Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo DIRECTOR GATSAL ISSUE No. 34 SUMMER 2018 Celebrating International Womens Day in Peru Dr Wallace will return again at the end of this year to continue with Dear friends, the Vipassana section of this Dudjom Once more the months flow by and Lingpa terma. The retreat was recorded the nuns are now busy revising for and made available on the Meridien their end-of-term exams – walking or Trust website as a resource for other sitting with their noses in a book! Tibetan speakers. In August 2017 the nuns In December Yonge Mingyur participated in a 10 days Goenka Rinpoche again graciously visited Vipassana retreat conducted by DGL Nunnery and gave a talk on five charming lady instructors who meditation to all the nuns as well as had travelled by train from Pune in visiting the nuns in long-term retreat. Maharashtra. This was the first time He had given teachings at Sherab Ling our nuns had sat such a retreat and which Tsunma Aileen and I attended. they felt great benefit from so many Later that month I visited Pune for hours of introspective meditation. my annual talks. There is a growing In October the nuns were invited to interest in Buddhism among the Indian participate in the inauguration of the middle class and we have many dear Temple at Bhuntar near Kullu. This is friends in Pune and Mumbai. Then we the monastery of Kyabgon Choegon travelled to Sankassa in Uttar Pradesh Rinpoche who is a good friend of DGL. where the people claim to be descended Many thousands of people attended from the original Shakya clan of the this event, mainly from Kinnaur Indigenous Faces of the World, Buddha. There is a large ancient stupa Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and Lahaul, and it was a very festive in disrepair, that commemorates the occasion. The nuns participated in Then in November we had the place where traditionally Shakyamuni the rituals along with the monks and privilege of hosting Dr B. Alan Wallace descended from Heaven after performed their Dakini Dances in full who conducted a one-week Shamatha teaching Abhidharma to his mother costume before the large audience in retreat for our nuns in the Tibetan for 3 months. The people there are front of the temple. One evening they language! This was the first time that sincerely trying to study and practise also performed a 3 hours Chöd puja. Alan had taught in Tibetan and the the Dharma to the best of their abilities Their attendance at this event was nuns were very pleased and practised in the face of many social problems. much appreciated. diligently under his guidance. Straight after this I travelled with 2 GATSAL ISSUE 34 Jetsunma with our accountant Tenzin Lhakpa and her father Gonpo With Cistercian Monks in Sao Paulo, Brazil my friend May Ling to Myanmar on prostrations and chanting based and science into the curriculum of pilgrimage for 3 weeks. We visited on the 1000-armed Chenresig, the the junior nuns. This is taught by a many meditation centres and spoke Bodhisattva of Compassion. A dedicated local team with innovative with the Sayadaws or monk teachers number of monks and lay people from methods to make these subjects to learn more about their techniques Tashi Jong also participated. both interesting and relevant. A and facilities for practitioners. We At this time Tsunma Aileen and I general education for young nuns also visited several nunneries and met departed for a tour of Latin America: and monks is nowadays being taught with nun teachers also. Despite the Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, more and more in monasteries as an current political situation, important addition to Burma is still alive with the their traditional monastic Dharma and it is always a training. pleasure to be in a genuine This year after Losar, Buddhist country. Nunneries from India In Singapore I met and Nepal came together again with the bodhisattva to organise a Long-Life Wangdrak Rinpoche who offering for His Holiness is the abbot of the yogini the Dalai Lama. DGL nunnery of Gebchak Nunnery also supported Gonpa. During one week this and several of our we would go through nuns participated in the a dzogchen text in the actual ceremony held in morning which was ably Dharamsala. translated by Tsunma This year our senior Easter Religious Festival we attended in Guatemala Chozom, and in the class will be graduating afternoon I was left to practice alone. Chile, Brazil and Argentina. This from their 10 years’ course in Buddhist Losar or Tibetan New Year part of the world is fascinating with philosophy, debating and Tibetan in February was again very quiet its blend of traditional and modern grammar. They will be given the out of respect for the passing last culture. Everywhere we met with title of Lopon. We are planning that year of Kyabje Dorzong Rinpoche. kindness and enjoyed the company of they will continue with a 2 years’ After Losar the nuns completed a 3 many good friends. course in Tantric studies taught by a cycles of a Nyungney retreat. This Meanwhile the nunnery has now senior Khenpo from the Khampagar is a purification practice of fasting, introduced the teaching of maths Monastic College in Tashi Jong. SUMMER 2018 GATSAL 3 Our chief gardener Sundar Lal Suet Kun with Wangdrak Rinpoche Meanwhile some of these senior always remained a good friend and participating. The chief guest was the nuns will continue in their present role is sadly missed by all who knew her. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who as Genlas or teachers for the junior The nuns offered prayer dedications presented sets of robes to a selected nuns. and 1000 butter lamps. group of monks and nuns. Thus, I This has also been a time of We also regret the sad passing became the owner of a full set of transition. Sundar Lal was a local of Gonpo, the dear father of our Theravadin monk’s robes! man who was with us from the start accountant Tenzin Lhakpa. Gonpo Next week Tsunma Aileen and I set of our building project in 2002 and was a good and devoted man who off on our travels to Israel, the States eventually became our chief gardener. died of cancer peacefully with some and Australia….but that is another Last year he died of lung cancer and of our nuns reciting the Bardo text story for next time. was deeply grieved by his family and for several days at his bedside. The Thanks again to all our kind friends many friends. The nuns all knew him monks from Khampagar monastery throughout the world whose support well and offered prayers on his behalf. recited pujas and our nuns also and encouragement are always deeply We were so grateful to him for his performed the requisite rituals for his appreciated. dedication to the growth of DGL. safe transition. May all beings be happy and free Then in April this year our dear In April 2018 Tsunma Aileen and I of suffering. friend Ko Suet Kun in Singapore travelled to Delhi for the celebration of passed away, also from lung cancer, Buddha Jayanti which was organised In Dharma, although she had never smoked. Suet by the Ministry of Culture. The event Kun had also been with us from the was held in a large stadium and start, working on our finances and representative monks and nuns from website for many years, along with many monastic centres were invited Eliz Dowling in Singapore. Suet Kun to attend, with 7 nuns from DGL also Jetsunma Teaching in Sao Paulo, Brazil 4 GATSAL ISSUE 34 ATTENDING HIS HOLINESS’ TEACHINGS IN DHARAMSHALA I went to Dharamshala for teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The teachings were on the Middle Way Practice in Meditation. I did not understand thoroughly but still I got knowledge about our daily practice and how to maintain our discipline. His Holiness spoke of how human beings are different in their conceptual level than the animals and told us that as Dharma practitioners our first aim must be liberation from samsara not only for ourselves but for all sentient beings. These teachings so benefit to my life. Tsunma Ngawang Dolma Lhamo RETREATS AT THE NUNNERY Jetsunma introducing Alan Wallace to the nuns Alan Wallace Shamatha Retreat Vipassana Retreat Attending Alan Wallace’s Shamatha Wallace’s teaching, there is some rays I would like to pay my retreat was very helpful for me. When of hope now. His style of teaching is gratitude to the Teachers, for Jetsunma told us that he was coming superb. It really, really helped me a lot. your great effort. I started my to teach us in Tibetan language, I was I am very grateful to him. vipassana with great happiness very curious because I have never Tsunma Tsewang Chodron and joy. Firstly, I felt like I can heard or seen a foreigner teaching in (Bhutan) be able to do this but I started Tibetan language. bravely for few days, then faced As the course started, he taught A group of the nuns sent me a card many problems but I kept patience us how to do meditation in plain yet after the retreat: and continued. What helped profound Tibetan language. I was ‘Dear Jetsunma, me to carry on the Vipassana is really moved by the way he taught. It Thank you for inviting Alan the night time teachings – these was exactly the type of explanation I Wallace to DGL to teach us zhinay made things clear and encouraged was in need of.