About Yeshe Nyingpo Denver
Beginning in 1976, Yeshe Nyingpo Denver is a Dudjom Tersar Center associated with HH Dudjom Rinpoche and HH Dungse Shenphen Dawa Rinpoche – son and lineage heir of Dudjom Rinpoche.
Our sangha began in 1973 when Lucille Cedercrans Schaible was asked to teach Tibetan Buddhism by Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche. In the 1950s and 1960s, Lucille developed and published a variety of meditation materials (“The Nature of Soul” being the most well-known) which introduced students to eastern concepts such as karma and reincarnation. In addition, she trained numerous individuals to become teachers of this “New Presentation of the Wisdom,” as her body of work was called.
In 1976 Lucille and several students moved to Colorado where she began teaching classes on meditation and Buddhism in Denver and Boulder. That same year, she met His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche and considered him to be her teacher. In 1978, he officially authorized her as a teacher within the Dudjom Tersar tradition and named the group, Udiyan Maitreya Kosha. Two students, originally part of that group, have continued to the present as members of YND.
Various Nyingma Lamas were asked to introduce the sangha to Dudjom Tersar sadhanas and practices. During this ten-year period, the Udiyan Maitreya Kosha sangha received teachings at the center from Khenchen Palden Sherab and his brother Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche, Nagpa Yeshe Dorje (often referred to as His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s weather controller), Lama Rinchen Phuntsok, and, of course, Shenphen Dawa Rinpoche.
When His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche came to Boulder in 1981, our sangha attended his teachings. In addition, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, accompanied by his translator Taklung Tsetrul Pema Wangyal, honored Lucille and our sangha with a private Long Life ceremony.
After Lucille and His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche’s passing, the group came under the spiritual direction of Dungse Shenphen Dawa Rinpoche and changed its name to Yeshe Nyingpo Denver.
(Further information on Lucille Cedercrans Schaible can be found in the combination autobiography/biography book, Luminous Sitting, Torturous Walking, by Gretchen Ann Groth.
Contact www.dakini-wisdom.com to order the book)
Lucille Cedercrans Schaible
His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche blessing Lucille
Welcome home from 3 Year Retreat, Sept 2023.
Lama Gretchen, Lama Pema, Tulku Namgay Rinpoche
Our Sangha and Current Leader:
Lama Gretchen Groth (Lama Pema Chokyi)
At present, we are led by Lama Gretchen. She has been practicing Nyingma Dudjom Tersar Buddhism for over 50 years, initially with Lucille Cedercrans Schaible under the guidance of His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche. She attended the last teachings of His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche in the United States in 1983 on his precious Richö (Mountain Retreat) teachings. Following the passing of these two teachers, she transitioned to Dungse Shenphen Dawa Rinpoche as her root lama.
She completed a modified three-year retreat with Lucille, 1981-84, and additional retreats ranging from 1 week to 6 months under Shenphen Rinpoche’s direction before completing the 3 year, 6 month, 3 day retreat at Pema Osel Ling in California, 2020-2023. She began teaching meditation classes at Yeshe Nyingpo Denver in mid-1980s.
In the secular side of her life, she completed a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1973, followed by university teaching and self-employed consulting. Two main themes informed her consulting with profit and non-profit organizations: (1) organizational development and organization skills, e.g., leadership, group decision-making, team building, handling personal and social conflict, and other related topics, and (2) valuing multicultural diversity, specifically racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, and ableism.
In addition, she competed nationally as a springboard diver in her teenage years and later enjoyed creating wearable art clothing and cloth art dolls, which have won several awards nationally and locally.
Yeshe Nyingpo Denver Altar & Yeshe Nyingpo New York Altar
The Yeshe Nyingpo altar was made in Kathmandu, Nepal under the direction of Dungse Namgay Dawa Rinpoche in a style similar to the main altar at Yeshe Nyingpo in New York City.
Yeshe Nyingpo Shrine in Denver
Yeshe Nyingpo Shrine in New York City