Lost in the Jura countryside, this center is the only French site of this branch of Buddhism

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Who could believe that Blye, and his few 150 habitantswould one day welcome a Buddhist center one of a kind ? It is in 1999after having taught for several years in France, mainly from a Buddhist center in Saône-et-Loirewhich Gangteng Tulku Rinpocheconsidered the ninth reincarnation of Péma Lingpaa Buddhist monk from XV^e centuryfounded this Jura center, only center of its kind from the branch Nyingmapa of Buddhism.

A Buddhism, just like its founders, coming straight from Bhutan and taking root in the Tibetan tradition ; more particularly in one of the three branches of Buddhismthe Vajrayanahimself appeared in Inde towards the VII^e century.

A former summer camp

“At the time, Jura practitioners who came to train with Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche asked him to come and create a center in the Jurauntil finding this place: a former summer camp from a Parisian company. It was then that the Yéshe Khorlo association was founded, which carries the Pema Yang Dzong center », explains Bernard Bodineaulay president of the association.

A unique center in France, alongside fourteen others located throughout the world, UNITED STATES au Mexicopassing through theGermanythe Sloveniathe Russia, Hong Kong or even Taiwan. And if the president, living in Paris, is only present a few weeks a year, the center is inhabited daily by three religious : the spiritual master Khenpo Karma Wangyel – “came directly from Bhutan to take over from his brother Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche in 2012 after the latter has lived alone here since the founding of the center” – but also two nunscoming from the same country, Ani Kinley Wangmo et Ani Sönam Lhamo.

300 practitioners in summer

Every day, the three religious work for the good life of the center and meditateof course, but also provide lessons weekends on site and all over Europe. “On a daily basis, they are helped in the life of the center by around ten volunteers of the association. And every summerwe are environ 300 – including a large number of members of the association spread across France – to come together for a great spiritual retreat. » Among them, only 10% come from the department.

A center that wants to be open to the publicvia des week-ends d’initiation“but also to the members ofother branches of Buddhism who would like to come and practice here, some of them not being not so far from our practice », assures the president of the association.

On site, in fact, in addition to a building used to accommodate visitors mainly during the summer period, and the main building serving as places to livethe Péma Yang Dzong center also has a temple and of place of prayer and outdoor meditation.

A future threatened?

Problem, this place which exudes calm and serenity could see, within a few years, its future threatened. “Our three religious have more and more administrative difficulty to obtain visasamong other things because they do not speak only English [les cours, eux, sont donnés en tibétain avec l’aide d’un traducteur, N.D.L.R.]. If in the future they were no longer able to obtain it, they would then be forced to return to Bhutan and the center should close. »

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