#24 November 2018 Newsletter ::id="fb-yt" shechen.org

#24 November 2018 Newsletter

Restore Shechen Frescoes!

The Tsering Art School graduates and senior students are now engaged in a major painting project – Restore Shechen Frescos! They are beginning to repaint the murals in the Shechen Monastery Temple that were destroyed by the 2015 earthquakes.

As Matthieu Ricard explains:
The frescos at Shechen Monastery in Nepal were painted in the 1980’s by two of the best artists of the time under the attentive supervision of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

These frescoes were quite unique as they were the only existing murals that depicted great masters of the Eight Chariots of Tibetan Buddhist lineages. This includes the four main schools (Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Kadam/Geluk) as well as the traditions of Jonang,
Cho and Shije, Kalachakra, Shangpa Kagyu, and Urgyen Nyengyu. The main teachers of each tradition are depicted as central figures, with surrounding salient features of their lives. During the 2015 earthquake, the main temple of Shechen monastery was so badly damaged that the walls had to be taken down and rebuilt. Despite all efforts, the frescos could not be saved. However, they had been documented in detail and the photographs can now be used to draw and paint these precious frescos again, retoring them to what they were before. This is indeed a most important work that will contribute to the continuity of the authentic artistic tradition of Tibet.

The restoration is a major undertaking with an anticipated cost of $120,000. Your gift will support the painting of new sets of frescos, based on the originals, and painted in the Karma Gadri style of Eastern Tibet.

You can help by sponsoring the painting of an individual figure of a teacher or deity (ranges between $250-500), or a panel with many
figures ($6000), or a whole wall ($35,000). – We need your support to fulfill this vision.

We will soon have a link to a page where you (or a group of friends) can choose the lineage/figures you would like to sponsor.

For more information or to let us know what lineage or figure you’d like to choose, you can contact us at – shechen@sprynet.com

Teachers’ News

Rabjam Rinpoche has been
spending a lot of time in Nepal, traveling to remote places to teach and give blessings. He recently was invited to remote Jumla and its environs to consecrate a newly built stupa, meet the local lay
communities, and give teachings and advice. Many of the monks at Shechen Monastery come from that region of Nepal and Rinpoche was able to meet their families.

He also performed the opening ceremonies for the Shechen three-year retreat at Namo Buddha and is working with the monks in Baudha on reconstruction plans. In December, Rabjam Rinpoche will lead the 9th year of the Shechen Bodhgaya Seminar. In the spring, he will confer
the empowerments from the entire collected writings of Rigzin Jigme Lingpa, as well as the complete oral transmission of the collected writings of Patrul Rinpoche at Shechen Monastery in Nepal.

Last month Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche traveled to Croatia to teach the first Shechen Croatia retreat. He was joined by Lama Lungrik Nyima, who also bestowed empowerments and teachings. Earlier, Lama had been in New York City teaching the Rangjung Pema Nyingtik cycle of teachings to Shechen’s Himalayan students. A recent message from Yangsi Rinpoche can be found on the Dilgo Khyentse Fellowship Facebook page.

Two Places of Study and Practice for Women

There are now close to 150 nuns practicing and studying at the
Shechen Nunneries in Bhutan. The younger nuns, who are between 8 and
15 years of age, live and study in our newly completed hostel located
in the Valley of the Cranes. In this peaceful and lovely area, these
young nuns find it easy to study and practice. They also look after
the temple given to them by them by Her Majesty the Queen
Grandmother.

The older nuns reside at the main nunnery in Sissinang, a remote area
between Paro and Thimphu. They train in Buddhist ritual including
traditional contemplative dance (cham), perform ceremonies, engage in
intensive practices (drupchens) and ceremonies. Over half the nuns
study at the shedra (philosophical college) where they are provided
with the same training and education as the monks receive at Shechen
Monastery in Nepal. Rabjam Rinpoche frequently visits the nunneries
to give teachings and empowerments.

Thanks to your donations we purchased a new van for the nuns so they
can be more independent. Our next project is to install security
systems in both nunneries to ensure the safety of the nuns living in
these remote locations.
You are always welcome to visit either nunnery and see the progress
being made in the education and activities of these amazing women.
Please consider sponsoring a nun’s education – ($250/annually). Thank you.

Eco Group Grows

Under the new leadership of one of the Shedra graduates, Rigzin Dargye, the monks in the Eco Group gather for monthly meetings to discuss new initiatives. One of these projects is
a clothing-recycling program that turns robes and other used clothing into cushions, bags, aprons and other items that can be used by the local community. Their vision is to make the processes of recycling and reducing waste easier and more efficient, so that it becomes second nature to local communities.

They are starting at home, with their own monastery. Other eco-friendly programs include landscaping and planting shrubs and trees at the monastery, not just for aesthetic value but to improve the environment.

They are acting as leaders in creating a greener and healthier future for Nepal. Their work has inspired the nuns in Bhutan to start their own Eco Group, following the practices the group does in Nepal.

Reconstruction of Monks’ Quarters

Shechen Monastery is in the midst of a major construction project to rebuild the dratsang or monks’ quarters that have been in disrepair for a number of years. They will be torn down and replaced one wing at a time.

The south blocks were dismantled in April. The work has been complicated by flooding from the heavy monsoon rains. Where possible, materials like doors from the old buildings are being used.

The main gate to the monastery has also been dismantled and will be rebuilt to be safer and stronger in case of another earthquake. You may remember seeing photos after the earthquake where this gate was being propped up by poles. The Kudung Chorten memorial stupa honoring Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche on the second floor of the temple building) is refurbished with new glass and woodwork. It was recently blessed by Rabjam Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, and other visiting teachers. The projected timeline for the completion of rebuilding the first two blocks and entrance is estimated to be June 2019.

Sixth Three-Year Retreat

In late October, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche and Dakpo Rinpoche performed the preparation and entrance ceremonies for the next group of Shechen monks to begin a three-year retreat. This is the sixth group of eight monks who have entered this traditional retreat at the Shechen retreat center. They will be practicing the complete Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhist path using the discovered teachings (terma) of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

The Shechen Namo Buddha Pema Oseling Retreat Centre is located in a beautiful area southeast of Kathmandu, overlooking the Kathmandu Valley. Namo Buddha, which means “Homage to the Buddha”, is a famous pilgrimage site where an earlier incarnation of Buddha Shakyamuni is said to have sacrificed his body to feed a starving tigress and her 3
cubs. The retreat center is on a secluded large plot of land – a peaceful and safe environment for practicing.

Rabjam Rinpoche, Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, Lama Lungrik Nima, and other Shechen teachers will be guiding them throughout the retreat. Six Shechen nuns are in the second year of their three-year retreat in Bhutan. We are thrilled that the series of three-year retreats have continued unbroken for all these years.

2019 Monastery Events Calendar

Click here to see the schedule.

Breaking News in Hong Kong

Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche will be giving teachings in HongKong
from December 14-18. This is a rare opportunity to receive teachings
from a renowned teacher who was a close student of Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche.

Please click here for the full schedule.