Manang · Nepal · 3,397 metres
High in the Nepal Himalayas, Manang carries a practice lineage held across families, villages, and teachers. Milarepa's retreat cave remains above the valley. Today, a new generation is working to make this land a place where people can once again live, practice, and retreat.
Milarepa once practiced in these mountains. Today, the practice continues.
Become part of the Manang vision See what we are building →
History
One valley. Three generations. A practice still alive.
"Dharma does not necessarily mean only monks or monastics. It belongs to all. It is for all. If you look at the way they simply live --- day and night, with the household, with property, with all the unlimited chaos of life and work --- it is practice living inside a working
--- GarTul Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche · Manang · 28 July 2026
Read the full Manang story →
What was passed down
Not only wisdom. Love and warmth remained.
"So, generation after generation, the wisdom was there. But most importantly, the love was there. The warmth was there."
--- GarTul Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche · Manang · 28 July 2026
Vision
Buildings create the conditions. What matters is what can happen in a person.
"So the platform, the project, the physical project --- this kind of platform --- can be a place where one can feel the richness of history and love, while at the same time receiving the essence of practice. And you need a space to do that."
--- GarTul Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche · Manang · 28 July 2026
Reconnect → Acceptance → Adjustment → Harmony
"It helps you reconnect. And you need a space to do that. After reconnecting, there is acceptance. Then there is adjustment. And finally, only harmony is left."
--- GarTul Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche · Manang · 28 July 2026
Enter Rinpoche's Vision →
Practice
Practice returns to ordinary life.
"Start with ordinary relaxation. This may be one of the best things we can offer ordinary people: work in the area of the body, in the language of the body, and learn to relax. For ordinary people, relaxation is the beginning. Then we can level up."
--- GarTul Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche · Manang · 28 July 2026
See how practice will happen here →
The Place
A Vision needs places to live, eat, learn, and retreat.
Each building serves a practical purpose. Together, they create the physical conditions for daily life and sustained practice: the Grand Café and shared dining, personal retreat houses, teaching and group-retreat spaces, and the Vajrayogini Temple.
Explore the place and build →
Current Build
Begin with the first place that can truly be used.
The Grand Café is not the destination of Manang. It is the first building of a manageable scale that can be completed and used to test high-altitude construction methods. An existing retreat cottage on the site can be adapted and expanded. The local crew can begin here, learning the materials, climate, winter protection, and site management before moving on to retreat houses and larger structures.
It also meets an immediate need: a modern kitchen and dining space that can support future group retreats, staff, community exchange, and visitors arriving from the outside road.
Current milestone
Complete the foundation before winter.
The construction season in Manang is short. Once winter snow arrives, major work largely stops. The aim is to complete the Grand Café foundation in September--October 2026, so construction can move directly into the upper structure when the snow melts in spring 2027.
Raised: US$5,000 / Goal: US$10,000
Become part of the Manang vision
Progress
What is done is recorded.
For each major construction stage, we will record the date, photographs, completed work, actual expenditure, the corresponding estimate or BoQ category, and what comes next. If weather, roads, materials, labour, budget, or timing change the plan, that will be recorded too.
View the latest progress →
In his own words
"I really want to put my life into that land."
--- GarTul Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche · UC Berkeley · 22 April 2026
"I was never a worker. I never intended to work on projects or anything. But I went for a short visit. Actually, I could feel the love. I could feel the environment and the love. This is all pure
--- GarTul Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche · Manang · 28 July 2026
"If you care --- okay. You are the worthy one. You are the right one."
--- GarTul Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche · Manang · 28 July 2026
Become Part of the Vision
Manang does not need to be completed all at once.
First a foundation. Then a roof. Then retreat houses that can actually be used. Manang will take shape one completed, accountable step at a time. As the spaces are built, they will gradually become the place Rinpoche describes: somewhere to reconnect, stay, and practice. We invite you to become part of that Vision.
Become part of the Manang vision