In the small village Tresanti (Three Saints) in the town of Montespertoli (Florence) you find the principal Sakya Dharma Center, Sakya Ngon Ga Ling. It's located on the top of a hill with a view that extends to the Meditarranean sea. The gompa (shrine) is in the old “colombaia”, a room on top of the roof, in an ancient typical country house of this zone. The shrine is surrounded only by the sky in all directions.
The principal activities are:
Monthly meetings on buddhist practice and philosophy discussions. Every 2nd Sunday of the month.
Courses in Meditation every Tuesday and Thursday.
Celebrations of Buddhist Festivals as:
Losar - Tibetan New Year
Vesak - Birth, Enlightenment and Parinirvana of Buddha Sakyamuni
and other celebrations as the birthday of our Masters.
Rituals like Tara Puja and the Tsog of Vajrayogini and more.
Our Center at Tresanti
Visits of our Masters:
The schedule of 2016 is:
Gunna Tulku Lama Kalsang Rinpoche in April
and in October / November 2016
HE Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, the new Sakya Trizin
will come to Trieste in July 2017.
The house with the gompa on top ...
The stupa in the garden ...
History of the Dharma Center Sakya Ngon Ga Ling
The Dharma Center Sakya Ngon Ga Ling is under the guidance of His Holiness Sakya Trizin, the 41st holder of the throne of the Sakya Tradition.He consecrated and gave the name of the Center (the Center of the Great Joy) the 24th of August 2003 , by the time located in Strada in Chianti near Florence. In 2008 the Center moved to the hills of Pistoia at the venue of the “Associazione Vasubandhu” at Castello di Cireglio, that now has become our Retreat House. In the autumn of 2014 the principal Center moved for the third time to the village Tresanti, in Via Tresanti 108.
In 2004 the Center organized Empowerments with HE Jetsun Chimey Luding, a 2-day Hevajra Empowerment and to follow the Empowerment of Vajrayogini.
During summer 2007 HH Sakya Trizin conferred upon request from the Center the Empowerment of Kalachakra in Florence. After that HH participated in an Inter-religious Meeting that was organized by the Center in collaboration with “Un Tempio per la Pace” (A Temple for Peace).
In the autumn of 2008, HE Jetsun Chimey Luding came back giving the Empowerment of Green Tara and the Empowerment and Extensive Teachings of Vajrayogini.
In the beginning of 2010 HE Gyana Vajra, son of Sakya Trizin, visited the Center, giving Empowerments of Manjushri and Vajrasattva, both particularly important in the Sakya Tradition. He also gave Teachings on the preliminary practices - Ngon Dro.
During 2011 we had the visit of HE Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, who participaded in a conference in Florence and also conferred the Empowerments of Chen Resig (Avalokiteshvara) and the Empowerment of the 21 forms of Green Tara.
Since 2012 Gunna Tulku Lama Kalsang Rinpoche visit the Center about 2 times a year conferring Empowerments and Teachings.
Moreover, the Center offers Basic Teachings on Buddhism, with various cycles of meetings on Buddhist Philosophy and Courses in Meditation. The Center has been visited various times by Ani Malvina Savio, Peter Della Santina and Krishna Ghosh Della Santina for deepening certain aspects on Buddhist studies. The Center has very tight relations to the Sakya Center in Trieste, Sakya Kunga Choling, and also to Centers in other Traditions as Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa at Pomaia, and Merigar in the Dzog Chen Tradition. We has visits from Lama Alak Tsowa Rimpoche, Tulku of the monastery Gelug-pa in Chabchung (Amdo) and 2010 Yeshi Namkhai, son of Choegyal Namkhai Norbu visited the Center with Teachings on Tantra.
Our gompa (shrine)
The pond in the garden ...
