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Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at 100 Million Mani Retreat, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, August 2014. Photo courtesy of Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling.
Ven. Tsenla, director of Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling in Mongolia, shared with Mandala news of the center’s activities over the last year, including the second annual 100 Million Mani Retreat and the arrival of their resident geshe:
Please rejoice with us in the tremendous success of the second annual 100 Million Mani Retreat hosted by Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling Center in Ulaanbaatar from August 17 to September 18, 2014. The participants of the first and the second retreat well surpassed the mark of 100 million mantra recitations.
Many Mongolian people from near, far and wide attended and we were able to recognize familiar faces of participants from the first retreat together with several new people joining during the month. Attendance for the retreat averaged around 500 people.
The dedication and commitment of the Mongolian people to the practice of developing compassion is inspiring and we believe that the merit from their devotion was a large contributing factor to have the great good fortune of a visit from Lama Zopa Rinpoche and entourage for one precious week of Dharma rain. To have Rinpoche visit two years in a row for this event was beyond our expectations!
Rinpoche taught and showed the aspect of being extremely pleased with the efforts of the participants and again asked that the retreat be held annually and expanded his request to include that it also be held in other parts of Mongolia to cater for those people who find it difficult to come to Ulaanbaatar.
Preparations are now beginning for the third annual 100 Million Mani Retreat, scheduled from August 9 to the September 10, 2015.
Participants at 100 Million Mani Retreat, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, August 2014. Photo courtesy of Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling.
Renovations at the Center
The support and generosity of a very kind benefactor to the center enabled us to undertake somewhat major renovations at the center for some four months leading up to the mani retreat.
The center building was completed in 1999, not long after Mongolia’s freedom from occupation, at which time the quality of materials and workmanship was not of a high standard. In particular, we focused on the high priority of replacing the central heating panels and pipes in all rooms, replacing our very drafty and unsuitable windows for the harsh Mongolian winters with modern, double-glazed ones and the installation of new floor coverings. While it was a most disruptive and challenging few months, we are pleased to have that behind us and are now benefiting from the improvements.
Geshe Lobsang Wangchuk. Photo courtesy of Ani Gyalmo.
New Resident Geshe
The Wood Sheep year started in a wonderful way for us with the joy and excitement of the arrival of our new resident geshe, Geshe Lobsang Wangchuk on February 24, 2015. Born in the Eastern part of Tibet, he became a monk at the age of 13 and in 1991 came to India to enter Sera Je Monastery to complete his studies in the five great philosophical treatises. When he completed his studies at Sera Je Monastery in 2008, he embarked on a life of retreat in the mountains of Dharamsala and Manali and spent his winters at the holy site of the Mahabodhi Stupa in Bodhgaya.
Geshe-la has an inspirational accomplishment of more than 700,000 prostrations; 1.5 million Migtsema prayers; 1.5 million Manjushri mantras; 1.1 million Chenrezig mantras; three Hayagriva retreats; three Solitary Hero Yamantaka retreats; and the Thirteen Deity Yamantaka retreat two times.
In 2011, in a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe-la was advised to actively engage in activities benefiting society and complete the examination for the formal Geshe degree. Upon completing his exams, he returned to his life of solitary retreats and practice.
In September 2014, Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised us to invite Geshe Lobsang Wangchuk and we are delighted that this important accomplishment could ripen.
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