Doesn’t the name Karma Drubgyu Ling resonate with a special meaning? It means The Place of Karmapa’s Practice Lineage. We are standing before the Copenhagen Diamond Way Buddhist Center. This center is often called The Mother Center. Countless other centers would grow from here.
The Copenhagen Diamond Way Buddhist Center has a rich history. It was founded in 1972 by Lama Ole and Hannah Nydahl. The center started in a historical building in Copenhagen’s city center. In 1974 the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa visited. The Diamond Way group then found a house on Svanemøllevej. It was in a beautiful residential area. With generous help they bought it. In 1975 the Buddhist center opened there.
The center was arranged and painted as a traditional Tibetan Buddhist Lakhang. This is a meditation place. Karmapa named it Karma Drubgyu Ling. The paintings are special. They were made by the 16th Karmapa’s painter Rinzing Lhadipa. His nephew Norbu also helped.
Many important teachers have visited the Copenhagen Buddhist Center over the years. The 16th Karmapa stayed for 10 days in 1977. Shamar Rinpoche visited the center several times. Jamgon Kontrul Rinpoche also came. Kalu Rinpoche and Jigme Rinpoche were visitors too. Main teachers from other lineages also visited. The Dalai Lama was among them. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche also visited. The 17th Gyalwa Karmapa visited in 2000. It was his first visit to Europe.
Lama Ole Nydahl is a significant figure. He provides Mahamudra teachings in the Karma Kagyu school. Since the early 1970s Nydahl has toured the world. He gives lectures and meditation courses. With his wife Hannah Nydahl he founded Diamond Way Buddhism. It is a worldwide Karma Kagyu Buddhist organization. It has over 600 centers for lay practitioners.
Ole Nydahl has written over twenty books. They are about Diamond Way Vajrayana Buddhism. These books have been translated into many languages. Titles include The Great Seal and The Way Things Are.
Ole Nydahl was born north of Copenhagen in 1941. During World War II his parents helped transport Jews to Sweden. In the 1960s he studied philosophy English and German.
In 1968 Ole Nydahl and Hannah traveled to Nepal. They met their first Buddhist teacher Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche. In 1969 they met the 16th Karmapa. They became his students. They studied and meditated in the Himalayas.
Upon returning to Europe in 1972 the 16th Karmapa asked them to teach Buddhism. They were to organize meditation centers. First in Denmark then in Germany and other countries. These centers belong to the Karma Kagyu lineage. They operate under Ole Nydahl’s guidance.
Diamond Way centers provide access to Vajrayana meditation methods. They do not require understanding Tibetan language or culture. Meditations and Buddha form names are translated. Ole Nydahl believes people must understand meditations in their own language. This helps Buddhism become truly rooted in the West.
Today the Copenhagen Diamond Way Buddhist Center continues to be a place of practice. It welcomes those interested in Diamond Way Buddhism. It stands as a testament to the work of Lama Ole and Hannah Nydahl. Their efforts helped spread these teachings throughout the world.