Updates On Rachen Nunnery

1) Photos of great prayer wheel with copper gold carved design at Tsum Rachen nunnery ,

2) Photos of the 100000 Nyugnye retreat Gompa progress in traditional carving and paintings inside the hall and alter etc.

2012 New Year Message by Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche

TSUM Projects Update

Hi most kind Tsum project benefectors.
Below are some photos on updates of Tsum Projects.

But due to large photo files, only selected photos can feature in this posting. Thus please log on to my facebook for more photos on Tsum projects.

Thank you very much. Happy Sakadawa with lots of pujas and prayers dedicated for you and your family during sakadawa month from Tsum.

Geshe Zopa

 100000 chenrezig Nyung-Na gompa construction on Nov 2010

 100000 chenrezig Nyung-Na gompa construction on Nov 2010.

 100000 chenrezig Nyung-Na gompa construction on Nov 2010.

Rock bricks manufacture to build 100000 chenrezig Nyung-Na gompa

100000 chenrezig Nyung-Na gompa construction in Tsum Rachen Nunnery in June 2010

Happy New Year 2011

Greeting and Happy New Year to all Tsum project Benefactors and friends.


Tsum himalaya monks and nuns wishes everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011. May the coming year be most meaningful and all your virtue wishes be actualized instantly.

With lots of prayers and best wishes.
Committee of Tsum project

Happy Sakadawa and Vesak 2010

Tashi Delek,

Tibetan Sakadawa "Vesak" ... the morning of May 27 starts with Tsum Rachen Nunnery and Mu Monastery sanghas going into many sets of very strict Compassionate Buddha Chenrezig Nyung Na (fasting) retreat.

This great, secret and powerful retreat will be dedicated for all beings to be free from all samsaric sufferings and especially to the recent earthquake in Qinghai - Yushu victims who have passed on and those suffering, to have instant liberation from all sufferings and gain enlightenment.

This retreat is also dedicated to repay the kindness of all the Gurus, namely His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Khenrinpoche Geshe Lundrup Rigsel, Dagri Rinpoche, Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche, Drukpa Rinpoche, all my kind teachers and all the beings whose lives are beneficial to the world’s peace and happiness. May they have a very long and healthy life and all their holy wishes be fulfilled instantly.

This list goes on for the purpose of repaying the kindness of all the Tsum benefactors, supporters and volunteers to also have a long, long, long, healthy, happy, successful, meaningful life and for all their wishes to be fulfilled immediately. Dedication of this great and powerful retreat for the purpose of purifying of pass karma and accumulation of extensive merits is also extended to all their family members who are ill and in severe pain, free from all samsaric karma and gain liberation/enlightenment instantly within this life time. Names of these people are not mentioned here due to respect for their privacy but their names are read out daily in the monastery and all retreats.

I also like to dedicate this great retreat to establish and actualize the Chenrezig 100,000 Nyung Na retreat temple building project which started 2months ago, to actualize without any obstacles and may it be accomplished according to the holy vision of our kind gurus, to bring immense of benefit to the preservation of Buddha Dharma, peace and happiness for all beings in the world.

For your information, this is going to be an on-going and life time dedication during annual retreats in Rachen Nunnery and Mu Monastery in Tsum.

Lastly, I wish all of you a happy and meaningful Sakadawa and Vesak 2010.

Director of Tsum Project

Dear all compassionate, most kind and generous Tsum benefactors and supporters,

Tashi Delek and Happy happy Tibetan New Year (Losar),

On behalf of all Tsum Rachen Nunnery and Mu Monastery Sanghas, our most respected Guru Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Khen Rinpoche and all Guru’s including myself, all our prayers and appreciation are always with all benefactors, supporters and selfless volunteers. Here we wish

you all most happy, healthy, successful and meaningful 2010. Our prayers and best wishes are always with you. Whatever pujas prayers and virtuous actions we do in Tsum Rachen Nunnery and Mu Monastery we will dedicate to you to have a healthy, happy, compassionate, harmonious and prosperous coming new year.

During the 15 miraculous and merit multiplying Buddha's day, we will be accumulating many great prayers and these merits will be dedicated to you all.

With lots of prayers,

Geshe Zopa

Director of Tsum Himalayan Project Nepal

Wesak 2009 Message

Dear all compassionate, most kind and generous Tsum benefactors and supporters,

Myself, all Tsum Rachen Nunnery and Mu Monastery Sanghas, our most respected Guru Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Khen Rinpoche and all Guru’s prayers and appreciation are always with all benefactors, supporters and selfless volunteers.

1. The Tsum Project started since 2003 and up to now due to Guru’s blessings and the endless support from all benefactors and selfless volunteers, we have are now able to offer three meals to over 200 over sanghas everyday, free medication to all Tsum villagers, free languages and spiritual education to all sanghas and children.

We have completed building a proper kitchen where we can cook for over 1000 people during our annual Om Mani Padmi Hum and Guru Padmasambhava retreat, public teaching, public retreats and events. Other completed facilities include a health care centre, over 100 sanghas room in Rachen Nunnery for the nuns, guest rooms, rooms for Resident Geshes, Lamas, teachers, doctors and volunteers and all other facilities.

By the end of this year, we hope to complete certain phase in Mu Monastery for the monks and for the purpose of social service to accommodate the local people.

No words can express my joy and happiness. I’m just Happy! Happy! Rejoice! Rejoice! And these accomplishments are all due to every individual’s help and support. Once again, numberless thanks and our prayers are always with all benefactors, supporters and volunteers.

2. At this moment, we have one new phase which is going to kick start soon. It is the building of Chenrezig 100,000 Nyung Nya Temple in Rachen Nunnery where we target to house at least 1000 retreaters.

Once we have sufficient funds we will start this project which I hope will be very soon so that the Nyung Nya retreat can quickly take place. It is in our vision to be able to accumulate 100,000 Nyung Nya in this life time and it will be done in Tsum Himalaya at Rachen Nunnery.

So I like to ask everyone to come together to help actualize this marvelous “One in the world” project. This is for the benefits of world peace and towards happiness of numberless beings and for sure for the benefits of enlightenment of all beings and to serve and please all Gurus and Buddhas, and especially to serve the Compassionate Buddha Chenrezig, our Guru Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khenrinpoche.

3. This year Rachen Nunnery and Mu Monastery is organizing a few months of Nyung Nya retreat for Wesak / Sakadawa Month, then followed by millions and millions of Compassionate Buddha's six syllable mantra and Guru Padmasambhava 's mantras recitation. Our sanghas and retreats will dedicate all these merits accumulated to all Tsum benefactors, supporters, volunteers for their good health, long life, prosperity, most happy and a most meaningful life.

For those who are new to this project and wish to send in list of names for dedication, may forward them to me at tztzopa@yahoo.com. Our service is not extended only to benefit the Tsum Villagers but to reach to all the numberless peoples and numberless beings in this world.

If you wish to know more about Tsum project please to go http://www.fpmt.org/projects/tsum/

For those living in Taiwan, you may contact our Tsum project coordinator Mrs Sue Sue Chen at sue781@yahoo.com.tw.

Happy Wesak Day!!!
Director of Tsum Project Geshe Tenzin Zopa

Landscape

Some lovely pictures of Tsum Himalaya landscape and it's surroundings taken by Geshe Tenzin Zopa.

Tsum Drakar Taco

Pictures taken by Geshe Zopa

Khen Rinpoche visits Tsum Village in 2006

Pictures taken by Geshe Tenzin Zopa

2009 Chinese New Year and Losar Greetings

To all my dearest most respected enlightened gurus and sanghas, dharma brothers and sisters, all the compassionate and kind sponsors and supporters of TSUM Himalaya Sangha project,

We all TSUM Sanghas, staff and all the villagers would like to wish everyone all the happiness filled with abundance and prosperity plus an enlightening both Chinese and Tibetan new year.

I have arranged 1 million recitation of the Compassionate Buddha’s mantra practice, millions of recitation of Guru Rinpoche mantra and 8 sets of Nyung Nay retreats by all sanghas and lay people from Tsum Village everyday and in each session these prayers are dedicated to all the sponsors and supporter’s good health, long life, prosperity and enlightenment. This is our way of showing appreciation for your kind support all these years.

For your information, I have done an observation and the above practice comes out most beneficial to benefactors and supporter of TSUM. All past years, we continue to do pujas and prayers for all.

If you have any one you like to include in our daily prayers and dedication, please email me at tztzopa@yahoo.com.

In the meantime, I like to inform everyone that the past 6 years of TSUM Project have been very successful, well managed and has brought great benefit to the TSUM villagers in particularly over 100 sanghas is equipped with proper education with qualified teachers, better living conditions, food, medication and qualified doctors.

Spiritual Gurus like Geshe Tenzin Chogley came along the way we all wished and I can say that we have saved the pure dharma practice in that village. We have restored and establish unbelievable education practices and living conditions which were very much needed by the sanghas and villagers. All these can only happen because of you benefactors and supporters who have been so kind, compassionate and generous.

I have many visions and with the blessings of my Gurus Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khen Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup to actualize new gompas (prayer halls), many holy object shrines, proper facilities for Nyung Nay retreats and other retreats where millions of various mantras are recited and dedicated for world peace, long life of gurus and especially for benefactors and supporters.

My vision is to build a gompa where we can host at least one thousand people. We are in the process of architectural drawing, marking the land and sourcing suppliers. My other visions are to actualize a huge image of 1,000 arm Compassionate Buddha, build 100 huge stupas and restoring one amazing unique prayer wheel which has the history of self turning by the dakini angels when there are no human beings. All these wonderful meritorious projects are benefiting to world project and these visions can only be actualized by the kindness and generosity of benefactors coming together.

I pray that every single moment karma ripens and every single moment we come together to actualize this vision which has the great power to bring peace and happiness in the world and all being.

Anybody who is also inspired with this vision and would like to participate in this meritorious charity project to email me at tztzopa@yahoo.com.

Thank you.

Geshe Zopa, Tsum Sanghas and Staffs.

Wesak in Malaysia, Singapore and Himalaya (TSUM)

This year Wesak was extremely meaningful. I had the opportunity to take 8 Mahayana Precept and various practices with the inspiration of so many people. At the same time I got the chance to travel to Amithabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore to attend Khen Rinpoche’s teachings joined by the large group from Malaysia to attend his long life puja which is very important practice for long and healthy life of both gurus as well as students.

The long life pujas was very well organized much to the delight of everyone. Although the journey from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore is quite long, everyone felt the trip was extremely fulfilling.

By the great merit of everyone in the group, we also had the opportunity to visit the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in China Town, Singapore. We were all greeted by Benny who’s one of the temple key personnel. He took us on a tour of the whole place including viewing the relics of the Buddhas, Tathagatas and holy beings. By viewing, these relics enable them to establish great connections with the holy beings. We were also fortunate to meet the Abbot of the temple. Everyone was very inspired and amazed with the size and how the temple was built.

Immediately after the long life puja, the Malaysian group had a private audience with Khen Rinpoche. With the permission of Khen Rinpoche and Ven Lhundup, we had the opportunity to view and receive great blessing of all the holy relics of the Great Mahasiddha Geshela Lama Konchog. This exhibition granted the opportunity to thousands of people in Singapore during the few days of Wesak hosted and organized by Amitabha Buddhist Centre. The director and members of both centres expressed great gratitude and rejoice in the great success of the exhibition. Through this exhibit, many people were introduced not only to Amitabha Buddhist Centre but in particularly to dharma and connection to the Buddha’s emanation body (the relics).

These holy relics were also placed for viewing and blessing in Thekchen Choeling Centre for one day.

By now, the holy relics have returned to Relic Shrine in Kopan Monastery. There are still a lot of invitation of hosting of relics to various parts of the world mainly Ladak in Himalaya, Taiwan as well as Australia. I would say all this depends on the sincerity and the merit of the people receiving the blessings.

So it is indeed really rejoicing and I hope that all the people from the different parts of the world had the most meaningful Wesak by accumulating extensive merits and purifying numerous obstacles.

On top of all that, one of the greatest satisfaction I had this Wesak is the opportunity to organize 1 million recitation of Guru Padmasambhava mantra and 1 million Compassionate Buddha mantra as well as many sets of the Compassionate Buddha Nyung Nya especially focussing on the practice of taking the 8 Mahayana Precept. These are conducted not only by sanghas but by the lay people of Tsum in Rachen Nunnery and Mu Monastery led by the founder Drukpa Rinpoche and the respected Geshe Tenzin Choklek. These practices are dedicated especially to the victim of the Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and Earthquake in Sichuan, China and for whatever present and future natural and manmade disasters in the world to be completely purified caused by negative karma.

May whoever sees this message, able to accumulate great amount of merits by rejoicing on this practices and immediately dedicate the merits accumulated for the same purpose. This will definitely benefit the victims.

Many thanks also goes out to all the sincere, humble and dedicated lifelong practitioners monks and nuns in Rachen Nunnery and Mu Monastery in Tsum and specially heartfelt thanks to Rinpoche and Geshela. Of course the root cause is all due to the kindness of our root guru Kyabje Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, Khen Rinpoche and the late Geshela Lama Konchog.

Long Life Puja in ABC - Tsog Offering

Extensive Offering

The beautiful light and flower offerings at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

The abbot welcoming us

One picture for the album

Smile Everyone

Benny giving the group a tour around the Temple

Everyone listening attentively

Another pose with our 2 anilas and Benny

Group Photo
Pictures taken by Candy.


Pictures courtesy of Keng Yong during Singapore Wesak at the CD counter.

Update On May 19th, 2008

Dear most kind, compassionate, most generous sponsors, volunteers and those who directly or indirectly support the progress of Tsum project.

On behalf of the Tsum sanghas and the villagers, I would like to wish everyone a happy, meritorious and meaningful Wesak 2008. The people here in both Tsum Nunnery and Monastery which consist of hundreds of sanghas and lay people are doing the extensive 8 sets of Nyung Nay, the Compassionate Buddha’s retreat and at the same time we have the privilege to invite the founder who are also the master of the 2 monasteries to Tsum to host teachings, initiations, advise, blessing, long life pujas, recitation of millions of Padmasambhava mantra and Om Mani Padme Hum. We dedicate them specially to all the goodness of compassionate benefactors, volunteers, friends and specially for the long and healthy life of all the gurus such as His Holiness Dalai Lama, Kyabe Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Khen Rinpoche, Phuntsok Rinpoche, Drupa Rinpoche..etc. Not forgetting to also dedicate in particularly to all the Myanmar cyclone and China earthquake victims and for world peace.

I am pleased to update everyone that we have already resume the constructions of rooms, schools and living facilities in Mu Monastery in TSUM after the few months of winter season. I very much hope the minor construction will be accomplished within this year and also wish and plan for these few major projects to come along and once the karma ripened I will inform all of you via this blog. I have full faith that all of you will again come together to actualize these marvelous benefiting projects. Thank you so much.

Update As At January 1st, 2008

On behalf of all the Tsum sanghas and other communities, we like to wish all the benefactors, volunteers, friends and direct or indirect supporters a very happy, healthy and successful meaningful 2008 year. In both Rachen Nunnery and Mu Monastery, they are performing extensive 4 Mandala Offerings, Tara Puja conjoined with Medicine Buddha practice, Incense Puja, Amitabha Pure Land Puja, Heart Sutra, Diamond Cutter Sutra and Long Life Deity practice everyday without any break through out the year especially dedicated to the long life of our guru His Holiness Dalai Lama, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Khenrinpoche, Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche and to all the benefactors and supporters of this project. It will also be dedicated extensively for every good purpose of your life and I like to request you do the same from your side. These make things more effective and if you wish to add any specific dedication and name please e-mail to me and I will gladly forward them to our Tsum manager.

In end November 2007, Geshela Tenzin Choylay who is the resident teacher in Tsum Monastery and Nunnery, manager Ven Tenzin Lhundup, doctor Anila Dogra, the four other teachers and 50 over young nuns plus some senior nuns and monks from Rachen Nunnery and Mu Monastery came down to Kopan Monastery to spend winter for about two months during the heavy snow in Tsum. Their advantage was to learn philosophy from Khenrinpoche and with the ability to upgrade their studies by following the study program in Kopan. They also celebrated their new year there and receive profound teachings from the great masters followed by the annual great prayer festival. I was very delighted to see the joy of all the young nuns and monks with their faces glowing with much happiness. They were happy and felt contended as they had the opportunity to survey the progress of their study. They had done a good job!

The medical team, teachers and of course the manager and Geshela is doing a great job. Both the monastery and nunnery are really flourishing both in dharma as well as living condition and that is very pleasing and encouraging.

I was updated on the accountings by both the Kopan and Tsum Manager and I must say they did very clear and detailed accounts. I really thank them for that. At the same time it was extremely shocking to know we have spent a lot until the fund is below zero! Nevertheless I have full faith in the triple gem and I do not intend to stop any works.

We are almost at the completion stage of the sanghas room, living facilities, school and medical centre in the nunnery and we still need expenses for food and other administration.

Mu Monastery is half way through their constructions of rooms, school and other living conditions which started beginning of last year and will take at least another two years for completion. I also have in mind to build a big gompa like the one in the nunnery plus many other plans.

I am just waiting and praying for the miracle, the great bodhisattva benefactor to descend into this very poor, critical, needy and important project. Whoever great hearted being who wish to be part of this compassionate service to those urgent needy people in the Himalayas, big or small are most welcome and appreciated. You can directly contact me via my email tztzopa@yahoo.com or mobile +6017-2940399

A Word From Geshe Tenzin Zopa

I was in Tsum from Sept 6 to 15. It had been a while since my last visit due to my packed schedule to other areas. However, it was very encouraging to see the great achievements and progress in Tsum. Anyway I was there for 2 reasons. The first is for the Tsum project. It was planned under the advice by the most respected guru Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche (Rinpoche) and Khenrinpoche after the Tsum monastery and nunnery was handed over to Rinpoche in 2003 that I was appointed to oversee the development of this project. During my visit in 2004, I planned a 5 years project which included providing food, shelter, resources for over 100 monks and nuns and that includes building rooms for over 100 sanghas in Rachen Nunnery and for over 50 sanghas in Mu Monastery. By the end of 2006, I have completed all the rooms in Rachen Nunnery plus the facilities for the sanghas communities such as kitchen, storerooms, dining room, room for teachers and classrooms, schools, solar lights, renovation for old existing buildings, setting up water supply, clinic with complete sets of western and herbal Tibetan medicine and a full set of robes for sanghas every 3 years and a complete study program. We provide good teacher for different subjects as normal academic schools. Our qualified guru who is the spiritual guide Geshe Tenzin Chogley from Sera Je Monastery University has been assigned to take care of the complete vinaya monastic activities for both nunnery and monastery. He conducts philosophy studies and the extensive studies of ritual from the 4 traditions. Since I am trying to preserve this traditional long historical nunnery and monastery with the undivided tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, I am providing the annual teachings of complete graduated path to enlightenment such as Lam Rim from Gelug tradition, Kunsang Lamai Shallung from Nyingma Tradition, Dagpo Thagken from Kagyu Tradition and Lam Drey from the Shakya tradition. This precious teaching from the different tradition is regarded as the main teachings of graduated path to enlightenment conducted on a yearly basis to sanghas and lay communities in the Tsum region by Guru Geshe and he is to complete this teaching within four years (one year one tradition). We also established the annual great fasting retreat nyungnay for many days and zillions of accumulating the compassionate Buddha’s mantra and the Guru Padmasambawa’s mantra specially dedicated for the long life of His Holiness Dalai Lama, all the holy gurus and also to world peace. This is an annual practice which has been done in the past under the guidance of the founder Drukpa Nyawang Kyenrab Rinpoche and the great Mahasiddha Geshe Lama Konchog. It was extremely fortunate all events and retreats for the first year were fully sponsored by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the second year by Khenrinpoche. I had the great honor to take charge of these meritorious events and by today all the senior sanghas are strictly preserving this authentic tradition by strictly staying in retreat, cultivating the essence teachings of the 4 traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and there are great signs of achieving realizations proven by past senior monks and nuns’ life long retreats. Very qualified senior monks and nuns there are transmitting their marvelous and rare skills of various rituals and practices on a daily basis without worrying about any material conditions such as food, shelter, including teachings…etc. There are a large number of monks and nuns who came into the monastery these last few years which was after we took over the project. Many of them were teenagers and they were provided with extensive academic study program and were also thought various skills both mundane and spiritual. The health care facility is run by a qualified doctor providing medicine and consultations at no cost. The presence of the sangha community brings great benefit for the villages through their constant guidance, prayers, consultations and social services. Their study program this year will begin in a few months time. In the Mu Monastery which is about 5 hours away from Nunnery, it has well developed rooms and schools, exactly like what was provided in the Nunnery. All these progress is indeed very encouraging. It inspires me to plan for bigger things such as to build a big gompa (temple). A gompa is very important as the numbers of sanghas are increasing so quickly and we also need to create a condition to invite great high lamas and teachers to conduct the annual teachings, initiation and blessing to that remote village. I just placed orders for all necessary things to build a very beautiful lama shrine and one stunning library and many other things.

On behalf of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kopan Monastery, our organization and all the sanghas of the Mu Monastery and Rachen Nunnery and all the villagers whose benefiting form the project, I represent all the above to show great appreciation, prostration and countless thanks to all the benefactors and volunteers who has made this project a great success within a very short time.

For the great development of this project, it has a lot to do with the generosity of the people from all over the world especially the two fund raising events that I have held in Singapore and indirect help I received from Malaysia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong...etc. Those of you who have contributed to this project with my full responsibilities, I like to inform you that I have used every single cent in the projects indicated in your request in the very specific ways and whatever actualized even by a cent is guaranteed they are able to use these facilities for few hundred decades. To show our appreciation to all the benefactors and volunteers for their kindness and generosity, prayers and practices of the 4 mandala offering, long life prayers , Tara Puja and Medicine Buddha mantra is done everyday and through out the year for their good health and prosperity. I would like to apologize to all the benefactors and volunteers and those interested to know more about the Tsum project for the delay in posting the various pictures and updates on the website due to lack of communication. Please enjoy viewing these pictures I took recently and I hope you are also pleased with the progress.

For your information, there are still a lot of marvelous and meritorious on going plans and I will from time to time update this blog, so please visit the blog for any update.

The second reason for my visit to Tsum was to complete the filming of the documentary of “Unmistaken Return Child” which will be released around first quarter 2008.

If you like to know more about the past history of the Tsum Project, please log into www.fpmt.org/project/tsum/

Mu Monastery

Rachen Nunnery