Our History and Lineage

History

In 1975, the first American course with Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche was held at Lake Arrowhead in California. During the retreat, Lama Yeshe was asked what would be a good name for a center in California. Lama immediately said “Vajrapani Institute for Wisdom Culture.”

 

As more students gathered and more teachings were given, the students were inspired to make it happen. In 1977, thirty acres of land in the Santa Cruz Mountains were donated for a center and Vajrapani Institute for Wisdom Culture was born.

 

In December 1978, students began to arrive on the land with only the clothes on their backs and their faith in the Lamas. In Volkswagens and mobile homes, people came with their families to live in tipis and shacks made of carpet remnants so that they could build a thriving center.

 

Eventually enough money was raised to purchase a sawmill and slowly the work of building the center began. Because construction work occurred in-between students’ day jobs and family responsibilities, progress on the center moved slowly.

 

By 1983, the students had obtained the now 75 acres of land and finished building the gompa, complete with a commercial kitchen, dining room, offices, and library. In 1984, Lama Yeshe came back to Vajrapani Institute one last time, to leave his body behind. At the death and cremation of Lama Yeshe, construction of his “Enlightenment Stupa” began and was completed in a few years.

 

In 1994, after a large earthquake in 1989, California state relief money helped fund the completion of six private retreat cabins and a bathhouse on the ridge near Lama Yeshe’s cremation site. Recently in 2010, Lama Yeshe’s cremation Stupa, constructed on the site of his cremation, was completed.

Lineage and Teachers

Vajrapani Institute is affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international, non-profit organization, devoted to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation, and community service. FPMT projects include: meditation and teaching centers in 36 countries, monasteries and nunneries in 6 countries, prison outreach, leprosy clinics, polio clinics, health and nutrition clinics, hospices, publishing houses, and schools teaching universal education.

 

The FPMT organization is based on the Gelug Buddhist tradition of Lama Tsong Khapa as taught by FPMT’s founder, Lama Thubten Yeshe and its spiritual director, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche. The organization strives to follow the example and inspiration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his compassionate service to humanity.

“…I would like to thank all the people working in (Lama Zopa) Rinpoche’s organization… I would like to request you to continue. Rinpoche works with such determination and great sincerity in the service of Buddha’s teachings and sentient beings, it’s important that we all combine our efforts…”

– His Holiness the Dalai Lama

 

The Gelug Buddhist tradition traces its lineage, teacher to student, back to the ancient university of Nalanda in India. Every one of our teachers must be approved by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the International Office of the FPMT. This ensures that every teaching given at Vajrapani Institute, as well as the other FPMT centers worldwide, is pure and correct within the Gelug tradition.

 

Because Vajrapani Institute was one of the first Tibetan Buddhist Dharma centers in America, it has had the privilege of hosting many great Tibetan Masters, such as:
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, His Eminence the 7th Ling Rinpoche, His Holiness Zong Rinpoche, Deshung Rinpoche, Tara Rinpoche, Lati Rinpoche, Geshe Nawang Dhargye, Zasep Tulku, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, Geshe Sopa, Geshe Gyeltsen, Lama Kunga, Jetsun Kuchula, Choden Rinpoche, Jangtse Choje Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche, Yangsi Rinpoche, and Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa.

 

While many of these great teachers are no longer with us, many of them are and continue to visit the center to this day. The blessings that each of them leave behind are felt by all who come to visit our sacred and tranquil land.

Upcoming Retreats

Everyday Awakening: Tools for Inner Peace

Charok Lama Rinpoche

May 29 - June 26, 2025
Dates: Thursday Evenings, May 29 to June 26, 2025 Time: 6:00- 7:30 PM (PT) Place: Online Only, offered generously through our sister FPMT center in Sante Fe New Mexico, Thubten Norbu Ling.      Transform your relationship with life’s challenges through time-tested Buddhist wisdom In this five-week course, discover how ancient Buddhist principles can bring clarity, purpose, and peace to your modern life. Everyday Awakening offers practical tools for understanding the mind, cultivating awareness, and finding meaning amidst challenges.     What you’ll Experience: Uncover why outer success doesn’t always lead to inner satisfaction Develop mindfulness practices that fit into your life…

Exploring Buddhism

Geshe Tenzin Legtsok

June 16 - December 14, 2025
Exploring Buddhism is the newest foundational-level course co-developed by FPMT Education Services and senior FPMT teachers, including Geshe Tenzin Namdak, Geshe Tenzin Legtsok, and Venerable Joan Nicell. Geshe Tenzin Namdak and Geshe Tenzin Legtsok serve as the main contributors. The program has been revised from the original pilot offered at various FPMT centers.   It was conceived as a bridge between the FPMT Discovering Buddhism and the FPMT Basic Program. The EB program presents selected topics that provide a strong basis for more advanced study. The program is intended for students with a good understanding of basic Buddhism.    What…

Our Blog

  • Spring has officially arrived and with it a sense of renewal, a spark of hope. Trees are leafing and blossoming. So many wildflowers dot the hillsides. Bees are buzzing and early morning birds chatter like townsfolk exclaiming the beauty of this valley.  Living a quiet......

Vajrapani Institute is affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition www.FPMT.org