The sangha in South America has had great cause for rejoicing, as Jigme Tromge Rinpoche gave Great Perfection, or Dzogchen, teachings during Khadro Ling’s annual January retreat. Approximately seventy people who had completed their preliminary practices, or ngondro, including 500,000 Vajra Guru mantra recitations, attended the retreat. The teachings were extraordinary, not only because of Jigme Rinpoche’s grace and capacity as vajra master, but because of the powerful continuity of the Dzogchen lineage received from our father guru, H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche.
An Akshobhya retreat took place in the first week of January, before Jigme Rinpoche’s arrival. A number of practitioners—again, those who had completed their ngondro—have made the commitment to recite a hundred thousand Akshobhya mantras, dedicating the merit of their practice to the specific individuals for whom these recitations have been sponsored. The pristine clarity that is the fruit of Akshobhya meditation and the potential of the practice to liberate beings suffering in the lower realms have become apparent to many sangha members in Brazil. Lama Yeshe and Lama Rigdzin organized a weekend Akshobhya ceremony for the Curitiba sangha at a beautiful shrineroom in the seaside city of Matinhos; Lama Tsering has similar plans for the São Paulo sangha.
Also in January, sangha members from all over Brazil and Uruguay came to Khadro Ling to practice their ngondro. Lama Tsering and Lama Yeshe gave teachings, while Chagdud Khadro bestowed the two necessary empowerments. These inspiring January retreats followed an intense period that had started with the conclusion of the three-year retreat on December 4. Lama Sonam Tsering presided over this very moving event, in which sangha and family members received six three-year and two eighteen-month retreatants in the shrineroom. Later that day, Lama Gyatso arrived from Los Angeles to join Lama Sonam for fire pujas like those that had been performed at Chagdud Rinpoche’s cremation in Nepal. Although these ceremonies were closed and attended by only a few practitioners, the entire sangha experienced a powerful sense of healing and blessings while they were taking place.
Lama Gyatso and Lama Sonam also performed consecration ceremonies for the Padmasambhava Palace. The ceremonies demanded relentless but joyous effort, during which the lamas deeply inspired the sangha with their knowledge, guru devotion, energy, and attention to detail. We all look forward to their return. They, as well as Jigme Rinpoche, were delighted by the progress of the Padmasambhava Palace and offered useful suggestions. The stucco work has been expertly completed for all three stories, and the building awaits its ornamental roofs and elaborate exterior artwork, which is now being created by Lama Chimed (from Katok Gonpa in Tibet), Lama Rigdzin, and a crew of artisans. Meanwhile, the structure, stark and elegant against the Brazilian sky, manifests radiant hues ranging from pearl white to midnight blue to deep rose. Much of our outer practice focuses on inviting Guru Padmasambhava and his splendid retinue to take up residence in the palace; our inner practice involves the realization that all of this has never been separate from Guru Padmasambhava’s enlightened form.
One of the most successful developments in recent months has been a series of grief support groups organized through Casa Amitabha (Khadro Ling’s hospice) for residents of the small towns nearby. Participants, while tentative at first, have become quite committed. In addition, a tenday training on spiritual care for the dying took place at Casa Amitabha. The training included p’howa, as well as talks on bioethics in hospitals, medical directives (living wills), and the Brazilian laws concerning the dying process. We are working with a legislator in Brasilia to provide a legal basis for medical directives.
In October, the Tara ceremony of a hundred thousand tsok offerings was held in Santa Maria, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The small sangha of Chagdud Gonpa Chimed Ling took on the challenge wholeheartedly and fulfilled it beautifully. Chagdud Khadro and Lamas Norbu, Sherab, Chimed, Yeshe, and Rigdzin were present; Lama Tsering presided as vajra master.
Other Chagdud Gonpa projects that are progressing quickly are the construction of a retreat facility in Uruguay, where we have a large piece of land, and the development of a strong practice group in Chile. A new organization, Chagdud Gonpa Hispanoamerica, has been formed for the Spanish speaking countries, and several texts will be published in Spanish. Many of these developments are described on the redesigned website, www.chagdud.org.
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In August 2003, Rigdzin Ling was happy to host Khentrul Lodrö Thaye Rinpoche’s first U.S. shedra, with more than thirty students attending the month long program. Khentrul Rinpoche taught Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way and Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva. David Curtis, Oliver Boldizar, Paloma Lopez, and Dieter Schindler taught classical and colloquial Tibetan to a rambunctious crew, whose ages ranged from fourteen to sixty. The event was inspiring, illuminating, and fun.
For those who gathered to practice together during Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies, it was perhaps impossible not to have felt his immense blessings; this was certainly true at Rigdzin Ling. With Lama Drimed leading the pujas, almost a hundred of us did White Vajrasattva and Red Tara practice. In the future, Rigdzin Ling will hold three days of White Vajrasattva and a day of Red Tara practice on each anniversary of Rinpoche’s paranirvana.
Losar marked the completion of our audio archive project. After nine months of working in shifts from early morning into night, Inger Dybvig and Joanna Smiley, with technical engineering by JeanPaul Riva, completed the transfer of all 3,500 audio tapes of Rinpoche’s teachings to DVD, at the same time creating two complete archival sets to be kept at Odsal Ling and Khadro Ling in Brazil. In addition, 1,500 tapes by other Chagdud Gonpa lamas and guest teachers were transferred to DVD, completing the archive. This archive will be recopied every seven to ten years so that Rinpoche’s precious teachings will be preserved for as long as possible. In the coming months, approximately 200 videotapes will also be transferred to DVD.
Two new projects will begin this spring: The first involves extending the shrineroom to create an alcove for a six foot high stupa that will contain some of the relics from Rinpoche’s cremation. The copper stupa will be built in Nepal this spring under the guidance of Lama Pema Dorje. Anyone interested in contributing to the stupa can contact Kim. The second is an ambitious prayer wheel project being carried out in conjunction with Iron Knot Ranch. Slated for construction are fifteen wheels at Rigdzin Ling under an open pavilion, and sixteen wheels at Iron Knot placed in pavilions in each of the four directions. Each wheel will be four feet in diameter and more than ten feet high—similar to the wheels at Khadro Ling. In all, 2,000 miles of paper will be used! Moreover, a disk of microfilm will top each wheel, greatly increasing the total number of mantras. The three Vajra Guru mantra wheels alone, at Iron Knot and Rigdzin Ling, will contain a total of almost one trillion mantras.
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Ati Ling held its third annual Kurukulle retreat last November with Jigme Tromge Rinpoche as vajra master. The retreat was scheduled so that the last day would coincide with the anniversary of Chagdud Rinpoche’s passing. We now plan to hold the Kurukulle retreat every year so that the last day will be on the anniversary of Rinpoche’s parinirvana. Some sangha members flew to Nepal to participate in the cremation ceremonies in Pharping. During the cremation ceremony, a Red Tara tsok was offered by the sangha at Ati Ling. After Rinpoche’s cremation, five of Jigme Rinpoche’s students from Ati Ling accompanied him on pilgrimage to India. All five aspire to return to Asia with Rinpoche as soon as possible.
We held our seventh annual Vajrakilaya drubchöd during the Martin Luther King weekend. Khentrul Rinpoche was the vajra master, and the umdzé was Lama Jigme. During the retreat, Rinpoche taught “The Four Nails.” It wove another golden thread into the brocade of teachings that Khentrul Rinpoche has given at Ati Ling, including a monthly series on The Way of the Bodhisattva.
Finally, a word of thanks to all who have helped in so many ways to keep the light of Ati Ling shining and to further our teacher’s amazing activity.
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We write this in the midst of a hundred thousand tsok offerings that coincide with Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies in Nepal. As must be the case for his students and centers the world over, it is as if he sits among us, bestowing sublime and tangible blessings. Before him we confess our individual and collective shortcomings, and strongly aspire that all those connected to this great Lord of Dharma perfectly enact his compassionate vision through our practice and labors.
With the resolute help of the extended sangha, we managed to get the roof on the main hall of the new shrineroom that Rinpoche designed and broke ground for during his last visit to Iron Knot Ranch. It was no small task, and our sincere thanks go out to all those who made it possible through their generosity and hard work. The last of the tin went up just in time to host H.E. Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, who consecrated the new space through empowerment and his sublime teachings on the Flight of the Garuda.
Shortly thereafter, we were extraordinarily blessed by a weeklong visit by Khentrul Rinpoche, during which he taught The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva; in his spare time, he helped us with the building’s layout and long term planning.
Elsewhere on the ranch, construction was completed on a large pavilion sheltering the Guru Rinpoche statue from wind and rain, the butter lamp shrine was modified to accommodate better ventilation, having found that a thousand simultaneous lamp offerings turn it into a veritable oven, and we miraculously managed to get a hot shower up and running (alas, sans roof) in this our fifth year of getting exceedingly dirty. Work continues on our utility systems; water, solar electric, and communications are improved but still in need of tweaking. This spring, work will begin in earnest on an extensive prayer wheel project we are undertaking in concert with Rigdzin Ling.
Our prayers and well wishes go out to the sangha and friends during this time. Through our collective efforts in Rinpoche’s vast mandala, may all beings be led to his heart’s essence.
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The activity level of our precious resident lama, Lama Gyat so Nubpa, is difficult to describe, much less keep pace with! In 2003 this included ngondro and chöd teachings in Switzerland, a weekend teaching in Alaska, a nine week pilgrimage to Asia, leading numerous fish releases and monthly Shi tro practices, as well as three other tsok feasts each month.
After months of renovation, in July 2003 the T’hondup Ling house in Los Feliz again became Lama Gyatso’s residence. We are grateful to the sangha members who generously offered their homes for our weekly practices during the renovation period. The house was originally purchased in 1997 by Don Delaquil for use as a center for T’hondup Ling. Over the years, many eminent lamas have blessed it with their teachings, practice, and presence. When Don and his family moved to another home nearby, Lama Gyatso and his family moved in. It was Don who requested of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche that Lama Gyatso become the resident lama for T’hondup Ling. We extend our heartfelt appreciation for his exemplary practice of the six perfections and for his years of selfless service.
In late July, Gonjang Rinpoche, Khenpo Choewang Dorje, and Lama Lhudrup came for a stay of several months. Gonjang Rinpoche served as vajra master for our annual T’hröma drubchöd, held in August at the Philosophical Research Society. Later in the fall, he offered teachings and empowerments in several cities, including Santa Barbara, Chicago, and Kapa’a, Hawaii.
The visiting lamas were an enormous help with the ongoing transformation of a former summer YMCA camp into a dharma retreat center. T’hondup Ling now has a retreat facility in the mountains, 120 miles north of Los Angeles. A gracious benefactor made possible the purchase of 475 pristine acres of secluded forest in the mountains of Tehachapi. This was the first step for Ari Bhöd, the American Foundation for Tibetan Cultural Preservation, a nonprofit organization under the direction of Lama Gyatso. The inaugural event was the Yeshe Tsogyal retreat in October, led by Namkha Drimed Rinpoche and attended by a host of lamas. On the day of the descent of blessings, Namkha Rinpoche remarked how happy he was that Lama Gyatso had secured the retreat land, adding how special the assembled galaxy of lamas was and that the retreat had been very beneficial, with many auspicious signs.
Lama T’hogme and Lama Lhudrup will remain at T’hondup Ling for a time, helping in Tehachapi, as well as organizing the statue consecration project and serving as models of diligence, discipline, and good humor.
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The highlight of our year had to have been the recent visit to Boulder of Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, who taught The Three Words of Garab Dorje during one weekend last September at Marpa House. The teaching, well received by all who attended, drew participants from both coasts of this country and as far north as Alaska. A large contingent from Iron Knot Ranch traveled from the far southwest corner of New Mexico to attend. Just being in Namkha Rinpoche’s presence was a teaching in itself, providing inspiration and demonstrating how a true bodhisattva manifests.
In other sangha news, our valued and esteemed coordinator, Nancy Bradley, left us to go into retreat at Rigdzin Ling, and Dennis Kennedy became our new coordinator.
Special thanks go to Dennis, Phil Bossung, and all others who helped with all the behindthescenes work that made Namkha Drimed Rinpoche’s visit possible. May the merit in the mindstreams of all be manifold.
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Dungkar Ling, the newest Chagdud Gonpa center, opened in May 2003. Located on fourteen acres in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, it is forty five miles northeast of Philadelphia. The shrineroom is in what had been the living room of a 200 year old farmhouse and comfortably seats about thirty people. We also have a sitting room, a screened in dining porch for nice weather, and a bedroom reserved for visiting lamas. There is plenty of space for overnight guests, a large frame barn with a second floor apartment, and the potential for a larger shrine room on the ground floor. The yard comprises more than an acre of plantings and large, ancient trees. Fields currently used for horse grazing could be the future site for building projects, including residential space. We are working hard to replace the roof and plumbing of the farmhouse, as well as to widen a doorway for handicap accessibility.
We had a full house during our first event, a mindfulness retreat with Lama Zangpo in May. In August we hosted a dream yoga retreat with Lama Tsering and had twenty two people overnight for the five day practice. In September, Lama Zangpo returned with an introduction to guru yoga and the Vajrayana tradition, and in November Khentrul Rinpoche gave public talks in Philadelphia and in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
We gather regularly for mindfulness practice on Wednesday nights and a Red Tara puja on Sunday nights. We are slowly evolving into a devoted and dedicated sang ha; we feel the blessings of the lamas, joy from the teachings, and the energy from our practice throughout the house and grounds. We have a strong sense that many beings are benefiting and that all will benefit from our aspirations and prayers.
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The past year brought our sangha many blessings, all of which seemed to revolve around Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche’s passing. In July 2002, Rinpoche asked Lama Dorje and Lama Trinley to move from Rigdzin Ling to Dechhen Ling and serve as resident lamas, indicating that there was some urgency to their doing so. They purchased a home, moved in late October, and only three weeks later received news of his passing in Brazil. The experiences of our sangha at that time were like those of many throughout the world: a sense of shock tempered by openness, spaciousness, memories of Rinpoche, and an unexplainable feeling of peace. On the morning after his passing, the Red Tara statue and shrineroom glowed—not from the butter lamps or the sun but from the inside out; it was as if Rinpoche were everywhere.
We made Guru Rinpoche and Tara tsok offerings during the forty nine day period following Rinpoche’s parinirvana and have continued to hold daily Red Tara, Vajrakilaya, and protector practices, as well as monthly Red Tara, Shower of Blessings, and Tröma tsoks.
Visiting lamas this past year have included Gatsal Lama from Williams, Oregon, who has joined us for several tsoks. Lama Tsering Everest offered the Red Tara empowerment and teachings in August; and Khentrul Rinpoche has come several times, giving teachings on guru yoga, bodhichitta, and shamatha practice. Lama Pema Dorje visited briefly in January and bestowed a Guru Rinpoche empowerment, while Lama Dorje and Lama Trinley have offered several introductory dharma teachings on Sunday mornings.
This year’s annual Red Tara tsok was held in December in conjunction with Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies in Nepal. Lama Gyaltsen, Lama Jigme Lode, Gatsal Lama, and sangha members from across Oregon gathered for three days to practice and offer their prayers. At the moment the cremation fire was being lit, it felt as though the entire mandala of Chagdud Rinpoche’s students throughout the world had become one, marveling at his kindness to us, while facing the painful task of finally having to say goodbye to his body as we knew it. It seemed appropriate that in his cremation Rinpoche would again make an offering of his body, this time as a brilliant butter lamp.
Two auspicious events occurred back to back in February. Khentrul Rinpoche taught The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva for five days; later, Lama Gyaltsen from Corvallis served as vajra master for three days of Vajrakilaya practice up through Losar.
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We have been hosting Chagdud Gonpa lamas about twice a year. Lama Padma and Lama Zangpo have given basic shamatha and vipashyana instruction, outlining how these two approaches are used in the Vajrayana in mantra recitation and deity practice. We feel these teachings have helped us clarify and solidify our practice.
In the past two years, we were fortunate to have a week-long summer retreat with Lama Zangpo at Cheryl Buchan’s comfortable cabin on beautiful Lake Laberge. Teachings and practice were punctuated with saunas, swims, and good food, with interested neighbors attending some teachings. The bluff overlooking the lake, the big sky, and the peaceful setting were all very conducive to meditation. We all treasured the intimacy of the small group, which allowed relaxed, personal, and transformative discussions with the lama. These retreats helped strengthen our sangha’s bonds as we strive to support one another in fulfilling our highest aspirations.
This year, Danielle Shula’s gentle presence was missed, as she has moved to Rigdzin Ling. Different sangha members have been attending various retreats and drubchens throughout the year, most notably Pamela Shaw and Dave Bruce, who were married by Jigme Tromge Rinpoche at the Essence of Siddhi drubchen last fall.
We look forward to another year of precious teachings—a winter weekend retreat with Lama Zangpo and a summer retreat with Lama Padma.
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The last time Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche visited Yeshe Ling, he asked us to build a Guru Rinpoche statue on a knoll above the shrineroom. Rinpoche said, “In the infinite interdependence of all phenomena, the very wind that blows over the surface of the statue will carry Guru Rinpoche’s sacred essence to the furthest reaches of the universe, blessing beings everywhere.” The project is progressing nicely under the capable hands of sculptor Glenn Sandvoss, along with the help of many other sangha members. The finished statue, located in the rolling hills above California’s Napa Valley, will stand about fifteen feet high. Later in the spring, Jigme Rinpoche will fill the statue with precious objects and perform the consecration. When the weather warms up, it will be painted by Glenn.
Last summer Jigme Rinpoche and Lama Tsering led re-treats here; we expect a visit from Chagdud Khadro when she travels to North America this spring.
The sangha in South America has had great cause for rejoicing, as Jigme Tromge Rinpoche gave Great Perfection, or Dzogchen, teachings during Khadro Ling’s annual January retreat. Approximately seventy people who had completed their preliminary practices, or ngondro, including 500,000 Vajra Guru mantra recitations, attended the retreat. The teachings were extraordinary, not only because of Jigme Rinpoche’s grace and capacity as vajra master, but because of the powerful continuity of the Dzogchen lineage received from our father guru, H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche.
An Akshobhya retreat took place in the first week of January, before Jigme Rinpoche’s arrival. A number of practitioners—again, those who had completed their ngondro—have made the commitment to recite a hundred thousand Akshobhya mantras, dedicating the merit of their practice to the specific individuals for whom these recitations have been sponsored. The pristine clarity that is the fruit of Akshobhya meditation and the potential of the practice to liberate beings suffering in the lower realms have become apparent to many sangha members in Brazil. Lama Yeshe and Lama Rigdzin organized a weekend Akshobhya ceremony for the Curitiba sangha at a beautiful shrineroom in the seaside city of Matinhos; Lama Tsering has similar plans for the São Paulo sangha.
Also in January, sangha members from all over Brazil and Uruguay came to Khadro Ling to practice their ngondro. Lama Tsering and Lama Yeshe gave teachings, while Chagdud Khadro bestowed the two necessary empowerments. These inspiring January retreats followed an intense period that had started with the conclusion of the three-year retreat on December 4. Lama Sonam Tsering presided over this very moving event, in which sangha and family members received six three-year and two eighteen-month retreatants in the shrineroom. Later that day, Lama Gyatso arrived from Los Angeles to join Lama Sonam for fire pujas like those that had been performed at Chagdud Rinpoche’s cremation in Nepal. Although these ceremonies were closed and attended by only a few practitioners, the entire sangha experienced a powerful sense of healing and blessings while they were taking place.
Lama Gyatso and Lama Sonam also performed consecration ceremonies for the Padmasambhava Palace. The ceremonies demanded relentless but joyous effort, during which the lamas deeply inspired the sangha with their knowledge, guru devotion, energy, and attention to detail. We all look forward to their return. They, as well as Jigme Rinpoche, were delighted by the progress of the Padmasambhava Palace and offered useful suggestions. The stucco work has been expertly completed for all three stories, and the building awaits its ornamental roofs and elaborate exterior artwork, which is now being created by Lama Chimed (from Katok Gonpa in Tibet), Lama Rigdzin, and a crew of artisans. Meanwhile, the structure, stark and elegant against the Brazilian sky, manifests radiant hues ranging from pearl white to midnight blue to deep rose. Much of our outer practice focuses on inviting Guru Padmasambhava and his splendid retinue to take up residence in the palace; our inner practice involves the realization that all of this has never been separate from Guru Padmasambhava’s enlightened form.
One of the most successful developments in recent months has been a series of grief support groups organized through Casa Amitabha (Khadro Ling’s hospice) for residents of the small towns nearby. Participants, while tentative at first, have become quite committed. In addition, a tenday training on spiritual care for the dying took place at Casa Amitabha. The training included p’howa, as well as talks on bioethics in hospitals, medical directives (living wills), and the Brazilian laws concerning the dying process. We are working with a legislator in Brasilia to provide a legal basis for medical directives.
In October, the Tara ceremony of a hundred thousand tsok offerings was held in Santa Maria, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The small sangha of Chagdud Gonpa Chimed Ling took on the challenge wholeheartedly and fulfilled it beautifully. Chagdud Khadro and Lamas Norbu, Sherab, Chimed, Yeshe, and Rigdzin were present; Lama Tsering presided as vajra master.
Other Chagdud Gonpa projects that are progressing quickly are the construction of a retreat facility in Uruguay, where we have a large piece of land, and the development of a strong practice group in Chile. A new organization, Chagdud Gonpa Hispanoamerica, has been formed for the Spanish speaking countries, and several texts will be published in Spanish. Many of these developments are described on the redesigned website, www.chagdud.org.
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In August 2003, Rigdzin Ling was happy to host Khentrul Lodrö Thaye Rinpoche’s first U.S. shedra, with more than thirty students attending the month long program. Khentrul Rinpoche taught Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way and Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva. David Curtis, Oliver Boldizar, Paloma Lopez, and Dieter Schindler taught classical and colloquial Tibetan to a rambunctious crew, whose ages ranged from fourteen to sixty. The event was inspiring, illuminating, and fun.
For those who gathered to practice together during Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies, it was perhaps impossible not to have felt his immense blessings; this was certainly true at Rigdzin Ling. With Lama Drimed leading the pujas, almost a hundred of us did White Vajrasattva and Red Tara practice. In the future, Rigdzin Ling will hold three days of White Vajrasattva and a day of Red Tara practice on each anniversary of Rinpoche’s paranirvana.
Losar marked the completion of our audio archive project. After nine months of working in shifts from early morning into night, Inger Dybvig and Joanna Smiley, with technical engineering by JeanPaul Riva, completed the transfer of all 3,500 audio tapes of Rinpoche’s teachings to DVD, at the same time creating two complete archival sets to be kept at Odsal Ling and Khadro Ling in Brazil. In addition, 1,500 tapes by other Chagdud Gonpa lamas and guest teachers were transferred to DVD, completing the archive. This archive will be recopied every seven to ten years so that Rinpoche’s precious teachings will be preserved for as long as possible. In the coming months, approximately 200 videotapes will also be transferred to DVD.
Two new projects will begin this spring: The first involves extending the shrineroom to create an alcove for a six foot high stupa that will contain some of the relics from Rinpoche’s cremation. The copper stupa will be built in Nepal this spring under the guidance of Lama Pema Dorje. Anyone interested in contributing to the stupa can contact Kim. The second is an ambitious prayer wheel project being carried out in conjunction with Iron Knot Ranch. Slated for construction are fifteen wheels at Rigdzin Ling under an open pavilion, and sixteen wheels at Iron Knot placed in pavilions in each of the four directions. Each wheel will be four feet in diameter and more than ten feet high—similar to the wheels at Khadro Ling. In all, 2,000 miles of paper will be used! Moreover, a disk of microfilm will top each wheel, greatly increasing the total number of mantras. The three Vajra Guru mantra wheels alone, at Iron Knot and Rigdzin Ling, will contain a total of almost one trillion mantras.
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Ati Ling held its third annual Kurukulle retreat last November with Jigme Tromge Rinpoche as vajra master. The retreat was scheduled so that the last day would coincide with the anniversary of Chagdud Rinpoche’s passing. We now plan to hold the Kurukulle retreat every year so that the last day will be on the anniversary of Rinpoche’s parinirvana. Some sangha members flew to Nepal to participate in the cremation ceremonies in Pharping. During the cremation ceremony, a Red Tara tsok was offered by the sangha at Ati Ling. After Rinpoche’s cremation, five of Jigme Rinpoche’s students from Ati Ling accompanied him on pilgrimage to India. All five aspire to return to Asia with Rinpoche as soon as possible.
We held our seventh annual Vajrakilaya drubchöd during the Martin Luther King weekend. Khentrul Rinpoche was the vajra master, and the umdzé was Lama Jigme. During the retreat, Rinpoche taught “The Four Nails.” It wove another golden thread into the brocade of teachings that Khentrul Rinpoche has given at Ati Ling, including a monthly series on The Way of the Bodhisattva.
Finally, a word of thanks to all who have helped in so many ways to keep the light of Ati Ling shining and to further our teacher’s amazing activity.
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We write this in the midst of a hundred thousand tsok offerings that coincide with Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies in Nepal. As must be the case for his students and centers the world over, it is as if he sits among us, bestowing sublime and tangible blessings. Before him we confess our individual and collective shortcomings, and strongly aspire that all those connected to this great Lord of Dharma perfectly enact his compassionate vision through our practice and labors.
With the resolute help of the extended sangha, we managed to get the roof on the main hall of the new shrineroom that Rinpoche designed and broke ground for during his last visit to Iron Knot Ranch. It was no small task, and our sincere thanks go out to all those who made it possible through their generosity and hard work. The last of the tin went up just in time to host H.E. Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, who consecrated the new space through empowerment and his sublime teachings on the Flight of the Garuda.
Shortly thereafter, we were extraordinarily blessed by a weeklong visit by Khentrul Rinpoche, during which he taught The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva; in his spare time, he helped us with the building’s layout and long term planning.
Elsewhere on the ranch, construction was completed on a large pavilion sheltering the Guru Rinpoche statue from wind and rain, the butter lamp shrine was modified to accommodate better ventilation, having found that a thousand simultaneous lamp offerings turn it into a veritable oven, and we miraculously managed to get a hot shower up and running (alas, sans roof) in this our fifth year of getting exceedingly dirty. Work continues on our utility systems; water, solar electric, and communications are improved but still in need of tweaking. This spring, work will begin in earnest on an extensive prayer wheel project we are undertaking in concert with Rigdzin Ling.
Our prayers and well wishes go out to the sangha and friends during this time. Through our collective efforts in Rinpoche’s vast mandala, may all beings be led to his heart’s essence.
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The activity level of our precious resident lama, Lama Gyat so Nubpa, is difficult to describe, much less keep pace with! In 2003 this included ngondro and chöd teachings in Switzerland, a weekend teaching in Alaska, a nine week pilgrimage to Asia, leading numerous fish releases and monthly Shi tro practices, as well as three other tsok feasts each month.
After months of renovation, in July 2003 the T’hondup Ling house in Los Feliz again became Lama Gyatso’s residence. We are grateful to the sangha members who generously offered their homes for our weekly practices during the renovation period. The house was originally purchased in 1997 by Don Delaquil for use as a center for T’hondup Ling. Over the years, many eminent lamas have blessed it with their teachings, practice, and presence. When Don and his family moved to another home nearby, Lama Gyatso and his family moved in. It was Don who requested of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche that Lama Gyatso become the resident lama for T’hondup Ling. We extend our heartfelt appreciation for his exemplary practice of the six perfections and for his years of selfless service.
In late July, Gonjang Rinpoche, Khenpo Choewang Dorje, and Lama Lhudrup came for a stay of several months. Gonjang Rinpoche served as vajra master for our annual T’hröma drubchöd, held in August at the Philosophical Research Society. Later in the fall, he offered teachings and empowerments in several cities, including Santa Barbara, Chicago, and Kapa’a, Hawaii.
The visiting lamas were an enormous help with the ongoing transformation of a former summer YMCA camp into a dharma retreat center. T’hondup Ling now has a retreat facility in the mountains, 120 miles north of Los Angeles. A gracious benefactor made possible the purchase of 475 pristine acres of secluded forest in the mountains of Tehachapi. This was the first step for Ari Bhöd, the American Foundation for Tibetan Cultural Preservation, a nonprofit organization under the direction of Lama Gyatso. The inaugural event was the Yeshe Tsogyal retreat in October, led by Namkha Drimed Rinpoche and attended by a host of lamas. On the day of the descent of blessings, Namkha Rinpoche remarked how happy he was that Lama Gyatso had secured the retreat land, adding how special the assembled galaxy of lamas was and that the retreat had been very beneficial, with many auspicious signs.
Lama T’hogme and Lama Lhudrup will remain at T’hondup Ling for a time, helping in Tehachapi, as well as organizing the statue consecration project and serving as models of diligence, discipline, and good humor.
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The highlight of our year had to have been the recent visit to Boulder of Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, who taught The Three Words of Garab Dorje during one weekend last September at Marpa House. The teaching, well received by all who attended, drew participants from both coasts of this country and as far north as Alaska. A large contingent from Iron Knot Ranch traveled from the far southwest corner of New Mexico to attend. Just being in Namkha Rinpoche’s presence was a teaching in itself, providing inspiration and demonstrating how a true bodhisattva manifests.
In other sangha news, our valued and esteemed coordinator, Nancy Bradley, left us to go into retreat at Rigdzin Ling, and Dennis Kennedy became our new coordinator.
Special thanks go to Dennis, Phil Bossung, and all others who helped with all the behindthescenes work that made Namkha Drimed Rinpoche’s visit possible. May the merit in the mindstreams of all be manifold.
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Dungkar Ling, the newest Chagdud Gonpa center, opened in May 2003. Located on fourteen acres in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, it is forty five miles northeast of Philadelphia. The shrineroom is in what had been the living room of a 200 year old farmhouse and comfortably seats about thirty people. We also have a sitting room, a screened in dining porch for nice weather, and a bedroom reserved for visiting lamas. There is plenty of space for overnight guests, a large frame barn with a second floor apartment, and the potential for a larger shrine room on the ground floor. The yard comprises more than an acre of plantings and large, ancient trees. Fields currently used for horse grazing could be the future site for building projects, including residential space. We are working hard to replace the roof and plumbing of the farmhouse, as well as to widen a doorway for handicap accessibility.
We had a full house during our first event, a mindfulness retreat with Lama Zangpo in May. In August we hosted a dream yoga retreat with Lama Tsering and had twenty two people overnight for the five day practice. In September, Lama Zangpo returned with an introduction to guru yoga and the Vajrayana tradition, and in November Khentrul Rinpoche gave public talks in Philadelphia and in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
We gather regularly for mindfulness practice on Wednesday nights and a Red Tara puja on Sunday nights. We are slowly evolving into a devoted and dedicated sang ha; we feel the blessings of the lamas, joy from the teachings, and the energy from our practice throughout the house and grounds. We have a strong sense that many beings are benefiting and that all will benefit from our aspirations and prayers.
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The past year brought our sangha many blessings, all of which seemed to revolve around Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche’s passing. In July 2002, Rinpoche asked Lama Dorje and Lama Trinley to move from Rigdzin Ling to Dechhen Ling and serve as resident lamas, indicating that there was some urgency to their doing so. They purchased a home, moved in late October, and only three weeks later received news of his passing in Brazil. The experiences of our sangha at that time were like those of many throughout the world: a sense of shock tempered by openness, spaciousness, memories of Rinpoche, and an unexplainable feeling of peace. On the morning after his passing, the Red Tara statue and shrineroom glowed—not from the butter lamps or the sun but from the inside out; it was as if Rinpoche were everywhere.
We made Guru Rinpoche and Tara tsok offerings during the forty nine day period following Rinpoche’s parinirvana and have continued to hold daily Red Tara, Vajrakilaya, and protector practices, as well as monthly Red Tara, Shower of Blessings, and Tröma tsoks.
Visiting lamas this past year have included Gatsal Lama from Williams, Oregon, who has joined us for several tsoks. Lama Tsering Everest offered the Red Tara empowerment and teachings in August; and Khentrul Rinpoche has come several times, giving teachings on guru yoga, bodhichitta, and shamatha practice. Lama Pema Dorje visited briefly in January and bestowed a Guru Rinpoche empowerment, while Lama Dorje and Lama Trinley have offered several introductory dharma teachings on Sunday mornings.
This year’s annual Red Tara tsok was held in December in conjunction with Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies in Nepal. Lama Gyaltsen, Lama Jigme Lode, Gatsal Lama, and sangha members from across Oregon gathered for three days to practice and offer their prayers. At the moment the cremation fire was being lit, it felt as though the entire mandala of Chagdud Rinpoche’s students throughout the world had become one, marveling at his kindness to us, while facing the painful task of finally having to say goodbye to his body as we knew it. It seemed appropriate that in his cremation Rinpoche would again make an offering of his body, this time as a brilliant butter lamp.
Two auspicious events occurred back to back in February. Khentrul Rinpoche taught The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva for five days; later, Lama Gyaltsen from Corvallis served as vajra master for three days of Vajrakilaya practice up through Losar.
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We have been hosting Chagdud Gonpa lamas about twice a year. Lama Padma and Lama Zangpo have given basic shamatha and vipashyana instruction, outlining how these two approaches are used in the Vajrayana in mantra recitation and deity practice. We feel these teachings have helped us clarify and solidify our practice.
In the past two years, we were fortunate to have a week-long summer retreat with Lama Zangpo at Cheryl Buchan’s comfortable cabin on beautiful Lake Laberge. Teachings and practice were punctuated with saunas, swims, and good food, with interested neighbors attending some teachings. The bluff overlooking the lake, the big sky, and the peaceful setting were all very conducive to meditation. We all treasured the intimacy of the small group, which allowed relaxed, personal, and transformative discussions with the lama. These retreats helped strengthen our sangha’s bonds as we strive to support one another in fulfilling our highest aspirations.
This year, Danielle Shula’s gentle presence was missed, as she has moved to Rigdzin Ling. Different sangha members have been attending various retreats and drubchens throughout the year, most notably Pamela Shaw and Dave Bruce, who were married by Jigme Tromge Rinpoche at the Essence of Siddhi drubchen last fall.
We look forward to another year of precious teachings—a winter weekend retreat with Lama Zangpo and a summer retreat with Lama Padma.
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The last time Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche visited Yeshe Ling, he asked us to build a Guru Rinpoche statue on a knoll above the shrineroom. Rinpoche said, “In the infinite interdependence of all phenomena, the very wind that blows over the surface of the statue will carry Guru Rinpoche’s sacred essence to the furthest reaches of the universe, blessing beings everywhere.” The project is progressing nicely under the capable hands of sculptor Glenn Sandvoss, along with the help of many other sangha members. The finished statue, located in the rolling hills above California’s Napa Valley, will stand about fifteen feet high. Later in the spring, Jigme Rinpoche will fill the statue with precious objects and perform the consecration. When the weather warms up, it will be painted by Glenn.
Last summer Jigme Rinpoche and Lama Tsering led re-treats here; we expect a visit from Chagdud Khadro when she travels to North America this spring.
The sangha in South America has had great cause for rejoicing, as Jigme Tromge Rinpoche gave Great Perfection, or Dzogchen, teachings during Khadro Ling’s annual January retreat. Approximately seventy people who had completed their preliminary practices, or ngondro, including 500,000 Vajra Guru mantra recitations, attended the retreat. The teachings were extraordinary, not only because of Jigme Rinpoche’s grace and capacity as vajra master, but because of the powerful continuity of the Dzogchen lineage received from our father guru, H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche.
An Akshobhya retreat took place in the first week of January, before Jigme Rinpoche’s arrival. A number of practitioners—again, those who had completed their ngondro—have made the commitment to recite a hundred thousand Akshobhya mantras, dedicating the merit of their practice to the specific individuals for whom these recitations have been sponsored. The pristine clarity that is the fruit of Akshobhya meditation and the potential of the practice to liberate beings suffering in the lower realms have become apparent to many sangha members in Brazil. Lama Yeshe and Lama Rigdzin organized a weekend Akshobhya ceremony for the Curitiba sangha at a beautiful shrineroom in the seaside city of Matinhos; Lama Tsering has similar plans for the São Paulo sangha.
Also in January, sangha members from all over Brazil and Uruguay came to Khadro Ling to practice their ngondro. Lama Tsering and Lama Yeshe gave teachings, while Chagdud Khadro bestowed the two necessary empowerments. These inspiring January retreats followed an intense period that had started with the conclusion of the three-year retreat on December 4. Lama Sonam Tsering presided over this very moving event, in which sangha and family members received six three-year and two eighteen-month retreatants in the shrineroom. Later that day, Lama Gyatso arrived from Los Angeles to join Lama Sonam for fire pujas like those that had been performed at Chagdud Rinpoche’s cremation in Nepal. Although these ceremonies were closed and attended by only a few practitioners, the entire sangha experienced a powerful sense of healing and blessings while they were taking place.
Lama Gyatso and Lama Sonam also performed consecration ceremonies for the Padmasambhava Palace. The ceremonies demanded relentless but joyous effort, during which the lamas deeply inspired the sangha with their knowledge, guru devotion, energy, and attention to detail. We all look forward to their return. They, as well as Jigme Rinpoche, were delighted by the progress of the Padmasambhava Palace and offered useful suggestions. The stucco work has been expertly completed for all three stories, and the building awaits its ornamental roofs and elaborate exterior artwork, which is now being created by Lama Chimed (from Katok Gonpa in Tibet), Lama Rigdzin, and a crew of artisans. Meanwhile, the structure, stark and elegant against the Brazilian sky, manifests radiant hues ranging from pearl white to midnight blue to deep rose. Much of our outer practice focuses on inviting Guru Padmasambhava and his splendid retinue to take up residence in the palace; our inner practice involves the realization that all of this has never been separate from Guru Padmasambhava’s enlightened form.
One of the most successful developments in recent months has been a series of grief support groups organized through Casa Amitabha (Khadro Ling’s hospice) for residents of the small towns nearby. Participants, while tentative at first, have become quite committed. In addition, a tenday training on spiritual care for the dying took place at Casa Amitabha. The training included p’howa, as well as talks on bioethics in hospitals, medical directives (living wills), and the Brazilian laws concerning the dying process. We are working with a legislator in Brasilia to provide a legal basis for medical directives.
In October, the Tara ceremony of a hundred thousand tsok offerings was held in Santa Maria, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The small sangha of Chagdud Gonpa Chimed Ling took on the challenge wholeheartedly and fulfilled it beautifully. Chagdud Khadro and Lamas Norbu, Sherab, Chimed, Yeshe, and Rigdzin were present; Lama Tsering presided as vajra master.
Other Chagdud Gonpa projects that are progressing quickly are the construction of a retreat facility in Uruguay, where we have a large piece of land, and the development of a strong practice group in Chile. A new organization, Chagdud Gonpa Hispanoamerica, has been formed for the Spanish speaking countries, and several texts will be published in Spanish. Many of these developments are described on the redesigned website, www.chagdud.org.
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In August 2003, Rigdzin Ling was happy to host Khentrul Lodrö Thaye Rinpoche’s first U.S. shedra, with more than thirty students attending the month long program. Khentrul Rinpoche taught Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way and Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva. David Curtis, Oliver Boldizar, Paloma Lopez, and Dieter Schindler taught classical and colloquial Tibetan to a rambunctious crew, whose ages ranged from fourteen to sixty. The event was inspiring, illuminating, and fun.
For those who gathered to practice together during Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies, it was perhaps impossible not to have felt his immense blessings; this was certainly true at Rigdzin Ling. With Lama Drimed leading the pujas, almost a hundred of us did White Vajrasattva and Red Tara practice. In the future, Rigdzin Ling will hold three days of White Vajrasattva and a day of Red Tara practice on each anniversary of Rinpoche’s paranirvana.
Losar marked the completion of our audio archive project. After nine months of working in shifts from early morning into night, Inger Dybvig and Joanna Smiley, with technical engineering by JeanPaul Riva, completed the transfer of all 3,500 audio tapes of Rinpoche’s teachings to DVD, at the same time creating two complete archival sets to be kept at Odsal Ling and Khadro Ling in Brazil. In addition, 1,500 tapes by other Chagdud Gonpa lamas and guest teachers were transferred to DVD, completing the archive. This archive will be recopied every seven to ten years so that Rinpoche’s precious teachings will be preserved for as long as possible. In the coming months, approximately 200 videotapes will also be transferred to DVD.
Two new projects will begin this spring: The first involves extending the shrineroom to create an alcove for a six foot high stupa that will contain some of the relics from Rinpoche’s cremation. The copper stupa will be built in Nepal this spring under the guidance of Lama Pema Dorje. Anyone interested in contributing to the stupa can contact Kim. The second is an ambitious prayer wheel project being carried out in conjunction with Iron Knot Ranch. Slated for construction are fifteen wheels at Rigdzin Ling under an open pavilion, and sixteen wheels at Iron Knot placed in pavilions in each of the four directions. Each wheel will be four feet in diameter and more than ten feet high—similar to the wheels at Khadro Ling. In all, 2,000 miles of paper will be used! Moreover, a disk of microfilm will top each wheel, greatly increasing the total number of mantras. The three Vajra Guru mantra wheels alone, at Iron Knot and Rigdzin Ling, will contain a total of almost one trillion mantras.
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Ati Ling held its third annual Kurukulle retreat last November with Jigme Tromge Rinpoche as vajra master. The retreat was scheduled so that the last day would coincide with the anniversary of Chagdud Rinpoche’s passing. We now plan to hold the Kurukulle retreat every year so that the last day will be on the anniversary of Rinpoche’s parinirvana. Some sangha members flew to Nepal to participate in the cremation ceremonies in Pharping. During the cremation ceremony, a Red Tara tsok was offered by the sangha at Ati Ling. After Rinpoche’s cremation, five of Jigme Rinpoche’s students from Ati Ling accompanied him on pilgrimage to India. All five aspire to return to Asia with Rinpoche as soon as possible.
We held our seventh annual Vajrakilaya drubchöd during the Martin Luther King weekend. Khentrul Rinpoche was the vajra master, and the umdzé was Lama Jigme. During the retreat, Rinpoche taught “The Four Nails.” It wove another golden thread into the brocade of teachings that Khentrul Rinpoche has given at Ati Ling, including a monthly series on The Way of the Bodhisattva.
Finally, a word of thanks to all who have helped in so many ways to keep the light of Ati Ling shining and to further our teacher’s amazing activity.
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We write this in the midst of a hundred thousand tsok offerings that coincide with Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies in Nepal. As must be the case for his students and centers the world over, it is as if he sits among us, bestowing sublime and tangible blessings. Before him we confess our individual and collective shortcomings, and strongly aspire that all those connected to this great Lord of Dharma perfectly enact his compassionate vision through our practice and labors.
With the resolute help of the extended sangha, we managed to get the roof on the main hall of the new shrineroom that Rinpoche designed and broke ground for during his last visit to Iron Knot Ranch. It was no small task, and our sincere thanks go out to all those who made it possible through their generosity and hard work. The last of the tin went up just in time to host H.E. Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, who consecrated the new space through empowerment and his sublime teachings on the Flight of the Garuda.
Shortly thereafter, we were extraordinarily blessed by a weeklong visit by Khentrul Rinpoche, during which he taught The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva; in his spare time, he helped us with the building’s layout and long term planning.
Elsewhere on the ranch, construction was completed on a large pavilion sheltering the Guru Rinpoche statue from wind and rain, the butter lamp shrine was modified to accommodate better ventilation, having found that a thousand simultaneous lamp offerings turn it into a veritable oven, and we miraculously managed to get a hot shower up and running (alas, sans roof) in this our fifth year of getting exceedingly dirty. Work continues on our utility systems; water, solar electric, and communications are improved but still in need of tweaking. This spring, work will begin in earnest on an extensive prayer wheel project we are undertaking in concert with Rigdzin Ling.
Our prayers and well wishes go out to the sangha and friends during this time. Through our collective efforts in Rinpoche’s vast mandala, may all beings be led to his heart’s essence.
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The activity level of our precious resident lama, Lama Gyat so Nubpa, is difficult to describe, much less keep pace with! In 2003 this included ngondro and chöd teachings in Switzerland, a weekend teaching in Alaska, a nine week pilgrimage to Asia, leading numerous fish releases and monthly Shi tro practices, as well as three other tsok feasts each month.
After months of renovation, in July 2003 the T’hondup Ling house in Los Feliz again became Lama Gyatso’s residence. We are grateful to the sangha members who generously offered their homes for our weekly practices during the renovation period. The house was originally purchased in 1997 by Don Delaquil for use as a center for T’hondup Ling. Over the years, many eminent lamas have blessed it with their teachings, practice, and presence. When Don and his family moved to another home nearby, Lama Gyatso and his family moved in. It was Don who requested of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche that Lama Gyatso become the resident lama for T’hondup Ling. We extend our heartfelt appreciation for his exemplary practice of the six perfections and for his years of selfless service.
In late July, Gonjang Rinpoche, Khenpo Choewang Dorje, and Lama Lhudrup came for a stay of several months. Gonjang Rinpoche served as vajra master for our annual T’hröma drubchöd, held in August at the Philosophical Research Society. Later in the fall, he offered teachings and empowerments in several cities, including Santa Barbara, Chicago, and Kapa’a, Hawaii.
The visiting lamas were an enormous help with the ongoing transformation of a former summer YMCA camp into a dharma retreat center. T’hondup Ling now has a retreat facility in the mountains, 120 miles north of Los Angeles. A gracious benefactor made possible the purchase of 475 pristine acres of secluded forest in the mountains of Tehachapi. This was the first step for Ari Bhöd, the American Foundation for Tibetan Cultural Preservation, a nonprofit organization under the direction of Lama Gyatso. The inaugural event was the Yeshe Tsogyal retreat in October, led by Namkha Drimed Rinpoche and attended by a host of lamas. On the day of the descent of blessings, Namkha Rinpoche remarked how happy he was that Lama Gyatso had secured the retreat land, adding how special the assembled galaxy of lamas was and that the retreat had been very beneficial, with many auspicious signs.
Lama T’hogme and Lama Lhudrup will remain at T’hondup Ling for a time, helping in Tehachapi, as well as organizing the statue consecration project and serving as models of diligence, discipline, and good humor.
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The highlight of our year had to have been the recent visit to Boulder of Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, who taught The Three Words of Garab Dorje during one weekend last September at Marpa House. The teaching, well received by all who attended, drew participants from both coasts of this country and as far north as Alaska. A large contingent from Iron Knot Ranch traveled from the far southwest corner of New Mexico to attend. Just being in Namkha Rinpoche’s presence was a teaching in itself, providing inspiration and demonstrating how a true bodhisattva manifests.
In other sangha news, our valued and esteemed coordinator, Nancy Bradley, left us to go into retreat at Rigdzin Ling, and Dennis Kennedy became our new coordinator.
Special thanks go to Dennis, Phil Bossung, and all others who helped with all the behindthescenes work that made Namkha Drimed Rinpoche’s visit possible. May the merit in the mindstreams of all be manifold.
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Dungkar Ling, the newest Chagdud Gonpa center, opened in May 2003. Located on fourteen acres in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, it is forty five miles northeast of Philadelphia. The shrineroom is in what had been the living room of a 200 year old farmhouse and comfortably seats about thirty people. We also have a sitting room, a screened in dining porch for nice weather, and a bedroom reserved for visiting lamas. There is plenty of space for overnight guests, a large frame barn with a second floor apartment, and the potential for a larger shrine room on the ground floor. The yard comprises more than an acre of plantings and large, ancient trees. Fields currently used for horse grazing could be the future site for building projects, including residential space. We are working hard to replace the roof and plumbing of the farmhouse, as well as to widen a doorway for handicap accessibility.
We had a full house during our first event, a mindfulness retreat with Lama Zangpo in May. In August we hosted a dream yoga retreat with Lama Tsering and had twenty two people overnight for the five day practice. In September, Lama Zangpo returned with an introduction to guru yoga and the Vajrayana tradition, and in November Khentrul Rinpoche gave public talks in Philadelphia and in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
We gather regularly for mindfulness practice on Wednesday nights and a Red Tara puja on Sunday nights. We are slowly evolving into a devoted and dedicated sang ha; we feel the blessings of the lamas, joy from the teachings, and the energy from our practice throughout the house and grounds. We have a strong sense that many beings are benefiting and that all will benefit from our aspirations and prayers.
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The past year brought our sangha many blessings, all of which seemed to revolve around Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche’s passing. In July 2002, Rinpoche asked Lama Dorje and Lama Trinley to move from Rigdzin Ling to Dechhen Ling and serve as resident lamas, indicating that there was some urgency to their doing so. They purchased a home, moved in late October, and only three weeks later received news of his passing in Brazil. The experiences of our sangha at that time were like those of many throughout the world: a sense of shock tempered by openness, spaciousness, memories of Rinpoche, and an unexplainable feeling of peace. On the morning after his passing, the Red Tara statue and shrineroom glowed—not from the butter lamps or the sun but from the inside out; it was as if Rinpoche were everywhere.
We made Guru Rinpoche and Tara tsok offerings during the forty nine day period following Rinpoche’s parinirvana and have continued to hold daily Red Tara, Vajrakilaya, and protector practices, as well as monthly Red Tara, Shower of Blessings, and Tröma tsoks.
Visiting lamas this past year have included Gatsal Lama from Williams, Oregon, who has joined us for several tsoks. Lama Tsering Everest offered the Red Tara empowerment and teachings in August; and Khentrul Rinpoche has come several times, giving teachings on guru yoga, bodhichitta, and shamatha practice. Lama Pema Dorje visited briefly in January and bestowed a Guru Rinpoche empowerment, while Lama Dorje and Lama Trinley have offered several introductory dharma teachings on Sunday mornings.
This year’s annual Red Tara tsok was held in December in conjunction with Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies in Nepal. Lama Gyaltsen, Lama Jigme Lode, Gatsal Lama, and sangha members from across Oregon gathered for three days to practice and offer their prayers. At the moment the cremation fire was being lit, it felt as though the entire mandala of Chagdud Rinpoche’s students throughout the world had become one, marveling at his kindness to us, while facing the painful task of finally having to say goodbye to his body as we knew it. It seemed appropriate that in his cremation Rinpoche would again make an offering of his body, this time as a brilliant butter lamp.
Two auspicious events occurred back to back in February. Khentrul Rinpoche taught The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva for five days; later, Lama Gyaltsen from Corvallis served as vajra master for three days of Vajrakilaya practice up through Losar.
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We have been hosting Chagdud Gonpa lamas about twice a year. Lama Padma and Lama Zangpo have given basic shamatha and vipashyana instruction, outlining how these two approaches are used in the Vajrayana in mantra recitation and deity practice. We feel these teachings have helped us clarify and solidify our practice.
In the past two years, we were fortunate to have a week-long summer retreat with Lama Zangpo at Cheryl Buchan’s comfortable cabin on beautiful Lake Laberge. Teachings and practice were punctuated with saunas, swims, and good food, with interested neighbors attending some teachings. The bluff overlooking the lake, the big sky, and the peaceful setting were all very conducive to meditation. We all treasured the intimacy of the small group, which allowed relaxed, personal, and transformative discussions with the lama. These retreats helped strengthen our sangha’s bonds as we strive to support one another in fulfilling our highest aspirations.
This year, Danielle Shula’s gentle presence was missed, as she has moved to Rigdzin Ling. Different sangha members have been attending various retreats and drubchens throughout the year, most notably Pamela Shaw and Dave Bruce, who were married by Jigme Tromge Rinpoche at the Essence of Siddhi drubchen last fall.
We look forward to another year of precious teachings—a winter weekend retreat with Lama Zangpo and a summer retreat with Lama Padma.
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The last time Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche visited Yeshe Ling, he asked us to build a Guru Rinpoche statue on a knoll above the shrineroom. Rinpoche said, “In the infinite interdependence of all phenomena, the very wind that blows over the surface of the statue will carry Guru Rinpoche’s sacred essence to the furthest reaches of the universe, blessing beings everywhere.” The project is progressing nicely under the capable hands of sculptor Glenn Sandvoss, along with the help of many other sangha members. The finished statue, located in the rolling hills above California’s Napa Valley, will stand about fifteen feet high. Later in the spring, Jigme Rinpoche will fill the statue with precious objects and perform the consecration. When the weather warms up, it will be painted by Glenn.
Last summer Jigme Rinpoche and Lama Tsering led re-treats here; we expect a visit from Chagdud Khadro when she travels to North America this spring.
The sangha in South America has had great cause for rejoicing, as Jigme Tromge Rinpoche gave Great Perfection, or Dzogchen, teachings during Khadro Ling’s annual January retreat. Approximately seventy people who had completed their preliminary practices, or ngondro, including 500,000 Vajra Guru mantra recitations, attended the retreat. The teachings were extraordinary, not only because of Jigme Rinpoche’s grace and capacity as vajra master, but because of the powerful continuity of the Dzogchen lineage received from our father guru, H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche.
An Akshobhya retreat took place in the first week of January, before Jigme Rinpoche’s arrival. A number of practitioners—again, those who had completed their ngondro—have made the commitment to recite a hundred thousand Akshobhya mantras, dedicating the merit of their practice to the specific individuals for whom these recitations have been sponsored. The pristine clarity that is the fruit of Akshobhya meditation and the potential of the practice to liberate beings suffering in the lower realms have become apparent to many sangha members in Brazil. Lama Yeshe and Lama Rigdzin organized a weekend Akshobhya ceremony for the Curitiba sangha at a beautiful shrineroom in the seaside city of Matinhos; Lama Tsering has similar plans for the São Paulo sangha.
Also in January, sangha members from all over Brazil and Uruguay came to Khadro Ling to practice their ngondro. Lama Tsering and Lama Yeshe gave teachings, while Chagdud Khadro bestowed the two necessary empowerments. These inspiring January retreats followed an intense period that had started with the conclusion of the three-year retreat on December 4. Lama Sonam Tsering presided over this very moving event, in which sangha and family members received six three-year and two eighteen-month retreatants in the shrineroom. Later that day, Lama Gyatso arrived from Los Angeles to join Lama Sonam for fire pujas like those that had been performed at Chagdud Rinpoche’s cremation in Nepal. Although these ceremonies were closed and attended by only a few practitioners, the entire sangha experienced a powerful sense of healing and blessings while they were taking place.
Lama Gyatso and Lama Sonam also performed consecration ceremonies for the Padmasambhava Palace. The ceremonies demanded relentless but joyous effort, during which the lamas deeply inspired the sangha with their knowledge, guru devotion, energy, and attention to detail. We all look forward to their return. They, as well as Jigme Rinpoche, were delighted by the progress of the Padmasambhava Palace and offered useful suggestions. The stucco work has been expertly completed for all three stories, and the building awaits its ornamental roofs and elaborate exterior artwork, which is now being created by Lama Chimed (from Katok Gonpa in Tibet), Lama Rigdzin, and a crew of artisans. Meanwhile, the structure, stark and elegant against the Brazilian sky, manifests radiant hues ranging from pearl white to midnight blue to deep rose. Much of our outer practice focuses on inviting Guru Padmasambhava and his splendid retinue to take up residence in the palace; our inner practice involves the realization that all of this has never been separate from Guru Padmasambhava’s enlightened form.
One of the most successful developments in recent months has been a series of grief support groups organized through Casa Amitabha (Khadro Ling’s hospice) for residents of the small towns nearby. Participants, while tentative at first, have become quite committed. In addition, a tenday training on spiritual care for the dying took place at Casa Amitabha. The training included p’howa, as well as talks on bioethics in hospitals, medical directives (living wills), and the Brazilian laws concerning the dying process. We are working with a legislator in Brasilia to provide a legal basis for medical directives.
In October, the Tara ceremony of a hundred thousand tsok offerings was held in Santa Maria, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The small sangha of Chagdud Gonpa Chimed Ling took on the challenge wholeheartedly and fulfilled it beautifully. Chagdud Khadro and Lamas Norbu, Sherab, Chimed, Yeshe, and Rigdzin were present; Lama Tsering presided as vajra master.
Other Chagdud Gonpa projects that are progressing quickly are the construction of a retreat facility in Uruguay, where we have a large piece of land, and the development of a strong practice group in Chile. A new organization, Chagdud Gonpa Hispanoamerica, has been formed for the Spanish speaking countries, and several texts will be published in Spanish. Many of these developments are described on the redesigned website, www.chagdud.org.
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In August 2003, Rigdzin Ling was happy to host Khentrul Lodrö Thaye Rinpoche’s first U.S. shedra, with more than thirty students attending the month long program. Khentrul Rinpoche taught Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way and Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva. David Curtis, Oliver Boldizar, Paloma Lopez, and Dieter Schindler taught classical and colloquial Tibetan to a rambunctious crew, whose ages ranged from fourteen to sixty. The event was inspiring, illuminating, and fun.
For those who gathered to practice together during Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies, it was perhaps impossible not to have felt his immense blessings; this was certainly true at Rigdzin Ling. With Lama Drimed leading the pujas, almost a hundred of us did White Vajrasattva and Red Tara practice. In the future, Rigdzin Ling will hold three days of White Vajrasattva and a day of Red Tara practice on each anniversary of Rinpoche’s paranirvana.
Losar marked the completion of our audio archive project. After nine months of working in shifts from early morning into night, Inger Dybvig and Joanna Smiley, with technical engineering by JeanPaul Riva, completed the transfer of all 3,500 audio tapes of Rinpoche’s teachings to DVD, at the same time creating two complete archival sets to be kept at Odsal Ling and Khadro Ling in Brazil. In addition, 1,500 tapes by other Chagdud Gonpa lamas and guest teachers were transferred to DVD, completing the archive. This archive will be recopied every seven to ten years so that Rinpoche’s precious teachings will be preserved for as long as possible. In the coming months, approximately 200 videotapes will also be transferred to DVD.
Two new projects will begin this spring: The first involves extending the shrineroom to create an alcove for a six foot high stupa that will contain some of the relics from Rinpoche’s cremation. The copper stupa will be built in Nepal this spring under the guidance of Lama Pema Dorje. Anyone interested in contributing to the stupa can contact Kim. The second is an ambitious prayer wheel project being carried out in conjunction with Iron Knot Ranch. Slated for construction are fifteen wheels at Rigdzin Ling under an open pavilion, and sixteen wheels at Iron Knot placed in pavilions in each of the four directions. Each wheel will be four feet in diameter and more than ten feet high—similar to the wheels at Khadro Ling. In all, 2,000 miles of paper will be used! Moreover, a disk of microfilm will top each wheel, greatly increasing the total number of mantras. The three Vajra Guru mantra wheels alone, at Iron Knot and Rigdzin Ling, will contain a total of almost one trillion mantras.
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Ati Ling held its third annual Kurukulle retreat last November with Jigme Tromge Rinpoche as vajra master. The retreat was scheduled so that the last day would coincide with the anniversary of Chagdud Rinpoche’s passing. We now plan to hold the Kurukulle retreat every year so that the last day will be on the anniversary of Rinpoche’s parinirvana. Some sangha members flew to Nepal to participate in the cremation ceremonies in Pharping. During the cremation ceremony, a Red Tara tsok was offered by the sangha at Ati Ling. After Rinpoche’s cremation, five of Jigme Rinpoche’s students from Ati Ling accompanied him on pilgrimage to India. All five aspire to return to Asia with Rinpoche as soon as possible.
We held our seventh annual Vajrakilaya drubchöd during the Martin Luther King weekend. Khentrul Rinpoche was the vajra master, and the umdzé was Lama Jigme. During the retreat, Rinpoche taught “The Four Nails.” It wove another golden thread into the brocade of teachings that Khentrul Rinpoche has given at Ati Ling, including a monthly series on The Way of the Bodhisattva.
Finally, a word of thanks to all who have helped in so many ways to keep the light of Ati Ling shining and to further our teacher’s amazing activity.
______
We write this in the midst of a hundred thousand tsok offerings that coincide with Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies in Nepal. As must be the case for his students and centers the world over, it is as if he sits among us, bestowing sublime and tangible blessings. Before him we confess our individual and collective shortcomings, and strongly aspire that all those connected to this great Lord of Dharma perfectly enact his compassionate vision through our practice and labors.
With the resolute help of the extended sangha, we managed to get the roof on the main hall of the new shrineroom that Rinpoche designed and broke ground for during his last visit to Iron Knot Ranch. It was no small task, and our sincere thanks go out to all those who made it possible through their generosity and hard work. The last of the tin went up just in time to host H.E. Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, who consecrated the new space through empowerment and his sublime teachings on the Flight of the Garuda.
Shortly thereafter, we were extraordinarily blessed by a weeklong visit by Khentrul Rinpoche, during which he taught The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva; in his spare time, he helped us with the building’s layout and long term planning.
Elsewhere on the ranch, construction was completed on a large pavilion sheltering the Guru Rinpoche statue from wind and rain, the butter lamp shrine was modified to accommodate better ventilation, having found that a thousand simultaneous lamp offerings turn it into a veritable oven, and we miraculously managed to get a hot shower up and running (alas, sans roof) in this our fifth year of getting exceedingly dirty. Work continues on our utility systems; water, solar electric, and communications are improved but still in need of tweaking. This spring, work will begin in earnest on an extensive prayer wheel project we are undertaking in concert with Rigdzin Ling.
Our prayers and well wishes go out to the sangha and friends during this time. Through our collective efforts in Rinpoche’s vast mandala, may all beings be led to his heart’s essence.
______
The activity level of our precious resident lama, Lama Gyat so Nubpa, is difficult to describe, much less keep pace with! In 2003 this included ngondro and chöd teachings in Switzerland, a weekend teaching in Alaska, a nine week pilgrimage to Asia, leading numerous fish releases and monthly Shi tro practices, as well as three other tsok feasts each month.
After months of renovation, in July 2003 the T’hondup Ling house in Los Feliz again became Lama Gyatso’s residence. We are grateful to the sangha members who generously offered their homes for our weekly practices during the renovation period. The house was originally purchased in 1997 by Don Delaquil for use as a center for T’hondup Ling. Over the years, many eminent lamas have blessed it with their teachings, practice, and presence. When Don and his family moved to another home nearby, Lama Gyatso and his family moved in. It was Don who requested of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche that Lama Gyatso become the resident lama for T’hondup Ling. We extend our heartfelt appreciation for his exemplary practice of the six perfections and for his years of selfless service.
In late July, Gonjang Rinpoche, Khenpo Choewang Dorje, and Lama Lhudrup came for a stay of several months. Gonjang Rinpoche served as vajra master for our annual T’hröma drubchöd, held in August at the Philosophical Research Society. Later in the fall, he offered teachings and empowerments in several cities, including Santa Barbara, Chicago, and Kapa’a, Hawaii.
The visiting lamas were an enormous help with the ongoing transformation of a former summer YMCA camp into a dharma retreat center. T’hondup Ling now has a retreat facility in the mountains, 120 miles north of Los Angeles. A gracious benefactor made possible the purchase of 475 pristine acres of secluded forest in the mountains of Tehachapi. This was the first step for Ari Bhöd, the American Foundation for Tibetan Cultural Preservation, a nonprofit organization under the direction of Lama Gyatso. The inaugural event was the Yeshe Tsogyal retreat in October, led by Namkha Drimed Rinpoche and attended by a host of lamas. On the day of the descent of blessings, Namkha Rinpoche remarked how happy he was that Lama Gyatso had secured the retreat land, adding how special the assembled galaxy of lamas was and that the retreat had been very beneficial, with many auspicious signs.
Lama T’hogme and Lama Lhudrup will remain at T’hondup Ling for a time, helping in Tehachapi, as well as organizing the statue consecration project and serving as models of diligence, discipline, and good humor.
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The highlight of our year had to have been the recent visit to Boulder of Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, who taught The Three Words of Garab Dorje during one weekend last September at Marpa House. The teaching, well received by all who attended, drew participants from both coasts of this country and as far north as Alaska. A large contingent from Iron Knot Ranch traveled from the far southwest corner of New Mexico to attend. Just being in Namkha Rinpoche’s presence was a teaching in itself, providing inspiration and demonstrating how a true bodhisattva manifests.
In other sangha news, our valued and esteemed coordinator, Nancy Bradley, left us to go into retreat at Rigdzin Ling, and Dennis Kennedy became our new coordinator.
Special thanks go to Dennis, Phil Bossung, and all others who helped with all the behindthescenes work that made Namkha Drimed Rinpoche’s visit possible. May the merit in the mindstreams of all be manifold.
______
Dungkar Ling, the newest Chagdud Gonpa center, opened in May 2003. Located on fourteen acres in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, it is forty five miles northeast of Philadelphia. The shrineroom is in what had been the living room of a 200 year old farmhouse and comfortably seats about thirty people. We also have a sitting room, a screened in dining porch for nice weather, and a bedroom reserved for visiting lamas. There is plenty of space for overnight guests, a large frame barn with a second floor apartment, and the potential for a larger shrine room on the ground floor. The yard comprises more than an acre of plantings and large, ancient trees. Fields currently used for horse grazing could be the future site for building projects, including residential space. We are working hard to replace the roof and plumbing of the farmhouse, as well as to widen a doorway for handicap accessibility.
We had a full house during our first event, a mindfulness retreat with Lama Zangpo in May. In August we hosted a dream yoga retreat with Lama Tsering and had twenty two people overnight for the five day practice. In September, Lama Zangpo returned with an introduction to guru yoga and the Vajrayana tradition, and in November Khentrul Rinpoche gave public talks in Philadelphia and in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
We gather regularly for mindfulness practice on Wednesday nights and a Red Tara puja on Sunday nights. We are slowly evolving into a devoted and dedicated sang ha; we feel the blessings of the lamas, joy from the teachings, and the energy from our practice throughout the house and grounds. We have a strong sense that many beings are benefiting and that all will benefit from our aspirations and prayers.
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The past year brought our sangha many blessings, all of which seemed to revolve around Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche’s passing. In July 2002, Rinpoche asked Lama Dorje and Lama Trinley to move from Rigdzin Ling to Dechhen Ling and serve as resident lamas, indicating that there was some urgency to their doing so. They purchased a home, moved in late October, and only three weeks later received news of his passing in Brazil. The experiences of our sangha at that time were like those of many throughout the world: a sense of shock tempered by openness, spaciousness, memories of Rinpoche, and an unexplainable feeling of peace. On the morning after his passing, the Red Tara statue and shrineroom glowed—not from the butter lamps or the sun but from the inside out; it was as if Rinpoche were everywhere.
We made Guru Rinpoche and Tara tsok offerings during the forty nine day period following Rinpoche’s parinirvana and have continued to hold daily Red Tara, Vajrakilaya, and protector practices, as well as monthly Red Tara, Shower of Blessings, and Tröma tsoks.
Visiting lamas this past year have included Gatsal Lama from Williams, Oregon, who has joined us for several tsoks. Lama Tsering Everest offered the Red Tara empowerment and teachings in August; and Khentrul Rinpoche has come several times, giving teachings on guru yoga, bodhichitta, and shamatha practice. Lama Pema Dorje visited briefly in January and bestowed a Guru Rinpoche empowerment, while Lama Dorje and Lama Trinley have offered several introductory dharma teachings on Sunday mornings.
This year’s annual Red Tara tsok was held in December in conjunction with Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies in Nepal. Lama Gyaltsen, Lama Jigme Lode, Gatsal Lama, and sangha members from across Oregon gathered for three days to practice and offer their prayers. At the moment the cremation fire was being lit, it felt as though the entire mandala of Chagdud Rinpoche’s students throughout the world had become one, marveling at his kindness to us, while facing the painful task of finally having to say goodbye to his body as we knew it. It seemed appropriate that in his cremation Rinpoche would again make an offering of his body, this time as a brilliant butter lamp.
Two auspicious events occurred back to back in February. Khentrul Rinpoche taught The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva for five days; later, Lama Gyaltsen from Corvallis served as vajra master for three days of Vajrakilaya practice up through Losar.
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We have been hosting Chagdud Gonpa lamas about twice a year. Lama Padma and Lama Zangpo have given basic shamatha and vipashyana instruction, outlining how these two approaches are used in the Vajrayana in mantra recitation and deity practice. We feel these teachings have helped us clarify and solidify our practice.
In the past two years, we were fortunate to have a week-long summer retreat with Lama Zangpo at Cheryl Buchan’s comfortable cabin on beautiful Lake Laberge. Teachings and practice were punctuated with saunas, swims, and good food, with interested neighbors attending some teachings. The bluff overlooking the lake, the big sky, and the peaceful setting were all very conducive to meditation. We all treasured the intimacy of the small group, which allowed relaxed, personal, and transformative discussions with the lama. These retreats helped strengthen our sangha’s bonds as we strive to support one another in fulfilling our highest aspirations.
This year, Danielle Shula’s gentle presence was missed, as she has moved to Rigdzin Ling. Different sangha members have been attending various retreats and drubchens throughout the year, most notably Pamela Shaw and Dave Bruce, who were married by Jigme Tromge Rinpoche at the Essence of Siddhi drubchen last fall.
We look forward to another year of precious teachings—a winter weekend retreat with Lama Zangpo and a summer retreat with Lama Padma.
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The last time Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche visited Yeshe Ling, he asked us to build a Guru Rinpoche statue on a knoll above the shrineroom. Rinpoche said, “In the infinite interdependence of all phenomena, the very wind that blows over the surface of the statue will carry Guru Rinpoche’s sacred essence to the furthest reaches of the universe, blessing beings everywhere.” The project is progressing nicely under the capable hands of sculptor Glenn Sandvoss, along with the help of many other sangha members. The finished statue, located in the rolling hills above California’s Napa Valley, will stand about fifteen feet high. Later in the spring, Jigme Rinpoche will fill the statue with precious objects and perform the consecration. When the weather warms up, it will be painted by Glenn.
Last summer Jigme Rinpoche and Lama Tsering led re-treats here; we expect a visit from Chagdud Khadro when she travels to North America this spring.
The sangha in South America has had great cause for rejoicing, as Jigme Tromge Rinpoche gave Great Perfection, or Dzogchen, teachings during Khadro Ling’s annual January retreat. Approximately seventy people who had completed their preliminary practices, or ngondro, including 500,000 Vajra Guru mantra recitations, attended the retreat. The teachings were extraordinary, not only because of Jigme Rinpoche’s grace and capacity as vajra master, but because of the powerful continuity of the Dzogchen lineage received from our father guru, H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche.
An Akshobhya retreat took place in the first week of January, before Jigme Rinpoche’s arrival. A number of practitioners—again, those who had completed their ngondro—have made the commitment to recite a hundred thousand Akshobhya mantras, dedicating the merit of their practice to the specific individuals for whom these recitations have been sponsored. The pristine clarity that is the fruit of Akshobhya meditation and the potential of the practice to liberate beings suffering in the lower realms have become apparent to many sangha members in Brazil. Lama Yeshe and Lama Rigdzin organized a weekend Akshobhya ceremony for the Curitiba sangha at a beautiful shrineroom in the seaside city of Matinhos; Lama Tsering has similar plans for the São Paulo sangha.
Also in January, sangha members from all over Brazil and Uruguay came to Khadro Ling to practice their ngondro. Lama Tsering and Lama Yeshe gave teachings, while Chagdud Khadro bestowed the two necessary empowerments. These inspiring January retreats followed an intense period that had started with the conclusion of the three-year retreat on December 4. Lama Sonam Tsering presided over this very moving event, in which sangha and family members received six three-year and two eighteen-month retreatants in the shrineroom. Later that day, Lama Gyatso arrived from Los Angeles to join Lama Sonam for fire pujas like those that had been performed at Chagdud Rinpoche’s cremation in Nepal. Although these ceremonies were closed and attended by only a few practitioners, the entire sangha experienced a powerful sense of healing and blessings while they were taking place.
Lama Gyatso and Lama Sonam also performed consecration ceremonies for the Padmasambhava Palace. The ceremonies demanded relentless but joyous effort, during which the lamas deeply inspired the sangha with their knowledge, guru devotion, energy, and attention to detail. We all look forward to their return. They, as well as Jigme Rinpoche, were delighted by the progress of the Padmasambhava Palace and offered useful suggestions. The stucco work has been expertly completed for all three stories, and the building awaits its ornamental roofs and elaborate exterior artwork, which is now being created by Lama Chimed (from Katok Gonpa in Tibet), Lama Rigdzin, and a crew of artisans. Meanwhile, the structure, stark and elegant against the Brazilian sky, manifests radiant hues ranging from pearl white to midnight blue to deep rose. Much of our outer practice focuses on inviting Guru Padmasambhava and his splendid retinue to take up residence in the palace; our inner practice involves the realization that all of this has never been separate from Guru Padmasambhava’s enlightened form.
One of the most successful developments in recent months has been a series of grief support groups organized through Casa Amitabha (Khadro Ling’s hospice) for residents of the small towns nearby. Participants, while tentative at first, have become quite committed. In addition, a tenday training on spiritual care for the dying took place at Casa Amitabha. The training included p’howa, as well as talks on bioethics in hospitals, medical directives (living wills), and the Brazilian laws concerning the dying process. We are working with a legislator in Brasilia to provide a legal basis for medical directives.
In October, the Tara ceremony of a hundred thousand tsok offerings was held in Santa Maria, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The small sangha of Chagdud Gonpa Chimed Ling took on the challenge wholeheartedly and fulfilled it beautifully. Chagdud Khadro and Lamas Norbu, Sherab, Chimed, Yeshe, and Rigdzin were present; Lama Tsering presided as vajra master.
Other Chagdud Gonpa projects that are progressing quickly are the construction of a retreat facility in Uruguay, where we have a large piece of land, and the development of a strong practice group in Chile. A new organization, Chagdud Gonpa Hispanoamerica, has been formed for the Spanish speaking countries, and several texts will be published in Spanish. Many of these developments are described on the redesigned website, www.chagdud.org.
______
In August 2003, Rigdzin Ling was happy to host Khentrul Lodrö Thaye Rinpoche’s first U.S. shedra, with more than thirty students attending the month long program. Khentrul Rinpoche taught Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way and Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva. David Curtis, Oliver Boldizar, Paloma Lopez, and Dieter Schindler taught classical and colloquial Tibetan to a rambunctious crew, whose ages ranged from fourteen to sixty. The event was inspiring, illuminating, and fun.
For those who gathered to practice together during Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies, it was perhaps impossible not to have felt his immense blessings; this was certainly true at Rigdzin Ling. With Lama Drimed leading the pujas, almost a hundred of us did White Vajrasattva and Red Tara practice. In the future, Rigdzin Ling will hold three days of White Vajrasattva and a day of Red Tara practice on each anniversary of Rinpoche’s paranirvana.
Losar marked the completion of our audio archive project. After nine months of working in shifts from early morning into night, Inger Dybvig and Joanna Smiley, with technical engineering by JeanPaul Riva, completed the transfer of all 3,500 audio tapes of Rinpoche’s teachings to DVD, at the same time creating two complete archival sets to be kept at Odsal Ling and Khadro Ling in Brazil. In addition, 1,500 tapes by other Chagdud Gonpa lamas and guest teachers were transferred to DVD, completing the archive. This archive will be recopied every seven to ten years so that Rinpoche’s precious teachings will be preserved for as long as possible. In the coming months, approximately 200 videotapes will also be transferred to DVD.
Two new projects will begin this spring: The first involves extending the shrineroom to create an alcove for a six foot high stupa that will contain some of the relics from Rinpoche’s cremation. The copper stupa will be built in Nepal this spring under the guidance of Lama Pema Dorje. Anyone interested in contributing to the stupa can contact Kim. The second is an ambitious prayer wheel project being carried out in conjunction with Iron Knot Ranch. Slated for construction are fifteen wheels at Rigdzin Ling under an open pavilion, and sixteen wheels at Iron Knot placed in pavilions in each of the four directions. Each wheel will be four feet in diameter and more than ten feet high—similar to the wheels at Khadro Ling. In all, 2,000 miles of paper will be used! Moreover, a disk of microfilm will top each wheel, greatly increasing the total number of mantras. The three Vajra Guru mantra wheels alone, at Iron Knot and Rigdzin Ling, will contain a total of almost one trillion mantras.
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Ati Ling held its third annual Kurukulle retreat last November with Jigme Tromge Rinpoche as vajra master. The retreat was scheduled so that the last day would coincide with the anniversary of Chagdud Rinpoche’s passing. We now plan to hold the Kurukulle retreat every year so that the last day will be on the anniversary of Rinpoche’s parinirvana. Some sangha members flew to Nepal to participate in the cremation ceremonies in Pharping. During the cremation ceremony, a Red Tara tsok was offered by the sangha at Ati Ling. After Rinpoche’s cremation, five of Jigme Rinpoche’s students from Ati Ling accompanied him on pilgrimage to India. All five aspire to return to Asia with Rinpoche as soon as possible.
We held our seventh annual Vajrakilaya drubchöd during the Martin Luther King weekend. Khentrul Rinpoche was the vajra master, and the umdzé was Lama Jigme. During the retreat, Rinpoche taught “The Four Nails.” It wove another golden thread into the brocade of teachings that Khentrul Rinpoche has given at Ati Ling, including a monthly series on The Way of the Bodhisattva.
Finally, a word of thanks to all who have helped in so many ways to keep the light of Ati Ling shining and to further our teacher’s amazing activity.
______
We write this in the midst of a hundred thousand tsok offerings that coincide with Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies in Nepal. As must be the case for his students and centers the world over, it is as if he sits among us, bestowing sublime and tangible blessings. Before him we confess our individual and collective shortcomings, and strongly aspire that all those connected to this great Lord of Dharma perfectly enact his compassionate vision through our practice and labors.
With the resolute help of the extended sangha, we managed to get the roof on the main hall of the new shrineroom that Rinpoche designed and broke ground for during his last visit to Iron Knot Ranch. It was no small task, and our sincere thanks go out to all those who made it possible through their generosity and hard work. The last of the tin went up just in time to host H.E. Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, who consecrated the new space through empowerment and his sublime teachings on the Flight of the Garuda.
Shortly thereafter, we were extraordinarily blessed by a weeklong visit by Khentrul Rinpoche, during which he taught The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva; in his spare time, he helped us with the building’s layout and long term planning.
Elsewhere on the ranch, construction was completed on a large pavilion sheltering the Guru Rinpoche statue from wind and rain, the butter lamp shrine was modified to accommodate better ventilation, having found that a thousand simultaneous lamp offerings turn it into a veritable oven, and we miraculously managed to get a hot shower up and running (alas, sans roof) in this our fifth year of getting exceedingly dirty. Work continues on our utility systems; water, solar electric, and communications are improved but still in need of tweaking. This spring, work will begin in earnest on an extensive prayer wheel project we are undertaking in concert with Rigdzin Ling.
Our prayers and well wishes go out to the sangha and friends during this time. Through our collective efforts in Rinpoche’s vast mandala, may all beings be led to his heart’s essence.
______
The activity level of our precious resident lama, Lama Gyat so Nubpa, is difficult to describe, much less keep pace with! In 2003 this included ngondro and chöd teachings in Switzerland, a weekend teaching in Alaska, a nine week pilgrimage to Asia, leading numerous fish releases and monthly Shi tro practices, as well as three other tsok feasts each month.
After months of renovation, in July 2003 the T’hondup Ling house in Los Feliz again became Lama Gyatso’s residence. We are grateful to the sangha members who generously offered their homes for our weekly practices during the renovation period. The house was originally purchased in 1997 by Don Delaquil for use as a center for T’hondup Ling. Over the years, many eminent lamas have blessed it with their teachings, practice, and presence. When Don and his family moved to another home nearby, Lama Gyatso and his family moved in. It was Don who requested of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche that Lama Gyatso become the resident lama for T’hondup Ling. We extend our heartfelt appreciation for his exemplary practice of the six perfections and for his years of selfless service.
In late July, Gonjang Rinpoche, Khenpo Choewang Dorje, and Lama Lhudrup came for a stay of several months. Gonjang Rinpoche served as vajra master for our annual T’hröma drubchöd, held in August at the Philosophical Research Society. Later in the fall, he offered teachings and empowerments in several cities, including Santa Barbara, Chicago, and Kapa’a, Hawaii.
The visiting lamas were an enormous help with the ongoing transformation of a former summer YMCA camp into a dharma retreat center. T’hondup Ling now has a retreat facility in the mountains, 120 miles north of Los Angeles. A gracious benefactor made possible the purchase of 475 pristine acres of secluded forest in the mountains of Tehachapi. This was the first step for Ari Bhöd, the American Foundation for Tibetan Cultural Preservation, a nonprofit organization under the direction of Lama Gyatso. The inaugural event was the Yeshe Tsogyal retreat in October, led by Namkha Drimed Rinpoche and attended by a host of lamas. On the day of the descent of blessings, Namkha Rinpoche remarked how happy he was that Lama Gyatso had secured the retreat land, adding how special the assembled galaxy of lamas was and that the retreat had been very beneficial, with many auspicious signs.
Lama T’hogme and Lama Lhudrup will remain at T’hondup Ling for a time, helping in Tehachapi, as well as organizing the statue consecration project and serving as models of diligence, discipline, and good humor.
______
The highlight of our year had to have been the recent visit to Boulder of Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, who taught The Three Words of Garab Dorje during one weekend last September at Marpa House. The teaching, well received by all who attended, drew participants from both coasts of this country and as far north as Alaska. A large contingent from Iron Knot Ranch traveled from the far southwest corner of New Mexico to attend. Just being in Namkha Rinpoche’s presence was a teaching in itself, providing inspiration and demonstrating how a true bodhisattva manifests.
In other sangha news, our valued and esteemed coordinator, Nancy Bradley, left us to go into retreat at Rigdzin Ling, and Dennis Kennedy became our new coordinator.
Special thanks go to Dennis, Phil Bossung, and all others who helped with all the behindthescenes work that made Namkha Drimed Rinpoche’s visit possible. May the merit in the mindstreams of all be manifold.
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Dungkar Ling, the newest Chagdud Gonpa center, opened in May 2003. Located on fourteen acres in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, it is forty five miles northeast of Philadelphia. The shrineroom is in what had been the living room of a 200 year old farmhouse and comfortably seats about thirty people. We also have a sitting room, a screened in dining porch for nice weather, and a bedroom reserved for visiting lamas. There is plenty of space for overnight guests, a large frame barn with a second floor apartment, and the potential for a larger shrine room on the ground floor. The yard comprises more than an acre of plantings and large, ancient trees. Fields currently used for horse grazing could be the future site for building projects, including residential space. We are working hard to replace the roof and plumbing of the farmhouse, as well as to widen a doorway for handicap accessibility.
We had a full house during our first event, a mindfulness retreat with Lama Zangpo in May. In August we hosted a dream yoga retreat with Lama Tsering and had twenty two people overnight for the five day practice. In September, Lama Zangpo returned with an introduction to guru yoga and the Vajrayana tradition, and in November Khentrul Rinpoche gave public talks in Philadelphia and in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
We gather regularly for mindfulness practice on Wednesday nights and a Red Tara puja on Sunday nights. We are slowly evolving into a devoted and dedicated sang ha; we feel the blessings of the lamas, joy from the teachings, and the energy from our practice throughout the house and grounds. We have a strong sense that many beings are benefiting and that all will benefit from our aspirations and prayers.
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The past year brought our sangha many blessings, all of which seemed to revolve around Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche’s passing. In July 2002, Rinpoche asked Lama Dorje and Lama Trinley to move from Rigdzin Ling to Dechhen Ling and serve as resident lamas, indicating that there was some urgency to their doing so. They purchased a home, moved in late October, and only three weeks later received news of his passing in Brazil. The experiences of our sangha at that time were like those of many throughout the world: a sense of shock tempered by openness, spaciousness, memories of Rinpoche, and an unexplainable feeling of peace. On the morning after his passing, the Red Tara statue and shrineroom glowed—not from the butter lamps or the sun but from the inside out; it was as if Rinpoche were everywhere.
We made Guru Rinpoche and Tara tsok offerings during the forty nine day period following Rinpoche’s parinirvana and have continued to hold daily Red Tara, Vajrakilaya, and protector practices, as well as monthly Red Tara, Shower of Blessings, and Tröma tsoks.
Visiting lamas this past year have included Gatsal Lama from Williams, Oregon, who has joined us for several tsoks. Lama Tsering Everest offered the Red Tara empowerment and teachings in August; and Khentrul Rinpoche has come several times, giving teachings on guru yoga, bodhichitta, and shamatha practice. Lama Pema Dorje visited briefly in January and bestowed a Guru Rinpoche empowerment, while Lama Dorje and Lama Trinley have offered several introductory dharma teachings on Sunday mornings.
This year’s annual Red Tara tsok was held in December in conjunction with Rinpoche’s cremation ceremonies in Nepal. Lama Gyaltsen, Lama Jigme Lode, Gatsal Lama, and sangha members from across Oregon gathered for three days to practice and offer their prayers. At the moment the cremation fire was being lit, it felt as though the entire mandala of Chagdud Rinpoche’s students throughout the world had become one, marveling at his kindness to us, while facing the painful task of finally having to say goodbye to his body as we knew it. It seemed appropriate that in his cremation Rinpoche would again make an offering of his body, this time as a brilliant butter lamp.
Two auspicious events occurred back to back in February. Khentrul Rinpoche taught The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva for five days; later, Lama Gyaltsen from Corvallis served as vajra master for three days of Vajrakilaya practice up through Losar.
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We have been hosting Chagdud Gonpa lamas about twice a year. Lama Padma and Lama Zangpo have given basic shamatha and vipashyana instruction, outlining how these two approaches are used in the Vajrayana in mantra recitation and deity practice. We feel these teachings have helped us clarify and solidify our practice.
In the past two years, we were fortunate to have a week-long summer retreat with Lama Zangpo at Cheryl Buchan’s comfortable cabin on beautiful Lake Laberge. Teachings and practice were punctuated with saunas, swims, and good food, with interested neighbors attending some teachings. The bluff overlooking the lake, the big sky, and the peaceful setting were all very conducive to meditation. We all treasured the intimacy of the small group, which allowed relaxed, personal, and transformative discussions with the lama. These retreats helped strengthen our sangha’s bonds as we strive to support one another in fulfilling our highest aspirations.
This year, Danielle Shula’s gentle presence was missed, as she has moved to Rigdzin Ling. Different sangha members have been attending various retreats and drubchens throughout the year, most notably Pamela Shaw and Dave Bruce, who were married by Jigme Tromge Rinpoche at the Essence of Siddhi drubchen last fall.
We look forward to another year of precious teachings—a winter weekend retreat with Lama Zangpo and a summer retreat with Lama Padma.
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The last time Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche visited Yeshe Ling, he asked us to build a Guru Rinpoche statue on a knoll above the shrineroom. Rinpoche said, “In the infinite interdependence of all phenomena, the very wind that blows over the surface of the statue will carry Guru Rinpoche’s sacred essence to the furthest reaches of the universe, blessing beings everywhere.” The project is progressing nicely under the capable hands of sculptor Glenn Sandvoss, along with the help of many other sangha members. The finished statue, located in the rolling hills above California’s Napa Valley, will stand about fifteen feet high. Later in the spring, Jigme Rinpoche will fill the statue with precious objects and perform the consecration. When the weather warms up, it will be painted by Glenn.
Last summer Jigme Rinpoche and Lama Tsering led re-treats here; we expect a visit from Chagdud Khadro when she travels to North America this spring.
