The Venerable Thupten Ngodup, the Medium (Kuten) of Nechung, the Chief State Oracle of Tibet, visited Los Angeles in 2007 and 2009. He gave teachings and blessings at various venues and private homes. It was at one of these gatherings in 2009 when an attendee inspired by the Nechung Kuten’s message of kindness and altruism, spontaneously offered to contribute a substantial donation to establish a
center for these studies. He felt that such a center would be of great benefit in the Los Angeles area. In 2010, the Nechung Kuten (Kutenla) founded Nechung Dharmapala Center (NDC) in Los Angeles. Kutenla envisioned the center to be a place where local Tibetans, Mongolians, and Westerners could study and practice Buddhism in a non-sectarian way. NDC is dedicated to promoting the culture and wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for people from all walks of life. It took several years to find a suitable site to house the center. Finally in 2013, NDC purchased a property in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, close to West Hollywood. It had many great features – a sizable room for meditation and classes, high ceilings, rooms for resident monks, visiting lamas and guests, and sufficient street parking. It took a year to refashion the house into a Tibetan style building, construct the shrine, and install the Buddha statues and sacred texts. Nechung Dharmapala Center opened in December, 2014. The Venerable Thupten Ngodup and monks from Nechung Monastery inaugurated the new center. Kutenla and the Nechung monks visited again in 2015 and 2016; on each occasion, he gave teachings & blessings, and conducted prayer sessions and rituals. Geshe Sonam Dakpa, NDC’s resident teacher leads daily practice and giving weekend teachings, as well as performing special prayers during specific days in the Tibetan lunar month. The weekly, monthly and yearly schedules will be posted on NDC’s website.
