Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Society follows the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and is located in the heart of Williams Lake, in central British Columbia.
We are a non profit organization and rely on the generosity of our benefactors.
Developing the attitude of cherishing others is the whole point of the beliefs that we adhere to.
We welcome people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, classes, religions, abilities and ages. We are committed to providing a safe place for all people to visit our stupa.
Our Namesake
Our group is named after the First Dalai Lama, Gendun Drubpa.
Gendun Drup was born in a cowshed in Gyurmey Rupa, near Sakya in the Tsang region of central Tibet, the son of Gonpo Dorjee and Jomo Namkha Kyi, nomadic tribespeople. He was raised as a shepherd until the age of seven. Later, he was placed in Narthang Monastery. In 1405, he took his novice vows from the abbot of Narthang, Khenchen Drupa Sherab.
When he was 20 years old, in about 1411, he received the name Gendun Drubpa upon taking the vows of a fully ordained monk from the abbot of Narthang Monastery. Also at this age, he became a student of the great scholar and reformer Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), who some say was his uncle. Around this time he also became the first abbot of Ganden Monastery, founded by Tsongkhapa himself in 1409. By the middle of his life, Gendun Drup had become one of the most esteemed scholar-saints in the country.
Gendun Drubpa founded two major monasteries: Drepung and Tashilhunpo. He remained the abbot of Tashilhunpo Monastery until he died while meditating in 1474 at the age of 84.
Some of the most famous texts Gendun Drup wrote were:
- Sunlight on the Path to Freedom, a commentary on Abhidharma-kosa
- Crushing the Forces of Evil to Dust, an epic poem on the life and liberating deeds of Buddha Shakyamuni
- Song of the Eastern Snow Mountain, a poem dedicated to Je Tsongkhapa
- Praise of the Venerable Lady Khadiravani Tara, an homage to the Goddess Tara
