DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE STRIKES NEAR CHOGYAM TRUNGPA’S MONASTERY
Buddhism 101. OM. Even as Yogis, you should all know who Chogyam Trungpa is and why he was important to Buddhism in the west. Then please support the rebuilding and relief effort in his home monastery. Here is the latest news on the disaster there.
http://www.konchok.org/earthquakeinTibet.htm
A huge earthquake struck Jyekundo yesterday, the closest city to the Surmang Dutsi Til monastery, where Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche was the supreme abbot before leaving Tibet. The initial quake of 7.1 magnitude was followed by several aftershocks of magnitude 5 or more. Most communications with Jyekundo are now down but first reports indicate heavy damage and large numbers of people killed or injured. Reports say that possibly as many as 90% of the homes in the city have been destroyed. Trungpa Rinpoche’s brother, Damcho Tenphel Rinpoche, often resides in Jyekundo. It is not known if he was in Jyekundo at the time of the quake. He was not living in the city a month ago. At this time, it is unknown how the monastery itself has been affected. There are confirmed reports that buildings at nearby Thrangu Monastery have collapsed, and several people have died there.
The Konchok Foundation — started by Chogyam Trungpa’s eldest son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, his widow, Lady Diana Mukpo, and others to rebuild the monastic college at Surmang and provide support there — is gathering information on the disaster. Also working to gather information is the Surmang Foundation, of which Lee Weingrad, a senior student of Chogyam Trungpa, is the director, which provides medical care in the region. Both organizations are setting up funds for disaster relief and will work closely with people in the region.
Trungpa’s Books I recommend:
