LETTER FROM KHENCHEN THRAGU RINPOCHE
During the time of the decrease in my merit, the Buddhadhrma
in the land of snow (Tibet) was diminishing, This was especially
the fate of the Karma Kagyu Monastery called Thrangu Tashi
Choling Monastery in Kham that was founded and blessed by
His Holiness the 7th Gyalwa Karmapa, Chodrak Gyatso. At
that time, I became a refugee and did not know where to
go.
During this time of hardship, having the motivation to keep
my monastery alive, I purchased a small piece of land in
front of the Great Stupa of Boudhanath in Kathmandu, Nepal
and built a small monastery which I named Thrangu Tashi
Choling.
After building the monastery in Boudha, it was difficult
to find children who wanted to become monks. I decided to
ask some people I knew about finding children who wished
to be monks. They said " nowadays all people want to
go to school and study or to do business andearn much money.
It's almost impossible to find children to become monks."
After hearing this, I was very depressed and disappointed
but nevertheless I made a fruitful aspiration with good
motivation and put many Chakras (mandalas) of the Sangha
and Harmony of the Sangha into the main Buddha statue of
monastery. As the result of that, Tenzin Dorje became the
first monk from Nubri Village, Gorkha, Nepal.
Eventually
the number of monks grew and flourished and soon there were
almost as many monks as in the monastery in Tibet.
The country where I built the new Thrangu Monastery is a
country that accepts all kinds of religions and has faith
and devotion to them. The southern regions, near India are
mainly dominated by Hindus. In the center are the Newari
people who practice and study Vajrayana Buddhism in Sanskrit.
In the northern regions, bordering on Tibet, the people
practice Buddhism according to the Kangyur (sutras of the
Buddha) and Tengyur (the commentaries of great masters).
The people of the southern regions of the Himalayan Mountains
have great faith in and devotion to Buddha dharma. They
avoid killing and take special vows on the full moon and
new moon days. They often perform feast offerings (tsok)
on the 10th and 25th days of each month of the Tibetan calendar.
Because of these people's great faith and devotion and their
diligence in the practice of Vajrayana Buddhism, I became
determined to build a monastery in this region to benefit
many people. I also thought of building a monastery so that
it can host a monastic sangha who could teach through their
vast knowledge of Buddhism. I discussed this idea with my
monks from Nubri and they all agreed to assist me in building
this monastery. Therefore, I have founded the monastery
called Nubri Thrangu Tashi Choling Monastery which is now
under construction and which will be part of the government
registration of Namo Buddha Meditation and Educational Centre.
ABOUT
NOBRI: A BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE PLACE
In the high Himalayas of northern Nepal near the boarder
of Tibet lies the area known as Nubri and the village of
Kemanlung. Nubri is located in the provinces of Gorkha at
an altitude of over 4000 meters. This area is very remote
and is a seven days walk from the nearest road. Most people
in Nubri manage a subsistence living by farming and animal
herding.
The area is a well- known pilgrimage destination because
many great enlightened beings. Including Guru Rinpoche,
who brought Buddhism to Tibet, and Milarepa, The greatest
of all Tibetan yogis, meditated in a cave above the village
known as "Naljor Phuk" which means "Yogi
Cave". The oral history of the village includes stories
of their retreats and the villagers can show visitors Naljor
Phuk and the footprints that Guru Rinpoche left in the rocks.
NUBRI
THRANGU TASHI CHOLING MONASTERY
In order to help the villagers of this area, both in terms
of spreading the Buddha's teaching and providing community
services, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche decided to build a monastery
in Nubri. The monastery will be staffed with lamas and monks
to perform prayers, rituals and other religious services
for the villagers and to teach the villagers about Dharma.
The monastery will have good facilities, including electricity
and running water to encourage monks to stay in the village.
There will also be a free health clinic for the village.
As the monastery grows, it will help to provide other development
[projects. In addition, the monastery will invite important
lamas and teachers to the people of the surrounding villages,
bringing them onto the path of compassion.
HOW YOU
CAN HELP
Because
the people of Nubri are so poor, a project like this cannot
be completed without help from outside. Many kind and generous
sponsors have made it possible to nearly complete the exterior
of the monastery.
WE NEED
YOUR HELP WITH THE FOLLWING
The interior of the temple needs to be finished: The
temple will feature large statues of the Buddha, Guru Rinpoche,
HH Karmapa and smaller statues of great meditators and masters
of the Kagyu lineage including Vajradhara, Tilopa, Naropa,
Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa. The large statues will cost
$1,000 each. Small statues are $200 each.
Texts will be needed: a complete set of the basic canonical
texts of Tibetan Buddhism plus the Kangyur and Tenyur, which
ate the full teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, a requirement
for every monastery. The 103 volumes of the Kangyur will
cost $900, and the 225 volumes of the Tengyur will cost
$1,200.
Funding for painting and furnishing the temple: including
$2,000 for shrines, $1,100 for thrones and tables, $1,00
for carpets and $500 for cushions for seating.
Funds for the living quarters, which still need to be constructed:
this includes a $1,000 for a kitchen, $750 for a bathroom
and #6,500 for eight dormitory rooms for the monks.
Because there are no roads for motor vehicles, cement and
many other construction materials, except for stone, need
to be carried in by helicopter or by foot, which increases
the cost of construction considerably.
The free health clinic has a sponsor who is providing construction
funding and western medicine, but we also need funding for
our lama. a trained Doctor of Tibetan medicine, to purchase
traditional Tibetan medicines which will cost approximately
$400 per year.
United States
Himalayan Children's
Fund
C/o Debra
Ann Robinson, Director
Himalayan
Children's Fund, P.O. Box 15644,
Beverly
Hills, CA 90209
debraannr@mac.com
Canada
Vajra
Vidya Foundation
C/o John
Fox,
7580 Glacier
Crescent,
Richmond
BC V71
1I5 OR, CANADA
thefoxmanor@shaw.ca
www.vajravidyacanada.org
United
Kingdom
Thrangu
Rinpoche Trust
Stuart
Tett, Treasurer
42 Magdalen
Road, Oxford, UKEOX 1RB
Tel: 44-1865-241555
Fax: 44-1865-790096
treasurer@thrangu.clara.net
European
Union
Contact:
Wolfgang Schmid
Vajra
Vidya Centre, Wackerstraße 47b
88131 Lindau, GERMANY
Tel & Fax : 49-8382-6807
VajraVidya@gmx.de
Malaysia
Lama Lodro
Thrnagu
Dharma Society, Petaling Jaya
29, Jalan
12/21, 46200 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 60-3-758-8548
Taiwan
Lama
Karma Tsewang
TAIPEI VAJRA VIDYA BUDDHIST CENTER
4F,
No.5, Lane 263, Sec.3,
Mind
Sheng Road
Pan-Chiao City 220 Taipei,
Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tel: 886-2-2255-8814/2256-5250
master@vvct.org
Hong
Kong
Lama
Karma Dawa
THRANGU VAJRAYANA BUDDHIST CENTER
Flat
A, 5/F Lomond Mansion
149
Argyle Street,
Kowloon
Tel:
852-2760-8381
Fax:
852-2761-3863
lamadawa@netvigator.com
Nepal
Khenpo Chogyal or
Lama Namdak
Thrangu Tashi Choling
Monastery
Kathmandu, NEPAL
P.o. Box No. 1287
Tel. 977-1-447-0028
Mobile: 977-98510-46728
nubri_httcm@hotmail.com
