Manjushri Buddha Retreat Center is a Buddhist centre in the Karma Kagyu tradition, located in Vesterbølle in Himmerland with views over the Limfjord. The centre was founded in October 1984 and has since been a living meeting place for Buddhist practice in Denmark.
The centre was founded in October 1989 under the Tibetan name Karma Wangchuk Ling — “The Powerful Place”. Among the founders were Ole Nydahl and Hannah Nydahl, as well as Eva Bjerrum and Claus Hermansen. Ole Nydahl was a central figure in the spread of Karma Kagyu Buddhism in Europe, but the centre has from the outset had its own leadership and its own path. Eva Bjerrum and Claus Hermansen are permanently resident on the grounds to this day and manage the day-to-day running of the centre.
In the four decades since, the centre has developed into an established place for retreat, teaching and community — with a wide range of courses and an organic garden, café and shop under the name Drivhuset.
The centre is part of the Karma Kagyu lineage within Tibetan Buddhism. The spiritual head is H.H. the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje. Shangpa Rinpoche and Dupseng Rinpoche jointly provide the spiritual guidance at the centre.
Dupseng Rinpoche — the 3rd in a reincarnation lineage with deep roots in the Karma Kagyu tradition — has a special connection to the forthcoming 3-year retreat. He himself completed a traditional 3-year retreat from 2008 to 2011 and is retreat master at Karma Ngedon Palbar Ling in Nepal. It is Dupseng Rinpoche who will give teachings during the retreat in Denmark — not as a distant authority, but as a teacher who regularly visits and guides the yogis within the boundary.
The centre is situated in a scenic area of Himmerland and offers facilities for both short visits and longer stays. There are more than 40 sleeping places as well as space for tents and caravans. A large meditation hall and smaller meditation huts provide the setting for individual and communal practice.
Around the centre runs a peace path — a kora — with a large stupa and eight smaller stupas. Stupas are Buddhist monuments symbolising the enlightened nature of the mind and are used for meditation and circumambulation (practice while walking). The large stupa was in 2004 blessed and named “The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel” by H.E. the 14th Shamar Rinpoche.
The centre also has a well-stocked library and offers regular courses, talks and retreats — open to all who wish to learn more about Tibetan Buddhism.
With four decades of experience, an established spiritual network and a scenic and peaceful location, Manjushri Buddha Retreat Center has the foundation needed to house a traditional 3-year retreat on Danish soil — for the first time in Scandinavia. What is missing is the physical framework: dedicated buildings that can protect and sustain the practice that takes place within the retreat boundary.
That is what we are building. And that is where you can make a difference.
A Buddhist centre founded in October 1984 in Vesterbølle in Himmerland. The centre is part of the Karma Kagyu tradition and has from the outset offered courses, retreats and communal practice.
The centre is affiliated with the Karma Kagyu lineage and is spiritually led by H.H. the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa. Dupseng Rinpoche is spiritual guide and teacher — and will provide the teachings during the forthcoming 3-year retreat.
Eva Bjerrum and Claus Hermansen are permanently resident at the centre and manage the day-to-day running. They are two of the centre’s founders and have been there since 1984. They also run the organic garden Drivhuset with café and shop.
The centre has more than 40 sleeping places as well as space for tents and caravans — and a meditation hall, peace path with nine stupas and a well-stocked library.