The DCC Board’s European Perspective

I’ve been asked what it is like being on the board of the DCC while based outside Ontario. It’s not only outside of Ontario, but outside of Canada, outside of North America! I am European-Swiss and have been on the DCC board since spring 2020.

Half a year later, in these continued and most special times of Covid, the answer is that it is not so especially different. We have board meetings only on Zoom; these days I meet with friends in Canada and Switzerland and even family on Zoom. The world is becoming virtual. Distances in miles are melting down. Still, it is not always easy to understand each other in email and on screen. Physical meetings in their wonderful richness is what I and many beings around the globe are missing. And – the absence of personal face-to-face meetings leads back to being a DCC board member living outside Ontario – this is and will be the most important part missing from this volunteer position.

In practical Canadian affairs my knowledge is limited – at least I know Costco, and live part-time in Western Canada on Galiano Island – but fortunately there is much collective knowledge amongst the board and the staff. In terms of Canadian law I am a greenhorn. It is interesting to learn about a different system.

However, most important, I feel, is the board’s responsibility to hold space for the inner vision, or the intent toward the DCC: to keep the Centre fresh and available for the unfoldment of many future practitioners. This intent is shared amongst all board members, crossing continents and oceans.

My first retreat at the Dharma Centre was in the autumn 1981 when as a 28-year-old skeptic, I sat in the last row beside the wood stove of a packed Temple and listened for the first time to the late master Namgyal Rinpoche teach. With my poor English I barely understood one word. This was followed by anxious steps diving into a first retreat at Tara cabin. I will never forget the moment in that retreat when I experienced something I’d never experienced before: “coming home” from the depth of my heart. Those first experiences led to a 4-month stay at the Dharma Center during wintertime, changing city boots and clothes for my first pair of warm Canadian boots – and a first visit to Canadian Tire.

During Namgyal Rinpoche’s lifetime I returned to the center every 2 or 3 years. I was able to watch and benefit from the growth of the Dharma Center. The bathhouse was built, the hermitage. It was a time of excitement, change and renewal. I was, and still am, amazed at how many wonderfully supportive beings — despite all possible struggles – have managed to create a prosperous Dharma Center that supports deep studies over time. 

Many beings have been blessed and supported by the DCC in their unfoldment since then. I wish and pray for many future beings, especially the younger generation, that the DCC may be a supporting and inspiring place with the guidance of Dharma teachers and their teachings! This is my deepest intent when acting as a member of the board.

Now, as we face a new exciting change and renewal with the Temple reconstruction project, I feel very fortunate and blessed to serve the DCC in such a time. Thanks to the great effort of our Spiritual directors and the temple renovation committee it is taking shape. Our heartfelt thanks! Let’s seize this opportunity with enthusiasm for the sake of future generations of Dharma practitioners! 

Eva Gohl