June 14, 2009

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Dechen Ling, Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche's residence in Seattle. I hope this letter finds you well. Here, Khenpo Rinpoche is doing fine, and all of us in his household are too. I write now to give you an update about Khenpo Rinpoche and the Dharma activities in his mandala.

Khenpo Rinpoche has decided to move back to Kathmandu on July 1st. For a couple of months, Rinpoche did not want to disclose this, but now he has given his permission to inform you. Rinpoche says that he wants to go back to Nepal to see the newly completed Tek Chok Ling nunnery (see pictures below). He says that he will stay there and not travel again for a long time. Please know that Rinpoche's move is not for any reason connected with his health, which is pretty much the same as it was the last time I wrote to you in October, 2008.

Rinpoche says that his own personal activity will be the same as it was here in Seattle: He will stay mostly in solitary semi-retreat, and will not give teachings or interviews.

I supplicated Rinpoche to give some pith instruction to his students for this letter, and he replied with the following verse and advice:

All forms are appearance-emptiness, like dreams,
All sounds are sound-emptiness, like radio songs,
And all thoughts are inseparable bliss-emptiness.
Know this and meditate on this;
This is a profound pith instruction for you.

You should keep singing the songs of realization. Sing whatever songs you like the best; sing whatever songs help your meditation the most.

Tsepak Dorje, Rose Taylor, and I will accompany Khenpo Rinpoche to Nepal.

Marpa Foundation will continue to provide financial support to Khenpo Rinpoche and his Dharma activities. You have been very generous in helping Marpa Foundation do that up till now, and Marpa Foundation still needs your help. Until we let you know that we have a new permanent address, please send your donation checks to this new USA address:

Marpa Foundation
File 74971
P.O. Box 60000
San Francisco, CA 94160
U.S.A.

or for European donors, this German address (the German address is the same as in 2008):

Jobst Koss
Fliederweg 15
82319 Starnberg
Germany
(checks made payable to “Marpa Verein”)

Donations made via credit card and wire transfer can proceed exactly as they have in the past.

You can send any other mail (no Federal Express or other courier service deliveries, please) to Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Ari Goldfield, Rose Taylor or Marpa Foundation to this address:

(Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso, Ari Goldfield, Rose Taylor or Marpa Foundation)
PO Box 7775, #34045
San Francisco, CA 94120-7775
U.S.A.

Marpa Foundation Activity Report

Marpa Foundation's main activities continue to be the financial support of: Khenpo Rinpoche himself; Dharma translation; gathering and digitizing the audio and video recordings of Rinpoche's teachings; and Rinpoche's nuns and impoverished lay students in Nepal and Bhutan.

1. Supporting Khenpo Rinpoche

When Rinpoche returns to Nepal, Marpa Foundation will continue to provide all the financial support that Rinpoche requires, just as it has while Rinpoche has resided in Seattle.

2. Translation and Publication

Marpa Foundation is committed to translating and publishing books and articles of Khenpo Rinpoche's teachings and the texts, songs, and aspiration prayers that Rinpoche considers important for students to learn and practice.

Preliminary work has been completed on Rinpoche's new book, entitled Stars of Wisdom: Analytical Meditation, Songs of Yogic Joy, and Aspiration Prayers. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa have written the book's forewords. Stars of Wisdom will be published by Shambhala Publications with a scheduled availability date of February 9, 2010. We will inform you when the book is available for purchase, and it will also have its own website where you will be able to download the Tibetan texts and songs translated in the book, along with the English melodies for the songs.

Preliminary work has also been completed on "Buddhist Yoga: Joining with Naturalness," a chapter for a book to be titled Yoga and Buddhism, scheduled to be available from Shambhala Publications in the summer of 2010. This chapter presents the view and essential points of lüjong (Buddhist physical exercise) that Khenpo Rinpoche has taught us.

Work continues on the translation of The Hevajra Tantra, and the pre-publication draft of that translation is expected to be completed in 2010. Work has begun on the Chinese translation of The Treatise on Buddha Nature (Tibetan: Gyu la ma) along with Rinpoche's commentary; and work continues on translating and publishing Rinpoche's books in Danish, Polish, Portuguese, and Russian.

As work begins on new translation and publication projects, we will keep you informed.

3. Digitization of Khenpo Rinpoche's Teachings

Work on creating a digital archive of Khenpo Rinpoche's teachings is proceeding on several tracks. In the most advanced effort, high-resolution digital files are being made from tapes of Rinpoche's teachings gathered from Rinpoche's older students. We are also working on assembling regional collections of recordings.

In Europe, the video tapes of Rinpoche's Dechen Chöling programs are being gathered together and sent to us for future digitization. In Halifax, Marpa Foundation has commissioned the Shambhala Archives to begin the task of digitizing video tapes of Rinpoche's teachings in its holdings. This will include a large portion of more than a thousand hours of recordings from the thirteen years of the Karma Chöling summer programs. Finally, work is underway on designing an internet-based repository for the digitized materials.

Overall, the scale of this project is large, which is not surprising considering the scale of Khenpo Rinpoche's buddha-activity. It will require a substantial effort over a sustained period of time to accomplish it. The benefits of making this material available to students will make it definitely worthwhile.

4. Support for Nuns and Lay Practitioners in Bhutan and Nepal

At Drubdey Gompa in Bhutan, the nuns are listening, reflecting, meditating, and working following Rinpoche's instructions. Here are some photos from Bhutan:

Evening meditation session	Evening meditation session
Daily ritual practice	Studying together in class
Sewing ritual tapestries	Dancing

In Nepal, construction work on the new buildings at Tek Chok Ling nunnery is essentially complete. Some work remains to be done on the interior of the buildings, but the nuns are now enjoying the use their new shrine room, classroom, living, and eating facilities. Here are some photos:

Group photo in front of new stupa	In class
Dancing in front of new shrine hall	Singing Songs of Milarepa
Studying in new bedroom	New stupa, shrine hall, and nuns quarters

All of these activities have been made possible by your good wishes and support. Thank you very much.

May virtue and excellence increase,

Ari Goldfield