Shyalpa Monastery

and Retreat Center

Kathmandu, Nepal

Tibet was originally a land of nomadic, barbaric tribes, but gradually became a peaceful, unified nation after Buddhism was introduced in the 7th and 8th Centuries. Tibetans took the teachings of the Buddha to heart and devoted both individual and collective energies to studying and realizing the innermost essence of the Buddha’s teachings. For this reason, Tibetan culture is unique in the history of the world. In no other civilization have the spiritual values of altruism and compassion so completely permeated every aspect of life.

For centuries, in every corner of Tibet, Buddhist monasteries flourished as the spiritual, educational, and social centers of Tibetan life. One quarter of Tibetan males lived and trained in the monasteries as Lamas and monks, and it was considered a great honor for one’s child to be ordained into the monastic community. It was primarily in these monastic settings that centuries of accumulated wisdom was passed from generation to generation through oral transmission, study, and practice. The rigorous pursuit of intellectual, medical, and artistic disciplines that took place in these spiritual centers was always balanced by the infusion of compassion and the altruistic goal of bringing peace and happiness to all beings.

At the request of elder Tibetan refugees, H.E. Shyalpa Rinpoche founded the Tibetan Refugee Children’s Fund to help alleviate the immediate suffering of Tibetan refugee children and to give them the opportunity for a better life by helping them to receive an education. For the last fifteen years, over 300 Tibetan refugee children living in India and Nepal have been sent to school and are being continuously helped through The Tibetan Refugee Children’s Fund.

To help preserve the profound teachings of his lineage and
provide an education for Tibetan refugees, Rinpoche has reestablished the Shyalpa Monastery and Retreat Center in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Center is of great benefit to all who wish
to learn the spiritual wisdom and practices of this unique culture.

Children who have recently escaped from Tibet or are currently living as refugees in India and Nepal have the opportunity to become monks and nuns and live at the Shyalpa Monastery, where they learn and practice the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual traditions and intellectual, medical and artistic disciplines of their culture. These monks and nuns will become the inheritors and subsequent transmitters of the vast treasury of spiritual wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The Shyalpa Retreat Center serves as a retreat place for all of Rinpoche's students who wish to learn Buddhist teachings or enrich their own spiritual practice. The temple and adjoining buildings have been designed by His Eminence himself in a unique blend of traditional Tibetan monastic architectural style and contemporary, western convenience.

With the help of some of H.E. Shyalpa Rinpoche’s Malaysian disciples, the first phase of the Shyalpa Monastery project is now complete. In the past ten months, 40 new rooms for monks were added and two special guest suites were built. Additionally, the monastery now has an unlimited supply of fresh mountain water, thanks to a 7 kilometer pipe from Tarebir, Nepal all the way to Shyalpa Monastery. 

The Shyalpa Monastery and Retreat Center is majestically perched atop Kopan Hill with a stunning view of the Boudhanath Stupa and surrounding Himalayan Mountains. All Buddhist practitioners are encouraged to visit. If you would like to particpate in supporting the Shyalpa Monastery in any way, please see the Contacts section for details.