The Passing of Paul Wegener

Unlike many who knew him for decades, I only met Paul in 2022. He was passing through Oxford after presenting a paper at a conference, and we conspired to meet up for dinner. I think his interest in meeting was due to my work in the eNGO sector at the time, but we soon found that we had much more in common; Paul was working on developing a wave energy system, a project that he had picked up from the original inventor who passed away some years before. I had worked as an engineer in the past, so agreed to take a look and see whether I could suggest any potential partners here in the UK. We corresponded occasionally afterwards, and realised we also shared a mutual love of Ivan Illich, exchanging recommendations for further reading. We had both come to very similar conclusions about climate breakdown too. Only a couple of weeks before his passing, we had exchanged emails, and his prognosis of our plight was characteristically bleak. With some prescience perhaps, he shared that “the only motivation I retain is the desire to return as a human, preferably where there is dharma”.

I loved Paul’s directness, and his wonderfully dry humour. His forensic assessment of our planetary problems didn’t dampen his enthusiasm to try and fix them. It seems fitting that he was attending Kalapa Conference at the time of his passing, surrounded by dharma. May his wishes be fulfilled.

I just learned about Paul's death today!! October 31st! (I had somehow deleted my "subscription" to DDL, and hadn't been able to re-sign-up. He had just been to Halifax, on his way to DDL, and had delivered to me his last cache of a Green Tree Ointment that he and his business partner from St. Margaret's Bay had created years ago. It is an awesome ointment that works on (among many other things) dreaded cold sores!! I told him last week that it worked so well that even though I previously had been plagued by annual cold sores, once I used their ointment I never had another one, as I could feel them coming and would apply some stuff immediately. This is what happened just recently, and the ointment stopped it in it's tracks. "Lurch" was a long-time special friend from Boulder Days. Reading everyone else's contributions bring back so many memories of Paul! Thank you! And to Brenda -- than you for your love for and to Paul. Your very important presence in his life was a huge blessing! Sending much love to you and your family as you traverse the process of coming to terms with this huge and shocking loss.
Judith Smith, Halifax.

In 2006, during Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche’s Halifax multi-day wedding event, there were a lot of us driving our precious Lamas. Dorje Kasung, indestructible protection. On one occasion, there were many of us waiting outside the Halifax Court. Paul and I had a very brief conversation. We did not know each other. It may have been a “Hi. I’m so-and-so. Where are you from?” kind of conversation. Nothing elaborate or prolonged. The most striking thing about him was his stability. He was as stable and sound as a clear bell ringing across a mountain range at dawn. No passion, aggression or ignorance. No clinging or grasping. No excitement or nervousness. No ripples in his energy field. Stable. He had answered the call of “ All hands on deck.” He was there to serve, and like the sound of a bell in the air, needed nothing.

Mark Nowakowski’s description of Paul serving saké to the Vidyadhara in the early days evoked that same reading. Paul did what needed to be done free of attachment or expectation. He contributed to the creation of the best circumstances in order to create the strongest container for Dharma.

While Zooming in to Ringu Tulku Rinpoche’s offerings at the recent Dorje Denma Ling retreat, Paul’s image came into view. It had been years since crossing paths, and it was delightful to know his stable presence was part of the DDL mandala.

Receiving an email from DDL announcing Paul’s sukhavati was a very big surprise. But, in the next instant, something came to mind that brought a smile. In order to get to the smile, we need to take a trip in the WayBack Machine.

In the summer of 2001, Ani Trime Lhamo led a datun at Dorje Denma Ling. At the end of the datun, she apologized for not dying during the retreat. Her guru, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, had said something about a death during a group retreat making the retreat more profound, more effective for everyone involved. Ani Trime apologized for not dying because she felt she had let us down by not giving us the most profound experience possible.

Remembering Ani Trime’s apology is the reason for a smile in the face of the news of Paul’s departure. Even in death, Paul remains a generous presence by providing a reminder that this is not a dress rehearsal. He’s given us the gift of creating a more profound experience for all who attended Kalapa Assembly, and for all who attended Ringu Tulku Rinpoche’s program.

Safe, easy and joyful passage to you, Paul. Did not know you, but truly appreciate the stability of your presence.

Heartfelt condolences to his beloved family and friends. May you always hold strong reminders of his curiosity, wonder, and generous presence.

Read at Paul’s Sukhavati – October 23, 2025

My name is Andrew. I’m in Halifax with my wife Wendy and Brenda Wegener. And I’m just going to say a few words about Paul on behalf of Brenda.

Paul is someone who is very difficult to encapsulate. He came from an extraordinary family, and had a full and impactful life, affecting the world in profound ways. Some words to describe him: bigger than life, intensely curious, incapable of being anything other than loyal to his teachers, sangha, friends, family and inventors. A very active mind, that turned over scientific, political, and environmental possibilities ceaselessly.

Paul ended his days here in Nova Scotia, during a practice program on the Kingdom of Shambhala, actually listening to that program from his hospital room when he passed. As Paul was someone who was deeply committed to the Vidyadhara’s vision, Brenda believes he would have been content about the circumstances of his death.

Paul was born into a German family of distinguished scientists and artists. His grandfather, after whom he was named and who he closely resembled, was one of the famous pioneers of German Expressionist cinema. Another relative, Alfred Wegener formulated the theory of continental drift.

Paul’s father, Peter Wegener, was a physicist and worked during World War II on the Luftwaffe’s V-2 rocket program. When the War ended, like other German scientists Peter Wegener was scooped up by American intelligence – the famous Operation Paperclip - and brought to the United States. Thus owing to the winds of history, Paul was born in Washington D.C. – this was 1948.

The family settled soon in Pasadena where Paul grew up. He had strong scientific training a bachelor’s from the California Institute of Technology followed by a Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins in their new Ecology program.

In the place of his birth - Washington DC - Paul first saw and was mesmerized by Trungpa Rinpoche – this was in the early 1970s. Then followed five years at Karme Choling where Paul worked on the facilities team. As throughout his life, Paul was a tireless fixer of things. At one point his room at Karme Choling was the root cellar – Brenda understands that this was so he would have privacy and could get more “action.”

Paul moved to Boulder in 1978 and became a vivid part of the Trungpa Rinpoche’s indescribable mandala there. He was a regular Kasung and a member of the Explorers of the Phenomenal World. He worked as a landscaper - many years later, Paul would contribute greatly to the landscaping of the Great Stupa at RMDC.

A job posting to San Diego in the mid-80s caused Paul to encounter Brenda – to whom he experienced an irresistible, thunderbolt-like, lasting attraction. Brenda’s children, Katie and Jacqueline, and later Brenda’s many grand-children became Paul’s family. In 1990, the family moved to Halifax and that was the start of Paul’s career helping inventors.

There was a lot to this career, but it all started with Paul’s intense interest in scientific ideas, and a burning desire to see those actually reach the people who would benefit from them. This attitude made him invaluable, and indeed lovable, to the inventors fortunate to encounter him. For Paul would in effect put their inventions on his back and carry them as far as he could - without any limit to his commitment of time, energy or his own financial resources.

I’ll mention two inventors specially, and not just because they are both here this evening by Zoom: Dr. Yukihiko Hara from Japan and Dr. Saverio Bettuzzi from Italy. Dr. Hara, beginning as the head research scientist for the Japanese tea company Mitsui Norin, has assuredly done more than any other person to demonstrate the profound health benefits of purified green tea catechins. In this effort Paul has been an unfailing support for the last 30 years. It was through their joint efforts that the first pharmaceutical botanical drug was approved 15 years ago. And it was also due to their combined efforts that a drug development company for green tea pharmaceutical was established in NYC in 2006.

That company’s main mission was to develop the discovery of Dr. Bettuzzi, Paul’s friend and collaborator for 30 years, that green tea catechins inhibited progression towards prostate cancer. Even up to recent times, Paul has been working with Saverio on demonstrating inhaled green tea’s beneficial effects for those suffering with the Covid virus.

Paul never retired from his work – just this Spring he travelled to a naval testing facility in New Jersey to test in their massive tanks a design for generating power through wave energy – the Waveberg. Paul has been working on bringing this technology to the world since the early 2000s, even though its inventor Mr. Berg had long since passed away.

To conclude: as Brenda said today – Paul’s presence was so big, and therefore his absence is as well. That feels very true.

I worked for Paul in the 80's at Blue Sky landscapes, a name that originated from the 1979 seminary we both attended. He was a task master but his designs and creations came from his heart. My love goes out to Phillip, his brother, and his family. Walk on Frankenstein.

When I was just a teenager in the Dorje Kasung, in the early 2000’s, Paul was an easy friend to make. He had an elegance and old-fashioned style exuding a carefree confidence that relished the sweet moments. Even though he was sometimes a contentious fellow, as was I at times indeed, whenever I crossed paths with him throughout the years, it was never the contention that came to remembrance but the sweet and simple friendship we shared and a subtle mutual appreciation. One time, when I was very randomly visiting the stupa in at RMDC, traveling many hundreds of miles just to practice kora for a few moments en route to another destination, there was Mr Wegener, in his gaunt, cheerful, frankenstieny candor, intercepting me as once again we crossed paths to circumambulate and share a few special minutes in our favorite place, talking amiably about our devoted love of the dharma and the ironies of living an enlightened life in the pits of samsara.

Blessings to Paul, and to his liberation, or fortunate rebirth.

I knew Paul from the old days. Rinpoche would tease him sometimes, calling him “Frankenstein” which Paul always took goodnaturedly. He always had thoughtful things to say in discussions. One of the warriors.

Paul was my metacousin. My cousin's cousin: his mother's sister married my father's brother. Also, not a cousin I grew up with but a cousin I met. Later in life, I mean. Sitting with Kerol and Bonnie Hurst at Soho Books on Granville Street in Halifax and telling her "That guy that just came in? I'm pretty sure he's my cousin". She laughed and told me all the reasons he couldn't be, but they were the reasons I knew he was. At our mutual cousin's wedding Paul's brother, on hearing I was Haligonian, and a friend of the Sangha, had alerted me I might just run into him. He was estranged from much of his complicated family, so I was fortunate to hear this. And it was part of the reason the Sangha meant so much to him. He rubbed lots of people the wrong way—including Kerol—but I always enjoyed spending time with him. He and I and my friend John Macnab shared a certain perspective on geometry and mechanism. John just texted me: "...he had an excited curiosity about so many things. He was involved with biopsy devices of his own design. And so much more. I enjoyed meeting him...he was fun." And he sent me a beautiful note that I can't find, showing great insight from afar, into Kerol's spiritual awareness through her own passing, in spite of her mental decline. I met Paul for lunch just before he went up to DDL. He had grown a little frail over the years since we'd last been able to do that, but at peace and aware. Like all of you here, I miss him. I was so glad that he could die thoroughly embedded in the practice and the community that was so dear to him.

During the Ringu Tulku weekend Paul and I had a long conversation about the State of the Earth. So much is not Good. But then I remembered Trungpa saying that there is no stopping the Golden Age that comes after. He smiled and said "Thanks for Reminding me"

Paul was a very devoted student of the Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa, Khenchen Thrangu, and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoches. Paul was just at Dorje Denma Ling for Ringu Tulku Rinpoche's teaching and the Kalapa Conference. On October 18, he experienced some chest pains and went to the hospital in Truro, NS, where he was diagnosed with a minor heart attack. On October 20, while still attending the Kalapa Conference online, he had a major heart attack and died.

In 1980, Boulder, Co, Paul and his crew of landscapers completely turned our back yard at 900 Lincoln place into the most beautiful experience for our young family. All of it was Paul's design. The back sunny corner had a sand box sheltered by 3 giant sunflowers, a creative sunken patio for adults plenty of grass with the best sprinkler system. It was so beautiful, a real living art installation. Paul was a gift to the earth he created beauty and for all of us wherever he went.
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What? Oh my gosh! So many of us just saw Paul in Halifax and at DDL for Ringu Tulku's program. Although coughing more, but still smoking one cigarette a day, he didn't miss a session of teaching or practice or rota.

Paul has been a dear friend throughout the decades, periodically phoning or emailing or showing up in Halifax unannounced, inviting me to dinner and a dharma talk. Usually he had a dharma question to ask or for us to ponder.

This is very sad news, and am sure his sweet wife, grown daughters, and 3 year old granddaughter are shocked and grieving, as Paul was as devoted to his family as he was to the dharma. Love to them all.