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Vimala is a non-profit organization devoted to propagating the sacred tradition of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism and the ancient Nyingma Lineage through the production and distribution of written texts, photographs, and audio-visual materials with the motivation to benefit all beings.
The name Vimala was chosen by the Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche. Vimala is a Sanskrit word meaning "stainless"; its Tibetan translation is dri med. Its connection with the widely revered and beloved Indian master Vimalamitra (dri med she nyen in Tibetan) is also particularly auspicious. The photo on the right shows the Vimalamitra statue at Tashi Choling Center for Buddhist Studies in Ashland, Oregon, where Vimala, Inc. is located.
To serve our purpose of disseminating the Buddha's stainless teachings, Vimala is pleased to offer a wide collection of practices, teachings, and supports for practice which we hope will accommodate the needs of both new and advanced Dharma students. Our archives include teachings that date back more than thirty years, and they constantly grow as materials are added. All proceeds from the distribution of these materials support the continuation of this archival process.
We also offer a wealth of teachings and practice support materials on our Free Downloads page. Check it out and enjoy! This is our gift to you, dear Vimala supporters, and is a central part of fulfilling our non-profit mission and purpose.
Whether maintaining this precious collection or producing new materials, nearly all of Vimala's activities occur through the kindness of our volunteers and donors. If you would like to make a donation or have an interest in becoming a Vimala volunteer please contact us.
A Little History: Mirror of Wisdom and Vimala
When Mirror of Wisdom moved its headquarters from California to Oregon in 2006, it soon became apparent that this was not merely a re-locating of Mirror of Wisdom, but the start of something new. Very soon after the move to a new home and the handing over of operations to a new set of volunteers, Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche suggested the name 'Vimala' (or "stainless") as well as a new set of goals and objectives. Vimala was established as a new 501(c)3 non-profit in the state of Oregon in 2007, and Mirror of Wisdom as a corporation in California was simultaneously dissolved, donating all of its assets to Vimala in order to continue to serve its mission in its new home.
Vimala now serves all of the functions Mirror of Wisdom previously performed--in short, caring for the archives and making their precious treasures available (which is why we've named our website "Vimala Treasures"). We have also expanded our activities in areas suggested by Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche, such as increasing production of perfectbound books and digitizing the archives, making new translations of practices and commentaries available, and so forth.
Thank you for your interest, and we at Vimala look forward to supporting your study and practice of dharma in whatever way we can--please enjoy browsing our website, and don't hesitate to contact us with any questions (or suggestions) that might arise!
Vimala finds its home at Tashi Choling Center for Buddhist Studies, located in the mountains near Ashland, Oregon (the photo at the left shows the beautiful Vajrasattva Statue Garden at Tashi Choling with the temple up on the hill beyond it).
Check out past newsletters, packed with teachings from Gyatrul Rinpoche and news about the sangha.
A Thank-You and an Invitation to Contribute to the Archives:
Dear Fellow Dharma Students and Supporters of Vimala,
We wanted to say "thank you" to all of you for supporting Vimala over the years in so many ways – whether it be purchasing an item from our website, making a donation, sending kind emails encouraging us in our efforts, providing copies of audio and video recordings you have made in the past, sharing copies of photos you have taken at events, or simply making use of the many wonderful items found on our "free downloads" page. In all of these ways, you are helping Vimala to fulfill its intention, stated purpose, and reason for being.
Vimala is not any particular person or group of people. Vimala is the fulfillment of Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche's wish that the teachings, transmissions, and practices that take place at his various dharma centers be recorded, preserved, and made available. When people are serving the dharma in that way, they are participating in Vimala's purpose and are part of its activity.
Here is an excerpt from the 2004 Mirror of Wisdom Newsletter in which Rinpoche commented on the role of this organization in his activities in the west:
I would like to say that, of all my projects that have come to the initial stages of fruition through the kindness of so many, the most important of all is the Mirror of Wisdom Archives... In my opinion, there is no greater way to serve the doctrine or sentient beings than through the Dharma of scripture and transmission. This is, in fact, the life of the Dharma. Mirror of Wisdom is the structure and support for this because it preserves all of the great teachings given to us by the greatest teachers of our time.
This organization will bring benefit to countless future generations for as long as the Archives is updated and preserved as a vehicle through which the Dharma remains present in our world. All the teachings and translations, the videos and documentation, that it holds are the single most important aspect of my work in the West. The temples, statues, stupas, prayer wheels, and so forth are important, of course, but they cannot compare with the blessing and value of the actual direct words of the teachings. Therefore, all of the teachings that have been given must be carefully guarded and preserved. They must be made available to interested students without bias or discrimination. Everyone who offers to assist Mirror of Wisdom must continue in a spirit of oneness because it is the speech of the Buddha. This is our opportunity. It was the prayer of Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche himself that Yeshe Nyingpo [Mirror of Wisdom] serve all traditions and, in particular, all lineages of the Nyingmapa tradition, including Dorje Drag, Mindrol Ling, Palyul, Khatok, Dzogchen, and Shechen....Serving the Dharma is the only possibility for permanent virtue, so we must always do our best with body, speech, and mind.
Remember that, for me, the essence of all of this is Mirror of Wisdom Archives, for the reasons that I have mentioned. For example, we all know how wonderful it is to actually see the videos of the Karmapa and Dudjom Rinpoche. Just imagine what it would be like if we could see videos of Guru Rinpoche and the twenty-five disciples at Samye Monastery! For the future generations, what we record on video right now will mean that much to them. This is not for ourselves; this is for all beings who will follow us. We need to make sure that we have served our gurus well so that they would be proud of us, that our faith is always increasing, and that the two levels of merit are always being accumulated. The real representative of our gurus, the actual tulkus, are found within the Archives, because therein is contained the speech of Buddha without any alteration.
Thus, we at Vimala want to sincerely express our gratitude for the many contributions made by so many of you to Rinpoche's activities over the years – devotedly making audio and video recordings, snapping photos, and doing whatever you could to preserve the precious moments you have shared with Rinpoche and with the teachers he has invited to his dharma centers.
And we would like to invite you now to continue helping Vimala to carry out its responsibilities in order to be of the greatest benefit to current practitioners, future generations of practitioners, and all mother sentient beings. In particular, we request that, if you have audio or video recordings, as well as photographs, that you have made in the past at one of Rinpoche's centers, please forward copies of these materials to the Vimala archives. Vimala, in turn, will do its best to archive, preserve, and disseminate these materials to all who can benefit from them.
Thank you, and best wishes to each and every one of you – may all be auspicious!
The Staff at Vimala
Biographies: Visit our large selection of biographies of Lamas and translators.
Dharma Centers associated with Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche's activities in the West:
Dorje Ling, Portand, OR
Namdroling Montana Bozeman, MT
Orgyen Dorje Den Alameda, CA
Osel Nyingpo Ojai, CA
Palri Pema Od Ling Austin, TX
Tashi Choling Center for Buddhist Studies Ashland, OR
Yeshe Nyingpo Mexico Ensenada, Mexico
Vimala Video
Light of Berotsana
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