September 16: Door to door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn
The centre's meditation sessions stand open to newcomers without registration, but as I do not speak Estonian and also wanted to make a short report on their operation, I had contacted them via e-mail a few days in advance. There was no response to this, but I decided to drop by anyway. Jaroslav and Anna received me warmly, but had not received a message, even though I used the correct e-mail address. This revealed that there is a problem with their server.
The centre consists since 2002. It is located in a modest ground floor of a wooden house just outside the old town in Tallinn. It belongs to the Karma-Kagyu line of the 17th Karmapa. This tradition focuses more on meditation practice and oral transmission of Buddhist teachings than on studying texts.
Top photo: L: 17th Karmapa - M: 16th Karmapa - R: Ole Nydahl
To this end, the centre organises three meditation sessions per week, and several times a year a travelling Karma-Kagyu teacher visit to give in-depth teachings for one to three days. Their Sangha (Buddhist community) consists of three to seven members who visit regularly.
The Karma-Kagyu line was introduced to the West in 1972 introduced by Dane Ole Nydahl, who is considered a 'root lama' here. He went on his honeymoon to Nepal in the 1960s and arrived there through the Drukpa Kagyu master Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche in contact with the 16th Karmapa. There, he and his wife found their proverbial home and they stayed there for 12 years. Until, to their dismay, the Karmapa ordered them to return to the West to establish Karma Kagyu centres and spread the tradition. The first centre saw the light in Denmark, and currently the network consists of just a few 630 centres around the world.
Chapeau!
PS: Jaroslav and Anna preferred not to be photographed.
