Evening Dinner Speech by Shangpa Rinpoche celebrating the opening of Drubgyud Choeling Monastery

"Good evening.

A warm welcome to the His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, supreme head of the Karma Kagyud Lineage, Venerable Sanghas, distinguished guests, friends and devotees.

This morning, most of you were present at the official opening of the Drubyud Choeling Monastery in Lumbini, birthplace of Lord Buddha. Tonight, we are together again to continue the celebration of that auspicious event ! Indeed, this evening, we are particularly honoured by the presence of His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa.

Notwithstanding his very hectic schedule and many commitments, His Holiness accepted my humble invitation to the opening ceremony of Drubyud Choeling Monastery. For this, I am very grateful and sincerely overjoyed. In his compassion, he has decided to spend the next few days with us and thereby provided us with the opportunity to feel the overwhelming joy of his presence. My deepest thanks to you, your Holiness, for giving us this precious time with you. (Rinchen, are you going to cry at this point of the speech to add some drama, like in a hindi movie ?!)

As you may know, the Karmapa Lineage started with Dusum Khenpa whose second incarnation, Karma Pakshi, was the first recognized incarnation in this world. This was according to prophesies made by both Lord Buddha in various sutras and tantras, and particularly by Guru Rinpoche Padma Sambhawa in his many teachings. It was said by them that Karmapa is the manifestation of the activities of all the Buddhas in the form of a great Bodhisattva who will lead sentient beings toward liberation and enlightenment.

I am sure I speak for all of us when I say that it is with great humility that I express my complete and utter joy at being his subject and, hence, having the opportunity to receive his teachings and blessings. Such teachings and blessings will enable us to eradicate the sufferings of Samsara.

This is His Holiness' first visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha. This is where the Buddha began his journey toward enlightenment. It is situated in the beautiful Kingdom of Nepal. A country blessed with staggering scenic beauty. A country rich with religious history and monuments. A country that continues to build on and expand its heritage of religious devotion and practice. Indeed, Buddha's profound teachings are well respected by the Nepalese. Despite the existence of many ancient places of worship, many new monasteries and temples are under construction, and many committed practitioners exist.
Because of these factors, Nepal, and particularly, Lumbini being a holy place, is very conducive for the practice and propagation of Dharma to the rest of the world. As the monastery's focus is on providing a suitable environment in an auspicious location, for devotees, both local and foreign to receive teachings, I believe that it will definitely contribute in spreading the Buddha's message of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and peace.

The monastery will be managed by the Shangpa Foundation. As part of my sincere effort to work for the benefit of sentient beings, I established the Shangpa Foundation in 1996 to coordinate my projects. The Foundation has undertaken quite a number of these since its inception; including construction of monasteries, nunneries and Buddhist institutes and charitable works in Nepal. These projects have benefited many people and would not have been possible without the support and financial assistance of my disciples.

Similarly, the construction of this monastery would not have been possible without the financial support and dedication of many people. I would like to especially thank all my disciples from various locations and different parts of the world. They have placed so much faith in me and consistently supported me in all my Dharma activities.

The successful completion of this magnificent temple structure over the last 5 years would not been possible without the assistance and contribution of Most Venerable Tsechu Rinpoche, Mr. Loke Dharshan, Mr. Swarup Kony, Mr. Satyalal Hirachan, Mr. Dhawa and his team of artists; Mr. Konchog, Mr. Rajesh Chitrakar, Mr. Samten, and Lama Sotop. They have really

Before I end, may I once again express my thanks to His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa, His Eminences, Venerable Sanghas for gracing this event with their presence. And all of you here, for your contribution in making this occasion possible.

May all the activities at Drubyud Choeling Monastery serve as a reminder of Lord Buddha's path and of our own potential to realise the absolute truth, and inspire us to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Thank you."

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