In the summer of 1980 His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism, came to Crestone to bless two hundred acres gifted to him in order to realize his vision of a center for spiritual growth in the West. With him he brought precious barley seeds from Tibet to plant here. But he also brought the seeds of North American Buddhadharma.
For over 40 years, we at KTTG have dedicated ourselves to nourishing those seeds, to implement the vision not only of the 16th but also the current 17th Karmapa. Our organization of dedicated volunteers and sponsors, young and old from all parts of the world, have worked tirelessly over the years to build a place of peace, to be caretakers of a protected environment, and to foster and encourage a haven for all to contemplate, to wonder and to practice.
We’ve done this in several important ways. Eight thousand feet up in the Sangre de Christo mountains, we’ve built a magnificent 40 foot-high Buddhist monument, the ‘Tashi Gomang Stupa of Many Auspicious Doors,’ freely accessible to all visitors. We’ve designed and built simple private cabins for solo retreats in the surrounding piñon and juniper forest. We’ve dedicated ourselves as stewards to protecting this beautiful but delicate environment, as an invitation and inspiration, a tranquil space where all can come and contemplate our deep and boundless interrelationship with nature and its inhabitants. To view vast clear skies and to rejoice in sharing what we all have in common.
“Love and compassion are like seeds within us. Like the seed of a tree, these seeds require nurturing so that they can develop. We develop the seeds of love and compassion through patience, through diligence, and through compassionate action.”
17th Karmapa
“You keep going. That is the bodhisattva’s way. As long as it benefits even one being you have to, without any sense of discouragement, go on.”
16th Karmapa
We at KTTG are inspired to go on, through the compassionate vision of the Karmapas, continuing to nourish the seeds of the Buddhadharma here in this precious, vast and spacious land.
