In the fall of 2015, after returning from a four-and-a-half-year wandering retreat, Mingyur Rinpoche reached out to an old friend, Luc Cholley. The April 2015 earthquake severely damaged the Osel Ling monastery in Nepal, necessitating its reconstruction. Rinpoche sought someone to manage this crucial project and knew Luc could do the job.

Luc, who had already completed projects like the Shechen monastery in Bodhgaya and was working on Trulshik Rinpoche’s monastery in Kathmandu, was contemplating a return to France with his partner, Joyce Mackenzie. Despite this, he accepted Mingyur Rinpoche’s request without hesitation, “Yes, of course!” was his response.

For Luc, this was not just another construction project; it was deeply personal. Years earlier, his close friend Matthieu Ricard introduced Luc to a young Mingyur Rinpoche, who was regarded as an emanation of Kangyur Rinpoche — Luc’s root teacher.

“Working for Mingyur Rinpoche is working for Kangyur Rinpoche,” Luc said in an interview from his house adjacent to Osel Ling monastery.

The role of project manager for Osel Ling’s reconstruction has been demanding, involving extensive coordination of contractors and managing a myriad of tasks. Yet, Luc does not see it as work. “For me, it is just an extension of my practice,” he said. “It’s the practical aspect of practice.”

Seeing Kangyur Rinpoche’s name

Luc’s journey into Tibetan Buddhism began in 1968 when he read Messages des Tibetans by French author Arnaud Desjardins. Within the book, he came across the name Kangyur Rinpoche, which left Luc with a profound impression and a deep desire to meet him. That wish came true three years later when Luc traveled to Darjeeling in September 1971. “I met him, and then he asked me to come back the next day,” Luc recalled. “Right away, he gave me refuge and asked me to come every day to receive teachings.”

The language barrier — requiring translation from Tibetan to English and then from English to French — was overcome with the help of Semo Yangchen, Kangyur Rinpoche’s daughter translating into English and Yahne le Tourmelin, Matthieu Ricard’s mother translating into French. Luc’s need for two translators would remain a sweet joke between him and Kangyur Rinpoche.

Luc began his ngondro, the foundational practices of Tibetan Buddhism, the day after their first meeting. This encounter was so impactful that Luc took a year-long leave from his job as a geophysicist in Indonesia, working for a French company, in order to practice the teachings. He would remain in close contact with Kanygur Rinpoche until his death in 1975.

Without a Building Structure, the Teachings Risk Disappearing

Luc’s transition from geophysicist to builder of Tibetan Buddhist structures took place with the establishment of the three-year retreat center “Songtsen Chanteloube” in Dordogne, France, guided by Kangyur Rinpoche’s son Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He then undertook the construction of the Shechen monastery in Bodhgaya at the request of Pema Wangyal Rinpoche and Rabjam Rinpoche.

Luc spoke about the importance of building physical structures for preserving spiritual traditions. “When there is no building support like a temple, then the tradition has a risk of disappearing,” he said. However, he also emphasized that these structures are merely tools. “A monastery is mainly the frame and the frame or the tool which allows for the students and practitioners to gather and receive the teachings.” 

“In this act of consecrating an external structure to hold the teachings, the teacher transforms an ordinary structure to be a truly spiritual one.”

His hope for Osel Ling is that the teachings may extend, flourish, and touch as many people as possible.