Legacy & Farewell
Stupas consecrated from Copenhagen to the Europe Center, a new marriage and a daughter, and on 18 May 2026 a peaceful death — followed by a two-week farewell that draws some ten thousand students to the Allgäu.
Part of Lama Ole Nydahl
40 moments in this segment.
- — The Europe Center, his workplace. From the foothills of the German Alps, the Europe Center became Lama Ole’s primary workplace — refuge ceremonies, an open meditation hall, online meetings with distant centers, and the annual International Summer Course drawing thousands for teachings and empowerments. (Photo: Lama Ole in the EC sessions.)
- — Film: Karmapa Is Here!. The 17th Karmapa Thaye Dorje at the Europe Center — a film from the Diamond Way archive.
- — The International Summer Course. The annual International Summer Course at the Europe Center draws thousands of students from over fifty countries for teachings and empowerments from Karma Kagyu masters. (Photo from his site.)
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Victory Stupa in Copenhagen. On 20 July 2019 the Victory Stupa (Long Life Stupa) in the garden of the Copenhagen "Mother Center" was inaugurated, with Maniwa Lama Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche and Lama Ole and many hundreds of Buddhists from all over the world. (Photo: consecration of the Victory Stupa in Copenhagen, 2019.)
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — Marriage to Anne Behrend. On 31 August 2019 Lama Ole married Anne Behrend at the Diamond Way Buddhist center in Těnovice, Czech Republic. Their daughter Freya Nydahl was born in December 2020. (Photo: marriage of Lama Ole and Anne Behrend, 2019.)
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Europe Center campus. The Europe Center on the Große Alpsee — meditation halls, the stupa, and the campus that hosts the lineage in the West. (Photo from his site.)
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — The Long Life Stupa. The Long Life (Victory) Stupa — one of the monuments to enlightenment raised by the Diamond Way, of the kind Lama Ole and his students built across the Western world.
- — Film: 9500 km of Diamond Way. A documentary following Lama Ole’s legendary Trans-Siberian railway tour across Russia with his students.
- — Lama Ole Nydahl: No Mind, No Problem. A full lecture (English) on the open, fearless nature of mind — from the Diamond Way archive.
- — Film: Transparent Lama from Bhutan. A film portrait from the Diamond Way archive, on Lama Ole and the lineage’s connection to Bhutan and Lopön Tsechu Rinpoche.
- — Film: Secret Journey to East Tibet. The documentary of Lama Ole’s 1986 secret journey into East Tibet with a small group of friends.
- — Teaching, course by course. Half a century of teaching, course after course, around the world twice a year. (Photo from his site.)
- — On the seat, in dialogue. Lama Ole in dialogue with students — direct, fearless, often funny. (Photo from his site.)
- — The Enlightenment Stupa at the Europe Center. On 5 August 2023 the Enlightenment Stupa, built on Lama Ole’s wish under Venerable Nedo Kuchung Rinpoche on the grounds of the Europe Center, was inaugurated — the consecration presided over by H.H. the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa during the Summer Course, marking the completion of the building phase begun in 2007. (Photo: consecration of the Stupa of Enlightenment at the Europe Center, 2023.)
- — Teaching to the end. Even in his eighties Lama Ole kept teaching — meditation courses, lectures and online meetings from the Europe Center, reaching students worldwide. (Photo: Lama Ole working, 2024.)
- — The passing of Lama Ole Nydahl. On 18 May 2026 Lama Ole Nydahl died peacefully at the age of 85 in Immenstadt im Allgäu. After fifty-four years of teaching he left behind a worldwide lineage of more than 600 centers and a Buddhism made at home in the West.
- — Lama Ole, remembered. A portrait shared by the Diamond Way community in the days after his passing. (From the condolence pages, 5 June 2026.)
- — The Karmapa opens the farewell ceremonies. On 21 May 2026, following the completion of Lama Ole’s Thugdam, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Thaye Dorje opened the farewell ceremonies at the Europe Center, in the presence of eminent Rinpoches and Lamas of the Karma Kagyu lineage and several thousand students. (Photo: the Karmapa ceremony for Lama Ole.)
- — The condolence room. On 22 May 2026 Jigme Rinpoche opened the condolence room at the Europe Center, where everyone was invited to pay their last respects until 4 June. (Photo: Jigme Rinpoche and Anne Nydahl in the condolence room.)
- — Ten thousand come to say farewell. Over two weeks, around ten thousand people from around the world came to the Europe Center in Immenstadt to say a personal farewell to Lama Ole; over the Pentecost weekend alone around 5,000 Buddhists came to pay their last respects. (Photo: the Europe Center, 23 May 2026.)
- — The Europe Center in the days of farewell. Students gathered at the Europe Center during the two weeks of farewell. (Photo: 23 May 2026.)
- — The lineage gathers. The masters of the Karma Kagyu lineage gathered at the Europe Center to honour Lama Ole. (Photo: the Karmapa with Jigme Rinpoche and Nedo Rinpoche.)
- — The gompa tent at the Europe Center. The great tent raised at the Europe Center for the farewell ceremonies, where thousands gathered to honour Lama Ole. (From the condolence pages.)
