Preserving the Dharma for future generations

A Few Words FromTulku Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche

February 1996

These are some thoughts that repeatedly have come to my mind. These days, Buddha Shakyamuni's flawless words are flourishing everywhere in the world. Wherever the perfect Buddha's teachings flourish, people who connect with them discover the immediate benefits of compassionate love and a peaceful, carefree frame of mind. Of course, there's little need to mention the ultimate benefit whereby those who truly put the teachings into practice attain liberation and complete enlightenment. If we can agree that the presence of the Buddha's words in our world is of immense value, how can we find a way to really safeguard the Buddhist Dharma for future generations? Who is able to perfectly maintain and uphold the Doctrine? This is what I've asked myself: "How do we really secure the Buddhadharma for the future? Who can really maintain and uphold the teachings?"

Let's look into the past at prominent monasteries, such as Nalanda and Vikramashila, places where people could engage without distraction in the study of the Buddha's profound teachings and follow up their studies with deep reflection on their meaning. In later life, some scholars would take leave to meditate in secluded places and many became great accomplished masters, mahasiddhas. We hear of many such masters, and all of them had their beginnings in a monastery. They graduated to the lifestyle of a yogi, behaved in all manner of strange ways, but we cannot ignore that their background, like the source from which a great river springs, was a monastic establishment - they came from a sangha community.

Often we hear about the great learned and accomplished masters of the snowy land of Tibet - Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul, Chokgyur Lingpa, Paltrul Rinpoche and many others. All these learned and accomplished ones proceeded from sangha communities, monastic institutions which were sanctuaries safekeeping the sacred Buddhist teachings. After progressing through their monastic education, they unfolded the fruit of study and manifested high levels of experience and the qualities realization.

Along the same lines, if we turn our gaze to the present world, in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, there are large numbers of Dharma Centers, each with many practitioners of every race and from every level of society. Some have taken the ordination of a monk or nun; some are tantrikas; some live and work in Dharma Centers. Yet the largest numbers are people who try to practice while sustaining a family and job.

Looking at the examples from India and Tibet, how the great monasteries with their vast congregations benefited beings through upholding and spreading the Buddha's teachings, I feel we must do what we can to emulate them. Therefore, my wish is to create a very solid foundation for a sangha community filled with people who possess the three levels of precepts — outwardly observing the precepts of Individual Liberation, inwardly maintaining the Bodhisattva trainings, and, in their innermost heart, keeping the key points of Vajrayana's stages of development and completion. Why is this important? Because if just a single practitioner fully unfolds his or her buddha nature, I am certain he or she will bring benefit to countless others.

I have given this a lot of thought — a solid sangha community must be established whereby a thorough Buddhist education is made available, both in terms of the traditional trainings of Individual Liberation, Bodhisattva trainings, and Vajrayana samayas as well as in terms of studies, meaning the Tripitaka, the four sections of Tantra, and so forth. Not only the trainings and the studies, I want to maintain an environment where each person is encouraged to personalize the teachings, make it apply to themselves individually, not remain as mere theory.

The first step in this development the noble Sangha, who uphold the teachings, is to increase the number of monks and nuns. A large number of ordained people is not enough in itself; they need proper education and training. We need both quantity and quality. The most important factor here is good teachers, and right now we have six competent teachers, good khenpos.

Once the monks and nuns have completed their education, they should, at best, complete the traditional three-year meditative retreat. Afterwards, those of the highest capacity can enter the mainstream of Dharma education now flourishing in all parts of the world. In this way, both the main purpose and the long-range objective of our monastery and nunnery is not only to accord male and female practitioners the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential, but to send those with highest accomplishment all over the world to spread the word of the Buddha for the welfare of all beings.

As of today, we have 189 monks and 108 nuns. I wish to quickly increase the number of monks to 300, then gradually to 500, with 1000 monks being the final aim. For this reason, we have estalished sponsorship programs, like Tashi Delek. If you also consider this important, and have the wish and means to contribute, then this project will easily be successful.

How can you help? Currently, one US dollar a day ensures an adequate standard of living for one monk or nun. For $365, you can support one person's study and practice for a year. Therefore, whether you are a Dharma practitioner or not, if you wish to support this cause and give a contribution, you are helping develop the sangha community, and you are a supporter of the Buddhadharma which is the source of happiness and well-being for everyone. Though the sponsor will be less $365 a year, he or she will have provided the monk or nun with a whole year of study and practice. Such merit for both benefactor and recipient transcends the reach of thought.

Once the monks and nuns have completed their religious education, they should, at best, complete the traditional three-year retreat. After that, they can be sent all over the world to spread the words of the Buddha for the welfare of all beings. That is the main purpose.

When I was young, I imagined that, during this life, I might one day have as many as 108 monks to educate and take care of. Now, the number of monks under our monastery's care long ago exceeded 108. By the time my life draws to its end, I would like to have supported 1000 monks and nuns and, in that way, uphold and advance the Buddha's precious teachings. For this to happen, I need help.

Many people ask me, "Rinpoche, what do you want? What do you need? Do you need a nice pair of shoes?" I have quite a number of shoes by now, and lots of other things. Even gadgets! But do you want to know what I really want? Well, now you don't need to wonder anymore. Thank you very much!

Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang, 1996