A Palmo Center Community Update

Dear Friends,

Over the past eighteen months, the Palmo Center has experienced a period of remarkable growth, activity, and blessing. So much has unfolded so quickly that the close of 2025 passed without our usual year-end reflection. Now, in the midst of continuing expansion and Dharma activity, we pause with gratitude to share some of what has been taking shape within our community. 


The Kangyur Transmission 
In 2025, Rinpoche spent more than three months at Benchen Monastery in Kathmandu receiving the rare and precious transmission of the Kangyur—the complete teachings of the Buddha—from HE Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche. During this time, Rinpoche also hosted a gratitude luncheon for Sangye Nyenpa  Rinpoche and over 200 monks.

This transmission further inspired Rinpoche to acquire a set of these precious teachings which had to be ordered from Tibet. These will be housed in the temple in Cottage Grove.

That same year also marked the completion of the purchase of retreat land in Namo Buddha, Nepal, future home of the Sukhavati Retreat and Wellness Center. Initial work began with roads and retaining walls, while Rinpoche continued offering practical, emotional, and spiritual support to local Nepali families and villagers.  

​Sukhavati Retreat and Wellness Center
In March 2026, the project reached a joyful milestone with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by more than 600 people. Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche presided over the blessing ceremony on a beautifully decorated hilltop adorned with marigold garlands and prayer offerings. Monks, local villagers, schoolchildren, dignitaries, and students from around the world gathered together in celebration and prayer.

Construction is now underway to complete additional retaining walls and roads, and eventually to build a temple, retreat  residences, and guest accommodations. Situated in the sacred region where the Buddha, in a previous life, offered himself to a starving tigress to save her cubs, this retreat center is envisioned as a place for deep practice, healing, and renewal  in a landscape with a panoramic view of the Himalayas.  

Temple and Sacred Art
Rinpoche has continued supporting Nepali artisans through the commissioning of sacred statues, thangkas, and temple artwork for the Cottage Grove temple and gallery spaces. A five-foot Buddha statue is expected to arrive later this summer  and preparations for its shrine are already underway.
The temple continues to evolve as both a place of practice and a living expression of the Dharma, and it will feature sacred representations of the Buddha, Guru Rinpoche, White Tara, Maitreya, and many others. The intention is to create a space that inspires all who enter, whether longtime practitioners or those encountering Buddhism for the first time. 

Holidays in 2025 
The Sangha once again joined together to celebrate Tibetan New Year at the temple — making traditional nine ingredient Guthok soup complete with dumplings that contained one’s fortunes for the new year. Each year we look forward to seeing who is labeled as “black hearted” or “two faced” or “gentle”. Each year we improve a bit with the quality of our khapse and donkey’s ears (a kind of fried dough) and everyone joins together to decorate the altar with countless vases of flowers and towers of offerings. It is truly a joyous time for all. In 2026 we were on the Sacred Journey but we were able to enjoy the Losar altars and offerings in many monasteries that we  visited.   

On December 14, 2025, we celebrated Ganden Ngamchoe or Butter Lamp Festival  also known as Lama Tsongkapa Day at the temple. And December On Decmenber 25 we had a Christmas Celebration. 

Karuna House, Metta Houses, and Upeka House 
Spring 2025 marked the completion of Karuna House across from the temple. Its spacious gathering room has already become home to community meals, movie nights, retreat discussions, and sangha gatherings. Three residents now live there in a shared environment grounded in practice and community. Two more residents will come within the year.

The Palmo Center has also acquired adjoining land on  Mount David, where plans include three retreat cabins for individual retreats, a carport, and an observation deck overlooking Cottage Grove. 
Meanwhile, architectural plans for the nearby Metta Houses project—a small complex of four homes—have completed the city review process and are moving toward permitting and construction.

Upeka House, a historic Cottage Grove home, is being transformed into a dedicated retreat and study space. Its renovated gallery space will soon display sacred art and statues arriving from Nepal, allowing for more practice space within the temple itself. 

Chöd Healing Ceremony
The “mandala” room, formerly the home of the Dharma store, will become a sacred space with a 4 foot statue of Madjik Labdron. This is particularly significant because Rinpoche has been told he was one of her sons in one of his former lives. Madjik is the founder of the Chöd practice. Those who attended the 2024 Sacred Journey received a Chöd empowerment from Rinpoche’s teacher, HE Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche in Kathmandu. Rinpoche plans to teach more on this practice in future months.

Recently he presided over a Chöd Healing Ceremony where the temple was filled with students, lying peacefully on the floor as Rinpoche recited a blessing and performed a ritual over each one individually. This Healing is said to release negative karma. Everyone left feeling that the transformation of the healing had only just begun to penetrate. 

Peace Activities and Community Engagement — Boomtsok, Peace Run, International Peace Day
The Palmo Center continues to deepen its connection with the broader community through peace-centered events and outreach. In June 2025, the Center hosted the annual Peace Run, welcoming runners and walkers of all ages. Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson joined the event and spoke movingly about the enduring inspiration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 2013 visit to Eugene. 

At the 2026 Peace Run, the mayor spoke of her journey to visit  His Holiness the Dalai Lama and  her subsequent visit to Kathmandu, Eugene’s sister city. The Mayor spoke of how this  journey changed her life and opened her eyes to a completely different way of seeing the world.

The mayor was able to join part of the annual 2026 Sacred Journey to India and Nepal, where she met His Holiness the Dalai Lama and presented him with a certificate from the City of Eugene honoring his humanitarian work. Participants were deeply touched by her sincerity, openness, and engagement throughout the pilgrimage. Rinpoche also accompanied her to Kathmandu, Nepal, Eugene’s sister city where she was welcomed with garlands and was able to visit NamoBuddha, the site of the Sukhavati Retreat and Wellness Center that Rinpoche is establishing.

Rinpoche was a guest speaker at the commemoration of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings August 6, 2025 . Along with former mayor Kitty Piercy and Professor Mark Unno, Rinpoche delivered words on how peace begins with us. 

Later that summer, the Palmo Center partnered with the Nobel Laureate Peace Park and the NAACP for a family event honoring International Peace Day and honoring His Holiness during his 90th birthday year. Community members gathered to celebrate compassion, peace, and service through art, dialogue, and shared  activities. The Palmo Center hosted children’s activities and brought many smiles to the little ones faces as they printed prayer flags and folded origami cranes. 

The ultimate Peace activity was Boomtsok, the 3 days of prayer for world peace, the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and for the Tibetans still living in Tibet. This was a special opportunity for many of the Sangha to be immersed in Tibetan prayers at the NW cultural Center in Portland. In 2026, this annual event will take place on September 4,5 and 6 with the Venerable Jigme Rinpoche again presiding. We strongly suggest all students of the Dharma consider attending. 

The Sacred Journey 2026:
India/Nepal
The Sacred Journey included Dehra Dun with a visit to Her Eminence Khandro Rinpoche who spoke on karma as the base of samsara. “karma can be changed and connected to nirvana”. Chewang Tulku Rinpoche also gave words on karma by saying our intention and aspiration are the result of past karma. Rinpoche requested an empowerment for the group but Tulku Chewang Rinpoche said that Jigme Rinpoche could give the empowerment himself. The pilgrims took a side trip to Mussoorie where the 14th Dalai Lama, at the age of 24,  first settled  when arriving in India.  

In Dharmshala, the Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson, joined the pilgrimage. We were able to meet the president of the Tibetan government in exile, the head of the security council, a Tibetan doctor, Tibetan astrologer, and the head of the Tibetan archives. It seemed impossible that such  prominent figures would take time out of their busy schedules to share their experiences and shed light on  the history of Tibet  and the Tibetans in exile. The highlight was, of course, when the pilgrims were graced by being in  the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Receiving his blessing is a gift greater than any other. We were told that he met with  over 1000 people that day. Yet his composure never wavered. One could only wonder what karma we all had to be given so many teachings, insights  and experiences in such a short time. 

Our travels then took us to Bodhgaya with its world heritage site Stupa and nearby Rajgir where the Heart Sutra was first taught. We sat with Rinpoche feeling  the presence of all those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas  who attended that first teaching, filling the sky. Rinpoche said that the the Heart Sutra has “most profound mantra that severs grasping ambition, aggression, and ignorance…and takes one directly into resting in reality as it is without any agenda.” 

The following dthe  Ganges at dawn with the funeral pyres burning on its shores. The offering lamps set to sail on its waters. The walk through the narrow ancient streets city which has been continuously occupied for centuries. The devotion of the people and of the land itself was palpable. Offering a saffron shroud at Kushinagar to the giant statue of the reclining Buddha. Rinpoche said, “Buddha was an ordinary person who came and questioned–why birth, why  suffering, why death? We are after freedom and it starts with questioning. Examine the mind and its attachments. You must study suffering. Taste the flavor of suffering. Give rise to that questioning mind. Renunciation mind means renouncing the cause of suffering, stepping back and getting a perspective on how things are. Ask what can I do to distance this  mind?”

In Lumbini we passed through the gardens to arrive at the place where Buddha was born. Chanting in the rain, the group did kora before entering the sacred space. From here we moved on to Kathmandu. Kora around the Boudha Stupa grounded everyone even more deeply in the Dharma. A side trip to Pharping  brought the group to Guru Rinpoche’s cave where one could place one’s hand in his hand print in the stone. There was also a visit to Swayambu, the monkey temple where each monkey is said to be a reincarnation of lice on Manjushri.

These are but snapshots of the profound and moving experience, which led the group to the groundbreaking ceremony at Namo Buddha which was blessed by Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche. 

Bhutan
Despite travel challenges caused by flight disruptions in the Middle East, the first group of pilgrims was able to return home safely, while others were inspired to stay and participate in the Bhutan pilgrimage. The journey began with breathtaking views of the Himalayas from the plane. 

Bhutan is truly a culture that embodies Buddhism. Circumambulating stupas (kora) is woven into daily life. We had the good fortune to visit two family homesteads, one for lunch and another for an overnight stay. The aesthetic beauty of the country permeates everything,  just as deeply as Buddhism itself. The pristine air, organic  food, ancient fortresses, and monasteries all paint a picture of a way of life that holds fast to  what matters most: wisdom and compassion.

To witness a people for whom prostration is a natural expression of devotion is deeply inspiring. There is a purity in both the air and the spirit of the people. Everywhere, one encounters a quiet sincerity and reverence that seem woven into the fabric of daily life. 

And, of course, the famed Tiger’s Nest Monastery, perched impossibly on the face of a cliff, is itself an expression of devotion. Its very existence speaks to the faith, determination, and aspiration of those who built it and those who continue to make the pilgrimage  there. Standing before it, one cannot help but feel humbled by the depth of commitment and devotion that it represents.

The 2026 Sacred Journey brought not only the extraordinary blessing of an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, blessings from many lineage master, an immersion in the Buddhist culture of Bhutan, but a change to be more closely in Rinpoche’s orbit and experience the teachings through Rinpoche’s actions of wisdom and compassion as much as through his words. Even while traveling, he remained closely connected with the sangha in the US through regular online teachings and observance of important holy days.  

Dharma Activities and Teachings 
Throughout 2025 and into 2026, the sangha continued to gather regularly in person and online for Dharma teachings and practice, including Sunday teachings, Shamatha meditation, Soor practice, Medicine Buddha practice, Ngondro gatherings, and discussion groups. Rinpoche would often come to offer precious teachings but even when he wasn’t able to come, we were blessed with teachings from the recorded archives. Yet there was always time for movies at Karuna House, discussions, a picnic (complete with badminton and corn hole!), visits to Hendrick’s Park and other social activities. The Sangha met to see the exhibit of Himalayan art at the Schnitzer Museum of  Art on the University campus with a lively discussion afterwards.

Rinpoche offered numerous retreats and teachings in Cottage Grove, including teachings on Tsongkhapa’s Three Principal Aspects of the Path, Chenrezig practice, Mahamudra, Vajrasattva, and many other profound topics. His teachings consistently emphasized the  union of wisdom and compassion in daily life.

At the close of 2025, Rinpoche gave a public talk at Tsunami Books in Eugene titled The Gift of Forgiveness. The event drew longtime students, newcomers, and members of the wider community. Many expressed deep gratitude for the practicality, warmth, and clarity of the teachings.

European Tour 2025 and 2026 
Rinpoche also continued his annual European teaching tours, returning to Switzerland and visiting Portugal for the first time, where he taught to an international group of students who  warmly welcomed him. The geodesic dome tents nestled in the Portuguese hills provided an isolated environment for the participants to sit and hear guidance to mediation that Rinpoche offered. Afterwards almost all of them committed to beginning a Ngöndro practice in order to go more deeply into the teachings. 

Each teaching gave pearls of insight and wisdom that will grow and grow. But the essence of all the teachings was Rinpoche’s infinite patience, wisdom and compassion. Whether he was experiencing jet lag but still adding an extra  hour to his talk or speaking with a person new to meditation until late at night, Rinpoche’s compassion was limitless. 

Rinpoche has done such a tour for some years but this year it seemed as if he  had more seeds take birth in hearts where it had not been before. There were many people who came who were completely  new to meditation. But even those who had some experience were touched in places where they had never been touched. Indeed the excellent Boddhicitta took birth where it had not done so!

Rinpoche  is preparing  to embark on yet another European Tour in  the fall of 2026 which will again include Portugal where he will teach on Lorig (Understanding the Mind). The Portuguese center (Quinta da Libelula) will have its temple constructed for the teachings this year. Rinpoche is assisting them with acquiring statues and thangkas from Nepal to enhance their space.

Rinpoche will return also to Karuna Haus in Unterwasser, Switzerland which is in the shadow of Mt Säntis, the location of a Stupa erected as a heartfelt tribute to the Swiss people, honoring their humanitarian support and asylum to Tibetan refugees  over the decades. Here he will teach on the Ngöndro.  Rinpoche’s last retreat will be on Mahamudra and Chenrezig in Churwalden. In addition to the retreats, there will be public talks in Zurich, St Gallen and Bern on the Three Higher trainings, an introduction to Vajrayana and Finding Our True Identity Beyond Work and Recognition.  

The Sangha Expands to Include Nepal
In June, a dedicated group of Nepalis, requested Rinpoche to offer a formal teaching. For the first time Rinpoche transmitted the Dharma in the Nepali language and offered a refuge ceremony. It was said that no other teacher had ever taught in such a way that was as inspiring or as applicable to daily life the Nepali language. We can include these Nepalis as part of the Sangha devoted to Rinpoche and his vision.

2026 Forecasting
While the new year is already half over, Rinpoche set the stage with Riwo Sangchöd practice at the temple, both in person and online, followed by extensive teachings on purification, karma, and Vajrasattva practice. Rinpoche reminded us that while “new year” exists only on the relative level, it still offers an opportunity to begin again with Dharma as our guide. Even now we can begin again — and again, and again.

The New Downtown Cottage Grove Branch of the Palmo Center 
Most recently, the Palmo Center purchased the former Bank of America building on Main Street in downtown Cottage Grove. This space is envisioned as a welcoming secular and cultural presence within the broader community, supporting future programs, outreach, and service activities. Fundraising efforts for this project will begin in earnest this summer. 

With deep gratitude to all who have offered support, practice, encouragement, and generosity, we rejoice in all that has unfolded and dedicate whatever merit has arisen to the benefit of all beings. 

And while not significant, the Palmo Center now has a new PO Box. This is perhaps a small sign that we are establishing a visible presence in Cottage Grove.

Palmo Center for Peace and Education
Box 340
Cottage Grove OR 97424

May you be happy. May you be peaceful. May you be free from suffering.

With prayers and appreciation,
The Palmo Center Community