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In This Issue:

Podcast, Clinic News, Scholarship Update, and a New Cookbook

On May 31, 2007, the night sky will be bright with a full moon, and Visakha Puja will be celebrated around the world marking Buddha Shakyamuni's birth in Lumbini, his enlightenment in Bodhgaya, and his parinirvana in Kushinagara. In Tibetan, this special day is called Saga Dawa. From his recent retreat in Japan, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has offered a teaching for today. To listen, simply download the podcast from the Siddhartha's Intent Web site.

In this Communiqué we share the latest news about the Foundation's activities including: A progress report and slideshow from the Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute Health Center in Chauntra; An update about the Scholarship Fund's disbursements; A new cookbook entitled Potsie's Organic Recipe Book-- A Practice with Food Guide by Patti Coffey whom many know from the delicious meals she served up at Sea To Sky Retreat Center in British Columbia, Canada. 

Executive Director Cangioli Che has also been on the road quite a lot in the past few months, most recently in New York City to attend the board meeting of the Tibetan Buddhist Resources Center (TBRC). She also met with Gene Smith, Alek Zenkar Rinpoche, David Lunsford of Bodhi Foundation, and others about the TBRC digital library and a number of important projects.  Because Khyentse Foundation is such an international organization, these face-to-face meetings are rare but essential.

Taiwanese Dentists at DKCL Institute Health Center. Photo credit: Dr. 史信財

Slideshow

A Taiwanese dentist recently donated a complete set of portable dental equipment to the Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute (DKCLI) in Chauntra, India. This gift will greatly complement the health center now in operation on the Institute's grounds. The convenient dental set includes a luggage-size bag of high-speed and low-speed hand pieces, scaling machines with Cavitron tips that help dentists to provide basic dental care. The equipment is brand new and similar to the many sets sent by Tzu Chi Foundation* (www.tzuchi.org) to countries in need all over the world.

Nikki Keefe, a volunteer nurse from Australia, welcomed the Taiwanese sponsors.  "I had the great privilege to be working at the Health Centre when the Taiwanese party first arrived to set up the dental clinic," she says. "They offered the most incredible dental service to the monks, working morning to night, not only doing checkups, cleaning, fillings and extractions but also teaching the monks about good dental hygiene and flossing. Good, affordable dental care and dentistry is very hard to come by in rural Himachal Pradesh so consequently many of the monks have poor dentition and gum disease, so this service and the dental kit that the Taiwanese dentists are offering is invaluable and will have a big impact on the health of the monks."

The dental set will be delivered to the Institute in June when a group of dentists, Chinese medical doctors, and related personnel will visit the Institute to provide additional free medical care. This is the group's second trip to the Institute this year, and their services will extend to the nearby monasteries and villages in addition to the 600 monks and teachers of the Institute. Their visits are arranged by students of Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk in Taiwan. (Choskyi Jungne Buddhist Center 正法源學佛院 www.chokyilodro.org )

In addition, another group of Taiwanese sponsors has generously donated 50% of the funds needed to endow the ongoing operation of the DKCLI Health Centre. The Health Centre was established last year to assess the health status of the monastic population, provide basic health care, establish health programs such as vaccination and immunization, and improve the monks' general education about health care, nutrition, and hygiene. The Health Centre now has a full-time nurse, and western and Tibetan doctors visit weekly. A hepatitis immunization program was successfully implemented during the year.

* Tzu Chi Foundation (慈濟功德會) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1966 by Dharma Master Cheng Yen in Taiwan. A volunteer-based spiritual as well as welfare organization, Tzu Chi's missions focus on giving material aid and inspiring love and humanity in both givers and receivers. Today, Tzu Chi is an international organization with over 5 million supporters and over 30,000 certified commissioners around the globe. www.tzuchi.org

The Buddha's Parinirvana 

Japan, Kamakura period (1185-1332) 

Compliments of Fragile Palm Leaves Foundation

KF Scholarship Recipients Venerable Hour Sariddh and Venerable Nhep Soeu. Photo: Glenn Fawcett                         Applications for the next round of scholarships will be accepted by the KF Scholarship Committee between June 25 to July 25, 2007.  For application forms and more information visit the scholarship fund page of our web site.

Khyentse Foundation Recently Awarded Scholarships to the Following Individuals:

• Four monks from Cambodia to further their studies in Sri Lanka. Two of the monks, Venerable Hour Sariddh and Venerable Nhep Soeu, are in their first year of studies, and two will be selected for the same program later this year.By 2008, Khyentse Foundation expects to be supporting six Cambodian monks, two in each year of the three-year program leading to a Masters Degree in Buddhist studies. An intensive English language course was organized to prepare the monks This program is organized in collaboration with the Khmer-Buddhist Educational Assistance Project (KEAP).
• A Norwegian student to complete Buddhist studies in Nepal, while studying Tibetan and Sanskrit, with the aspiration to translate Buddhist texts into western languages.
  
• An American registered nurse in oncology to complete his three-year retreat to benefit the doctrine and all beings. Ultimately, he aspires to embody Dudjom Rinpoche's words about the great yogi Zurpoche, who practiced "without hoping for enlightenment in the future, in order to disclose it in the present." 
• An Indian student to study Tibetan in Dharamsala to prepare her to teach Buddhism at an Indian university.

Dear Noa, Thank You For Joining Our Matching Fund Program or, if you have not already done so, Please Consider Joining! Khyentse Foundation is very fortunate to have received a generous commitment by a group of sponsors to match all scheduled, recurring donations, dollar for dollar, for as long as the donations continue. For every dollar that you donate, we are able to put $2 to work. For example, a pledge of $100 per month will be doubled, generating $2,400 for the Foundation over the course of the year. More than 250 individual donors all over the world have already committed to make monthly contributions. No amount is too small; even a commitment of $10 per month makes a difference. Donate online or  download the mail-in form here.

New Cookbook by SSRC Favorite Patti Coffey

For ten years Patti Coffey (nee Mirrett) operated Potsie's Organic a small home-based business that manufactured and sold vegan edibles to a loyal following at outdoor farmers markets, community events and retail stores. In this book-- written and illustrated by hand, you'll find an eclectic collection of foodstuffs with tips, tales and treasures.There are gift giving ideas and over one hundred recipes. Patti has been studying and practicing the dharma since 1996 and in 1998 began as an on-call cook at Sea to Sky Retreat Centre in Whistler British Columbia. It was during one of these sojourns that the idea occurred to her to write a food book for sale, with profits going to Khyentse Foundation.

CD $29.00;  USD $24.50

Taxes and shipping charges where applicable.

TO ORDER, CALL TOLL FREE

FROM CANADA/USA:               + 877 814-0339

FROM OTHER COUNTRIES:     + 604-814-0339

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