My Historic Parsonage in the Mecklenburg Lake District becomes the Buddhist centre Pema Choling. Rinpoche will consecrate it.
It is barely nine months since Rinpoche visited for the first time. At the Spiritual Community in Berlin. Back then. In another life.
The fact that this “back then” was only nine months ago astonishes me. It feels like nine decades.
A dream hurled me out of the townhouse in Prenzlauer Berg and catapulted me into the historic parsonage in the Mecklenburg Lake District.
In my old life, my personal domain consisted of twenty-four square metres of shared flat bedroom with twenty square metres of roof terrace. Rented.
In my new life, I live alone in a house with 450 square metres of living space, surrounded by half a hectare of land. Plus several outbuildings. And all of it belongs to me.
Though I didn’t buy the old parsonage for myself — and lease the land from the Evangelical Church on a hereditary lease — but for Dharma, Lama and Sangha.
To that end, I had taken refuge with my Khandro in October 2019. At the time, it was unimaginable that I would — as a consequence of taking refuge — buy an enormous historic parsonage in the Mecklenburg Lake District and open a Buddhist retreat house. But that is exactly what happened.
Because in the dream that led me to the Historic Parsonage, I told Suriyel that “this is the place where our sangha must practice”. Under this premise I negotiated the purchase and the hereditary lease with the Evangelical Church of Mecklenburg.
It took six gruelling months before the Evangelical Church’s decision-making body could bring itself to consent to the establishment of a Buddhist meditation and retreat house on their land — and in a former parsonage. For months I was put off every two weeks. It was always said that a decision for or against the Buddhist centre would be made at the next meeting. And then the decision was deferred to the next session. This went on from October 2024 until February 2025.
By then I had already moved out of the Spiritual Community, my furniture was in storage with the removal firm. I was sleeping in guest rooms and on the sofas of friends. For months. Because it wasn’t until June that I was finally able to move into my new home.
Back then — when Rinpoche visited Berlin — he promised me as he left that he would return the following year. For a retreat. Thröma.
And he gave me an assignment: I was to organise the retreat. And find a place where we could hold it. The Spiritual Community was not suitable.
As early as January — when it was still unclear whether I would even be able to buy the parsonage — Rinpoche told me he would come to me in June 2025. To hold the promised Thröma retreat. Wherever that might be.
Neither Rinpoche nor I — nor anyone else — had reckoned in September 2024 that we would find ourselves in our own Buddhist retreat house. But that is what happened.
Barely three weeks remain after my move-in before Rinpoche will visit the Historic Parsonage for the first time. After some back and forth we decide that the Thröma retreat will take place the following year. Instead, Rinpoche will consecrate the Buddhist centre in the Historic Parsonage. In a small gathering. We also postpone the official inauguration to the following year. Three weeks of preparation time is simply not enough for more. And even that is cutting it terribly close.
From morning to evening I am busy clearing, cleaning, weeding and shopping. At the weekends Suriyel comes to help. Three days before Rinpoche’s visit, friends arrive to lend a hand as well.
The whole time I think we will never get it all done in time.
But we manage. Once again, a small miracle…
