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Dear Sangha and Friends of the Ripa Ladrang Foundation,
Losar Tashi Delek! – we send you best wishes for the New Year of the Water Tiger!

As His Eminence always reminds the board, the purpose of the Ripa Ladrang Foundation is ‘Virtue’. We take this to mean work for the benefit of others. While our core mission is the preservation of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, culture and arts and the support of the teachings and activities of His Eminence and the Ripa Lineage Buddhist teachers; it is also to support humanitarian aid to groups and communities in need.  In these times, this has taken on a new kind of urgency.

The past few years have presented us all with unexpected challenges.  It is heartbreaking that we are in this time of war and disease. Everyone has needed to adapt to new realities related to covid, and now with the invasion of Ukraine, many of our sangha there have had to flee for safety.  We are heartened by the generous response of the European sangha and the Ripa International Center in Switzerland who have opened their homes and facilities by offering to host them.  For those in the international sangha who may wish to contribute to the costs of helping the people of Ukraine, we will make sure that these donations go toward this effort.

His Eminence, Gyetrul Jigme Rinpoche and Dungsey Lhuntrul Rinpoche are all in good health. And in 2021, they have been active in online and in-person teachings and supporting the regular training and ritual activities at the monasteries in India and Nepal.  The pandemic has allowed teachings over Zoom to be available to all students online, which has dramatically increased attendance.
We have much to look forward to in the coming year.  Here are a few highlights:

  • On March 9th, Sey Dechen Jangchup Dorje Ripa, who is now 6 years old, will be enthroned as the 6th generation holder of the Ripa lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism.  This enthronement is steeped in tradition and will be presided over by His Eminence Namkha Drimed Rinpoche at the Orissa monastery.
  • In July, the Ripa International Center will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary.  Festivities to celebrate this and the ongoing success of the center will take place along with the traditional 3-week summer retreat in Switzerland. It is planned that His Eminence, Jigme Rinpoche and Lhuntrul Rinpoche will all be in residence.
  • A full calendar of online and in-person teachings is planned for 2022 – details of these will continue to be communicated through our mailings and newsletters.
I’d also like to take the opportunity to highlight the Monk sponsorship program.  The relationship and interdependence between monastic and lay students is a rich one with benefits for all practitioners.

The Ripa Ladrang Foundation has been helping to sponsor the Ripa Monasteries in Nepal and India for over 24 years. During this time, the number of monastic residents living and studying in the monasteries there has flourished to now include more than 400. In 2008, the traditional Shedra educational program started in Orissa.  Its graduates, who after 9 years of basic education in the monastery and 9 more years of formal Buddhist education in the Shedra, are awarded the designation of Lopon – the equivalent of a doctorate degree in Buddism.  They then go on to teach the younger monastics and western students abroad and ensure continuity and accuracy of the teachings. A similar Shedra program started 6 years ago at the Nepal monastery.

This has all been made possible through the generosity of annual Monk sponsorship donations from members of our community. Your continued sponsorship of the monks is needed to pay for the costs of education, room, board, clothing and medical care for this almost exclusively underprivileged group of children and young adults. However, in the past few years, these donations have gradually decreased even as the population of monks has grown. This funding gap was partially filled by a generous bequest we received from a sangha member who always had a special fondness for the education and training of the monastics, and by one-time donations.  However, going forward, we are concerned about the longer-term support for these programs and the preservation of these unique spiritual training and practice environments. Any support you can provide is deeply appreciated. Also, we ask that you please consider making a bequest to the foundation. For more information on this please write to us at info@ripaladrang.org.
As the Year of the Water Tiger gets underway, we invite you to become a member to renew your membership via our website at: https://www.ripaladrang.org/product/donation-form/ . All of the work within the foundation is accomplished by volunteers, and it is your annual membership dues that pay for the basic (and frugally managed services) that keep the organization functioning (i.e. accounting, tax preparation, merchant fees for credit card donations, etc.). Over half of the donations for the foundation’s charitable projects come from outside North America and your membership means that each Dollar, Pound, Euro, Franc, Yen, Ruble and Rupee goes directly to the charitable programs you designate.

We want to personally express our deep appreciation to all of the volunteers who are pillars of support for the foundation and the activities of the Ripa Lineage.

We would also like to thank all of you for your continued support of His Eminence, the Ripa Lineage and our many projects and wish you good health and best wishes in these challenging times.
Donate Now
On Behalf of the Ripa Ladrang Foundation Board of Directors,
Alan Goldstein, President