LOTUS ARROW Newsletter of the Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies Number 29, April 200 6 Spiritual Director: Lama Zopa Rinpoche Web: www.kurukulla.org Resident Teacher: Ven. Geshe Tsulga Email: [email protected] 68 Magoun Ave, Medford MA 02155 Phone: (617) 624-0177 From the Director s most of you already know , Venerable Ribur Rinpoche , Awhose Boston visit in 200 0 greatly inspired us to get the house o n Magoun Avenue for the Center, passe d away in India in January, and we all pra y for his swift return. Venerable Ribu r Rinpoche’s advice and support encou r- aged us to purchase the property; an d thanks to his vision we now have a n established center, a significant achiev e- ment that’s helped us move forward fro m our early “altar in a box” days. Keepin g Geshe-la on the radio, talking about the Dharma, on his recent trip to Mexico. See inside for more photos . the center going hasn’t been without it s Buddha’s profound teachings with him. I t the Center, so if you would like to co n- challenges, the most recent of which was , is as rare as seeing stars at noon…not t o tribute your time and skills, let Sean kno w of course, the mortgage drive. be taken for granted. at [email protected]. Billions of thank s The last time I wrote this column fo r And now we can turn our attention t o to all who already volunteer whether occ a- the Lotus Arrow the looming task of rai s- the maintenance and development pr o- sionally or many hours a week. ing funds to pay down the mortgage wa s jects that are next in line. The mos t Other reasons to be cheerful: Hi s on the horizon. It is now a pleasure t o urgent is to repair the carriage house . Holiness the Dalai Lama will be teachin g present the mortgaging refinancin g Situated at the end of the driveway, it is a in Los Angeles and New York nex t report—please see page 2. Geshe-la i s beautiful, old structure that the squirrel s September. We have invited our spiritua l always reminding us that we will not b e have made home these past years. No w director and head of the FPMT, Lam a around for long, that our lives are flee t- that winter's gone it's time for th e Zopa Rinpoche, and other lamas to visi t ing, and we always need to be thinkin g humans to reassert their (compassionate ) us this year—we await their kind replies . about establishing the Center for futur e authority. We've had a quote to fix th e We just had a wonderful visit fro m generations. I feel that we have made a roof and gaping holes that so many of yo u Venerable Robina Courtin; scores of pe o- huge step toward that goal. An enormou s have commented on: $10,000. We hop e ple enjoyed her dynamic teachings. Ou r thank you to all who contributed, esp e- to do it this spring. If you can contribut e own Helen Lee went to India at the en d cially the kind donors who offered th e to this project please earmark your gif t of last year to be ordained and is no w $50,000 matching grant. “carriage house.” Venerable Yeshe Chodron. Center me m- We welcome Geshe-la back to Bosto n Another way to give to the Center i s ber Brian Roiter also recently took ord i- from his travels, first to India for th e through your time, skills and passion . nation in Dharamsala with His Holiness. Kalachakra with His Holiness the Dala i Thus I am delighted to let you know tha t Thank you all so much for everythin g Lama and to Sera Je to see and teach hi s Sean González has kindly agreed to hel p you do to make Kurukulla Center as be n- students, and then to Mexico, where h e Kurukulla (and me!) by becoming assi s- eficial for all sentient beings as it can po s- taught at four different FPMT stud y tant director and we are so happy that h e sibly be. groups—please see page 3. We are so fo r- has joined the management committe e Much love, tunate to have Geshe-la in our midst an d (see box on page 2). However, we stil l the precious opportunity to study th e need many more volunteers to help us ru n 1 Mortgage Kurukulla Center Refinancing Report Management Committee Wendy Cook n the last newsletter we let you kno w director that Kurukulla Center would need t o refinance the mortgage this comin g Sean González I assistant director June. However, last November condition s changed and we had the opportunity t o Debra Thornburg refinance early. We took the opportunit y spiritual program coordinator because interest rates were low and w e Jennifer Barlow were able to lock in a rate lower than th e treasurer one we had before. As well, our ban k offered to waive the pre-payment penalt y Priscilla Sawa facility & residential coordinato r fee for refinancing before our five yea r Center volunteers recently converted the guest roo m term was up. into a bookstore and lounge. The old library is no w the new guestroom, and what had been Geshe-la’ s Our outstanding principal at the tim e end of the year. This meant that we coul d livingroom is now the library . was $280,000, and our monthly paymen t possibly pay down a total of $125,000 a- was $2,285. Each month we paid nearl y gainst our principal, if the fundraisin g bank, Cambridge Savings Bank, mad e $2,000 in interest, money that we othe r- drive was successful. numerous accommodations to enable u s wise could have used for other more be n- The community responded i n to refinance, pay down our principal, an d eficial activities. astounding and incredible fashion. By th e lower our monthly payment over th e Therefore, we decided to appeal t o end of November we raised over $40,00 0 period of three months, and there wer e the community through email and pe r- in gifts and pledges towards the match , virtually no fees involved. sonal contacts to raise funds to pay dow n and by mid-December the challenge wa s Our sincere and heartfelt thanks g o our principal at the time of refinancing . met. In late December we paid $66,00 0 out to all of you who contributed, larg e We started with $25,000 which we had i n to the bank, and when the remainin g and small, to this effort. Your donation s savings and which included mone y funds were received we paid an additiona l have made such a significant impact o n received from a recent large donation . $59,000 against the principal at the en d the financial health of the Center, an d Soon after we announced the appeal, a of January. The result? Our monthl y have undoubtedly established the Cente r matching donor stepped forward, offe r- mortgage payment is now $1,120 , firmly for many years to come. ing to match up to $50,000 in donations , roughly half of what it used to be. Jennifer Barlow if we could raise the money before th e It should be mentioned that ou r Treasurer Kurukulla Operating Income and Expenses 2005 (draft) Bookstore (Net) $3,900 Administrative $21,500 Donations for Geshela, Ngawang, and Damchoe 5,100 Geshela, Ngawang & Damchoe (ins, travel, stipends) 15,000 Other Restricted (donations, etc.) 16,700 Spiritual Program 16,100 Rent & Other 8,700 Sera Monastery 17,500 Donations at Teachings 17,600 Household and Utilities 28,700 General Unrestricted 22,000 Mortgage 93,900 Membership 28,600 Total Expenses $192,70 0 Building and Mortgage 106,700 Sera Monastery 19,400 Total Income $228,700 The $36,000 surplus represents Building Fund/Mortgage donations that we ca r- the importance of the mortgage refinancing that took place in December 2005 , ried over into 2006 and was paid to the bank in January 2006. If we conside r which cut our monthly mortgage payment in half. We still struggle at times to pa y Operating Funds only (exclusive of Building Fund/Mortgage and Sera Monaster y all our operating bills each month, and we continue to rely heavily on our me m- funds) we actually posted a deficit of about $5,000 for 2005. This is not bad , bership donations and donations collected at teachings and events. We are s o given that our Operating budget was about $100,000, but it does underscor e grateful for your generous support . 2 Geshe-la’s Visit “South of the Border” s most of you are aware, Geshe-l a and Tsunma-la visited Mexic o Amost of the month of March . They arrived in Guadalajara on Februar y 21st for a four-city, one-month tour o f most of the FPMT centers in Mexico , where Geshe-la gave teachings and initi a- tions to our Dharma brothers and sisters . Through their stay they were accomp a- nied by Venerable Lobsang Tonden, wh o in June of this year we’ll have an oppo r- tunity to make as welcome in the U.S.