This post is sponsored content, paid for by Drala Mountain Center.
From Tibet to the West, the Dharma has taken root. Its next chapter is ours to write.
The story of one practitioner illustrates this moment. After retiring from a demanding corporate career in 2023, Robbie Rettmer undertook a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet. What she encountered there among the monasteries and mountains was the indestructibility of the Dharma and the fragility of a culture under restriction. The trip marked a turning point in her spiritual journey. Soon after, she was called into service as Executive Director of Drala Mountain Center, another vulnerable yet vital seat of Buddhist practice. Robbie’s experience reflects a larger truth: strengthening and protecting fragile wilderness lands dedicated to practice is itself part of writing the Dharma’s next chapter in the West.
The Passing of a Generation, the Demand on the Next
Many of the great Buddhist teachers who first carried the teachings across continents have now passed: the 16th Karmapa, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, and many others. To encounter an authentic teacher is always a blessing — to sit in their presence and receive direct transmission into the nature of mind is nothing short of extraordinary. Their gift was not only their words but their realization itself.
The generation that followed trained under those great teachers. Teachers like 17th Karmapa, Rabjam Rinpoche, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, Mingyur Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, H.E. 2nd Kalu Rinpoche and others now carry their lineages while engaging dynamically with the modern West. In some sense, they are bicultural: deeply rooted in tradition yet fluent in our contemporary language and culture. They remain the vital bridge between East and West.
And yet, the demand for their teachings has grown nearly impossible to meet. The highest transmissions — when a realized teacher directly reveals the nature of mind — are now rare treasures, calling for both protection and devotion. Increasingly, the responsibility for carrying the Dharma forward rests on communities of practitioners of the West.
East to West, Unbroken Continuity
Chögyam Trungpa once said: “The lineage is like the pipeline and the yidams are like the water running through it. To secure the pipeline, it is important to relate to all the gurus in the lineage, not just one’s personal guru.” That continuity is what ensures the Dharma flows with integrity across time and culture.
Western teachers now carry the Dharma through their training, study, and practice. Many have received abhishekas, transmissions, and instructions that authorize them to teach. They not only preserve its forms, but also translate its wisdom into the language of our own time, guiding parents, youth, and seekers from all walks of life who might otherwise never encounter these teachings.
Still, it would be a serious miscalculation to assume Tibetan teachers are no longer needed. The way forward is a balance: Western teachers can point us toward the nature of mind, while Tibetan lineage holders reveal and embody it through their realization. Both are indispensable. One roots the teachings in our daily lives, the other safeguards their integrity through authentic transmission. Together, they ensure that the Dharma not only survives but thrives in the West.
Patience Across Centuries
The transmission of the Dharma to the West is still in its youthful years. It will take time, practice, and refinement for it to fully settle here. And, one day a Westerner may attain enlightenment in a way that shapes the tradition for generations to come.
At Drala Mountain Center, founded by Chögyam Trungpa and sustained by decades of practice, the Dharma has taken root. When retreatants gather on this land, the teachings live not as memories of the past but as experiences of the present — most often carried by committed Western teachers.
Drala Mountain Center is a Rocky Mountain sanctuary for deep spiritual practice, transformation, and peace. Here, stillness reveals clarity, nature reflects our own brilliance, and ancient wisdom takes root in a modern world. Through meditation, community, and land stewardship, Drala Mountain Center serves to impact the world — one awakened heart at a time.
Each of us has something to offer — through meditation, through kindness and compassion in our families and communities, through service and generosity that sustains our sanghas and centers. The future of the Dharma in the West will not rest with our meditation masters alone, but will survive and thrive through the work of courageous Western teachers and students willing to take the teachings to heart and make them real in the world where we live.
The continuation of this lineage depends on all of us. Your presence, practice, and support sustain this vital refuge in the Rockies. Support Drala Mountain Center.
We invite you to join us at Drala Mountain Center for an upcoming retreat and discover how the teachings can take root in your own life. Explore our upcoming retreats.
