The Drolung Hermitage, a Buddhist Temple & Meditation Centre
Imagine you could leave everything behind and immerse yourself in practice without having to worry about food, lodging, money and so forth. Everything would be provided while your more or less only task is to immerse yourself into meditation. We are currently working on making this a reality!
Our vision is to create a non-sectarian and non commercial meditation retreat solely focused on the development of insight and spiritual growth. Open not only for Buddhist, but for everyone sincerely seeking the ultimate meaning of life.
The Hermitage at a Glance
- Since 2023 Lama Choga, a Tibetan-Buddhist monk of Canadian origin, has been building a hermitage on a remote island close to Vancouver.
- It will contain an international Buddhist temple serving as a meditation center, with individual meditation huts for long-term practitioners and short term guests.
- People will be able to stay free of charge – with the whole project funded by the Insight Sangha, a not-for-profit-organization.
- Everybody sharing this vision is welcome to join and help build this place, staying there for free and meditating under the guidance of Lama Choga.
The vision: Why a Buddhist temple on a sleepy island near Vancouver?
What does a Buddhist practitioner do to deepen his or her practice? In the past sincere practitioners would go off in the woods to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the spiritual path. Nowadays this is quite problematic, as we need food, water, shelter, medicine and furthermore all kinds of things unheard of in the olden days. Even if we like the idea of running away into the woods, we have hesitation. Rightly, being surrounded by trees alone will not make the penny drop. Facing the labyrinth of the mind, one needs a guide along the way.
But not only that. Heading off to Asia to receive guidance is not for everyone. There should be a place in the West dedicated to spiritual practice alone. No matter the financial means or the time frame. This is the reason Lama Choga decided to build a meditation center in the solitude of a remote island near Vancouver. Literally with his own hands.
And yes, the idea is, that long-term practitioners don’t have to pay for their stay – just like in a traditional Buddhist monastery. The Insight Sangha, a not-profit-organization, will take care of everything. Funded by donations and a small income generated by the YouTube channel ‘The Theory of Samsara’ its purpose is to support people on their spiritual path. No matter the experience, the skills, the knowledge or the background – as long as there is the sincere wish to penetrate one’s mind until one hits rock bottom and faces the ultimate meaning of life.
The journey: Building a meditation center from scratch
So far about the vision. But to put this idea into action, some things are required. On the property there’s a rundown cottage that needs to be renewed. And in order to host a small community there are more accomodations needed.
The plan includes building:
- a shed for the sawmill providing timber for further construction work
- tiny meditation huts for each meditator
- an universal Buddhist temple probably resembling Tibetan style serving as a quiet meditation center and a place of worship for those devoted to Buddhism
- a sauna to warm up the Canadian winter
On his YouTube channel ´The Chainsaw Lama` you can follow Lama Choga building the hermitage on his own. Once in a while somebody is staying there and helping him, though the place is not developed yet. At least there is a place for one person to stay and meditate.Information on how to book a private retreat can be found on the Meditation Retreats page.
How could a monastery, a hermitage or any Buddhist temple really take root in Canada? What’s important is that it develops organically. Taking one step at a time, the property will slowly take shape. Growing together with the people staying there, eventually it will thrive.
The community: Being part of an aspiring meditation center near Vancouver
In the future, this site is meant to be a flourishing place in terms of genuine spiritual practice. This doesn’t involve large groups of people though, but rather a small community of dedicated meditators. Hiding in the woods, just leaving once in a while to buy some rice or other necessities for daily life. Working in the permaculture garden, cleaning the toilet, carrying water – and immersing oneself in the stillness of meditation in search for the ultimate meaning.
The plan is to host once in a while one week meditation retreats. And to welcome people wanting to taste a hermit’s lifestyle – for 3 or 6 months.
To stay updated take a look at our blog. Once the hermitage will open its gates, we’re happy to inform you via our various community channels about the good news.
May all beings be happy and free of suffering.
