Dear friends and sponsors of the Khampagar togdens,
Thank you all again for your kind donations to support the Khampagar togdens in Tashi Jong. My annual newsletter is very late because I was planning to go to Tashi Jong in person in March and send more direct news from there. India opened up for foreigners last November after almost 2 years of lockdown, but the Indian government was only giving 30 day non-extendable tourist visas from November 15th till March 15th, so going through the expense and stress of traveling there for just 30 days was not an option….
India got hit by an extreme heat wave early April, which is still going on. So I decided to postpone my travel till the fall when it gets cool again, hoping to stay there 3 months like I used to in the past before the pandemic started. So last month I sent the annual togden sponsor funds… and they’ve all received their share by now.
After a two-year lockdown retreat in his Tashi Jong residence, in March Khamtrul Rinpoche came down for the Padmasambhava drupchen that accompanies the annual lama dances, and to everyone’s delight he gave the empowerment to the entire Tashi Jong community.
Last year two more monks joined the lifelong retreats, one in the upper Yamankata retreat centre, and one in the lower retreat centre, I don’t know their names yet but they both completed the nine-year Shedra course at the Khampagar Institute and then decided to devote their lives to practice.
Togden Achos, who is now in his nineties, was quite ill last year with shingles that took a few months to cure, and after that he has stayed more or less in retreat in his room in Khamtrul Rinpoche’s residence.
All the annual drupchens (major ceremonies) have been performed now and these days Togden Thutop Nyima is giving some transmissions. The rest of the togdens are ok and doing their usual retreat practices, they all send their heartfelt gratitude for your ongoing support.
[Here is an album for 2021 and 2022]…I hope to arrive Tashi Jong next November and send some more direct news, with many thanks and good wishes from the togdens, Ani Jinba
May, 2022
MAY
2022