Some of my friends came to Druk Amitabha Mountain last week after their short visit to Bhutan. Each of them told me at different times how beautiful Bhutan was and how much they enjoyed Bhutan. I am still enjoying the photos they left with me and I am really happy for them to be able to visit Bhutan, a truly Buddhist pureland.

I can even tell from the photos that the blessings from Guru Padmasambhava to our great Drukpa masters such as Phajo Druggom Shigpo, Drukpa Kunleg, Shabdrung Rinpoches, Tenzin Rabgye Rinpoches, the successive Je Khenpos and so many enlightened masters who are still living and teaching in Bhutan are very much alive and strong. I pray that I myself will be able to visit Bhutan one day when my good fortune ripens.

I think it's not only the sacred qualities of the various holy sites in Bhutan that make Bhutan so special, I feel that the spiritual qualities of Bhutanese people are really something very rare that manage to uphold the qualities of the spirituality. Even if a place is sacred due to its self-arising nature or to the blessings of great masters, even if the teachings are great, even if the teachers are enlightened, if no one practises spirituality and no one cares about getting enlightened, then great opportunities and circumstances would have become a great waste. It is like having a fertile soil and seeds of best quality, however no one waters and cultivates, so if there is a good karma, maybe some rain will come and help the seeds to grow, and if there is no good karma for rain and human efforts are not there, then seeds will also die one day, the soil may also lose its fertility one day. Therefore, good circumstances need to be supported by our own efforts so that we will progress on the spiritual path. I am very proud of Bhutan and thankful to the royal family of Bhutan, the government and the people of Bhutan for being able to keep the outer, inner and secret qualities of spirituality, especially that of tantric Buddhism, for the benefit of all beings. I pray that may this good fortune of Bhutan and those who are able to visit Bhutan now will last as long as possible. Drubpon Ngawang will be taking a group to visit Bhutan in September, I strongly recommend my friends and students to visit this land of Siddhas and great blessings. As this pilgrimage is led by such a serious and genuine practitioner and master as Drubpon Ngawang, it really gives no excuse for anyone not to join. Drubpon Ngawang is also from Bhutan and I know he is dedicating his time and his entire life to serve our Dragon Lineage. He is constantly leading in Nyungnay and Ngondro retreats. It is very rare to find a genuine spiritual guide and companion like him. I am very happy that he is leading my friends and students in Europe on the right path.

By the way, I want to take this opportunity to thank Khamtrul Rinpoche Jigme Pema Nyinjadh's group of volunteers who have so kindly offered my father and me some delicious jam made from the royal kitchen. It is one of the highlights for me. I wish to thank them for taking care of  the matters relating to ADC and for giving moral and financial support for the event.

Last Saturday, the long awaited big fish which can live a few hundred years finally arrived, 9 female and 2 male. They are the Koi from Japan. One of my students spent a lot money and a great deal of efforts to make two ponds and a Japanese garden in my residence on Druk Amitabha Mountain to keep the Koi, to dedicate for my father and my longevity. I was told that now this modest pond is the only Koi pond built in Himalayas on such a high altitude. My parents, monks and nuns were very surprised to see such a huge fish. My father especially enjoys to see the fish swimming in the pond from his own window. He sometimes looks at them for so long that his neck can get a little tired.

Jigme Zangmo, one of the few lucky ones who visited Bhutan, has been so kind to teach a few of my nuns how to make desserts and coffee in the newly constructed coffee shop. The food is really good while she is still here. To me, I feel that it's better than what the hotels here can offer. But I don't know after she leaves, whether my nuns can continue to make such delicious cakes, waffles and coffee. Let's see what will happen. I have great hope that this coffee shop will make some income for the nunnery and slowly by slowly, the nunnery can find some ways to be financially independent.

Zangmo's two sons, like their mother, are so kind to offer their skills to help me with the structural design of soon-to-be-falling part of the Hemis Monastery and the project in Sikkim. Now they are even coming to Kathmandu next week to help me with the design of the new assembly hall for the ADC and for other purposes, and this assembly hall has also been sponsored by one of my students in Hong Kong. I am very comfortable when I think of these two young men, because having some experts to help me with the designs of the old and new buildings is really one of the biggest headaches to start with. Besides the funds, the designing part is the most crucial thing. I am so happy that this part is taken care of. I am very moved by Zangmo's sons' enthusiasm to offer their skills, because young people these days are normally too occupied with many other things, except the spiritual path. I really hope that I am able to help them in their life and that they always be happy and be able to share their happiness with others.

I just received the information that my very old friend, very respected Venerable Master Hsin Tao's team of rescue helpers were the first group allowed by the Burmese government to provide relief help there. Master Hsin Tao himself was actually from Burma and he had been doing relief work since 2002. While the earthquakes in China receive a lot of media attention and therefore a lot of help, the situation in Burma is relatively less known to the world. I was really happy to know that Venerable Master Hsin Tao is actively helping the victims in Burma. I think since we now have Venerable Master Hsin Tao and his team there, we should be working with his team to help those poor Burmese people.

That's all for now. I need to get ready to go to Hong Kong for the fundraising dinner arranged for my father's monastery.