A BRIEF HERSTORY FROM THE 1970S
Top left: Namgyal Rinpoche and Chorpel, top right: July 1971 Gretchen Mehegan & Scott Harris heading for Rumtek, bottom left: Chorpel, Kinmount, bottom right: Raising Chenresi Cabin wall at Kinmount (Tony Olbrecht, Rod Malham, Wesley, Gretchen Mehegan)
Namgyal Rinpoche travelled a lot in the 1970s; many retreats occurred on cargo ships at sea. Or on other continents. During this time Rinpoche's students established communities in the Yukon, New Zealand, Ottawa and out west. Namgyal Houses were established in various cities around the world. The DCC carried on at Kinmount.
We contacted Sakya Shasanadhara (upholder of the Sakya Lineage) Angelica Knapp, not knowing that she had encountered the extended DCC community via meeting Sakya Shasanadhara Lama Wesley, who introduced her to Namgyal Rinpoche in the Yukon, Summer 1971.
Angelica (who with Wesley moved their home and centre Sakya Thubten Namgyal Ling Canada from Ontario to Quebec 6 years ago) shared a 'non-Ontario' view of our DCC community through emails. This dialogue fed a personal goal (of mine) to sing aloud some of the unsung songs of the many women who – over the years since the Dharma Centre was first established – nurtured practitioners and teachers, cared for children, supported and lead retreats. They also focused on the practicalities such as providing nutriment, cataloguing the DCC Library, and helping build the many gardens and structures on the property. Angelica mentioned names and highlighted accomplishments of a few of the women who worked tirelessly for the DCC behind the scenes during the 70s. Here we share a flavour of that decade's extended DCC community in the Yukon, Kinmount and elsewhere.
Angelica: In 1977, I was chair of the Yukon Dharma Society and Wesley was chair of the Karmapa Committee. We represented the group that brought Karmapa 16 (with His entourage of 10 Tulkus, Rinpoches and Lamas) to the Yukon to transmit His uniquely personal Chenresi Ritual of 'Displaying the Vajra Crown' also known as The Black Hat ceremony. We liaised with the DCC and the Kargyu Society in Ontario for the visit. The Yukon group hosted many fund-raising events such as dinners and raffles, ran a mid-winter bed race around downtown Whitehorse in the annual 'Yukon Rendezvous' event, engaged many local politicians, members of the healing community and other non-Buddhist supporters. The ceremony was held in the local high school in March 77 and drew over 500 people. Astounding, since the entire population of the Yukon then was 11,200!
I missed the visit because at exactly the same time I had been graced with an invitation to attend (as one of 12 healers) a course in Banon, France, with Namgyal Rinpoche on The 7 Rays of Healing – The Victory of Bliss Awakening. We later offered this teaching at Namgyal House in Vancouver, DCC Kinmount twice, Our Centre, Ottawa, a Sangye Menla retreat lead by Rinpoche and the first course offered as part of the DCC Summer School, titled Nutriment. Upon my return from France, in April 1977, I was able to meet Karmapa 16 at Kinmount, where he gave the Vajra Crown ceremony to about 150 people.
Beatrice Raff, Ananda Bodhi's earliest western student, accompanied him to Britain from the east, then to Canada, in '65. As a wee one, Sigmund Freud - a family friend - bounced her on his foot. She became Chorpel Dolma, ordained by Karmapa 16, and established a Kargyu centre in Toronto. Many of her students became students of Namgyal Rinpoche - "He always took my best!" she said. Rinpoche designated Tseringma, his Gompa next to his home in Kinmount, as a residence for Chorpel.
Marina Bieler served on the DCC's original Board of Directors for Incorporation. Ananda Bodhi was enthroned as Namgyal Rinpoche by Karma Thinley Rinpoche, on behalf of Karmapa 16, at her Green River home with Ted Bieler in '71. She was the Head Chef for Karmapa's Kinmount visit and was the Founding Chair of the Kinmount Academy.
Gretchen Mehegan was very engaged in the '70s with Namgyal Rinpoche, who respected her intellect publicly and invited her on his dais during the first Teacher’s training in ’75, Crete. She was one of the board member creators of ‘CLUB MED’, an opportunity for beings to come to the center to simply meditate, according to their fancy! When the group (108 beings) went to Rajpur to meet HH Sakya Trizen in ’72, after everyone else left, Gretchen stayed behind. He taught her Tibetan - which enabled her to become the first translator of Rinpoche's High Tantric Texts. She was also the DCC's 'most outspoken feminist', helping shape Rinpoche's evolution from the constraints of a Bhikkhu. She served on the DCC's Board, organized and catalogued the library at Kinmount and was the most successful, creative editor of The Dharma News. When we asked Rinpoche to bestow the Namgyal Crown Initiation he invited Gretchen to come to Kinmount to “write the text.” She did a solo writing retreat in Beaver Dam cabin while Rinpoche conducted a group retreat. Every day after the retreatants left the temple she listened to Rinpoche and while he spoke, she wrote. The next day he would read what she had written, then she would make his edits. Thus, the Namgyal Crown initiation text was created.
From the late 70s into the early 80s, Brenda Mintz, a dedicated practitioner with a great heart for Bodhi, served on the DCC Board as Chair. As a professional accountant, she introduced the DCC to fiscal responsibility. She managed many projects, creating viable budgets that materialized in the form of improvements to the DCC property. One of her babies was the design/build of the bathhouse – prior to that we had one tiny bathtub in main house and no toilet facilities except for outhouses. This very practical touch allowed for more participants attending courses and retreats.
And borne from Neepawa in 1978, a 'secret' lodge frequented the DC every other weekend for at least a year. A large group of approx. 60 men, women, and children gathered and for the first time in DCC history, families were supported and involved. Pyramid cabin was born from this group’s energies.
Debbie O’Connell, master green thumb, created most of the landscaping that exists to this day during that period; she engaged the children in gardening, planting etc. Eventually the land between main house and the entry was dedicated for a children's playground. (And the grassy area over the septic field between the main house and the bath house morphed into a volleyball 'court'.
It was breakthrough work at the time and preceded later individual courses by Rinpoche for women, children and men…"
Angelica Knapp