Today, on Chötrul Düchen, we celebrate the Buddha’s performance of miracles. It is said that the Buddha displayed a different miracle each day to spur devotion and to increase the merit of his current and future disciples. Nowdays, this is an opportunity to appreciate Buddha Shakyamuni, whose wisdom lives on in the minds and hearts of our kind teachers, and in all practitioners wishing to discover their genuine heart of compassion.
What an auspicious day to announce that we have been blessed with an astonishing kick-start to our crowdfunding campaign to raise $1 million to build a Parinirvana Stupa and retreat center for His Holiness the 16th Karmapa Gyalwang Karmapa in Wadsworth, Illinois.
Since the campaign kicked-off last Sunday, we’ve raised over $122,000 USD from 130+ donors and 600+ campaign shares on social media!
In this first campaign update, we hear from Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, who shared a few of his recollections and feelings on His Holiness the 16th Karmapa in this teaching:
“His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rigpe Dorje, through his sheer presence, was living proof that the Buddhadharma works. Tibetan intellectuals can be very critical, and some criticized the Sixteenth Karmapa for not being highly literate and well-versed in philosophical discourse and liturgical detail. People can say what they want, but none can deny that when the 16th Karmapa suddenly appeared on the throne, he would transform the environment and the people in it on the spot. He was very majestic. He was like a king – just perfect.” Read more…
(Adapted from the teaching Parting from the Four Attachments, given by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche at the International Buddhist Academy, Nepal in 2009: Day 8, Part 2.)
We are so grateful to Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche for supporting this noble cause. Thank you everyone for your generosity and for continuing to spread the news of our campaign.
Stay tuned for another story about His Holiness the 16th Karmapa from one of our teachers next week!
