In June 2008, Sogyal Rinpoche, author of ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying’ and the Spiritual Director of Dzogchen Beara proposed building Ireland’s first Buddhist Temple here.

In May 2009, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, a uniquely qualified Tibetan master, visited Dzogchen Beara to advise on the temple design, location and orientation. Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche has supervised numerous temple projects, including the Temple at Lerab Ling (Rigpa’s main retreat centre located in France) which was consecrated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2008.

The temple at Dzogchen Beara will be built in the style of a traditional Tibetan monastery, a form of architecture designed to be an inspiring symbol of the Buddha’s teachings. (Architect’s drawing above.) The projected completion date is October 2017.

Why build a temple? The renowned Tibetan lama Mingyur Rinpoche says, “If you were to ask how beneficial it is to create a place where people go to gain peace and happiness in their minds, I would say that the benefit is enormous. Why? Because most of our problems are, in fact, caused by our minds. Therefore, building a place where we can find peace and happiness in our minds can only be beneficial, in the widest possible sense.”

Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche returned to Dzogchen Beara in October 2015 to bless the site of the temple. He said that, according to the ancient art of geomancy, this location at the south-western tip of Europe is a “power place” and building a temple here, at this specific time, will bring renewal and healing to Ireland as well as benefitting the whole world.

“If you build this temple here in Dzogchen Beara, and inside erect representations of the enlightened body, speech and mind of the Buddha, and have practitioners practise there, then this will be the cause for the teachings to remain for long and will have enormous benefit for the world at large; protecting against famine, against war and epidemics and so on.”
Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Dzogchen Beara, 17/10/2015

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Thank you

Enquiries: temple@dzogchenbeara.org