News about Khenpo Rinpoche and Marpa Foundation

Jun 19

Friday

Post a Comment June 19, 2009 – 6:30 pm | Permalink |

Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, courtesy of Marpa Foundation

Excerpt of Letter from Ari Goldfield

Greetings from Dechen Ling, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche’s residence in Seattle. I hope this letter finds you well. Here, Khenpo Rinpoche is doing fine, and all of us in his household are too. I write now to give you an update about Khenpo Rinpoche and the Dharma activities in his mandala.

Khenpo Rinpoche has decided to move back to Kathmandu on July 1st. For a couple of months, Rinpoche did not want to disclose this, but now he has given his permission to inform you. Rinpoche says that he wants to go back to Nepal to see the newly completed Tek Chok Ling nunnery. He says that he will stay there and not travel again for a long time. Please know that Rinpoche’s move is not for any reason connected with his health, which is pretty much the same as it was the last time I wrote in October, 2008.

Rinpoche says that his own personal activity will be the same as it was here in Seattle: He will stay mostly in solitary semi-retreat, and will not give teachings or interviews.

I supplicated Rinpoche to give some pith instruction to his students for this letter, and he replied with the following verse and advice:

All forms are appearance-emptiness, like dreams,
All sounds are sound-emptiness, like radio songs,
And all thoughts are inseparable bliss-emptiness.
Know this and meditate on this;
This is a profound pith instruction for you.

You should keep singing the songs of realization. Sing whatever songs you like the best; sing whatever songs help your meditation the most.

Read the remainder of Ari Goldfield’s letter.

Marpa Foundation Activity Report

Marpa Foundation‘s main activities continue to be the financial support of: Khenpo Rinpoche himself; Dharma translation; gathering and digitizing the audio and video recordings of Rinpoche’s teachings; and Rinpoche’s nuns and impoverished lay students in Nepal and Bhutan.

1. Supporting Khenpo Rinpoche

When Rinpoche returns to Nepal, Marpa Foundation will continue to provide all the financial support that Rinpoche requires, just as it has while Rinpoche has resided in Seattle.

2. Translation and Publication

Marpa Foundation is committed to translating and publishing books and articles of Khenpo Rinpoche’s teachings and the texts, songs, and aspiration prayers that Rinpoche considers important for students to learn and practice.

3. Digitization of Khenpo Rinpoche’s Teachings

Work on creating a digital archive of Khenpo Rinpoche’s teachings is proceeding on several tracks. In the most advanced effort, high-resolution digital files are being made from tapes of Rinpoche’s teachings gathered from Rinpoche’s older students. We are also working on assembling regional collections of recordings.

4. Support for Nuns and Lay Practitioners in Bhutan and Nepal

At Drubdey Gompa in Bhutan, the nuns are listening, reflecting, meditating, and working following Rinpoche’s instructions. In Nepal, construction work on the new buildings at Tek Chok Ling nunnery is essentially complete. Some work remains to be done on the interior of the buildings, but the nuns are now enjoying the use their new shrine room, classroom, living, and eating facilities.