History of Dzongpa in Spain

The presence of the Sakya Dzongpa lineage in Spain has a history that is longer than its current legal form might suggest. Its roots go back to an encounter in Dehradun, India, from which, over time, a practice community, an association, and today the Dzongpa Europa project would emerge.

The origin: Dehradun and the encounter with Kunga Tsondru

The origins of Dzongpa in Spain go back to the encounter between H.E. Gongkar Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche and Kunga Tsondru — José Manuel Sánchez — in autumn 1993 at Sakya College in Dehradun, India. From that meeting arose a friendship and spiritual bond which, in time, led to the first invitation for Rinpoche to teach in Spain.

First teachings in Spain · 2012

In 2012, H.E. Gongkar Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche gave teachings at the Sakya Foundation in Pedreguer, Alicante, accompanied by Venerable Khyentse-la, and under the spiritual presence of His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin. Those teachings, received by a group of Spanish practitioners, planted the seeds of what would later become a stable community.

Peaceful Tara by day and Wrathful Tara by night · 2017

In September 2017, H.E. Gongkar Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche transmitted for the first time in Spain the teachings and initiations of Peaceful Tara by day and Wrathful Tara by night, a tantric practice of exceptional depth belonging to the Sakya Dzongpa lineage. The event took place at the Sakya Buddhist Centre in Pedreguer, Alicante, known as Paramita, and brought together a large group of practitioners from different parts of Spain.

This practice, which integrates the peaceful and wrathful aspects of Tara in a single cycle of transmission, is especially valued within the lineage for its power of protection and its capacity to remove obstacles on the spiritual path. The 2017 transmission marked a milestone in the presence of the Dzongpa lineage in Spain and strengthened the bond between the Spanish community and the living tradition that Rinpoche carries and transmits.

Valencia · 2019

In September 2019, Rinpoche visited Valencia, where he bestowed the Ati Yoga initiation of the complete mandala of Guru Rinpoche, within the cycle of Lama Sangdü. During that visit, Rinpoche expressed his wish that a Dzongpa center could be established in the city of Valencia, as a place of practice, study, and preservation of the lineage.

Formation of the practice group

Following the aspiration expressed by Rinpoche, in 2020 a practice group linked to the Dzongpa lineage began to take shape. This group gradually created the human, spiritual, and organizational conditions needed to sustain regular activities, receive teachings, and give form to a stable project.

Founding of the Dzongpa Cultural Association

In 2022, this process crystallized with the formal registration of the Dzongpa Cultural Association, registered in the Register of Associations of the Valencian Community under number CV-01-062727-V (First Section), with its headquarters in Valencia. The association was created with the purpose of preserving and sharing the Sakya Dzongpa lineage in Valencia, Spain, and Europe, dedicating itself to the study of Tibetan Buddhism, the practice of meditation, the organization of teachings and retreats, and the creation of favorable conditions for Rinpoche's activities.

Blessings of His Holiness the 41st and 42nd Sakya Trizin

In 2022, David Sanz and his wife, Rosi, travelled to Switzerland on behalf of the Dzongpa Cultural Association, where they received the blessings of His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin for the project of a Dzongpa center in Valencia. His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin was also present in that context, as he was giving teachings there.

During that meeting, His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin instructed David and Rosi to go to Paramita — the former Sakya Foundation — in La Sella, Pedreguer, where both Sakya Trizins were to give teachings that same year, so that they could discuss the project of the Dzongpa center in Valencia in greater detail.

Later, at Paramita, during a private meeting, His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin bestowed his blessings for the Dzongpa center in Valencia. As an auspicious gesture, he gifted a thangka of Buddha Shakyamuni and expressed his wish that the necessary conditions be created for Gongkar Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche to transmit his teachings and develop his Dharma activities.

These meetings represented an important spiritual support for the association and strengthened the aspiration to establish a stable space for practice, study, and encounter around the Sakya Dzongpa lineage.

A history in development

Since then, Dzongpa Europa has continued working to consolidate a practice community in Valencia and to open spaces for encounter in Spain and Europe. The association maintains the aspiration to preserve the Sakya Dzongpa lineage, support Rinpoche's activities, and offer those interested a respectful and living access to the teachings of the Dharma.

Today, this journey enters a new phase: Dzongpa Europa, an initiative that seeks to build bridges between the Sakya Dzongpa tradition and interested people across Europe, forming part of the international network of the lineage, which already has centers in India, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, and Hong Kong.