Gainesville KTC

Founded in 1988 after a visit from Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, what began as a study group evolved into Gainesville Karma Thegsum Chöling (GKTC), a center for weekly Buddhist study and meditation. We offer meditation instruction, book study, and discussion in the Tibetan Buddhist Karma Kagyü lineage. Our door is open, and all are welcome to join our sangha, the community of practitioners.

Our center is located at 1216 NW 9th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601. For directions, click here Or join us over Zoom. (See our weekly offerings page for details.) 

Our Karma Kagyü Lineage

The Karma Kagyü is one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, tracing its origins, in an unbroken line, to the historical Buddha Gautama Shakyamuni.

This school of Buddhism emphasizes practice. Not only must we learn about Buddhism, but we must also put the teachings into action on the cushion and in daily life. The teachings include all three vehicles, or yanas, of the Buddhist path as taught in Tibet: Sutrayana, with its focus on the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path; Mahayana which further anchors those principles in compassion and emptiness; and Vajrayana, which embraces the previous two yanas and adds skillful practices that can lead to liberation in one lifetime. 

Our Teachers

His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje is the head of the 900-year-old Karma Kagyü Lineage and guide to millions of Buddhists around the world. Currently, the Karmapa resides in his temporary home at Gyuto Monastery in India after making a dramatic escape from Tibet in the year 2000.  Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) is his seat in North America under which GKTC operates.

Khyabje Khenpo Karma Tharchin Rinpoche

Khyapje Khenpo Kathar Rinpoche was a great master of the Karma Kagyü lineage, renowned for his unceasing kindness, inspiring teaching, and exceptional knowledge of practice and the monastic arts. For almost half a century, he resided in the United States, dedicating his life to bringing the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism to a land where they had not spread before. He built a monastery and a three-year retreat center, and he established 32 branch meditation centers in addition to ours in Gainesville. He also published numerous books and traveled to Asia and South America to teach. Beloved in Tibetan communities across the world, he passed away at the age of 96 on October 6, 2019. 

Khenpo Ugyen Tenzin

At the request of HH the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Khenpo Urgyen Tenzin arrived at KTD in May 2005. Khenpo was born on the 15th of March in 1955, the Year of the Wood Sheep, in central Bhutan. He entered the Nimalung Nyingma Monastery in 1971, became a fully ordained monk in 1981, and completed his Acharya degree (Master of Buddhist Studies in March of 1991. After teaching Buddhist Philosophy for several years, he entered retreat in 2002, where he remained until October 2004. On September 13, 2021, Khenpo Ugyen was appointed Abbot of KTD.

Lama Losang

Our center's resident teacher and spiritual director is Lama Losang (Dr. David Bole). A fully ordained monk, he completed his traditional three-year retreat in 2004. In addition to being a Karma Kagyü lineage holder, Lama Losang is also an acupuncture physician, a Tai Chi teacher, and holds a Ph.D. in Psychology. He teaches wellness and Buddhism around the country. In honor of his 70th birthday, the City of Gainesville proclaimed July 26, 2019, Lama Losang Health, Happiness, and Liberation Day. For more information on Lama's offerings, visit his website.