Vajrapani Institute for Wisdom Culture

By Victor Gabriel

Vajrapani Institute offers a shimmering Buddhist getaway.

In the midst of a thick forest
Of a wealth of turquoise trees
Lies the monastery – dharma center of the
Glorified owner of secrecy, Vajrapani
May every single outer and inner harm
Of generous people be pacified.
May their life, merit and wealth increase.
May this land be pervaded by holy beings,
Holders of the teachings,
Who have completed the practice of
          the three higher trainings.

Serkong Rinpoche, a teacher of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, wrote this praise of Vajrapani's land during his stay at Vajrapani Institute in 1983. This was followed three years later, in 1986, by a visit from His Holiness himself. Vajrapani Institute is nestled within 70 aces of sparkling turquoise redwood forest. Our trees shimmer green in the winter rain and glow red in the summer dusk. This forest is sanctuary to numerous deer, rabbits, hawks, finches, humming birds and other illustrious denizens. Our wooded areas and trails offer life's weary traveler many opportunities to be surprised and rejuvenated by life herself.

Our Institute is named for Vajrapani, the Tibetan Buddhist Archetype for the energy of wisdom. This archetypal Buddha is considered the guardian of the Buddhist tantras. Tantras here refer to secret Buddhist teachings about the true nature of reality. These unique tantras describe sacred environments that restore our body and spirit. At these power places we easily experience our interconnectedness with all life and are made whole.

Buddhists do not consider these sacred environments as places to escape from reality, but to enter into it even more fully. This journey is made through the three trainings of ethics, meditation and wisdom understanding the true nature of reality; done with the higher motivation of benefiting others. In this journey we are guided by the many Buddhist teachers that visit our Institute.

This journey is not made by just visitors to our Institute but also by our staff. The multinational staff at Vajrapani Institute sees their service as an extension of their spiritual journey. The qualities of wisdom culture inform our customer service. These are:

1. That all things arise due to causes and conditions
2. That beings seek to be happy and avoid suffering
3. That all experience and knowledge is dependent on mind and its projections
4. That mind is a continuum whose essential characteristics are awareness and clarity
5. That this awareness and clarity is clouded by opportunistic afflictions
6. That we all have the potential of reconnecting with this clarity
7. That all actions of body, speech and mind have consequences and influence future circumstances
8. That the key to achieving peace and happiness for oneself is to work for peace and happiness of others

These qualities allow us the freedom to attend to the unique needs of each of our guests as they represent an aspect of our inner selves, an invitation from life to host a particular quality of ourselves. In this, we are inspired by our precious founder, Lama Yeshe.

Our Institute was the second world-wide center founded by pioneering Tibetan teachers, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the late 70s. The organizations that they founded today numbers 143, of which Vajrapani Institute remains an elder sister. Lama Yeshe passed away in 1984 and his remains are enshrined in a Buddhist memorial called a stupa. Many of our guests have remarked that they can still feel the kind motherly presence of Lama Yeshe on our land.