hree Rivers Dharma Center was founded in August of 1993, originally as a committee of the Pittsburgh Friends of Tibet. A connection was made with Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche, then of the Tibetan Meditation Center in Frederick, Md. Khenchen Rinpoche visited Pittsburgh to give teachings numerous times throughout the 1990’s. In recent years, his health has restricted his travel, but he continues to be our spiritual director.

A highlight in the Center’s history was the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Pittsburgh on November 12, 1998, an event co-sponsored with the Pittsburgh Friends of Tibet and the Buddhist Society of Pittsburgh. His Holiness gave three separate talks that day that were attended by thousands, and he touched the hearts of them all.

Three Rivers Dharma has also hosted many other lamas over the years, including Drupon Thinley Ningpo, Khenpo Sherab Ozer, Drigung Ontul Rinpoche, and Yogi Lama Gursam, among others. After years of holding meditation practices in various locations, we moved into our present facility in March of 2008.

The Drikung Kagyu lineage comes from the Vajrayana tradition of Tibet. This tradition merges both the Sutra (causal) teachings and the esoteric Tantra (resultant) teachings of the Buddha into a holistic system of practice. At Three Rivers Dharma Center, both the Mahayana Sutric tradition and the Tantric traditions of Mahamudra (Tib: Chakya Chenpo) and Maha Ati (Tib: Dzogchen) are taught, studied and practiced.