Located in the town of Liberec in the Czech Republic is Rabten Chodarling, one of the many Rabten Monasteries founded by Venerable Geshe Rabten Rinpoche in Europe. Liberec is nestled in the Jizera Mountains at the foot of Ještěd Mountain in the Bohemia region of northern Czech Republic close to the place where the Czech, Polish and German borders meet. Thus, despite Liberac being a big city by Czech standards, visitors to Rabten Chodarling get to enjoy the fresh air of the countryside with its calm and clear atmosphere.
Since its inception in 2000, Rabten Chodarling has been functioning as a centre for Tibetan Buddhist studies and as a branch of the Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies, Rabten Choeling. Similar to all other Rabten Monasteries, Rabten Chodarling was entrusted to the care and guidance of His Eminence Gonsar Rinpoche following the passing of Geshe Rabten Rinpoche in 1986.
The prayer hall of Rabten Chodarling
Rabten Chodarling is housed in a beautiful, white-walled eastern European-style building amidst lush grounds which now extend to a garden park. Commonly referred to as the “Garden of Peace”, it was officially opened to the public on 23 April, 2013.
Lama thrones in Rabten Chodarling’s prayer hall
In addition, a 6.4-metre-high Vijaya stupa housing the relics of Buddha Shakyamuni and Venerable Geshe Rabten Rinpoche can be found in Rabten Chodarling. The construction of the stupa commenced in the autumn of 2009 and took around five years to complete. The work was primarily carried out by members of Rabten Chodarling and the decorative finishing touches were done by Nepalese artists. The stupa was consecrated on 27 September 2014.
Traditional deity mandala
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Fong
Posted on July 24, 2016 #1 AuthorVenerable Geshe Rabten Rinpoche is indeed a very accomplished master to even be able to bring Dharma to Czech Republic. He has managed to set up so many dharma centres around Europe with traditional Tibetan feel to it.
In this case of Rabten Chodarling, there is even a traditional deity mandala at the centre. And, in the photo, the prayer hall looks warm and calm. The lama thrones in the prayer hall shows the respect the centre has for the tradition of Guru Devotion and respect for their lineage.
Thank you for posting about temples and holy places. It open our eyes to what the great lamas of recent times has achieved due to their faith and commitment to the Dharma and their wish to benefit many others.
May Rabten Chodarling continue to grow and spread Dharma to the ten directions.
Stella Cheang
Posted on August 15, 2016 #2 AuthorIt is very nice to see Liberec in Czech Republic has much more to offer on top of the quintessential Bohemian town that it is. Rabten Chodarling has a rich infuse of the vibrant Bohemian setting which matches very well with Tibetan styled altar and thrones arrangement. Rabten Chodarling is one of the many monastery founded in the west by the first Tibetan Buddhist master who introduced the complete Vinaya tradition and the study of the five major topics of Buddhism in the West, Venerable Geshe Rabten Rinpoche. He had entered clear light in 1986, and his reincarnation was found in 1989 and was recognized by various figures of authorities including Dalai Lama the 14th. Thank you for sharing this article with us.
Alice Tay
Posted on January 23, 2018 #3 AuthorThis is very auspicious to have the relics of Buddha Shakyamuni and Venerable Geshe Rabten Rinpoche placed in Rabten Chodarling. Hope there will be more people visit Rabten Chodarling and get blessed by the Three Jewels.