Annual Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2017-18 ANNUAL REPORT Karmapa International Buddhist Society dekZik vUrjjk"Vªh; ckS) laLFkk KARMAPA INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST SOCIETY Karmapa International Buddhist Society is an international organisation for charity, cultural capital and Buddhist educational opportunities. (19th January, 2012 – Registrar of Societies District South West Govt. of NCT of Delhi). www.kibsociety.org CONTENT 04 08 LEGAL KIBS REPORT SUMMARY CERTIFICATE By Skarma Ishey Jungnes 05 10 FOREWORD LETTER KIBI ACADEMIC REPORT By By H.H. The 17th Prof. Lara Braitstein, Gyalwa Karmapa Principal 06 13 FOREWORD LETTER REPORT ON THE BA By PROGRAM Jigme Rinpoche (2013-2018) 07 16 FOREWORD LETTER REPORT ON By KIBS EUROPE Prof. Sempa Dorje 18 30 PRACTICING YEARLY CALENDAR OF COMPASSION AND EVENTS 2017/18 KIBI UNDERSTANDING IMPERMANENCE By H.H. 17th Gyalwa Karmapa 24 37 KIBI LIBRARY YEARLY TRAVEL REPORT SCHEDULE By of Katrin Becker H.H The 17th Gyalwa Karmapa 26 42 QUOTES FINANCIAL STATEMENT H.H The 17th & STATEMENT OF Gyalwa Karmapa INTERNAL CONTROL 28 44 SWIFT REBIRTH PRAYERS LIST OF ACTIVE COMPOSED MEMBERS By Executive Members H.H. 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Academic Council Associate Faculty Members 4 KIBS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 KIBS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 5 6 KIBS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 KARME DHARMA CHAKRA Communauté monastique bouddhiste Malaga, May 23rd 2018 Dear Dharma friends, I would like to offer my gratitude to Mewar University for the collaboration that has enabled KIBI students to graduate with a formally recognized Bachelor of Arts in Buddhist Studies degree since 2013. Unfortunately, due to a change of policy, this collaboration has come to an end. It was the late Shamar Rinpoche’s wish that we offer Karma Kagyü students the opportunity to complete academic studies with accredited degrees. Academic studies contribute to root Dharma in today’s world and allow for a wide range of possibilities in terms of making Dharma accessible in different contexts. As such, I would like to ask the governing body members, the academic council members, the faculty, and the administrative staff to continue their efforts so that the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute may once more be able to offer this precious opportunity for students worldwide. Meanwhile, the short courses that will be provided are a good starting point. I deeply rejoice in the charitable activities undertaken by KIBS, and I hope that this work will be continued and developed in the years to come as it is part of the bodhisattvas’ activity to help those in need to the best of our capacity. May the activity for the benefit of beings continue to grow far and wide in all necessary domains under the guidance of Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa. Jigme Rinpoche th General Secretary for Thaye Dorje, His Honliness the 17 Gyalwa Karmapa ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CONGREGATION KARME DHARMA CHAKRA LANDREVIE – 24290 SAINT-LÉON SUR VÉZÈRE – FRANCE – TEL. 05 53 50 77 97 - CONGREGATION RECONNUE, DECRET 8 JANVIER 1988 www.dhagpo- kagyu.org - [email protected] KIBS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 7 8 KIBS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 Report Summary by KIBS Secretary It is my great pleasure to take this opportunity to By sharing the news of the resignation of our offer my utmost gratitude to all the individuals who, Principal, Professor Lara Braitstein, effective at the through dedicating their positive energy and their end of the academic year 2017-2018, we would like precious time, have made this year a successful to extend our heartfelt thanks to her; we will never and prosperous one. This year, one of our biggest forget your hard work, your patience, and your accomplishments was the renovation of 22 rooms sincere dedication to the success of KIBI will always and bathrooms at KIBI, which was sponsored by be remembered. Mr. Aleksandar Hofstätter. We offer him our deepest gratitude. In the end, I would personally like to thank all the office members of the Karmapa International Buddhist It is a source of sadness and regret that, from June Society for coordinating with me this past year, and 2018 onwards, our affiliation with Mewar University will for ensuring that the year ahead is a successful one. be discontinued. But we would like to pay our sincere thanks to Mewar University and its staff members for having been part of our journey. For the future, we are looking to establish a new affiliation with another Skarma Ishey Jungnes university in every way we can. General Secretary (KIBS) KIBS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 9 10 KIBS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 Letter from the Principal Desk and Graduation 2017-18 Spring 2018 marks the end of the collaborative BA in advanced Buddhist Studies.” program between Mewar University and KIBI. After five years of successfully working together, it is with How amazing. Each of us who has been involved in gratitude for our collaboration that we part ways for the BA – administrators, teachers, students – should now, and I would like to use this as an opportunity to take a moment to reflect on what we have been look back and reflect on our accomplishments as a a part of: actually fulfilling the wishes of the late community. Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche and His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa. How extraordinary. I hope that whatever Not long ago I came across an old KIBI pamphlet at merit accrues from being a part of this will benefit all the bottom of a desk drawer. There isn’t a date on beings, allow us to continue fulfilling the wishes of His it, but it appears to be from the very early 1990’s. In Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, and bring us into it, there is a description of the goals and long-term the orbit of the 15th Shamar Rinpoche’s activities vision for KIBI. The stated goals include: establishing a when the time comes. department of translation to set a universal standard for accurately translating the vast treasury of Buddhist This important accomplishment was realized by a teachings; developing a research library comprised large team of people. Foremost among them are of works of authentic Buddhist and non-Buddhist our inspiring Educational Director Professor Sempa contemplative traditions; convening international Dorje, whose life led dedicated to wisdom is truly conferences to bring together scholars from diverse an example to follow; and our determined Khenpo disciplines, in order to exchange ideas for the Mriti, whose incredible energy and dedication betterment of society; publishing and distributing put all the most important pieces into place. KIBI’s translated Buddhist works, as well as proceedings students enjoyed the enthusiastic teachings of so of the Institute’s conferences; and facilitating the many talented faculty members. Some taught every exchange of information and knowledge between single semester throughout the five years of the Buddhist cultures. What stopped me in my tracks, BA, some taught for only one semester. But every however, was that in this illustrious list of goals, the first contribution was valuable. My heartfelt thanks to our was this: faculty: Khenpo Lobsang, Khenpo Rigdzin, Khenpo Mriti, Khenpo Tsering Samdrup, Professor Burkhard “The Karmapa International Buddhist Institute is Scherer, Dr. Tina Draszcyk, Dr. Rolf Scheuermann, Dr. founded with the vision to bring into being a fully Cécile Ducher, Dr. Carol Wilson, Sönam Dekyi, Dörte accredited university where international students Kamarid, Inka Wolf, Karma Lodoe Sangpo, Tsöndrü, may obtain undergraduate and graduate degrees Jinpa Namgyal, Ngawang Tharchin, Jinpa Thaye, KIBS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 11 12 KIBS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 and Arun Kumar. Without the help of our interpreters degrees at universities around the world. The KIBI Inka Wolf, Tsöndrü, Julika Weber, and Dörte Kamarid, BA is particularly meaningful to me because of our our students would not have been able to access monastic students. The five monks who have earned the wisdom of many of our Khenpos. Our tireless their BA degrees now have credentials they can administrative staff, led by Skarma Ishey Jungnes, use outside of the monastic system. The options and gave all their support to the academic program. choices they now have ahead of them is something Finally, the work that I have tried to do in my five I am deeply happy about. years as Principal would not have been possible This has been an exceptional year in a number of without the extremely competent and patient help ways. But the most important ingredient was our of my assistants Inka Wolf and Stéphane Richards. students. Our brave crew of three BA and two Diploma students were at the heart of a shared This is my last year as Principal of KIBI The past five project to make finishing the BA degrees possible. years have been both challenging and rewarding. Each student’s desire to learn, each student’s I would like to share now some reflections on the motivation to finish their degree, was what drove importance of the education that our BA students each of us to do our part to make sure that was received here. A BA from KIBI is important foremost possible. The students are the reason we work as because the rigor, breadth and depth of education hard as we do. our BA and Diploma students received was of the very best quality. We should therefore all be proud of In closing, I wish to thank the late Kunzig Shamar the past five years as a success. In addition, having Rinpoche, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, a BA means that our students have the opportunity and all of our KIBI students, for having given me the to study at higher levels, to undertake MA or PhD opportunity to do something truly meaningful. KIBS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 13 Report on the BA Program (2013-2018) “The Karmapa International Buddhist Institute is through a historic collaboration established with founded with the vision to bring into being a fully Mewar University.