| 1:30-5:15 | Service (work) period |
| 5:30-6:30 | Sitting meditation and evening chants |
| 6:30 | Dinner |
| 8:00 | Silence begins |
| 10:00 | Lights out |
Near the abbey is a Stupa of Enlightenment that contains relics from the abbey’s founder, Trungpa Rinpoche. It was dedicated to world peace, and is built over buried weapons to symbolize overcoming aggression. It also bears the Lojong slogans, preaching Bodhisattva practices of generosity, patience, and wisdom, inscribed around the Stupa to be read while circumambulating.
Gampo Abbey offers many different retreats, programs, and events. One such example is the Maitri Bhavana and Sukhavati ceremonies they perform, praying to alleviate the suffering of others and helping the transition through the Bardo after death. They also hold an annual lobster release, in which they purchase the remaining stock from lobster fishers in Nova Scotia, and release them back into the wild.
In the winter, they take an annual 45-day long retreat, continuing the practice of the monsoon season retreats that the Buddha established. Although they originally did this retreat in the summer, they switched to the winter as it became clear that they could not support tourists and visitors as well as the retreat at the same time. They also offer an in-house retreat, solitary retreats, and a 3-year retreat.
The in-house retreat is an opportunity for non-residents to experience life at the abbey and work alongside the monastics and lay residents. It is one to two weeks long, and retreatants will be assigned a meditation instructor and asked to support the community by engaging in chores alongside the residents.
The abbey also offers cabins for those who want to engage in a solitary retreat. Although it is not required to be a member of the abbey, it is required that the retreatant be a part of a practice community, have a personal relationship with a spiritual teacher, and have an established daily routine of meditation. The cabins allow for the retreatant to be isolated from other people, and engage deeply in studies and meditative practices.
The 3-year retreat takes place in a specially designed facility, not far from the abbey. It alternates, separated into 3 stages with a gap year in between each (for a total of 5 years). Participants spend the entire year together in the facility, engaging in deep meditation practices and continuing their studies. It is the most intensive of the retreats they offer (with the possible exception of the personal solitary retreat), and for those who have participated, they say it is as if they left an unpleasant part of themselves behind.
Currently, Gampo Abbey has most of its programs and retreats on hold to the external community, with some reopening in Spring of 2024 at the earliest. This is primarily due to their recovery from the Covid pandemic, in which they had to shut down nearly all contact with the outside world and isolate themselves. They are still in the process of reopening to visitors and new residents, and will hopefully get back to regular status in 2024.
Although the abbey’s website does not have any official demographic information, based on the pictures available it seems as if the majority of residents and monastics are White or White-passing. There are certainly people of color in the pictures, however, they make up a distinct minority compared to the crowd. It is important to note, however, that the founder and the previous abbot, Trungpa Rinpoche and Thrangu Rinpoche, respectively, were both from Tibet.
The abbey is funded partly through fees and dues from those participating (lay residents, retreatants, and monastics), but also relies heavily on donations from generous sponsors. Through program fees, donations, and grants from the Pema Chödrön Foundation, the abbey pulls in around $450-500,000 a year, with annual expenses ranging from $400-450,000 (2018 & 2019). The margins are slim, and in some cases the abbey ends up slightly in the red for the year.
Gampo Abbey is a quaint and pleasant place to engage in Buddhist practices, and provides a container that facilitates awakening that is hard to find in modern society. The community is close-knit and welcoming, and everyone works together to ensure that each person can meet their needs and feel comfortable and safe. The abbey offers a range of different practices and retreats, varying in levels of devotion, so that both new and experienced practitioners can feel supported and welcomed. It is also home to one of the most well-known Western Buddhists, Pema Chödrön, and to have the opportunity to hear her teach is a blessing in itself.
gampoabbey.org