Khenpo Karma Wangyel arrived to Estonia on the 28th of Sept and could move in to his new house next to the three-year retreat center. Only minor works are left, and also road works (2000 euros). We thank very much all the donors and helpers who made this project possible!
Khenpo Karma Wangyel will make a short teaching about meditation together with meditation session in Umbusi Buddhist center on the 4th of October at 2 PM.
Also, khenpo Karma Wangyel will make a teaching about Guru Rinpoche’s seven line prayer in Pärnu Dagshang Buddhist center on Friday 3rd of Oct at 6 -8 PM.
All donations for the road works are still possible: Receiver: YESHE KHORLO EESTI MTÜ
Much work has been done over the last few days, with some minor works and cleaning of the house and the surrounding area. A few volunteers came to help over the weekend! A big thank you to them.
Ceiling insulation – done. Bathroom’s water connections together with necessary equipment installation – done. We have almost managed with the donations we have received, but a little more is still needed for the road work and one more task for the house—rain gutters (600 euros)!
Thank you for your continous support! If you can, please support us a little bit more:
Receiver: YESHE KHORLO EESTI MTÜ Name: Yeshe Khorlo Estonia Account: EE212200221065708346 SWEDBANK, SWIFT code/BIC: HABAEE2X
We are incredibly thankful for all the generous donations we have received! The construction of the house is nearing completion.
What We’ve Accomplished
In the last few days, we have made significant progress:
The oak parquet flooring inside the house is now completely finished. We were able to find high-quality, second-hand flooring from Sweden that was three times cheaper than new materials.
The heat pump was installed.
The main construction of the terrace has been completed.
Remaining Tasks
All that is left to do now is:
Ceiling insulation
Interior and exterior painting
Floor oiling
Deck board installation
Bathroom work (tiling)
Installing kitchen furniture and plumbing
Final electrical works
Road works. We still need to make over 150 meters of road leading to the house, along with a small parking lot. For the road, we need to raise a total of at least 2,000 euros.
We are writing to provide a brief overview of the funding for Khenpo’s house construction and to ask for your support for last works.
From winter’s chö teachings, we received approximately 5,700 euros in donations. While 1100 euros have been spent on other expenses for Khenpola (health insurance and car registration) this year, 3,700 euros of that went directly to the house. Therefore, we only have 2,000 euros left from donations specifically for the house.
From this amount, the following will be used immediately:
Heat pump: 1,700 euros (coming in 3 weeks).
Bathroom works: At least 1,500 euros, the works start in 2 weeks.
Therefore it is clear that the remaining funds are not enough to complete all the work. We still need to plaster the walls, and purchase and install ceiling insulation (has to be done by hand because no road access to the house), buy and install the floor material.; install inner doors and buy a kitchen window (everything is ordered), kitchen is ordered from IKEA.
Several thousand euros are needed to fully finish the house. This calculation does not include larger projects like the terrace and the road, which are still to come. Everyone in the retreat is doing well, and the retreat is going on very well. We send our greetings from Estonia and thank you for all of those who have supported us!
As the Tibetan New Year approaches, Yeshe Khorlo Estonia expresses heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has helped make the three-year retreat in Estonia a reality.
Also, the fundraising through Chöd teachings in January was a great success—we managed to raise over 6,000 euros for Khenpo Karma Wangyel’s house.
A few dedicated Sangha members continue to support this project so that we can provide food for those in retreat. However, additional support would be greatly appreciated, as we had to rely on the retreatants’ personal funds to cover the final construction costs.
If you feel inspired by this meaningful endeavor and wish to accumulate merit, you are warmly invited to contribute via our bank account or PayPal.
Every donation makes a difference—just 20 euros provides ten days of food for one retreatant!
Requirement: Vajrayana empowerment of Inner tantra level such as Lama Norbu Gyamtsho, any Shitro, Kunzang gondu, Nyingthig Yabzhi, 3 roots empowerment, etc. Chod wang is very good if you have it, but any Inner tantra empowerment is ok.
Price:
Lower income 45 €
Middle income 60 €
Sponsor 100 €
All proceeds of teaching will be donated to finish building Khenpola’s retreat house in Estonia.
Translation will be organised into:
– English
– German
– French
– Russian
It is possible to arrange translation into another language if enough people are interested.
Sound of the Dakini’s Laughter is the commonly practiced chod from the Longchen Nyingtig cycle of Jigme Lingpa, who received it as mind treasure from Longchenpa.
Chod practice in the Longchen Nyingthig system has a Dzogchen flavor and is different from the standard Mahamudra Chod of the union of Sutra and Tantra. This is due to a difference in the way the view is presented and practiced in the two systems. This results in a different approach to the practice and a different degree of emphasis on the yogic conduct associated with the practice.
“Chod” literally means “to cut”, and here it means to cut off and eliminate ego-clinging and ignorance, so it takes the specific approach of using yogic conduct to provoke the upheaval of samsaric mind, which is then used as fuel to abruptly sever its root, which is self-grasping. Therefore, yogic conduct is a major theme of Pacifying of Suffering Chod practice.
One of the main features of the yogic conduct of chod is to cast aside the attachment to the body and then to offer the body as food to any being who wants to take it. Therefore, “transform the body into food,” as it is called, is also a major theme of the practice. This is done in a powerful meditative ritual which includes “a stunning array of visualizations, song, music, and prayer, it engages every aspect of one’s being and effects a powerful transformation of the interior landscape.”
This is a great way to support your Dzogchen practice.
The first snow this week on the retreat land! But not too cold yet – around minus 2 during a day. With this post we just remind you that you can have an opportunity to accumulate good merit by donating for the retreat people to whom we should pay back the money we took from them for the last bills. We have received 185 euros of donations in November and we are so thankful! Also, one Sangha friend sent to everybody a precious gift parcel with hand made things and more inside! We do not need so much now but it is good if we keep in mind our Sangha’s practitionners in retreat:) Also, our Sangha’s translator Andrzej is now translating one text (sku gsum sgrub pa – an explanation manual of Lama Norbu Gyamtso practice) that is necessary for the retreat people after a few months. If possible support also this translation project! And every week, we do some works in the retreat master khenpo Karma Wangyel’s house (we need around 7000 euros to complete it. Half is done! Our account details: Paypal: yeshekhorloest@gmail.com;
Bank Transfer Details:
Receiver: YESHE KHORLO EESTI MTÜ
Account: EE212200221065708346
SWEDBANK, SWIFT code/BIC: HABAEE2X
Bank address: Liivalaia 8, Talllinn, Estonia, 15040. SWEDBANK, SWIFT code/BIC: HABAEE2X
On the 20th of September 2024, five practitioners from Yeshe Khorlo Sangha started the three-year retreat in Estonia, in Umbusi village in the three-year retreat center called Samten Lhündrup Gatsel (The Pleasant Grove of Spontaneous Concentration). The retreat master is khenpo Karma Wangyel. Gangteng Rinpoche gave personal advice to those entering the retreat during several days when he was in Estonia. There will be three tsamyogs- helpers who deal with practical questions and translation, if necessary.
It is very rare in the western countries that there is an oportunity to do the Dzogchen retreat, and it is the first time in history this retreat is done according to Pema Lingpa’s tradition outside of Bhutan. We, the members of Yeshe Khorlo Estonia, are very happy that we have managed to make this retreat happen.
We still miss around 10 000 euros to pay the last bills (we have had a great help from several donors, but we also had some thousands of euros of more costs (finishing the gate, fence and other works related to kitchen-storage-temple room).
Our very recent helpers: Dariusz – 4000 euros, Katrin: 1000 euros, Ulrike: 500 euros, Marje: 750 euros, Hanna: 500 euros, Raivo: 200 euros. We are so thankful! We also thank Tanel, Bori, Marc, Andrus, Merle, Mari, Jonas, Dominique, Jannus and Monica for (continous) support!
For the next three years, the gate will be closed but whoever can, a little support for practitioners in retreat is always great and very helpful – most of them gave most of their money in the beginning of retreat and very big part of it has gone for the construction works.
Temple room got ready just before closing the gatesAll the houses on the photolast diner before starting the retreat. Almost everybody on the photoTwo houses on the left side from the roadInside the room :kitchenMain roomThe last but not least: installation of the name plate on the gate
Latest news from the three-year retreat center soon starting in Estonia according to Pema Lingpa’s tradition. Khenpo Karma Wangyel and two lopönmas, Künle Wangmo and Sonam, arrived on Saturday. All the nuns are very busy doing tormas that should stay three years in the rooms. The actual beginning date is postponed to 20th of September 2024, this Friday. There might be some works related to the kitchen house that cannot be completed on time (can be completed right after the beginning). Other works will be completed (houses and the gate). Every day there are new small details that have to be done and that also cost money, but we have got only few donations in September (the big pipe works bill of 12 000 is not yet paid as well. However, houses look very cosy and warm, everything is ready for the living in the rythm of practice and practice only. PayPal: yeshekhorloest@gmail.com
Bank Transfer Details:
Receiver: YESHE KHORLO EESTI MTÜ
Account: EE212200221065708346
SWEDBANK, SWIFT code/BIC: HABAEE2X
in the kitchen/storehouse, the walls were finished today (with lime plaster)Making of the tormas
Time has passed very quickly after the departure of Gangteng RInpoche and khenpo Karma Wangyel (who will be back after a few days though). Meanwhile, the kitchen house is almost finished, the ceiling insulation done, bathroom works almost completed (now, just shower curtains have to be put on place). Today, the retreatants also moved from Umbusi Buddhist center to the retreat center. We are soso thankful to so many people who have supported us recently (some of you again and again!): Rimo, Andrus, Monica, Rein, Veiko, Viivi, Anneli, Jannus, Reine, Mikk, Raivo, Kenno, Liis, Katrin, Leeve, Kaia-Kaire and Hedi from Estonia (2295 euros altogether), Dariusz (2000 euros), Marion (so many more euros), Aurelie and Edith from France (together 1000 euros), Birgit, Yeshe Khorlo Deutchland, Ines and Marina (main support for Thujila: around 8000 euros), Lupita, Alexis (1000 euros, again), Dechen and Pema (1500 dollars), Rovshan (500 dollars), and some more through Paypal (monthly payments and others), as well as some who do not want their names to be mentioned (another 5000 dollars).
The only problem in the end, like always, is that there are some unexpected bills, higher costs than we thought of some works, so we still lack around 10 000 euros to pay the bills (and some works, mainly in the kitchen, are still going on). We try to do everything as cheap as possible (the furniture is so-called B-quality, with some defects but perfect for us, we have found all the fridges from the second hand market, we have got most of the home items from our friends or second hand shops, and as said before, bathroom tiles were for free (though looking very expensive, the floor material is marmoleum but we got leftover pieces mainly (7 euros per m2).
PayPal: yeshekhorloest@gmail.com
Aadress: Umbusi village, Põltsamaa parish, Jõgevamaa county, 48026.
Bank Transfer Details:
Receiver: YESHE KHORLO EESTI MTÜ
Account: EE212200221065708346
SWEDBANK, SWIFT code/BIC: HABAEE2X
Evening lightsTsok before moving in, Thujila’s roomRetreatants leave from Umbusi Buddhist center to the retreat center (by foot: 500 m, by car: 2 km)That was the last big job in the rooms10.09.2024 – evening in the retreat land, light first time in the windows!Fridges are now in the rooms – all of them second hand, but looking good, with the price from 40 to 110 eurosToilets installedWindow works completedThuji and Marion busy with painting reldris for mandalaKitchen house with the white layer of lime plaster, still dryingelectricity works done, each house has a separate counterGate got a roof ridge sheet
