About the Piedmont KTC

Piedmont KTC was founded in September, 1981 when two students of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Nancy Burks and Terry Pierson, invited Rinpoche to visit Chapel Hill. Rinpoche gave a small number of us his blessing and support with annual teaching visits in our first decade. In the 90s Bardor Tulku Rinpoche (currently the head of Kunzang Palchen Ling in Red Hook, N.Y.) came to N.C. frequently and added his invaluable advice and instruction to that of KKR during the early years of the 17th Karmapa’s life. Over the years we’ve been visited by Kagyu masters including Thrangu Rinpoche, Traleg Rinpoche, and Ponlop Rinpoche. Members have been inspired by frequent trips to our home monastery, Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, in Woodstock, N.Y. for Dharma teachings. Although we’ve always been in the Chapel Hill area, we are nomadic, much like our Kagyu forbears. Our center and shrine room has had ten homes. As we celebrate our 35th anniversary, we’ve been here in Carrboro since 2010. Geoff Driscoll

We gather regularly for study and discussion of Dharma, sitting meditation, and group Sadhana practice. We encourage the participation of beginners. A great way to find out what Tibetan Buddhism is all about is to come to our Study Group on Wednesday evenings. Meditation instruction is available upon request. Beginners are also welcome to all our practices on Sunday mornings.

Anyone interested in learning about meditation, Tibetan Buddhism, and the Karma Kagyu lineage is welcome to participate in our activities. You may also join the Piedmont KTC or make financial contributions to support our center and teachings. Our members come from the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina including Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham, and Raleigh.