Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. -The Dalai Lama upon accepting the Nobel Peace Prize

Our Vision

The vision of the Rimé Foundation is a world in which wisdom and compassion are the guiding forces in our individual and collective lives, and in which the traditions that enable us to cultivate virtue are honored, practiced, and preserved for future generations.

Our Mission

Our mission is to facilitate this process by preserving the spiritual heritage of Tibet, providing access to its texts, teachers, and practices, and fostering the growth of a diverse and tolerant spiritual community.

Our Programs

The Rimé Foundation aims to accomplish this mission by:

• Collecting and translating the classics of Tibet's spiritual literature
  
  
• Bringing fully qualified Tibetan teachers into our communities to live and teach, with a special emphasis of doing so in the Twin Cities and the upper Midwest
  
  
• Forming conditions that will enable dedicated spiritual practitioners in our communities to support themselves while engaged in spiritual study and retreat
  
  
• Creating non-sectarian institutions and resources to unify and support the spiritual community and to make the wisdom of the Tibetan tradition accessible to interested individuals and organizations

Why?

One pressing concern led to the founding of this organization: that being that one of the world's most unique and valuable spiritual traditions, Tibetan Buddhism, is in danger of being lost, and that we in the Western world have much to lose from this tragedy.

This misfortune was brought about by the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 and subsequent efforts by the Chinese government to outlaw the practice of Buddhism in Tibet. In decades since, Tibetans have struggled to maintain their traditions and Buddhist heritage in foreign lands.

The tragedy here is not only the potential loss of a unique culture, but also what this culture has to offer the rest of the world. Over the centuries, Tibetan Buddhists have developed an extremely sophisticated understanding of the human mind and a variety of practical techniques to work with destructive emotions and thought patterns. This tradition is one of the greatest assets of our global heritage.

The past few decades have witnessed an explosion of interest in Buddhist psychology and meditation. Scientists are studying various forms of meditation and how they affect the mind. Individuals from many different faiths and backgrounds are using meditation and Buddhist psychology to enrich their own spiritual practice. Doctors and therapists utilize meditation to treat everything from mental illness to high blood pressure.

This interest has sparked a need for well-trained spiritual teachers and leaders, access to the Tibet's spiritual literature, and institutions that facilitate spiritual study and practice. These three elements-teachers, texts, and institutions-are necessary for any tradition to develop and flourish.

The aim of The Rimé Foundation is to provide these three: to preserve and translate classic Tibetan Buddhist literature, to provide access to qualified spiritual teachers and scholars, and help those in training get the support they need, and to create centers and resources that will facilitate the growth of a diverse, tolerant, and thriving spiritual community.

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