This story began some years ago when 2 European women met a Lama Bon that shortly arrived in Swiss from Tibet. The women were searching for spiritual development and were very brave students of this Teacher. They were devoted to their Teacher, and was logically they decided to visit Nepal or Tibet or India to become closer to the culture they studied.
In their pilgrimage, our heroines reached Sikkim in India and found a Bon monastery Yungdrung Kundrak Ling in very difficult condition there. Monasteries are very important in that part of the world because they are centers of culture, schools for children, probably the only possibility to give education to the new generations, not only places where monks can live and practice.
A monastery I write about with only a few adult monks had a group of children that lived there. (photo was taken in spring)
We all know the women I write about, we practice together, and know about their compassionate hearts, their wish to help everybody who needs help, their capacity to sacrifice themselves to the right cause. You can understand from it that they decided to pass their vacation helping the monks to maintain this school. They cooked, washed clothes, taught English and did everything was necessary. Both, they have grown own children and could not see without doing something to help how hard the life was there.
On the photo Geshe Gelek Jimpa reads and translates a greating letter sent from the monastery to the children of a Swiss school for their help:
Here what one of them, Daniela, tells:
Good health is very important there. The nearest doctor is 4 hours jeep journey and all day long walk far from the monastery. When I was there, soot entered into an eye of a 12 years old cook. This problem seems not grave but it can damage the eye for all the life. I had drops for eyes with me and cured the eye of that child. After that they treated me as a princess.
On the photo is a check the children of the Swiss school sent in the monastery
You’ve probably just said it: what all similar organizations need are money. All over the world. Yes, it's true.
Turned home, our courageous women began to think where they could find money to help that monastery. They told about it everywhere. Many persons helped. Even the children from the schools their daughters study at wanted to give what they could and to send in the monastery. The abbey of it wrote a letter to these children and you can see it on the photos. Daniela asked Geshe Gelek Jimpa to translate it on the ritrit in April (2010).
Ursula, that passed her vacation this year in the monastery too (in winter) wrote to all those who participated on the fund raising a year ago. I cite some dates here.
Dear friends and sponsors from Germany, Italy, Swiss, France and Spain... I could take euro 14,030 with me this time. Hope you’ve received thank-you letters from the monastery. The monks earned euro 2135 for the rituals they do, the government of Sikkim gave them euro 3000. With this money they began to repair the buildings of the monastery but there is much to do else.
The monastery needs your help if you want to go there. If you ask it, you will have the teachings in the monastery. You can ask the visa 2 times for 45 days in Sikkim now.
Write to Usha for more information ushala@aol.com
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The Information Letter from the Monastery you can find here:
Life of Children in a Monastery
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