Piedmont Karma Thegsum Choling
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ADDRESS:
200 W. Weaver St.
Piedmont Karma Thegsum Choling began as Durham Karma Thegsum Choling in 1981, when the group met in a member’s house. In 2002 they moved to a more centrally located area in downtown Carrboro, necessitating a name change. The group has about fifteen committed European-American members. The members range in age from mid-30s to mid-50s, with women outnumbering men by about 50%. The new meeting space is a single room converted into a shrine on the second floor of an office building. A three-tiered altar dominates the room, decorated with framed photographs of the Karmapa and other prominent lamas, a row of offerings in little bowls, candles, flowers, peacock feathers, ritual implements, and statues of Buddhas and gurus. Above the altar hangs a traditional Tibetan lineage-tree mandala, and other walls display thangkhas of such Kagyu icons as Milarepa, Tara, and Chenrezig. A large bronze Buddha statue sits in one corner. The group has two weekly meetings, one on Sunday morning and one on Wednesday evening. Sunday meetings are practice oriented: six to eight people gather at 10 a.m. for an hour of silent sitting meditation, followed by an hour of puja (worship/meditation). Before the meditation session members recite the Four Immeasurable Thoughts, wishing peace and well-being to all creatures. The puja consists of the Mahamudra, Chenrezig, and Amitabha sadhanas, chanting rituals in Tibetan which involve visualizing Buddhist saviors and picturing oneself merging with these enlightening beings. The puja closes with a seven-line prayer to Padmasambhava and several long-life prayers for important Kagyu leaders. The Wednesday evening sessions take place from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. They draw nine to ten members. The gathering begins with the Four Immeasurable Thoughts, followed by twenty minutes of silent meditation. The group then briefly discusses center business issues before moving on to an open book discussion. Books written by Kagyu lineage teachers are discussed, about one chapter per week. The
center sometimes sponsors lamas to visit the Durham area and give teachings,
in which case they rent space at local churches for the gatherings.
Such special events typically draw fifty to sixty people.
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