Gaden KhachoeShing is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Bloomington, IN (USA) dedicated to preserving the Buddha’s teachings as transmitted by the Gelugpa lineage for the benefit of all beings. It officially opened in 2007 under the spiritual direction of the Venerable Choje (Kuten) Lama and with the blessings of the great lineage protector Dorje Shugden and many lineage masters.
The name Gaden KhachoeShing was given by Dorje Shugden and carries deep spiritual meaning: Gaden is the name of the pure land (or heaven) of Maitreya Buddha, the next Buddha to come to earth, who has a special and strong connection to the Gaden lineage. Khachoe is the name of the pure land of the female Buddha Vajrayogini, through whom one can attain enlightenment in just one short lifetime. Shing is the Tibetan word for the heavenly pure lands where one can go to attain enlightenment quickly.
Many who visit Gaden KhachoeShing for the first time realize this name is remarkably fitting, for it resembles the pure lands described in traditional Buddhist texts. Encircled by a wide stream, the property rises 128 acres through lush forest to an area that opens up into several meadows, including a clearing that from aerial photographs looks like the shape of a left hand. At the same time, the site is only 15 minutes from downtown Bloomington. This combination of seclusion and proximity provides the ideal environment for religious study by offering the benefits of isolation from worldly affairs as well as easy access to all necessary amenities of daily life.
Gaden Khachoe Shing is envisioned as a sacred place for the study and preservation of the Buddha’s teachings as transmitted by the Gaden Ear-Whispered lineage. In these troubled times, the need has never been greater to preserve the great precious teachings and practice of this lineage that have been passed from teacher to teacher, unchanged since the Buddha’s enlightenment. Students quickly discover that these ancient teachings, preserved for hundreds of years in isolated Tibet, are timeless. They offer a step-by-step method for achieving release from suffering, attaining true happiness, and acquiring the means to help others. At the same time, conditions in the modern world can lead to great confusion that has the potential to dilute and distort the purity of the teachings in ways that hinder their effectiveness.
To ensure the preservation of this precious lineage, the new monastery will offer multiple levels of instruction in Buddha’s teachings (Dharma) and practice. The training will range from introductory classes through rigorous residential programs in the manner of traditional monastic universities of Tibet, India, and Mongolia. At the highest levels, monks, nuns and lay students will meditate and study, contemplate, realize and preserve the teachings of the great Buddhist master Je Tsongkhapa and lineage protector Dorje Shugden. The lineage protector Dorje Shugden is an emanation of the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri and the principal guiding presence in this monastery. The hope is that many who study here will become accomplished meditators, scholars and realized practitioners, masters and adepts who will serve others and preserve this precious wisdom for the sake of all beings.
Address: 2150 E. Dolan Road, Bloomington, Indiana 47408
Phone: 812.334.3456
Email: dgtl@ganden.org
Web: www.ganden.org
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