Dzogchen Beara

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Located in the southwest region of Ireland, specifically in the Cork County, Dzogchen Beara is one of the two major Rigpa retreat centres. Firmly anchored in the Beara Peninsula, which juts into the Atlantic against all odds, Dzogchen Beara continually offers the majestic spectacle of an untamed natural environment.

It was in 1973 that couple Peter and Harriet Cornish purchased the 150 acres of rugged clifftop farmland. They wanted to make it a haven of peace, intended to welcome people of all spiritual traditions. In 1992, Harriet and Peter donated the land and buildings to charity under the spiritual guidance of Sogyal Rinpoche, the founder of Rigpa, an international network of Buddhist meditation and practice centers. In 1993, Harriet died of cancer at the age of 44. Her peaceful death and the care she received inspired the construction of the Spiritual Care Center.

The Dzogchen Beara community warmly welcomes all its visitors. Throughout the year, it offers a varied program of courses, seminars, training, retreats (individual or group, open or closed) ranging from a few days to many months. Several great masters, including Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, stay there regularly.

More specifically, the Spiritual Care Center offers individual support to people facing a long-term illness or a limited vital prognosis, to those who are on borrowed time as well as to those who are in convalescence or who will have to continue living with a disability, to people who are bereaved, or suffering from grief, stress or burnout. To all those people who need it, who may be looking for meaning in their life or hope in the face of death, the Center offers attentive and warm support in a safe environment. 

Finally, let us emphasize that the first Tibetan Buddhist temple in all of Ireland is currently under construction at Dzogchen Beara; it is hoped to be totally achieved this year, after being partially opened to the public in 2023. That project, imagined and undertaken more than a dozen years ago, has already gone through many stages. Thereby,

  • construction phases 1, 2 and 3 including
    • site preparation, foundations, superstructures
    • doors and windows,
    • layout, electricity, plumbing, plastering, floors, ventilation and heating, audiovisual and information technology,
  • are fully completed.
  • The fourth and final phase, from which around three-fourths are already completed, includes finishing of roofs, sacred decoration and landscaping.

To learn more about this first major Rigpa retreat center outside of the European continent, follow this link : Dzogchen Beara – Buddhist Meditation Centre