Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC)

Our Mission is to alleviate suffering through compassionate activity in the world by:

• Making Buddhist teachings available
• Offering a place of spiritual refuge including sites of pilgrimage and prayer
• Offering prayers and spiritual practices to those in need
• Nurturing the community beyond our boundaries
• Caretaking the natural environment under our custodianship

Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC) is a Tibetan Buddhist temple and practice center rooted in the Nyingma tradition's Palyul lineage — one of the oldest and most revered lineages in Vajrayana Buddhism. Founded and led by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, the first Western woman to be officially recognized and enthroned as a reincarnate lama (tulku), KPC has operated as a uniquely American hub of ancient Tibetan orthopraxy since 1985.

At the heart of KPC's identity is an unbroken 24-hour prayer vigil, maintained continuously since April 18, 1985 — one of the longest sustained prayer vigils in the Western hemisphere. Around the clock, 365 days a year, members of our community take shifts to pray for the relief of suffering of all beings. This vigil is not a symbol. It is a living practice, and it has never stopped.

KPC serves a wide and intentionally open community: ordained monastics engaged in rigorous Vajrayana practice; lay practitioners at every stage of the path; visitors of all faiths who come to walk our Peace Parks and circumambulate our stupas; neighbors who receive food from our garden; refugees who receive coats, groceries, and ongoing support; and anyone who simply needs a place of quiet and refuge. Our Maryland temple and Peace Park, our Sedona Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park, and our prayer vigil are all open to the public, free of charge, every day of the year.

Our humanitarian arm, KPC Buddhist Relief, was founded in response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and has grown into a highly active, boots-on-the-ground NGO. We procure, grow, and distribute over 16,000 pounds of food per month to nonprofit partners across Montgomery County. Our Buddhist Giving Garden — 3,300 square feet of certified organic production space, plus a winter hoop house — grows fresh produce donated directly to local shelters and food banks. We provide ongoing support to West African refugees arriving in Maryland and respond to acute local crises as they arise.

We are also caretakers of the land. Our Maryland property is home to a small barnyard — goats that browse invasive plants and help regenerate the ecosystem, and hens that produce organic eggs, 20% of which are donated to local meal programs. We teach foraging, composting, and sustainable food production to community members. Environmental stewardship is not an add-on to our mission — it is woven into our understanding of non-harming.

Kunzang Palyul Choling is a Platinum-level Candid/GuideStar participant and a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are fully tax-deductible.