India, End of August 2009

Greetings from Khordong Byangter Gompa.

Since last February a lot of work has been done to beautify the place and to make it more comfortable to live. Fencing is one of the main new tasks of this year. Yes, fencing big areas of the land in order to plant more trees, fruit trees and vegetables as well as flowers in a place protected from the goats, cows and villagers. This shall bring a big change on the overall feeling of the place, while waiting to have a proper boundary wall. At the moment we could say we are half way through the work.

In the mean time work to drain parts of the land has been done by digging channels and putting up some pipes in order to direct the water through the land to avoid living in a swamp during the 3 months of the raining seasons and to protect the plantations from these overflowing waters coming from the surrounding rice fields.

The other major task of the year was to paint Rinpoche’s Stupa as well as the Gompa on the outside. It is already 7 years since the Gompa was first painted and to protect the building it really needs to be done this year. So it was for the Stupa. The Stupa just got completed before the monsoon, then the Gompa shall follow later in October. Of course this incurs big expenditures.

Painting wise, we finally could get an artist to complete the Gompa paintings inside. Jampel is from Bhutan and was part of Khumbu’s apprentice team while the paintings were made here in 2002. Khumbu being too busy in Bhutan for the past 2 years we invited Jampel to come. He is about to complete his work. He was requested to paint the four guardian kings and the wheel of life on the ground floor. The green and white Tara on both side of the entrance of the Chenresig lakhang on the first floor and to paint the retinue of the 35 Buddhas all around the statue of Amithaba in the third floor lakhang. He also painted Dorje Drolo mandala inside Rinpoche’s Stupa together with the lineage gurus on both side of Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche’s Statue. That gave him more than 3 months of work together with the help of Kinlae his apprentice.

Meanwhile the kitchens of the Guest House got completed. A set of 3 kitchens and a dining room is now available for the guests who wish to stay here for some time. The Guest House is now surrounded with a nice and comfortable veranda, flowers and trees are being planted all around, so we could say that the Guest House is finally completed. Four to five rooms are now regularly rented out to patients undergoing cancer treatment at the nearby hospital. While we start to have regular visits of westerners throughout the year.

We also have few other projects pending:

First of all, Tulku Ugen wishes to give shelter to our novices while they are receiving teachings in the wood during the hot period of March to November. Which means building 2 study grounds with roof as it is done in Shantiniketan. The two locations have been defined and marked in the wood next to Rinpoche’s Stupa. This project will give proper seats and tables for our young lamas to study well. So far they are seating on the floor with small mat only and have to dismantle their black board, teachers’chair and tables at each break, which is tedious and not convenient for them. Casting of the roof of the first education ground is being done at the present moment. Both places should hopefully be completed by Mid October this year.

The other project is to build a cremation ground on the land. Tulku Ugen has asked Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche and Dodrupchen Rinpoche’s view and opinion for such project; both were very surprised with the idea and were very much in favor of it, encouraging Tulku Ugen to get it done. In the surrounding area there is no proper cremation ground for the Buddhist community all around Siliguri, yet a lot of Buddhist families live there especially during the winter period, there are also many Bhutanese people who come here to undergo treatments for their cancer. We believe this cremation ground would be for the benefit of all and will make our Gompa take a step further within the local community while being asked to perform the rituals for the deceased.

With the arrival of 6 new lamas from Bhutan early this month and the wish to enroll at least another 6 by the end of the year, together with one more teacher, the need of new rooms to accommodate them is getting clear. This means we will soon have to start building new rooms in continuation of the existing one in the vicinity of the Gompa. This will be our priority in order to complete them before next monsoon in June 2010. That will raise our number of resident lama up to 24. This will also require us to find new sponsors for the joining lamas.

Another thing to keep in mind. Viewing the success of the Guest House with cancer patients, even though we did not do any publicity yet. We can already envision in the near future the need to build a specific place dedicated to them in order to keep the Pilgrims House for the visitors and the practioners who wish to come to do some practice here.

About the young lamas living at Khordong Byangter Gompa.

On the overall we can say that they have grown up a lot, in size as well as in mental development since they first joined. Their minds have been broaden up and disciplined throughout last year education program. Families could already witness the changes in January this year when we went to make lamp offering in Yuksom, the place of origin for quite a number of them.

Last year was fully dedicated to teach the younger ones Tibetan language and grammar, while the elder ones were deepening their understanding and learning by heart the Big Rigdzin. Since February they have all passed to the next level of learning the foundations of Buddhist philosophy.

Starting from the 4 disciplines all the way to the 4 nobel truths, including the 10 virtues and 10 non-virtues, the 6 paramitas, the five poisons, the five wisdoms, the 4 joys, the two obscurations, the 6 realms of existence, the 3 Kayas and so on. They are learning these precepts from excerpts of the Kunzang Lamai Zhelung ( Words of my Perfect Teacher) as well as from the 37 verses of the Bodhisattva and some others texts selected by their teacher.

These teachings are making a big impact on them and can be seen in their change of behavior for most of them. They are also going forward in their learning of puja texts. Having learned by heart the Small and Big Rigdzin last year, they started this year with the Marme Monlam while the elder ones are learning the Byangter Ngondro also known as 5 nails, together with the Byangter lineage prayer and Byangter protector puja. Recently they have also started to learn how to perform the Drowa Kundrol (Chenresig) puja. The elder ones have also learned very fast and well from Norbula to make tormas for various types of pujas.

In parallel they receive daily teachings of English, Math and General Knowledge. English is a long process to teach them, especially for the younger ones. But even them, slowly start to speak and try to make themselves understood, while elder ones can now understand nicely but remain shy to speak it. We have recently approached an NGO who sends English teachers from UK, USA and Australia for periods of 3 months all around the year. We wish we will be accepted into their program, for the benefit of everyone here.

On the first week of June they all had their exams and did very well in general.

At last, once a week since the month of March, they now have Art classes where they specially learn drawing with great joy. It is also our wish to slowly introduce them to music. All the classes are taking place in the forest with a very precarious set up, the young lamas and their teachers are then quite eager to see the construction of the study grounds completed soon. So far pillars for two study grounds are erected and the work is going on.

Otherwise our four lamas studying in Shimla are developing very well and are extremely happy with their life over there. Going through the process of education according the Byangter system, learning the dances and rituals and so much more.

It is Tulku Ugen wishes to accept 12 more lamas before the end of this year, together with another teacher to strengthen the structure of the team.

About the tentative program of events for this winter 2009/2010.

Regarding Khordong Byangter Gompa and its program, some changes will occur this year and some new event shall be organized.

19th Butterlamp retreat:

First of all the time of our annual Butterlamp retreat shall be moved forward in order to start on January 24th afternoon and end on February 11th, 2010 one day before the Gutor ceremony which is performed in all Gompas at that time in order to dispel all obstacles for the year to come and which will prepare us for the celebration of Losar, the Tibetan New Year on February 14th, 2010.

Then a 6 days tour to Sikkim together with Tulku Ugen shall be proposed to the participants to go and perform pujahs together at Tashiding and most specially at Kachopelri Lake this year from February 16th to February 21st, 2010.

This change will allow us to link the Butterlamp retreat together with the Tibetan New Year celebration and will allow the western participants to celebrate Christmas and New Year at home with their family and friends.

2nd Nyungnae:

After last year first experience and people’s wish to have it renewed, a nyungnae of 4 “Cha” meaning 8 days shall take place at our Gompa in the month of November. As last year all participants are most welcome to take part in this very simple and profound practice of Thugje Chenpo. Participation is based on the traditional donation basis.

1st Kangyur Recitation:

It has been Tulku Ugen’s wish to organize the recitation of the Kangyur here at Khordong Byangter Gompa since the inauguration in 2002. But there always were other priorities to attend first. After last year success of 100.000 Sampa Lhundrub recitations and thanks to our capacity of receiving lamas with proper accommodation and general structure we now feel confident to organize such event.

This recitation is being done on yearly basis in all main Gompas, it requires several weeks for quite a good number of lamas to successfully complete the reading of Lord Buddha’s teachings. The recitation shall be ended with the taking out of the texts all around the land as it was done every year at the time of our beloved Rinpoche, H.H Chhimed Rigdzin Lama.

Dates must be confirmed, but it shall take place between October and November 2009. It also depends if enough donations are being received to make it happen.

Whoever wants to take part into our projects and events here, are most welcome. Those of you who will have the chance to meet Tulku Ugen in Europe could get more details about it directly from him; otherwise we will keep you posted through further emails and from the website, www.khordong-india.org, we can also be contacted directly if you wish to book a room or get further details at thechhimedrigdzinsociety@yahoo.com .

Thank you for your heartfelt support throughout the years,

Sarwa Mangalam,

NB: In order to stay connected with us, please leave your e.mail address with Tulku Ugen before the end of the retreat.

Thank you.

Sarva Mangalam!