Tsoknyi Rinpoche's Blog, page 13

Tsoknyi Nepal Nuns Earthquake Relief Update

Please click here to read today’s update on our earthquake relief efforts in Nepal: http://www.tsoknyirinpoche.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Tsoknyi-Nepal-Nuns.html

Experiencing Love While Your Heart is Breaking

Experiencing Love While your Heart is Breaking

~ A Teaching by Tsoknyi Rinpoche

Last night was a powerful experience for me. Seeing these three pictures, especially the last one, really affected me. It was the combination of the sadness of their suffering and the beauty of love in the midst of that suffering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflecting on them, tears streamed from my eyes. I couldn’t stop crying.

  

I saw many photos from Nepal, but these photos were especially powerful, because of the sadness and beauty together. So I wanted to share this reflection with my students and friends:

Love is the most important thing in the world. Love is what gives us life.

Look at the baby trying to milk the dead mother. We are doing this all the time, while our mothers are alive. We grow up milking our mother, because our mother’s love, with her milk, nurtures our human life.

And see the army soldier protecting another baby with love. Because of that love, the baby survived. Survival is also based on love.

Love carries us from birth through youth, and to the last breath of our life.

In the third photo, at the moment of death, love was trying to protect one another. This image is so sad and so beautiful. If we look deeply into it, nothing else was left at that last moment except love and trying to help each other.

So many reflections arose from seeing these photos. We are very lucky. Life is so precious; we don’t want to waste it. While we are OK, we have to appreciate our life. We can learn so many things from these photos.

What we can learn is that love is so important. It is what we need to practice while we are alive. Please connect to your essence love and express your love to any and all sentient beings. They really need it. Their survival is based on someone’s love. We can be one of those who offer our love. Without love and care nothing can survive.

Life begins with love, is maintained with love, and ends with love.

Right now, while we’re alive, is the time to practice and express love. So please take care of your love. Love is capable of reaching so many people.

~  TSOKNYI RINPOCHE, Argentina, April 2015

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EARTHQUAKE RELIEF UPDATE 5/3/2015:

There is still a great need for fundraising and a lot of relief work yet to be done.  Rinpoche has found that most of the relief work being done by the government and outside organizations is centered upon Kathmandu.  Therefore he is working to use funds donated through the Tsoknyi Nepal Nuns (www.tsoknyinepalnuns.org/donate/) to help rural mountain communities in addition to helping neighboring villages around our nunneries. There is a great need for shelter, tents or tarps.  There are huge challenges trying to find tents and tarps to purchase and even greater challenges getting these to the high mountain villages.  Rinpoche, his family, close friends and advisors in Nepal know how to get things done though and can apply help with precision.  He knows how to help effectively and encourages all of us to keep up our work raising funds for emergency relief and rebuilding. Thank you for the work that you are doing and your own generosity.

 

Mingyur Rinpoche and Lama Tashi Safe

We are happy to share with you this letter from Mingyur Rinpoche posted just now by Tergar International on their web site.

http://learning.tergar.org/2015/05/03/letter-from-mingyur-rinpoche-after-nepal-earthquake-2015/

Lama Tashi makes an offering

Tsoknyi Nepal Nuns Earthquake Update

 



Dear friends, 

We are finally getting some updates from Nepal via Fionualla Shenpen, our Primary School Director and from Rinpoche. I’m sharing photos from yesterday showing the nuns and Khenpos from Tsoknyi Gechak Ling helping the local village of Chobar. Over 25 houses were completely destroyed and 9 lives were lost in the lower village.Rinpoche has clarified that the Tsoknyi Nuns Welfare Foundation will distribute our Emergency Earthquake Relief Funds through the nunneries. We will not just hand over money to other organizations or towns. Rinpoche intends to help Chobar first as it is only steps from our nunnery, but he also wants to help around Swayambhu and Nubri. His aspiration is to raise over $100,000-$150,000 from around the world to go to emergency relief first. Rinpoche, his staff, family and the folks in Kathmandu will determine where and how to distribute funds and help.

The nuns, staff and Khenpos are out actively working in the village of Chobar. They have split into three groups.

1. 30 nuns are out helping dig in the village and helping in any way possible

2. Another group is working to bring water and medicine

3. The third group is working to find food

You will see photos of this activity in Dropbox. I think Rinpoche would like for our sharing of these photos to really show the nuns working.

Also, monks from Osel Ling are helping at Chobar and near Tondro Ling in the Swayambhu area.

Rinpoche sent message to nuns to be sure to wear gloves and shoes so that they don’t get hurt or sick.

Rinpoche’s complete motivation is to relieve suffering of human beings. He says, “I am feeling really really sad for the people of Nepal. They are so poor, they have nothing.”

Later we will then transition to repairing the new buildings at Tsoknyi Gechak Ling, we’ll have to completely rebuild the old Shrine Hall at Tsoknyi Gechak Ling as well as the three year retreat nunnery Tondro Ling near Swayambhu.

Rinpoche also gave a beautiful teaching about the power of love in these tragic circumstances. I will email that later today with some photos that inspired him.

Thank you all for everything you are doing. Your care, gifts, help and service mean so much and all of us can help Rinpoche and the nuns make a difference in the suffering going on in Nepal.

Love,

Julie

Tsoknyi Nepal Nuns

970 846 1016

Click here to view Earthquake relief lower chobhar village

(Tsoknyi Nepal shared these files using Dropbox. Enjoy!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nepal Earthquake Donation Links

Dear Friends,

Many of you are wondering how to help earthquake victims and communities that were devastated in Nepal.  There are many reputable “on-the-ground” organizations working round the clock to help very directly with this disaster. Below are links with updates and donation information through the organizations guided by Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Mingyur Rinpoche, and Chokyi Nyima:

For Tsoknyi Rinpoche (Pundarika Foundation), please donate through the Tsoknyi Nepal Nuns at www.tsoknyinepalnuns.org/donate
For Mingyur Rinpoche (Tergar Osel Ling), please donate through www.learning.tergar.org/2015/04/27/pray-for-nepal-2015
For Chokyi Nyima (Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling), please donate through www.shedrub.org 

 

Each of these sites has ongoing earthquake updates and telling photographs, so please keep checking back.

Thank you for your continuing prayers and donations. We hope to have an update soon on Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s Chobar nuns with photographs.

Warmest wishes,

The Pundarika Staff

Update from Director of Tsoknyi Gechak School

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for your messages of concern and your prayers. Firstly I want to assure you all that we are safe and well here in Tsoknyi Gechak Ling and keeping in good spirits.

There has been a terrible disaster here in Nepal and we feel very lucky to be alive, safe and well. So many others have not been so fortunate.

Please see the previously posted letter from Rinpoche re contributing to relief efforts

Please keep us in your prayers! As wifi access and electricity are extremely limited, updates will be limited.

Warmest regards,

Fionnuala Shenpen, Director
Tsoknyi Gechak School, Tsoknyi Gechak Ling, Chobhar, Kathmandu, Nepal
www.facebook.com/TsoknyiGechakSchool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0OEokdzq3A&sns=em

EMERGENCY MESSAGE FROM TSOKNYI RINPOCHE

Dear Friends and Students,

We are facing a very sad situation, the huge earthquake that struck Nepal. Many Nepali people, Nepali brothers and sisters, have perished. This is such a sad event. Many people have passed away, many have lost their homes, many are ill, trapped and injured. It is such a tragic event. What we can do immediately is to make dedication and aspirations prayers for all these people and their families.

The nuns at my nunneries, the monks at Osel Ling, all the monks and nuns at Ka-Nying and Nagi gonpa, all these people are fine and no one was injured. The structures did suffer some damage; some buildings at Osel Ling were damaged and some structures at Chobar were also damaged.

In terms of prayers, please recite the Dusum Sangye (Buddha of the Three Times) prayer below. Please also make prayers of compassion for the people who passed away and Guru Rinpoche prayers for the people who have survived. Also please pray that more earthquakes will not occur.

Practically, please help in whatever way you can. I would like to start by helping the village of Chobar, which suffered a lot of damage. I want to help Chobar village first, as its people are physically closest to us. Then we can help other places, we can spread out to surrounding areas. If you want to assist in this way, please send any support funds to Tsoknyi Nepal Nuns foundation [http://www.tsoknyinepalnuns.org/donate] or to your Pundarika organization or supporting organization in your respective countries. The funds will be distributed in appropriate ways. Please specify that the donation is for Nepal Earthquake Emergency Relief.

On a larger scale in Nepal, this disaster involves many medical problems, water and food issues and so forth. These are immediate emergency issues, and they need whatever support we can offer.

Eventually, we will have to rebuild and repair our nunneries. In particular, Tsoknyi Tongdro Ling, behind Osel Ling in Swayambu, where seven or eight people are in 3-year retreat, is severely damaged. But at this time I want to exclusively focus on immediate humanitarian relief for people that are suffering. Right now the situation is so serious that we need to focus on whatever is presently happening.

So please join me in helping in any way we can.

With sincere prayers and aspirations,

Tsoknyi Rinpoche

THE PRAYER TO GURU RINPOCHE TO SPONTANEOUSLY FULFILL ALL WISHES AND CLEAR AWAY OBSTACLES ON THE PATH

Dusum Sangye Guru Rinpoche

Ngodrub Kundag Dewa Chenpo Shab

Barchey Kunsel Dudul Dragpo Tsal

Solwa Debso Jingyi Labtu Sol

Chinang Sangwey Barchey Shiwa Dang

Sampa Lhungyi Drubpar Jingyi Lob

Guru Rinpoche, Buddha of the three times,

Lord of all siddhis who is the one of great bliss,

Dispeller of all obstacles, wrathful tamer of Mara,

We supplicate you; please grant your blessings.

Grant your blessings that outer, inner

and secret obstacles be pacified

And that our intentions be spontaneously accomplished.

NEPAL EARTHQUAKE NEWS

We have heard from reliable sources in Kathmandu that Rinpoche’s family, the nuns at Chobar Hill and Muktinath Monastery, and monks and nuns at K-Nying (Chokyi Nyima’s monastery) are also unharmed. The new buildings at Chobar have withstood the main tremors, but of course will need to be inspected for potential damage. For those of you who know Brady Hogan, we have heard she is also safe and in no danger. Rinpoche is teaching in Europe and was out of harm’s way. We hope to post more later this afternoon as we gather updated information and further news.

From Mount Madonna 2015: Rinpoche on Essence Love

This open retreat at Mount Madonna (near Watsonville, CA) included teachings on the healthy human being leading up to Dzogchen practice. Rinpoche noted that handshake practice is quite advanced and necessary for most of us to allow essence love to develop naturally. Essence love, as the home of the subtle body, then makes shamata and vipassana practices embodied and more powerful. He also discussed the key distinctions between Vajrayana and Dzogchen practice later in the retreat and his views on the cultural fit in the west with Dzogchen. He ended with a long guided meditation on dropping, handshake, essence love and the nature of mind.

Adam Kane translated this retreat with both love for his teacher and laser sharp clarity, and Tenzin Namsel provided very helpful and well-organized summaries each day.

Our Retreat Managers, Alan Morgenstern and Ariella Ben-David, helped create a good retreat container spiced with their light and playful senses of humor.

Here is a video clip taken at the retreat where Rinpoche speaks of essence love with great humor. We hope to post more photographs of the retreat soon.  Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Khamptrul Rinpoche in UK Today

Today, Khamptrul Rinpoche reached the UK safely and was graciously greeted by Tsoknyi Rinpoche, followers, and supporters of Tashi Jong. Some of these pictures were taken by Tsoknyi Rinpoche on his cell phone to commemorate Khamptrul Rinpoche’s first teaching in the West happening in the UK right now with over 200 students from around the world. This historic teaching tour will continue on to many cities in Europe (Oslo, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Paris and Munich) and to Buenos Aires, Argentina over the next two months. Tsoknyi Rinpoche organized this tour for Khamptrul Rinpoche (his reincarnation) and said he was very, very happy that he has come to teach in the West and that some of the Tashi Jong Togdens were able to join them as well. He was also happy that Pundarika UK did such a fine job hosting everyone in this first phase of the teaching of the tour.



[Editor’s note: Even though a few of the photos are a little fuzzy, we decided to include all of them to mark this momentous occasion!]