About us/Centre History of the centre
History of the centre Prehistory Prehistory
Lama Ole with Leszek Nadolski (‘Misiek’) and Tomek Lehnert at a lecture. Lama Ole gave his first teaching in Gdansk in March 1981 in a flat owned by Dorota Krzyzanowska. The lecture was translated by Dorota and Karol Sleczek. Lama Ole stayed in Gdansk for three days and returned in the spring of 1982. On this occasion he gave a lecture at the University of Arts and then at the Zen Centre in Gdynia-Witomino. Dorota Krzyzanowska translated again and a number of people who took refuge later became well-known within Diamond Way Buddhism, both in Poland and internationally, such as Leszek ‘Misiek’ Nadolski (at present in charge of the retreat centre in Kuchary), Beata ‘Berta’ Nadolska, Gosia ‘Maggy’ Lehnert (for many years an assistant and close student of Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche), Zbyszek Andruszkiewicz (former head of the centre in Kuchary), Jurek Karwowski and others.
Leszek (Misiek) Nadolski and his wife Beata (Berta).
Lama Ole, Tomek Lehnert and Zdzisia Andruszkiewicz. The Centre was located in the following places:
The center in a rented building in the area of allotment gardens. September 1991 – a building in the area of allotment gardens in Polanki Street (where Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche had given the Guru Rinpoche empowerment in 1987) History of the Centre at 41 Pomorska Street
The original condition of the building. In May 1998, we purchased a plot of 1,147 sq m and a 240m2 building that required renovation.The dilapidated condition of the building is still remembered by those who had to painstakingly clean roof tiles, deepen the foundations and strengthen ceiling beams or demolish old walls and furnaces. During the first decade of the Centre, hundreds of friends took part in the construction and refurbishment, gaining countless good impressions and building deep relationships with the Gdansk Centre and with each other. Relations grew stronger with every event witnessed by our small house at 41 Pomorska Street. Due to the tireless efforts of our friends and their extraordinary generosity, we have succeeded in completely renovating the building, creating more than 60m2 for a meditation room, two flats, a kitchen with dining area, toilets, showers, residential space, the office of the Karmapa Foundation together with a depot for books and 'Diamond Way' magazines with a dispatch service. We have also continued to expand, increasing the property with three new plots of land. There were numerous obstacles and miraculous solutions during this process. One day, our hitherto indefatigable hero, Wlodek Wiszka, exhausted after fighting with an unfriendly official, decided to address ‘a higher authority’ and asked Tsechu Rinpoche for help. Our Lama gave a laconic reply: ‘I promise to think about it’. After a few days, one of our neighbours spontaneously expressed the wish to sell her plot, even though we had never asked her about it. Shortly thereafter, the unfriendly official was promoted and replaced by a polite young man who helped us purchase the plot from the town authority. From 2003 to 2005 the property was increased by another 833m2. At present, we have land with a total area of 1,980m2 and refurbished buildings with a total area of 240m2.
Lama Ole and Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche in the Gdansk Centre. |
