History of the Sakya Ngon Ga Ling Center

The Sakya Ngon Ga Ling Dharma Center is under the leadership of His Holiness Sakya Trizin, forty-first holder of the Sakya throne. He consecrated and named the Center (The Sakya Center of Great Joy) on August 24, 2003, at the time located in Strada in Chianti. In 2008 the center moved to the southern slopes of the Apennines at the headquarters of the Vasubandhu Association in Castello di Cireglio, which remains as a Retreat House. In the autumn of 2014 the center moved for the third time to the locality of Tresanti, in Via Tresanti 108.

Already in 2004 the Center hosted HE Jetsun Chimey Luding for the initiations of Hevajra and Vajrayoghini in its short form.

In the summer of 2007, SS Sakya Trizin gave the Kalachakra initiation in Florence at the invitation of the center. And he participated in an interreligious meeting in collaboration with A Temple for Peace.

In the fall of 2008, Jetsun Chimey Luding returned giving Green Tara initiation and extended Vajrayoghini teachings.

In early 2010 His Eminence Gyana Vajra, son of Sakya Trizin, visited the center, conferring the initiations of Manjushri and Vajrasattva, particularly important in the Sakya tradition, as well as teachings on preliminary practices (Ngon Dro).

In 2011 we had the visit of HE Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, who attended a conference in Florence and conferred the initiations of Chen Resig (Avalokiteshvara) and the initiation of the 21 forms of Tara.

Since then Guna Tulku Lama Kalsang Rinpoche has come about twice a year to give various initiations and teachings.

In addition, the center offers basic teachings of Buddhism with cycles of free meetings on the Buddhist philosopher during the winter and has been visited several times by Ani Malvina Savio, Peter Della Santina and Krishna Ghosh Della Santina for more in-depth teachings. The center maintains close relations with the Sakya center in Trieste, the Sakya Kunga Choling, but also with centers of other traditions, such as Pomaia of the Gelug-pa school and Merigar, of the Dzog-Chen tradition. Lama Alak Tsowa Rimpoche, Tulku from the Gelug-pa monastery in Chabchung (Amdo) also visited the center and in 2010 he visited the Yeshi Namkhai center, son of Choegyal Namkhai Norbu.