Dear Sangha, friends and relatives
This will be the last newsletter before the events. Today Dec. 11th is again an auspicious day, because the 29th and the 30th of the Tibetan calendar are falling in one day. In some traditions the 29th is celebrated as protector day. Anne and myself use to call this day the day of our friends, because in Patrul Rinpoche’s “Words of may perfect teacher” the term dharmapala (dharma protector) is explained as the friend of all dharma practitioners. The 30th is the new- or no moon day and is usually dedicated to Lord Buddha.
We think it’s a good day to think of all our friends and also those we don’t like so much, because they too have been our friends once and write this letter for the benefit of all.
We’ve to tell you again some changes, some good and some less good news.
This time, I think, I’ll not separate the letter into different parts as everything is coming closer together and all the stories and news are mixed and connected with each other. I’ll just present them like they appear to my mind.
First of all we would like to tell you that we are extremely proud of all of you, because after the last two newsletters, which you still can find at www.khordong.de , we received so much support, that we have no problem to finish the choerten, pay all the open bills, build the bamboo huts, buy the dalda (lamp oil) for the butter lamps in advance, do some little things here and there (if time allows) and still have some money left! That’s great!
So now, doesn’t matter how many people will come for the butterlamp retreat, I can tell you, that due to the generous donations we received the butterlamp retreat fee will be:
For one person in one hut 12.000,- Rupees = ca. 220,- Euro
For one person in shared hut 10.000,- Rupees = ca. 180,- Euro
For one person in dormitory 9.000,- Rupees = ca. 165,- Euro
and not more. Of course it is open to every body to offer more to support the gompa, if he or she likes.
With that fee we will cover all the other cost like the Tsog, the employee wages and of course our own food and so on.
Right now the choerten and it’s statues get painted, the floor in the first floor Drub-Khor-Nam-Sum-Lha-Khang is being made in a concrete finishing style to make the room ready and clean for pooja. After that we can go for parquet but not this year any more.
Anne finished the cataloguing and together with Alexis, Jean-Jacques and Antoine, who just arrived, she is adding now the numbers to the books, so we can finally shelve them in our new library. Still the windows have to be sealed and the door in the 2nd floor has to be installed, both to protect the library against the monsoon water. But we think we will manage this and apart from that the library is looking quite nice. We wish you can see and use it once!
So, what else happened during the last month? From Nov. 18th till 20th Ven. Choesang Rinpoche, who is supposed to inaugurate Rinpoche’s choerten visited our Gompa. On 19th (Medicine Buddha/Tara Day) he performed a small pooja to remove obstacles. The same day we had little rain, which is quite unusual for this dry season, and a big rainbow! He then went off the next day to see Kyabje Dudjom Yangsi who just performed a Phurba Drupchen at Kalimpongs Zangdog Palri Gompa.
Also Lama Drub Gyan (the lama from Kham whom Ugen requested to teach the boy’s at our Gompa) came here during that time to see the place and perhaps Ven. Choesang Rinpoche. He too went off with Ven. Choesang Rinpoche to Kalimpong but promised to come back soon.
It was the same day on which Ven. Choesang Rinpoche made his pooja when Ugen received a letter from the Indian ministry of culture and education, which seemed to negate the permission for the Buddha Relic Exposition.
To make it short, Ugen went to Delhi and Sarnath to meet and convince the for this letter responsible persons that, to step back at this point would be a serious error as too many people and parties are already involved. It took him two weeks and many works where postponed and deleted. Now the situation is like this, that these responsible persons have given Ugen their ok and told him to go ahead, because it’s only a few days’ paperwork. The final written permission is expected within the next two, three days.
With the financial support for the exposition it is unfortunately not at all working out so good as with the support for the choerten and butterlamp pooja. As we told in our last newsletter still Ugen is quite unsatisfied or disappointed with the commitment of different Indian party’s to raise funds, which is quite understandable as of the expected 10 to 25 lakh (one lakh is 100.000) just 56.000 rs have been collected.
So at this point now, with almost no money at hand for the event, he is cutting down the expenses where ever he can and is requesting us (the European Sangha) to back him up a little more.
But back to the Butterlampretreat and the inaugration of the Chorten. The only thing which seems to be fixed at this stage is the date for the Rabne (inauguration of the Chorten – Dec. 21st till 23rd) and for the Butterlampretreat (Dec. 25th) .
The Buddha relics shall be exposed from 25th till 30th. On 24th Ugen will bring the relics here and on 31st he should bring them back. But these dates may change.
Ven. Tulku Tsering Nyima called Ugen from Lhasa saying he will reach Kathmandu within the next two, three day’s where Ugen will meet him and bring him here.
Now, apart from financial support, what is very much needed at this point are volunteers helping in organizing the event of the “Buddha Relic Exposition”. That means people who can take care for shop’s, shopping, account’s etc.
Still you can send donation to Anne’s account:
Anne Wanitschek
Berliner Sparkasse
Bankcode 10050000
accountnr: 4164012779
(IBAN: DE58 1005 0000 4164 0127 79)
(BIC: BELADEBExxx).
And still you can contact us and write to our e-mails (anne_wanitschek (ad) hotmail.com and sebastian.s (ad) rediffmail.com) with questions and suggestions but I think during the next, let’s say 3 weeks, we will have difficulties to reply your mails as we will be extremely busy.
I have in mind to write one last newsletter after the big bang, the events. That will be the last you hear of us from India, because mid January after four years and one month in India we will leave for Europe.
I hope someone else will continue to provide you (and than also us) with informations about the Indian Gompa and its activities and all the old “communication problems” are now only problems of the past!
We’re looking forward to see all of you soon
Yours in Dharma
Anne, Sebastian and Yeshe-la
Mind ultimate nature, emptiness endowed with vividness,
I was told, is the real Buddha.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with thoughts of hierarchy.
Minds ultimate nature, its emptiness aspect,
I was told, is the real Dharma.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with thoughts of political correctness.
Minds ultimate nature, its vivid aspect,
I was told, is the real Sangha.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with thoughts of equal rights.
One cannot disassociate emptiness from vividness.
This inseparability, I was told, is the Guru.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with depending on chauvinist Lamas.
This nature of mind has never been stained by duality.
This stainlessness, I was told, is the deity.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with categories of “gender” or “culture”.
This nature of mind is spontaneously present.
That spontaneity, I was told, is the dakini aspect.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with fear of being sued.
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche