Lerab Ling is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist temples in the West, set on a 1,200-acre property in the Languedoc region of southern France, in the village of Roqueredonde at the edge of the Cevennes mountains. The temple was founded in 1991 by Sogyal Rinpoche, a Nyingma school lama who had grown up at Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro's monastery in Tibet and had been one of the most public Tibetan teachers in the West following the publication of his 1992 book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. The centerpiece of the property is a full traditional Tibetan temple, completed in 2008 and consecrated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The structure is one of only a small handful of authentically built Tibetan temples in Europe, with traditional artisans involved in the murals, statuary, and architecture. The campus also includes residential buildings for retreatants, dining and kitchen facilities, study halls, and walking grounds across the substantial property. Lerab Ling has been part of the Rigpa international organization, which operates Buddhist centers across roughly forty countries. The lineage Rigpa carries is Nyingma Dzogchen, with strong connections to teachers including Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, and the broader Khyentse network. Sogyal Rinpoche died in 2019. The years before his death involved serious public allegations of teacher misconduct against him, an independent investigation, and substantial accountability work within the Rigpa organization. Rigpa has continued operations at Lerab Ling and other centers under restructured leadership; current programming and teacher arrangements are best confirmed through the center. The property hosts retreats throughout the year, primarily in the Nyingma and Dzogchen traditions, with visiting teachers from the broader Tibetan Buddhist community. Programs are conducted in multiple European languages, with English, French, and Spanish all common. Multi-week retreats are a regular fixture, and the temple itself is a destination for practitioners wanting to receive teachings in a fully traditional Tibetan setting in Europe.
Programs include morning and evening pujas in the temple, deity practices, ngondro retreats for those doing preliminaries, Dzogchen pointing-out instructions and rigpa practice for advanced students, and study programs working through traditional texts. Tibetan-language chanting in pujas with multi-language texts. Daily schedules during retreats include extended sitting periods, group teachings, and small-group discussion. Posture is open: cushions, benches, chairs. Phones are stored during silent programs. Some retreats include silent days within the longer container.
The teaching line is Nyingma Dzogchen carried by Sogyal Rinpoche from his root teachers including Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Dudjom Rinpoche, all senior figures in the 20th-century Nyingma lineage. The Rigpa organization is the international network that carries the lineage. After Sogyal Rinpoche's death in 2019 and the accountability work of the prior years, current teaching leadership has shifted; senior students and visiting teachers from the broader Khyentse and Nyingma community now carry programming.
Practitioners in the international Rigpa network who want sustained retreat at the lineage's largest European temple.
Practitioners across Europe who want Nyingma Dzogchen teachings in a fully traditional Tibetan temple setting on the continent.
Yogis who want programs taught in or translated into English, French, or Spanish in a single retreat container.
Arrival is at the main lodge after travel to the village of Roqueredonde, accessible by car from Beziers or Montpellier. Yogis check in and are oriented. Lodging is in residential buildings on the property, shared or single rooms. Meals are vegetarian, taken communally. Programs are conducted in multiple languages with translation provided. Phones are stored during silent programs. The setting is rural Languedoc with mediterranean climate and substantial property to walk.
The campus includes the main temple, residential lodging in shared and single rooms with shared bathrooms, dining hall, kitchen, study halls, and walking grounds across 1,200 acres. Meals are vegetarian buffet with dietary accommodations available. The setting is rural southern France with mediterranean weather, hot summers, and mild winters. Walking trails extend across the property.
Program fees are published by length, typically EUR 300 to 3,000 covering lodging and meals. Teacher dana is traditional in Tibetan Buddhism and invited at the close of teachings. Scholarships and reduced-rate options are available through the registration office. The center is donor-supported within the Rigpa organizational structure.
One of the largest authentically built Tibetan temples in the West, in the Languedoc.
Sogyal Rinpoche died in 2019. The years before his death involved serious public allegations of teacher misconduct, an independent investigation, and substantial accountability work within the Rigpa organization. Lerab Ling has continued operations under restructured leadership with senior students and visiting teachers carrying programming.
Programs are conducted in multiple European languages. English, French, and Spanish are common, with translation provided in most major retreats. Tibetan-language pujas have texts in multiple languages. The center is set up to support multilingual retreats.
Yes. The temple was completed in 2008 and consecrated by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It is one of only a small handful of authentically constructed Tibetan temples in Europe, built with traditional artisans involved in the murals, statuary, and architecture.
Rigpa has undertaken significant accountability and restructuring work since the 2017-2018 period. The organization continues to operate centers across roughly forty countries with restructured governance and teacher arrangements. Specific current programming at Lerab Ling should be confirmed through the center.
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