The Scottish Tibetan monastery where David Bowie almost became a monk
21.02.2023 - 15:35
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
It may surprise you to learn that tucked away in the Scottish countryside is a large Tibetan Buddhist complex.
Located near the small village of Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway is the Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre. Founded in 1967, it is based in a tranquil valley on the banks of the river Esk.
The complex originally consisted of a single 19th-century building called Johnstone House, which was previously a hunting lodge. In 1965, the Johnstone House Trust was created with the aim of providing facilities to the public for study and meditation based on Buddhist and other religious teachings that focus on mental and spiritual wellbeing.
Two years later, Johnstone House invited "spiritual masters" Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Akong Rinpoche to take over the running of the centre. They named it Samye Ling, after the first successful Buddhist establishment in Tibet, and it officially became the first Tibetan Buddhist Centre in the West.
The pair were soon joined by master-artist Sherapalden Beru and the monk Samten. By 1970, Trungpa Rinpoche had left for the United States and Akong Rinpoche was encouraged take on a leadership role in the development of Samye Ling.
Around this time, the reputation of Samye Ling spread as it was the primary Tibetan centre in Europe. Among its students were David Bowie and Leonard Cohen.
The former was even close to becoming a monk at the monastery, partaking in a vow of silence and carrying out meditation. However, he was reportedly told by a monk at Samye Ling that he should pursue music instead and the rest is history.
The 1970s saw Samye Ling flourish with Samten, Beru, and Akong Rinpoche as its primary resident Tibetans. According to the Samye Ling website, "some of the most