Frequently Asked Questions
In 1973, Peter and Harriet Cornish bought 150 acres of rugged clifftop farmland with a wish to create a place that would offer a spiritual home to people of all traditions.
In 1992 they gifted the land and buildings to a charitable trust under the spiritual guidance of Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the highly acclaimed ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying’ and founder of Rigpa, an international network of Buddhist centres and groups.
Absolutely! Meditation is the greatest gift you can give yourself, so grab a chair or a cushion and enjoy a few moments of calm. Meditation is offered daily in our meditation room from 9:15am to 10am or catch us online too on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Yes you can, but please keep in mind that we use the meditation room for lunch between 1pm and 2pm. Also, when events are on, the room may not be available but there is usually a sign outside to warn visitors if the room is in use.
A stupa (chorten in Tibetan) is one of the earliest and most sacred forms of Buddhist architecture. Stupas represent the enlightened mind of the Buddha and are said to possess great spiritual power and blessing. It is traditional to walk (circumambulate) around the stupa 3 times (clockwise) saying prayers or quietly reflecting.
The Dzogchen Beara stupa was Ireland’s first stupa and is located below the temple just past the meditation garden.
Prayer flags (Tib. དར་ལྕོག, dar cho, Wyl. dar lcog) are displayed in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to generate merit and increase one’s life force.
Prayer flags are inscribed with auspicious symbols, invocations, prayers, and mantras. Some flags bear protectors and enlightened beings. Sets of five colour flags are displayed in the colours: yellow, green, red, white, blue. These colours represent the elements: earth, water, fire, wind, space.
The Dzogchen Beara Temple is being built in the style of a traditional Tibetan monastery with innovative features such as floor-to-ceiling windows that make the most of expansive ocean views. We hope we can open the Temple by summer 2024 which is also our 5oth anniversary.
This Temple will be a place for the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism and in particular for the Dzogchen Longchen Nyingtik lineage. We will also host teachers from other wisdom traditions and extend an open-hearted welcome to all through a programme of public retreats and seminars.
The Temple is being built to a monumental standard to last for centuries. The roofs are made of copper alloy resistant to the salty air. The interior is being decorated and adorned to inspire a meditative experience when visitors enter the Temple.
The Buddhist teachings say that helping the building of a Temple in any way – which will help so many people find their way to peace and understanding – is one of the most spiritually meritorious acts we can do.
Rigpa is an international network of centres and groups offering the Buddha’s teachings in a way that is based on an authentic tradition, yet also relevant and beneficial for people in the modern world. Rigpa offers courses and seminars in meditation and compassion, as well as a complete path of study and practice for every stage of the Buddha’s teachings.
Rigpa was founded in 1979 by Sogyal Rinpoche, a Buddhist teacher from Tibet, who was also the author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Rigpa has the gracious patronage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and each national Rigpa association has charitable and non-profit status.
Dzogchen or Dzogpachenpo — the ‘Great Perfection’, or ‘Great Completeness’. The practice of Dzogchen is the most ancient and direct stream of wisdom within the Buddhist tradition of Tibet. Sogyal Rinpoche describes it as “the heart-essence of all spiritual paths and the summit of an individual’s spiritual evolution”.
The study and practice of Dzogchen is considered the highest path in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and especially appropriate for the present time. As one teacher says, “as a way in which to realize the innermost nature of mind—that which we really are — Dzogchen is the clearest, most effective, and most relevant to the modern world.”
The Dzogchen perspective that the nature of our mind is primordially perfect is shared throughout all the stages of the path beginning with the practice of meditation. The spirit is one of uncovering our true nature rather than fabricating something new.
Dzogchen Beara is a Tibetan Buddhist centre, which brings together the Basic Yana, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana. In particular, we follow the Nyingma lineage and tradition of Dzogchen, or “Great Perfection”—the most ancient and direct stream of wisdom within the Buddhist tradition of Tibet, which reveals the way to realize the innermost nature of mind.
Dzogchen Beara is home to a mostly lay community of Buddhist practitioners. Although there are currently no monastics living at the centre, we do occasionally have monastics staying with us.
The Spiritual Care Centre provides a safe and supportive environment for guests living with life-limiting illness, recovering from treatment or experiencing bereavement, and for those who care for them.
We also welcome professional care-givers seeking rest and renewal or who wish to deepen their knowledge and enhance their skills through our training programmes and guests seeking respite from the stress and burnout of their daily lives.
It can be hard to know where to turn when we’re faced with life limiting illness or bereavement. Through Supported Breaks, the Spiritual Care team offers help by one-to-one listening and guidance in meditation and contemplations which come from the Buddhist tradition but which are universally meaningful.
Although initially envisioned as caring for those going through the process of dying, it was quickly realised that, due to the remoteness of the centre and lack of essential medical facilities nearby, offering end of life care was not feasible.
Dzogchen Beara does not offer any kind of counseling, psychotherapy or otherwise.
Meditation and Mental Health
Meditation is not intended as a substitute for psychotherapy, psychiatric treatment or medication of any kind. If you are planning to visit and are currently following a treatment and/or are taking medication, we ask you to first consult your doctor or therapist for advice before coming to Dzogchen Beara before you come.
We ask you to not interrupt any current treatment and/or medication. Dzogchen Beara does not accept any responsibility in this regard. We reserve the right to ask those who are a serious threat to others or to themselves to leave Dzogchen Beara and seek professional help elsewhere.
Absolutely, get in touch with us to find out more: info@dzogchenbeara.org, 02773032
No, you don’t have to be a Buddhist to do a retreat, visit or stay here.
This may be possible depending on your circumstances. Get in touch to find out more: info@dzogchenbeara.org, 02773032
Following the Buddhist path is something we should take time to reflect on deeply before committing and seeking to take refuge (the first step in the Buddhist path). Experiencing a retreat or shorter event is a great way to see if the Buddhist path is for you and if Dzogchen Beara can help you in this regard. See our events page here for more details or check our Rigpa Ireland’s page here.
If you are already a Rigpa student and following our tradition then yes this may be possible. If not then joining our daily Vajrayana practices would be not appropriate.
Yes, we offer Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga.
This will depend on your circumstances. Please get in touch with Ann at retreats@dzogchenbeara.org to find out more.
Yes, most of our retreats offer a limited number of on-site accommodation at a cost that you are welcome to stay in.