h.e Khamtrul Rinpoche IX - The Official Tenzin Palmo Website

Front cover: H.E. Khamtrul Rinpoche at DGL Temple Consecration.Dear friends,This edition of our GatsalNewsletter is full of the recent activitiesat our Nunnery culminating in 3days of celebrations for our Templeconsecration which also commemoratedthe completion (almost) of the Nunnerybuildings.Last October 2012 all our nunsand staff went to Jangchub Jong - themonastic settlement of Kyabje DorzongRinpoche - for 3 days of empowermentsand teachings on Chöd bestowed by HisHoliness the Gyalwang Karmapa. It wasa very joyful and inspiring occasion inthis perfect setting and was especiallymeaningful for our nuns since theyperform a short Chöd ritual everyevening and a 4 hour Chöd puja eachfull-moon day.In January my assistant Ani Aileenand I went to Vaishali in Bihar to attendthe International Sakyadhita conferencebeing held this time at the place whereMaha Prajapati - who was the LordBuddha’s aunt and stepmother - becamethe first Buddhist nun. The VietnameseNunnery in Vaishali went to greattrouble to create a charming setting forthis gathering - despite the cold weather.Sakyadhita (Daughters of the Buddha)is an important women’s organisationthat brings together female scholars andpractitioners from around the world tomeet and discuss topics of interest toBuddhist women.Also in January five of our seniornuns went to His Holiness the GyalwangDrukpa’s Nunnery in Nepal to learn thesacred art of Khandro Cham - DakiniDancing - with the intention of bringingback what they had learned and teachingsuitable nuns here at DGL. HH theGyalwang Drukpa kindly covered all theirAbove: Jetsunma with nuns after Guru Rinpoche puja.expenses and provided ten of the elaboratecostumes needed for these dances.During February all our nuns tookpart in the International campaign called“One Billion Rising” to raise awarenessabout violence towards women. We helda local march, joined enthusiastically byour on-site workers both women andmen. Later a busload of our senior nunstravelled to Dharamsala to take part in anevening candlelight March to the mainTemple. By this time the nuns were wellpractisedin their Hindi campaign songand were the defining voice of the March!Our second graduating class of 6nuns travelled to Sri Lanka in March,again sponsored by HH the GyalwangDrukpa, to join 400 others (mostlynuns) on a Walking Pilgrimage, knownas a Padyatra. The walk covered over 500kilometres and was a Peace walk fromsouth to north, visiting many Pilgrimageplaces along the way. It was a very2 GATSAL ISSUE 29www.tenzinpalmo.com