TSUM Valley - The GLK Himalayan Sangha Project (FPMT)
The Buddhist Teachers & Lineage of the FPMT
| Dzambala Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Fund
 TSUM Valley We were given a copy of the GLK Himalayan Sangha Project by Mdm Wong of a vegetarian restaurant in Smith Street to help out with the fund raising. After reading through the brochure, we felt we needed to do this so that this Sangha community in a very remote and poor part of Nepal can survive and flourish. They are in a bad state and needed external resources so that the Nunnery and the Monastery could be repaired and the Sangha can have sufficient medical and food funds to continue their spiritual practice in the Buddha Dharma. This fund raising would never have been possible if we were not given the opportunity to help as well as the continous and warmest support from our Reiki graduates, family and friends. We would like to express our Deepest Gratitude towards all of you for all your Generousity and Compassion. "There is truly great and inconceivable benefits from making a donation to the Medical, Food and building fund of a Sangha. You will be directly helping to relieve the burden on monks and nuns to provide for their own meals, you will be ensuring that the monks and nuns have well-balanced nutritious meals and a decent and safe place to stay which will contribute to their minds being clear and more time to be able to study the precious Buddha Dharma and benefit all sentient beings." May the Pure and Precious Teachings of the Buddha That have not yet been Actualized become a Reality And Those that already have been Actualized, May They Never Degenerate May They Flourish and Remain Until Samasara Ends. Sponsors :-
The Benefits of your Sponsorship We have raised a total of S$1,800.00 for this TSUM Valley project. This amount of donation will provide items of Package A:
*This package come with a Life Long prayer dedication to all the Sponsors by the Retreat Monks & Nuns.* Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
Lama Zopa Rinpoche http://www.fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/default.asp In 2003, Lama Zopa Rinpoche was requested by Drukpa Rinpoche, a Bhutanese Lama, to take care of his remote monastery and nunnery in the Tsum valley, located in the northern border area of Nepal close to Tibet. The monks and nuns of the two places were in desperate need of help, being unable to support themselves any longer. Lama Zopa Rinpoche accepted the request immediately. He asked Tenzin Zopa, a disciple of Geshe Lama Konchok, to take on the task of finding support for the people of Tsum. Beyul Kyimolung - The Valley Of Happiness |
 |
In the remote borderlands of the high Himalayas, several valleys are said to be Beyul (hidden lands) Kyimolung (valley of happiness) that, according to ancient scriptures, were established by Guru Rinpoche, the 8th century Indian saint accredited with spreading Buddhism into the Himalayas and Tibet. Beyul are havens of peace, prosperity and spiritual progress, a place of refuge for believers. In the 17th century the Tsum valley that branches off the Budi Gandaki towards the north of Ganesh Himalaya (Mountain) in upper Gorkha, was named Beyul Kyimolung. | |
| Even non-Buddhists understand why Tsum is perceived as a blessed land. Perhaps one of Nepal's most beautiful valleys, it is cut off from the southern lowlands of Nepal by deep, forested gorges and swift rivers, and from Tibet in the north by snow-covered passes. The surprisingly flat valley floor provides for some 4,000 inhabitants of almost exclusively Tibetan origin. It is also home to Mu Monastery and Rachen Nunnery. |  |
|
Mu Monastery  |
Thirty monks were living at Mu monastery when Geshe Lama Konchok was abbot in the 1970's. The three monastic practices were observed, and in summer Geshe la would take the monks and nuns to some holy place such as Milarepa's cave and give teaching for several months, begging in the surrounding villages for food for his disciples. Of the original 30 monks only 7 are still there, all of them 60 years or more. They spend their time in life long retreat, living in utmost poverty. One of them explained the present situation like this: "It is very sad here now; the walls are falling down, there is hardly any food, nobody comes to make offerings or to support us. It seems there is no hope.” |
|
Because the monastery cannot provide education, food and shelter, not one single person has joined the monastery in the past 20 years. Now, however, there is hope. The monastery was handed over to the care of Lama Zopa Rinpoche – and Mu monastery may yet thrive. Rachen Nunnery After Rachen nunnery was founded in 1936 by Drukpa Rinpoche, many women joined. They dedicated their whole life to practice under the guidance of experienced masters, and eventually the nunnery grew even larger than nearby Mu monastery. |
 |
|
Rachen nunnery is home and safe haven for around 70 nuns right now, with over 40 young girls registered to be ordained in the next year or so. The oldest nun is 80 years old, and has lived at Rachen Nunnery for more than 75 years. Many of the nuns come from poor families, and have suffered a life of abuse, beating and threats of forced marriage before joining the nunnery. Being young and female in this remote area means quite often to be an easy victim of all kinds of abuse. The only way to escape this fate is to run away as far as possible, or join a nunnery an accepted place of protection and refuge. By entering the nunnery they have escaped a life of abuse and have the chance to make their life most meaningful through the study of the Dharma. Taking on incredible hardships, living the simplest life they proceed steadily on the path to liberation. |
 |
|
Living conditions in Tsum |
Living conditions at this remote, high altitude area is hard beyond imagination. The weather is cold all year around, and in winter, snow is piled high, making any movement impossible for more than two months. Most of the nuns and monks live a simple life, depending on the kindness of the family or maybe some rare benefactor. Each person takes care of their own food, and quite often they need to go begging to the village. The families are also poor, and will give food only in exchange for work in the fields. A little bit of tsampa, and some hot water, sometimes black tea is the daily diet, supplemented in summer by some herbs and vegetables. |
|
| The rooms and sleeping places are very simple; a mat or some stones or a sheet of wood in the floor. There are no tables, no beds, no carpets, not even glass in the windows. The roof consists of slabs of stone over a simple beam construction and does not afford much protection from the elements. There are no toilets in the nunnery or monastery, and the hygienic conditions are very poor. | ||
Establishing Priorities A food fund has been established to cover the food expenses for the coming year. Work on improving the infrastructure of the monastery and nunnery is being carried out already: Water pipes are being laid to bring clean water directly to the monastery and nunnery buildings, toilets are being built. A satellite telephone available to all the villages has already been installed to help with communication. |
 |
|
|
The most immediate needs are to raise enough funds to ensure the food supply for the sangha community for the next five years. Rebuilding and renovating the rooms that are in disrepair is another priority. Installation of solar lighting is a must to make education possible and solar hot water will help to preserve the surrounding forests that are now the main source of fuel for cooking. |
||
| The Next Step
|
The next step is for the project to reach out to the local community. As the first of several community projects, a small health-post will be set up at Rachen Nunnery later this year to serve the sangha and the lay people in the area. A traditional doctor trained in Tibetan medicine will join this health post in the future. The public school managed by Rachen nunnery - currently very small in space but with a large number of children - will be extended. A hostel is needed nearby to allow the children from far away villages to attend school as well. The school and the hostel will continue to be under the care of the nuns of Rachen Nunnery. A public library will be made available to everybody and an old people's home will be set up near Mu monastery to take care of those with no family to care for them. Many needs, many plans - with all of us helping it will become a reality for the people of Tsum valley. |
|
© January 2004 My Healing Hands ALL RIGHTS RESERVED