Genesis
In the early 1990s there was a split between Polish Buddhists following the Tibetan Karma Kamtsang tradition. Many people wanted to study and practise the Dharma in accordance with teachings of realised Tibetan lamas, such as venerable Tenga Rinpoche, Bokar Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche, or Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. They fully accepted authority of such figures as His Holiness Dalai Lama, His Holiness XVII Gyalwang Karmapa, or His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche. It was impossible to continue activities within one organisation with those who totally questioned the authority of these lamas. As a result, a great number of people belonging to the Karma Kagyu Buddhist Association left the organisation, among them almost all of the founding members.
The disciples of the venerable Tenga Rinpoche founded the Karma Kamtsang Buddhist Association. On June 15th, 1994 the organisation was formally registered as a church. Around the same time other former members of the Karma Kagyu Association established their own Buddhist Associations.
In October 1994 venerable Tenga Rinpoche came to Poland invited by the newly established Karma Kamtsang Association. During the visit he was asked by the Board to take spiritual care of members and acolytes of the Association. Rinpoche accepted the request. Soon His Eminence Sangye Nyenpa Rinpocze, the highest in rank among the Benchen Monastery lamas, also agreed to care for us. Thanks to the acceptance of both Rinpoches, the Association came to be considered as a branch of the Benchen monastery.
Since establishing the Association, it has been obvious that we need a place for common practice and meetings with invited Rinpoches. Some people pledged financial donations for purchasing an appropriate real estate. After intensive search, we selected a certain farm, situated 40 km from Warsaw. In autumn 1994 venerable Tenga Rinpoche visited that place and said it could be the Benchen seat in Poland, unless there are formal obstacles. Alas, there were obstacles. Huge mortgages waited to be regulated. The owner deceived us for almost a year asserting that "everything will be ready for transaction in two weeks at the most". Time was passing, and the members of the Association were getting impatient. Finally, we decided to look for another place.
We discovered a beautiful real estate, situated in a similar distance (40 km) from Warsaw, but with much better access road. The farm was secluded enough, and included also the area of 4,5 hectars, providing excellent property to develop. We informed venerable Tenga Rinpoche about our discovery and soon he assured us that all omens and signs are positive. Thus, on November 27th, 1995 we signed the notarial deed of purchasing the farm in Grabnik.
The owners asked us to give them one month for moving out. In accordance with the contract on Wednesday, November 22nd, 1995 we moved in the empty house. In a cold room, covered with boxes and furniture given by Buddhist society, we lit incense and recited Riwo Sangcho, to satisfy primal habitants of the area - gods of the land and local spirits. Beginning in the morning the next day we got down to work to make it possible to perform in the next week the first ritual in the new Dharma Centre, tsok puja of Amitabha Buddha. Despite frosty weather, many people came from Warsaw for this ceremony. Everyone brought something: plates, cutlery, bedclothes, tablecloths etc. In this way the Centre got its first accessories, furnishing and equipment.
The first lama, we had a honour to host here was His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche. In the beginning of December 1995 he visited our place and performed a ritual of consecration. He said: "In future there will be a very good Dharma centre here, but a lot of effort should be put into it".

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The temple
Since the beginning, the Centre in Grabnik has been a meeting place for those devoted to studying Dharma and meditating. In winter there are usually weekend courses led by Lama Rinchen, who was appointed as the resident lama of the Centre by venerable Tenga Rinpoche. In summer we try to invite great lamas of our tradition for such meetings. At that time hundreds of Buddhists visit our place, from all over Poland and sometimes also from abroad.
Thus, we faced the problem of accommodation for such a large number of people. Our first summer shrine-room was an adopted old barn. The floor was covered with hay given by kind neighbours and plastic sheeting. It was not a very comfortable solution - the ground was always uneven, the roof leaked, and the hay rustled with every movement - but it worked for several years. We felt the need of constructing a new building, functioning as a lhakang, a Buddhist shrine-room.
Venerable Tenga Rinpoche accepted the project. On September 12th, 1998, during his next visit in Grabnik, Rinpoche said: "In the future we will surely have many courses as big as this one, and many participants from Poland and from other countries alike, will have to fit in the lhakang. So, if we intend to organise such courses, we should not do it in such provisional conditions as now. We should have a better shrine-room. Thus, it is very important for us to have a real lhakang".
Rinpoche also said: "We will go in with this work as much as the means allow us: if we manage to collect money for one pillar, we will make one, then if we can afford another pillar, we will make another. And in this way, gradually, the temple will come into being. Obviously, because of the material situation, it cannot be done quickly, but we should try. I would like to ask you all to help".
Concrete preparation to work began. Unfortunately, before the architectural design was completed, the local authorities had changed. Previous declarations that we would be given permission for development on an agricultural lot, were no longer valid. We were informed that our project could be realised only after making necessary changes in the plans of the area of development, i.e. the ground should be no longer registered as "agricultural". It was supposed to take only couple of months, but some new obstacles appeared that we had no influence on, and as a result the process took several years. Only in the end of 2004 did we receive the decision to change the classification of the land.
Life proved that the original project did not meet the real needs of the Centre (re-named in 2005 to "Benchen Karma Kamtsang Buddhist Centre"). In autumn 2001, thanks to generosity of members and acolytes of the Association, we managed to buy a big tent, that served us as a summer lhakang. Also the very concept of the planned building changed. We realised that what is of great urgency it is not the place where the Dharma lectures are to be given (since the big tent serves as a summer lhakang), but the social background. Many people complained about difficult living conditions (especially of toilets and bathrooms) during the courses.
Finally, after some talks with venerable Tenga Rinpoche, a brand new idea appeared. The present project will be realised in several stages, starting with most needed building which includes a canteen, toilets, bathrooms, apartments and an office. In November 2004 we received formal permission to establish such a building.

We are beginning the building works
Thus, in September 2005, the long-waited building works were launched. First we had to prepare the land. We dismantled part of one of the annexes. In the picture you can see how it came down, thanks to our friend Chopin. We had to cut down two fruit trees. Then Slawek Taszkun, our building supervisor, marked out the axis of the building. Then some complicated works followed, that can be seen in the pictures.
One must admit that the "Buddhist fellowship" is wonderfully determined in its purpose. Along with the team of professionals, all the habitants of the Centre were involved in the work, as well as other Buddhist folks who came to help not only from Warsaw but from other places, even quite distant ones, such as Lublin. We would like to thank you all very much!

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