Founded by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa and guided over the years by His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche, Karma Drubgyu Thargay Ling has developed into a community of dedicated female practitioners who solely live to learn and practice the Buddha's peaceful teachings.
Karma Drubgyu Thargay Ling (KDTL) is a practice center of the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. In particular, KDTL is the Mahayana Buddhist Nunnery located in Tilokpur, an Indian village about 20 miles southwest of Dharamsala. Dharamsala is the seat in-exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in northern India. At the request of the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, an English woman named Freda Bedi founded the nunnery in 1962 in Dalhousie to assist nuns arriving in India after escaping from the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
In 1968, KDTL moved to its present location in Tilokpur. This is very auspicious because in this village are the sacred places where the Indian Mahasiddha Tilopa meditated. Tilopa was one of the founding masters of the Kagyu Lineage. Specifically, this village is where Tilopa realized complete enlightenment while grinding sesame seeds. There are now sixty-seven nuns in residence, ranging from the ages of nine to eighty-eight. Many are from very poor families. Most are Tibetan, but there are also nuns from India, such as from the regions of Kinnaur, Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Sikkim. The nuns study Buddhist philosophy and the Tibetan and English languages. They also engage in intensive meditation practices and are instructed in Buddhist ritual.
Since its founding, KDTL has been struggling to accommodate and take care of the number of refugee nuns seeking admission to pursue their Buddhist studies and practices. As with the other nunneries in exile, KDTL is overcrowded and unable to take in any more nuns. Despite the construction of a new kitchen and dormitory building in the late 1980's, the accommodation is still far from adequate and the original buildings (constructed in the 1960s) are structurally weak and in extremely poor condition. The nuns lived in crammed, damp rooms, and their dining room also serves as the classroom.
KDTL receives economic support mainly from foreign sponsors and the Tibetan Nun's Project. This is generally in the form of sponsorship which pays only for the nuns basic living costs. The nuns also receive donations from individuals who request prayers and puja ceremonies. Yet, this amount of financial support simply sustains their lifestyle. To ensure improved living and studying conditions for the present nuns, and to be able to accept nuns arriving from Tibet, it is essential that a new nunnery be constructed in Tilokpur.
Already, the land on which a larger and better equipped nunnery can be built has been acquired in Tilokpur. This new Buddhist Nunnery would give many more female practitioners the opportunity to be educated in Tibetan Buddhism, making an invaluable contribution to the preservation of Tibetan culture. For the many nuns who continually arrive as refugees in India, this would offer hope and the opportunity for their life-long dedication to benefit others. KDTL would greatly appreciate any assistance that you are able to offer the building and sponsorship funds for the Tilokpur nuns.
Please visit here to find out how one can benefit the Buddhist nuns and their project in Tilokpur.
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