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This issue of the Communiqué focuses on excellence in
education. We are excited to announce the new Khyentse Foundation Award
for Excellence in Buddhist Studies, along with the names of the first
four award recipients. And our friend in Australia, Meg Hart, writes about her adventures visiting
a number of schools in India and Bhutan.
We are also introducing a new feature: Faces of the Foundation.
In each issue we will introduce one of our volunteers—our country
representatives, project coordinators, advisors, board and committee
members, and members of our executive office. Each person brings so much
to what Khyentse Foundation does, we thought you might like to put
faces to the names. This month, meet Chantal Gebbie of Australia.
Many thanks go to the talented Andreas Schulz of Berlin,
Germany, for offering his time and energy to design our "dynamic,
brilliant and radiant" KF Award logo. Andreas is responsible for many of
the beautifully executed logos that represent the various activities of
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.
As always, you can find information about the projects,
people, and institutions that benefited from your contributions in 2009
in the Khyentse Foundation Annual
Report, which was released in March of 2010.
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NEWS FROM SIDDHARTHA'S INTENT
Check the Siddhartha’s Intent site frequently for communications
from Rinpoche and updates on SI activities around the world.
- Our friend Ron
Stewart was interviewed in a recent edition of Northwest Dharma
Magazine. "Off the Grid at Sea to Sky Retreat
Centre" has some thought-provoking ideas about
sustainability as it pertains to Ron's work managing the retreat centre
in Canada. In the article he is quoted as saying, "While it is good to
minimize the environmental impact of human life, it is best to avoid
polluting the mind. Ideology in any guise causes us to lose our sanity
and natural decency."
- Read
Rinpoche's article "Many Questions, Few Answers,"
in Bhutan's Kuensel Newspaper.
- Buddhadharma Magazine has excerpted a portion of Rinpoche's
new book, "What to Do In India's Buddhist Holy Sites," in the summer, 2010 issue. In the excerpt,
entitled "Make the Most of Your Pilgrimage,"
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche explains how to get the most out of your
spiritual journey to India, from generating proper motivation to the
most effective practices for accumulating merit and wisdom while
visiting Buddhism’s holiest sites. You can download the complete text
from the Siddhartha's Intent website.
BUDDHIST
LITERARY HERITAGE PROJECT
LAUNCHES WEBSITE
Huang Jing Rui, interim executive director of the Buddhist
Literary Heritage Project, writes:
It's been a year since the Translating the Words of the
Buddha Conference, a five-day translation conference attended by more
than 50 Dharma translators, teachers, scholars, and students, held at
Deer Park Institute in Bir, India.
After many months of hard
work and preparation, we are delighted to inform you that the Buddhist Literary Heritage
Project (BLHP) website is now launched.
Please visit our website and
share the link with friends. Also, we would like to invite you to sign
up on our Facebook page.
June 30 - July 1, 2010
Calling the Guru from Afar
Karma Tengyal Ling
Stechlin-Menz, Near Berlin, Germany
July 16-18, 2010
Kunphenling, near Moscow, Russia
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July 27-July 28, 2010
Warsaw, Poland
Nagarjuna's "Letter to a Friend"
Songtsen, Chanteloube, France
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QUOTES
"I
hope the Khyentse Foundation Award for Excellence in Buddhist Studies
will inspire new generations of scholars at leading institutes around
the world in the academic study of Buddhism. Serious study and research
promote a deeper, enduring understanding of the rich Buddhist heritage,
which is a treasure that should be shared by all humankind."
— Professor
Peter Skilling
“Dear members of Khyentse Foundation,
I would like
to take the time to thank you for your generosity. When I decided to do
a minor in Buddhist Studies at Berkeley I did not realize how wonderful
and fulfilling the experience would be. Thanks to Khyentse Foundation, I
have found new reason to delight in my decision to study religion. It
warms my heart to know that there are those who would support
undergraduates because we are often overlooked, especially in large
universities. I plan to put the money toward my future travels to the
Himalayas, where I will continue my studies in Buddhism and Tibetan. So I
extend to you my heartfelt thanks, as your support makes all the
difference.
Sincerely yours,
Samantha Catella
(First recipient of the KF
Award at UC Berkeley)
The
Collected Works of
Dilgo
Khyentse Rinpoche
Shambhala
Pu blications has published a three-volume
set of Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche’s collected teachings in English, including significant works
never before published. The teachings are arranged to give a complete
exposition of the stages of the Buddhist path, presented throu gh his commentaries on root texts by classic Tibetan masters,
including Patrul Rinpoche, Jigme Lingpa, and Mipham Rinpoche. They afford a rare glimpse
into the direct mind transmissions of a modern master.
AND
THEN...
 Join Khyentse Foundation on
Facebook, where  |
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Be sure to update your information on the
The Ashoka Lion
Khyentse Foundation’s logo is Ashoka’s lion. King Ashoka was the
grandson of Chandragupta, one of the guides of Alexander the Great. He
reigned during the Mauryan Empire (3rd century B.C.), one of Buddhism’s
golden eras. Although he began as a ruthless warrior, when King Ashoka
discovered Buddhism he became a tireless proponent of the dharma.
Through his patronage, hundreds of Buddhist shrines and monasteries were
built. He sent missionaries to countries as far away as Greece and
Egypt and built rest houses for pilgrims, hospitals for animals, and
caves for ascetics. His son Mahindra and daughter Sanghamitra
established Buddhism in Sri Lanka, where it is still the major religion.
His trademark was the pillars inscribed with Buddhist teachings that he
erected throughout his kingdom.
“During those times, Buddhism
suffused all parts of society, and people saw the value in investing in
the enterprise of seeking enlightenment,” says Dzongsar Khyentse
Rinpoche. “The purpose of Khyentse Foundation is to create a system of
support for the continuing study and practice of the dharma. If we
sincerely want to carry on the traditions of Buddhism, if we are talking
about establishing Buddhism in the West, we need to think ahead to the
next generation.” This means creating lasting structures that foster
practice and make the dharma available to everyone who is interested.
Thus the lion pillar was an obvious choice to represent the principles
of the Foundation.
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Khyentse
Foundation Establishes New Award for Academic Excellence
Four Students
Receive Inaugural KF Award
Four students at three different
universities are the first recipients of the annual KF Award for
Excellence in Buddhist Studies. The award, initiated by KF advisor
Professor Peter Skilling, recognizes distinction in Buddhist studies,
especially expertise in the classical languages of Buddhist traditions.
Recipients are chosen by their department faculty and are honored at a
departmental ceremony.
Four universities have been selected to start off the
program: the University of California at Berkeley, the University of
Sydney in Australia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University
of Hamburg in Germany. KF hopes to extend the program to more centers of
excellence in the future.
The first recipient of the US$1,000 award was Samantha
Ann Catella of UC Berkeley on March 11, 2010. With a major in molecular
environmental biology and a minor in Buddhist studies, Samantha says,
"I want to pursue a career in conservation biology using ecology to
understand natural systems in order to inform effective management
plans. Eventually, if things go my way, I hope to do work of this nature
in Tibet or thereabouts."
At the University of Sydney, the recipient of the
award was Blair Silverlock, who was recognized for his overall
achievements in Buddhist studies, Sanskrit, and Pali throughout his
undergraduate studies. Blair's honours thesis consisted of an edition,
translation, and study of the Bodha-sutra found in a newly discovered
Sanskrit manuscript of the canonical Dirghagama “Long Discourses of the
Buddha." He is now undertaking a PhD at the University of Sydney, where
his research will focus on Buddhist texts written in the Kharosthi
script and Gandhari language that date to the 2nd century AD.
Rachel Epstein and Miki Morita received their awards at a ceremonial
dinner at the University of Pennsylvania on April 25. The dinner was
attended by the entire Religious Studies faculty as well as
undergraduate and graduate students in Buddhist Studies.
Miki Morita and Rachel Epstein
receive KF awards at the University of Pennsylvania.
KF Celebrates Collaboration
with UC Berkeley
On March 11, 2010, Khyentse
Foundation celebrated its ongoing partnership with the University of
California at Berkeley in promoting Buddhist studies at the university
level.
It was an occasion for
celebration on three fronts. First, we celebrated the anniversary of
the establishment of the Khyentse Chair in Tibetan Buddhist Studies at
UC Berkeley and the appointment of Professor Jake Dalton, who has been
teaching Buddhist studies at Berkeley since the spring of 2009.
 Second, we welcomed Professor David
Jackson, curator at the Rubin Museum of Art, as guest speaker for
the Second Annual Khyentse
Foundation Lecture in Tibetan Buddhism. Professor
Jackson addressed a standing-room-only audience on "Analyzing Lineages
in Early Tibetan Paintings." He also conducted workshops and seminars
with students and faculty during his stay at Berkeley. Third, we
launched the Khyentse Foundation Award for Excellence in Buddhist
Studies to encourage and recognize students who excel in the tools and
resources (especially the languages) related to Buddhist studies.
It is a privilege for
Khyentse Foundation to partner with UC Berkeley to promote the academic
study of Buddhism, which is one of the Foundation’s priority areas of
focus. We are now undertaking a global university research study to
identity the most effective ways to support the academic study of
Buddhism worldwide.
Photo: Professor Peter Jackson
(center) with KF Executive Director Cangioli Che, Professor Jake Dalton,
and KF Board Member Florence Koh at the Second Annual Khyentse
Foundation Lecture in Tibetan Buddhism at US Berkeley. Courtsey of
Jeffrey Roe.
Searching for Siddhartha
On the education trail in India
and Bhutan
by Meg Hart
Meg Hart, a former director of The Siddhartha School Project
in Lismore, Australia, traveled throughout India and Bhutan to study
different traditions and innovations in education. Here is her engaging
report of her experience.
“You should go to
Kalamandalam,” Rinpoche told me last year, opening his iPhoto to
pictures of lithe girls in vivid costumes dancing under a spreading
banyan tree. We were having an informal Siddhartha School meeting in
Brisbane, Australia. The pictures were delightful. But what did he mean?
What could we learn from Kalamandalam? And where exactly was it,
anyway?
The Siddhartha School Project
has been bubbling along for several years with curriculum development
supported by Jackie Mitchell of the Shambhala School, Children’s Days at
Southern Cross University, rap videos on green issues, fundraising
events, and location scouting. But questions still remain: What does “a
secular school based on Buddhist principles” look like? How will
timeless wisdom make children fit for today’s fast, complex world? And
how do you combine the sacred and the worldly in a curriculum that
satisfies the needs and realities of children, parents, and government—and
delivers relevant education?
Perhaps Kalamandalam had
some answers. With the help of Prashant Varma, Director of Deer Park Institute in
Himachal Pradesh, India, we set off in June on a self-funded tour that
started in South India—and ended in Bhutan...
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WANTED:
PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISER
The Siddhartha School Project
is staffed by volunteers, and we are looking for an experienced fund
raiser to join our team. If this is your area of expertise and you’d
like to know more about this exciting role, please contact SSP at sschool@khyentsefoundation.org
Eva Thomas, Director
The Siddhartha School Project,
Australia
VOLUNTEER ENGLISH
TEACHERS
FOR DZONGSAR SHEDRA IN
INDIA
Volunteer teachers are required
to teach adult monks in Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute in
Chauntra (HP), India.
The positions commence at
regular intervals during the year and preference is given to male
teachers who can stay for a minimum period of six months.
The successful applicants will
be provided with accommodation, meals and an allowance. Prerequisites
include a qualification teaching English as a second language and
relevant experience.
See links
to an overview of the English language program, job description for
the position, and some photos of an English class and the monastery.
If you have relevant
qualifications and experience and are interested in the position,
please email Suzie Erbacher with a
letter of application, a current CV and two written references. Suzie
will also answer any questions about the positions.
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FACES
OF THE FOUNDATION |
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 Meet Our
Australian Country Rep
Chantal Gebbie
Chantal Gebbie was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia
in 1984. In Australia she trained as a registered nurse and worked in
oncology and palliative care in both hospital and community settings.
Chantal currently works as a Clinical Nurse consultant in cancer
clinical research for Sydney Cancer Centre in Sydney Australia. She has
been a student of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s since 1995. For the
past two years she has been the Sydney practice and teaching
coordinator for Siddartha’s Intent Australia.
I have been the Khyentse
Foundation country representative for Australia only since late last
year, so I'm fairly new to the role. As a student of Dzongsar Khyentse
Rinpoche, I had a general idea about the work of the Foundation.
However, once I stepped into this role and started to really investigate
and educate myself about the projects and activities of the Foundation I
was very impressed by how much has been achieved, how many vital
projects are ongoing, and how far-reaching the vision is.
I would encourage any of
Rinpoche’s students who haven’t already done so to spend some time
thoroughly acquainting themselves with the activities of Khyentse
Foundation because they are so inspiring.
I have yet to facilitate a
plan for how we in Australia can not only continue our contribution to
the work of the Foundation but how we can expand on that contribution,
so if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear from you.
The Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Stupa in Tashiding, West Sikkim.
Thank You for Reading
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