receive our newsletters
join Friends of FPMT
FPMT Community: Stories & News
In Manthali Gaun, Raemchhap District, Nepal, May 2015. Photo courtesy of Kopan Monastery School on Facebook.
While the ground continues shaking in Nepal, Kopan monks and nuns continue their emergency relief work in several districts in Nepal. Since the April 25 earthquake, there have been well over 100 magnitude 4.0+ earthquakes. Kopan teams are delivering relief aid on trucks to remote villages and communities in many districts, including people of the Dalit (Untouchable) caste.
Kopan nuns loading a truck bound for Rasuwa District, Nepal, May 2015
One team was on a four-day excursion to Rasuwa District, when the 7.3 earthquake struck on May 12. Kopan Monastery shared on Facebook that the team saw landslides and more destruction to homes. A medical team was traveling with the group. After returning, a medical team member said, “I think what they really need at this moment is proper shelters. Most of them plant their own food and get water from the waterfall, but difficult to get the shelter.” She concluded by saying, “There was too little that we could do for them. I wish we can do more to help.”
Providing medical aid in Rasuwa District, Nepal, May 2015
On May 16, the team returned to Rasuwa with two truckloads of tarpaulins and food, traveling 12 hours to arrive at their destination over very difficult roads.
Kopan Monastery School wrote on Facebook, “We saw so many relief team with huge loaded trucks heading toward this place. We were so relieved that now all the villagers around this area will get the relief supplies.
“What we learned is that Nepali people are so resilient. They looks sad, but much less worries than they supposed to be.”
A road in the Rasuwa District, Nepal, May 2015
Ven. Sarah Thresher shared, “To date the monks and nuns of Kopan Helping Hands have distributed:
List of aid for May 17, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, May 2015
- Food to 5,000 families
- Shelter to 1,135 families
- 3,000 meals
- Blankets to 500 families
- Clothing to 1,800 people
- Water distribution to many parts of the city…”
The Namgyal Rinpoche Foundation, which is the organization of Losang Namgyal Rinpoche, a Kopan monk and a high lama for the Tamang people, is coordinating with Kopan on relief work. They have most recently been sending supplies to Nuwakot District.
Geshe Thubten Jinpa, a senior Kopan Geshe, shared last week on his Facebook page, “Today we were traveling more than 18 hour on the road to deliver the relief package to the most affected area, every house along the road is completely down. It’s heartbreaking to witness these all with your own eyes. It’s 2 a.m. here. We just arrived back home. The road was so bad and the heavy rain made it extremely difficult. We sent for the people whom the relief package is targeted for and hand it over in the middle of jungle and head back, but have no other choices.”
Kopan Monastery is accepting donations directly for their relief work, mention “Kopan Helping Hands” in the comments: http://www.kopanmonastery.com/earthquake
To learn more and offer support to FPMT’s Nepal Earthquake Support Fund, which will be used for immediate relief and rebuilding: https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/
For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/
For continuing updates and news from Kopan Monastery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, please visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page:
https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/
We hope you enjoy the May FPMT International Office E-News.
In this e-News we bring you:
- An overview of the resources available following the earthquakes in Nepal
- Highlights from our blogs about Lama Zopa Rinpoche
- News from FPMT Charitable Projects
- New opportunities to offer service
and more!
Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the way to consecrate the stupa at Mahamudra Centre, Colville, New Zealand, May 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang
An injured cow is unable to stand, Nepal, April 2015. Photo by Phil Hunt.
Phil Hunt, coordinator of the Animal Liberation Sanctuary at Kopan Monastery, has been helping not only the animals at Kopan, but other animals in Kathmandu and surrounding areas. Phil has been blogging about this work at Tree of Compassion. Here are a few excerpts from his posts:
Posted May 12
“During the latest larger earthquake in Nepal (measuring 7. 3 on the Richter scale) on Tuesday 12th of May we were on the second day of an animal rescue and assistance trip in the Nuwakot region, one of the worst affected areas from the original quakes. With our veterinarian Dr. Umesh Mandal, the SPCA Nepal, Nepal Veterinary Association and senior veterinary students, we were in the town of Devi Ghat when the rumbling started. People scrambled to the streets and open areas, screams and cries going out from fear and concern for others. A few minutes after the molecules of earth and beings settled people began working out what was newly damaged and what was no longer safe.
“… More fractures, slow healing wounds, downed animals, infections, abscesses, persistent diarrhoea and even a case of toxicity due to a home treatment remedy gone wrong (burnt motor oil smeared over a calf to treat a skin infection). We have seen food and medical aid getting to towns and villages in this area, which is so important, but helping the animals is also of great assistance to the people. They need these animals for their livelihood and they also treat them like family and worry for them. When their house is in ruins, when loved ones have died, when they are living in makeshift shelters and struggling, seeing an injured or sick animal get often lifesaving treatment is a great emotional (and financial) boost. …”
Posted May 2
“In the morning we headed out of Kathmandu Valley to a village where Dr. Umesh has been helping for some time. All along the way the devastation of the earthquake can be seen, with twisted and broken buildings scattered between the lucky ones with no apparent damage, the ones with small cracks, those with deep and ominous cracks, and those missing parts of walls and roofs. Out of the valley, it is clearer still in the rural communities that the traditional mud-brick or stone walls are the most affected as they have little mortar and certainly no metal rod internal support to hold them together.
“… We stop at one of the heads of the village. The cement and stone building is low and modest, even more so now as the entire main living area has lost its walls.
“… If the house had collapsed in its entirety, the cow and goats under the house would have been in trouble. Back in Kathmandu, 13 cows part of a backyard dairy were buried by a collapsing adjacent building. Only five could be rescued. In Nepal many people even in the city have one or two animals and small micro-farms are still important livelihoods.
Dairy cows who survived the earthquake, Nepal, April 2015. Photo by Phil Hunt.
“After checking the animals in the village, the next call is to a small dairy back in the Kathmandu Valley. A large house has collapsed across the normal access road and it requires a detour. Other roads are also blocked due to unstable buildings. The proliferation of four-story buildings means the risk is magnified. At the dairy we check the buildings and animals. Walls came down, but the animals are all fortunately safe.
“A call comes in from near Bhaktapur of an injured cow, unable to stand. When we arrive, we see it is due to another wall collapse. The cow is under a temporary shelter. She wants to stand but can’t and is distressed. I fear the worst. Dr. Umesh methodically checks for injuries and the cause of the problem. Fortunately he finds it is only a broken rib and bruising and slight lacerations on her back from falling bricks. She is given analgesia for the pain and some other medication to help her mend. We will revisit and follow up. She also needs her hoofs trimmed as they are terribly overgrown. Family and friends gather around and are relieved that the cow will recover. A young girl sweeps biting insects from her side. …”
Puppy rescued after Nepal earthquake, April 2015. Photo by Phil Hunt.
Posted May 1
“Another jolt in the night. Those that were here for the first two big quakes are hypersensitive to tremors and confess they are not sure sometimes whether they feel an actual tremor or it is their imagination.
“… It feels like a good day to stay put, hide in a dry corner like the monastery cat Shamatha. But knowing there are animals in distress that could be helped means there is no time for us to rest and makes every delay incredibly frustrating. Yesterday, several Israeli disaster response people were visiting the monastery. They were waiting for doctors to arrive before deploying.
Government officially declared this cottage condemned, Nepal, April 2015. Photo by Phil Hunt.
“… This morning it was business as usual at the Animal Liberation Sanctuary, tending to animals requiring care and ensuring day-to-day operations are in hand. We had to avoid the damaged track and take the longer track below. There is no permanent road access to the land and most things are brought in on foot. Returning, we stopped at a lovely old traditional Nepalese mud-brick cottage that had been badly damaged in the earthquake. The owners were there along with some people from the government. They were assessing the damage and had just pronounced the building as unrecoverable. This decision allows the owners to move on, but it means another piece of Nepalese heritage will be gone from the landscape. It still is such a beautiful house and framed beautifully with many flowers. The mother cow and her calf survived without injury, but it will be many months of turmoil for the whole family no matter what decisions are made. ...”
To read more from Animal Liberation Sanctuary coordinator Phil Hunt, visit the Tree of Compassion news blog.
For more updates and news from Kopan Monastery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page: https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/
To learn more and offer support to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund visit:
https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/
For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Ganden Yiga Chözin Buddhist Meditation Centre in Pokhara, April 2014. Photo via Facebook, Pokhara Buddhist Meditation Centre.
Ganden Yiga Chözin Buddhist Meditation Centre in Pokhara (about 200 km/120 miles from Kathmandu) was the only FPMT center in Nepal to not experience structural damage by the recent earthquake. Director Drolkar Maree Court shared in an email how the earthquake affected their weekend meditation course and what life is like in Pokhara now:
Sent April 28
The earthquake was very intense and scary and happened during the weekend course when we were on the topic of karma and the delusions. The quake lasted about two minutes and we ran into the garden, watching the neighbor’s building that was under construction, but nothing fell down. We have some cracks in garden walls, but that’s about it. And there was some smashed tsa-tsas in the tsa-tsa house on top of the gompa.
The next day when we again had class, we had a pretty big aftershock and the students just flew out the door this time. The day before they’d left quite slowly – a little too slowly it seemed though – I was at the back! But after that, they were very jittery and frightened. Pokhara is relatively unscathed. Just a few houses collapsed apparently and only one or two deaths, which is bad, of course, but nothing like anywhere else.
Since then, we’ve had to deal with all the anxious students who were here on the weekend. We had 26, which was a great number, but I think now that will be it for this season.
… And the weather’s been really bad lately, even before the earthquake. Very strange.
Sent May 6
Pokhara is practically deserted of Westerners and the people here are feeling it. Usually, May is very busy with tourists and people expect to make enough money each tourist season to tide them over during the monsoon and winter months. The center is no exception. We need to make enough money during the two tourist seasons to keep the center running through those empty months. But now with all the tourists gone, you can see the worry on people’s faces as they sit outside empty shops and restaurants. Apparently, many people have already lost their jobs as the employers start to panic over income. I’m sure it’s the same all over Nepal, not just here, as Nepal relies so heavily on tourism.
Nobody is sure when the tourists will come again either. Let’s hope that September (post monsoon) brings a fresh wave of tourists to re-energize the economy.
For more news from Kopan Monastery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page:
https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/
To learn more and offer support to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund visit:
https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/
For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/
You can receive an email daily digest of news from FPMT.org, including our updates from Nepal, by signing up at this address:
https://fpmt.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=97e3ebb09472d09e0e699efd3&id=b248a1a45e
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
The view from Rinpoche’s cave in Lawudo two weeks before the earthquake, Nepal, April 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Lawudo Gompa and Retreat Centre, located in the mountainous Solu Khumbu region of Nepal, is an essential part of FPMT. “Lawudo is the heart where FPMT started,” FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche has said. The cave at Lawudo is where Rinpoche’s previous incarnation Lawudo Lama Kunsang Yeshe meditated for 20 years. Many of the first Kopan monks came from the area and many FPMT students have meditated in the remote location.
Early reports from Lawudo describe considerable damage to the buildings there. On the top floor above the gompa, the side wall is badly cracked and pieces have fallen out. They fear the wall could fall down at anytime. In the dining room, half of the ceiling has fallen down due to the rocks that support the roof falling onto the ceiling. The side walls of the library have collapsed and the rocks supporting the roof have fallen through the ceiling. In the room of Ani Ngawang Samten, Rinpoche’s sister and manager of Lawudo, the rocks supporting the roof have fallen through the ceiling into the room. The cow shed side wall has collapsed as well as Nima’s house (Nima helps Ani Ngawang Samten maintain the center) and the buildings on both sides of the cave are badly cracked and pieces are falling out. In addition, walls have collapsed in the upper and lower retreat rooms.
Sangay Sherpa, Rinpoche’s brother who is the director of the center, has said that he has already booked a builder for the rebuilding, starting in a month. He plans to go to Lawudo soon himself and further assess the damage and begin collecting needed materials. The rebuilding of Lawudo will be supported by FPMT’s Nepal Earthquake Support Fund, which is funding both immediate emergency relief and the long-term rebuilding of FPMT centers and projects in Nepal.
Lawudo is also very near Thame, where Lama Zopa Rinpoche was born. Rinpoche feels a strong connection with the area and is supporting disaster relief efforts there. Through FPMT’s Nepal Earthquake Support Fund and in coordination with Cherok Lama Sherpa and the Himalayan Peoples Project-Nepal, an emergency aid shipment of tents for nearly 200 families in the region arrived last week. Next, food shipments will be sent up to the area, which is at an elevation of 3,800 meters (12,5000 feet) and only accessible by foot or helicopter.
Tent shelters provided by emergency relief set up at Thame, Nepal, May 2015. Photo courtesy of Himalayan Peoples Project-Nepal
You can view Thame and the surrounding area on Google Maps or in a video created by Google Maps of the region, released in March 2015. National Geographic has posted photos of the destruction at Thame.
For more news from Kopan Monastery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page:
https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/
To learn more and offer support to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund visit:
https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/
For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/
You can receive an email daily digest of news from FPMT.org, including our updates from Nepal, by signing up at this address:
https://fpmt.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=97e3ebb09472d09e0e699efd3&id=b248a1a45e
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Kopan monks hand out emergency relief in Rasuwa, Nepal, May 2, 2015. Photo via Kopan Monastery School on Facebook.
Kopan Monastery monks continue to lead emergency relief efforts, going out to offer aid packages to people in villages far outside of Kathmandu. The Kopan monks are helping hundreds of families in a direct and organized way with rice, dal, oil, blankets, clothing and other supplies that are needed and that can be obtained.
A sign at Kopan Monastery showing what is being sent out for aid that day, Nepal, May 2, 2015
Kopan Monastery staff have been sharing these reports on Facebook:
Day eight
As we are receiving lots of requests from the affected area, we are learning what we need to prepare. We had to shop and pack packages for tomorrow. Tomorrow we’ll be leaving around 6:00 a.m. with a load of foodstuff, blankets and tents. Thanks to all the monks for being all the time there to help. Specially those monks who donated all their extra blankets for the cause.
Today we opened our school after a week-long gap. We let our students discuss natural disasters and their causes. We also let them draw pictures about what they felt or think about the current situation.
Drawing by grade 3 monk at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, May 3, 2015. Photo shared via Kopan Monastery School on Facebook where there are more drawings by students.
Young monks helping to prepare emergency relief, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, May 2, 2015. Photo courtesy Kopan Monastery School on Facebook.
Day seven
Last night we prepared all required things: blankets, clothes, and food packages, which include rice, oil, salt, beaten rices, etc. We again divided things into two trucks, one for Rasuwa and other one for Sindupalchok, and decided to leave at 6:00 a.m.
We woke up 5:30 a.m., loaded the packages, had a breakfast, then headed to Sindupalchok. It took us more than four hours to reach the place (Bade Gaon). The road up to this place is so bad that nobody would dare to go there. But thanks to our driver who dared to drop us there. On the way there is a little town by Melamche riverbank called Sipha Ghat that is almost 70% devastated. Then there’s another village called Ghote Gaun with 90% of houses devastated. All just like war zones. We were totally surprised that we’re the first to come here. At the same we felt very sorry for them that our relief supplies are too little to cover all of them.
Devastation seen along the way to distribute supplies, Nepal, May 2, 2015. Photo courtesy Kopan Monastery School on Facebook.
We climbed the rocky road about 6 kilometers and we finally reached our destiny (Bade Goun). Here also we saw the same situation with other villages though it’s not so populated an area, comparing with other villages. Moreover, there’s no shops and no proper roads and that makes for more suffering. The people around these areas are so humble. There’s no rushing and crowding like we faced in Kathmandu valley in other days.
Some Kopan Monastery monks involved in relief work, Nepal, May 2, 2015. Photo courtesy Kopan Monastery School on Facebook.
They lined up and called each person from each house to get the supplies. I saw each person giving big smiles under their sad faces when they get their supplies. Everyone staying in the field. They insisted on us to have a lunch, some asked us to see their destroyed houses. My eyes got wet. I wish to cry aloud but how can I do that in front of them. We all went to see their devastated house. They’re asking whether we are coming again or not. I was speechless to their questions. We called to Radio Nepal and reported all the situations and asked them to send a help immediately. … We distributed all things in ward 4, 2 and 3. Then we had our lunch with their cattle, where they settled as their camp. They’re not willing to take money, but we insisted that they have at least 1000 Nepalese rupees.
We learned that the urgent things they needs are tents, blankets and mosquito nets. We were a little happy when we saw on the way back that Sikkim relief groups are going towards Sindupalchok. If anyone interested to go these area to help, make sure to carry those three things, please!!!
Kopan monks with villagers in Tare Bir Gaon, Nepal, May 2, 2015. Photo via Kopan Monastery School on Facebook.
For the latest updates and news from Kopan Monastery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page:
https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/
To learn more and offer support to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund visit:
https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/
For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/
More frequent updates and news can be found on FPMT’s Facebook page.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche offering prayers, blessings and teaching in the new gompa at Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery, also know as the Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, April 30, 2015. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher. This was an important event for the nunnery to have Rinpoche enter their newly completed gompa, especially in light of the trauma of the earthquake and aftershocks.
Ven. Joan Nicell, a Canadian nun currently living at Kopan Monastery, shared this report of events at Kopan Monastery and Nunnery after the April 25 earthquake in Nepal. This report wraps up a week of blog posts on FPMT.org covering the earthquake and its aftermath.
Day 1
At noon on April 25, 2015 the earth swayed and shook at Kopan Monastery and across Nepal. The earthquake registered 7.8 on the Richter scale. At Kopan 40 or so frightened foreign visitors left their lunch and stumbled out of the dining room to the open ground of the stupa garden. More than 100 monks, who were also eating lunch on their Saturday off, soon joined them. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was carried on a bamboo chair down the two flights of stairs from his room above the main temple to the garden. Rinpoche took the opportunity to give an impromptu teaching on impermanence. Meanwhile, several monks and lay people returned to Rinpoche’s room to sop up the water from the many overturned offering bowls and pick up the statues and text that had been thrown from the altars.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche leading prayers the day of the earthquake, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, April 25, 2015. Photo by Ven. Sangpo Sherpa.
In Kopan Nunnery the nuns quickly gathered in the open field between the many new buildings. One nun sleeping in her room above the old gompa watched in fear as her room shook and books and pots crashed to the ground. One of the deer on the roof of the old gompa fell and smashed to pieces on the gompa steps. The other deer and the Dharma wheel remained hanging precariously over the edge of the roof. Lay people from the surrounding houses soon began to join the nuns, many with small children.
Spilled water bowls in Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s room, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, April 25, 2015. Photo by Ven. Sangpo Sherpa.
The aftershocks continued throughout the afternoon, often not more than 20 minutes between each one. Screams from the frightened people crowded into every available open area could be heard with each tremor. News began to arrive via phone of deaths and injuries throughout the country accompanied by warnings to remain outside. At Kopan, as evening approached, several small tents were quickly set up for Rinpoche, the geshes, older monks and Western nuns. A larger dormitory-like tent was erected for some of the foreign visitors. The younger monks and foreigners slept on camping mats under the open sky, while the youngest of the monks were sent to sleep in the gompa. The Kopan nuns spent the night wrapped in blankets and cloaks under the sky.
Tents set up after the earthquake, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, April 2015. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher.
Day 2
The next morning at Kopan was surreal, with Rinpoche sitting, apparently very relaxed and even sleeping, in the shade of a big tree surrounded by cross-legged foreigners doing their own prayers and practices for the earthquake victims. Young monks ran around, as young boys do, excited to have a day off. At 1 p.m. when the second big tremor hit (over 6 on the Richter scale), the atmosphere turned somber again as everyone quietly gathered around Rinpoche. Prayers were recited for those who had died and been injured. The monks set up more tents at Kopan and the nuns erected plastic tarps at the nunnery as everyone prepared for another night outside. Bright orange and blue plastic tarps could be seen popping up in every open space in the valley below Kopan.
Kopan monks involved in efforts to clean up areas to prevent the spread of disease after the earthquake, Kathmandu, Nepal, May 1, 2015. Photo from Kopan Monastery School on Facebook.
Day 3-7
As the days are passing and news from around the country continues to worsen, “Kopan Helping Hands” is organizing truckloads of food and water to distribute to needy people in the city. The monks are also volunteering to clean up some of the tent cities that dot the city. Evening prayers with Rinpoche are an unscheduled but regular part of the day, most often in the garden but, when raining, in the main temple.
Ven. Nawang Thinley and other Kopan monks offering emergency relief, Nepal, April 30, 2015. Photo courtesy Nawang Thinley on Facebook.
Damage to Kopan Monastery
Cracked walls at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, April 2015. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher.
One of the buildings with the biggest damage is the Chenrezig Gompa, the temple where all the introductory courses for foreigners are normally held. The building appears to have shifted away from the embankment resulting in large cracks in the stairwell and outer walls. Both inside and outside large pieces of plaster have shattered on the floor revealing the bricks beneath. Fortunately the statues in the altar, many of them an important part of Kopan’s history, were not damaged.
The nearby accommodation block was also seriously damaged with a gaping hole in the back of one room and deep cracks in the walls in all the lower rooms and toilets.
One of the older brick buildings that houses the monks has extensive cracks beneath the cement beams in every room but is structurally sound. The nearby large accommodation block also has many cracks, especially in the rooms on the second floor. A brick railing around the rooftop room crashed to the ground; fortunately no one was injured.
The library and bookstore floors are covered in books that spilled to the floor. A week after the quake, it was deemed safe enough for a group of guests, nuns, and monks to begin the work of putting them back on the shelves.
A collapsed brick wall at Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, April 25, 2015. Photo by Ven. Sangpo Sherpa.
Damage to Kopan Nunnery
The old gompa has been badly damaged. The walls around the building are cracked, a deer and the Dharma wheel remain dangling from the roof, some of the decorative cement victory banners fell to the ground, and windows are broken. Much of the boundary wall that surrounds the nunnery land collapsed, making it easy for anyone to enter the property. The interior walls of the new gompa have ugly cracks spoiling the beautiful artwork of the wall paintings. Externally the back wall has been damaged. The walls of the new, not yet finished, dining room also have many cracks. The new accommodation block also sustained some damage. It is not yet clear whether or not the old accommodation block has sustained structural damage. Strangely the old kitchen remained unharmed.
How to Help
Kopan Monastery and Nunnery will need financial help to repair damaged buildings and perhaps even tear down and rebuild the more badly damaged ones. For more up-to-date information check out their websites.
After today, we will post updates from Nepal after the earthquake to FPMT.org less frequently. For those interested in finding more FPMT-related news from Nepal, follow FPMT on Facebook.
Helping prepare the emergency relief aid for Thame, May 1, 2015. Photo by Tara Melwani. The emergency relief is sponsored, in part, by FPMT’s Nepal Earthquake Support Fund. Five Kopan monks traveled with the suppies to manage their distribution, which an eyewitness on the ground described as “orderly.”
For updates and news from Kopan Monastery and Nunnery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page:
https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/
To offer support to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund visit:
https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/
For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/
You can receive an email daily digest of news from FPMT.org, including our updates from Nepal, by signing up at this address:
https://fpmt.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=97e3ebb09472d09e0e699efd3&id=b248a1a45e
Emergency relief supplies headed to Thame at the airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, May 1, 2015.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Kopan monks distribute aid to villagers after earthquake, Nepal, May 1, 2015. Photo via Ven. Nawang Thinley’s Facebook page.
FPMT.org makes available a variety of resources to help concerned students and supporters stay abreast of the latest updates and news from Kopan Monastery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake.
Learn more and offer support to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund, a fund offering initial aid in some of the most remote areas and helping to rebuild Kopan Monastery, Kopan Nunnery and Lawudo (https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/).
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice regarding “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal” to help prevent earthquakes and benefit those who have recently died (https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/).
For FPMT.org’s coverage of Nepal after the earthquake, visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page (https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/).
Consider receiving an email daily digest of news from FPMT.org, which includes our updates from Nepal (https://fpmt.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=97e3ebb09472d09e0e699efd3&id=b248a1a45e).
Some of the damage at Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, April 30, 2015. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher.
30 April 2015, 1 p.m. Kathmandu time
From Ven. Sarah Thresher:
Today, Tara Melwani, who is the Southeast Asia FPMT regional coordinator from Singapore, and myself went down to check on the Khachoe Ghaykil Nunnery also known as Kopan Nunnery. On the way, we passed the Kopan reception where Geshe Jinpa was coordinating Kopan relief efforts. He told us this morning Kopan sent out 1,500 packed lunches and 1,200 bottles of drinking water to the camps, along with two trucks and 30 monks to help collect garbage.
On the road from Kopan Monastery down to the nunnery, the only sign of the earthquake was the makeshift tents in every field. Apart from that, shops and small eating places are open and people are getting on with their lives.
Tents in the field at Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, April 30, 2015. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher.
When we arrived at the nunnery Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi was there and the nuns were preparing for a visit by Lama Zopa Rinpoche this afternoon and an opening ceremony puja in the new prayer hall. Khen Rinpoche, who is the abbot of both the monastery and nunnery, pointed out the cracks all along two walls of the new prayer hall, the broken plaster and damaged paintings that had been newly completed. “Right now we are not even sure how to fix it,” he told us. “Some of the cracks look quite superficial, but they run deep into the building’s structure.”
Damage in the gompa at Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, April 30, 2015. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher.
There has been quite extensive damage to nunnery buildings and the nuns themselves have been sleeping outside under makeshift tents made of plastic and tarpaulin, or in the long open basement of a new construction of classrooms. Ani Shedrup, one of the senior nuns, took us on a tour of the damage. She explained that the earthquake struck around lunchtime on Saturday, which is a holiday for the nuns. Some of the nuns were in the small reception building, preparing a special lunch for Ösel Rinpoche and his party; some were in Boudha doing puja; others were memorizing, etc. There was even one small group of nuns down in Kathmandu doing puja in a nine-story building when the quake struck. Miraculously they survived and walked back. Nobody was injured.
Nuns staying in an open basement of a building being constructed at Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, April 30, 2015. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher.
As we toured the buildings – the new prayer hall, the nuns accommodation block, the new kitchen, dining room, the incense factory, classrooms, etc. – there were cracks everywhere. Anila explained to us that every day they sweep up the debris, but every day more plaster falls down as the aftershocks widen the cracks. It’s very sad.
The old prayer hall at Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, April 27, 2015. Photo by Ven. Sangpo Sherpa.
Most damaged – and likely beyond repair – is the old prayer hall. The deer and Dharma wheel hang from the roof; pillars are cracked and the plaster has fallen off. The cracks are extensive and it feels derelict. This is where the nunnery began and it is full of memories; everywhere is the reminder of Buddha’s teaching on impermanence.
Rinpoche will lead a puja at the nunnery this afternoon and hopefully the prayers will mark the beginning of a long project to restore and rebuild. Please give whatever support you can to those who are shouldering this responsibility; it is immense.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche opening and blessing the new gompa at Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery, Nepal, April 30, 2015. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher.
Ven. Sarah shared photos from the opening and blessing of the beautiful new gompa at Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery.
Rinpoche and Kopan nuns in their new gompa, Khachoe Ghaykil Nunnery, Nepal, April 30, 2015.
For the latest updates and news from Kopan Monastery and Nunnery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page:
https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/
To learn more and offer support to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund visit:
https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/
For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/
You can receive an email daily digest of news from FPMT.org, including our updates from Nepal, by signing up at this address:
https://fpmt.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=97e3ebb09472d09e0e699efd3&id=b248a1a45e
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Day 4: Kopan Monastery monks help distribute drinking water, Kathmandu, Nepal, April 2015. Photo via Facbook, Kopan Monastery School.
Posted 30 April 2015, 10:18 p.m. Kathmandu
From Kopan Monastery staff:
Day five
We’ve come to know that food and water are needed at the hospital, which is full of sick people and their families living with little amounts of food and water. We prepared cooked meals and water bottles. Thanks to our cook and helpers, who made really good food and worked selflessly! Meanwhile, we prepared one more truck full of raw food. This will go to the remote villages around Shivapuri Hill.
Day 5: Kopan Monastery monks distribute food aid packages to earthquake-affected villages, Nepal, April 2015. Photo via Facbook, Kopan Monastery School.
We drove our truck to Sinemangal Kathmandu Medical College, which we found very crowded people. We didn’t know where to begin. Thanks to Mrs. Sunita Panday (college manager) who helped us to distribute the food and water. Then we drove to Patan Hospital, Lagankhel. We saw the same situation and distributed the food and water. Thanks to the hospital which also offered meals to all the earthquake victims so that we did not need to cover all. We got information from someone who asked us to help at Chapa Gaon, where people remain hungry and homeless. We immediately drove with them to the area.
There is no proper road and one small village totally collapsed. It is interesting to know that no help reached here even after five days. We distributed what we had promised to come back tomorrow with food. We learned that we need to take rice, dal, oil, salt, etc. but there is no water shortage. As we came back home, we prepared packages for tomorrow.
Day 5: Kopan Monastery helps provide relief for earthquak victims, Kopan, Nepal, April 2015. Photo via Facbook, Kopan Monastery School.
Posted 30 April 2015, 7:18 a.m. Kathmandu
From Kopan Monastery staff:
Day four
After breakfast, while our young monks assembled for morning prayers, we divided into two groups: one for cleaning and one for water supplies. The cleaning group was set up according to DSP suggestion. It was to cleaning the area where hundreds of people tented, advising and making people aware to keep the area clean or else there might be the possibility spreading many diseases.
We hired two trucks for water supply and set up 2,000-liter (528-gallon) tanks for each. Thanks to the Nepal government’s Kathmandu Water Supply Center for providing free water at this time.
The first load headed toward Tundi-khel where thousands of people live outside. We witnessed a hundred people rush toward the water tank as soon as they saw us and heard that there could be drinking water. We distributed 6,000 liters (1,585 gallons) of water and more than a hundred boxes of face masks.
The second load of water was distributed around the Swyambunath area; the third load was distributed around the Kopan area.
At night we distributed food and water bottles in and around the hospital. We found many asking for soap, Dettol and iodine.
Day 4: Kopan Monstery monks and staff help bring drinking water to earthquake-affected people, Nepal, April 2015. Photo via Facbook, Kopan Monastery School.
Day 5: Kopan Monastery monks and stuff help prepare food aid for earthquake victims, Kopan, Nepal, April 2015. Photo via Facbook, Kopan Monastery School.
Posted 30 April 2015, 7:18 a.m. Kathmandu
From Kopan Monastery staff:
Day three
Day three started with a pretty good morning. But we can’t make any conclusions on what really we need to do. Since most ways of communication is not so good, we really don’t know what kind of help people need. We went to search around the affected areas. In the meantime, we decided to help prepare food items through NBF (Nepal Buddhist Federation). A team was set up and sent to the NBF center.
While we’re looking around, we learned that water is what they really needed. So, as we came back to monastery, we made a decision to supply water and clean up the affected areas.
For the latest updates and news from Kopan Monastery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page:
https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/
To learn more and offer support to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund visit:
https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/
For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/
You can receive an email daily digest of news from FPMT.org, including our updates from Nepal, by signing up at this address:
https://fpmt.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=97e3ebb09472d09e0e699efd3&id=b248a1a45e
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Kopan monks ready to distribute water, Kathmandu, Nepal, April 28, 2015. Photo by Phil Hunt.
29 April 2015, 8 p.m. Kathmandu time
From Ven. Sarah Thresher:
Teachings canceled today [at Kopan]. Most people went down to help in diverse ways: distributing food in Bhaktapur, moving rubble, collecting garbage. In Durbar Square they found one person still alive as well as many bodies. They say the energy of everyone working together – Westerners, Nepalis, etc. was very inspiring.
27 April 2015, evening
From Phil Hunt, coordinator of the Animal Liberation Sanctuary at Kopan Monastery:
… The afternoon field trip [to check on animals] was delayed due to more rain. This is supposed to be the dry season with increasing temperatures and dust storms. Yet Kathmandu has had many alternate days of rain this month already and more to come. The roads become muddy and slippery and the moisture weakens buildings where new faults lie. Locals are worried that the real rain coming during the monsoon will result in more collapses of otherwise strong looking buildings.
Finally a let up in the weather allowed Pema [manager of the Animal LIberation Sanctuary] and myself to go out to survey the Boudha area – the heart of Tibetans in Kathmandu. The majestic stupa is normally radiating calm amid swaying lines of fluttering prayer flags. Now the golden apex is askew with deep cracks on several sides and the prayer flags have fallen. The bustling circuit around the stupa is still very quiet with few shops and cafes open and even fewer people circumambulating the holy object. Tourists are almost non-existent. However, the boom-boom of Tibetan Buddhist drums comes from a monastery as the monks return to buildings to do prayers.
The “stupa dogs” that we saw had no injuries. Pema gave the pigeons some food, as did some passing monks.
Tent city where Animal Liberation Sanctuary manager Pema and his family are camped out, Kathmandu, Nepal, April 27, 2015. Photo by Phil Hunt.
South of the stupa and closer to the airport is a large makeshift tent city. Thousands of people are sheltering here out of the adjacent high-rise apartments of the area. Most shops are still shut and people are still making do with what they brought with them. It will still be another night or two before they feel comfortable to return to their homes, although, thankfully, now the atmosphere is much more cheerful. People I spoke to felt more relaxed and that the worst of the danger was over. …
Water will be the biggest concern and it always is in short supply at the best of times. At Kopan Monastery a meeting was called for all international visitors. People who could leave were encouraged to head to a functioning hotel but to wait 2-3 days before attempting the airport, where long queues and chaotic conditions ruled. Scheduled flights were disrupted to allow for essential aid flights. The roar of the big military planes is both chilling and heartening in equal measure. For those guests remaining [at Kopan], water conservation is the rule. One of the large water tanks is broken and the daily pumping of water to keep this monastery on top of the hill running can only be done with the twice-daily dose of generator power. ‘Please don’t flush’ was the request.
After our visit we returned to check on the animals [at the sanctuary]. Pema finished the round of daily wound treatment and medicines, particularly for Kalden the calf who is almost fully recovered from terrible wounds back in January when we were notified of his near-death state. He has become a great friend to Christmas [the cow] who generally can’t socialize with the other cows as he has a congenital condition that restricts his mobility.
We double check food supplies. There is enough for the cows for 10-14 days, which is hopefully enough to get through the shortage that will ensue soon. The goats’ stores were restocked the day before the earthquake and will be adequate for at least a month. Beyond that the price may be affected, but hopefully supplies will be available.
Tomorrow we will head out to worse affected areas so that we can provide assistance to any injured animals.
Samadhi the goat at the Animal Liberation Sanctuary being held by the caretaker (who’s from Tsum) while Pema (the manager) treats him, Kathmandu, Nepal, April 28, 2015. Photo by Phil Hunt.
To read more from Animal Liberation Sanctuary coordinator Phil Hunt, visit the Tree of Compassion news blog.
For the latest updates and news from Kopan Monastery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page: https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/
To learn more and offer support to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund visit:
https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/
For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/
You can receive an email daily digest of news from FPMT.org, including our updates from Nepal, by signing up at this address:
https://fpmt.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=97e3ebb09472d09e0e699efd3&id=b248a1a45e
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Kopan Monastery after the earthquake, Nepal, April 2015. Photo by Ng Yi Zhen.
The strong connection between the international FPMT community and Nepal cannot be understated. After all, Kopan Hill is where it all started. After receiving teachings from Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche during the first Kopan courses in the early 1970s, inspired students spread across the globe, starting FPMT centers and sharing Dharma. But FPMT’s work inside Nepal also has grown and expanded.
Currently there are several FPMT centers in Nepal: Kopan Monastery and Nunnery; the Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Centre, which is the “city center” located in Kathmandu; Ganden Yiga Chozin Buddhist Meditation Centre, located in Pokhara; and Lawudo Gompa and Retreat Centre, which is in the Solu Khumbu district that includes Mount Everest. In addition, Kopan Monastery oversees several projects in Nepal, including the Animal Liberation Sanctuary in Kathmandu; Mu Gompa and Rachen Nunnery, both in the remote Tsum Valley; and Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery in Solu Khumbu.
Early reports from Kathmandu, Pokhara, Tsum and Solu Khumbu indicate that, in general, people and animals are doing OK given the circumstances and some buildings have experienced structural damage. We will share more detailed reports and news from these different centers and projects as they become available.
To share more about FPMT’s involvement in Nepal, Mandala has posted the story “Nepal: ‘The Most Holy Place in the World,’” from Mandala‘s January-March 2013 issue. Here’s how the story begins:
“[Nepal] is really the most holy place in the world,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche said at a 2007 talk in Kathmandu on the “Value of Meditation and Pilgrimage for Nepal.” “Guru Shakyamuni Buddha took birth in Nepal, and not only that, so many great yogis who achieved enlightenment were born in Nepal. They practiced and achieved the complete path to enlightenment, the path that Buddha has taught. … So Nepal is unbelievable, such a precious holy place.” …
You can read the complete article as a PDF. From that same issue, you can see photos of FPMT activities in Nepal.
Geshe Lama Konchog Stupa at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, June 2011. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
For the latest updates and news from Kopan Monastery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page: https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/
To learn more and offer support to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund visit:
https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/
For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.