No Limit on this Mountain Top:
A Visit to KTD (Part I) | (Part II)
By Gregg Rutter
(Part I) The window is open and the night air washes in. I listen to the mountain wind blow through the oak trees. How many times has the moon reflected on the golden roof of His Holiness’ monastery next door?
I was thinking about Green Tara the Protectress when the magnificent clouds opened and filled the night, wet with thunder, generosity & delight; and I was thinking about Mahakala and his many forms as I lay in my bed in one of the guest rooms of
Mead’s Mountain House; and I was thinking about Chenrezig the Great Compassionate One and his body, speech and mind; there is no limit on this mountain top of bodhisattva activities to benefit all beings.
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra – KTD – in the Catskill Mountains above Woodstock, New York, is the North American seat of His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa and the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. His Holiness the XVI Gyalwa Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
established KTD in 1976, and said on July 28, 1980: “The first Karma Kagyu monastery to be established in the United States of America is going to be here in Woodstock. All indications seemed to be that this must be the most auspicious and appropriate place for the construction of the monastery. Actually, my concern is not just having a building erected, but whether this would contribute to the peace and harmony of the people of this country. And it seems to look very positive. The people of this country definitely need Mahayana teachings to be available to them. When it flourishes, it will bring peace to the country, and ultimately, enlightenment to its people.”
The Mead’s Mountain House, 352 Meads Mountain Road,
originally a summer resort, was purchased by a patron and given to the lineage in 1978 and Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Tenzin Chonyi, Lama Ganga, Yeshe Namdag and Bardor Tulku Rinpoche moved in, began repairing the 113
year old building and created a formal shrine room on the main floor for public teachings and empowerments.
year old building and created a formal shrine room on the main floor for public teachings and empowerments.
It was on May 25, 1978 that the official
opening of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra was celebrated. Before His Holiness the XVI Karmapa’s death in 1981, he produced a drawing of his vision for
the monastery at KTD, similar to traditional Karma Kagyu monasteries in Tibet, Nepal and India. Currently, the completed central shrine building
consists of the Main Shrine Room – dedicated to Buddha Shakyamuni –
containing the largest statue of Buddha Shakyamuni in North America (eleven-feet tall)
,
four-foot statues of Guru Rinpoche, White Tara, Manjushri, Vajrasattva and a beautiful statue of the XVI Karmapa
, as well as a large stupa containing relics of the XVI Karmapa, thangkas
of all the lineage holders of the Karma Kagyu lineage
, as well as many other amazing features including a complete collection of the Buddhist Kangyur; a smaller shrine room – the Tara Shrine Room – which is used for the daily practices of the Green Tara Sadhana at 5 a.m., the
Mahakala sadhana at 5 p.m. and the closing daily practice of the Chenrezig sadhana at 7 p.m.; upstairs, above the Main Shrine Room and overlooking the large sloped grassy front lawn, is the shrine room of His Holiness the Karmapa
, which is not open to the public, but kept in pristine condition for the eventual arrival of HH the XVII Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
; the upstairs also houses Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche’s living quarters, a formal dining room, kitchen, and other rooms. The central shrine building structure, completed in 1992, is greatly enhanced by the amazing work of Tinley Chojor, a renowned Tibetan shrine painter
.
To fulfill HH the XVI Karmapa’s original vision, the construction of the rest of the monastery is planned – and will replace the aging Mead’s Mountain House – with new housing facilities for lamas, students and visitors, kitchen and dining facilities, study facilities, office space, library, storage and archives; additionally a traditional courtyard will be created to be used for performance of traditional liturgies and ancient rituals. The architectural and engineering drawings are in place and KTD anticipates shortly receiving approval from the Woodstock Planning Board allowing them to proceed.
I was fortunate enough to accompany Lama Pamela Holtum on a visit to KTD in June 2004. Lama la was returning to KTD to join others who had finished the traditional three-year three-month retreat at Karme Ling Retreat for a
special 7-day Vajrayogini Drupchö led by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
; her visit concluded with a celebration on June 26 in honor of His
Holiness the XVII Karmapa’s birthday. My stay was just for three days, but was long enough to see the facilities, visit with other guests, lamas and staff,
attend the practices,
feel the rhythm and feel a part of the monastery,
as well as appreciate the tremendous beauty
of the area
and have a quick walking tour of the town of Woodstock
.
We arrived at KTD just in time for dinner on June 17; after being shown to our rooms on the second floor of the guesthouse (Mead’s Mountain House), we came down the stairs and joined the other people in the dining room for dinner at about 6:15. Meals at KTD are a communal activity and are served everyday at the same times: breakfast at 7:30, lunch at noon, and dinner at 6 p.m.
The food was always wonderful, healthy and homemade, with vegetarian choices, brought out fresh from the adjoining kitchen and set on a large table in a serve-yourself fashion. While there are full-time staff at KTD, and cooks, everybody is expected to clear their dishes, rinse them in the kitchen and clear the serving dishes at the end of the meal. Also, everyone is expected to help out with karma yoga activity while staying at KTD, which might be helping in the kitchen or unloading boxes from a delivery truck.
After dinner I found my way to the front of the guesthouse where Namse Bangdzo Bookstore
is located. Wow! Long time practitioner, Peter Van Deurzen, who runs the bookstore, has done a most amazing job of putting together both incredible depth and quality of Tibetan Buddhist items. Namse Bangdzo offers, by far
and away, the most comprehensive collection of books, thangkas, rupas, teaching transcripts, sadhana texts and other items that you would be able to find in America.
At 7:00 we made our way over to the Tara Shrine Room in the monastery for the closing daily practice, the chanting of the Chenrezig sadhana. Sadhana texts were available for visitors; I picked up a copy and found a cushion in the shrine room to sit on. (Part I) | (Part II)