The Tibetan Meditation Center (located in Frederick, Maryland)
By: Riley Spain
Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoché founded the Tibetan Meditation Center (TMC) in 1982. Khenchen, a distinction given to him in 2001, is a title given to those who have achieved the highest level of mastery in the Kagyu School and have since become a Great Abbot (“Proper Use of the Titles “Khenchen” and “Khenpo””). Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen is a renowned scholar, teacher, translator and author. He has written books covering the Buddhist path, the great Kagyu masters and various Kagyu meditation practices. He is the Great Abbot of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in Tibet in 1946, but had to flee to India with his family in 1959 because of the political tensions in Tibet. He began his education around this time and completed a nine-year course of study at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi, India (“Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche”). Upon completion of this long structured course of study, Khenchen Rinpoche sought out direct instruction from Kagyu masters like Khunu Lama Rinpoche and Khyunga Rinpoche. He found The Jewel Ornament of Liberation to be an especially effective text, and also completed a three-year retreat in 1978 to add balance to his studies (“Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche”). In 1982 he was summoned to the United States by popular demand and it was then that he founded the TMC, which was first located in Washington D.C. Personal visits and teachings were given at this original site by the Dalai Lama and Drikung Kyabon Chetsang Rinpoche at the request of the well-connected founder. Khenchen Rinpoche is fluent in English and has become accustomed to Western forms of communication, which makes him well suited to spread the Dharma as far as possible (“Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche”). The TMC moved to its current location in Frederick, Maryland in 1991 due to a need for increased space and an environment more conducive to meditation (“Tibetan Meditation Center Facebook”). The founder now spends his time traveling and teaching, and continues to translate and write texts.
TMC is grounded in the Drikung Kagyu lineage – one of the minor lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. The first Kagyu schools originated from Gampopa, a disciple of Milarepa. Mahayana and Kagyu tantra comprise the full spectrum of monastic study in this school. The Mahamudra teachings that this school teaches derive mostly from Gampopa as well (“Drikung Kagyu Lineage”). This particular Kagyu School comes from Jigten Sumgon, the main disciple of Phagmodrupa, who is in turn a disciple of Gampopa (“Drikung Kagyu Lineage”). The two Kyabgön Rinpoches, Drikung Chetsang and Drikung Chungtsang, lead this specific lineage today. TMC is the very first and oldest Drikung Kagyu center in the United States (“Tibetan Meditation center”). The TMC is affiliated with the teachings of Marpa, Milarepa’s master. Some of these teachings include sermons on the nature of reality and the Six Yogas of Naropa (Gyaltshen, Konchog and Trinlay Chodron). The yogic meditation that Drikung Kagyu teaches derives from Milarepa himself. The TMC is composed of ethnicities of all types. The educational videos on YouTube that are taken on site at the TMC show a wide variety of ethnicities in attendance, as do all of the photos on TMC’s site and Facebook. The community gives off the impression that they are welcoming to people of all kinds from all places. They even provide suggestions for lodging nearby and transportation methods to the center.
TMC has a close relationship with Drikung Thil Monastery, so close in fact that it is a formal branch (“Tibetan Meditation Center”). The Drikung Thil Monastery is the main seat of the Drikung Kagyu tradition of Tibet. It is located northeast of Lhasa and was established as a monastic community in 1179 (“Drikung Kagyu Lineage”). The monastery underwent significant damage during the political unrest in Tibet, but continues to stand strong today. TMC actively promotes the monastery on its website and is working to make known their special traditions. TMC has had an official representative from Drikung Thil in residence at the center since 2008. This official representative, Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin Rinpoche, also serves as TMC’s Spiritual Director. In 2001, TMC’s founder invited Khenpo Tsultrim Rinpoche to assist him at various Drikung Kagyu centers across the U.S. Khenpo is working to ensure that the TMC remains in good hands for future generations and continues to have a Khenpo present to teach those who are willing to listen (“Tibetan Meditation Center”). TMC also has a very positive relationship with many Western communities. They provide links to 23 affiliated centers across the U.S, some of which are monasteries, nunneries, and publishing wings. Nearly all of these affiliated centers are of the Drikung Kagyu School. These centers often meet together for various celebrations and ceremonies. One example of a celebration that TMC partakes in includes the anniversary of Jigten Sumgon’s parinirvana in India. TMC utilizes modern forms of western communication such as Facebook to invite people of all kinds to come listen to public lectures and events. In addition to religious communities, TMC also promotes common areas surrounding its facilities. They promote various state parks and the activities that people can partake in there. They also promote Downtown Frederick, Maryland and the historical sites that are located in close proximity.
The TMC’s beliefs align most closely to Tantric Buddhism. They believe that everyone has Buddha nature, and can therefore become a Bodhisattva in one lifetime by following the 10 stages of the path (Gyaltshen, Konchog and Trinlay Chodron). In TMC’s words, it was founded based on the belief that there is goodness in everyone, meaning that everyone has the potential to achieve liberation (“Tibetan Meditation Center”). The main goal is to build a mind of enlightenment through a balance of textual study and meditation. They believe in mastering the six perfections. Their tagline reads, “Traditional Buddhism for Contemporary Living”. The community believes in the existence of a Karmapa as the head of the entire Kagyu School. A Karmapa is an incarnate lama, and the current Karmapa is Ugyen Trinley Dorje. The community aligns its current beliefs with the two Drikung Kagyu lineage teachers (or spiritual heads) mentioned previously, Drikung Kyabgön Chungtsang and Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang. TMC’s approach to meditation is one that invites people of all levels to engage. They want people to think of meditation as a means of “getting used to” different states of mind (“Tibetan Meditation Center”). These are states of mind that have to do with happiness, peace, and wellness. They believe that any time spent meditating is time well spent, regardless of how successful it ends up being. TMC’s meditation teachings combine both calming and insight meditation techniques (including tantric visualization techniques). The specific names for the types of meditation that TMC engages in are deity-yoga, tonglen, four boundless minds and Mahamudra (“Tibetan Meditation Center”). One specific example of a practice that TMC uses is Liberation Puja. The community members are encouraged to bring the names of recently deceased loved ones to benefit from this practice. The practice is meant to guide them to better rebirths (“Tibetan Meditation Center”). Other practices that are unique to this school include the “Five-fold path of Mahamudra” and “The Six Dharmas of Naropa” (“Drikung Kagyu Lineage”). TMC believes in developing loving kindness towards all sentient beings. The TMC offers regular study and practice retreats, public lectures, and ceremonies/celebrations. The center is composed of two facilities: a main center where the public events take place, and a retreat facility. The main center has a shrine hall for merit making purposes, a replica of Milarepa’s cave and a stupa. The retreat facility sits on over 40 acres of land that is used strictly for meditation retreats (“Tibetan Meditation Center”). The community is comprised of both monastics and laypeople. TMC does not offer permanent residence for monastics, aside from official representatives, but instead offers retreats and lectures for those who are interested in Buddhism beyond a layperson life. Below is a brief summarized schedule and explanation of what one can expect at one of TMC’s retreats:
Saturday:
Morning (10am-12pm) Achi Chokyi Drolma “Soul Mother” empowerment
Afternoon (2pm-5pm) Achi “Soul Mother” teaching
Sunday:
Morning: Vajrayogini empowerment
Afternoon: Teaching and practice of Vajrayogini
Monday:
Morning: Four-session Practice of Achi Chokyi Drolma
Afternoon: Four-session practice of Achi Chokyi Drolma
Tuesday:
Morning: Teaching on “Rays of Sunlight”
Afternoon: Practice of Vajrayogini
TMC goes on to provide suggested donation amounts per lecture and for the entire retreat, however they claim they will not turn anyone away for lack of funds. TMC is a non-profit organization that relies solely on donations and volunteers. They claim that the dharma is “ownerless and priceless” and therefore refuse to charge the membership fees that are sustaining some of the other Western communities nowadays (“Tibetan Meditation Center”). They also go on to provide brief explanations of what will be taught at their retreats. These include: Heart of the Mahayana teachings, Vajrayogini, Liberation Puja, and Milarepa Guru Yoga – just to name a few (“Tibetan Meditation Center”). TMC’s spiritual teachers are filmed giving lectures and the videos are posted on the community’s YouTube page. They seem to want the dharma to be accessible to as many people as possible. Lectures on their YouTube cover topics such as Buddha nature, aspirational vows of medicine Buddha, and the Ngondro refuge practice.
The Tibetan Meditation Center is both a place for those serious about attaining enlightenment and for those who simply have a curiosity about Buddhism. It offers public lectures, private retreats and a beautiful environment to visit. Being one of the minor lineages of the Kagyu School, this branch of Drikung Kagyu wants as many people as possible to hear its interpretation of the dharma.
Works Cited
“Drikung Kagyu Lineage.” The Official Website of the Drikung Kagyu Order of Tibetan Buddhism, www.drikung.org/drikung-kagyu-lineage.
Gyaltsen, Konchog, and Trinlay Chodron. Opening the Treasure of the Profound: Teachings on the Songs of Jigten Sumgon and Milarepa. Snow Lion, 2013.
“Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche.” Facebook, www.facebook.com/pg/KhenchenKonchogGyaltshen/about/?ref=page_internal.
“Proper Use of the Titles ‘Khenchen’ and ‘Khenpo.’” Body Path Buddhist Centers, Bodhi Path Buddhist Center, www.bodhipath.org/index.php?id=322.
“Tibetan Meditation Center, 9301 Gambrill Park Rd, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.” Tibetan Meditation Center, drikungtmc.com/.
“Tibetan Meditation Center.” Facebook, www.facebook.com/pg/drikungtmc/events/.