Dear friends in the Dharma,

           I hope this mail finds you well and in good spirits. I am doing well as usual and everything is fine with me.

On the great occasion of the coming New Year 2013, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartiest greetings and prayers to every one of you.

I would like to pray for your good health and prosperity.

May your dreams come true in the coming year and may things go well without obstacles.

May Buddha always bless you and may your Dharma practices become fruitful.

May you live long and healthily forever.

At the same time I would like to share some important thoughts that come to my mind.

We are living on this planet together and  we all belong to one human family. Our nature is the same in that we wish to achieve happiness and try to avoid suffering every single moment.

Since we have the good fortune to be born as a human being,  we have the great wisdom that can make a distinction between positive and negative which is virtue and non virtue. Therefore, every single moment we have to try to do good things for others as well as for our self.

No matter what religion and nationality that we belong to, we all belong to the same human family. Therefore we need to do things practically rather than keep talking. Keep talking to benefit all mother sentient beings is good, but doing and helping practically and in positive ways is most important.

I always believe that one single, kind action of doing and helping is more effective and essential than lots of talking, talking, talking about helping and doing.  It's action, it's in the life, it can change people's lives for the better.

Please join with me and keep this in our minds if you think that is true!!

  

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

Look forward to hearing from you too.

With lots of prayers and greetings,

Khenpo Rangdol

Tserkarmo monastery festival...

Dear friends,

Here I am sharing some pictures of the annual programmes at Tserkarmo monastery. It was celebrated on the 2nd of August which was the anniversary of Gampopa,one of the Greatest Kagyu Masters. In the morning, His Eminence Chosji Togdan Rinpoche and H.E.Rigyal Rinpoche gave Achi Choskyi Dolma empowerment and afterwards the Achi mask dance was performed. The lunch was served to all the participants. After lunch Ladakhi culture performances were shown and everybody was so pleased with all the programmes.

Dear Dharma friends,

This is the auspicious month of Saga Dawa, the month of Buddha Shakya Muni’s Parinirvana, when he attained enlightened mind and took birth on this planet for the sake of all mother sentient beings.

  I hope that you are all well and good spirits. I am well but I have been very busy for many months and now I am on my summer vacation in the UK until the 2^nd of July.

Last weekend I was so glad to meet Ringu Tulku Rinpoche from Karma Kagyu in Southampton and we had many meaningful talks together.

Recently, I gave two talks in Oxford, one for the students and one as a public talk. On Saturday I am going to Manchester for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings. From then on I have plans to visit friends in the Leeds area, Oxford, London and Southampton.

 On the 4^th of July I will go to Ladakh to look after our Tserkarmo Projects. It is with heartfelt gratitude that I wish to thank all of you for your support and generosity with our Stupa project, our poverty relief and environmental projects in Ladakh.

 As you know, last year in August, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang inaugurated and blessed the great Bodhi Stupa. We had five days programmes including the inauguration and everyday very auspicious, unusual rainbows appeared in the clear sky. We were all very inspired by such a great magnificent blessing.

This summer we are planning to build eight small memorial Stupas to commemorate the people who lost their precious life in the Ladakh floods in 2010. And to complete the meditation hall, the library and the museum.

We are very proud to announce that we have been given over a hundred photos of Ladakh by Martin Bates that were taken in the 1920’s by his uncle Rupert during his travels to Ladakh.

We would be so happy to receive any appropriate artifacts that you might wish to donate for the museum and any relevant books, manuscripts, artwork, audio visual recordings for our library.

It is our wish to have a comprehensive library and museum that is open to all to enjoy, benefit from and receive the blessings of the Dharma.  

Here I would like to share our aims and objectives for the Tserkarmo projects. Our projects are built for the benefit and use of the whole community including ordained and lay people. Everyone is most welcome to come for retreat, meditation, study and relaxation.

We are very involved with helping orphan children, the elderly and planting trees for the environment.

We have plans to provide a modern Buddhist education for the Ladakhi students, provide facilities for any one from any country who would like to do a short or longer term retreat and to set up an

International summer camp for meditation and Buddhist courses. You can find full details of the projects and programmes in the attached brochure.

In order to run such noble activities we need ongoing support. So I would like to request anybody who can share anything they have: money, service, advice, any kind of help or assistance would be very welcome and they would really go to the place that is targeted. 100% of all money, donations will go to these projects, all expenses are met by volunteers. Thank you very much.

Whenever you transfer your generous donations, please inform us by email, as we need to give your details to the Indian government for their records.

Lastly, I would like to extend my deepest prayers for your longevity and every success for the daily activities.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

With lots of prayers

Khenpo Rangdol