history
of the monastery
A place where monks and nuns can live in accordance with the discipline and ethics taught by Buddha Sakyamuni, to receive teachings, study, progress in practice and keep the Buddhist tradition alive.
the time line
1979
Where to found a monastery
From the stories of the first Italian monks it is recalled that Lama Yeshe had asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama where it was most beneficial to build a monastery in the West. His Holiness replied that Italy was the most suitable country in consideration of the natural propensity of Italians to respect religious traditions.
2004
Think of a monastery
One day, speaking of the Sangha who lived at the Institute, Geshe Jampa Gyatso clearly listed the many problems that monks and nuns had to face in order to respect the rules of Vinaya (discipline) and keep vows.
2006
possible site for the monastery
With the establishment of the Sangha Onlus association, the search for the possible site for the monastery began: the investigations involved many areas in the municipality of Santa Luce and in particular in Pomaia, but also in the neighboring municipalities. When the searches did not give the desired result, Sicily was also taken into consideration.
2008
The name of the monastery
On the death of our precious abbot Geshe Jampa Gyatso, our guide Lama Zopa Rinpoche becomes, albeit extremely busy and from a distance, our main contact. At the beginning of 2008, meeting him in India, we ask him to take care of us and our project. Rinpoche from our very first steps encourages us, as an association, to be part of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition “because it would have been of great benefit”.
2014
Blessing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
It is the year of the Dalai Lama's visit to the hill. On June 13, the day of the Sakadawa when the Buddha's enlightenment is celebrated, His Holiness visits and blesses the land where the monastery will be built. Since then, every year, on the same day, we have celebrated this historic event with a puja.
2021
approval of the plan
From the first feasibility study of the project presented to the Municipality of Santa Luce in 2007, several years pass in which everything remains stalled. Finally in 2016 the new municipal administration gets underway recognizing the importance of the monastery.
March June 2022
. Vinaya course with Ven.Gheshe Ciampa Gelek
From March 7 till June 7, 2022 Geshe Lharampa Jampa Gelek, resident Master of the Institute, will give teachings on the Vinaya al Sangha of all the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and the Pali tradition.
June 2022
Release of building permit signed
On Thursday 16 June 2022 in the council room of the Municipality of Santa Luce, in the presence of the Head of the technical area Dr. Daniela Galluzzi and the legal representative of the Sangha Onlus Association Ven. Massimo Stordi, the release of the building permit was finally signed for the Temple of the Monastery.
January 2023
Lama Zopa Rinpoche appoints the Abbot of the Monastery
Our beloved spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche, a few months before leaving his body in April 2023, gave us a further precious gift by appointing Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi as our Abbot.
April 13, 2023
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has left his body
Our beloved Lama Zopa Rinpoche, our main spiritual guide, our lighthouse, stopped breathing on April 14, 2023 and is in the meditative state of clear light.
MAY 2023
The Extraordinary Meeting and Advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
In May 2023, a delegation from Sangha Onlus traveled to Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, where they obtained the invaluable opportunity to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It was a moment of great joy and emotion, beyond all expectations.
13 June 2023
Fundraising opening
June 13, 2023, the anniversary of the blessing of the Monastery land by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2014, is an extraordinary and highly auspicious day for us monks and nuns of the Sangha Onlus, in which we finally started the first fundraiser for the construction of the Temple.
JULY 2023
Podcast Dharma Stories
We launched our Dharma Stories Podcast.
Listening – Reflection – Meditation.
With Dharma Stories, you can experience the activities of the monks and nuns of the Buddhist Monastery. Through reflections, meditations, books, articles, and news, you can find inspiration to cultivate happiness.
September 8, 2023
Donation from His Holiness the Dalai Lama
It is with profound joy and emotion that we share the wonderful news of having received a donation from His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a contribution to the creation of the Monastery.
September October 2023
Khen Rinpoche's Visit to Italy
Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi, abbot of the Kopan Monastery and member of the Board of Directors of FPMT International, accepted our invitation to come to Italy to officially assume the role of abbot of the Lhungtok Choekhorling Monastery, assigned to him by Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche last January.
February 2024
Our Course Platform
We have developed a modern course platform where our monks and nuns, along with our respected teachers and friends of the Monastery, offer live-streamed courses and teachings and recorded video lessons. These are enriched with meditations, study materials, self-assessment quizzes, and much more.
February 23-25, 2024
Presentation of the Monastery to the first European Gelug Monlam
We were invited to the first “Gelug Monlam” organized for the first time in Europe by Nalanda Monastery, France, where we had the opportunity to present the Monastery project.
March 2024
Khen Rinpoche Teachings
Khen Rinpoche Ven. Thubten Chonyi, Abbot of Kopan and Lhungtok Choekhorling Monastery, has accepted our invitation to give online teachings, translated into Italian and English.
April 2024
The Sangha Foundation ETS Is Born
On April 5, after a long procedure, our Association was transformed into the Sangha ETS Foundation, with the consequent acquisition of legal personality, a necessary step for its registration among the “Third Sector” entities and for the management of the association's assets in order to build the Lhungtok Choekhorling Monastery in Pomaia.
June 2024
The signature with the company for the construction of the Monastery!
It was signed on procurement contract for the construction of the main Temple of the Lhungtok Choekhorling Monastery which will be built on the former quarry of Poggio alla Penna, near Pomaia, a hamlet of the municipality of Santa Luce (Pisa).
July 8-14, 202
Meditation Retreat in Assisi
The week of the LamRim Retreat, organized by the Sangha Foundation in the context of the course “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand” with Ani Ciampa Tashi, was an unforgettable experience, hosted in the Monastery of San Giuseppe by the Benedictine nuns and welcoming us, all around, the suggestive and green Umbrian hills.
July 29th, 2024
Serkong Rinpoche's Visit
We had the precious opportunity to meet Serkong Rinpoche, on the grounds of the Monastery, for a talk on “The Value of Having a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Our Country”.
September 2024
Legal Transformations of Sangha Onlus
2024 has also been a year of legal transformations, which involved us in complex and detailed procedures to safeguard the assets collected over the years for the realization of the Monastery.
July 29th, 2024
Serkong Rinpoche's Visit
We had the precious opportunity to meet Serkong Rinpoche, on the grounds of the Monastery, for a talk on “The Value of Having a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Our Country”.