I would like to take this opportunity to explain a little about the background and aims of a project that I have launched in California, the Padmasambhava Peace Institutional organization and registered as such in the state of California, came about after discussions I’d had with Chagdud Rinpoche about the need to broaden dharma activity on the West Coast of the United States.
Since childhood, it has been my dream to build a great statue of Guru Rinpoche, perhaps because I had heard so many stories about him. As some of you know, Chagdud Rinpoche and I had originally planned to construct such a statue on land we bought in Nepal, near the sacred Yangleshod Cave; for a number of reasons, however, we gradually changed our minds. We felt it would be extremely beneficial to instead build such a statue in the United States, so that many who are not yet familiar with Guru Rinpoche would be able to make an auspicious connection with him. Rinpoche thought that if Americans went through very difficult times owing to the depletion of their country’s merit, a Guru Rinpoche statue could offer significant blessings. Besides, because the United States is such a powerful country, whatever seeds are planted here will eventually affect the whole world.
Rinpoche felt that by having only a statue on the land, we would miss an opportunity to develop other areas of activity—he was always considering ways to extend his dhar ma activities in a variety of directions.
For these reasons, I have decided that PPI’s work will cover two main areas. First, it will provide training in traditional Tibetan Buddhist subjects such as art, astrology, language, and philosophy. These will be taught in a shedra, a school providing the intellectual foundation for Buddhist practice through the intensive study of classical texts and commentaries. I would like to encourage in depth study of these treasures and to develop a new pool of students able to explore firsthand the enormous range of Tibetan texts that have yet to be translated into English. Practitioners who truly immerse themselves in the Tibetan language with the intention of becoming translators will bring immeasurable benefit to their spiritual community. At the same time, however, translators who know only the language but have no grounding in proper practice have never tasted the essence of the teachings. Therefore, it is important that at PPI we combine the two elements—language and traditional learning, and practice. To achieve this, I plan to bring a number of teachers from Tibet, Nepal, and India to the institute.
Second, PPI will offer a number of personal development, health, and cultural programs appropriate to the needs of the local community, in keeping with our overall intent to promote peace and well being. These will include courses on mediation and meditation skills for at risk youth and adults, stress reduction programs, and hospice care training that draws on traditional Tibetan concepts of death and dying. We will also provide the space and facilities for group or individual retreats.
All of these activities will take place on the extensive, beautiful grounds of the Black Mountain Preserve near Santa Rosa. In less than a year, we raised more than $2.2 million to purchase the land and its many buildings. Currently, however, we still need $400,000 to remodel and upgrade the existing facilities, so that we can open our doors as soon as possible and initiate our programs. We also need volunteers to help with various projects on the property. If you can support the Padmasambhava Peace Institute financially, or by offering your time and energy, we would appreciate hearing from you. Any offering, no matter how small, will help us reach our goal. May all beings benefit! For more information, visit us at www.padmapeace.org or call us at (707) 523–8427.
—Jigme Tromge Rinpoche
I would like to take this opportunity to explain a little about the background and aims of a project that I have launched in California, the Padmasambhava Peace Institutional organization and registered as such in the state of California, came about after discussions I’d had with Chagdud Rinpoche about the need to broaden dharma activity on the West Coast of the United States.
Since childhood, it has been my dream to build a great statue of Guru Rinpoche, perhaps because I had heard so many stories about him. As some of you know, Chagdud Rinpoche and I had originally planned to construct such a statue on land we bought in Nepal, near the sacred Yangleshod Cave; for a number of reasons, however, we gradually changed our minds. We felt it would be extremely beneficial to instead build such a statue in the United States, so that many who are not yet familiar with Guru Rinpoche would be able to make an auspicious connection with him. Rinpoche thought that if Americans went through very difficult times owing to the depletion of their country’s merit, a Guru Rinpoche statue could offer significant blessings. Besides, because the United States is such a powerful country, whatever seeds are planted here will eventually affect the whole world.
Rinpoche felt that by having only a statue on the land, we would miss an opportunity to develop other areas of activity—he was always considering ways to extend his dhar ma activities in a variety of directions.
For these reasons, I have decided that PPI’s work will cover two main areas. First, it will provide training in traditional Tibetan Buddhist subjects such as art, astrology, language, and philosophy. These will be taught in a shedra, a school providing the intellectual foundation for Buddhist practice through the intensive study of classical texts and commentaries. I would like to encourage in depth study of these treasures and to develop a new pool of students able to explore firsthand the enormous range of Tibetan texts that have yet to be translated into English. Practitioners who truly immerse themselves in the Tibetan language with the intention of becoming translators will bring immeasurable benefit to their spiritual community. At the same time, however, translators who know only the language but have no grounding in proper practice have never tasted the essence of the teachings. Therefore, it is important that at PPI we combine the two elements—language and traditional learning, and practice. To achieve this, I plan to bring a number of teachers from Tibet, Nepal, and India to the institute.
Second, PPI will offer a number of personal development, health, and cultural programs appropriate to the needs of the local community, in keeping with our overall intent to promote peace and well being. These will include courses on mediation and meditation skills for at risk youth and adults, stress reduction programs, and hospice care training that draws on traditional Tibetan concepts of death and dying. We will also provide the space and facilities for group or individual retreats.
All of these activities will take place on the extensive, beautiful grounds of the Black Mountain Preserve near Santa Rosa. In less than a year, we raised more than $2.2 million to purchase the land and its many buildings. Currently, however, we still need $400,000 to remodel and upgrade the existing facilities, so that we can open our doors as soon as possible and initiate our programs. We also need volunteers to help with various projects on the property. If you can support the Padmasambhava Peace Institute financially, or by offering your time and energy, we would appreciate hearing from you. Any offering, no matter how small, will help us reach our goal. May all beings benefit! For more information, visit us at www.padmapeace.org or call us at (707) 523–8427.
—Jigme Tromge Rinpoche
I would like to take this opportunity to explain a little about the background and aims of a project that I have launched in California, the Padmasambhava Peace Institutional organization and registered as such in the state of California, came about after discussions I’d had with Chagdud Rinpoche about the need to broaden dharma activity on the West Coast of the United States.
Since childhood, it has been my dream to build a great statue of Guru Rinpoche, perhaps because I had heard so many stories about him. As some of you know, Chagdud Rinpoche and I had originally planned to construct such a statue on land we bought in Nepal, near the sacred Yangleshod Cave; for a number of reasons, however, we gradually changed our minds. We felt it would be extremely beneficial to instead build such a statue in the United States, so that many who are not yet familiar with Guru Rinpoche would be able to make an auspicious connection with him. Rinpoche thought that if Americans went through very difficult times owing to the depletion of their country’s merit, a Guru Rinpoche statue could offer significant blessings. Besides, because the United States is such a powerful country, whatever seeds are planted here will eventually affect the whole world.
Rinpoche felt that by having only a statue on the land, we would miss an opportunity to develop other areas of activity—he was always considering ways to extend his dhar ma activities in a variety of directions.
For these reasons, I have decided that PPI’s work will cover two main areas. First, it will provide training in traditional Tibetan Buddhist subjects such as art, astrology, language, and philosophy. These will be taught in a shedra, a school providing the intellectual foundation for Buddhist practice through the intensive study of classical texts and commentaries. I would like to encourage in depth study of these treasures and to develop a new pool of students able to explore firsthand the enormous range of Tibetan texts that have yet to be translated into English. Practitioners who truly immerse themselves in the Tibetan language with the intention of becoming translators will bring immeasurable benefit to their spiritual community. At the same time, however, translators who know only the language but have no grounding in proper practice have never tasted the essence of the teachings. Therefore, it is important that at PPI we combine the two elements—language and traditional learning, and practice. To achieve this, I plan to bring a number of teachers from Tibet, Nepal, and India to the institute.
Second, PPI will offer a number of personal development, health, and cultural programs appropriate to the needs of the local community, in keeping with our overall intent to promote peace and well being. These will include courses on mediation and meditation skills for at risk youth and adults, stress reduction programs, and hospice care training that draws on traditional Tibetan concepts of death and dying. We will also provide the space and facilities for group or individual retreats.
All of these activities will take place on the extensive, beautiful grounds of the Black Mountain Preserve near Santa Rosa. In less than a year, we raised more than $2.2 million to purchase the land and its many buildings. Currently, however, we still need $400,000 to remodel and upgrade the existing facilities, so that we can open our doors as soon as possible and initiate our programs. We also need volunteers to help with various projects on the property. If you can support the Padmasambhava Peace Institute financially, or by offering your time and energy, we would appreciate hearing from you. Any offering, no matter how small, will help us reach our goal. May all beings benefit! For more information, visit us at www.padmapeace.org or call us at (707) 523–8427.
—Jigme Tromge Rinpoche
I would like to take this opportunity to explain a little about the background and aims of a project that I have launched in California, the Padmasambhava Peace Institutional organization and registered as such in the state of California, came about after discussions I’d had with Chagdud Rinpoche about the need to broaden dharma activity on the West Coast of the United States.
Since childhood, it has been my dream to build a great statue of Guru Rinpoche, perhaps because I had heard so many stories about him. As some of you know, Chagdud Rinpoche and I had originally planned to construct such a statue on land we bought in Nepal, near the sacred Yangleshod Cave; for a number of reasons, however, we gradually changed our minds. We felt it would be extremely beneficial to instead build such a statue in the United States, so that many who are not yet familiar with Guru Rinpoche would be able to make an auspicious connection with him. Rinpoche thought that if Americans went through very difficult times owing to the depletion of their country’s merit, a Guru Rinpoche statue could offer significant blessings. Besides, because the United States is such a powerful country, whatever seeds are planted here will eventually affect the whole world.
Rinpoche felt that by having only a statue on the land, we would miss an opportunity to develop other areas of activity—he was always considering ways to extend his dhar ma activities in a variety of directions.
For these reasons, I have decided that PPI’s work will cover two main areas. First, it will provide training in traditional Tibetan Buddhist subjects such as art, astrology, language, and philosophy. These will be taught in a shedra, a school providing the intellectual foundation for Buddhist practice through the intensive study of classical texts and commentaries. I would like to encourage in depth study of these treasures and to develop a new pool of students able to explore firsthand the enormous range of Tibetan texts that have yet to be translated into English. Practitioners who truly immerse themselves in the Tibetan language with the intention of becoming translators will bring immeasurable benefit to their spiritual community. At the same time, however, translators who know only the language but have no grounding in proper practice have never tasted the essence of the teachings. Therefore, it is important that at PPI we combine the two elements—language and traditional learning, and practice. To achieve this, I plan to bring a number of teachers from Tibet, Nepal, and India to the institute.
Second, PPI will offer a number of personal development, health, and cultural programs appropriate to the needs of the local community, in keeping with our overall intent to promote peace and well being. These will include courses on mediation and meditation skills for at risk youth and adults, stress reduction programs, and hospice care training that draws on traditional Tibetan concepts of death and dying. We will also provide the space and facilities for group or individual retreats.
All of these activities will take place on the extensive, beautiful grounds of the Black Mountain Preserve near Santa Rosa. In less than a year, we raised more than $2.2 million to purchase the land and its many buildings. Currently, however, we still need $400,000 to remodel and upgrade the existing facilities, so that we can open our doors as soon as possible and initiate our programs. We also need volunteers to help with various projects on the property. If you can support the Padmasambhava Peace Institute financially, or by offering your time and energy, we would appreciate hearing from you. Any offering, no matter how small, will help us reach our goal. May all beings benefit! For more information, visit us at www.padmapeace.org or call us at (707) 523–8427.
—Jigme Tromge Rinpoche
I would like to take this opportunity to explain a little about the background and aims of a project that I have launched in California, the Padmasambhava Peace Institutional organization and registered as such in the state of California, came about after discussions I’d had with Chagdud Rinpoche about the need to broaden dharma activity on the West Coast of the United States.
Since childhood, it has been my dream to build a great statue of Guru Rinpoche, perhaps because I had heard so many stories about him. As some of you know, Chagdud Rinpoche and I had originally planned to construct such a statue on land we bought in Nepal, near the sacred Yangleshod Cave; for a number of reasons, however, we gradually changed our minds. We felt it would be extremely beneficial to instead build such a statue in the United States, so that many who are not yet familiar with Guru Rinpoche would be able to make an auspicious connection with him. Rinpoche thought that if Americans went through very difficult times owing to the depletion of their country’s merit, a Guru Rinpoche statue could offer significant blessings. Besides, because the United States is such a powerful country, whatever seeds are planted here will eventually affect the whole world.
Rinpoche felt that by having only a statue on the land, we would miss an opportunity to develop other areas of activity—he was always considering ways to extend his dhar ma activities in a variety of directions.
For these reasons, I have decided that PPI’s work will cover two main areas. First, it will provide training in traditional Tibetan Buddhist subjects such as art, astrology, language, and philosophy. These will be taught in a shedra, a school providing the intellectual foundation for Buddhist practice through the intensive study of classical texts and commentaries. I would like to encourage in depth study of these treasures and to develop a new pool of students able to explore firsthand the enormous range of Tibetan texts that have yet to be translated into English. Practitioners who truly immerse themselves in the Tibetan language with the intention of becoming translators will bring immeasurable benefit to their spiritual community. At the same time, however, translators who know only the language but have no grounding in proper practice have never tasted the essence of the teachings. Therefore, it is important that at PPI we combine the two elements—language and traditional learning, and practice. To achieve this, I plan to bring a number of teachers from Tibet, Nepal, and India to the institute.
Second, PPI will offer a number of personal development, health, and cultural programs appropriate to the needs of the local community, in keeping with our overall intent to promote peace and well being. These will include courses on mediation and meditation skills for at risk youth and adults, stress reduction programs, and hospice care training that draws on traditional Tibetan concepts of death and dying. We will also provide the space and facilities for group or individual retreats.
All of these activities will take place on the extensive, beautiful grounds of the Black Mountain Preserve near Santa Rosa. In less than a year, we raised more than $2.2 million to purchase the land and its many buildings. Currently, however, we still need $400,000 to remodel and upgrade the existing facilities, so that we can open our doors as soon as possible and initiate our programs. We also need volunteers to help with various projects on the property. If you can support the Padmasambhava Peace Institute financially, or by offering your time and energy, we would appreciate hearing from you. Any offering, no matter how small, will help us reach our goal. May all beings benefit! For more information, visit us at www.padmapeace.org or call us at (707) 523–8427.
—Jigme Tromge Rinpoche
