Comprehensive list of Shamarpa Rinpoche’s foundations worldwide

Shanti Path Foundation, India
Founder: Shamarpa Rinpoche

Directors:
Sherab Botia
Miss Chimy Yangzon
Miss Getu Dewan
Miss Chanda Gurung
Mr. Yogesh Chatree.

Activity in India:
A. This foundation is running a school for underprivilidged children in Diprugar Assam, India on behalf of the Infinite Compassion Foundation, based in Germany.
B. It also takes care of a high school for young lamas in Darjeling and a Buddhist college for lamas in Kalimpong. The college itself is part of the property which belongs to the Joti family trust, but is leased to the name of Shamar Rinpoche for 99 years.
C. Shamar Rinpoche created organic fertilizer for the benefit of poor farmers in Chalsa on 15 acres of land, which is part of his Transparent Democracy movement in the world.
This place is about 5km south of the land on which an Indu Tibetology school will be built by Karmapa’s Foundation.

Shanti Path Foundation, Nepal.
Founder: Shamarpa Rinpoche.

Directors:
Senge Rinpoche.
Dragpa Rinpoche
Karma Tsering
Tennam Lama
Khem koirala.
Chogyalla.
Karma Dorje Gurung.

Activity:
A. Shar Mi Nub Buddhist Institute, developed at Rani Ban, Khatmandu.
B. Taking care of primary schools in two remote areas in North Nepal, on behalf of the Infinite Compassion Foundation, Germany.

Shar Minub Foundation, Nepal
Founder:
Shamarpa Rinpoche

Directors:
Seven lamas

Activity:
Fundraising for monasteries and Buddhist institutions.

Wisdom Foundation, USA
Directors:
Sharmapa Rinpoche
Jay Landman
Carol Gerhardt
Marc Junkunc
Chris Fang

Activity:
Running Bodhi Path centers in the United States including:
Chicago, Il
Natural Bridge, VA
Martha’s Vineyard, MA
Washington DC metropolitan area
Miami, Fl
Menlo Park, CA
St. Luis Obispo, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Pasadena,  CA
Philadelphia, PA

Infinite Compassion Foundation, Europe
Founders:
Jigmela Rinpoche
Shamarpa Rinpoche

Directors:
Jigmela Rinpoche
Sabina Teuber
Hans F. Berner

Activity:
Helping schools in India and Nepal.

New Horizon Buddhist Association, Hong Kong
Founders:
Shamarpa Rinpoche and Jigmela Rinpoche

Directors:
Five Hong Kong nationals

Shamar Rinpoche personally contributed 8 million Hong Kong dollars, and arranged loan from bank for another 8 million Hong Kong dollars to purchase large facility for Dharma Center in Hong Kong. In 2013 Shamarpa Rinpoche wil resign as founder member and will be replaced by Karmapa Thrinly Thaye Dorje.

Infinite Compassion Foundation, Hong Kong.
Founder:
Shamarpa Rinpoche

Activity:
To benefit animals in China.

All foundations except the Infinite Compassion Foundation, Germany, have received funding exclusively from personal students of Shamarpa Rinpoche, not from public fundraising.

Interview with Shamar Rinpoche 5 July 2011 by Erik Curren, the author of Buddha’s Not Smiling.

Q. Rinpoche, you conducted a ceremony at the first World Peace Monlam Chenmo in Nepal, on November 22, 2010 in Kathmandu, bestowing the Amitabha Inititation to a large group of followers – according to the number of blessing threads distributed to attendees, 120,000 people. Adherents came mostly from distant hill areas to receive the initiation. Were you satisfied with this unusual event?

Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche:

No, I was not satisfied.
For this event, Buddhist people in the hill areas were informed, and as they have a great amount of devotion, they took impressive hardships upon themselves to come and attend the event. Many people walked for several days to reach the bus station, and then they had to take the bus for many hours to reach Kathmandu. Some were nauseated from the bus ride, and car sickness caused them to vomit. Once they reached the capital, the difficulties continued. They needed to find lodging and food which was affordable for them. Then, when receiving the initiation, they had to stand in line for hours. Some people fainted because of the heat. When they finally reached me, a pot decorated in silver and gold touched their head for two seconds. That was all.

Q. Does it mean that the silver pot which you use during the initiation is just a symbolic object?

Touching the head with a silver pot is just a Tibetan tradition. People believe that there is a blessing power in that act, but there is a lot of superstition involved. I recited the long dharani of Buddha Amitayus constantly. That had certainly more blessing than the pot I put on people’s head. Dharani has more power. But Maha Siddhas  (great yogis) who could perform (power) by the object existed during the time of Mila Repa or at the most during the Thantong Gyalpo in Tibet.  Nowadays it’s almost not possible.

Q. Will you conduct the same ceremony again?

Yes  in November, this year, I have been requested by the Newari Buddhist community of Patan to give another initiation. Fifty thousand people are announced to come, but I won’t be surprised if again more than 100,000 come to attend.

Q. You stated on your website that you are not interested in encouraging young people to become monks or nuns. Can you say some more about your reasoning here?

Concerning the youth, instead of making children nuns and monks at a young age, there should be a school where subject on“Basic Buddhism” should be taught to all young girls and boys. In this way, the younger generation will learn about Buddhism throughout their school years, and by the time they are ready to graduate and look for a job, they will have a good basic knowledge of Buddhism. If some of them should decide to enter the Dharma in a committed way, such as entering a monastery, they will be able to make their decision on the basis of an already acquired knowledge of the Dharma. It will then be very easy for them to absorb the Dharma in a profound way. The lamas who teach in the villages should do so without sectarian politics, without any regard to the lineage in which they have been trained in. They should simply teach the Dharma.

Q.  So, just to make sure it’s clear, you were not satisfied with the ceremony you held in November 2010. Is this correct?

I have to add that despite the objections that I have pronounced here in regard to big initiation events, there has been one great pleasure and satisfaction upon coming to Nepal last year, and that was seeing the unification of all the indigenous Buddhists in the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Peoples. I do believe that such a Federation of unified Buddhists can contribute an important part to re-establishing peace and prosperity in this country.

Shamar Rinpoche gives Amitabha initiation to 120,000 people in Nepal

Shamar Rinpoche gave an Amitabha initiation to his followers in Nepal, in the field behind the Grand Hotel in Boudhanath. Roughly 120,000 people attended, many of whom were from the Helambu (Yolmo) region, whose ancestors were followers of past Sharmapas— in particular the 8th Shamarpa who was born in Yolmo. Many Newari Buddhists from Kathmandu also attended, who likewise claim ancestors that were disciples of past Shamarpas. The event was organized jointly by many indigenous Buddhist organizations in Nepal. The ceremony lasted roughly 9 hours, and eventually the local authorities had to close the roads leading to the site so that the ceremony did not last for days.

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4-day empowerment by H.H. the 70th Je Khenpo at Trashichhodzong

29 July, 2011 – The 14th Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, Mepham Chokyi Lodro, who resides in New Delhi, India, is receiving an oral transmission and empowerment of Chhag Chhen Jazhung from His Holiness the 70th Je Khenpo, Trulku Jigme Chhoedra, at Tashichhodzong in Thimphu.

The four-day oral transmission, which started on July 26, concludes today.

Shamar Rinpoche said the primary reason for receiving this teaching was to transmit it to the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Thrinley Thaye Dorjee.

According to Shamar Rinpoche, the Kagyupa has two unique lineages. The Naro Chhoedrug, which means six doctrines of Naropa, was transmitted to Marpa, and from Marpa to Milarepa, and from Milarepa to Gampopa, who instituted the whole Kagyupa school.

Chhaja Chhenpo is another unique subject of Kagyuepa, which means, just as Ningmapa has Dzogchhen, Kagyupa has Chhaja Chhenpo.

Rinpoche said the Chhaja Chhenpo text is mainly about teachings on how to meditate, like starting from mind turning meditation to the ultimate level of enlightenment. The mahamudra teaching is also the lineage that came to Marpa from his root guru Maitrepa, who is the famous Mahasida.

Maitrepa taught mahamudra to Marpa, who has two main lineages, six yogas and six doctrines of Naropa. Another is mahamudra meditation, the teachings from Maitrepa. So, Marpa taught Milarepa and Milerapa taught Gampopa, and ultimately Gampopa propagated in Tibet.

These mahamudra teachings were all collected by the 6th Karmapa and is called Chhaja Chhenpoi Jazhung. Chhaja Chhenpo is the name of the particular meditation and Jazhung means all the doctrines written by Indian Mahasidas and Mahapundits.

The 7th Gyalwa Karmapa collected all the Jazhungs to organise in one set and published it to spread this lineage. But lineage is more or less disappearing.

“Everybody likes to go for Naropa’s six yogas and they may have received brief teachings of mahamudra, but they did not go to all the texts. That is why the lineage has been shrunk. But some high lamas are holding the lineage,” Shamar Rinpoche said.

The 15th Karmapa, Khachhab Dorji, a disciple of Kongtrul Lodroe Thayae, gave this oral transmission to Kheywang Tenzin Gyatsho, who is a famous teacher in the Drukpa Kagyu school, and he gave it to His Holiness the 68th Je Khenpo, Tenzin Dondrup, who has this lineage and transmitted it to the present Je Khenpo.

Rinpoche said that his master plan is to collect and organise all the Jazhungs written by all the Chhagja Chhenpo Masters. Until now he had published 11 volumes of Jazhungs.

An article written by By Chencho Wangdi

Published here: http://www.kuenselonline.com/2010/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=20247