DFLN NEWSLETTER 2007
2007 draws to its end. That is why it is time for the board of the DFLN to report about all activities of this year. It is a great pleasure to do so because 2007 again has been a very fruitful and productive year.
Nyerma
The new nunnery in Nyerma has changed a lot under supervision of Thiksey Rinpoche. The 15 rooms are now finished. Nyerma is part of Thiksey Gompa and Rinpoche has given the land on which the nunnery has been built to the nuns. That is why the Rinpoche plays an important role in this project. At this moment 17 nuns are living in the nunnery; there are facilities for 30 women. Because there is no education yet it is not attractive for the younger generation to come and live in the nunnery.
That will change next year when we have realized our Educational Fund. A teacher can be paid then. The nunnery employs a local woman. Everyday she prepares the meals for the nuns. The nuns would like to have a cow very much, so they can be sure to have milk on a daily base. We hope to fulfill their whish next year.
Rinpoche
Aniek Jaartsveld and Marlies Bosch visited the Rinpoche to talk about the plans for the nuns in Nyerma. Emphasis has been put on --and promises have been made-- that DFLN will take care of the livelihood of the nuns for the first couple of years until the guesthouse generates enough money for the nuns to be self reliant. Other issues were the lay out of a vegetable garden and the furnishing of the guesthouse. That caused some hilarious moments: we stressed the fact that little holes in the bed bottoms were needed to air the mattresses, but that is an unknown phenomenon in Ladakh.
Both of them stood in close contact with Tenzin, secretary of the Thiksey Rinpoche. His English is fluent so communication is easy. For the first time it proved to be useful to have a local cell phone: in Ladakh often appointments change last minute and now we could be informed.
Guesthouse
Like a miracle this summer the guesthouse was erected. It is a beautiful little building, located on a unique spot. It has six double rooms with attached bathroom. The view is splendid.
The Rinpoche appointed an energetic monk as supervisor. Within one month the building was there and the finishing touch took another month. Aniek Jaartsveld and Marlies Bosch choose the furnishing like (good!) mattresses, sheets, pillowcases, blankets, curtains and linoleum. Rinpoche appointed carpenters to make the furniture (beds, tables and cupboards). Next year we will start running the guesthouse and we are looking for people who want to take care of that job.
Aniek Jaartsveld
Aniek Jaartsveld, our coordinator for volunteers, stayed in Ladakh for 5 month this summer. You can read about
her experiences and about the volunteers in her own report on the website.
Cordaid
This year Cordaid rejected our request for a subsidy because their criteria had changed. Few or no requests for building are granted. However they approve of the aim of our work very much and we can apply for other projects.
Ladakh Nuns Association
The LNA was able to build a second floor with support of the DFLN. Officially LNA is a nunnery now and it became very crowded with over 20 nuns living and studying there.
Together with women from Australia, Thailand and the LNA staff we had some days of policy making. Topics were: running and future projects, long-term projects, financial situation, tasks and assignments of the staff members.
A book about 10 year LNA was compiled. A group of 9 nuns, studying to become amchi (traditional Tibetan doctor) is finishing theirs studies in Leh, under the supervision of Dr Palmo and another experienced Tibetan doctor. They learn how to make medicine amongst other subjects. Aniek is experienced by now (see the picture on the website). The nuns rent their equipment for making the medicine. After graduating they need these machines for themselves. We will try to find funds.
Gephel Shadrubling Institute
Marlies Bosch and Aniek Jaartsveld had various conversations with a group of young nuns who founded the "Gephel Shadrubling" Institute this summer. The group consists of eleven nuns who before lived in the Mahabody nunnery. There they started their thorough education. However, for continuation of their studies all nuns (and monks) have to go to universities or institutes somewhere else in India or Nepal: they do not exist in Ladakh. The idea of these nuns is to start a higher education for nuns. This definitely is revolutionary. When they finish their studies, they will be the teachers. Four of them study in Kopan, Nepal, one nun in the south of India and one in Dharamsala. Five nuns are studying at the Central Institute for Buddhist Studies in Leh, Ladakh where they have classes in Buddhist Philosophy, English, traditional Tibetan woodcarving and the art of painting. They keep in close contact with each other and agree that a higher institute like this is very essential. It makes it possible for many nuns in Ladakh to have a higher education, until now only reserved for monks. Above that the climate in Ladakh is very specific. Living in Nepal or the south of India often makes the nuns sick because they cannot cope with the warm and humid climate over there. LNA too is planning to start a higher institute. Both initiatives are complimentary. In Sabu the LNA is building a school up till 13th grade. Then the nuns wanting to go on studying can go to Phey, not far from Spituk, where the Gephel nuns will have their Institute. Of course this is a plan that will take many years and funds are not there yet. Both projects are allotted a piece of land to build on.
Bookkeeping
For the first time we could hand over a professional bookkeeping to the Tax office. From now on we work with codes, which makes things a lot easier to read. The figures make clear that in 2006 we donated around € 45000. Part of it came from Cordaid (€ 12.500,00) but most of it did come from sponsors, donations and activities.
Festivals
In 2007 we organized two Ladakh Festivals. One in Haarlem (west of the country) and one in Nijmegen (east of the country). In both places there was an overwhelming amount of enthusiastic visitors. We collected an enormous amount of money; part of it came from entrance fees. Both festivals ended with a benefit dinner. Cooks volunteered to prepare delicious meals. There was a lot of interest for the various workshops and lectures. In Nijmegen Nel de Jong, the only Dutch amchi (traditional Tibetan doctor) in the Netherlands gave a lecture about her work. She and Dr. Palmo know each other from the time both of them studied in India.
The festival in Nijmegen was combined with a performance of six nuns from the Kopan nunnery in Nepal who were touring in the Netherlands to raise funds for their nunnery. Marlies Bosch gave a power point presentation about the Kopan nunnery. In this nunnery there are also Ladakhi nuns living and studying. We plan to ask the staff of the Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery in Kopan to have some of the Ladakhi nuns participate in learning traditional dances, singing and rituals so they can transfer their knowledge to their sisters in Ladakh. In the future they may even have their own tour in Europe.
Lectures
Various board members gave lectures about subjects related to the life of nuns in Ladakh or traveling in Tibet and Ladakh. On demand we will give lectures and power point presentations in 2008.
Media
The subject Ladakh and the life of the nuns has been cause for several publications in the media. Mostly this happened when a festival was organized. A lot of regional newspapers published articles about the nuns. We are open for interviews to explain the specific situation of the Buddhist nuns in Ladakh. In 2006 and 2007 various film crews came to Ladakh to film the nuns in Nyerma. An Indian film company interviewed Dr. Palmo. A short version of this movie was shown at the Ladakh festival in Nijmegen and will be ready for presentation early next year. One of the board members was interviewed for this movie about the work of the DFLN.
Donations
Out of solidarity with Buddhist nuns we received generous donations again in 2007 from Roman Catholic nunneries. We are very grateful because these gifts make it possible to do our work in Ladakh. For the third year in row the owners of Camping site "les Matherons" in France donated their "tip money". This year it turned out to be € 1250. This year we learned, for the first time, that someone put us in her Will because we specially are committed to older nuns. People are sure that their gifts end up in the place where it is meant to go. More and more people sponsor a nun or a group of nuns. The fact that people know that only necessary expenses like for the Bank Account and purchases for festival material are made and that volunteers and board members do not get paid for their expenses, makes that more people support our foundation!
Board
President of the board is Giny ten Brummelhuis, Annet Stokroos is treasurer, secretary is Marlies Bosch, Myra de Rooy is vice-president and Aniek Jaartsveld is coordinator for volunteers. Next to that Joan Moonen takes care of selling books, postcards and other products. Together they are a strong team with an enormous amount of involvement with the nuns in Ladakh. In the USA we have support from Joe Lea and Jessica Mack. (
jessmack@gmail.com). This summer she visited Ladakh again to study the impact of the Tibetan book Healthy Body Healthy Mind that was published last year. Our German board member Doris Eddelbüttel presently lives in a Buddhist nunnery in Great Britain and amongst others she takes care of the translation of texts like this for the German website. She often visited Ladakh.
Chomo
The Chomo foundation in the Netherlands, that used to be very active in supporting the nuns, closed down in the middle of 2007. The money remaining in the bank account was transferred to that of the DFLN. For that we are very grateful. We hope that their sponsors and people involved with the foundation will support the nuns by way of the DFLN.
Thanks
Of course we say thanks to all people who put in their effort for different activities (like the festivals) for their support. Every time people offer to organize a new Ladakh festival in his or her hometown. The next festival will probably take place in the south of the country organized by three women who visited Ladakh this summer. This way the foundation keeps growing. We also are grateful to all people who financially support the nuns by way of donations or structural sponsoring. Please know that the nuns remember us in their daily prayers.
Organization
Finally: we are busy to organize and structure all our activities in a more efficient way. On the website we keep you informed. If we know your e-mail address you will receive a personal update.
November 2007
On behalf of the board: Marlies Bosch, secretary of DFLN.
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