SINI Brochure 2021

Sarnath International Nyingma Institute

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Letter from the Director

Origins & Mission

Roots, Study, Transmission, Collaboration

Team

Khen Lop Chos Sum Foundation

Programs

Kagyur Karchag Encyclopedia

English for Dharma Purposes

Tibetan Language

Colloquial

Classical

Four Noble Truths

Manjushri Namasangiti

Edible Fruit Forest

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Humanitarian Relief

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How to Become Involved

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SINI relies on an abundance of goodwill from friends who

become volunteers and volunteers who become friends!

Tsering Gellek, Director

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Letter from the Director

Dear Friend,

We are pleased to share with you the following brochure of SINI’s activities and

projects. We hope it warms your heart and inspires you to stay connected.

Many of these projects are the result of decades of committed work in the fields

of Dharma preservation, cultivation, and action. Our founder, Tarthang Tulku, has

provided us with a vision to last many lifetimes and engage countless people.

This view provides a space for innovation, commitment, joy, and appreciation.

SINI’s mission is to build bridges of goodness. This mission arises out of a deep

appreciation for both the Buddha’s teachings and the increasingly complex world in

which we live. We are grateful to our generous donors, supporters, and volunteers

who have participated selflessly in this work. We are also grateful to the Khyentse

Foundation, Marin Community Foundation, Direct Relief, and other organizations

who have generously supported our work, and who inspire us with their vast and

noble activities.

To say that 2020 was a transformative year would be an understatement. Yet, when

we inquire about the conditions that both gave rise to the spread of the pandemic

and its enormous, incalculable global consequences, we see that much of what

was dangerously ignored has come into sharper view. A river of transformation has

run through our lives, and now we must gather the gold, gather the goodness. The

goodness includes being able to offer over 900,000 meals to our neighbors in the

Sarnath area, to witness the devotion of the Sangha hard at work summarizing the

words of the Buddha for our Encyclopedia project, launching several new Tibetan

language programs, and maintaining the Manjushri Namasangiti and our English

for Dharma Purposes programs over Zoom. The continuity of these programs held

at SINI, both in person and virtually, allow volunteers and students to actualize their

own potential. Rinpoche often reminds me that time can not be squandered when

so much is at stake. How fortunate we are to recognize the opportunity of this

precious life and our path together!

Thank you for your participation and support in making this organization and its

projects possible.

With appreciation,

Tsering Gellek, Director


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Origins

The Sarnath International Nyingma Institute (SINI)

traces its origins to 1958 when Tarthang Tulku

Rinpoche arrived in India and started his publishing

efforts. Since then, he has supported the production

and distribution of millions of sacred Dharma texts,

including thousands of copies of different versions

of the Kagyur, the canonical words of the Buddha in

Tibetan.

In 2006, Rinpoche asked his daughter, Tsering Gellek,

to build the Institute on a piece of land he had helped

to purchase in Sarnath many years prior. Under

Tsering’s direction, SINI was inaugurated in 2013,

blessed with the planting of a sacred sapling from the

original Bodhi Tree under which the Buddha attained

Enlightenment.

SINI is the fruit of decades of cultural and religious

preservation work carried out by Tarthang Rinpoche

with the kind patronage of generous donors and

supporters who have helped bring this institute to life.

Our mission is to become a bridge between the

East and West, modern and traditional thought,

contemplation and action, to preserve and transmit

the Dharma, and in so doing to forge a path of

goodness in the world.

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Mission

We create and promote dynamic bridges of goodness that are

based on timeless Buddhist principles and teachings for the

benefit of humanity.

We accomplish this bridge building vision by supporting four

main pillars for growth: Roots, Study, Transmission, And

Collaboration.

ROOTS:

At SINI, we support the roots of the Dharma through traditional

Buddhist practices, including Buddhist studies and writing, prayers,

ceremonies, sacred pilgrimages, and retreats.

At the Institute, we seek to preserve the roots of Tibetan Buddhism as

embodied in the lineage of the Khen Lop Chos Sum. To concretely

support these efforts, SINI offers resident students the opportunity

to speak, teach, and write on the teachings of the Buddha and

traditional lineage masters.

Roots programs include:

Khen Lop Chos Sum Foundation Lecture and Writing Series

Annual Dharmachakra Program

Tibet Peace Ceremony

Manjushri Namasangiti Chanting Program

Daily Practices, Prayers, and Long-term Retreat Programs

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Study

Providing formal residential and online study programs, we offer a

unique intensive, residential English for Dharma Purposes Program

for monastics as well as public colloquial Tibetan language courses.

In 2020, SINI’s programs moved primarily online and are supported

by a variety of innovative systems for learning communication.

Transmission

With the intention to support Dharma transmission for the benefit

of others, the institute provides rich opportunities for exchange

and learning, with innovative, interdisciplinary seminars, programs,

and retreats including the annual Four Noble Truths Seminar and

Pilgrimage Program. SINI facilitates positive, transformational

changes in education and society through a rigorous series of critical

thinking exercises and an orientation towards learning about new

fields of knowledge (i.e. science for monks program). Each year, SINI

works with friends and colleagues in a variety of fields on curating a

stimulating learning program for its students.

Collaboration

Collaboration is possible when individuals and institutions are able

to identify their unique strengths and couple their own “rootedness

of knowing,” with an openness to learning and exchange with

others. SINI creates a unique environment for experimenting

with new fields of knowledge while testing the limits of accepted

positions. Examples of on-going collaborations include a series of

explorations on designing monastic curriculum for the 21st century,

efforts to create the first-ever Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia of the

words of the Buddha, and pairing graphic artists with statements of

hope generated by the monks. These opportunities prove deeply

enriching for all involved and hold great promise for enhancing our

ever-expanding human mandala of intercultural understanding and

evolution.

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SINI TEAM

TARTHANG TULKU

Founder

“Whatever your age right now, imagine that you have a hundred years left to live -

time enough to do what you think has value. You know there will be changes and

transitions during that time; you know that many of them are beyond your ability to control.

Within that situation, what can you do to make the best use of your time?

What knowledge can you rely on? What methods and techniques can you apply? “

— Tarthang Tulku, Dimensions of Mind

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ADMINISTRATION &

MANAGEMENT

TSERING PALMO GELLEK

Director

KHENPO CHOEPHEL

Principal

KHENPO YESHI

Assistant Principal

LOPON TSERING NYIMA

Manager

DOUG NURNBERG

Facilities Manager

RENATE MARX

Program Coordinator

DR PANDEY

Doctor/Sanskrit Chanter

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TEACHERS

EDEN MERRITT

Associate Director, EDP

FRANZISKA OERTLE

Tibetan Teacher

CATHERINE BROWN

English Teacher

ANDY FRANCIS

English Teacher

LEILA WILSON

English Teacher

PATRICIA FARLAND

English Teacher

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FRIENDS OF SINI

BRIANA BLASKO

NAVNEET RAMAN

ALEXANDER VON ROSPATT

KAVERI AND TJ SINGH

MARY CATHERINE & RICHARD FRAZIER

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Khen Lop Chos Sum

Foundation

SINI preserves the roots of the Nyingma lineage,

known as the Khen Lop Chos Sum. Khen Lop Chos

Sum is short for Khenpo Shantarakshita, Lopon

Pema Jungney (the Lotus-Born Padmasambhava,

also known as Guru Rinpoche,) and King Trisong

Deutsan, the founding fathers of Tibetan Buddhism.

In service to the goal of preservation, in 2013 Tarthang

Rinpoche founded the Khen Lop Chos Sum Foundation.

The Foundation supports khenpos, lopons, and students to

study and train in the early transmission of the eighth century.

Through this foundation, SINI offers students the opportunity

to speak and write on the teachings, sharing their knowledge

with peers and the public. In past publications, SINI scholars

have composed original essays on the importance and value

of the founders of Tibetan Buddhism.

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Kagyur Karchag

Encyclopedia Project

A Global Initiative to support the study and

preservation of the words of the Buddha.

Due to immeasurable compassion and wisdom, the

Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma three times for

the sake of all sentient beings. From these turnings, a light

so brilliant was generated that it was in turn reflected in the

luminescence of 84,000 teachings given to benefit all sentient

beings throughout time and space. To each and every one’s

unique mental faculties and dispositions, the Buddhavacana,

the sublime words of the Buddha, have been offered to

cure all forms of suffering and reveal the precious, abiding,

indivisible jewel inherent in all.

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Vision

Tarthang Rinpoche holds a vision to

create the conditions for a Tibetan

Renaissance. In 2019 he initiated The

Encyclopedia Project, directed by his

daughter Tsering Gellek.

The Encyclopedia has received the

spiritual guidance and blessings

from preeminent lamas including,

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,

His Holiness Sakya Trizen, His

Holiness Drikung Kagyu Rinpoche,

His Eminence Thrangu Tulku, and

His Eminence Dzongsar Khyentse

Rinpoche.

Goals

To create the conditions for an

“Educational Renaissance” for Tibetans

around the world, by providing the

first reader-friendly and comprehensive

overview of the Buddha’s teachings in an

encyclopedia form. This Encyclopedia

of the Buddha’s words, in five beautifully

designed volumes, will contain

summaries of the vast collection of

sacred texts found within the Kagyur,

the Tibetan Buddhist Canon. As of

this writing, there is no single text or

course book written in Tibetan that

systematically introduces and describes

the complete Kagyur. This project is a

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gateway enabling wider access to the

Kagyur for Buddhists and non-Buddhists

alike. We hope that our work will create

the conditions for further study and

the development of new curricula for

generations to come. Our efforts to

summarize the Buddha’s teachings

and make them accessible in print and

digital formats support the future of

2020) was the composition of the first

100 summaries of 841 titles. The SINI

team completed 240 summaries in the

first year. As a result of the enthusiastic

response from the Tibetan Buddhist

community in exile, we are on track to

complete the first phase of the project

by 2023.

Dharma studies and practice globally. By

presenting traditional Buddhist content

through modern digital applications, a

wide-range of learners, including Tibetan

nomads, monks, nuns, and lay people

may access this collection for the first

time. As the danger of losing the Tibetan

language remains high, this work serves

to preserve the Dharma and its benefits

for alleviating causes of suffering.

Results To Date

An excellent opportunity for wide-scale

collaboration, many of Tibet’s best

writers in-exile have come forward to

lend their expertise and scholarship

to this historic endeavor. Initial plans

detailed the need for a volunteer staff of

20 contributing writers.

50 volunteer writers

and researchers dedicated to

completing this project today.

Our goal for the first year (2019-2020)

was the composition of the first 100

summaries of 841 titles.

The SINI team completed

240 summaries in the first

year.

A s a result of the enthusiastic response

from the Tibetan Buddhist community in

exile, we are on track to complete the

first phase of the project by 2023.

20 contributing writers. There are over

50 volunteer writers and researchers

dedicated to completing this project

today. Our goal for the first year (2019-

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Next Phases

Once the written summaries of the Kagyur are completed and compiled into an

encyclopedia, we will create an online resource of audio and visual files to aid in the study

and contemplation of the words of the Buddha. In consultation with our advisory group, we

have created a list of the top 25 sutras for the general public. To make the contents more

widely accessible, summaries of the sutras will be translated into other important global

languages such as English, Hindi, and Chinese. Additional research projects will continue on

the development of curriculum materials and pedagogical tools to support Kagyur

studies globally.

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English for Dharma

Purposes Program

Vision

English for Dharma Purposes empowers khenpos,

lopons, geshes, and qualified lay practitioners to

learn English through modern teaching methods and subjects

such as science, art, culture, and new fields of knowledge.

This program is part of an urgent effort to translate Tibetan

texts and provide skilled Dharma teachers globally.

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Program Description

This unique three-year residential and

online program provides a foundation for

Dharma service in the world. Students

develop basic communication skills,

including comprehension, speaking, and

writing.

Starting in the Fall of 2022, SINI will offer a

six-year intensive program for committed

students to professionally train in both

written and oral Dharma translation and

teaching; and a second program is being

developed to support students devoted to

Tibetan text preservation projects.

Faculty are qualified to teach English as a

second language. All English instructors

are volunteers and professionals in their

field. Faculty generally serve a minimum

three-year commitment to the program.

All instructors are skilled at tailoring their

teaching methods to serve the Dharma

community. Students who are selected into

the program receive a full scholarship and a

comprehensive immersion experience.

Students practice conversation in natural

settings, take field trips to sacred and

historical Buddhist sites, make Dharma

presentations, and experience innovative

teaching methods. Working toward

language fluency, students live, eat,

and work with native English-speakers.

Teachers, guests, and staff share residency

with students. This provides a well-rounded

experience, with thorough engagement in

real-life dialogues.

In addition to classroom instruction,

students also receive personal tutoring from

teachers and volunteers. Students partake

in field trips to the local Dhamekh Stupa,

Ganges River, Bodh Gaya, and other sacred

sites of historical importance.

Information For

Prospective Students

• Mature students, primarily monks over

25 years old, are welcome to apply.

• The academic year begins the third

Monday in September and concludes

on April 15th.

• Each three-year cohort of the English

for Dharma purposes program has

approximately 20 students. For the

current cohort (2021-2024), SINI

has accepted a total of 33 khenpos

and lopons with additional students

attending on-line.

• Classes are small, ranging from 5 to 10

students, and focus on the needs of

each individual student.

• The emphasis is on learning everyday

vocabulary and developing both written

and verbal communication skills.

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IMAGES ABOVE: SINI’s library is the most complete Yeshe De library outside of the United States.

Holding the great Nyingma Treasures (produced by Yeshe De), a 700 volume atlas-size collection

contains 30,000 titles of Nyingma texts. In addition, SINI’s library contains multiple sets of every text

produced and distributed at the annual Nyingma Monlam Chenmo.

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Tibetan Language

The Heart of Tibetan Language

Overview

This student-centered course is a hybrid of live and

recorded classroom instruction and a vast variety

of learning resources and exercises, offered on the

Moodle platform. Like our residential Tibetan language

program at SINI, this on-line course is based on Franziska

Oertle’s innovative text, The Heart of Tibetan Language.

Instructors are Gen Franziska Oertle and Gen Tenpa

Tsering-la supported by a team of assistants and native

Tibetan-speaking tutors.

The Heart of Tibetan Online Language Course is offered

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Above Images: Our Tibetan language courses are skillfully designed around three non-human students

(a sloth, a giraffe, and an ostrich) who each represent different styles, approaches, backgrounds, and

philosophies of learning which we encourage and welcome. These animated students bring humor

and joyful effort into our virtual classroom.

Right Image: Gen Franziska Oertle flanked by Snowflake (late) and Coco also considers many fourlegged

beings as her teachers.

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in two tracks, a 6-month and 12-month

long course and will provide students

with a solid foundation of colloquial

Tibetan.

Online

We believe that the most effective and fun

way of learning a foreign language is to

immerse oneself with native speakers. That

said, we don’t all have the necessary causes

and conditions to travel and immerse

ourselves in the Tibetan-speaking world.

Fortunately, when students cannot get to

the mountain – SINI brings the mountain to

them!

The Heart of Tibetan on-line language

course enables students to learn colloquial

Tibetan from the comfort of your home

regardless of where you are on this

beautiful planet.

Classical: Translating Tibetan

In order to support the translation of

vital Tibetan Buddhist texts and overall

preservation of the Tibetan language,

more people must learn classical Tibetan.

A collaboration with Nyingma Centrum

in Amsterdam will help to provide the

foundation for Tibetan Buddhist translation

projects at SINI and the Yeshe De Project.

The Classical Tibetan course is an

introductory course designed for students

with no background in classical Tibetan.

Students begin by learning the Tibetan

script, the transliteration system into

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Four Noble Truths

Pilgrimage and Seminar

SINI’s signature annual program revolves around

a sacred journey. This is an opportunity in which

monastics and lay people from different cultures

converge for a two-week intensive program

of teachings, practice, prayer and pilgrimage.

Participants delve deeply into the most foundational

Buddhist teachings, at the locations where they were first

delivered over 2500 years ago.

The foundation of the Buddhist path lies in the exploration of

these four questions:

What is suffering?

What is its cause?

What is its end?

What is the path that leads to its end?

These questions thus form the core of the program.

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Drawing from traditional sutra and

commentary source material, we deepen

our appreciation of this profound and

timeless truth in our lives, especially in this

time of unprecedented global and personal

suffering.

The first part of the program begins with a

week-long seminar at SINI and marks the

first stop on a pilgrimage route, which leads

participants to the most sacred sites in the

Indian Buddhist world, including Sarnath’s

Dhammek Stupa, Vulture Peak, Nalanda,

and Bodhgaya.

Participants attend the Nyingma Monlam

Chenmo in Bodhgaya along with more

than 8000 Buddhists from around the

world. These sacred places and events that

have been the place of intense practice

for thousands of years offer profound

experiences and an unexpected vibrancy.

Participants are immersed in the monastic

community. Dedicated teaching time is

approximately half of the program. Learning

also takes place informally between sessions

and seminar activities.

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uffering?

ts cause?

ts end?

he path that leads to its end?

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Manjushri Namasangiti

Chanting Program

The International Manjushri Namasangiti Chanting

Program was established in 2015 by Tarthang

Tulku in order to support the revitalization of the recitation of

this most sacred Sanskrit Buddhist text. Recited faithfully by a

relatively small number of Buddhists in India and Nepal, Rinpoche’s

vision is to help restore this sacred text and spread its

sublime blessings throughout India and the world.

Organized by SINI during its first three days, the program

coincides with the Nyingma Monlam World Peace Ceremony.

In the first year, the late professor Tripathi helped to lead this

ceremony, along with his son Dipankara. Since then, Dr. Rajesh

Kumar Pandey has been the principal chanting lead. In 2020,

sanghas from Nepal joined the program and offered a rare

dance of Manjushri Namasangiti for the chanting assembly.

Tarthang Tulku first offered this brief introduction on the Full

Moon, June 18, 2008, in conjunction with the 15th Renovation

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of the Swayambhu Stupa, Nepal:

“The Manjushri Namasangiti is a profoundly important and

sacred text for both sutrayana and mantrayana studies. The

entire ground, path, and fruition of the Kalachakra Tantra can

be found in the contents of the Manjushri Namasangiti.

Spoken by the Buddha, these teachings originally were preserved

in 100,000 chapters, though all that remains today are the sections

collected by Manjushrimitra. For centuries, this text was revered and

studied in India by the six charioteers, the mahapanditas at Nalanda

and Vikramashila, and by great enlightened ones such as Guru Padmasambhava,

whose devanagari copy was found in the twelfth century

at Samye. Many of Tibet’s greatest masters and lineage holders

have found inspiration and awakening through study and recitation

of the Manjushri Namasangiti.

To offer these prayers at Bodhgaya seemed to be an unsurpassed

antidote to all the darkness, confusion, and suffering enveloping our

world. Manjushri represents the enlightenment of the Tathagata and

symbolizes the embodiment of Prajnaparamita, the Perfection of

Wisdom.

The chapters of the Namasangiti are only a symbolic gesture, but

they offer the finest exaltation of Manjushri’s sublime qualities that

language can possibly convey.

I am delighted to see these teachings being made available,

renewing the ancient transmission and bringing the practices

alive. In this dark time of the Kaliyuga, chanting the Manjushri

Namasangiti will evoke the most precious wisdom and help

restore the light of the Dharma for the benefit of future generations.”

Educational Program Series: Sanskrit Chanting

During the unique times of the global pandemic, SINI created

a virtual educational program with Dr. Rajesh Pandey to facilitate

chanting the Manjushri Namasangiti in Sanskrit. These

one-hour classes are offered to the public free of charge.

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Sarnath Edible Fruit

Forest Project

Beautifying Sarnath with fruit tree planting and helping to feed the

vulnerable.

This project represents a vision to create edible fruit forests in the

Sarnath area to help build food security and counter the pressures

of urbanization, with rapid loss of public green spaces. SINI was

awarded a grant to establish micro green spaces in collaboration

with 50 households and temple communities in the region.

Each household or temple community will contribute a small

undeveloped area (at least 10 ft x 6 ft = 60 sq. feet,) sufficient to

generate enough fresh fruit to feed a family, providing a healthy

nutritious diet along with clean air to breathe.

Plants proposed for each patch are native to the region: bananas,

guava, papaya, lemons, Karanuda (Indian Berry) and pomegranate.

We expect to plant two of each species for a small urban fruit forest

that will produce fruit year round.

For public spaces, the temple communities, and also where the

households have larger spaces, flowering trees will be included,

such as: gulmohar, jacaranda, amaltash, etc. Native fruiting berry

trees like jamun, that are disappearing due to urban development,

will also be included, having the added value of preserving native

species.

This project is coordinated by Navneet Raman, a preserver of culture

and heritage, and SINI’s cultural ambassador to Varanasi, who has

been responsible for planting so many trees on the SINI campus

(https://www.banarasculturalfoundation.org/).

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Bridges Into Our Community:

Humanitarian

Relief Efforts

May I eliminate the pain of hunger and thirst

With a shower of food and drink;

And in the times of the middle eons of famine,

May I myself change into food and drink.

Shantideva, Bodhicaryavatara, Chapter 3, Verse 8

Through employment, support for local businesses, and

scholarships, SINI creates bridges of goodness between

the Institute’s residential community and the community

at large. Operating in one of the poorest regions of India

(Uttar Pradesh) SINI has a commitment to serve the local

community through a variety of small-scale development

initiatives.

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In the spring of 2020, when the pandemic

became a public concern, SINI provided

public health information regarding the need

for high-level hygiene practices and the

importance of social distancing. Early on,

we recognized that food security would be

one of the most important ways to support

community life during the pandemic, as

most livelihoods had come to an abrupt end.

In the first month of the national lock-down,

SINI established an informal food program

for the homeless families living between

the local railway station and the Dhamekh

Stupa. In our first offering in April 2020,

we provided two months worth of dry

foods to approximately forty families. In

subsequent months, SINI’s food service to

the most vulnerable around Sarnath grew

to a more formal Full Moon Food Basket

offering to over 1000 family members per

month. By conservative estimates during

the first year of the pandemic, SINI has

provided over 900,000 meals to Sarnath

residents.

Many lessons have been drawn from our

engagement in food offerings and other

humanitarian initiatives such as providing

medical equipment, tree-plantings, and

water pumps. It is our aspiration that SINI’s

resident monks continue to engage their

Bodhisattva vows, applying skillful means

to provide both temporary and permanent

relief to our neighbors. As a result of the

opportunity to support local communities,

SINI is developing more professional training

in humanitarian assistance for its monastic

students.

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How To Become Involved

There are many ways to become involved at SINI, as we are an

all-volunteer organization and rely on the generosity of our patrons.

Support

If you are interested in joining the Encyclopedia project and have

skills to share (Tibetan-English translation, software development,

on-line course development, etc.), please contact us at

info@sinibridge.org.

Apply

To apply for the English For Dharma Purposes program,

please contact us at info@sinibridge.org.

Donate

Send checks payable to:


33755 Tin Barn Road

Cazadero, Ca. 95421

Contact: Ann Bergfors bergfors@mcn.org

All donations are tax-deductible.

TNMC/SINI Tax Identification Number (EIN) Is 237072008.

You may be able to give more with less and save on taxes by using

appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual funds to donate.

To arrange a transfer, please contact us at bergfors@mcn.org

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SINI Brochure 2021

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