The events began at 8:00 a.m. on October 16 with a splendid welcome breakfast meeting between the Ripa teachers and family with the members of the pilgrimage group. The meeting, held at the Five-Star "Yak & Yeti Hotel" in Kathmandu, began on a note of great happiness as His Eminence welcomed everyone to Nepal and thanked them for coming. Greeting katas were presented by everyone to Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, also special thank you katas were presented to Lhunpo Tulku Rinpoche to thank him for the special gesture of attending this important event. A certificate from Ripa Ladrang Foundation was delivered to the Ripa teachers formally advising them that the fundraising goal for Phase 1 of the News Treasures Project had been exceeded by $52,000. This was a very joyous moment and a most auspicious omen that the Terton's envisioned Buddhist Center would come to fruition. There was a lot of smiling, laughing and clapping at the good news. Some friendly teasing went on between the young sibling Rinpoche's of the Ripa family at the request that Lhunpo Tulku Rinpoche say something in English to the group. Finally, he spoke, but in Tibetan while his older brother translated. After the breakfast, the day was free in Kathmandu and needless to say many people invested heavily in Nepali stuff including statues, jewelry, clothing, art, memorabilia of any possible description. However, it turned out that the pilgrimage was scheduled during one of the major Hindu religious holidays of the year so during the time in Nepal, shops and all facilities were closed for several days. At Rinpoche's suggestion, we offered many prayers for the purification of the area and protection of the animals as this particular Hindu holiday requires the brutal slaughter of large quantities of animals as an offering to the local dieties. This practice in Nepal has not changed in hundreds and hundreds of years.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
