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The Vajra Vidya Institute, India
In order to preserve Tibetan Buddhism and maintain the Karma Kagyu tradition in India, in the fall of 1999, Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche completed his project to build an institute of buddhist studies in Sarnath near Varanasi and named it as " Vajra Vidya Institute " which was the name of the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa. It means " Indestructible Knowledge ".
The Main Temple and Grounds
Visitors to Vajra Vidya are welcomed by a bas-relief mural of the four great kings, the guardians of the four directions, just inside the monastery gate. The gate itself is designed as a Chakrasamvara mandala. Facing the main temple building are statues of Brahma and Indra, the gods who requested Shakyamuni Buddha to teach the Dharma after his enlightenment.
The main temple building was designed with the intention of preserving traditional Buddhist architecture, incorporating elements from the ancient Nalanda Monastic Institute in India, as well as from Samye, Zhalu Serkhang, Karme Yenmoche, and Gazhi Trulnang monasteries in Tibet.
The central statue in the main shrine hall is of Shakyamuni Buddha, depicted in the teaching mudra. On either side of the main shrine are statues of the 35 confession Buddhas. One thousand Buddha statues are displayed in niches on the upper balcony. The murals illustrate the lives of the sixteen arhats. The ceiling is painted with mandalas.Upstairs are four smaller shrine rooms dedicated to the 21 Taras, the protectors Dorje Drölo and Mahakala, and the texts of the collected teachings of the Buddha. On the top floor are suites for high lamas.
Behind the main temple building are a monks' hostel and the monastery dining hall. Thrangu Rinpoche's residence is in a separate building to the east. On the south side of the compound is the Vajra Vidya Dispensary, staffed by a doctor as well as visiting volunteers, providing free medical care and discounted medicines to the local community. The Vidya Shop sells a variety of books, gifts, and Dharma items, and the Vajra Cafe offers drinks, snacks, and sundries; their profits go to the monks' welfare committee.
Study and Practice
The monks enrolled in the monastic college (shedra) follow a seven-year traditional program, studying the major texts of the Kagyu lineage on Buddhist philosophy, logic, debate, grammar, and poetry. The shedra students include several lay men and women from around the world. Also studying at Vajra Vidya are a number of young monks who are learning to read, write, and recite Tibetan. In addition to the daily schedule of prayers, the monks gather several times a month to practice pujas according to the Tibetan lunar calendar. Each year they also do extended pujas of Hevajra and Mahakala.
The Library
The Institute's library houses a large collection of Tibetan texts old and new; audio archives of teachings; and collections of books and journals in English, Chinese, Hindi, and other languages. The library oversees an active publishing department which has produced 35 Dharma books used by the students of Vajra Vidya as well as other Buddhist colleges.
The VVI Guesthouse & Kagyu Dharmachakra Stupa
Located next to the VVI, the new guesthouse has twenty rooms with attached bathrooms, a meditation room and dining hall with kitchen. This facility is suitable for group retreats, as well as individual guests, as it is completely self contained in its own compound. In the compound garden is the newly consecrated Kagyu Dharmachakra Stupa where visitors can meditate and circumambulate.
Other Activities
Each winter Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche leads the Vajra Vidya Seminar, a two-week program of Dharma teachings for Westerners. Over the years, the Institute has hosted a number of conferences and gatherings of Kagyu lamas, including the Kagyu Gunchö, a month-long annual program of teachings and debate for monks from Kagyu shedras.