Tuesday, July 18, 2006

The temple in Boudha

A little more background and some new pictures from the early '70s (the text is from Blazing Splendor by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche):
At the Karmapa’s suggestion, I went to Malaysia with three attendants. Our little gang of four robed people were the first Tibetan lamas to visit. The trip lasted three months and I was able to accumulate a fair amount of funds from faithful Chinese Buddhists there.
I had decided to use the money to improve the temple at Nagi Gompa. However, once I got back to Nepal and started conferring with Ram Lal about how best to use the funds, a letter arrived from my two older sons, Chökyi Nyima and Chokling. They were finishing up their studies at Rumtek with the Karmapa and other great masters.
The letter said:

Dear Father and Mother,
The Karmapa has told us both that we must build a monastery. We are too young to do anything about it now, but we have heard that the Chini Lama offered you some land at the Great Stupa. Please build a small monastery there. It doesn’t have to be two stories; one is fine.

The Karmapa hadn’t singled out Chökyi Nyima and Chokling to build a monastery—he had told the same thing to every single tulku and lama at Rumtek that year. Anyway, this is how I embarked on building Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling, the monastery at the Boudha Stupa.
When the building was completed, I thought, “The Karmapa is my ultimate object of refuge; it would be wonderful if he could come and perform the consecration.” So on my next visit to Rumtek, I told the Karmapa, “I have finished building a small monastery in Boudha, and I have great hopes that you will pay it a visit. I am here to request you to go there and give the Treasury of Kagyu Tantric Teachings.”
A little more background and some new pictures from the early '70s (the text is from Blazing Splendor by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche):
The Karmapa replied, “That is very sweet of you; I will definitely come. You have my word. I need to go to India first, but after that I will come to Nepal.”
He came soon after. He also consecrated the temple and statues at Nagi Gompa. He gave the empowerments and then returned to Rumtek.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Lama directly to the left of the Karmapa is the late Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche. He built 17 stupas in the western world.

http://www.diamondway-buddhism-university.org/InfoTsechuBio.htm

Anonymous said...

What is happening to this site????

Either everyone is away on retreat or else everyone has become too paranoid to post. Which is it???

Lighten up people.

Anonymous said...

its probibly both ;-)

Anonymous said...

Ah well,
Bring all experiences onto the path. May the dharma flourish and all beings be liberated from whatever obscures their mind. Me too!
;)