YOUNG NUNS NUNNERY

Nunnery Monastic Project

Driven by a sincere intent towards the Buddha Dharma and the wish to benefit sentient beings, I am now endeavoring to fulfill a wish of my root teacher.

Some time ago when, H.H. Khenchen Thubten Odzer Mewa visited a holy place in my native region called ‘Chorten Chenmo’ (The Great Stupa). That is actually on a small hill named after a stupa built by the 11 century saints Lha Lama Yeshe Od and Lha Lama Jangchub Od who invited The Great Atisa to reform the Dharma in Tibet. He there realized that this secluded place is highly blessed and endowed with wonderful qualities and prophesized that if a retreat centre could be put up there, all the practices of approaching and accomplishment and so forth would be successful without too many obstacles.

I carried my teachers precious words in my mind for many years without being able to built a monastery, due to lack of  immediate conductive conditions.

In year 2000 when I came back to that holy place my teachers words of prophesy echoed in my mind and I carved a strong promise into my heart to built a Padma Sambhava temple there in order to fulfill his wish and for the benefit of Buddha Dharma and sentient beings. So I requested the local community for some land and they kindly agreed.

The project came to life beween 2004 – 2008 with much physical and mental hardships but at the beginning of July 2008 ‘Orgyen Dechen Phodang Padma Choephel Ling’ monastery was finally completed with its main shrine figure of a thirteen-feet high Guru Padma Sambhava and twenty feet high total with his throne.

The consecration was performed on the 12^th of July 2008 which was the tenth of the fifth Tibetan lunar calendar and a hundred million Vajra Guru Mantras were accumulated for thirteen days by seventy Sangha members and more than four hundred lay participants. Thas bestowed many blessings indeed.

Just now there are ten young nuns aged from 10 to 20 years old. They are getting education and training in the Buddha Dharma and doing the monastic chores and pujas on the special days of the10th and 25^th of the Tibetan calendar.

In the future I wish for more young nuns to get admitted as the urge is great among the local young girls who otherwise would have to attend monasteries very far away from their native place and accordingly the local people are all Buddhists.

However until now I do not have any financial resources and there is not any specific sponsorship for this project. Therefore I humbly request you to be a benefactor of this project and the Buddha dharma if you can! And I thank you from deep within.

Geographically the Kinnaur region is quite close to the Tibetan border and mountKailash but until now no major monastic community has been developed in the region. Even though my ability and financial resources are limited.

Thanks only to my courage and sincere intent, not only I have been able to construct a temple with main shrine figure but also established a monastic community with around ten nuns who all have received novice ordination from H.H. Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche. In the coming years my wish is there to host thirty nuns in total. So I am seeking your pledge of support on this noble mission.

Written on the 3rd of February 2009, by Gelong (Bikshu) Do-ngag Gyatso.

Contact address:  Urgyen Dechen Phodang Padma Choephel Ling

V.P.O.Hango the Hangrang Distt. Kinnaur 172111 H.P. India

Mobile : +91 9816129942

e-mail:   dechenphodang@gmail.com