OUR CENTRE BEGAN IN MAY 2003

Several dedicated students and sangha members, committed themselves to pay a monthly annuity towards the rental of a room for a centre. The necessary paperwork was completed to create “Sherab Chamma Ling”, and after a long search, a rental room was agreed upon. Donations paid the rent and any maintenance items needed for the upkeep of the centre. With the help of caring members, our centre had become a reality.
We began to create the Tibetan Bὄn Buddhist Society in November 2005 and the first AGM was held in February 2007. Our first executive was elected and to many this was our first experience with a society, so it was and continues to be a learning process for all of us. The Tibetan Bön Buddhist Society is a registered non-profit, tax-exempt charity administered by volunteers. It took a few more years and paperwork, but we finally received our “tax revenue” number form the B.C. government and we were then able to give tax receipts for donations made. Regular business meetings are held once every four months and the Annual General Meeting of the society is held yearly in February. More information on and about our society, the constitution, by-laws and membership forms can be viewed Here. In 2008, a new, larger and more central location was found for our centre – 407A 5th Street at England, right in the heart of Courtenay. Students and sangha members formed work parties and spent many hours first cleaning the space, hammering, painting and all the other necessary jobs to get the centre ready. On 28th September 2008, we had our “official” opening to the general public. Our centre hosts, meditation practice, weekly teachings, Ngondro practices and special sangha social events on a regular basis. In addition it is used to hold business and AGM meetings; GesheLa uses it to do spiritual and astrology consultations, several fund raising committees now use the space to meet and carry out fund raising projects such as making prayer flags.

- Tibetan Bön Three Heart Mantra – teaching & chanting
- Ngondro (Preliminary) Practice – teaching & chanting
- Introduction to Tibetan Meditation – teaching
- Spirit Chant – YungDrung Bön chants
- Ah Om Hung – meditation chanting
- Phowa Chanting – chanting with GesheLa
- Introduction to Tibetan Meditation – teaching & guided meditations
If you would like to help us to continue and reach the goal of building a permanent international meditation/retreat centre here in Canada, please click here to visit our donation page.The main goal of GesheLa, the Society and sangha members is:
- To purchase land and/or buildings to create a Tibetan YungDrung Bön international teaching and retreat centre known as: Sherab Chamma Ling, Tibetan Bön Buddhist Centre.
- To create and maintain the teaching and meditation retreat centre, “Sherab Chamma Ling”; to preserve Bön, the native religion of Tibet and its culture; to spread Bön teachings by cultivating practitioners and scholars in the west; and, to support and sustain a Spiritual Director and visiting teachers.
- To support and sustain the Spiritual Director/Resident Lama, and visiting teachers.
- To serve the community by providing an environment in which members may benefit themselves and others through the teaching and practice of Buddhist philosophies.
- To provide opportunities and venues for public worship and observance of religious holidays for practicing Buddhists.