NYIMA DAKPA RINPOCHE The Bönpo people now living in Kathmandu are originally from the Dorpatan area and are devotees of Te-Wa Monastery that is located in the upper region of Tibet. Nyima Dakpa's father had the name of a lama of the Te-Wa Monastery and, since there was no monastery in Kathmandu at that time, he took the responsibility for all annual religious activities. His father wanted the Bönpo community to be close and for the young people to have a firm connection with the Bön culture. For that reason he established the Bön Community of Te-Wa (Te-Bön kyi dug) and took care of the spiritual activities for these people until the end of his life. This organization is still functioning in Kathmandu. It participates in all religious activities at Triten Norbutse Monastery and helps the Bönpo people in any way possible. At age 15 his father took Nyima Dakpa to sMen-ri Monastery in Dolanji, Himachal Pradesh, India so that he could be trained there as a monk. The father was getting older and did not know what would happen in Tibet. He wanted Nyima Dakpa to become a spiritual master and a perfect religious practitioner of Bön so that he could do meaningful work for the Bönpo community. Nyima Dakpa, however, became very homesick and returned home to Kathmandu. Previous Page | Next Page Back to Teachers