Wish fulfilling August 2020
By all means, year 2020 has been exceptional and humanity is still cautiously waiting for new challenges that may still arise. For FPMT Mongolia, it was also quite a different year with the lock down and interruption to our regular program, likewise adaptation to the new circumstances. However some things happened according to our initial plan. Our Animal Liberation initiative continued for the second consequent year. [Please read more about Animal Liberation 2019 here: https://fpmt.org/fpmt-community-news/news-around-the-world/ganden-do-ngag-shedrup-ling-liberated-four-goats-and-ten-sheep/
In August 2020 led by Geshe Thubten Zoepa, we liberated 17 male sheep, 1 male goat and 1 horse. In total our liberated herd now consists of 28 male sheep, 6 male goats and 1 horse! We sincerely hope that we will be able to continue fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vast vision for Mongolia. All our efforts were dedicated for the long life of our dear Gurus, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Our sincere thanks to the many donors from Australia, Malaysia, Mongolia, the USA and other parts of the world for their generosity and good heart. Due to their kindness we are able to provide a safe shelter, good care, medicine and food for our dear liberated animals. Actually we are already preparing a separate shelter for aged sheep, something uncommon and totally unusual for Mongolian herders. Rumor has it that senior sheep behave just like senior people and have similar challenges like having difficulties while eating toothless! Nevertheless this is something that we need to be aware of while being responsible for sentient beings. Suffering will be a part of our reality following us like a shadow changing the forms and shapes until we achieve great enlightenment and become truly liberated.
Therefore, it is significant to plant positive imprints on animals’ minds that they can become a little closer to that ultimate happiness. Even though they cannot understand the Buddha dharma in this life, they can still receive some benefits. In October 2019 in Kalmykia, Lama Zopa Rinpoche was pleased to hear about the first Mongolian small liberated herd and Rinpoche emphasised that it is very important to give animals blessed water and to recite mantras to them. Also Rinpoche advised us to build a stupa that the liberated animals can circumambulate. On that occasion, Rinpoche blessed special long blessing cords that can be tied loosely around the animals’ necks. Holding a thumb up Rinpoche conveyed a message to the herder, Jigmed that it is very good that he looks after the animals.
Shortly afterwards, we built an Enlightenment stupa 3.22m in height on the top of the neighbouring hill. Tibetan Geshe Thubten Zoepa, together with some Mongolian monks helped to properly fill the stupa and consecrated it thus providing animals and humans another opportunity to collect incredible merits and purify negative karma.
We carved the following on the stupa’s basement:
On the front – Om Mani Padme Hum (in Mongolian and Tibetan);
On the left side, we carved the following in Mongolian:
All causative phenomena are impermanent.
All contaminated phenomenon are in the nature of suffering.
All phenomena are empty and have no self.
The sorrowless state (nirvana) is peace.On the right side, we carved Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s quote: “If you want happiness for yourself, cherish others’ happiness”.
Finally, on the back side we carved the dedication for the long life of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, may all their holy wishes be fulfilled.
The last wished for activity that we wanted to fulfil on that occasion was organizing public teachings for lay people in the small town of Bulgan with a population of around 18’000. Geshe la kindly agreed to do so upon our request. For some reason not that many people came to listen to the teachings. However, as Lama Zopa Rinpoche recently addressed an American centre in July 2020: “…Even one person comes to discover Dharma, that’s so wonderful”.
So likewise, if even one person after reading this text will have reasons to rejoice, that would be so wonderful!