In late December we told you about the tragic fire at the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition’s Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, in Pomaia, Italy. We now have from the ILTK’s press office an update on the damage and their reconstruction efforts. It looks like they’re doing a fine job of soldiering on in the aftermath. Read on for their letter and details of how you can pitch in.

Dear all:

Last time we wrote we were talking of a big heap of rubble. It seemed that all that was left were charred wooden beams, blackened walls and the metal frame of the altar bent out of shape by the heat. When we started clearing the debris we discovered some real treasures: the plaster reliefs of Thousand-arm Chenrezig and of Buddha Maitreya were still hanging on the walls undamaged, just the paint had peeled off. The two buddhas seemed to be gently smiling down on our community who, just fourteen months from the departure of our beloved Teacher, is once again being put to the test by the impermanence of things.

A group of volunteers recovered the remnants of the Kangyur and Tengyur tests and of the many statues that were once ornaments to the altar. Most of the bigger statues have been damaged beyond repair whilst we were able to salvage some of the smaller ones such as the one of Palden Lhamo, the 21 statues of Tara donated by the MP students in 2007, the small statues of lama Tsong Khapa and his disciples and a small statue of Amitayus donated by Gomo Tulku just a year ago.

The salvaged statues will be cleaned and the texts will be burned and the ashes used to make tsa-tsa as instructed by Dagri Rinpoche.

We would like to thank all of you who are continuously supporting our fund-raising initiatives to allow us to re-construct what was lost and to build a new, larger, gompa that will bring joy and happiness to us all, just as indicated by our Teachers. A particular “thank you” for all the supporting messages we have received in the last weeks.

The dinner which took place Saturday, December 31, was a great success with all of the 200 seats taken. The funds raised will be devolved to the new gompa project. More dinners are on schedule: in March we are planning an evening of Indian cuisine.

Coming up next is the two-day event with the playwright and director Alejandro Jodorowsky (Florence, 7-8 March). Geshe Tenzin Thempel, our resident teacher, will be attending the March 8 event. The funds raised will be partially devolved to the new gompa projects. Tickets are still available, please go to the Italian homepage of our website, www.iltk.it

We recently celebrated the Tibetan New Year which will mark the start of 2136 – year of the Earth Ox. Tibetan tradition has it that everything is cleaned and washed the day before so that the new year can kick off under the best auspicies. On the occasion in each house the altar is renovated and the kata is changed with a new one. On the second day of the new year celebrations the prayer flags are changed and the old ones burned. The kata is also used to decorate pictures of deities or tangkas or as a welcome gesture when a teacher is met for the first time.

You can find the prayer flags and the katas at our online store (www.iltkshop.it – only Italian version) which is constantly kept updated with new featured items. Every order placed online takes us a little closer to the goal set for the new gompa project. The katas are come from Sera-Je monastery. Gomo Tulku purchased these katas on the day of his Rigchung (the examination ceremony that sets an important milestone in the training of young lamas), with the aim of collecting funds for his monastic college at Sera Je in Southern India. The cost of each kata, €4,00, will be entirely devolved to the Hardong Khantsen and Drati Katsen colleges at Sera Je.

We thank you wholeheartedly for all you’ve done so far and we renew our plea for support.

Donations can be made:
By wire transfer.
Bank: Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca, Pisa e Livorno
Branch: Rosignano Marittimo (LI)
IBAN: IT 21 A 06200 25100 000000000048
SWIFT: BPALIT3L
Account name: Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa
Wire instructions: For new Gompa

Online through PayPal. Visit our website www.iltk.it