In 1980 the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Rigpe Dorje (Vajra Vidya in Tibetan) visited Crestone. Visiting with His Holiness at that time were His Eminence Jamgon Kongtrul and His Eminence Tai Situpa.

Their party explored, sometimes on horseback, the mountains around the Baca. His Holiness traveled with Hanne Strong by car. They went past the Stupa site and he requested that they go back. He pointed out mountain shapes that looked like elephants lying down and other auspicious forms. These, he explained, were signs of the propitiousness of this particular location. He predicted that there would be over forty realized siddhas from this area. Different people who were with this party tell of different predictions that His Holiness made during his visit. The Karmapa also foresaw that this special location would provide a safe haven for the teachings and for the Tibetan people. After the passing of the 16th Karmapa his Eminence Jamgon Kontrul initiated the building of the Tashi Gomang Stupa. This style of stupa represents the 84,000 paths taught by the Buddha. He gave very specific instructions on how the Stupa was to be done. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche and Bardo Tulku along with a small but highly dedicated number of students spent the next decade completing what now reflects the blessings of the Kagyu Lineage.

In the summer of 2001, Thrangu Rinpoche visited with Hanne Strong to discuss the possibility of receiving land from the Manitou Foundation. Here Thrangu Rinpoche is talking with Maria and her son. Maria is one of the persons who helped in the building of the Tashi Gomang Stupa.

During the first visit to the land, Thrangu Rinpoche was unable to go up further than the bottom road so he requested a map and pointed to a specific spot.His monks and several other people preceeded to walk to this spot. With video camera in hand, Rinpoche's monk Chonyi Rangdrol took pictures and when they returned he and Lobsang Dorje were explaining to Rinpoche what they had seen. That night we viewed the pictures. The monks had found the spot that Rinpoche had identified on the map. This was the site where the Retreat Center was built.

Thrangu Rinpoche was asked to officiate at the raising of the central prayer flag pole at the Tibetan peace park in Crestone on the same day as it was raised in Tibet at Mount Kailash.

Thrangu Rinpoche then went to the spot where he had said the retreat center was to be built and did a consecration ceremony. During this time an unusual event occured. While Thrangu Rinpoche and Khenpo Karthar were doing the fire cremony, everyone looked up directly at the sun and saw a rainbow circling the sun. What was amazing was that there was not a single cloud in the sky.

Later that day in a teaching Thrangu Rinpoche remarked that it was auspicious and the local beings seemed to be pleased.

Before leaving the Namo Buddha Seminar in 2003, Thrangu Rinpoche was asked what an auspicious day would be for ground breaking. Thrangu Rinpoche did the astrological calculations and said that August 21st, 2003 was auspicious for starting the building. Two Tibetan lamas who have centers in Crestone--Soknyi Rinopche and Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche--and Lama Chodrak from Questa conducted the ground-breaking ceremony by doing a fire puja on that day.

The actual building of the center did not actually begin until November of 2003.

The radiant floor is about to be poured. The ICF (insulated concrete forms) walls are put up and ready to receive the concrete in the middle. Foreground is ventalation chase for the kitchen.

The wall material is ICF (insulated concrete forms) and is made of 1.5 inches of foam inside and out and 8 inches of concrete is poured innbetween. It has an insulative R value of 60 which is necessary because Crestone is very cold (as you can see from the snow above). The dining room after the ICF is up and concrete is poured (below).

The radiant floor has been poured and the walls have been put in. This is the dining room with the caretaker's room at the far end of the room.

This is the dining room looking south. At the far wall is the beginning of the stairway going to the second floor where the retreat rooms are. To the far left is the wall between the kitchen and dining room. The radiant floor will eventually have tile over it.

The second floor has begun. The stairway can just be seen at lower left. The windows are the retreat room windows. At far end is an outside exit door. The ICF is being held vertically so when the concrete is poured, the walls will remain straight.

The concrete is poured into the ICF with a pumper truck. This is the entire north wing with the retreat master's room on the right (sticking out) and the windows of the five front retreat rooms to the left.

This is the only time that Thrangu Rinpoche was able to visit the Vajra Vidya Retreat Center. The building was half finished and he walked around and then went straight into the lama's room and sat on the floor and did a brief meditation. Afterwards, he said, "very good" and will return to see the completed retreat center in the summer of 2006.