IN MEMORIUM:
The
Passing of Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk
(1921-2008)
In This
Issue:
Patron King Series
X:
Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk
Patron of Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute
DKCLI Celebrates 25th Anniversary:
HH Sakya Trizin and HH Karmapa Visit DKCLI on Silver Jubilee
Three-Year Retreat at Vajradhara Gonpa Comes to a
Close
KF Grants and Scholarships Awarded
Above: Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk
discussed matters at
DKCL.
Digital Downloads:
Slideshow:
Three year
retreat opens its doors and comes to a close
Video Tribute:
REVITALIZING HIGHER BUDDHIST STUDIES: A TRIBUTE TO KHENPO KUNGA WANGCHUK
(1921-2008)
This short film is extracted from: "MAGICAL SHOW: The travails and The
Triumphs of Kunga Wangchuk" by Anika Tokarchou. Full Film available at Nomads
Land.
Slideshow:
HH Sakya Trizin and HH Karmapa
visit
DKCLI
Khyentse Foundation Annual
Report
Just in case you missed it
Video:
Ten Seconds of Pure Joy
News
Conclusion of Vajradhara Gonpa Three Year
Retreat
People who live in the west have all the comforts and commodities
they
need to make them happy in this life, but until now the true practice of Dharma has been unknown to them. -- From H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's
Retreat Advice
For the past three and a half years, Vajradhara Gonpa in NSW, Australia, has been consecrated as sacred ground for a three-year retreat. According to
the classical scriptures, not only those who undertake the strict discipline of retreat, but also those who attend their needs, accumulate immense
merit.
Under the guidance of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and retreat master Steve Cline, 28 people made the commitment at the end of 2004 to practice
determinedly for three years and three months, with little or no contact with the outside world, as they vowed to immerse themselves in the three
aspects of Buddhist training: discipline, meditation, and wisdom. According to Ngulchu Thogme's classic, The 37 Practices of a
Bodhisattva, "In
seclusion disturbing emotions gradually decrease; without distraction, virtuous activities naturally increase. With clarity of mind, conviction in
teaching arises. Cultivate seclusion--this is the practice of Bodhisattvas."
The retreat concluded this April, with a 10-day drubchen, a large group practice, led by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and three Bhutanese lamas,
Khenpo Sonam Tashi, Lama Sonam Puntsok, and Lama Urgyen. A large community of Australian practitioners participated in this event, and on the last
day
of the drubchen crowds of friends, relatives, local well-wishers, and reporters climbed the steep hill to the retreat center to celebrate with the
retreatants.
At present some of the retreatants continue to practice at Vajradhara Gonpa, where the next three year retreat is scheduled to begin in January of
2009. More
information can be found on the
Siddhartha's Intent web site.
Another Round of KF Scholarships
Awarded
We are pleased to announce four scholarship recipients for the January, 2008
round of open applications.
1) A psychologist from Chile will use his KF scholarship to attend the summer
program in Buddhist studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu. This recipient's aspiration is to create a therapeutic center in Chile
that will combine conventional therapeutic tools with mindfulness-based practices for mental health.
2) A Thai student received a scholarship to use toward a graduate degree in Buddhist Studies and South and South East Asian studies. This recipient
began training at a Buddhist Monastery at the age of 8. He was then sent to Sri Lanka at the age of 15 for further studies. Under the guidance of
Ven.
Prof. KL Dhammajoti, he began studying Buddhist scriptures in Pāli and Sanskrit and took courses in English and Chinese language. He received
a bachelor's degree from the International Buddhist College in Thailand in 2008.
3) A South African student was awarded a scholarship to pursue dharma studies at Nitartha Institute.
4) An Indian student was awarded a scholarship to study Tibetan in Dharamsala
to quality for PhD program in Buddhism.
Deadlines for applications are January 15 and July 15 of each year. For
more
information, visit the Scholarships
Page of the KF Web site.
Food Costs Soar in India
News organizations have been reporting a shocking escalation in food
prices throughout India. In
some cases, basic
staples such as rice and tea
have
gone up by 50%. Dzongsar
Khyentse Chökyi
Lödrö
Institute, based in
Himachal Pradesh state, has no way to
absorb these
costs. We are redoubling our efforts to support
the monastery so that they can continue the heritage of academic excellence.
Khyentse Foundation is committed to expanding the monastic fund to
$5 million by 2011 in order to cover costs for food,
medical, and basic needs at DKCLI and other monasteries supported by the Monastic Fund.
My Monthly Donor Story:
Letter from KF
Volunteer
Lynn Hoberg
It took me until the fall of
last year to become a
Khyentse Foundation monthly donor. By that time I
had been
to many of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's teachings and was quite
familiar with the Foundation and the five projects. But I didn't make
a
donation. I first met Cangioli Che at a dinner party during the
Madhyamika teachings in San Francisco. Over the course of the meal she
gave me a brief outline of the Foundation's history and projects, and
their financial goals and achievements. It was so impressive; I was so
pleased and amazed that my teacher had such an incredible group of
people carrying out his charitable wishes.
I remember that evening well
and I talked to many other sangha members about it, emphasizing what a
great organization it is and what an amazing job
Cangioli and many others are doing. But I still gave no money. Now, I
am financially secure but in a relatively low-income bracket, and I
have to say that making a donation to KF almost did not occur to me. I
guess I figured that people who supported the foundation made more
money.
Years later, when I was sharing an apartment with Noa Jones here in New
York and discussing an upcoming KF Communiqué,
it finally
dawned on
me. The matching program is made for people like me--people who want
to participate but feel like they have little to offer. Whatever I give
is
doubled! There can't be a downside to that!
I wonder why it took me so long to become a matching funds donor, but I
am now proud to say that I am. Because I'm now a part of the KF team,
I
see that my small monthly contribution really is the backbone of the
organization. When I see the KF presentation at teachings, I feel happy
to know
that I'm supporting Rinpoche's vision. And I know that my donations
get us closer to the goal of 100% participation. This is clearly the
easiest and most effective way for us to reach our KF goals and further
Rinpoche's charitable activities.
Are you receiving more than one copy of the Communique? Have you subscribed using different email accounts? If so, please help us
streamline our activities by unsubscribing any duplicates.
Thank you!
Read More About Khyentse Foundation's Activities at www.khyentsefoundation.org
Five
Projects
About
Us
How
You Can Help
Who We
Are
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His Holiness Sakya Trizin with the Lamdre Assembly, March 2008
Welcome to the May Communiqué
We were moments away from posting this edition of the
Communiqué, including a special patron king article about Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk, when news arrived of his passing on May 26.
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche was already on his way to Bir and went
straight to the
Chökyi Lödrö Institute upon arrival. His Holiness
Sakya Trizin was with Khenpo when he died, and Lama Sonam Phuntsok, Khenpo
Sonam Tashi, and Lama Ngodrub went from the Labrang that evening to offer
prayers. A number of pujas for Khenpo will take place, but HH Sakya Trizin's Lamdre Lobshey Cycle
empowerments and transmissions will continue.
Patrons of Buddhism: Part X
Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk and
DKCLI
1921-2008
In Tibet, the monastic
shedras (Buddhist Universities) maintain the authenticity and heritage
of the
Buddha's teachings. One such university is
Dzongsar Institute, in Derge, Eastern Tibet, founded by Rime master
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo in 1871. It quickly became a major center of
Buddhist
learning and became famous for its scholastic excellence under the
supervision of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö.
Over
the years, Dzongsar Institute
graduated many important scholars and khenpos, significantly
contributing to the revival of Buddhist teachings during the period.
Dzongsar Tibet was
totally destroyed during the political turmoil of the 1960s. Teaching
and learning has to stop for over twenty years.
Following is a tribute to
Khenpo
Kunga Wangchuk, who devoted his life to making sure that the legacy of
Dzongsar Institute continues. Khenpo passed away in Bir, India, on May
26,
2008.
by Jamyang Dargay
Dzongsar
Khenchen Ngawang Kunga Wangchuk was born into a nomadic family in 1921
in Kham Dege,
in eastern Tibet. Some knew him as Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk, but his
innumerable accomplishments earned him the title "Rinpoche" or "Khenpo
Rinpoche"
among his friends and students. When Khenpo Rinpoche was a child he
studied with working nomads. At the age of 18, he joined Dhocip
Monastery (a
monastery in the Sakya lineage) near his home. After that he became a
homeless ascetic, embracing the religion of the Buddha, and then went
on to
study Buddhist philosophy at Kham Je Dzongsar institute, a famous
shedra in Tibet.
At the age of
19, Khenpo Rinpoche realized very clearly that
there is nothing to love or attach to in Samsara; therefore he promised
to practice the Dharma. He received teachings on many profound Sutras
and
Tantras from his root lamas, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö
and Dhocip Khen Po Thupten Gyaltsen. At that time there was not
any electricity, so Rinpoche had to make butter lamps from his meal to
see his books. Sometimes he would study until the sun rose.
When Rinpoche was 28 years old, he became a khenpo's assistant and
taught Buddhist philosophy to many other disciples. At the age of 30,
he was
given the essential responsibility of teaching his own monastery's
monks as a khenpo in Dhocip Monastery.
In 1955, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö
went to Lhasa. Khenpo Rinpoche
was very sad to part from his teacher. He had requested that Jamyang
Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö take him along, but he was told to stay in Tibet
for the sake of the Buddha, Dharma, and all sentient beings. Perhaps
he
could come later. Soon after, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö traveled
through Utsang, central Tibet, to Sikkim, India. In 1959, he passed
into nirvana.
Khenpo Rinpoche never saw him again. He remained at the monastery as
head khenpo. However, due to the politics of the time, Rinpoche was put
into
prison from the age of 39 to 61--22 years of punishment for being a
spiritual teacher.
Khenpo
Rinpoche was released from prison in 1981, when he
was 61. He returned to his village in Tibet for one year. During this
time he received two letters from his root lama's reincarnation,
Dzongsar
Jamyang Khyentse
Rinpoche, asking him to come to India. Khenpo Rinpoche
decided to go to India, even though he was physically not well. When he
left his
family and villagers he told them that he was going on a pilgrimage to
Lhasa, but secretly he went to India. He had quite an adventure,
passing
through many different places and encountering many different
languages. He arrived safely in Sikkim seven months later andlater,
where he had the
great joy of meeting Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche..
In
1983, at the age of 63, he started to teach Dzongsar
Khyentse Rinpoche and seven other students in Sikkim. Two years later,
Dzongsar institute was founded at Bir in India by Dzongsar Khyentse
Rinpoche,
who appointed Khenpo Rinpoche as the head abbot. Year after year the
Institute grew; eventually there wasn't enough room for all the monks
and no
space for extensions. In 2002 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and Khenpo Rinpoche discussed
building a new monastery, Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö
Institute, in
Chauntra. Khenpo Rinpoche went to Taiwan, where he
drew support from many generous Dharma sponsors to build the new
institute. The old Dzongsar Institute became Deer Park. The monastery
in Chauntra is now a great facility with a huge temple in the middle
surrounded by the kitchen, dining hall, library, and residence of the
high root lamas. There are also over 250 rooms for the resident monks.
The institute is thriving and is considered one of the top institutions
of Buddhist higher education, similar to an Ivy League university in
the west.
Khenpo Rinpoche lived simply and without the luxuries that
he provided for his students. Rinpoche's life had many stories, and here
I'm telling only a drop in the ocean
Jamyang Darjay is a student at Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö Institute
in India and is studying English at the Institute's English
program, set
up by Khyentse Foundation.
VIDEO TRIBUTE TO KHENPO KUNGA WANGCHUK
HH Sakya Trizin and HH Karmapa visit DKCLI
Lamdre Lobshey Cycle at
Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi
Lödrö
Institute
On the occasion of its 25th Anniversary, Dzongsar
Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö
Institute is hosting HH Sakya Trizin, the head of the Sakya School,
for a historic transmission of the precious
teachings of Lamdre Lobshey. These are the quintessential instructions
particular to the Sakya Lineage. The transmission spans months,
beginning
March 18 and ending June 4. The transmission includes many empowerments
and instructions on the practices, along with extensive related
teachings.
Among the 200 Khenpos
and tulkus receiving the Lamdre transmission are many important Sakya
lineage
holders, including Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, Gyana Vajra Rinpoche, Luding
Khenchen Rinpoche, Asanga Rinpoche, Gar Shabdrun Rinpoche, Khenpo
Jamyang
Tenzin,
and Thartse Khenpo. HH Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje has twice visited
the Institute during the ceremonies. A total of 1800 monks and nuns
from
monasteries in India, Bhutan and Tibet are in attendance.
Oral transmission of
the Lamdre is given in the mornings by Thartse Khenpo. In the
afternoons HH
Sakya Trizin transmits the reading transmissions and grants deep
explanations of the texts; HE Ratna Vajra Rinpoche then offers a
review class.
Both
Chinese and English translations are available through a radio system
to the audience which includes ordained and lay people from India,
Taiwan,
Australia, United States, Brasil, Uruguay, Mexico, Russia, and other
countries.
In addition to the
Lamdre empowerments, HH Sakya Trizin has led consecration ceremonies
for the
monastery temple and granted the Buddha Vairocana empowerment at the
request of the Chauntra and Bir Tibetan communities in a crowded
ceremony, where
he blessed approximately 6000 people, including students from the local
schools who joined monks and lay community for this very special
occasion.
His Holiness has also led a three-day teaching on Sachen Kunga
Nyingpo's Parting from the Four Attachments at the nearby Deer
Park Institute.
Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö Institute
is catering for all the attending sangha, and the health
clinic
provides medical assistance to
almost 100 monks and nuns every day during the teaching breaks. Texts
and books have been distributed to all attending the teachings.
Reported by Maria Rita Stumpf (Karma Tinkartso) from Brazil.
Three Special Grants Awarded
KF awarded three Special Grants in January, 2008
Jonang Foundation
received a
grant to continue its work with living exemplars of the Jonang
tradition
inside Tibet and in the international community in order to
preserve and promote understanding of this distinctive lineage of
Tibetan Buddhism.
In response to the requests of Jonang masters that seminal works of
their tradition now be made available to a larger audience, the
Foundation is
concentrating its efforts on reproducing, translating, and publishing
select classical and contemporary works from the body of Jonang
literature. For more information about Jonang, please read their latest newsletter.
Tsechen Kunchab Ling,
the Temple
of All Encompassing Great Compassion, which is the seat of His Holiness
Sakya Trizin in the United States, received a grant to support the
translation
of biographies of Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen Palzangpo (1182-1251).
Sakya Pandita was a great scholar and one of the five founders of the Sakya
order. This
will be the first book in English to offer complete translations of
authoritative Tibetan biographies of this important master. Sakya Pandita was a prolific writer and a
great thinker who was primarily responsible for the transplantation from India to Tibet of the ten Buddhist sciences. Toward the end of his
life, he was invited to China and became the teacher of the Mongolian
Khan,
converting the warlike emperor to Buddhism. His influence there planted
the seeds that caused Tibetan Buddhism to later flourish in Mongolia.
The Berzin Archive
received a grant to expand their Tibetan-English online
glossary of terms. The Berzin Archive is a major multilingual
educational
tool
for information about the four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, the
history of Buddhism, Tibetan and Central Asian history, Tibetan
medicine and
astrology, and Buddhist-Muslim relations. The archive is addressing a major source of confusion and
misunderstanding about Buddhism: the imprecise and misleading
translation of specific terms. Many of
the Buddhist technical terms in Western languages were chosen by
Christian missionaries and have inaccurate connotations. Moreover, many
of the terms
coined by modern scholars interpolate Western philosophical ideas that
do not correspond to the Buddhist concepts. The confusion has become
compounded
when misleading English terms have been translated into other Western
and colloquial Asian languages. To counter this confusion, the Berzin
website
contains an extensive English-Tibetan-Sanskrit-German glossary of the
Buddhist technical terms with comprehensive definitions in English. The current online version of the
glossary contains 1200 terms. The grant will pay for
collecting more terms from the website, continuing work on defining
them in English,
and preparing the infrastructure for an expansion of the glossary to
include translations of terms and definitions in the other languages of
the
website.
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