Bernie first came to our Sangha after college and roaming around the country in the usual hippy pursuits of the early 70’s. The “VT back to the land” movement was in full swing and he was going to write the “Great American Novel”. He found a house in Barnet and as it turned out, it was not far from Karme Choling. The Karmapa was making his 2nd visit to KCL and Bernie, along with a number of locals, ended up checking things out. A seed was planted. He was perhaps the first local that started coming around on a regular basis. KCL put him to work as a car mechanic and before long he was recruited into the Kasung. During this same time, he and a close friend co-founded a bookstore in Saint Johnsbury.
The Vidyadhara saw something special in him and made him his personal driver/attendant during the ’80 seminary. He eventually became a member of the “Command Group” and a Rupon. On his return to VT, he married his wife Gail and they soon had their first child Michael. Moving to MA in 1984, together they started Trident Booksellers and Cafe on Newbury St. It is still thriving today, managed by his daughter, Courtney and his daughter in law, Kim.
They often returned to VT for the summer and eventually purchased a house at Harveys Lake only 10 minutes from KCL. He became a member of the Boston Shambhala Center and continued to be a close student of the Vidyadhara. He received the Vajrayogini abhisheka and assisted with visits from visiting lineage holders, including the Dalai Lama. Bernie spent time with Rinpoche when traveling and also on retreat.
At KCL, he helped start Family Camp, was a board member, helping to usher in progressive ideas as well as coordinate numerous fundraising campaigns. In Boston, Bernie was a president of the Charles River Wheelers bike club. He was an avid mountain bike racer, skier, hiker and boater.
Diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2021, he continued to defy the odds (and Drs. orders) after numerous periods in the hospital, by getting back on his bikes and riding thousands of miles each year. After spending the weekend with his children, he died peacefully Monday evening in his bed overlooking the lake with close friends.
A memorial service is planned in Boston later this summer, In Lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Kingdom Trails in VT, a network of mt. biking trails or to Karme Choling.
Post a Tribute to Bernie Flynn
