October 10, 2008

Dear Friends,

Sarva Mangalam. I hope this letter finds you well. With Khenpo Rinpoche's blessing, I write to you now to request your continuing help for Marpa Foundation in support of Khenpo Rinpoche and his Dharma activities. Rinpoche says that he knows that the world's economic situation is difficult right now, and that his students will simply give whatever they can. He prays that the economic situation will improve for everyone.

I know that many of you have been longing for some substantial communication from Rinpoche. Once when I told Rinpoche that his students were writing emails asking how he was doing, Rinpoche replied: "Speak to them in inexpressible speech, inconceivable speech, speech beyond concept, the speech of equality. There is not much to say beyond that." And in response to the requests for teachings that Rinpoche frequently receives, he regularly replies that his students should study and practice the profound instructions that they have already received from him.

From my own side, I would still like to briefly share with you my observations. Rinpoche's energy level fluctuates a lot, and overall he has much less energy than he used to when he traveled and taught around the world. He is not giving teachings, he very rarely gives interviews, and he answers emails only intermittently. At the same time, his health does not seem to be in any critical condition, and it seems to be more or less the same as when we first arrived in Seattle. He eats well, and he goes out for rides and walks regularly. Sometimes he reads Dharma texts such as The Words of My Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche and The Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena by Longchenpa. He also likes to spend a lot of time by himself at home in his residence, Dechen Ling.

Many of you have requested recent photos of Rinpoche. Please find two of them below. However, please regard these pictures with the view of spaciousness and equanimity that Rinpoche has taught us, so that pictures in which he either looks "good" or "bad" do not cause us too much hope or fear about improvement or deterioration in his overall condition. That much being said, here are two of the nicest pictures of Rinpoche from the past few months:

Rinpoche with the Dechen Ling Dharma Protectors He Anointed, April 2008

Rinpoche at Green Lake Beach with Rose Taylor, July 2008

We in Rinpoche's household feel very fortunate to be able to serve Rinpoche at this time. He still often reminds us to "see the world and everything we do in it as appearance-emptiness inseparable, like a dream, illusion, water-moon, rainbow, movie, and email," and to look at the nature of mind beyond existence and nonexistence. But physically this is definitely a transition time for him, and so it is a good lesson in terms of letting go of attachment. All of this makes this time a poignant and rich experience for all of us who are Rinpoche's students.

Recently, Rinpoche composed this verse:

Forms are appearance-emptiness, like illusions,
Sounds are sound-emptiness, like echoes,
Mind is clarity-emptiness, inexpressible—
When you know this, you rest in the expanse of peace.
When you know this, you are self-liberated.

Marpa Foundation's Activities

It was a little more than a year ago that you were first asked to help support Marpa Foundation. Thank you so very much for your generous donations, prayers, and good wishes. Your devotion to Rinpoche and your commitment to enabling his Dharma activity are wonderful. With your help, Marpa Foundation has been able to successfully provide for Rinpoche's needs and to ensure that his projects and his vision are being fulfilled.

Here is a brief update about Marpa Foundation's activities and how your support is needed for them this year:

1. Rinpoche's Stay in Seattle—$150,000. The expenses of Khenpo Rinpoche's stay in Seattle comprising food, household, medical, insurance, basic expenses of four staff members, and transportation are borne by Marpa Foundation. Marpa Foundation will continue to support Rinpoche in Seattle or wherever he decides to go, in whatever way he requires, for as long as he requires.

2. Support for Nuns and Lay Practitioners in Bhutan and Nepal—$125,000. At Tek Chok Ling nunnery in Kathmandu, the construction work is nearing completion. There will be a new temple, classrooms, residential quarters, and retreat quarters. The remaining work is mostly on the inside of the buildings. Rinpoche has said that he will return to Tek Chok Ling nunnery in 2010 to preside over the new buildings' official opening ceremonies of blessings.

At both Tek Chok Ling and Drubdey Gonpa in Bhutan, the nuns are studying and practicing Dharma in precisely the way that Rinpoche has taught them. It is amazing to see the similarities of Rinpoche's teaching approach across different countries and cultures. Just as Rinpoche has taught all of his students, the nuns also study the profound view, sing the songs of realization, dance vajra dances, practice Tara, and make Mahayana aspiration prayers with the motivation of bodhichitta. I am sure that the same is true for the nuns in Tibet as well, but we do not have any contact with them because given the political situation there now, it is safer for them that way.

We were recently saddened to learn that Rinpoche's oldest Tibetan attendant, Karma Dargye, has serious stomach cancer. Marpa Foundation is paying for his medical treatment. Marpa Foundation also gives support to the impoverished practitioners in Nepal and Bhutan who are Rinpoche's students. These people, whom Rinpoche regularly supported in the past, include several elderly and disabled persons, as well as several lamas, monks, and nuns who do not live at monasteries or nunneries. They are all devoted to Dharma practice.

3. Translation of Tibetan Texts—$75,000. Marpa Foundation continues to financially support the translation of all the important sections of the Hevajra Tantra, the main tantra studied in the Kagyü lineage, along with the commentary by Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye. Also, a book of translations of Rinpoche's teachings on the progressive stages of meditation on emptiness and selected songs of realization, entitled The Heart of the Definitive Meaning, will be submitted for publication by the end of this year.

Marpa Foundation also remains committed to Khenpo Rinpoche's activity of having Dharma texts translated into non-English languages. Therefore, it is facilitating the Danish and Polish translation of Rinpoche's text on valid cognition, Mind and Awareness; the Chinese and Portuguese translations of Rinpoche's Sun of Wisdom; and the Portuguese and Russian translations of The Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness. Marpa Foundation has also committed financial support to the publication of the Danish translation of Maitreya's Distinguishing Phenomena and Pure Being with commentary by Ju Mipham.

Last year, Khenpo Rinpoche assigned all the copyrights of his oral and written teachings, transcripts, and books to Marpa Foundation, giving Marpa Foundation the responsibility to preserve and disseminate these teachings in Tibetan and other languages. Marpa Foundation is committed to carrying out this essential work.

4. Digitization of Khenpo Rinpoche's Teachings—$20,000. Marpa Foundation has begun the process of collecting the audio and video tapes of Rinpoche's vast treasury of teachings and converting them to digital format, so that they can be preserved and benefited from for years to come. We estimate that there are approximately 7,500 hours of audio and 2,100 hours of video recordings. Rinpoche has instructed us to focus our efforts on his most important teachings first. Our goal is to set up a website where the audio teachings will be available for download to all interested persons. With the video teachings, we plan first to make DVD's available of Rinpoche's teachings given at Rocky Mountain Shambhala Center in 1991 on the Treasury of Knowledge and Mahamudra: The Ocean of Definitive Meaning.

How to Help

Any amount that you can contribute will be very much appreciated. It will all go towards helping Marpa Foundation support Khenpo Rinpoche and his Dharma activity. You can make a contribution in any of the following ways:

1. Check or Money Order: Please make payable to Marpa Foundation and send to:

Marpa Foundation
8615 8th Avenue, NE
Seattle, WA 98115
USA

Europeans may make checks payable to Marpa-Verein and send to:

Jobst Koss
Fliederweg 15
82319 Starnberg
Germany

2. On-line via Credit Card (click here)

3. Wire transfer: Please contact us at ktgr@attglobal.net for wire transfer instructions.

All donations are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law. The Marpa Foundation is a non-profit religious corporation (U.S.A. federal tax I.D. # 77-037-8622).

As Milarepa describes in his Song of Meaningful Connections, Dharma activity and its positive results manifest due to the coming together of pure causes and conditions. Here, Rinpoche's blessing and his students' support are two of the biggest conditions that make possible all of the activities in Rinpoche's mandala. I am so very grateful to you for your help in making Rinpoche's activities flourish. I pray that your Dharma practice goes well.

                    May virtue and excellence increase,

Ari Goldfield