▶ Memories of the Founding Day, April 26, 2026 (in Japanese) — commemorative photographs from the day we reported the founding of the Center to Rinpoche.
Rinpoche’s Public Lectures
In April 2026, Rinpoche gave a two-day public lecture at the Tibetan Cultural Institute in Tokyo. The recordings are available to registered members.
If you would like to watch, please register as a member first. Registration is free. (The registration form and the recordings are currently in Japanese.)
Rinpoche and the Center’s Activities
This page introduces the purpose of our Center, the activities of Chung Tulku Rinpoche, and our work in Japan, in a way that is easy to follow even for first-time visitors.
We hope it will serve both those who wish to deepen their study and those who simply wish to quietly take an interest, each at their own pace.
Our Principles
The Center was established to share news of Chung Tulku Rinpoche’s activities and to help people become familiar with the Buddhist teachings and the culture of Bhutan.
The Center is operated on a non-profit basis, as a matter of principle.
We do not ask anyone to belong to any particular organization. Please use the Center in whatever way suits the depth of your own interest.
We hope that, through the Buddhist teachings, it will help deepen the way you regard yourself and the people around you.
Chung Tulku Rinpoche’s Activities
Rinpoche’s work is not limited to teaching Buddhism; he is engaged in a wide range of undertakings.
- Nunnery Construction Project (in Japanese)
- GMC (Gelephu Mindfulness City) Project (in Japanese)
- Broad teaching of Buddhism
- Mindfulness practice (Dhyana) (in Japanese)
- Transmission and teaching of Dzogchen Yangti Nakpo (in Japanese)
- Rinpoche’s book, The Taste of the Blessing of Luminosity (in Japanese)
Details of each are available through the links above.
Our Activities
The Center mainly works on the following four things.
- Events, retreats, and social gatherings timed to Rinpoche’s visits to Japan
- Practicing the teachings transmitted by Rinpoche, and creating places in which to do so
- The various study and creative activities listed in the Lotus-Born Project
- Pilgrimage to sacred sites
Our places of study and practice are in three locations: Tokyo, Karuizawa, and Kumano.
- Tokyo Center (in Japanese)
- Karuizawa Retreat (in Japanese)
- Kumano Retreat (in Japanese)
Details of each location are available through the links above.
Pilgrimage to Sacred Sites
India, Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan
To visit on foot the lands where the founding masters of Buddhism taught and walked: we feel this is a rare and precious experience.
That we can encounter and study Buddhism today is possible only because of the journeys of those who came before us.
In India lie the Buddhist sites associated with Shakyamuni Buddha. The teachings that flourished there gradually lost momentum in their homeland.
The Tibetan people, who inherited those teachings, spread places of learning throughout Tibet and neighboring countries. In time the teachings reached Bhutan as well. The traditions that grew in Tibet were preserved for a long time, but amid the changes of the modern era, many sacred places and monasteries have lost much.
Bhutan is known as a country that, ever since Guru Rinpoche visited, has held Buddhism dear as a nation and has carried that tradition down to the present day.
We believe there is great meaning in visiting such sacred places and encountering them in person.
Traveling to sacred sites is a little different from sightseeing. We regard it as a form of practice.
There are things, it seems to us, that can be felt only by standing in those places. We visited, and returned deeply moved.
Why Bhutan First?
Our connection with this Buddhism began in Bhutan. We have visited several times to receive teachings from Rinpoche.
Bhutan is known as a country where the Vajrayana tradition has been carried down to the present together with the shape of the nation itself.
Places where Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) is said to have practiced in the eighth century remain in many parts of the country. In India and Tibet, much has been lost amid the changes of history. In Bhutan, much of it has been protected to this day.
Precious sacred places remain there still, alive.
What You Can Do on This Pilgrimage
Chung Tulku Rinpoche is a living master, and so the following opportunities may arise.
- Although not at every site, being guided by Rinpoche himself
- Joining in a Dharma service inside a historic building
- Visiting Rinpoche’s mindfulness center in Thimphu
- Visiting the Tsogyal Lhundrup Tengyeling Nunnery, now under construction
To visit religiously significant places together with like-minded people and share the joy — that is the purpose of this pilgrimage project.
Places We Would Like to Visit
We will begin in Bhutan, but it will not end there.
- India — a pilgrimage to the Buddhist sites, following the footsteps of Shakyamuni Buddha
- Nepal — places associated with Guru Rinpoche, and an exchange with contemporary Rinpoches
- Tibet — if circumstances allow. In the Kham region in particular lie places associated with practitioners said to have attained the rainbow body, as well as sacred places of Dzogchen
We will treat visiting these various places as itself a form of practice.
Current Plans
We are thinking of visiting sometime in 2027. Whether spring, summer, or winter has not yet been decided.
We plan to begin discussions on the full plan from around November this year.
If You Are Thinking of Joining the Pilgrimage
We will prepare through repeated online gatherings, such as on Zoom. Those who wish may join this preparation group.
Details will be shared within the group.
Registration is open to everyone. Our member groups are run mainly in Japanese, so please write in Japanese or simple English. We may not always be able to respond fully — thank you for your understanding. The public pages of this site in English and Chinese are open for anyone to read.
We will provide a variety of pilgrimage opportunities in the future. For now, we are looking for those who would like to join the 2027 pilgrimage. Schedules and preparations will be announced at upcoming online gatherings (Zoom, etc.).
If you have any questions, please contact us via the contact form (or by email at info@lotus-born.com) with “About the pilgrimage” in the subject line.