White Jewel Mountain is a nonprofit Buddhist sanctuary rooted in the Nyingma school and following the Adzom Drukpa lineage of Great Perfection teachings. We grew from our Spiritual Masters’ singular wish: to establish a place where sincere people could practice deeply and encounter the luminous beauty of their true nature.
White Jewel Mountain rests within the luminous mandala of the Adzom Drukpa lineage of the Great Perfection. Founded in 2006 by Orgyen Khakhyab Lingpa, the reincarnation of Pema Wangyal, White Jewel Mountain is today steered by the steady wisdom of our Spiritual Guide, Adzom Gyalse Rinpoche, the reincarnation of Adzom Gyalse Gyurme Dorje.
With two such profound founder and guides, White Jewel Mountain exists for a remarkable purpose: to be a living conduit for the full power, realization, and blessings of the precious Adzom lineage to flow freely into the lives of countless practitioners for generations to come.
Grounded in the luminous essence and authenticity of this lineage and the deep remembrance of our true nature, may our community of lay and monastic practitioners cause realization to become not merely an aspiration or concept, but a lived reality: wisdom, compassion, harmony, and healing for sentient beings and the Earth itself.
May the Adzom lineage flourish. May its blessings spread without limit. May its realization awaken in the hearts of countless beings.
Sarva Mangalam!
With the view of the Great Perfection as our guiding light, our mission is to receive, embody, and transmit the complete path of the Buddha Dharma as presented through the Adzom Drukpa Dzogchen lineage and the Rimé tradition, so that its teachings, transmissions, practice blessings, and realization may flourish in the West.
Under the guidance of our lineage masters, we offer programs and retreats which help the lineage teachings and practices take root naturally in the lives of Western practitioners while being authentically transmitted.
We nurture a sacred community that supports the fourfold sangha, with laypeople and monastics practicing side by side. Through teachings and retreats, study and discussion, contemplation, ritual, and silence, we provide a sanctuary for genuine practice and realization.
We seek to make the timeless wisdom of the Buddha accessible without diminishing its depth, so that practitioners may recognize their true nature and bring wisdom and compassion into their lives, their communities, and their relationship with the living Earth.
We hold practices, discussions and retreats throughout the year. Our community is warm, our shrine room simple and radiant. Our doors and hearts are open to anyone drawn to this path, whether they have practiced for decades or are encountering Vajrayana Buddhism for the first time.
A few moments along the way that shaped White Jewel Mountain.
Our Spiritual Founder, Gyurme Thubten Gyamtso - Ad.zom Rinpoche - has the vision to establish the Adzom Drukpa center in Crestone, and names it "White Jewel Mountain".
White Jewel Mountain becomes incorporated as a 501c3 non profit organization.
Ani Tsultrim Tenzin, dedicated disciple of our Spiritual Founder, begins to give form to the vision.
A quiet parcel of land beneath the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is offered to White Jewel Mountain.
A small circle of practitioners begin meeting on the land to sit, study, rest in awareness, and create sangha.
A dedicated space for practice takes shape, giving the sangha a warm and lasting place to gather.
Zoom sessions open the doors to practitioners far from Crestone.
A site is chosen, groundbreaking rituals are held, and construction begins.
Adzom Gyalse Rinpoche leads the consecration ceremonies in October. Aspirations for the benefit of beings are made.
The Jewel in Our Hearts
One of the richnesses possessed by the individual who wishes to traverse the path to enlightenment is the fact that they have this special feature: they possess this precious Buddha-nature.
How it is engaged, however, varies, for there are different ways that this nature is brought forth according to the nine yānas.
This Buddha-nature permeates all sentient beings, regardless of whatever life-form they have assumed. All beings are permeated by the seed of enlightenment in their body, in their speech, and in their mind….
I became a monk at the age of 7, dedicating my life to serving all sentient beings. Such selfless giving is truly virtuous. It is crucial to remember all beings continuously. Why? In Buddhist teachings, the concept of ‘no self’ emphasizes transcending ego and selfishness. By focusing on sentient beings, we are rid of arrogance and dissolve self-attachment. This practice leads us into the realm of emptiness. As the ego diminishes, emptiness reveals itself naturally….
Just by understanding the view of emptiness, would not serve the purpose. Along with emptiness, we also have to understand compassion. We have to understand both of them. In order to accomplish perfect Buddhahood, we have to have the unity of emptiness and compassion. So, for us to accomplish the perfect Buddhahood, this is the path – the unity of emptiness and compassion.
– Orgyen Khakhyab Lingpa
Terton Orgyen Khakhyab Lingpa
Our Spiritual Founder and inspiration Orgyen Khakhyab Lingpa – a precious living terton, teacher, and embodiment of the Great Perfection
Ralph Abrams
Shaped by decades of meditation and a lifetime of hands-on building, Ralph works closely with Adzom Gyalse Rinpoche, the Board and staff, tending and maintaining conditions for authentic practice to take its seat.
At its heart, White Jewel Mountain is a place where the lineage and teachings of Adzom Gyalse Rinpoche, our Spiritual Guide, can take root here in the West in a way that feels natural, grounded, and true to our own lives. We are fully rooted in this Tibetan lineage, and we engage it directly through Tibetan liturgy, ritual, thangkas, deity practice, and teachings in both Tibetan and English. These forms are alive for us, and we hold them with respect, sincerity, and wonder.
At the same time, we are Western practitioners. Our task isn’t to imitate Tibetan culture, nor to step away from it, but to let the essence of these teachings gradually find their own expression here. This is a slow, organic process, guided by care, humility, and wisdom. The intention is that the lineage remains both authentic and accessible, while we refine our presentation so it integrates naturally with our own culture.
We’re fortunate to be doing this in Crestone, a place many understand as part of the mandala of Guru Rinpoche. That larger blessing has shaped this valley for decades, and White Jewel Mountain is one expression within that mandala.
We are in direct communication with Adzom Gyalse Rinpoche as we develop our programs and activities. His personal guidance continues to support our growth and helps ensure that what we’re building stays aligned with the Adzom Drukpa Lineage. We gather to watch recordings of his teachings — often in Tibetan with English translation — and then we sit together and talk about how these teachings meet our actual situation as Western Buddhist practitioners. My hope is that these gatherings become one of the most meaningful ways the lineage comes alive here.
What we’re creating is simple: a place where people can reconnect with their own true buddha nature, supported by a lineage that has carried this wisdom for centuries, and expressed in a way that feels real, warm, and available for Western practitioners.
A small board, dedicated staff, and a circle of volunteers hold the land, the programs, and the daily care that lets practice flourish.
White Jewel Mountain grows from the blessing and wisdom of Adzom Gyalse Rinpoche, a lineage holder of the Adzom Drukpa tradition of the Great Perfection. His presence is the still center from which everything here unfolds, the teachings we keep, the practices we hold, and the welcome we extend.
To understand this place is to know the stream it flows from. We invite you to spend a few unhurried moments learning about Rinpoche’s life and lineage.
Our doors are open to all practitioners of every background and every level of experience. All you need bring is sincerity and an open heart.
Some who come have practiced for a lifetime; others are taking their very first quiet steps on the path. Here they sit side by side, and the community is richer for it.