1st Kalu Rinpoché – The World
With more and more young western students taking an interest in Buddhism, the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa asked Kalu Rinpoché to visit the west to see if it was a favorable ground for Dharma. This led to Kalu Rinpoché’s first trip outside of Asia, in 1971-2, during which he created in Vancouver, Canada, of one of the first centers for the study of Tibetan Buddhism in the west. During his second trip abroad in 1974, he created a number of centers in North America and in France. On his third trip, in 1976 Kalu Rinpoché founded, in the center of France [at Kagyu Ling, Bourgogne], the first ever Three-year retreat center for western students. Having received the full transmission and training of the Kagyu and Shangpa traditions from Kalu Rinpoché, this group of men and women from many different countries emerged from retreat in 1980 as the first formally recognized western lamas, profoundly inspiring a new generation of western Buddhists. When he departed this world in 1989 Kalu Rinpoché had founded more than 60 centers and inspired many Three-year retreat centers around the world.
