Lama Riga Tribute

A Tribute to Lama Riga, founder of Rigul School

 

We are very sad to hear the news of the sudden death of Lama Riga, who was a monk from the nearby monastery in Rigul in Tibet, and the founder of Rigul School. Lama Riga worked tirelessly to complete the building and to make improvements and cater for all of the needs of the pupils and staff. His vision and energy have given this poor community the hope of rising out of poverty through the education and welfare of the children, and the continuation of this work will be his lasting tribute. He will be greatly missed.

Our Patron Ringu Tulku wrote of the sad news:

 

Dear all,

I have to inform you that Lama Riga who was in-charge of Rigul School passed away around 5 pm local time on 9th January 2012. He had a stroke and died suddenly.
Lama Riga was the main drive for the establishment and running of the Rigul School. He requested me to build a school when I went there in 2005 and promised me that he will do whatever needs to be done for it as long as he has life in his body. Since then he literally single handedly (he had only one arm as he lost his right arm in an accident) built the school and ran it till now. He took all kinds of responsibilities to rebuild and run the Rigul Monastery since the monastery was allowed to be re-established. Rigul Monastery have lost a very good monk and a very responsible and dedicated person in Lama Riga. The monastery is doing the usual practices for him and all are requested to dedicate some good thoughts and prayers for this simple and dedicated monk.

Khenpo Karma Senge assured me that the monastery is committed to continue to run the school as best as they could and make it even better. Since the school was his dream project I think it would be the best tribute to him to try to make the school continue and to develop it even further. Many children have already been benefitted by the school and all the people in and around Rigul appreciate and thank all who helped to build and run the school. I take this opportunity to thank all those who helped Rigul Trust in UK, Rigul Foundation in Belgium and the team led by Margaret Ford who helped to establish the school and the clinic at Rigul.

With Best wishes,
Ringu Tulku

 

Here are some more photos of Riga and the school

And with the children at Riga School

What your support has meant this year

Season’s Greetings and a Happy New Year

 Thank you so much for all your donations, service, advice and help throughout 2011.
 All of us working together internationally through Rigul Trust this year has brought funding and help for:

40,000
hot school meals for sixty children for one year in Rigul, Tibet
 

10,000
patients approximately, have received health care, supported by the advanced  funding of the running costs of the clinic, the salaries of Dr. Chuga, Ani Choden and Karma Tsisha, the doctor’s assistant, at Rigul Health clinic, Tibet.

 
 5 teachers and 3 cooks in Rigul have received salaries funded by Rigul Trust.
 

Sikkim earthquake victims receiving appropriate help through everyone’s generosity.

 
Chenrezig - ‘The Practice of Compassion’, a commentary by Ringu Tulku.

A Rigul Trust publication which  will see 100% of the money that people have given for this book go to Rigul monastery, health clinic and school in Rigul, Tibet.

We thank everyone who has worked tirelessly  for Rigul Trust and volunteered to sponsor 100% of all expenses, including the production of the Chenrezig book.

Be happy, be joyful, go well,

 The Rigul Trust team.

Tibetan School & Clinic Funding Report Autumn

Patron: Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

Rigul Trust Newsletter 7 Autumn 2011

 100% of all donations received will go to fund Rigul Trust projects.
100% of expenses met by volunteers.

 Tibetan School and Clinic Funding Report Autumn 2011

Dear Friends,
We are pleased to bring you the news that with the help of continued generous, ongoing support, all the children in Rigul, Tibet are receiving an education with two free, hot meals a day at school.

Not only are we funding the children’s education but also the five teachers, three cooks and the daily costs of running the health clinic and the salaries for Dr Chuga, Ani Choden, the nurse.We are funding Karma Tsisha’s medical training at a medical college, Karma Tsisha is Dr. Chuga’s assistant.

The school and the health clinic are totally dependent on aid from overseas, without our help these people wouldn’t have a school or  clinic.  We still need help and ongoing support as less is coming into the Trust than is going out! Our reserves are dwindling, and we wouldn’t wish to hit ‘rock bottom’ and not have a few pounds for unforeseen needs, especially in Rigul, Ringu Tulku’s village and homeland that we are committed to helping and supporting the health clinic and school every year. 

The reports from Khenpo Sheng Gen, who spends months in Rigul, are that these people are extremely poor, their conditions are very challenging and the buildings and equipment are always in desperate need of repair and maintenance. We have just sent £15,000 for half a year’s funding for the education of the children, plus funding for 2 free hot school meals a day, the salaries of 5 teachers, 3 cooks, Dr Chuga, Ani Choden the nurse and daily running costs of the health clinic.Khenpo Sheng Gen also says that the people of Rigul would really like help with funding the following extras to our basic yearly funding:

Desks and chairs for 100 children cost – £2,000 £20 for one desk and chair.

Furniture for teachers’ hostel cost – £950

School building repairs and maintenance cost – £4,800

Books for school 100 children for one year costs – £950

Idea for Birthday/Christmas/Anniversary/Retirement Gifts:
If you would like to give a Birthday Gift to someone and would welcome help in choosing a really good buy that would help others, a win, win situation we can offer you the following choices:
Buy one desk and chair for £20.
Buy books for one child for £9.50.
Buy an education with 2 hot meals a day for one child for £25 for six weeks or £50 for three months
We can supply an appropriate card for your special person letting them know about their gift from you to celebrate their special occassion.

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New – video link – Appeal by Ringu Tulku
Ringu Tulku has made an appeal for help with ongoing support for his people in Rigul, in Tibet and the other areas of help that we offer through Rigul Trust.  To view click on:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rigultrust?blend=3&ob=5

 Please forward this link and post it on facebook, twitter, blogs, websites, emails etc.

The Tibetan Children’s Education Appeal
Ringu Tulku wishes to have sponsorship for the children, the doctor, the nurse etc in Rigul. We have started with focusing on the children in Rigul and as you know from the last newsletter that we are trying to raise £12,000 a year for sixty children to receive an education with two, free hot meals a day at school. £200 will provide this for one child for one year and £25 will provide this for six weeks for one child. Many children have to walk up to an hour each way to school, some have to cross a dangerous river, some sleep on the floor at the school.

 Again we are taking this opportunity of appealing for aid for these children in Rigul and attach a downloadable flyer, if you feel that you could download and distribute this flyer that would be wonderful. We are also adding a donate button for Paypal if you feel that you can share as little or as much as you can comfortably offer. To think that a mere 50 pence gives one child an education plus two meals at school for one day.

 Photos from a Picturebox book made by David Curtis, trustee of Rigul Trust, using Francois Henrard’s images from his many visits to Rigul.
Click on this link to view: http://www.photobox.co.uk/1xC8C8A7/creation/358259911?cid=puksecs001

We wish to thank Ani Sherab for her wonderful and inspiring idea for celebrating the 3^rd anniversary of Rigul Trust with offerings on Buddhist Festivals.
Offerings on Buddhist Festivals
We have been joyfully celebrating three years of Rigul Trust with suggestions for beautiful offerings that will accumulate merit in order to bring great benefit to the welfare of all beings.

By way of expressing heart felt gratitude to Ringu Tulku, Ani Sherab has dedicated her practice and made offerings of £108 to Rigul Trust on each of the major Buddhist Festivals when actions are many thousand times more powerful.

Ani-la invited us all, as part of Rinpoche’s mandala worldwide, to have fun by coming together where ever we were on these auspicious days, offering whatever we could joyfully using the auspicious number 108.

The  Schedule taken from Kagyu Samye Ling Diary has been:

 17th May – The Buddha reveals the Kalachakra Teachings

  9  June – Birth of Buddha Sakyamuni at Lumbini

 15 June – Enlightenment and Parinirvana

 3   August  – Teaching of the Four Noble Truths

 13 August -  Buddha’s entry into Mother’s womb

 22 February  - 7 March 2012 – Losar and the following fourteen days

This inspiring anniversary offering has allowed all of us to join in with the great spirit of belonging to one family worldwide, dedicating whatever practice we do and giving what we can on the Festival Days to Rigul Trust and to its continued success in supporting so many worthwhile projects.

We have been doing this individually and in groups making offerings, generating the merit and dedicating it to the welfare of all beings. We are pleased to announce that over £5,000 has been received by Rigul Trust as a result of Ani Sherab’s inspired idea of making offerings for these special Buddhist Festival days. 

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 Yushu earthquake 2010
 Last year we raised £15,000 for the survivors of the earthquake that occurred on the Tibetan plateau in Yushu. We sent immediate aid for emergency help for the survivors.

We are helping on a longer term basis with funding 15 orphan girls with food, shoes and clothing and also providing 50 bags of 50kg bags of good quality barley for survivors elsewhere in Yushu.

 We have the good fortune to have linked up with Khenpo Damchoe Dawa and Sonam Tenzin Rinpoche who personally distribute the money and oversee the care of the orphans and the distribution of the barley.

100% of all donations received for the Yushu earthquake is going directly to survivors and the little orphan girls. Not a single penny goes in admin costs, volunteers fund 100% of all costs. This money is taken personally by Khenpo Damchoe Dawa who lives in Tibet and his cousin Sonam Tenzin Rinpoche lives in Australia and has a centre in Sydney and visits Tibet regularly.
Katia Holmes translates for us for Khenpo Damchoe Dawa.

 
Three of the fifteen little orphan girls taken in by the nuns at Chodrak nunnery.

Sara, Sonam Tenzin Rinpoche’s secretary, has sent the following reports about some of the affects of the aftermath of the earthquake in Tibet: 
Dear Margaret,
Last year Sonam Tenzin Rinpoche organized 2 separate fundraising for the victims of the earthquake.  He then undertook the trip to Tibet in May and worked with Khenpo Damchoe Dawa (who is his cousin, by the way) who supervised the rescue efforts. In Yushu, they distributed the money, bought tents, clothes, medicines, sleeping bags, etc.
The little orphans lost their parents in the aftermath of the earthquake last year.
The cost of providing food is 6 yuan a day per orphan This is 90 yuan per day for 15 orphans or 32850 yuan per year for all 15 orphans. 

After the earthquake, there are still so many people who have lost their limbs, have broken backs etc… Our resident teacher Lama Nansai who also comes from Chodrak told me about one of his relatives who has 3 young children, has both legs amputated and a broken back after the earthquake. Her husband has been in a Chinese jail for over 3 years , no news from him (his whereabouts are unknown). So there is a lot of suffering. Lama Nansai does not know about percentages but he said that if you take 100 Tibetan people , maybe 3 will have a job.  Tibetan people are not allowed to farm and have to buy all their food needs (barley, flour, etc.) and so the majority of them are completely destitute.

Lama Nansai says that, although there is a lot of suffering because of the earthquake, people are familiar with Dharma and do not complain or get depressed. They feel sad but continue to pray using their prayer wheels. The Chinese government puts a restriction on farming by Tibetan people. Instead they are obliged to buy wheat,flour etc.. Yet they have no money. Lama Nansai says that most people in this part of Kham are unemployed, have no proper lodgings or clothing and are on the borderline of starvation. According to a report by the United Nations, this area is the most economically disadvantaged area under Chinese control.

Yours in loving kindness,
Sara
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Rigul Trust Publication

 Chenrezig: The Practice of Compassion: A Commentary by Ringu Tulku
An inspiring and beautiful book by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, it presents a complete approach for generating and working with loving kindness.
It is such a heart warming experience for us at Rigul Trust to now see the fruits of Rinpoche’s original oral commentary on Chenrezig in print in this very nicely produced practice book. So many people are very happy with this book and value this commentary and sadhana for a complete practice.

We would like to thank all the people who have helped so much in the distribution of this book at many of the centres that Rinpoche has visited this year on his European tour.

Samye Ling shop are very supportive and are selling the Chenrezig book and allowing 100% of the sale of this book to go to the health clinic, the school and the monastery in Rigul, Tibet, Ringu Tulku’s homeland.

Here are some photos taken by Jet Mort at Samye Ling with Ringu Tulku signing the books:

 

 

Bernie

 A big thank you to Bernie Hartley who is an ambassador for Rigul Trust. Bernie took boxes of these books around the UK to centres where Ringu Tulku was teaching.

Bernie also provides all Ringu Tulku’s London teachings on CD/DVD and offers these for sale and gives 100% of the proceeds from these sales to Rigul Trust poverty relief projects. A great service.

 If you would like a copy of this book please visit http://www.rigultrust.org/chenrezig_book.html and buy online, or order from Samye Ling shop www.sameylingshop.com

We welcome your help, feedback, suggestions and contributions.
If you are able to share with us anything that you can comfortably offer in the way of money, service or advice this would be most welcomed. And everything that you are able to offer will be of benefit to so many who are helped through Rigul Trust’s humanitarian and poverty relief work.

Be happy, be joyful, go well,
Margaret Richardson and the Rigul Trust team.
Rigul Trust 13, St. Francis Avenue  Southampton   SO18 5QL UK  Tel: 023 8046 2926

info@rigultrust.org 

www.rigultrust.org  http://rigultrust.wordpress.com

UK registered charity no: 1124076

SIKKIM EARTHQUAKE RELIEF APPEAL

SIKKIM EARTHQUAKE RELIEF WORK FUND

A devastating EARTHQUAKE of 6.9 in Sikkim and parts of northern India last week has been followed by 50 further after-shocks of up to 3.9 and has caused terrible destruction to buildings, loss of life and injuries, and closed roads challenge rescue efforts. The death toll is now 130 people but many more bodies are trapped in the rubble of buildings.

The remoteness of much of this underdeveloped mountainous region and road closures from land slips has made it a very difficult task to get any help to the region and 9 villages are still completely cut off. With rescue teams facing difficulties to reach some far-flung quake-hit areas in Sikkim, hundreds of survivors are trekking out of their cut-off villages, crawling sometimes to negotiate dangerous stretches where landslides and heavy rain have loosened huge boulders which have come down the mountainsides. Entire areas are cut off because of landslides – and more often than not people are without clean water, adequate food supplies, medicine and telephone contact with the outside world. Sikkim’s hospitals have seldom been so full. http://youtu.be/w623jzVM7F0 We, at Rigul Trust, have offered Rinpoche help with setting up an appeal for the earthquake in Sikkim. Rinpoche wishes this to be called the Sikkim Earthquake Relief Work Appeal. Disaster Relief by Rigul Trust:In the last two years we have set up two emergency appeals, one for the survivors of the Yushu earthquake 2010 and one for the Ladakh flood disaster last year where we supported the relief work that Khenpo Rangdol, Principal of Kagyu College, Dehradun was in charge of. 100% of all donations went to these projects. We also helped fund emergency relief work in Yushu province of Tibet and now we have an ongoing sponsorship programme for 14 little children who were orphaned as a result of Yushu earthquake. We sent money for the buying and distribution of barley. And in Ladakh we sent money for emergency relief and the reforestation of trees. Khenpo Rangdol went to Ladakh, oversaw the projects and distributed the money.This is background information for you to know that all of what we do is overseen by Rinpoche, 100% of your donations gets to the targeted projects. We are extremely careful with whom we deal with and Rinpoche always has the last say. To donate to the Sikkim Earthquake Relief Work Appeal  100% of all donations sent through this secure PayPal site will go to the Sikkim Earthquake Relief Work. PayPal accepts all currencies. An email from Rinpoche this evening: Dear Margaret, Maybe this is the time to help. There are lots of destruction. Even Rumtek Shedra’s new building is badly cracked. There was one earthquake last night and one today afternoon and destroyed at least one building in Gangtok. Lots of schools are destroyed fully. Many monasteries are also badly damaged. We do not get any news from tv and radio any more. Rain is still pouring. Ringu Tulku For more news on the Sikkim Earthquake see: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sikkim-quake-victims-building-collapses-heavy-rain/1/152491.html

Offerings on Buddhist Festivals – Celebration of Rigul Trust’s 3rd Anniversary

Celebration of Rigul Trust’s 3rd Anniversary – 16th May – Full Moon Day

Offerings on Buddhist Festivals

We are joyfully celebrating three years of Rigul Trust with suggestions for beautiful offerings that will accumulate merit in order to bring great benefit to the welfare of all beings.

By way of expressing heart felt gratitude to Ringu Tulku, Ani Sherab is dedicating her practice and the making of an offering of £108 to Rigul Trust on each of the upcoming major Buddhist Festivals when actions are many thousand times more powerful.

Ani-la is inviting us all, as part of Rinpoche’s mandala worldwide, to have fun by coming together where ever we are on these auspicious days, offering whatever we can joyfully using the auspicious number 108.

 Schedule taken from Kagyu Samye Ling Diary:

 17th May – The Buddha reveals the Kalachakra Teachings

  9  June – Birth of Buddha Sakyamuni at Lumbini

 15 June – Enlightenment and Parinirvana

 3   August  – Teaching of the Four Noble Truths

 13 August -  Buddha’s entry into Mother’s womb

 22 February  - 7 March 2012 – Losar and the following fourteen days

This inspiring anniversary offering allows all of us to join in with the great spirit of belonging to one family worldwide, dedicating whatever practice we do and giving what we can on the Festival Days to Rigul Trust and to its’ continued success in supporting so many worthwhile projects.

We may like to do this individually or in a group making offerings, generating the merit and dedicating it to the welfare of all beings.

We will announce each of these Buddhist Festivals as they approach.

Rigul Trust 3rd Anniversary Celebration begins with the first of these Buddhist Festivals – Tuesday 17th May

17th May – The Buddha reveals the Kalachakra Teachings

Offering to Rigul Trust of the day’s practice
£108 or euros; £10.80 or euros; £1.08 or euros.

Please send a note of your offerings of Dharma Practice to dharma@rigultrust.org

Please send your offerings of money for Rigul Trust’s health, education, poverty relief and environmental projects by visiting: www.rigultrust.org and click on the donate page for how to pay by cheque or direct bank transfer, or click the link below to donate by Paypal, either using funds from your Paypal account, or if you do not have an account then you can use your credit or debit card and pay using your own currency.

We will keep you updated on the website.

May all beings be safe

May all beings be happy

May all beings be peaceful

May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature

BOOK LAUNCH: Chenrezig – Practice of Compassion

Chenrezig

The Practice of Compassion

commentary by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

This new book, fresh from the printing press 1st Edition, presents a wonderful introduction to both new comers and old timers – it’s so nourishing and warms the cockles of our hearts! An inspiring and beautiful book by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, it presents a complete approach for generating and working with loving kindness and compassion in our every day lives, making ourselves, and the world, a better place.

This beautiful book shows us how we can enhance and extend our loving kindness and compassion. How to feel, how to visualize, how to aspire to our true compassionate nature; how to clear our negativities and let our inner selves shine out and benefit ourselves and all other beings; and to open up our hearts and minds to greater loving kindness.

The book is beautifully illustrated with colour diagrams to aid visualisation and includes both a drawing and print of a traditional Tibetan painting of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion, by the renowned thanka painter R. D. Salga. Rigul Trust Publications

Chenrezig Book: 160pp – 170 x 170mm

Book Price £14.95 plus £2.50 P&P (for UK destinations)

(for European destinations) €17.30 + £3.50 P&P

(for worldwide destinations) $24.00 + £5.50 P&P

Orders for this beautiful and inspiring book being taken now at www.rigultrust.org/chenrezig_book.html.

The Chenrezig book is in three sections:

The Commentary: Ringu Tulku’s accessible commentary on the sadhana is full of clarity, sound advice and warmth of language on how we can enhance and extend our loving kindness and compassion. How to feel, how to visualize, how to aspire to our true compassionate nature; how to clear our negativities and let our inner selves shine out and benefit ourselves and all other beings; and to open up our hearts and minds to greater loving kindness.

The Sadhana: The sadhana, or Buddhist meditation practice, is complete with the Tibetan script, the phonetics for this script and the English translation. This makes it easy to understand and to chant or say in Tibetan or English.

The Commemoration of Rigul: The third part of this book is commemorating Rigul, Kham, Tibet, the birthplace and homeland of Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, the abbot of Rigul Monastery. It is with such good news of the flourishing of the Dharma in Rigul that this book has come into being.

You will especially like this book on Chenrezig if you are interested in: Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice, Tibetan language, Tibet, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, Tibetan cultural identity, Buddhist meditation, developing a kind heart, practice of loving kindness, personal development.

Special thanks to Francois Henrard, whose photos of Rigul, Tibet are amazing; and to Paul O’Connor for the visual delight and quite stunning design and type setting of this book. Thanks also to the kind sponsors of this book.

100% of all the proceeds received by Rigul Trust from the sale of this book will go to fund Rigul Trust health, education and poverty relief projects. This will help to bring benefit to all the children, the teachers, the cooks, the health clinic, the doctor, his assistant, the nurse, and all the people in Rigul, Tibet.

ORDER NOW

The book sales will boost our ‘Children’s Education Appeal’ Sponsorship program, as the funds from the book will go to support the school in Rigul and help fund the clinic too, and this link will give you more information about the cause: http://www.rigultrust.org/tibetan_children_appeal.html

And if you are able to sponsor a Tibetan child there is a leaflet explaining the program and with payment instructions, and sponsorship can also be done via Paypal from the website: http://www.rigultrust.org/Rigul_webleaflet_2011.pdf

So please consider Sponsoring a Tibetan child today and bring a smile and a brighter future to these youngsters.

Read more about Rigul Trust Patron Ringu Tulku Rinpoche and his poverty relief projects in Tibet and India. Read more about forthcoming Buddhist teachings Travel Schedule by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche: Southampton UK teachings. Poster download of Southampton UK teachings.

Ringu Tulku Teaching in Southampton UK

Buddhist Teachings

‘Letting Go of Anxiety’

Skillful Ways of Transforming Disturbing Emotions (attachment, anger, jealousy, pride, desire) into the Buddhist Path of Wisdom & Compassion

Saturday April 30th 2011

10 – 12 am & 2 – 4 pm

Friends Meeting House

1a Ordnance Road

Southampton SO15 2AZ

VENUE: Seats 100.  Limited number of advanced tickets available. For this facility contact Margaret after March 25th at Rmrichardsonuk@aol.com  Tel: 023 8046 2926

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche is a Tibetan Buddhist Master of the Kagyu Order and has served as Professor of Tibetan studies in Sikkim for twenty five years. Since 1990 he has been travelling and teaching Buddhism and meditation at universities, institutes and Buddhist centres in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and Asia. He also participates in various interfaith and science and Buddhist dialogues and has authored books on Buddhism and some children’s books both in Tibetan and European languages.

Admission – by donation for Ringu Tulku and Rigul Trust’s health, education and poverty relief projects. Cheques payable to Rigul Trust and gift aidable.

PDF Poster download to print and share

Tibetan refugee community school thanks Rigul Trust funding

Letter of thanks to Rigul Trust for support of Ling Gesar School, Dehra Dun, India, a Tibetan refugee settlement.

Rigul Trust has sponsored the building of two new classrooms and funded all seven teacher’s salary.

Dear Margaret la,

Thank you very much for the prompt reply, yes the school function and the celebration was great and the shows and the programmes put up by the school kids were spot on, everyone enjoyed the programmes. The programme went up to 4 pm in the evening, the morning session was school sports and the afternoon was cultural show.  I am sending the photos of the events at the school.

We would like to thank the Rigul Trust for the generous support the centre have been doing for such a long time and we also look forward to your precious help in future also, the school has been doing very well, by the grace of your generous help and support. The teachers and the staff of the settlement send their regards to Rigul Trust.

We highly thank Rigul Trust for the new two class room building and the teacher’s salary. It is the support of Rigul Trust that the school is running well and smoothly. Our prayers and good wishes are always with you all for the support….

Enjoy the photos.

Thanks

Kunzang Dorjee

Here is the blogspot for Ling Gesar School where you can see more photos of the school and staff and children: http://www.lingtsang.blogspot.com/

The children performed songs and dances from Tibet in their beautiful traditional costumes as part of the school festivities.

The provision of a good education is vital to escape the trap of poverty everywhere in India, but it is of very special importance that these Tibetan children have the opportunity to study the language, religion and customs of their native country in exile, something denied them in their homeland, but essential to a thriving refugee community, benefitting both themselves and also the wider Indian community also.

TIBETAN CHILDREN’S APPEAL – WINTER 2010 NEWSLETTER

Rigul Trust Newsletter 6 Winter 2010

Patron: Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

100% of all donations received will go to fund Rigul Trust projects.

100% of expenses met by volunteers

The objectives written into the Charity Commission Governing Document are:

“The relief of poverty and financial hardship, the advancement of education, the advancement of religion, the relief of sickness, the preservation and protection of good health, in particular but not exclusively in Rigul, Kham, Tibet as the trustees may decide”

Dear Friends,

We have seen a year of extraordinary catastrophes bringing heart rending death and destruction in many places. We have had the privilege of being able to act as a conduit for raising awareness and funds for the Yushu earthquake on the Tibetan plateau and the Ladakh floods.

£15,000 has been donated for the Yushu earthquake and over £8,000 for the Ladakh floods.

The monks and khenpos from RinguTulku’s monastery in Rigul, that went to help with the Yushu earthquake, returned with reports of many orphans and injured people.

Khenpo Rangdol has sent a comprehensive report of the Ladakh relief project that so many of us have donated for through Rigul Trust and this can be seen at: http://rigultrust.wordpress.com

With such a concentration on these emergencies this has taken the focus away from our primary focus of Rigul, Kham, Tibet.

We have committed ourselves to really try and support Rigul health clinic and school year in and year out. We need all the help that we can get to help in Rigul. Life is hard and conditions are very challenging. This year we sent more money to Rigul than came into the Trust. We are dipping into our reserves, which is fine, but we try to keep some in reserve to cover emergencies and the constant high rise in costs of food and raw materials in China. We need to keep some funds in reserve to maintain sustainability for lean years too.

For the year May 2010 to May 2011 we are sending around £40,000 for the salaries of Dr Chuga, Ani Choden the nurse, the doctor’s assistant, the running costs of the clinic, sixty children’s education with two free, hot meals a day at school, five teachers, three cooks, funds for building a dining room (at the moment the children have to eat in the open air brrrrr in winter!) buying and laying underground water pipes to channel the water to nearer the village from the stream and one toilet to be built – the first ever!

We have had a request for funds to build a sickroom whereby patients can stay overnight as often they travel from far away and being sick it is difficult to get to the clinic and back in a day. This, we would very much like to be able to help with.

Ringu Tulku suggests some sponsoring. With Christmas and the New Year approaching we have an appeal to sponsor a child/children with an education and two hot meals a day.

We have a choice of sponsoring one or more children in the following ways:

Sponsoring one child for one year costs £200

Sponsoring one child for six months costs £100

Sponsoring one child for three months costs £50

Sponsoring one child for six weeks costs £25

The cost for the year for 60 children at £200 each is £12,000

Many children have to walk for an hour each way to school and the winters are severe.

This would be so very helpful if we can all chip in and help sponsor these children and give them a chance that we would give our own children. Rigul is so remote and communications so difficult we wouldn’t be able to allocate a specific child with a name and a photo. But this I feel is even more worthwhile knowing how ‘cut off’ that they are from the world and in such desperate need.

Be a friend of Rigul Trust and help us reach our target funding of £12,000 for 2011 for all the children in Rigul.

We are running this appeal, set out below. Please share this with your friends, family, colleagues, forward this email, put it on blogs and please help in every way that you can. Have a fund raising activitity, a coffee morning, a bring and buy, sell something on e-bay for us, a car boot sale, collect all your coppers and small silver, spend 10% less on Christmas gifts and offer this to the kiddies in Rigul – they would be so very appreciative of enough hot food and some schooling, that is a real wanted gift without the tinsel and the wrapping.

Please help the kiddies in Tibet.

A Christmas Wish and a New Year Pledge for 2011

We have a target
£12,000 for sixty children

Let’s do it

Let’s make it happen

Let’s do it together

Bring a child an education

Bring a smile to their faces

And food in their tummies

Donating by cheque or bank transfer please see details at the end of this newsletter.

Francois Henrard pix of Rigul & click on: http://tinyurl.com/rigul2010

Appreciation of Gabriela’s precious gift to all the people of Rigul, Kham, Tibet.

We would like to thank Gabriela Jaensch for her kind and generous offering of this wonderful CD that she has made for the benefit of Rigul, Kham, Tibet. It is truly delightful and Gabriela has an amazing voice.

O Lama

A beautiful CD of Buddhist prayers and mantras recorded by Gabriela Jaensch and Friends is now available on Amazon UK.

The CD contains recordings of prayers such as Dorje Chang, E Ma Ho, Long Life Prayer for Ringu Tulku Rinpoche and also various mantras.  The CD also features a poem written and recited by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche.

Dedicated to the welfare of all sentient beings, His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa, the Bodhicharya sangha and their spiritual director, the Venerable Ringu Tulku Rinpoche.

100% of all proceeds received by Rigul Trust, from the sale of these CDs, will go to fund social, environmental and medical projects in Rigul, Kham, Eastern Tibet.

Donations for Rigul Children Appeal 2011

Cheques: made payable to Rigul Trust, and posted to the address below.

Direct bank transfers – please use the following:

Co-operative bank account in the name RIGUL TRUST

sort code 08 92 99
account number 65283969

IBAN number GB46 CPBK 0892 9965 2839 69
BIC Code CPBK GB22

UK taxpayers are eligible for Gift Aid. Gift aid – forms downloadable at www.rigultrust.org on the donate page.

Thank you to everyone who has helped in so many ways throughout the year.

Please let us have your news, views and suggestions for our next newsletter.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year full of joy and peace in our hearts.

Margaret Richardson and the Rigul Trust team.

Rigul Trust,13, St. Francis Avenue, Southampton
SO18 5QL UK: Tel: +44 (0023 8046 2926

www.rigultrust.org http://rigultrust.wordpress.com
info@rigultrust.org

UK registered charity no:1124076

LADAKH FLOOD – EMERGENCY AID DISTRIBUTION TO FLOOD VICTIMS

EMERGENCY AID DISTRIBUTION TO FLOOD VICTIMS

Dear Friends of Rigul Trust,

I have just received the report below and the two attachments of the photos and the receipt from Khenpo Rangdol about the Ladakh floods.

Khenpo-la is seen in many of the photos distributing help and surveying the damage.

Thank you so much for all the help that you have brought to these people in Ladakh.

With love and prayers,

Margaret Richardson

Letter from Khenpo Rangdol:

Dear Dharma brothers and sisters,

Greetings!  Hope this mail finds you well with the blessings lord Buddha and Achi Dolma.

I arrived at Dehradun day before yesterday from Ladakh would like to share the latest news from Ladakh with you.

I was fortunate to be at Ladakh at the same time as HH Dalai Lama. HH visited some devastated areas and gave his condolences to the people and offered prayers for them.  He also led prayers with the Sangha members for the victims of the flash floods and there were thousands of monks at this prayer meeting.

On Sept. 10 I took a flight from Delhi to Leh and went directly to Tingmosgang village.

On Sept. 11 I had an all day meeting with our working committee members regarding the utilization of flood relief funds. We came know that many other NGOs had distributed lots of materials to the flood affected families such as blankets, mattresses and other household stuff.

The flood affected families had been camping out in tents and we learnt that the govt. only gives a limited amount of money for rebuilding damaged or washed out houses. The feedback from the flood affected people suggested that rebuilding their houses was their topmost priority and they needed funds to finish building and stocking their houses for the approaching winter. Therefore, our committee decided to distribute the relief funds by cash and cheque only to those families whose houses had been damaged.

Donations of varying amounts were given to different families depending on their actual needs, ranging from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 5,000 per family. We did not give the donations as per village committee lists, instead we gave according to their real situation on ground.

Thousands of trees and many fields in the villages had been badly affected by the flash floods. Therefore, some funds were allocated for tree plantation which will only take place when spring comes to Ladakh in 2011. We will urge the people to plant thousands of different kinds of trees.   This tree plantation programme will be
supported by the Achi Dolma Flood Relief Fund. This is essential to prevent soil erosion and to provide fodder  for the animals and firewood for fuel in the villages.

On Sept. 12 I visited with the committee members of Tai,Tingmosgang,Khaling and Ang villages. There were two families who had lost their homes entirely and eight families who had suffered partial damage to their homes.

On the Sept. 13 we visited villages in lower ladakh—-  Achinathang, Skurbucan and Ledo. There were 11 families who had lost their homes completely and 21 families who had incurred partial damage to their homes in these villages.

On Sept. 14 and 15 we attended HH Dalai Lama teachings and empowerment of compassion Buddha at Bodh Kharbu village. I was so fortunate to see HH in person and I requested him to visit our Stupa project area next year when he comes to Ladakh.  Surprisingly he agreed to do so.

On the Sept. 16 we visited a village called Sabu near Leh and found that there were 7 families whose had lost their homes entirely and 33 families who had suffered partial damage to their homes. Also we visited some other villages such as Nyimo and Choglamsar where we gave some donations to the relief committee.

The All Ladakhi Gonpa Association will be hosting big puja by inviting all the monks from Ladakh on the 49 th day ceremony of
the flood victims which will be on Sept. 22.  We offered Rs. 50,000 as donation for this prayer ceremony. We also donated Rs. 50,000 to the Youth Committee of lower Ladakh who are working very hard for rehabilitating the  flood  affected families.

All the people who received donations from the Alchi Dolma Flood Relief Fund send their heartfelt thanks to you for supporting them in their hour of need. They said that they will never forget your generous contribution and they pray for a long and prosperous life for you.

Last but not the least we the team of Vision Himalaya would like to thank you very much for all the support received. We also pray for your health, prosperity and spiritual progress. Here I have attached some photos during the distributing donations and some affected areas.  Please share those photos to the donors with the thanking letter.

With lots of prayers
and metta 

Vision Himalaya

Khenpo Konchok Rangdol

Khenpo Konchok Rangdol
(Principal Kagyu College)

Kagyu College
P.O. Kulhan
Sahastradhara Road,
Dehra Dun-248001
(U.K.) India

Ph: +91 135 6534398
Mobile:+91 9837258952

E-mail:khanporangdol@rediffmail.com
website:www.visionhimalaya.net
www.drikung-kagyu.org
www.dharmakirti.de
www.treasurehimalaya.eu
Face book id is: Khenpo Rangdol