Kagyu Shenpen Kunchab (KSK) — The Kagyu Center for the All-pervading Benefit of Beings — was founded in 1975 by His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche to bring the profound teachings of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism to New Mexico. The small group of students received a resident teacher (lama) in 1981. Lama Dorje brought with him from Sikkim a precious text on the proportions of the stupa. He was accompanied by Sarah Harding, who had just finished a three year retreat and served as a translator. In 1982 His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche returned to Santa Fe, inspiring his students to begin construction of the KSK Stupa under the direction of Lama Dorje and Jeremy Morrell.

Beginning with a mere $2,000, the project quickly gathered momentum, The Ven. Deshung Rinpoche consecrated the jewel vases, which were buried under the foundation. Contributions were given by many people, they donated their time, money and materials during the next three years of construction and showed a wonderful group spirit. Ven. Chagdud Rinpoche visited to sculpt the central Buddha statue. Various artists, under the direction of Sanje Elliot and Cynthia Moku, painted the murals depicting the lineages, deities and thousand Buddhas of the eon. In 1986, His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche returned, bringing with him a pearl-like crystal which has been recovered from the cremation of Buddha Shakyamuni. This was placed at the tip of the blessing post within the spire. The consecration was completed on November 14, 1986, by His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche on his last visit to New Mexico. The center has flourished by hosting teachers of all the major lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.

H.E. Kalu Rinpoche was born in eastern Tibet in 1904. He was considered the supreme meditation master of the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and the activity emanation of Jamgon Kontrul the Great. Having spent more than one-third of his 80 years in solitary meditation he became an expert on the nature of the mind. From 1971 until 1989 he traveled many times to numerous countries giving teaching and empowerment and also establishing the many centers such as KSK. He has placed many on the path to freedom and omniscience by always giving refuge wherever he went. Renowned as a great retreat master in Tibet, he continued this tradition by establishing three year retreats in Bhutan and India, and in 1976 the first three year retreat for Westerners in France. There are now many such facilities in Europe and North America where students can receive intense training in the traditional Buddhism. In 1989, H.E. Kalu Rinpoche passed from this life.

Resident Lama Dorje was born in a village near Gangtrok, Sikkim. He started his Buddhist training at the age of 12 and became a novice monk at the age of 30, at Sonada Monastery in Darjeeling with His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche. He later took full ordination at Rumtek, Sikkim, the monastery of His Holiness the Karmapa, and then completed the three year retreat in Sonada. He is an accomplished painter in the thangka tradition, the sacred art of Tibet. In 1980 His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche and H.H. Karmapa requested him to visit various centers in Europe, France, New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle. In 1981 His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche asked him to come to Santa Fe, where he has remained as director of the KSK. Lama Dorje is also the director of the Dharma Center in Taos, Kagyu Degyi Choling, where he has a retreat cabin and a 30 ft. Stupa.

The Stupa is a symbol of Dharmakaya, the universal principle of all consciousness and has the mystical power of liberation through seeing. Upon seeing the stupa, a deep imprint in the viewer's mind arouses Bodhicitta and ripens to full enlightenment. This applies even to insects.

Rainbow-like visions of the stupa appeared to those who witnessed the major events of the Buddha’s life. His enlightened actions so utterly purified the ignorant fixations of the moment that the Dharmakaya manifested as pure form in the sky. Later, replicas of these visions were built and venerated, becoming the earliest Buddhist shrine objects. They proliferated in many cultures in various adapted styles and often enshrined the relics of great saints, thus focusing people's devotion.

In the Tibetan tradition, the stupa demonstrates the entire path of inner, outer and secret levels. It is a fearless proclamation of truth.

The stupa contains many empowering factors: the auspicious vases of Ksitigarba, Jambala, etc., the mandalas of the Stainless Light and Stainless Ushnika, the specially prepared tsatsa, the life force post, the relics, and especially the great Dharanis, combined with the unfathomable samadhi power of the actual consecration and the continuous, big-minded devotion of the students who built the stupa, making a powerful blessing in the world. The stupa is capable of tremendous Buddha activity, such as drawing the Buddhas to earth, speeding the rebirth of lamas, promoting longevity, creating harmony in the Sangha, manifesting wealth, turning back invading armies, pacifying pestilence and disease, and actualizing enlightenment.

By building this Stupa, the world is offered a powerful blessing for Peace and Happiness. Individuals may find calm and inspiration by meditation in and around the stupa. If they take up the Noble Path to realization, they will find great fulfillment.

Upon entering the Bodhi stupa, one's attention is first drawn to the wall in front (South wall) where sits the historic Buddha Shakyamuni who first turned the wheel of Dharma in 500 BC. The very heart of the Buddhist teachings is the viewpoint that all sentient beings have Buddha nature incidentally obscured by ignorant fixation on ego. This Buddha nature in its primordial form is represented by the small figure of Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri at the top. The Buddha nature naturally manifests as the five wisdoms that are represented by the five Buddha families.

Starting from the right on the Southern wall is Akshobya of the Vajra family who represents the mirror-like wisdom; Amitabha of the Lotus family represents the wisdom of discriminating awareness; Vairochana of the Buddha family represents the Dharmadhatu wisdom; Amoghasiddhi of the Karma family represents the all-encompassing wisdom; and Ratnasambhava of the Ratna family represents the wisdom of equanimity. These five Buddhas manifest in the deluded states of sentient beings as the five skandhas and five kleshas. When these five skandhas and kleshas are seen exactly as they are, the mandala of the five Dhyani Buddhas is seen as being the true nature of mind. This is basically the aim of Buddhism.

These teachings of the Buddha descended through various lineages that are represented on the walls of the stupa. On the East wall (to the left) is the lineage of the Shangpa Kagyu whose present lineage holder is Yangsi Kalu Rinpoche who follows Kalu Rinpoche, the founder of the Center. Also on the East wall is the representation of the lineage of Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) who brought Buddhism to Tibet, and Shijay lineage of Machik Labdron who introduced the Chöd practice that cuts through neuroses. On the West wall (to the right) is depicted the Karma Kagyu lineage which was brought to Tibet by Marpa the translator. Marpa studied in India under the great Siddha Naropa, whose teacher was Tilopa, and whose present lineage holder is the Karmapa.

A brief history of the Shangpa Kagyu follows. In the 10^thcentury, Khyungpo Naljor went on pilgrimage to India and studied with 150 gurus. His main two teachers were the dakinis Sukhasiddi and Niguma. Niguma was a wisdom dakini who lived in the charnel grounds. When Khyungpo Naljor went to India, he brought much gold as an offering to obtain the teachings. He found Niguma in a charnel ground in the sky surrounded by many wrathful dakinis. He prepared a mandala offering of five cups full of gold dust. Niguma kicked the offering into the air saying she had no need of gold because when the pure view of all appearance is obtained, the whole world is gold. Then Niguma gave Khyungpo Naljor "the five golden doctrines of the Shangpa." These five golden doctrines, which are the entirety of the Shangpa Kagyu teachings, are likened to a tree. The six roots are the six yogas of Niguma: heat, illusory body, dream state, sheer clarity, transference, and bardo. The main trunk is the tradition of the Mahamudra of Niguma, Maitripa and Sukhasiddhi. The three branches are the three methods of carrying one’s understanding in meditation into daily activities. The flowers are the practice of development and completion of white and red dakinis. The fruit is the wisdom of deathlessness, changelessness, and body. Similar additional teachings were given to Khyungpo Naljor by Sukhasiddhi, the main student of Virupa, an Indian Mahasiddhi.

Sukhasiddhi was banished from her home for giving her poor family's last container of rice to a begging monk. She wandered around and eventually earned a living making beer. Virupa was very fond of beer, especially hers, and he became her teacher. After three years of study and contemplation, Sukhasiddhi obtained the rainbow body and the 60 year old woman then looked like a beautiful 16 year old girl. She lived in many isolated places and appears throughout time in various forms to people of appropriate realization in the Shangpa Kagyu lineage.

The Shangpa lineage starts in Tibet with Khyungpo Naljor and contains many famous yogis. One of the most famous depicted on the wall is the 15^th century Siddha Tangtong Gyalpo, who developed a method of forging iron and was the inventor of the iron chain link bridge. His major activity was connecting Tibet with bridges and roads. He had a vision of the whole of Tibet as the body of a demoness lying prostrate on the ground. At various points on her body, the demoness had certain energy potentials that could be enhanced by creating a way for pilgrims. He also composed the main meditation used at this Center, the Sadhana of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara). His teachings were transmitted through many disciples and were preserved by the great nineteenth century teacher Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrö Taye who included them in his Treasury of Key Instructions. Jamgon Kongtrul was one of the founders of the Rime movement, the intent of which was to teach and preserve the teachings of all the lineages in a non-sectarian way.

In the tantras, there is the principle of the Lama, the Yidam and the Dakini that are related to outer, inner and secret experiences on the meditation path. Padmasambhava, the historical figure who built the first monastery in Tibet in the eighth century, appears as the Lama, the peaceful Guru. Guru Drakpol, a wrathful guru, appears as the Yidam and Singhamukka appears as the Dakini.

Machik Labdron was an eleventh century enlightened female prophesized by the Buddha Shakyamuni. On the external level, she is an emanation of Tara, on the inner level, she is Prajnaparamita, and on the secret level, she is Vajrayogini. She was the originator of the Chöd practice, a profound quick path to cut through the neuroses of the ego. This practice is one of the Shijay lineage (one of the eight lineages of Tibet) that was brought to Tibet by Phadampa Sangye. The Karma Kagyu lineage is represented on the West wall. Marpa, the first Tibetan in the lineage, went many times to India and had Naropa as his primary teacher. Naropa's teacher, Tilopa, received teachings directly from the primordial Buddha Vajradhara. The main teachings of the lineage coming from Naropa are the Six Yogas of Naropa and the Mahamudra teachings. Marpa's chief disciple was the great Jetsun Milarepa who realized the teachings in one lifetime and became one of Tibet's greatest yogis and poets. Milarepa's most famous student was the glorious Gampopa who combined the Mahamudra teachings with the gradual path of Atisha. Gampopa's student, Dusum Khyenpa, was the first Karmapa. The Karmapa reincarnated in successful generations and started the lineage of the Karma Kagyu.

The teaching that these lineages have transmitted is the teaching of recognizing our Buddha nature directly. This can be done by receiving empowerment or by the path of wisdom: meditating on oneself as the Yidam, the representation of one's true Buddha nature in a variety of forms, and to recognize directly the nature of mind as mahamudra after being given the pointing out instructions by the teacher (guru). There are many yidams — many practices of visualizing oneself and one's body as the deity, one's speech as the mantra and one's mind as the wisdom of the deity. The main meditation deities are represented on the walls. In order to show that the lineages are intertwined, the main yidams of the Shangpa Kagyu are placed on the wall of the Karma Kagyu and vice versa. The main Shangpa Yidam practice is the Five Tantric Deities. In the center of this mandala is Chakrasamvara. On the top left is Hevajra, with Mahamaya on the top right, Yamantaka on the lower right, and Guhyasamaja on the lower left. Meditating upon oneself as this mandala overcomes the fixation of oneself as the fixed viewpoint of ego with a body made of flesh and blood. One obtains the pure view of oneself as the deity that is a stepping stone in recognizing one's true Buddha nature. Having destroyed the habit of one's ego fixation, one can see one's true nature.

On the same wall are the three classes of Bodhisattvas represented by Manjushri, Vajrapani and Avalokiteshvara. These three represent the three main principles of the Bodhisattva — Manjushri represents wisdom, Vajrapani represents power, and Avalokiteshvara represents compassion. At this Kalu Rinpoche center, the focus of practice is Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. His is the most widespread practice in Tibet. Meditation is on oneself as Avalokiteshvara with recitation of the mantra Om Mani Padme Hung, and the attempt to develop the view of compassion joined with emptiness.

Vajrayogini is depicted on the East wall. She is one of the main yidam practices of the Karma Kagyu lineage. The mandala depicts Vajravarahi at the center with the four dakinis of the four Buddha families surrounding the main figure. Yidam practice is employed for the purpose of obtaining the pure view by removing fixation on solid permanent things. One meditates on the deity as if it were rainbow-like or ephemeral, like a reflection in a mirror. Also depicted are the yidams Vajrakilaya and Hayagriva. These are extremely wrathful yidams with tremendous energy created in the mantra and the visualization, also to destroy the fixations of one's ego. Vajrakilaya (immutable spike) has four basic qualities: one's dealings with the world are staked to compassion; one's view of the world is staked to the pure view — all form is form void, all sound is sound void, all awareness is awareness void; one's consciousness is staked on the view of recognizing emptiness; and any negative influences and obstacles are staked to the wrathful power.

At the lower right is Jetsun Drolma or Green Tara, the second most widespread practice in Tibet. She is the female Bodhisattva of Compassion.

On the West wall is Vajrasattva (Dorje Sempa), another representation of the primordial nature of mind. This yidam is used primarily as a profound purification practice. Vajrasattva is asked to remove the obstacles and obscurations that prevent recognition of our Buddha nature.

These deities, with all their ornaments, are symbolic. Everything they wear has a symbolic meaning representing some aspect of primordial Buddha nature used to evoke and awaken our true Buddha nature. Three ideas are to be maintained during meditations on deities: to envision oneself in a rainbow-like fashion, non-substantial and clear; to be aware of the symbolism of the deity; and to think of oneself as the deity.

Pitfalls and difficulties are often encountered as the ego tried to cling to its identity. To overcome these obstacles, a tremendous amount of power is needed to maintain the practice and protection so the practice can be correctly accomplished. The protective powers of the Buddhas are represented on the North wall by the Dharma protectors or Dharmapalas. They are wrathful aspects of the Bodhisattvas. Chagdrukpa, the six-armed Mahakala, is depicted with his entourage. This is the protective aspect of the lama and yidam that guides, reinforces and protects one's practice. Chagdrukpa was realized in a vision by the Indian mahasiddha Shawaripa as a wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Chagdrukpa was transmitted from Shawaripa to Khyungpo Naljor. Chagdrukpa’s entourage is comprised of converted demons. The power of extreme negativity is converted to the path to overcome obstacles. The protectors are thus depicted as having demonic forms. At the top left is Bernakchen, the two-armed Mahakala, who is the protector of the Karmapa. At the right is Mahakali or Palden Lhamo, who is the consort of all the Mahakalas. Another important protector is Dorje Lekpa, on the left. To the right is Gonpo Karpo, white Mahakala covered in jewels who represents the vow of Avalokiteshvara—that whenever someone practicing Dharma needs wealth, he will provide it.