Friends from our Diamond Way Buddhist centers are always welcome for courses and other events at Karma Berchen Ling. By tradition, our program spreads over three seasons with three main events: the Prostration Retreat, the Summer Course and the 8th Karmapa Retreat.

Balkan Course

13 – 15 February  2026

Dearest friends, dearest Balkanians!

The next Balkan course is coming in two months! Let’s get organised!

Continuing an old tradition of meeting each February, with a new twist: meeting in a place hosting it for the first time, we are happy to invite you all to KBL in Greece from 13 to 15 February.

Most of you know KBL well! A retreat place with strong energy and amazing view, a combination itself, of wild nature and cosy facilities, isolated from the common but always full of joyful friends, a place for deep meditation and watching the mind, but also watching how the elements change.

Here, in the power field of the Kalachakra Stupa, one can connect with strong bonds to the Sangha and the blessing of the Lama.

We will have the opportunity to meditate together, to listen to inspiring teachings, to exchange with friends, to cook and eat together, and to share our news about old and new projects. Still, most of all to produce Dharma together.

To use that opportunity to the full, please share the news with your friends in the centers, prepare a presentation for your country, register on time and book your flight, car, bus, or teleportation machine:)

We are enthusiastic to see as many of you as possible!

Soon we will share the program of the course and some practical information, but till then you can:

–       Call for details to Jan Noutsos: +30 6957209904, email jannoutsos@me.com 

and Nevi Milanova: +30 6957209905, email nevena_rl@icloud.com

–       Register – https://www.berchenling.org

–       Share the news with your friends in your center.

–       Keep your texts and mala well trained:))

Hope to see you all in only two months 

Be happy and Karmapa Chino

For KBL Team

Nevi

Participants will take part in running the course and meal preparations.

Ralitsa Golemanova:

Ralitsa has been a student of Lama Ole Nydahl since 2009, when she took refuge with him. In 2020, he asked her to begin giving lectures in Diamond Way Buddhist centers. Ralitsa is a film producer and runs an independent production company. Originally from Bulgaria, she has lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK, and is currently based in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Lucijan Plevnik:

Lucijan has been practising Diamond Way Buddhism since 2014, when he took refuge with Lama Ole. He was invited to give lectures at Diamond Way Buddhist centres in 2025. He lives in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where he teaches and does research in mathematics at the local university.

Please note that the course is for students of Lama Ole Nydahl only, practising in his Diamondway Centers. If you are planning to arrive, please register at the link:

 

8th Karmapa

Retreat Center Meeting

03 – 08 March 2026

Dear All,

Our next meeting in 2026 is in KBL from 3rd to 8th March, from this period the main part of our meeting is 5-8th March.
Before or after any time you can come and meditate at the place.  
 
Ιnfo for your flights-booking:
You definitely need to bring sleeping bag (if due to some reasons you can not, pls write me) and warm clothes because probably there will be snow up there.
 
Please book your flight in advance, to Athens, and from there one can get to near city Kiato by train (1,5 hours and cca. every hour leaves from airport directly), and we pick you up there.
 
Important:
1, arrival to Athens: try to avoid late evening flights (try to get to Athens until 5 pm latest then you can catch a proper train and we can pick you up easily), if you don’t have other option than to fly late then only option is sleeping in Athens BC and come following day here.
2, leaving from Athens: to get to Athens from KBL is several hours (we can drive you down to Kiato) so if you have early morning flight, then you have to leave from KBL the day before in the afternoon and sleep in Athens BC. 
3, car rental (not needed but in case you decide so…): if you rent a car please try to have a SUV one, due to the road condition and the possible snow and then we can organise rides together with others.
 
If you have further questions, pls contact me.
 
hugs,
on behalf of KBL sangha and RC meeting organisers,
 
Majki (+36209676724)

Please note that the course is for students of Lama Ole Nydahl only, practising in his Diamondway Centers. If you are planning to arrive, please register at the link:

8th Karmapa

8th Karmapa Retreat 

20 – 25 April 2026

Dear friends

During the Czech month, we will have an 8° Karmapa Retreat. This year, it will be guided by Alfonso Costa de Argumaniz from Peru. 

The course starts on Monday, 20 April 2026, in the morning and ends on Saturday, 25 April, in the evening. With four sessions per day, there will be enough time for in-depth meditation and explanations of the 8th Karmapa Meditation. The course is open only to friends who have completed Ngöndro.

Friends arriving during the weekend before the course are also warmly invited to attend Alfonso’s lectures at the Athens DWB Centre on 18–19 April.

Please note that the course is for students of Lama Ole Nydahl only, practising in his Diamondway Centers. If you are planning to arrive, please register at the link:

For any questions and support, please write to BerchenLing@diamondway-center.org 

We count on your support during the course. There will be no cooking team. Everybody is welcome to take part in running the course.

All the best,
yours KBL Team

Alfonso Costa met Lama Ole in 2002. He originally comes from Peru, where he was very active for many years. He is currently living in Immenstadt, Germany.

8th Karmapa

72h Prostration Retreat

30.04. – 03.05. 2026

“A wise man may avoid blood and tears on his way to enlightenment, but there is no way around the sweat. Only conscious and one-pointed meditation creates the cracks in the fortifications of our egos that make the mind’s timeless essence shine through. Hard work is unavoidable, especially with prostrations. This practice creates the good impressions necessary for our growth and changes our body from a difficult master to a useful servant.”

Lama Ole Nydahl

We would like to invite you to the 72-hour retreat on the practice of Taking Refuge and Developing an Enlightened Attitude, which occurs every spring at Karma Berchen Ling Retreat Center in south Greece.

Thursday 30.04:

19:00 Explanations on the way we keep the mediation going for 72 hours, retreat and place rules – Big Gompa 

20:00 Start of the Retreat in the Big Gompa

Friday and Saturday lectures :

20:00 Friday

Refuge and Q&A on the practice

20:00 Saturday 

Enlightened attitude and Q&A on the practice

Sunday 03.05

20:00 End of the Retreat 

20:30 Dinner and dancing

Thursday Dinner will be @ 18:00

Breakfasts @ 09:00 

Lunches @ 13:00

Dinners @ 19:00

Karma Berchen Ling is located remotely in the mountains of Peloponnese, a place where one can go deep in the practice in the field of the 9 Stupas.

This year, we are happy that we will be able to host the meditation in the new big Gompa while still allowing everyone to have space to sleep in the houses, small Gompa, and the new dormitory above the new kitchen.

We will be able to squeeze everybody under a roof, so you need to bring a sleeping bag only. At this time of the year, it is possible to sleep in a tent but can be rather cold during the night.

Please note that the course is for students of Lama Ole Nydahl only, practising in his Diamondway Centers. If you are planning to arrive, please register at the link:

For any questions and support, please write to Yavor.monev@gmail.com.

All the best,
yours KBL Team

72h Prostration Retreat in KBL

Meditation Course

09 – 16 May 2026

Dear Friends,

We warmly invite you to visit KBL for Piotr Kaczmarek’s meditation course. During this time, the Polish KBL sangha will host the centre. We would love to spend time with you in this powerful place, meditating, enjoying the presence of friends from different countries, and supporting the centre’s activities.

We look forward to sharing this wonderful time with you in the beautiful and wild nature of the Greek mountains.

Yours,
KBL Team

 

The course with Piotr Kaczmarek will start with the evening session at 9 pm on Saturday, 9th May and end with the morning session at 9 am on Saturday, 16th May.

The course program includes four daily group meditation sessions (9 am, 12 am, 2:30 pm, 8 pm), lectures, and Q&A sessions.

Meditation sessions and lectures will be held in English (with possible translation into Polish).

9:00 – 10:00 am 16th Karmapa Meditation

10:30 am |Breakfast

12:00 – 1:30 pm Meditation Session

1:30 Snack/ Soup

2:30 – 4:00 pm Meditation Session

6:00 pm Dinner

8:00 pm Lecture and 16th Karmapa Meditation

Please note that the course is for students of Lama Ole Nydahl only, practising in his Diamondway Centers. If you are planning to arrive, please register at the link:

If you want to help by preparing or for the course or have any questions regarding the course, please contact us at: agnieszkakadziela@o2.pl

Piotr Kaczmarek is a student of Lama Ole Nydahl. He took refuge in Poznań in 1985.

He actively supported the growth of meditation centers in Poznań, Kuchary, and Katowice (Poland), as well as in Karma Guen (Spain), Graz, and Vienna (Austria) and Karma Berchen Ling (Greece).

Since 2014, at Lama Ole’s request, he has been running a retreat center in Zagórzany (Poland).

72h Prostration Retreat in KBL

Summer Course

21 – 29 August 2026

 

Dear friends

As usual, we are happy to announce our KBL summer course. It will take place from August 21-29

Sarah Primus from Australia and Denes Andras from Hungary will be with us.

  • The course with Sarah Primus & Denes Andras will take place from August 21 to August 29, 2026.
  • The course program:

Lectures :

  • “Meditation” “Ngöndro”
  • “Compassion and Wisdom”
  • “Disturbing Emotions”
  • “Love and Partnership”
  • “Teacher-Student relationship”
  • “Death and Rebirth”

Morning meditation – 16th Karmapa Meditation 
Lectures – every day one of the Four Basic Thoughts…) then individual practice 
Parallel explanations, Preliminary Practices (if needed, short refuge 11.30)
Q&A 
Meditation sessions and lectures will be held in English

Please note that the course is for students of Lama Ole Nydahl only, practising in his Diamondway Centers. If you are planning to arrive, please register at the link:

If you want to help by preparing or during the course, or have any questions regarding the course, please contact us at: BerchenLing@diamondway-center.org

Nedo Kuchung Rinpoche

8th Karmapa Retreat 

10 – 17 October 2026

Dear friends

It has been a tradition for many years to have an autumn course at 8° Karmapa Retreat. This year, it will be guided by Tasso Kallianiotis from the USA. 

It starts on Saturday, 10.10.2026, evening and ends on Saturday, 17.10.2026, morning. In four sessions per day, there will be enough time for in-depth meditation and will be given explanations on the 8° Karmapa Meditation. The prerequisite for participation is to have completed the first Ngöndro.

Please note that the course is for students of Lama Ole Nydahl only, practising in his Diamondway Centers. If you are planning to arrive, please register at the link:

For any questions and support, please write to BerchenLing@diamondway-center.org 

All the best,
yours KBL Team

About Tasso:

Tasso Kallianiotis has been a practicing Buddhist for over 40 years. He is a close student of lama Ole Nydahl, with whom he took refuge in 1982 and has received teachings and transmissions from many high lamas of the Karma Kagyu lineage. In 1993, he started organizing and overseeing the activities of the Diamond Way center in New York City and, at Lama Ole’s request, began teaching and introducing people to the methods of the Diamond Way. Tasso spends much of his personal time teaching Buddhism and leading courses and retreats around the world. He has given radio interviews, published articles on Diamond Way Buddhism and is actively involved in the organizational activity in the US and in Europe. Tasso resides in Connecticut, USA, with his family.

8th Karmapa