Return to flip book view

༄༅། ། ལ་གས་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་ཕོ་ང་དགེ་འཕེལ་ིང་གི་ལོ་ས་ིང་བས་བགས་སོ། །

     

༄༅། ། ི་ལོ་ ༡༩༨༦ ་ ༧ ས་ ༡༥ ཉིན་དེར། ས་པ་མ་་ོ་བཟང་བསམ་གཏན། ༸གོང་ས་༸བས་མགོན་ལ་དབང་་ེང་བ་བཞི་པ་ཆེན་པོ་མཆོག་གི་གཟིམ་ང་དཀོན་གཉེར་ཞབས་་ལས་འགན་འར་བཞིན་ཡོད། དེ་ཉིན་བོད་ནས་གསར་་འོར་བའི་བོད་རིགས་ན་་མང་པོ་ཞིག་ལ་མཇལ་ཁ་བལ་་ཡིན་འག་པས། ཁོང་་ཚང་མ་ཕོ་ང་གི་ི་ལ་་ོ་ནས་ག་ནས་བད་འག ཤ་ག་ས་གམ་གཅིག་པའི་བོད་མི་དེ་དག ཧི་མ་ལ་ཡའི་རི་བོ་བད་དེ་ཉིན་ངས་མང་པོ་དཀའ་གས་ད་བསད་ིས་འལ་བད་ས་ཏེ་ཉིན་ཤས་ོན་དྷ་ས་ེ་ལེན་ཁང་་འོར་ཡོད་འག ༸གོང་ས་༸བས་མགོན་ཆེན་པོ་མཆོག་དང་། བོད་མི་དེ་དག་བར་ཕ་མ་དང་་་ན་རིང་མ་ད་པའི་ེས་ཕན་ན་ག་འདོད་ཤིན་་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོད་པ་ཙམ་མིན་པར། སོ་སོའི་་ིའི་ལོ་ས་ན་སེང་་་དང་། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ནས་ང་། ཁོང་ར་གས་བེ་བ་ཆེན་པོའི་ངང་ནས་གཟིགས་འདོད་དང་མ་འོངས་བཀའ་ོབ་ལམ་ོན་གནང་འཆར་ཡོད་པ་རེད། མཇལ་ཁའི་ས་ད་ནི་ཉིན་བ་ོད་ ༡ ལ་རེད་འག མཇལ་ཁ་གནང་ས་་ེར་ག་ིས་ཡིག་ཚང་ཡིན་བས་ས་པས་གས་ཁང་ནང་བགས་གདན་བོན་་དང་།མཇལ་་བ་མི་རེར་གནང་འི་ིན་ེན་དང་གས་མད་ལ་སོགས་་ིག་ེད་ས་སར། ༸ལ་བའི་་བཅར་བེས་པ་་ཞབས་ོ་བཟང་དགའ་བ་ལགས་ངའི་སར་ཕེབས་ང་།

༧གོང་ས་བས་མགོན་ཆེན་པོ་མཆོག་དང། ་ཞབས་ོ་བཟང་དགའ་བ་ལགས།HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA & VENERABLE LOSANG GAWA LAG

ཁོང་གི་འངས་ལ་ནི་བོད་ི་ལ་ས་་ས་ཡིན་ཞིང་། དང་ལོ་ ༡༣ ཙམ་ནས་མ་ལ་་ཚང་གི་ཆོས་ོར་བགས་གནང་། ི་ལོ་༡༩༥༩ ལོར་ང་ལོ་ ༢༦ ལ་བོད་ནས་་གར་ལ་བཙན་ོལ་་ཕེབས། ི་ལོ་ ༡༩༦༠ ལོར་༸གོང་ས་བས་མགོན་ཆེན་པོའི་་འཁོར་མ་་རི་ལ་བགས་གནས་བང་བས་༸ལ་བའི་་བཅར་ཞབས་་གནང་། དེ་ཡང་ོན་བདག་ཅག་གི་ོན་པ་དང་ོན་པའི་ཉེ་གནས་དགེ་ོང་ན་དགའ་བོ་ར། ལ་བའི་དགོངས་པ་ཇི་བཞིན་མན་པ། མང་གས་ལ་མས་ོང། ི་ནང་གི་གནས་ལ་མེན་་ཧ་ཅང་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོད་པ། འཕགས་མཆོག་ན་རས་གཟིགས་༸ལ་དབང་ཐམས་ཅད་མེན་པ་མཆོག་དང་མོང་མིན་པའི་འེལ་བ་ཡོད་པ་ནི་ན་ི་མན་ང་་བ་པ། ས་པའི་ིང་ནས་ས་བི་་ལ་གི་གང་ཟག་ད་པར་ཅན་ཞིག་ཡིན། ཁོང་གིས་ན་ལ་ལ་གས་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་་ཡོད་པའི་ས་འཁོར་་ཁང་ཞིག་གསོ་་ར་གང་ར་ལ་གས་་བོད་དགོས་པའི་བཀའ་གནང་ང་། དེ་ོན་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ལ་གས་་ཆིབས་ར་གནང་བས་ཁོང་ས་གནས་དེར་གས་ོ་པོ་ང་ཡོད་ཅིང་། གནམ་གཤིས་ང་་ཁམས་ལ་འོད་པོ་ང་ཡོད་པ་རེད། དེར་བེན་མ་འོངས་པར་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་དར་ཁའི་རིང་ལ་གས་ལ་བགས་འི་ཆེད་ས་འཁོར་་ཁང་དེ་ཉམས་གསོ་ེད་དགོས་པ་རེད། ཅེས་གངས། དྷ་རམ་ས་ལའི་ཆར་ས་བས་ི་གནམ་གཤིས་དེ་ལས་ལ་གས་ེ་ཡི་གནམ་གཤིས་དེ། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གི་་ཁམས་ལ་འོད་ལམ་ཆེ་བ་གཟིགས་ཡོད། ཁོང་གིས་་མད་ནས་གངས་དོན། ་ཞབས་ངག་དབང་ོ་བཟང་བ་བན་ནམ་མཚན་གཞན་་་ཞབས་བ་་ལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་ི་ཉིན་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་མཇལ་བར་ཕེབས་ི་ཡོད་པ་དང་། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གིས་ས་འཁོར་་ཁང་ཉམས་གསོའི་ལས་གཞིའི་ོར་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་དང་བཀའ་མོལ་གནང་གི་རེད་ཅེས་དང། ཡང་་ཞབས་ནས་་ཁང་ཉམས་གསོ་ེད་ངས་ོར་འེལ་བཤད་ཞིབ་ཚགས་གནང་ང།

༡༩༧༦ ལོའི་ལ་གས་ས་འཁོར་་ཁང། Kalachakra Temple 1976

དེ་ནས་ི་ལོ་ ༡༩༨༦ ་ ༧ ས་ ༡༦ ཉིན་་ཞབས་བ་་ལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་མཇལ་ཁར་བཅར།༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གིས་ཁོང་ལ་ལ་གས་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་་ཡོད་པའི་ས་འཁོར་་ཁང་ཉམས་གསོའི་ོར་དང་དར་ས་རིང་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ལ་གས་ལ་བགས་འདོད་ཡོད་ལ་སོགས་གངས་ཡོད་པ་དང་། ོག་ལམ་སར་ཡོད་པའི་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་ི་ས་ཆ་དེ་ལ་གས་ནང་པའི་ཆོས་གས་ལ་བདག་ཡོད་བས། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གིས་ཁོང་ལ་ས་ཆ་དེར་ཁོང་གི་ཕོ་ང་བཞེངས་ཆོག་པའི་ཆོག་མཆན་ས་ཤིང་། ལས་གཞི་འགན་འར་མཁན་དངོས་བ་ལ་གས་ལ་གཏོང་གི་ཡིན་ཞེས་གངས་ཡོད་ད། ང་ང་ས་བས་་ངའི་མིང་ལ་དངོས་བ་ཅེས་འབོད་ི་ཡོད་ཅིང་། ངའི་ཆོས་མིང་ནི་ོ་བཟང་བསམ་གཏན་རེད། ངའི་ེས་ལ་ནི་གཙང་ོད་གང་རི་བོ་ཆེ་ཡིན། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ལ་གས་ལ་ན་རིང་ཙམ་བགས་འི་གས་འདོད་ཡོད་པ་དེར་་ཞབས་བ་་ལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་ཧ་ཅང་དེས་ར་ང་ཡོད། དེ་ཡང་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ལ་གས་ལ་ས་ན་རིང་ཙམ་བགས་བ་པ་ང་ན། ནང་པ་དང་ཁ་ཆེ། དེ་བཞིན་མང་གས་ལ་ཧ་ཅང་གི་ཕན་ཐོགས་ཡོད་པར་གཟིགས་ཡོད། བ་་ལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་དྷ་ས་གནས་ང་་ཚང་གི་མོན་ཁང་་བགས་ཡོད་འག ི་ཉིན་ས་པ་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གི་མཆོད་ཁང་གཙང་མ་བཟོ་བཞིན་པའི་བས། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ནས་ས་པར། ེད་རང་དང་ོ་བཟང་དགའ་བ་གཉིས་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་ས་འཁོར་་ཁང་ཉམས་གསོ་་འི་ོར་ལ་ད་ཆ་ང་ངམ་། ཞེས་བཀའ་ིས་གནང་བར། ངས་༸བས་མགོན་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་ལ་ང་ལ་་ཞབས་ོ་བཟང་ལགས་ིས་དེའི་ོར་བཀའ་གནང་ང་། ང་གང་ར་ལ་གས་ལ་འོ་ིས་ཡོད། ཅེས་ས། ཡང་ཁོང་གིས། ེད་རང་མ་འོ་གོང་ལ་་ེར་ཡིག་ཚང་ནས་ཡི་གེ་ཞིག་འེར་དགོས་པ་རེད། ་ཁང་ཉམས་གསོའི་འོ་ོན་ཆ་ཚང་ང་འི་་ེར་ཡིག་ཚང་ནས་གཏང་གི་རེད། ཅེས་བཀའ་གནང་། དེ་ཉིན་་ཞབས་བ་་ལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་དེས་ཞལ་ངང་ངའི་སར་ཆིབས་བར་ིས་གངས་གསལ། ེད་རང་གང་ར་ལ་གས་་འོ་དགོས། གང་ལགས་ཞེ་ན། ལ་གས་ལ་ཨར་པོ་ག་ཡས་གནམ་གཤིས་ད་ཙམ་མ་གཏོགས་ོད་ི་མ་རེད།ཅེས་དང་། ེད་རང་ག་ས་འོ་ིས་ཡོད།

་ཞབས་བ་་ལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ། Bakula Rinpoche Lag https://treasuryoflives.org

ཅེས་བཀའ་ི་གནང་བར། ང་ི་་ ༧ ས་ ༢༠ ཉིན་འདི་ནས་ཐོན་ི་ཡིན་ཞེས་ས། རིན་པོ་ཆེས། ཡག་པོ་རེད། ངས་ེད་རང་ི་ན་གར་ནས་ེ་བར་ི་གནམ་འི་ལག་འེར་་ིག་ེད་ཆོག ེད་རང་ི་ན་གར་འོར་བ་དང་ NAL བསོད་ནམས་ལ་མཚན་དང་འེལ་བ་ེད་དགོས། ཁོང་གིས་ེད་རང་གི་ི་ན་གར་ནས་ེ་བར་ི་གནམ་འི་ལག་འེར་་ིག་ེད་ི་རེད།ཅེས་གངས་། བསོད་ནམ་ལ་མཚན་ལགས་ནི་ི་ལོ་ ༡༩༧༦ ལོར་ལ་གས་ནང་པའི་གས་པའི་གས་ག་ཡིན་བས་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གིས་ས་འཁོར་དབང་ཆེན་ཐེངས་ ༦ པའི་བས་ང་གཉིས་ག་འད་ང་། རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་གིས་་མད་ནས་གངས་གསལ། ང་ི་ལིར་འོ་དགོས་ཡོད། ཡིན་ནའང་ང་གཉིས་ེ་ལ་གང་ར་ག་གི་རེད་ཅེས་གངས། ི་ལོ་ ༡༩༨༦ ་ ༧ ས་ ༡༨ ཉིན་་ེར་ཡིག་ཚང་གི་ང་ཆེ་བན་འན་ཆོས་ཉིད་ལགས་སམ་ོ་་ར་ལགས་ིས་ངར་ཡི་གེ་གཉིས་གནང་ང་། ངས་ཡི་གེ་དེ་གཉིས་ལ་གས་་ེར་ཏེ། ཡི་གེ་གཅིག་ལ་གས་ོག་ལམ་སར་ཡོད་པའི་བོད་ག་ིམ་ེ་ོབ་འི་འགན་འན་ན་ོ་བཟང་བན་འན་ལགས་་འལ་དགོས་པ་དང་། ཅིག་ཤོས་དེ་ལ་གས་ས་གནས་གཞིས་འགོ་མི་འར་ོ་ེ་ལགས་ལ་འལ་དགོས་པའི་བཀའ་གནང་། ངའི་ལམ་ོན་ཆེད་་་ེར་ཡིག་ཚང་གི་དལ་གཉེར་ལ་བཟང་དངོས་བ་ལགས་ནས་ངར་ོར་༡༠༠༠ གནང་ང་། ི་་ ༧ ས་༢༠ རེས་གཟའ་ཉི་མའི་་ོ། ང་དྷ་ས་ནས་མ་ཐོན་ོན་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་མཇལ་ང་། ས་ནས་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གི་དགོངས་གཞི་དང་མན་པའི་སེམས་གཏིང་ནས་ོན་ལམ་བཏབ། ཁོང་གིས་ངར་ིན་ེན་གནང་ཞིང་འལ་བད་ལེགས་པོ་ཡོང་བའི་ོན་ལམ་གནང་སོང་། དེ་ཉིན་ཞོགས་པ་ོད་ ༩ པའི་ཐོག་་སེ་ (bus) བད་ཇ་ར་ (Jammu)བོད།

་ེར་ང་ཆེ་་ངོ་་ར་ལགས། ༼བན་འན་ཆོས་ཉིད་༽General Secretary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kungo Tarak Lag (Tenzin Choenyi) ན་ོ་བཟང་བན་འན་ལགས་དང། ས་པ་ོ་བཟང་བསམ་གཏན་ ༢༠༡༧Gen Losang Tenzin Lag & Losang Samten2017

               Bollywood                 

                               

                   (ceiling)              

                     

སེང་གེ་གཙང་པོ།Indus River ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་ས་འཁོར་་ཁང། Shivetsel Kalachakra Temple

              River Indus                    

                                

                    “” 

                                 

ནོར་ིང་ག་བན་མི་འར་ཕོ་ང།Norbulingka - Dalai Lama’s SummerResidence in Tibet Photo Source by "travel oriented" fromhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/traveloriented/23510548478

              (architect)  (engineer)              

                                       

ལ་གས་ེ་ཇོ་ཁང།Jokhang Temple in Leh, Ladakh

                            

་ས་ཐེག་ཆེན་ཆོས་ིང། ༡༩༨༦Thekchen Choeling Temple inDharamsala, India 1986

་ས་གག་ལག་ཁང་གི་དཔལ་ན་་མོ།Palden Lhamo

ངས་མི་དེར་ེད་རང་གིས་བསམ་ལ་བོད་པར་གས་ེ་གནང་་གི་ཡིན་ཞེས་བཤད། ི་་ ༨ ས་ ༡༦ ཉིན་ཨར་ལས་ཆེད་ལས་པ་གཉིས་དང་མཉམ་་ང་ས་ོས་བར་ས་ེས། ང་ས་ཁང་ཐོག་གཉིས་ཅན་ི་ཕོ་ང་ཡིད་་འོང་བ་ཞིག་དང་དེའི་ར་་་ེར་ལས་ེད་བགས་སའི་ལས་ཤག་བཅས་ི་བཀོད་དིབས་ས་་ཞིག་བཟོས། ི་་ ༨ ས་ ༡༨ ཉིན་ཁང་པའི་འཆར་གཞིའི་ས་་དེ་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ལ་ན་འལ་་བ་དང་ཆོག་མཆན་་ར་ེ་ནས་དྷ་རམ་ས་ལར་ཐོན། འཆར་གཞི་གསར་པ་དེར་ལ་གས་ལ་མི་དང་བོད་མི་ཚང་མས་བོད་བགས་ས་ཤིང་ལས་གཞི་དེར་ག་བསམ་མ་དག་དང་སེམས་གཏིང་ནས་བ་ོར་ེད་ི་འག ི་་ ༨ ས་ ༡༨ ཉིན་ནི་གཟའ་ར་ལེགས་པ་ས་བཟང་ཞིག་རེད། དེ་ཉིན་ཧེ་མི་དགོན་པའི་་མ་ག་ཚང་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་བོད་ནས་ེ་་ིར་ཕེབས་གནང་། དེའི་དགོང་མོ་ང་དྷ་རམ་ས་ལར་འོར། ི་ཉིན་ཞོགས་པ་ངས་ཐོག་མར་ཐེག་ཆེན་ཆོས་ིང་གག་ལག་ཁང་་ིན་ཏེ་ཁ་འདོན་དང་ོན་ལམ་བཏབ། དེ་ནས་་མོ་་ཁང་་ིན་ཏེ་འིན་བཅོལ་བཏང་ེ། འཆར་གཞི་གསར་པ་དེར་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་དང་་ེར་ཡིག་ཚང་གཉིས་ནས་ངོས་བཞེས་ཅི་ནས་ཡོང་བའི་བས་འག་གནང་རོགས་ཞེས་གསོལ་བ་བཏབ་པ་ཡིན། གང་ཡིན་ཟེར་ན། ངས་བཟོས་པའི་འཆར་གཞི་གསར་པ་དེ་ཁོང་མ་པས་མེན་ི་མེད་ལ། ག་པར་་ས་་གསར་པ་དེ་ནི་ཐོག་མའི་འཆར་གཞི་དང་ད་དེ་མི་འ་བ་ཞིག་ཡོད་པར་བེན། ངའི་འཆར་གཞི་དེའི་ཐད་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་དང་་ེར་ཡིག་ཚང་ནས་ག་རེ་གང་ཡོང་བསམ་པའི་སེམས་ནང་ན་་དངངས་ག་ེས། ོད་ ༡༠ ཙམ་ལ་་ཞབས་ོ་བཟང་དགའ་བ་ལགསི་སར་་བཅར། ཁོང་གིས་ངར་། ཨ་ལས། ེད་རང་ེབས་ཡོད་པས། ཞེས་གངས་པར། ངས་ལན་། ལགས་ང་ེབས་པ་ཡིན། ངས་ས་་ཞིག་ེད་ལ་ན་འལ་་བར་དང་ཆབས་ཅིག་

༡༩༨༦ ་བ་༨ས་༢༧ ག་དཀར་ཉིན། ཨར་ལས་ཉིན་དང་པོ་འགོ་བགས།First day of construction ་ཞབས་ག་་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང། ་ཞབས་ོགས་ན་རིན་པོ་གཉིས་ནས་ཕོ་ང་གི་ིག་ང་འདིང་བཞིན་པ།Foundation Layout-Takna Rinpoche Lag & Togden Rinpoche Lag

ལ་གས་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ། ༢༠༢༢Shivetsel 2022

་ཞབས་ོ་བཟང་དགའ་བ་ལགས་ནི་རང་བཞིན་ིས་ཤེས་་ཆེ་ཤིང་གང་ཅིའི་ཐད་མེན་་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོད་མཁན་ཞིག་རེད། ཁོང་ནི་ོབ་ར་བོད་དེ་ཁང་བཟོའི་་ལ་དང་ཨར་ལས་ཐོག་ོབ་ོང་ས་ོང་མེད་ང་དེའི་ཐོག་ལ་མེན་ོགས་ཆེན་པོ་འགཁོང་གིས་ངའི་ས་་དེ་མཐོང་མ་ཐག འདི་ཧ་ལས་པའི་ཡག་པོ་འག ངས་འདི་༸གོང་མ་ཆོག་ལ་ན་འལ་ས་ཟིན་ེས།ངས་ེད་ལ་འེལ་བ་ེད་ཆོག་ཅེས་གངས་པར། ང་རང་ོ་བདེ་བར་ར་། ི་་ ༨ ས་ ༢༠ ཞོགས་པ་་ཞབས་ོ་བཟང་དགའ་བ་ལགས་ིས་༸བས་མགོན་རིན་པོ་ཆེས་ངའི་འཆར་གཞི་དེ་ངོས་བཞེས་གནང་སོང་ཞེས་དང་། ད་ང་ཁོང་གིས་ས་འི་ནང་འར་བ་གང་གཏང་་ཡོད་ང་ེད་རང་རང་གིས་ཐག་གཅོད་ས་ན་ིག་ཅིང་། ེད་རང་དྷ་རམ་ས་ལར་ོས་བར་ེད་པར་ཡོང་དགོས་མ་རེད་ཅེས་གངས་ང་། དེ་ཉིན་ང་རང་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་མཇལ་ཁར་བཅར། ཁོང་གིས་ངར་ིན་བས་དང་ངའི་འཆར་གཞི་གསར་པ་དེར་བཀའ་འོལ་གནང་། ཁོང་གིས་ེད་རང་ག་ས་འོ་མཁན་ཡིན་ནམ་ཞེས་ིས་གནང་བར། ངས་ང་སང་ཉིན་འོ་གི་ཡིན་ཞེས་ས། དེ་ཉིན་་ེར་ཡིག་ཚང་གི་ང་ཆེ་ོ་་ར་བ་སར་བཅར་ཏེ་འཆར་གཞི་ན་འལ་ས་ཤིང་འོ་ོན་འཆར་ིས་ོར་ོས་མོལ་ས། ཁོང་ནི་འཆར་གཞི་དེའི་ོར་མེན་བས་ཧ་ཅང་དགའ་པོ་ང་ེ་གངས་གསལ། ལས་གཞི་འདིའི་འོ་ོན་ཡོངས་ོགས་་ེར་ཡིག་ཚང་ནས་གཏང་གི་རེད།ལ་གས་མི་དམངས་་དང་བོད་མི་ར་དཀའ་ངལ་མ་ོད། ཅེས་བཀའ་མངགས་གནང་ང་། ོ་་ར་ལགས་ནི་ཧ་ལས་པའི་ེ་བོ་ས་པ་ཅན་ཞིག་རེད། ངས་ཁོང་ལ་ས་ིས་དང་བགས་བོད་ཆེན་པོ་་ཡི་ཡོད། ི་་ ༨ ས་ ༢༡ རེས་གཟའ་མིག་དམར་ཉིན་ང་ི་ན་གར་་སེ་བད་ལ་གས་ལ་ཐོན། ི་་ ༨ ས་ ༢༦ ཉིན་ལ་གས་ེ་་འོར།

                                    

                               

                 

        (Katiri)                        

                      (generator)      

                                      

             (Buddhavihar)               

  (Sarsawa)                                    (ceilings)     

                     "" ""   "  "       

དགེ་འཕེལ་ིང་ཕོ་ང་གི་ང་གཞི།The foundation of Gepel Ling

དང་དས་མི་དམངས་ི་ག་བསམ་དང་ོ་ང་དེ། ངའི་ཡིད་ལ་ང་ང་ད་་ཡང་ན་གི་འག། The enthusiasm, joy, and happiness of the volunteers are still very vivid in my mind.

ཁོང་ས་ཉིན་གང་བོར་ལས་ཀ་ས་ང། ད་ང་ཐང་ཆད་་མེད་པར་་བཏང། གཞས་བ་ེད་གི་འག། Volunteers work tirelessly while dancing, singing, and having fun at the end of the day.

ཁོང་འི་སེམས་ནང་༧གོང་ས་མཆོག་ལ་དད་པ་ཧ་ཅང་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོད་པའི་མངོན་གས་དངོས་་མཇལ་བ་པ་ང། I witnessed the volunteers' extraordinary devotion to His Holiness.

ལོ་ན་བད་་སོན་པའི་ན་ཁོགས་འཁར་གས་འེར་མཁན་ཡང། དང་ངས་ལ་ཕེབས་ང།Even the seniors in their eighties, with their walking canes, came to provide a hand.

གཡོན་ནས་དང་པོ་དབང་ལ་་རིང་ལགས། དེ་ནས་ན་བན་འན་ལགས། ོ་བཟང་ོ་ེ་ལགས། ཏ་་མ་ལ་ལགས། ིག་ེ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལགས། ལ་གས་དགེ་ོང་ལགས་དང། ཨ་ཅོ་ནོར་་ལགས།Left to right: Wangyal Tsering Lag, Gen Tenzin Lag, Lobsang Dorje Lag, Ashang Tharu Namgyal Lag, Thiksey Rinpoche Lag, Ladakhi monk, Acho Norbu Lag

འོན་ང་དེ་ཉིན་ོད་གཉིས་ཙམ་འགོར། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་་ཆིབས་ར་གནང་ེས་དར་ཁའི་ཕོ་ང་གསར་པའི་ལ་ོའི་འམ་་བཞེངས་བས་མཛད་ག་མ་པ་ས་ཁོང་ལ་མཇལ་དར་ལ་ཏེ་མཇལ་ཁ་ས། ངས་་བ་མང་པོ་ཉི་མ་ཚ་པོའི་འོག་ལས་ཀ་ས་པའི་ེན་ིས་ངའི་གདོང་དང་མཇིང་པ་མས་ང་དང་ཉི་མས་འགས་ཏེ་ག་པོར་ར་ཡོད་ང་། ང་རང་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གི་་གམ་་བཅར་འི་གོ་བས་ང་བ་ནི་སེམས་ནང་བོད་མི་ཤེས་པའི་ིད་ང་གི་ར་བ་ཞིག་ང་། ཉིན་དེ་ནི་ངའི་མི་འི་ནང་ནམ་ཡང་བེད་མི་ིད་པའི་ས་ད་གལ་ཆེན་ཞིག་རེད། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གིས། ཁང་པ་འདི་ས་ན་ང་ང་འདི་འ་ཞིག་ནང་བབས་པ་རེད། འོན་ང་ཧ་ཅང་ིང་ེ་པོ་བབས་འག བོད་ི་བསམ་ཡས་གག་ལག་ཁང་་་རེད་ཅེས་གངས། ཁོང་གིས་གངས་དོན་ནི། ས་རབས་བན་པའི་ནང་བསམ་ཡས་གག་ལག་ཁང་བཞེངས་ས། ཉིན་མོ་མིས་བིགས། མཚན་ལ་་དང་་མོས་བིགས་ནས་ས་ན་ང་ང་ཞིག་ནང་ཤིན་་མོགས་པོ་བཞེངས་བ་པར་གས།༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གིས་ཕོ་ང་གསར་པར་དགེ་འཕེལ་ིང་ཞེས་མཚན་གསོལ། ་ཞབས་བ་་ལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་དང་། ལ་གས་ནང་གས། ལ་གས་དགོན་གས། ལ་གས་ི་་ཆེན་མ་པ། ལ་གས་མི་དམངས། བོད་ག་ིམ་ེའི་ོབ་། ལ་གས་་གནས་ོད་བོད་མི་བཅས་ལ་གས་ེ་ཞེས་གངས། དེ་ནས་ཕོ་ང་ནང་ཕེབས་ེས་ཁོང་གིས་ངའི་ལག་ནས་བང་ེ་ེད་རང་གིས་ངར་ཁང་པའི་ནང་ལོགས་ཁག་ོན་གས། ཞེས་གངས། ངས་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ལ་གཟིམ་ང་རེ་རེ་ས་ཏེ་གཟིགས་འལ་ས་ཏེ་འེལ་བཤད་ས། བས་དེར་གལ་ཆེ་ཤོས་ཤིག་ལ། ངས་མི་དམངས་འི་སེམས་ནང་ཁོང་ལ་དད་ཞེན་ཇི་ཙམ་ཡོད་པ་དེ་འེལ་བཤད་་བས་ངའི་མིག་ནས་རང་དབང་མེད་པར་མིག་་ཤོར་སོང་། ་ཞབས་ོ་བཟང་དགའ་བ་ལགས་དེར་མཉམ་་ཡོད། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ོམ་གདན་ང་བགས་བཞིན་ཞལ་བོད་ོགས་་གཟིགས། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ཆབ་ཚ་པོར་མཉེས་པོ་ཡོད་པས་ངས་ཁོང་ལ་ཆབ་ཚ་པོ་ཞལ་དཀར་གང་བཏེགས་ཏེ།

ང་ལ་ལས་གཞི་དེའི་ལས་འགན་གནང་བ་དེར་བཀའ་ིན་ཆེ་ས་པ་དང་ཆབས་ཅིག་ཁོང་་་ན་རིང་བན་པའི་བས་འག་ས་པ་ཡིན། ལས་གཞི་ོགས་ཡོངས་ནས་ཚགས་ད་པོ་དང་། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ཕོ་ང་གསར་པའི་ནང་དངོས་་བགས་ཡོད་པ་རེད། ཉིན་དེར་ང་་ཚང་མའི་སེམས་ནང་དགའ་ོབས་ཆེན་པོ་ང་ཡོད། ི་་ ༧ ས་ ༦ ཉིན་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་དང་མ་ལ་་ཚང་གི་་ཞབས་ས་དཔལ་ན་་མོའི་གས་མཆོད་གནང་བ་དང་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གི་ཞབས་བན་གསོལ་འདེབས་་དངས་ཐོག་བཏོན་གནང་མཛད། མི་དམངས་ི་་མང་པོ་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་་༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གི་འི་འངས་ར་ས་ཆེན་ང་བི་་བར་འམས་ེ་ོ་ིད་བཏང་བ་དང་། གཞས་དང་ཞབས་ོ་ལ་རོལ། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་ངོས་ནས་མི་གས་མང་པོ་དེ་འ་འམས་ཏེ་དགའ་དགའ་ོ་ོ་ེད་པ་གཟིགས་ས་གས་ཧ་ཅང་དེས་ར་ཆེན་པོ་གནང་། ི་་ ༧ པའི་ས་ ༦ ནས་འགོ་འགས་ིས་ེ་ོར་ི་་མཚམས་་བགས། ེ་ོར་ནི་གསང་གས་ི་ཡི་དམ་ག་བོ་ཞིག་ཡིན་ལ། ས་་པའི་ཆོས་བད་ནང་དར་ོལ་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོད། ༸གོང་ས་མཆོག་གིས་༸བས་ེ་བཅོ་བད་ི་ཆེན་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ངག་དབང་མེན་རབ་བ་ན་ལེགས་བཤད་་མ་མཆོག་གི་ང་ནས་ེ་ོར་ི་དབང་ང་ས་གནང་མཛད། གས་དམ་བ་མཚམས་ིན་བེགས་གནང་། དེའི་ེས་མི་དམངས་ལ་ཉིན་འི་རིང་གང་ཆོས་བིན་བངས། ི་་༨ ས་ ༢ ཉིན་གོང་ས་མཆོག་དྷ་རམ་ས་ལར་ིབས་ཞལ་བར། འདིར་ངས་རང་ཉིད་ི་་བའི་་མ་༸ི་ནོར་༸གོང་ས་༸བས་མགོན་ཐམས་ཅད་མེན་པ་ཆེན་པོ་མཆོག་གི་བཀའ་ིན་ན་གསོ་་བ་དང་ཆབས་ཅིག ་གཤེགས་དམ་པ་་ཞབས་བ་་ལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་དང་། ་ེར་ཡིག་ཚང་ང་ཆེ་་གཤེགས་ོ་་ར་བ་(བན་འན་ཆོས་ཉིད་)་ལགས། ལ་གས་ི་་ཆེན་མ་པ། ལ་གས་ནང་པའི་གས་པ།

ལ་གས་དགོན་པའི་གས་པ། ལ་གས་ཁ་ཆེའི་མི་དམངས། ལ་གས་ལ་མི་ི་དང་ལ་གས་་གནས་ོད་བོད་མི་བཅས་ལ་ངས་ིང་དས་ནས་གས་ེ་ཆེ་་་ཡིན། ལ་གས་བོད་ིམ་ོབ་འི་དགེ་ལས་ོབ་ག། ལ་གས་་ཡོད་པའི་་་བོད་དམག ལ་གས་ནང་གས་ི་གས་ག་་འདས་དོན་བ་བསོད་ནམས་ལགས་དང་གས་ག་ར་པ་ཨ་ཅོ་ནོར་་ལགས། ལ་གས་ས་གནས་འགོ་འན་བོད་གང་ནང་ིད་་ཚབ་མི་འར་ོ་ེ་ལགས། ིལི་དོན་གཅོད་་ཚབ་ོ་བིས་དབང་འད་ལགས། ས་འདས་ཏ་་མ་ལ་ལགས། ལ་གས་་མ་ོ་བཟང་ལགས། ཤིང་བཟོ་བ་མས། དེ་བཞིན་ཉིན་མཚན་མེད་པར་ལས་ཀ་ེད་མཁན་དང་ངས་ལས་མི་ཡོངས་ོགས་བཅས་ལ་ངས་དམིགས་བསལ་གས་ེ་ཆེ་་། མག་ོམ་། ་བཅར་་ཞབས་ོ་བཟང་དགའ་བ་ལགས་དང་ངའི་ོགས་མཆོག་་འདས་ན་བན་འན་ལགས་ལ་བཀའ་ིན་ཆེ་། དེ་མ་ཟད་མི་་གཉིས་ི་མན་ེན་མེད་ན་ད་་ཚང་མའི་ན་ལམ་་ཤར་བའི་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་དགེ་འཕེལ་ིང་ཕོ་ང་འདི་དངོས་་ཧ་ལམ་བ་མི་ིད་པས། ལས་གཞི་འདིའི་ཐོག་མའི་འོ་ོན་ཡོངས་ོགས་ུ་ེར་ཡིག་ཚང་ནས་བཏང་ཡོད་མོད།འོན་ང་ལ་གས་ནང་པའི་གས་པས་གས་གས་པ་ཁག་མང་པོ་ཞིག་དང་མི་ེར་པ་མང་པོ་ཞིག་གིས་དད་པས་ན་ནས་ངས་ཏེ་ཞལ་འདེབས་འལ་མཁན་ཡོང་ལའང་བཀའ་ིན་ཆེ་། ང་རང་ེར་ངོས་ནས་བཤད་ན། རང་ཉིད་ཨར་ལས་ཐོག་ལ་ཤེས་་དང་ཉམས་ོང་སོགས་གང་ཡང་མེད་མོད། འོན་ང་ལས་གཞི་འདི་འགན་འར་འི་གོ་བས་ཐོབ་པ་དེར་དགའ་ོབས་ཡོད། དགེ་འཕེལ་ིང་ཕོ་ང་གི་ལོ་ས་ང་ང་འདི་ནི།དགེ་འཕེལ་ིང་ཕོ་ང་བཞེངས་བས་ངས་ཉིན་དེབ་་བཀོད་པའི་ཉིན་ཐོ་ལ་གཞིར་བཅོལ་དེ་ིས་པ་ཡིན་ཞིང་། འདིའི་ནང་་ཡོད་པའི་དཔར་ཚང་མ་ན་ཉིད་ིས་དངོས་་བབས་པའི་དཔར་ཤ་ག་ཡིན། དེབ་འདིའི་བད་ནས་་ཆེའི་ོག་པ་མས་ིས་དགེ་འཕེལ་ིང་གི་ལོས་ིང་བས་ཤིག་མེན་པའི་ཡིད་ཆེས་དང་རེ་བ་ཡོད།

ཆིབས་ཞབས་བགས་གནས། Housing for the staff

གཡོན་ི་དང་པོ་རིན་ཆེན་དོན་བ་ལགས། ན་ོ་བཟང་བན་འན་ལགས་དང། ཨ་མདོ་དམ་ཆོས་ལགས།Left to right: Rinchen Dhondup Lag, Gen Tenzin Lag, Amdo Thamcho Lag

1987

2018

༧གོང་ས་མཆོག་ཆིབས་བར་ ༢༠༡༧The Dalai Lama's arrival in Leh, Ladakh

ོ་ལོ་ ༡༩༨༧ ་བ་༧ ས་༤ ཉིན་ལ་གས་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་ཕོ་ང་་ཞབས་སོར་འཁོད་བ་ེས། ཕོ་ང་གི་མཚན་ལ། དགེ་འའཕེལ་ིང་ཞེས་མཚན་གསོལ་བར་མཛད།His Holiness giving the name 'Gepel Ling' to his new summer residence after his arrival in Leh on July 4, 1987

ེ་ོར་ིན་ེགས་འལ་གནང་མཛད་པའི་ཐབ།The location where His Holiness lead a Fire Puja ceremony

    Soo Kyong Kim             

༄༅། ། ལ་གས་ཞི་བའི་ཚལ་ཕོ་ང་དགེ་འཕེལ་ིང་གི་ལོ་ས་ིང་བས་བགས་སོ། །BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SUMMER RESIDENCE OF HIS HOLINESSTHE DALAI LAMA : ‘GARDEN OF PEACE’The date was July 15, 1986. As a Namgyal monk, I was living at the Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, India as one of the juniorattendants to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. On this day, a large group of Tibetans from Tibet were scheduled to have an audience withHis Holiness in his office. These refugees endured a long and difficult journey traveling through the Himalayan mountains and had finally arrived a few daysearlier with devotion and eagerness to meet His Holiness. Likewise, His Holiness was very eager to meet them and to hear eachindividual’s stories of their hardships. The anticipation felt like a parent and a child seeing each other again after a long period of beingapart from each other. In preparation for this audience, which took place that afternoon, I was busy setting the cushions andpreparing gifts for each person. As I was preparing, Kushog Losang Gawa lag came to see me. Losang Gawa lag was born in Lhasa, thecapital of Tibet. At the age of around 13, he became a monk at the Namgyal Monastery. In 1959, during the Chinese occupation ofTibet, Losang Gawa lag escaped from Tibet and fled to India. He was 26. In the 1960's, when His Holiness was living in Mussoorie,Losang Gawa lag became one of the attendants to His Holiness. And, he continues to be his attendant to this day. Losang Gawa lag ishighly educated, always follows His Holiness’ wishes, is extremely kind to the people and acts as a bridge between His Holiness andthe people. His Holiness and Losang Gawa lag must have a unique connection with each other, such as the Buddha and his primaryattendant, Ānanda had. I personally have a deep respect for Losang Gawa lag.

He had a message for me to go to Leh, Ladakh as soon as possible to renovate the Shivetsel’s (Garden of Peace) Kalachakra Temple.During our conversation, Kushog Losang Gawa lag expressed to me that His Holiness had enjoyed his visits to Leh in the past. He feltvery comfortable there and the climate was very agreeable to him. His Holiness requested that the temple be renovated so that hewould be able to spend more time in Leh during the summer months. The climate in Leh was better for his health than the monsoonseason in Dharamsala. Kushog Losang Gawa lag informed me that Ngawang Losang Thubten Chognor, also known as Kushog BakulaRinpoche, would be coming to see His Holiness the next day and that His Holiness would mention the renovation project to BakulaRinpoche. And Kushog Losang Gawa lag eventually let me know the details of the project. Kushog Bakula Rinpoche met with His Holiness in Dharamsala, India, on July 16, 1986, for a private audience. His Holiness told KushogBakula Rinpoche about his idea to renovate the Kalachakra Temple at Shivetsel, which would allow him to spend the summer months inLeh. The Ladakh Buddhist Association owns the land of Shivetsel in Choglamsar. As a result, His Holiness requested permission fromKushok Bakula Rinpoche. He also informed Bakula Rinpoche that he would be sending Ngodup to Leh to oversee the renovations.When I was a child, I was called “Ngodup”, and my monk’s name is Losang Samten. Kushog Bakula Rinpoche was overjoyed to learn thatHis Holiness would be staying in Leh longer. Kushog Losang Gawa lag confirmed my trip to Leh, Ladakh that evening, and BakulaRinpoche stayed at the Nechung Monastery Guest House in Dharamsala. ”Did you and Losang Gawa have a conversation about the Kalachakra Temple renovation at Shivetsel?" His Holiness inquired as I wascleaning His Holiness' meditation room on July 17,1986. I responded, “Yes, Your Holiness, I have spoken with Losang Gawa lag, and I'llbe departing for Ladakh shortly.” “Ensure that you have a letter from the private office to deliver to Leh. We, the private office, will coverthe project costs,” His Holiness made a statement. Kushog Bakula Rinpoche came to see me on the same day, overjoyed by the news."You have to get to Leh as soon as possible since the construction season in Leh is very short,” Rinpoche advised. "When are youleaving?" Rinpoche inquired. “I will be leaving on July 20th from Dharamsala,” I replied. And Rinpoche said, “Good, and I will make yourflight arrangements from Shrinagar to Leh and when you arrive in Shrinagar, you will need to contact N.A.L. Sonam Gyaltsen. He willarrange your air ticket from Shrinagar to Leh.” Sonam Gyaltsen was the President of the Ladakh Buddhist Association in 1976 and I methim during the 6th Kalachakra Empowerment given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Rinpoche went on to say, " I have to go to Delhifrom here but we will see each other in Leh very soon.” On Friday, July 18, 1986, I received two letters from Tenzin Choenyi, also known as Kungo Tarak lag, the General Secretary of HisHoliness the Dalai Lama. These were the two letters that I was instructed to take to Ladakh. One letter was addressed to Gen LosangTenzin, Director of the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) in Choglamsar, Ladakh and the other letter was addressed to the Tibetan In-ExileGovernment Representative, Mingyur Dorje, of Leh. I received 1,000 RS from the Treasurer of His Holiness’ Private Office, KelsangNgodup, for my travel expenses to Leh.

In the morning of July 20th, Sunday, before my journey to Leh, I went to see His Holiness at his meditation room. He gave his blessingsand wished me a safe journey. At 9:00am, I took the bus to Jammu and arrived in Jammu at 5:00pm. I stayed over night at the Jammubus station. The next morning, at 7:30am, I continued my journey to Srinagar, arriving in Srinagar at 7:30pm. Shrinagar is a very beautiful place with lakes, mountains, gardens and boat houses. Many Bollywood movies were filmed in Srinagarand it received a lot of international tourists. Many Tibetans go there to sell sweaters on the streets. My sister, Sonam Sangmo and herfamily were also in Srinagar for their sweater business, so I stayed with her family. I told my sister that I was on my way to Leh for theShivetsel project and that I would visit Gen Tenzin lag. My sister said, "Gen Tenzin lag also just arrived in Srinagar!" Gen Tenzin lag wason his way to Dharamsala for a meeting and I was on my way to Leh, but somehow we were both in Srinagar at the same time. GenTenzin lag and I must truly have an amazing connection. So that day, Gen Tenzin lag and I met up and we were both so happy to seeeach other. I gave him the letter along with the precious pills that Kushog Losang Gawa lag asked me to deliver. I told him the reasonfor my trip to Leh and after he read the letter, he was overjoyed and ecstatic to hear the news. He took both the letter and the preciouspills in between his palms in a prayer position and placed them on his head and said, "This is such great news...my wish really cametrue!” Gen Tenzin lag continued, “His Holiness' residency in Ladakh will be very beneficial for the people of Ladakh and the Tibetans.From here, I am on my way to Dharamsala for a meeting. But as soon as I am done, I will return to Leh right away. When you arrive inLeh, make sure you stay at TCV Guest House...don’t stay anywhere else. I will let them know that you are coming. You should feel athome at TCV and I’ll see you soon!" And I asked Gen Tenzin lag, "When you are in Dharamsala, could you please go see Kushog LosangGawa lag or Kungo Tarak lag?” “They will explain to you more about the project,” I let him know. So the next day, Gen Tenzin lagcontinued his journey to Dharamsala, but I was comforted to know that he and I would be seeing each other again very soon in Leh.Gen Tenzin lag and many others in that generation, have an unshakeable devotion to Tibet and to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. On July 22, 1986, I was planning to take the bus from Srinagar to Leh. I have travelled on this road in the past. At that time, this was theonly public road to Ladakh. However, Kushog Bakula Rinpoche suggested that I fly instead because the road is dangerous. So, asRinpoche had recommended me to do in Shrinagar, I contacted Sonam Gyaltsen. Sonam Gyaltsen is deeply committed to and devotedto the Ladakhi people. On July 23rd, I went to see him at his home in Srinagar. He was not there, but I waited and I finally met him. Wehad a wonderful conversation and he mentioned that Kushog Bakula Rinpoche had called to ask him to arrange my air ticket to Leh. Hewas also planning to visit Leh, so he arranged for both of us to fly in together on July 25th. Construction materials are scarce in Leh, andall supplies to the region are routed through Srinagar. For this reason, I contemplated and planned to purchase some of the necessarysupplies in Srinagar before departing for Leh. That day, I noticed a ceiling made of intricately carved solid wood. In that region, this is avery traditional design. So I came up with the idea of putting these decorative ceiling panels in His Holiness' new home. Those ceilingpanels were later purchased and installed in the residence during the construction process.

The winters in Ladakh are bitterly cold, and these panels provide insulation as well as aesthetic appeal to the rooms. On the morning ofJuly 25th, Sonam Gyaltsen lag and I left Srinagar for Leh. This was my first flight over the magnificent Himalayan mountains. It wasbreathtaking, and I was enthralled by the incredible view from inside the plane! This was my second trip to Ladakh, a mountainousregion that was still relatively undiscovered by tourists at the time. The people of Ladakh are extremely friendly and welcoming. Theirwritten language is identical to that of the Tibetans. The Ladakhis, on the other hand, speak a separate dialect that is really nice to listento. When we landed in Leh, I thanked Sonam Gyaltsen lag for his hospitality and asked for his assistance and participation in the project.He was a very influential person in Leh. As instructed by Gen Tenzin lag, I went straight from the airport to the TCV Guest House inChoglamsar. The staff greeted me warmly when I arrived. After a few days at the guest house, I moved into the boys' dorm building. Thiswas now my home in Ladakh, and I was treated as if I were a member of their family. I felt at home because there were so many dogsnear my room. I developed a strong bond with the dogs. Under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, TCV Ladakh was foundedby Jetsun Pema, who is the youngest sister to His Holiness, and by Gen Tenzin. Jetsun Pema lag and Gen Tenzin lag accomplishedincredible work for both Tibetans and Ladakhis, and I have no words to express my respect and admiration. After settling down at the guest house, I went to see and inspect the project location. Although taking a day rest is recommended dueto the high altitude of Ladakh, I was very anxious to see the construction site. It is roughly 2-3 kilometers from the guest house. When Iarrived at the location, I instantly sensed that it was not the best location. This was due to the fact that the area was quite moist, with alot of standing water in the ground. This occurred due to the Kalachakra Temple's proximity to the Indus River. The Indus River, by theway, originates on Tibet's Mount Kailash and is one of four rivers that flow from Mount Kailash. The Tibetans and the Ladakhis call it"Sengye Tsangpo”, which translates as "Snow Lion River”. When the river rises, there are no walls or barriers to stop the flow. During themonth of August, the flooded grounds worsen. This is a flood-prone area. With these thoughts in mind, I looked for a better location. Iwalked over to another location that was very close by, about 120 feet away to the east. It is also close to the Indus River. However, theground was drier and higher in elevation. I thought that this location, where the building stands right now, might be the best becausethe ground is higher and the Sengye Tsangpo is nearby but not too close. There was also easy access to the main road, and the site wasstill part of Shivetsel. On top of that, the land was breathtakingly lovely. While standing on this magnificent land, I felt calm and tranquil. Iwent to see Mingyur Dorje lag, the Tibetan Government in Exile's Representative, after leaving the project site. I had a letter from theprivate office to deliver to him. He was ecstatic about the project and stated that he and the Tibetan people would give all possible tosupport, which I appreciated. We were both overjoyed to see each other again in Ladakh. Mingyur Dorje lag and I went to school inKalimpong together when we were children, in 1964. On July 26, I visited Leh to see Ashang Tharu Namgyal. Ashang Tharu Namgyal lag, along with the Ladakh Buddhist Association, theGonpa Association, the Ladakhis, and the Tibetans, was the primary donor for the construction of the Shivetsel Kalachakra Temple andthe primary sponsor for the first Kalachakra Teaching, which took place in Choglamsar, Ladakh, in 1976. Tharu Namgyal lag was well-known among Ladakhis. He was the owner of Leh's one and only gas station and he was a highly active and enthusiastic man.

When I informed him about the project, he was seated in his living room. With excitement, he jumped up and down. "Ngodup lag, thisis wonderful news!" he exclaimed. "Let's go talk to the Ladakh Buddhist Association!" he said without hesitation. “Yes, of course, I intendto inform the Ladakh Buddhist Association of the news, but first I'd like to wait for Kushog Bakula Rinpoche lag to return to Leh," I toldhim. “I'm also looking forward to Gen Tenzin lag's return from Dharamsala. Gen Tenzin lag, I believe, will return tomorrow.” On July 27th, Mingyur Dorje lag and I traveled to Taktok Monastery to meet with Shedrup Trinle Nyinje Zangpo, also known as TaklungTsetrul Rinpoche, the great Nyingmapa master. In Ladakh and among the Tibetan community, he was a highly respected teacher. "I amextremely happy to hear the news that Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion, would like to spend more time in Ladakh," TsetrulRinpoche lag remarked as he placed his palms together when we informed him about the project. "Thank you for sharing thisextraordinary news with me today," Rinpoche lag said as he brought tea and lunch to me and Mingyur Dorje lag. We went to seeDrukchen Rinpoche, the head of the Hemis Monastery, after our visit with Tsetrul Rinpoche lag. In all of Ladakh, the Hemis Monastery iswell-known. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet Drukchen Rinpoche lag when we arrived at Hemis. As a result, we left a messagewith one of Rinpoche's attendants, requesting his blessings on the project. With a khatag, a traditional Tibetan white scarf, we left themessage. We returned to the TCV Guest House in Choglamsar, where we discovered Gen Tenzin lag had already arrived! He had a hugesmile on his face and was overjoyed. "Come inside my room!" he exclaimed. Ama Kanden, Gen Tenzin lag's sister, was also presentwhen we entered their room. Ama Kanden lag has great devotion to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibet, and the preservation of Tibetanculture which defies her diminutive appearance. While sharing the good news, the three of us had tea and cookies. The room of GenTenzin lag and his sister was modest, yet it exuded a lot of joy and energy. There was a knock at the door while we were enjoying ourtea and cookies. It was Tharu Namgyal lag. "Julley!" we exclaimed to each other. This is a traditional Ladakhi greeting. “The President ofthe Ladakh Buddhist Association, Thundup Sonam lag, as well as a member of the Gonpa Association, will come to see you both," TharuNamgyal lag added. Gen Tenzin lag and I met Thundup Sonam lag, the President of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, on July 28th. Tharu Namgyal, KelsangLama, and a member of the Gonpa Association were also present at this meeting. When I told them about the project, they wereecstatic. We all went to inspect the location of the construction site. Right away, I conveyed my concern about the neighboring river andthe risk for flooding. They were all attentive to the issues. And, after examining the alternative site option that I suggested, they agreedthat this was the best location for the building. The plans had to be amended as a result of the shift in location, as well as the necessityfor more financial support. But, most critically, I needed to submit a revised proposal for approval to the Dharamsala private office. Gen Tenzin lag and I visited Ngawang Jamyang Chamba Stanzin, commonly known as Thiksey Rinpoche, on July 29th. We informedThiksey Rinpoche lag about our exciting project again, and he gave us his blessings.

I went to see Tenzin Thubten Tenpai Gyaltsen, also known as Togden Rinpoche, from Drikung Kagyu on Wednesday, July 30th. Ipresented the project to Togden Rinpoche lag once more, and he expressed his delight by placing his palms on his heart and stating,"We Ladakhis must have wonderful karma for having His Holiness here. Don't be hesitant to ask for my assistance," he added. And Ireplied, "Yes, I will need your blessings and assistance. However, we are currently awaiting Bakula Rinpoche lag's return to Leh in order for him to be present for a meeting with everyone at the Leh Jokhang Temple. And I'd likeyou to also attend the meeting.” At the beginning of August, a group of us began discussions on where to get construction materialsand on finding architects and engineers. On Friday, August 8th, Gen Tenzin lag and I met with the engineering candidates Wangyal Tsering and Sonam Ngodup. They areLadakhi natives who came highly recommended by the Ladakh Buddhist Association. It felt proper and comfortable to have them onboard for the project right away during our meeting. They are both highly qualified young engineers who were excited to be working onthe project. We became "brothers from another mother" at that point. I already had some basic ideas for the building's architecture inmy head, which I communicated with them. The Tagten Mingyur Phodrang, His Holiness' summer residence in Norbulingka, Lhasa, Tibetwas my inspiration for the design. The Tibetan government erected the Tagten Mingyur Phodrang for His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.The building was started in 1954 and finished in 1956. Due to the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lamawas forced to abandon his residence, Tagten Mingyur Phodrang, for his own safety and, more significantly, the destiny of Tibet. OnMarch 17, 1959, at 10:00 p.m. Lhasa time, His Holiness fled from Tagten Mingyur Phodrang. The building we would be creating inLadakh would be similar in design to Tagten Mingyur Phodrang, with ornate yet simple external features and two inner floors. My wishand hope was that when His Holiness first saw his new residence in Ladakh, it would bring back memories of Tagten Mingyur Phodrangand make him feel as if he had returned to Tibet. His Holiness' summer residence is symbolic for me. I hope and pray that Tibet will befree one day and that His Holiness will be able to return to our homeland. On August 14th, at 8:00 pm, Bakula Rinpoche lag arrived in Leh from Delhi. I went to the airport to meet him and greet him with akhatag. "How is the project going?" Rinpoche lag inquired. "Everything is already going well thanks to His Holiness and your blessings.Above all, everyone is happy and excited,” I answered. "Do you have time to come see me this afternoon?" Rinpoche asked. "Of course,I'll come see you this afternoon and thank you for your invitation," I said. So that afternoon, Mingyur Dorje lag, Gen Tenzin lag, and Iwent to see Bakula Rinpoche at his home in Leh. We presented him with the entire project. Rinpoche lag was overjoyed, and we had awonderful meeting, and received his blessings.

The 15th of August marks India's Independence Day. Bakula Rinpoche, together with all of Ladakh's rinpoches, the Ladakh BuddhistAssociation, the Ladakh Gonpa Association, and over 120 delegations from various villages, gathered at the Jokhang Temple in Leh at2:00 p.m. on this auspicious day. At this meeting, Bakula Rinpoche lag spoke about his conversation with His Holiness the Dalai Lamaregarding the expansion of the Kalachakra Temple in Shivetsel and his desire to spend more time in Ladakh. With excitement, everyoneclapped for a long time after hearing the news. At the meeting, all of the rinpoches and Thundup Sonam lag spoke. In addition, GenTenzin lag and I were given the opportunity to deliver a presentation about the project. The project of constructing His Holiness'summer residence was unanimously approved. During the meeting, I witnessed and felt the Ladakhi people's deep affection anddevotion to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As Gen Tenzin lag and I headed to our ride home after the meeting, a man approached meand said, "I am sorry that we lost Tibet, but it is good for us, Ladakhis." What this man said has some validity. Despite the fact that allLadakhis have a place in their hearts for His Holiness, the loss of Tibet as a country provided us with the opportunity to establish hisnew physical home in Ladakh. "Thank you for sharing your thoughts," I said to the man. I had a meeting with the architect and theengineer on August 16th. We designed a lovely two-story building for His Holiness' residence as well as a separate residential buildingfor the staff. On Monday, August 18th, with the building project blueprint in hand, I left Leh and headed to Dharamsala to present the new projectand seek permission and blessings. This new proposal was well received by the Ladakhis and the Tibetan community. They wereenthusiastic and wholeheartedly supported the proposal. The 18th of August was an auspicious day. On this day, Tagtsang Rinpoche,the head of Hemis Monastery, arrived in Leh from Tibet. I arrived in Dharamsala on the night of August 18th. The first thing I did on the morning of August 19th was go to the Tekchen ChoelingTemple to pray and make wishes. I went to the Palden Lhamo's Tea Ceremony Room to do a tea ceremony, during which I made strongwishes and asked for help in getting the new project approved, as the private office and His Holiness were unaware of the changes.Because the prepared blueprint I brought from Leh was completely different from the original plan, I was a bit nervous about how theywould react. I went to see Kushog Losang Gawa lag at 10:00 a.m. "Oh, you're back?" he said as he saw me. And I replied, "Yes, Kushoglag. I have a blueprint to show you and I would like to discuss the project with you.” Kushog Losang Gawa lag is multi-talented and a verygifted human being. He understood so much about architecture and engineering, despite the fact that he never went to school to studyit. "This is excellent," he said as soon as I handed him the blueprint and explained the project to him. "I will offer this to His Holiness andlet you know." That brought me great joy.

On the morning of August 20th, Kushog Losang Gawa lag informed me that His Holiness had approved the project. He also assuredme that if anything needed to be altered, I could make the changes myself and that I didn't have to return to Dharamsala. On this day, Ialso had the opportunity to meet with His Holiness, who extended his blessings and permission. "When are you leaving?" he inquired."Your Holiness, I am leaving tomorrow," I said. Later that day, I met with Kungo Tarak lag, the General Secretary of His Holiness, topresent the project and discuss the budget. He was ecstatic to learn about the project and expressed his delight by saying, "All costswould be covered by the private office. Please do not cause any trouble to the people of Ladakh or the Tibetan community." KungoTarak lag was a truly remarkable individual. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for him. I returned to Ladakh by the road through Srinagar on Tuesday, August 21st, and arrived in Leh on August 26th. Gen Tenzin lag wasanxiously awaiting my return to find out if the project had been approved. He was overjoyed when I told him the good news. Wednesday, August 27, was Lakhar Day. Kushog Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche was invited to Shivetsel, where he performed a Vajrakilayaritual and a ground fire puja to bless the land. Over 400 Tibetans, including TCV School personnel, members of the Tibetan Woman'sAssociation and Tibetan Youth Association, many monks and nuns and members of the Tibetan community, visited Shivetsel over theweekend of August 30th and 31st. The ground was wet because of the adjacent Senge Tsangpo. As a result, the first task was to dry theground and establish a road for the construction trucks. Many truckloads of rock were brought by volunteers to fill the ground andbuild the road. This marked the start of the construction process. People were singing and full of excitement as soon as the workbegan, and I saw the amazing joy on their faces. This outpouring of passion from all of the volunteers has stayed with me to this day. On the following Wednesday, September 3rd, Lakhar Day, over 100 Tibetans with antique and sweater businesses came to participateand help. Tibetans performed a purification rite (sang-su) and hung many prayer flags before starting work. They worked all day long.Kushog Bakula Rinpoche lag arrived in Shivetsel in the afternoon to see the area, and Gen Tenzin lag and I gave him a tour. "This iswonderful," Rinpoche lag exclaimed when we showed him the blueprint. "You know, we the Ladakhi, especially the Ladakh BuddhistAssociation, will pay for it,” he added. "Thank you Rinpoche lag, but Kungo Tarak lag told me that His Holiness' private office will coverthe entire expense,” I replied. Rinpoche lag went to give blessings while the volunteer Tibetans were working. In return, the Tibetansexpressed gratitude to the Ladakhis and Bakula Rinpoche for all of their assistance to Tibetan refugees, and particularly for this project. In the month of September, the temperature in Ladakh had already begun to drop. Although Ladakh's snow-capped mountains arebeautiful, the winters are bitterly cold and harsh. On the day of Lakhar, September 10th, Sakya Lama Nawang Dhunyo, also known asKushog Takna Rinpoche, and Kagyu Lama Kushog Togden Rinpoche led a special ceremony by placing the stone and the earth treasurevase (Sachu Bumpa) on the foundation of the construction. Due to the impending cold temperatures, we began to notice frozenground.

Each day, hundreds of volunteers came to help, including all of the Ladakh monastery's monks and nuns, the Lamdon School staff andstudents, the Ladakh Dialectic School staff and students, the Ladakh Islamic Community, the Ladakh Radio staff, the Tibetan Militarymembers and staff, the TCV School staff and students, the Tibetan Women's and Youth Associations, and the entire Tibetan andLadakhi community. Over 1,000 people came to help in a single weekend. Because there were so many people who wanted to help, ourvolunteer coordinator, Sonam Yeshe lag, had some difficulty assigning jobs to the volunteers. Some came all the way from Changdang,an area on the India-Tibet border, and others from remote villages. It was so heartwarming to see elderly people in their 80s and 90swalking with canes and helping. Many people with poor vision were also present, but they were determined to help in any way theycould. As a result of living at such a high altitude, many elders developed cataracts. A large number of children also showed up to takepart in the project. The older youngsters were transporting little pieces of wood, rocks, and whatever else they could carry to help. "Weare here to help build the Potala, the Land of Chenrezig, to accumulate merit and purify our negative karma," everyone remarked. Theirprofound devotion to His Holiness the Dalai Lama was very touching to see. We had a large kitchen and lunch and tea were providedfor all the volunteers. On some days, people were cooking and having fun while working, making it feel like a picnic. After a long day ofwork, many volunteers still had enough joyful energy left to dance to their traditional music. Some even brought their traditionalmusical instruments to the work site and played music. Sonam Yeshe lag not only managed the volunteers, but he also oversaw allaspects of the project. He was an exceptional human being. In Ladakh, in those days, construction materials were very scarce. FromSrinagar to Leh, there was just one ground road. At the time, the present-day Manali route was closed to the public. And, as a result ofthe snow, the road would soon be closed, making it extremely difficult to obtain essential supplies such as cement and iron. Gen Tenzinlag and I had to look all throughout Leh in the hopes of finding construction materials, particularly cement. Mr. Katiri, an Islamic localbuilder, as well as his family and other construction workers, were quite generous in sharing their materials with us. There was anoutpouring of generosity from everyone involved. On September 18, Gen Tenzin lag and I visited Kushog Bakula Rinpoche before he left for Delhi. We had a very productive meeting."When do you expect the project to be completed and ready for His Holiness?" Rinpoche inquired during this meeting. "We sincerelyhope and wish that he will be able to come next July for his birthday," we replied. Although Rinpoche lag was pleased to hear myresponse, he was a bit astonished because he was well aware that we couldn't work fully during the winter months. However, weanticipated to complete the project by July of next year. Rinpoche lag remarked, "I'll be leaving for Delhi tomorrow. Please let me know ifthere is anything I can do to assist you." Throughout September and October, we met numerous times with the Ladakh BuddhistAssociation at the Jokhang Temple to discuss the project. Kushog Drukchen Rinpoche visited on October 23rd to observe how things were going. He was very pleased with the amount of workcompleted in such a short period of time. Kushog Tagtsang Rinpoche also visited to observe how everything was going and to give hisblessings. We were quite fortunate that year to have pleasant autumn temperatures, which provided us with extra possibilities and timeto complete the project. We were able to accomplish carpentry and tailoring despite the fact that we couldn't do some types ofconstruction during the chilly winter months. In Dharamsala, India, there are a number of excellent carpenters. Gen Tenzin lag went toDharamsala to hire a few of these highly skilled carpenters.

A crew of carpenters from Dharamsala arrived in Leh on November 7th. Due to the frigid conditions, there is usually no construction inNovember. However, the weather remained pleasant, allowing us to continue working. In Shivetsel, we built a large tent with generatorsfor the carpenters to work on their carpentry. The wind, on the other hand, was sometimes so strong that we had to hold onto the tentpoles. We had to take the tent down many times due to severe winds and dust storms. Both the main residence and the staff buildingunderwent some design revisions during construction. Despite Kushog Losang Gawa lag's assertion that no authorization was requiredwhen any changes were made, I gave both revised blueprints to Geshe Jangchup, who was about to go to Dharamsala. Geshe lag isoriginally from the Drepung Monastery and teaches at the Dialectic School in Choglamsar, Leh, but during the difficult winter months ofLadakh, he travels to Dharamsala. Both plans were returned to me on November 24th, with Losang Gawa lag's approval, andconstruction continued. During the construction months, we held multiple meetings with all of the project's various groups andorganizations. During the discussions, I mentioned my desire for His Holiness to be in Leh on his next birthday, July 6th. If my wishcame true, we'd only have eight months to finish the building. We all knew how challenging this would be. Everyone, however, wasmoved and wished for this to happen. At mid-January 1987, His Holiness was in Bodhgaya for public teachings. I received a letter from Losang Gawa lag, instructing GenTenzin lag and me to visit Bodhgaya. Gen Tenzin lag and I went, and we had a meeting with Losang Gawa lag as well as an audience withHis Holiness. We presented a progress update on the project. "When will the project be completed?" His Holiness inquired. "It will befinished in mid June and we’d love for you to be in Leh, Shivetsel, for your 52nd birthday,” we replied. His Holiness agreed to attend. Itcaused us joyful tears at the moment of his confirmation, and I imagined the people working tirelessly even during the freezing winterto bring His Holiness to Ladakh on his 52nd birthday. On the day His Holiness arrives in Ladakh, I could already envision their joy anddevotion. Gen Tenzin lag and I returned to Leh. In March, Gen Tenzin lag, Wangyal Tsering lag, Tharu Namgyal lag, and I traveled to Delhi to purchase building materials such as woodflooring, door knobs, bathroom vanity and fittings, curtains and anything else needed to build. The Ladakh Budh Vihar Colony, which islocated in Old Delhi, was where we stayed. We bought goods that would require ten trucks to transport to Ladakh. During the winter,the road to Ladakh is closed, and it may not reopen until mid-June. We needed military assistance because sending the items bycommercial airline would be too costly. As a result, we met with Bakula Rinpoche, Ladakh Lama Losang, and Tashi Wangdu, HisHoliness' representative in Delhi. We requested their assistance in establishing contact with the military to get help with thetransportation of the supplies. The ideal scenario would be for supplies to be sent from Delhi to Leh. If this was not achievable,Chandigarh or Satsawar would be the next best options.

Finally, we gained authorization from the office of the IG, Head of the Military, to have supplies brought to Leh from Satsawar, which isnear Saharanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh. So Wangyal Tsering and I traveled with10 completely loaded trucks to Satsawar, passingthrough several states and encountering numerous challenges at state borders. Nonetheless, after a 10-hour journey, we arrived inSatsawar. Satsawar is a parachute training camp for the military. All of the supplies were transported to Leh on April 2nd. The deliverywas completed over two trips by military planes. Receiving all of the supplies was a great joy. As the weather began to warm up in the months of April, May, and June, we were busy preparing to resume construction with all of thenecessary supplies that we now had. Some of us were concerned about not finishing by June, but we were able to get a lot done eachday because there were multiple production teams and we worked like ants day and night. We were all optimistic that the constructionwould be completed by June. The construction started on August 27,1986 and by June 27, 1987, the construction was nearly complete.It was quite amazing how we finished the project in only 10 months, especially under difficult climate. This was truly the work of thepeoples’ courage and determination. Although I already knew, the Ladakh Association received an official letter from His Holiness'Private Office announcing that His Holiness would be arriving in Leh, Ladakh on July 4, 1987. Upon receiving the letter, we made anannouncement to the general public and began preparations for his arrival. The Kashmiri carpenters arrived and installed decorativewood ceiling panels, furniture was moved into the rooms and trees were planted around His Holiness' new residence. The road fromthe airport to His Holiness' new residence was decorated with many prayer flags, banners and welcoming gates. It was an incrediblefeeling to think of all that was accomplished in a short period of time. The weather was beautiful on July 4, 1987, and the snowcapped Himalayan mountains stood out against the clear blue sky. Theanticipation of His Holiness' arrival filled the air with excitement and joy. Hundreds of thousands of people lined both sides of the roadfrom the airport to Shivetsel, waiting for His Holiness' arrival. At the airport, all of the rinpoches, including Kushog Bakula Rinpoche andthe political leaders of Ladakh, awaited His Holiness and his entourage. At 10:00 a.m., His Holiness arrived in Leh and was welcomed bythe delegation. Upon their arrival, the cars drove through the road filled with hundreds of thousands of people standing on the side ofthe road dressed in their visually appealing and colorful traditional Ladakhi and Tibetan clothing. Everyone waited with anticipation andwith khatags in both their hands. The air was filled with the aroma of incense and ceremonial music, as the Ladakhis chanted, "Julley", aLadakhi greeting, and "Ki Ki So So Lha Gyal lo", which means "Victory to the Gods”. The Tibetans were chanting "Tashi Delek", a Tibetangreeting, as well as, "We are so fortunate to welcome the Buddha", which was also chanted. Buddhists, non-Buddhists and individualsfrom all walks of life were among the enormous gathering. The cars passed through a number of welcoming gates that had been builtespecially for this auspicious occasion. His Holiness' vehicle moved through the crowd at a very slow speed, allowing people to greet HisHoliness. Normally, this ride would take 25 minutes. This drive, however, took almost two hours that morning. Upon arrival, His Holinessstood in front of the main entrance of his new summer residence in Shivetsel where the core group had the opportunity to present akhatag.

Despite the fact that my neck and arms were very tanned from months of working in the harsh sun and wind of the Himalayan altitude,my heart was filled with delight and happiness to be standing next to His Holiness on this most special and meaningful day of my life."The building is constructed in such a short period but yet so beautiful," His Holiness remarked, comparing it to Tibet's SamyaMonastery. He meant that the Samya Monastery in Tibet, which was founded in the 7th century, was built incredibly fast because thepeople built it during the day and the gods and goddesses built it at night. "Gepel Ling" (Land of Increased Virtue), was the name givenby His Holiness to his summer residence. He thanked Kushog Bakula Rinpoche, the Ladakh Buddhist Association, the Ladkh GonpaAssociation, all the head lamas in Ladakh, the people of Ladakh, TCV and the Tibetan community. As we entered the new residence, HisHoliness reached out for my hand and asked, "Will you show me around the residence?” I gave a detailed explanation of each room andits function as we toured the house. But, most importantly, this tour allowed me to convey to him the people's love and devotion forhim. It was a very emotional moment for me. As I shared my experience working with everyone, tears streamed down my cheeks.Kushog Losang Gawa lag was present in the room with us as His Holiness sat on the meditation cushion facing towards the direction ofTibet. I served a cup of hot water that His Holiness enjoys drinking. I thanked them both for giving me the opportunity to serve on thisproject, and I made a request for his long life. The entire project was a huge success and His Holiness was now in his new summerresidence. That day, we all felt tremendous joy and happiness. On July 6, His Holiness and the Namgyal monks performed a Palden Lhamo Tsok offering ceremony, as well as traditional birthdayprayers. Hundreds of thousands of people attended a picnic at Shivetsel to celebrate His Holiness' birthday. His Holiness was overjoyedto see the crowds enjoying the day. Starting from July 7th, His Holiness went into a retreat of Yidam Kyedor (Hevajra). Hevajra is one ofthe main yidams (enlightened beings) in Tantric, or Vajrayana Buddhism. Hevajra practice is very popular in the Sakya lineage. HisHoliness received the Hevajra empowerment from Ngawang Khyenrab Thupten Lekshé Gyatso, also known as Kyabje Chogye TrichenRinpoche. At the close of the retreat, His Holiness performed a fire puja followed by a five-day public teaching. On August 2nd, HisHoliness returned back to Dharamsala. I would like to express gratitude to my root teacher, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and to thank the late Kushog Bakula Rinpoche, thelate Kungo Tarak (Tenzin Choenyi), all the head lamas of Ladakh, the Ladakh Buddhist Association, the Ladakh Gonpa Association, theIslamic Community of Ladakh, all the people of Ladakh and the Tibetan people. And a special thank you to the TCV’s staff and students,the Tibetan Military, my dear friends Wangyal Tsering and Sonam Ngodup, the engineers, the former president of the Ladakh BuddhistAssociation, the late Thundup Sonam, and another former president, Acho Norbu, the Tibetan In-Exile Government Representatives,Mingyur Dorje and Tashi Wangdu, the late Tharu Namgyal, Ladakh Lama Losang, all the carpenters, and all the people who workedtirelessly days and nights. Lastly, I would like to thank my teacher, Kushog Losang Gawa lag and my dear friend, the late Gen Tenzin lag.Furthermore, the Gepel Ling Shivetsel residence would not be standing today without the financial and labor support of so manypeople. The cost of the project was initially 100% funded by His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Private Office. However, the funding alsocame from the Ladakh Buddhist Association, along with a number of other organizations and individuals, who were eager to contributeto such a worthy cause.

This brief history of the Gepel Ling is written in English and Tibetan languages with the tremendous help of Soo Kyong Kim lag andYeshi Dhondup lag. Yeshi Dhondup lag works at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India. I thank them both fromthe bottom of my heart. Personally, I do not have any experiences and knowledge in construction, however, I am very grateful to have had the opportunity toserve in this project. All of the volunteers worked tirelessly, day and night, for you, Your Holiness. Many living beings have contributed tobuilding your home, “Gepel Ling” in Ladakh, and with this collective karma, we wish you a long and healthy life. Until we reachenlightenment, we wish you, Lama Chenrezig, to be our inseparable root guru. As your daily prayer by Shantideva says: As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then, may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world. So many different kinds of manifestations will come back to earth to dispel the sufferings of the world. In the future, Your Holiness, Ihope and pray for one of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnations to be reborn on the land of Ladakh for the benefit of the people of Ladakhand all sentient beings. There are many stories regarding the construction of the Gepel Ling but this short informational book was written based on myjournals and the photos I took which I kept throughout the project. And I hope that this provides a brief history of the Gepel Ling to thereaders. Ladakh is a land of many holy sites, such as the great Lotsawa Rinchen Sangpo’s Temple in Alchi and this Gepel Ling in Shivetsel wouldmake a welcome addition to the historical and spiritual landmarks of Ladakh. BOOK DESIGNED BY JEN JAYNES AND BRANDON EVERETTCOPYRIGHT © 2022 BY LOSANG SAMTENALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

ོ་བཟང་བསམ་གཏན་ིས་ོམ་ིག་བིས།Written by Losang Samten