Current projects
OKC Darjeeling: Support for Tibetan refugee & impoverished Himalayan children
In the early 1960’s, Kangyur Rinpoche established a small monastery, called Orgyen Kunzang Chökhorling. After his death, in 1975, his eldest son, Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, continued the vision of his father and gradually developed the monastery that currently shelters more than forty monks, mainly children and young adults.
The children in need come from various Himalayan countries. Many of them are without family; others have families that abandoned them or that they were forced to abandon. Regardless of background and ethnic origin, the monastery treats everyone equally and provides all that they need: food, lodging, clothing, medical attention, etc. When the families request the monastery to take charge of their child, they often give a donation, though this is generally minimal due to their circumstance. After that, it is solely the monastery that takes care of the needs of the children. This is the reason why the work undertaken by the monastery is exceedingly difficult to manage. Realizing that such monasteries live mainly on the offerings of the devoted, one understands that it can often be difficult to assure the education and the care of all these children.
As in all the monasteries, these children live in a simple and frugal manner. Generally they have only two pairs of clothing, consisting of a shantab (robe-skirt), a shirt, and a sen (shawl), of red, brown or yellow colour. The monastery provides a set of clothing every year, before the Tibetan New Year that takes place around the month of February, according to the Tibetan lunar calendar.
The children do not actually take full monastic vows before the age of 19. At that time, they decide themselves if they want to receive the ordination that will commit them to remaining a monk for the length of their life. At this time, those who do not wish to dedicate themselves to the monastic or contemplative life will return to ordinary life. In their young age, life at the monastery is therefore a way for these children to receive, not only a practical education adapted to the conditions of the country, but a profound spiritual formation, that will help to shape the direction of their life.
The education provided at the institute offers training in the Tibetan arts such as painting, calligraphy transcription, sculpting, or other arts, which not only help to ensure the continuation of the Tibetan arts and traditions, but also help to provide skills to the young refugees that can be employed in the community if they choose to return to the active world.
OKC Updates
Construction and maintenance works recently performed in Darjeeling:
Repairs of the Temple & Murals
In January 2006, effort to repair the temple began. Over the years, the temple ceiling and walls had gradually deteriorated due to water damage. The structure was repaired and painters from Bhutan were hired to recreate the elaborate wall mural depicting Sacred Tibetan deities and auspicious symbols. Pema Wangyal Rinpoche visited the gompa on several occasions to supervise the work, which took several months to complete.
Repair of the Roof & Terrace
An important aspect of caring for the children is making sure that living conditions are decent and adequate. As time inevitably brings decay, maintenance of the building structures is an on-going challenge. In 2000, the necessity of repairing the unsafe roofs of the old building, more than thirty years old and subject to difficult climatic conditions was proposed as a priority project. During the summer, Rangdröl Rinpoche, who lived for many years in the monastery founded by his father, stayed on site to supervise the works. Two professionals, specialized in the type of framework helped with the task. The main part of the roof is in the traditional Tibetan style, consisting of four slopes and intricate decorations. It was completely remade, the copper work being confided to qualified local craftsmen. The other area, which constituted the terrace, was more vulnerable to moss. To guarantee greater durability, the floor of the terrace was remade, and covered with paving stones. It was also necessary to continue other general maintenance efforts. These works signified an important expenditure, which the Fondation d'Entraide Bouddhique Internationale generously helped to finance.
Ensuring an Adequate Water Supply
The question of the water storage has also had to be re-envisioned. With the passing of the years, the situation becomes more and more difficult. Many local buildings, including the Gompa, are forced to have their water brought by truck, which often poses problems. There were many incidents during Darjeeling winters, linked to water scarcity. It is not that the region lacks water, but that the networks that date back to British colonization were never reevaluated according to the dramatic increase in population. While awaiting an assessment of the water conveyance, the best solution was to put in place a maximum reservoir to collect rain water during the rainy season. In the near future, Songtsen plans to integrate a tank, which will help to better ensure the hygiene and the health of the children.
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