Compassionate Activities
Monasteries
Sustaining Tradition: Pema Ewam Choegar Monastery
Located in Kongtrul Rinpoche's birthplace of Bir, India, Pema Ewam Monastery was established by his father, the 3rd Neten Chokling Rinpoche, who was an emanation of the great tertön, Chokgyur Lingpa. For this reason Kongtrul Rinpoche maintains a close connection to the health and well being of the monastery, now under the care of the 4th Neten Chokling Rinpoche. Like any other of the Tibetan monasteries built anew in India since the late 1950s, Pema Ewam plays an important role in sustaining Tibetan Buddhism outside Tibet. To visit the monastery is to step into a rich, living culture of practice, ritual observance, art, study and community. The simplicity, focus and depth of Buddhist
monasticism flourish at Pema Ewam.
For the last eight years, Kongtrul Rinpoche has provided daily sustenance for this entire community, including monks and staff. He would very much like to continue to extend this much-needed assistance. With support from Mangala Shri Bhuti, in addition to their own funds, Pema Ewam has also been able to undertake a number of necessary expansion projects as well as on-going upkeep. These include a new addition to the existing monastery compound and construction of a three-year retreat center, complete with life-size statues of the principal deities.
Download a history of Pema Ewam and Bir
Rebuilding Tso Kar Monastery
Far from Bir, in the Riwoche
province of eastern Tibet, sits Kongtrul Rinpoche's own monastery, Tso
Kar. To compare the two structures-Pema Ewam's impressive main compound
of three buildings and Tso Kar's central building, worn and minimal for
the thirty monks living there-is to grasp in a moment the change of circumstances
Tibetan Buddhism has encountered over the last half-century. Yet, to witness
the inner light, resilience, dedication and care of the monks of both
communities is to understand the other half of the story: the indomitable
spirit that comes from a mind steeped in practice and the Buddhist outlook.
Tsokar monastery is situated just within the Tibetan Autonomous Region, making access extremely restricted. Nonetheless, Rinpoche is committed to supporting the thirty monks who live there, both financially and personally, by making the long arduous trek to greet them every few years at the border of the restricted area. For the monks, to receive this kind support from their Lama is like finding water in a dry, barren desert.
Now, the opportunity to return Tso Kar to full functionality has arisen.
Rinpoche and his monks plan a number of projects related to the health
and well being of the monastery and surrounding community, which share
close relations. First, is to reestablish the daily, weekly, monthly,
and yearly rituals and offerings. Next, is to re-build the three-year
retreat center. Most of the monks at Tso Kar - both young and old - have
completed at least one three-year retreat at the aging retreat center
associated with the monastery. At the same time repairs have begun on
the main monastery compound.
Along with monastery repairs, Rinpoche and his monks have begun to build a school nearby - a much-needed resource given the area's remote location. Under the monastery's direction, the school will provide an education and daily lunch for 108 children - a rare and precious opportunity for any child born in this area. Finally, up until now the monks have always begged for their food, traveling from village to village, collecting enough tsampa and dried cheese to last them through the winter. But, due to modernization and development, this is becoming increasingly difficult and unreliable. Rinpoche intends to provide this much needed support as well. Altogether what we are speaking of in relation to Rebuilding Tso Kar is the rejuvenation of the traditional balance of support between lay and monastic communities that has been the backbone of Tibetan Buddhist culture for many centuries.
How You Can Help
Kongtrul Rinpoche's vision for
both projects, Sustaining Tradition and Rebuilding Tso Kar Monastery,
is to establish a "seed fund" for each monastery of $100,000 USD. Investing
this money here in America, we will send the necessary amounts each month
via established channels. These seed funds will assist with present projects
and contribute well on into the future, securing financial self-sufficiency
for both monastaries.
Please
join in the merit of Sustaining Tradition and Rebuilding Tso Kar Monastery.
We welcome your donations. You may make a donation via our Store, or mail
your check to Mangala Shri Bhuti, PO Box 4088, Boulder, CO 80306 with
the name of the project you wish to support in the memo. For more information, contact jigme@ctelco.net.
Donate to Sustaining Tradition: Pema Ewam Monastery.
Please note donations may be made in increments of $5.
If you wish to join a mailing list about developments in both projects, click here.