Announcements | Amitabha Foundation

New monks having a meal in the dining hall —- Monk receiving a Covid vaccination

The Amitabha Mandala Retreat Center in Nepal recently welcomed a new group of 45 monks. They are presently getting adjusted, with 4 or 5 together in small rooms. The Retreat Center does not have proper monks’ quarters, but parents who are desperate keep asking for their children to be taken in. Ten more boys are awaiting for admission, but the limited accommodations are all full for now.

Hospital staff came to do RT-PCR tests on the new monks to check for Coronavirus, at a charge of Rs 1200 (USD $10.00) for each monk. This was expensive, but more feasible than taking all of them to the hospital, which is also dangerous at the present time.

In India, Rinpoche’s monastery is currently safe from the Coronavirus. However, the situation is deteriorating throughout India, and especially in Karnataka state, where the monastery is located. In addition, the monks have so many other health issues that until recently, they were constantly being taken to the hospital, which is growing more and more risky because of the overflow of Covid cases. Health care is one of the most expensive costs of supporting the monks, and one for which it is difficult to plan.

You can make a big difference by helping to support the medical costs of the monks under Rinpoche’s care in India and Nepal. Please click on these links to donate, or find more options here.

Wrathful Dharma Protector Achi Choekyi Drolma

The annual 100,000 Offering Prayer Accumulation Puja for the Dharma Protectors Achi Choekyi Dolma, Choechung Tsimar and Mahakala started March 14 and will continue through March 18 at Ayang Rinpoche’s monastery in Bylakuppe, India. The monks are accumulating 100,000 dharma protector offering prayers (Solka).


Protector Mahakala	Protector Choechung Tsimar

Rinpoche invites all sangha members to join by reciting Achi Choekyi Dolma mantras during this time:

OM SARVA BUDDHA DAKINI HRI MAMA TSAK TRA SOHA

Those who would like to make an auspicious connection with the Dharma Protectors and the annual puja may send their donations to the Drikung Charitable Society account. For a tax deductible donation in the U.S., please send your check to the Amitabha Foundation, P.O. Box 2572, Aptos, California 95001, or donate online below. You may send names of loved ones, living or deceased, for dedication to info@amitabhafoundation.us. Any names received after the end of this puja will be sent for the next puja prayer list.

Here is an edited excerpt of a short biography of Achi Chokyi Dolma, given by Ayang Rinpoche in Sydney, Australia in 2004:

Achi Chokyi Drolma is an emanation of Vajra Yogini and Tara. She was born in the central area of Tibet. Beginning at a young age she was very special. She had great compassion and always practiced Tara, and she taught the Tara prayer for everyone in the village. When she grew older she prophesized that in the future there would be a new Buddhadharma lineage, and that she would be that lineage’s Dharma protector, whereupon she wrote protector offering prayers. Several generations later, her great grandson Jigten Sumgon started the Drikung lineage and she did become the main lineage Dharma protector.

She moved to Eastern Tibet, married and had 4 sons. Her most holy practice place is in East Tibet. At her death she attained the Great Rainbow Body. Her entire body become rainbows and light, leaving only her hair and nails. Like this, with no need to change this physical body, she went to the Pure Land.

On the relative level Achi was like the Dharma protector. But on the ultimate level, Achi had already attained the 10^th Bhumi of a Bodhisattva. In this way, Achi was already enlightened. Achi’s activity in Tibet is very famous. All the Tibetan people, especially the older generation people, know very well about her great activity, how it is so helpful because it is very fast. In Tibet, some great masters say that Achi is exactly the same as the Buddha, and if we pray to Achi, then by our Achi practice we will achieve enlightenment, or we will attain the Pure Land at our death moment.

Here are some photos of the ongoing 100,000 Dharma Protector Prayer Offering Puja in Bylakupe.