February 24th was the Tibetan New Year Eve, the last day of the year of the Rat. It seems fitting that a world economic recession precedes our entering the year of the Cow, a year that characteristically calls upon us to be steadfast in our efforts and enduring in our toil. The abundance of the Rat year is waning to make room for the hard work of the Cow year. It is a year for being attentive and patient; and like every new beginning it is also a time for us to come together as a Sangha to reflect upon what happened in the year behind us and to create the new vision of where we are going in the year ahead.
The year of the Rat began on February 7th. It was the first time that we were able to begin the New Year by performing the Grand Sadhanna Sor Puja at our center in Duncan BC - and what a powerful effect that had! Within just two months we were moving forward with plans to purchase land upon which to establish a mandala and host retreats for all the international Nyernga Ngakde students. We once again extend our many thanks to everyone who made contributions at that time.
Amid the flurry of excitement that surrounded our purchasing of the land and plans for building, the events that transpired in Tibet on March 10th brought a sobering reminder of the importance for establishing a spiritual home. On March tenth an uprising broke out in Tibet and many Tibetans were jailed and several killed in their attempts to protest against the ongoing cultural oppression in their homeland. Each one of us has made a connection to the words of the Buddha which have come so far and endured so long on the Roof of the World. Now that their peace and atmosphere for Dharma have been compromised our practice has special importance, to support and preserve this tradition of rapid spiritual transformation.
Through the Spring, up until moving, Rinpoche continued the Longchenpa Treasure of Tenets internet teachings. As one of the greatest masters in our tradition, we are fortunate to receive the nectar of his writings with commentary from our own precious Lopon and translations from Almut. This coming year we will be starting where we left off, having taken a long intermission to move the center to the new retreat land.
The summer and autumn were a time of intense hard work for the residents of Nyernga Ngakde. Living in tents and cooking by fire we built a temporary Gompa, a composting outhouse, as well as a well-water and septic system. We also dug and installed our phone and internet lines and anchored our new home. Rinpoche's unique style of training us through our annual camping trips prepared us well for the transition from the suburbs to the off-the-grid country life. >From chopping firewood to hauling five gallon buckets of water for cooking and cleaning, we tried our best to infuse our labors with our practice and meditation. Through our sixteen-hour days and seven-day weeks we got a taste of the practical purification best exemplified in the stories of Milarepa's training under Marpa's tutelage.
In order to establish a suitable environment for spiritual practice and development as well as maintain the purity of the Mandala, all of the building on the land was done in accordance with the principles of self-sustainability. A massive 5,000 sq. foot greenhouse has been begun which will produce more than enough organic food for the residents and retreatants of the center. The energy we use is generated from a network of solar panels and the water comes from a well we built here on the land.
While relying on as little outside resources as possible the center is being designed as a place for spiritual community to come together and embrace a non-consumer lifestyle intimately connected to nature.
In September, just as the water pipelines were getting connected, Rinpoche again went to Europe for his annual visit with the German and Austrian Sanghas. He led retreats and gave teachings from September 10th to October 14th. Adi and Pascal, two residents of the center here in British Columbia, accompanied Rinpoche on his European tour. They met with several different practicing groups in Germany and taught the basics of traditional Nyingmapa ritual such as we practice here at the center. Then from November 3rd to November 10th Rinpoche went to Toronto and led a retreat with the Ontario Sangha. While there, he also gave several public teachings on modern Buddhist topics at the Rainbowbody Yoga studio. The heavy snow that blanketed the land kept us indoors for most of winter and made a tranquil atmosphere, which has been ideal for extensive meditation and study. In January, after all the fire wood was finally collected, we began a practice retreat that led up until the time of preparation for our annual seven-day Dorje Drolo Grand Sadhanna Puja.
Now we look in front of us to the year ahead. It is again a crucial year for support from the Sangha. We are already beginning preparations for building a Gompa that is to become the central focus of the retreat center for years to come. The small Gompa we built this year has been suitable as a temporary temple but it can not accomodate all the rituals and retreats we will be holding in the future. In parallel to the larger Gompa, this year we will also be expanding our residential accomodations so we can host as many Sangha members as possible in the years to come.
May each and everyone of us continue to joyfully cultivate within ourselves the right conditions for all the blessings of Rinpoche and the Dharma to come to fruition. May we all continue to hold each other in our hearts with love and respect. May we all, as a commited sangha, continue to manifest the auspicioussness of our own inherent Buddha nature in a way that swiftly brings all sentient beings to liberation. And may you all enjoy a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.
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