As we get ready to remind ourselves of the anniversary of Buddha's Enlightenment and Parinirvana tomorrow, I think we should pause for a moment to think about our life and its meaning.

For the time being, let me share some news with you. I just came from Ladakh, after visiting the Druk White Lotus School and Hemis Monastery. As usual, the children made me very happy. This time for some reasons, not only the children made me happy, the teachers and the house mothers who are looking after the nursery children really delighted me through the way they live their life and the way they take care of each other. I am especially moved by the school project in Ladakh, that makes me feel that we are really putting what we teach and what we have been trained for in action.

I am also very happy with the development at Hemis Monastery, although the walls would be falling into pieces soon, I guess. This gives us a great teaching on impermanence. My short and sudden visit to Ladakh was requested by the local people who had asked me to do some prayers so that these walls would not be falling for a long time and even if they finally fall, they will not damage any human being or any precious thing. So I went to have a discussion with the "guardians" of the walls and to do some funny things, which you guys won’t believe and won’t be able to understand what’s happening and what I’m talking about right now. So I don’t want to tell you these funny things, only to tell you that  I am filled with joy and satisfaction.

Due to some technical problems with the facilities here, I am unable to upload the photos of my trip in Ladakh, even though Ngawang Sopa has taken some very nice photos. But maybe when the facilities are more stable in one or two days, I will definitely be able to share some of my experiences through these wonderful photos. For now, I have used a few photos from the school's web to decorate this page of news.

I also visited the Hemis Museum that was inaugurated last year in July. This was my second visit. I am very proud to be able to display all the precious things for display to all sentient beings, especially for those people who are devoted to genuine spirituality. I even feel that this museum would also be benefiting those who are not devoted, but are wandering and looking for something in life. It's still good for them to look at the history. Even though the arrangement in the museum is still not up to the international standard, but we are gradually improving it. Many people told us that in their life, they had never seen this sort of museum in a monastery before.

I have also decided to put up a monks' school in Hemis, that will eventually have around 800-1000 boys, who will hopefully be trained over time to take the role of the Drukpa Lineage holders, especially the part of the Drukpa Lineage which is still very much alive and active in Ladakh. Therefore, I am keen to work hard to provide this sort of facilities for Hemis, for Ladakh and for our lineage. Foundations have been laid and the project is progressing quite nicely, with some help from Indian government and the local devotees. But of course, I know when it is fully usable, there will be a lot of overhead expenses for me. Well, as usual, I think I will be able to raise funds for this important purpose from different parts of the world. Obviously, there won't be any problem, because all of my friends, as usual, will one way or the other come with some solutions or with some help. So I am very optimistic about it and I am very happy with this feeling of optimism when I saw the construction work for Hemis Monks' School. I think I will be able to show you some photos later on.

The thing is that inspite of all the enjoyment and all the optimistic and positive feelings I have, I heard and read about some very sad news after coming back from Ladakh regarding the natural catastrophes that happened in Burma and China. I felt extremely sad, especially when I saw the pictures of children dying in both countries. Some were as young as babies and many were studying in schools when the disasters were happening. What a big contrast to our school children in Ladakh. At the same time, I understood this immediately as a strong teaching of impermanence and also that of karma, that of cause and effect. Actually we are the ones who created all these causes, so the causes will come with either good or bad effects.

I really hope and pray that without having to go through these painful and devastating experiences ourselves and by looking at the sufferings of others, we will believe in the law of karma, the law of cause and effect. Instead of learning through our bad experiences as a result of bad karma, we should understand and learn how to prevent all these sad and negative experiences. However, I don’t want to tire your eyes talking about all this usual things. As you can read the lovely statement written by Khamtrul Rinpoche Jigme Peme Nyinjadh in ADC web about these two catastrophes.

In the name of Live to Love which I have been promoting ever since 1 year ago, we all should be acting and doing something to help those people who are still alive and are suffering due to the loss of all their beloved ones in these catastrophes. I just read in the news that maybe 100,000 people in Burma were killed in the cyclone and yet due to political reasons the people there still don't get enough help, and in China even though everyone is helping, there are risks of another earthquake and more deaths as a result of a cracking dam.

I have been discussing with Druk Foundation Ltd in Hong Kong regarding which humanitarian groups that we should be working with. We will let you know what happen. But the first thing I think we should do is to raise as much funds as we can. Rebuilding the homes and the sense of security of these victims need a lot of financial means as well as moral support. I fully agree with Khamtrul Rinpoche's idea of setting up relief groups, starting with our monks and nuns, we should really try to begin training our monks and nuns professionally so that we can mobilise them to help people on the ground. Now, unfortunately, we don't have the skills and the man power, since we as Live to Love community is still very young to start this kind of ground helping, and we cannot wait until we are ready then we go and help others. For now, we will have to work with other more experienced humanitarian groups who are thinking in the same line as us. It is my dream that in a few years, we are able to offer our relief group to help many people and beings in some small corners of the world, starting with our own communities.

Actually, I think I have said before that I hope and pray that we can learn from Master Cheng Yan's group of Tzu Chi who were one of the first international humanitarian groups in Burma and in China this time and perhaps the only Buddhist humanitarian group who was able to get everything ready to go and help the minute disasters happened. I was told by a friend that they were in the earthquake area 2 hours after the disastrous happening. I really wonder how they managed , and I think since we very much agree with their methods of helping, there is no harm making a financial sponsorship to them to start with and perhaps eventually we can discuss with them about sending our people to them for training. After all, for a Buddhist group to be able to do what Master Cheng Yan's group is doing is worthwhile for us, as a Tibetan Buddhist group to learn. I am very proud of Master Cheng Yan who, to me, is a feminine hero daring to make Bodhicitta a practical way to benefit so many beings, in the outfit of a Buddhist master.

Our activities, although should not be differentiated by religions, nationalities, cultures and etc. are actually based on the Buddha's teaching of Bodhicitta, which also is a non-sectarian mind of enlightenment. Enlightenment has no sect, no religion, no base. Suffering also does not discriminate among beings, among nationalities and cultures. This is what I hope our Druk Foundation in Hong Kong will be able to do. I also want to request all Drukpa Centres to direct their fundraising for the victims in Burma and China to Druk Foundation in Hong Kong, so that these become a concerted though small effort from as many people as we can gather in the Drukpa Lineage to share our love and our commitment to deliver our promise of Live to Love.

Besides what is now being raised at ADC website as the first of the Live to Love activities, Druk Foundation is arranging to make HK$200,000 donation to humanitarian groups who are on the ground helping the victims in Burma and China. I also want them to contact with Rigden Rinpoche who is in Chengdu right now, so that he can mobilise 10 of our monks from our monastery in Derge to go and buy some supplies and necessities to those areas where the earthquakes had happened to send our message of Live to Love to the victims. Unfortunately, we don't have anyone in Burma, otherwise, it would be very helpful for them and for us to be able to make a spiritual connection this way. I told some of my friends just now that financial support and medical help are important, but to rebuild the confidence and to recover from the pain of losing their loved ones, moral support with the understanding of spirituality, of karma, of love, is very important.

I also want to mention that I have been looking at the Live to Love website, unfortunately, the activities seem to be slowly drying up and becoming like a bit of entertainment. I really hope and pray that all the leaders and leading groups of all Drukpa centres at least will be active and committed to carry out Live to Love. Some people said that they are always tired due to work and due to many other different reasons, but I always feel that tiredness is caused by your lazy mind, not because of physical problems. Maybe we don't have such good luck to have active people to help, most people have been giving me all kinds of excuses, which I think is only a show of weakness. If you all want me and my colleagues to have a purpose and a reason to continue living in this world, I think you should be helping us to put the practice into practical use. Otherwise, Live to Love becomes a joke and entertainment. So, I want to call upon leaders and leading groups of at least the Drukpa Centres to be serious about engaging in Live to Love. I can tell you that with the global warming situation, we are likely to see more disasters and we as the followers of Bodhicitta, Rinpoches, monks and nuns included, should try to get ourselves ready morally and physically to offer our little help, whenever the time comes.

Tomorrow is Buddha's holy anniversary. Let us do something together to help those suffering in the disasters. As Khamtrul Rinpoche quoted from Shantideva, I too want to copy his style and quote the following verses from Shantideva's Bodhisattvacharyavatara :

Last of all, my advice for you is don't wait until death is approaching to start accumulating merits, because you won't have the time and the chance. Let us put our virtuous minds into actions.

Live to Love!