Anila Ngawang Samten and Charok Lama, Lawudo ,May 2024. Photo by Kristina Mah.

Last month we shared a moving report about the recent pilgrimage to Lawudo, marking the first anniversary of the passing of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, where 38 students from around the world visited and made heartfelt prayers at the holy places of the Lawudo Lamas—Rinpoche and his previous life as Lawudo Lama Kunsang Yeshe. During the pilgrimage, which occurred from April 24-May 8, 2024, Charok Lama and the pilgrims offered Lama Chopa puja in the Lawudo gompa with Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s sister, Anila Ngawang Samten on May 3. This day also commemorated Anila’s eighty-third birthday and Charok Lama took the opportunity to offer some words about her and sharing his own personal history with her. Here we share a video of this talk given by Charok Lama and also a lightly edited transcript:

Charok Lama Praising Anila Ngawang Samten:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDpoRL1SITc

Anila has put great effort throughout her life into Lawudo and this itself is such a beautiful practice. We thank her for what she has done, for how long she has done it, and praise her for her spirit and strength. Even now you can see how strong the passion that runs in her is.

Anila has put a lot of … what is the word for that? There is actually no word for it. She has offered her entire life for Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche and for this place. Anyone who visits can see how hard life is in these conditions. For me, my life has gone very, very smoothly. If I ended up in any other way, I probably would have ended up here, maybe as a porter. My mum was a porter. So it’s very likely that would have happened to me.

Anila Ngawang Samten photo montage by Kristina Mah.

Anila Ngawang Samten with two year sold Charok Lama, December 1995, in Lawudo.
Photo by Frances Howland

Anila has played a big, big role in my life; not that I remember a lot of it; but I can feel it. We all heard the story yesterday. She has many, many, many more stories. If you are willing to sit down and listen to her, she can go on and on for the whole day. She keeps them at heart, that’s one of the most beautiful things about Anila.

She keeps everything at heart. For people like us, being able to see someone like her— so passionate about sustaining this place — is a blessing. People like us, we change, we jump. Ten years we want to do this, ten years later we want to do that, after five years over there, after six years over there. We are all over the place. Anila is the total opposite. People tried to take her here, they tried to take her over there. They have taken her down, offered her a good house, very comfortable; an easy life , a good bed, good toilet with an attached bathroom, yet all that means nothing to her. There is no craving for the same things we look for. When I think about it, Anila is a great teacher to learn from. She is an amazing teacher in that sense — in a very particular way, with a very, very particular set of practices. She is an amazing teacher, and the consistency and resilience she has is admirable.

Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche near Lawudo Retreat Center, Nepal, 1970. Photo by Terry Clifford and courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

So, consistency and resilience. Those are very, very, very important things in your practice that you need to develop. Whether it will be in your worldly practice or in your spiritual practice. Consistency is important, even when it comes to making money. Consistency is important and a lot of business people know that too. Consistency can be developed in any kind of field. You can develop it in spiritual practice, like Anila. Anila told us yesterday, it all started from here. Lawudo is the foundation. Kyabje Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche started from here. Kopan started from here. FPMT started from here.

Every branch that is connected to Rinpoche started from here. That’s why this place is very, very, very important. And because this place is important, the person who has given her sweat, blood, tears and passion, is the most important when it comes to the place. Dharma that comes flowing through Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa, started here. We have mentioned three important people, and Anila is one of them. She is still alive and strong. That’s why I am saying, we are lucky to be here, to meet her, to spend time with her and to have learned from her. Keep that in your mind!

Talk given by Charok Lama Rinpoche to the Lawudo anniversary pilgrimage participants on May 3, 2024. Transcribed by Ven. Tsultrim and lightly edited by Kristina Mah. 

Ani Ngawang Samten and Frances Howland were recently appointed the new co-directors of Lawudo Retreat Centre. 

Charok Lama was recognized at the age of three as the reincarnation of the revered hermit- yogi Kusho Mangde who was a friend of the first Lawudo Lama and meditated in the Charok Cave nearby. As a young child he demanded to go to Kopan monastery to study as a monk and from there he attended Sera Monastery, where he excelled in debate and philosophical inquiry. While living now as a lay person, Charok Lama’s early travel and exposure to Eastern and Western culture has given him a special insight into the challenges faced integrating Tibetan Buddhism to other cultures. 

Please also read, The Keeper of Lawudo, by Merry Colony, written for Mandala magazine in 1998. 

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.