Dear Dharma brothers and sisters,
I am here in Bodhgaya waiting to meet our Abbot Ven. Geshe Thubten Chonyi and I often, very often remember Lama Zopa Rinpoche, our spiritual director, who left his body last April 13th.
The last time we spoke to him, in this very place, he had told us: "Yes, now an abbot must be found", with a determination that had surprised us, considering that it had been since Gheshe Ciampa Ghiatso had left his body ( in 2007) that we invited him to appoint an abbot for the Monastery of Pomaia.
Evidently Rinpoche wanted to personally follow the various steps that led us to obtaining the building permit and the recent building permit obtained on June 16th of this year.
More and more clearly, we now understand the urgency in his words of January 6th, he knew his time was coming to an end.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche was and will remain a beacon for us and within us, and despite the shock of his passing, we continued to carry forward the project of the Monastery, which he always followed directly, giving us all the indications and advice, culminating with a moving video from March 10th in which, in addition to confirming the abbot's appointment, he shared the benefits of building the Monastery.
This 2023, which is coming to an end, was characterized by the wonderful visit to the hills of Jhado Rinpoche, former Abbot of the Namgyal Monastery, the monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in the presence of hundreds of people who gave the oral transmission of "The holy names of Manjushri” which is the prayer that His Holiness subsequently asked us to recite to remove any obstacle to the rapid return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Last May, in India, in Dharamsala, we had the first meeting with our Abbot and the unforgettable conversation with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who in addition to some precious advice for the Monastery, which he blessed again while watching the presentation of the project , offered the Monastery a large Buddha statue and subsequently surprised us with an important offering for its creation.
In September, with the arrival of the Abbot and the Lama Gyupa monks of Kopan, the land of the Monastery was finally consecrated, with a rather elaborate ritual, without which we would not have been able to start the work. It is the first time that this ritual has been performed in Italy, as it will be the first time that the construction of a monastery of our tradition has begun from scratch.
Khen Rinpoche then gave us precious teachings and in a press conference first and on the hill then, he met and spoke with President Giani, the highest representative of the Tuscany Region, who showed great interest in a reality and a unique resource for the Tuscany, and beyond.
The tour with our new Abbot and the monks of Kopan continued in Assisi, where, with a large representation of monks and nuns from the association, we wanted to introduce our Abbot into a fruitful and highly inspirational exchange with the various Franciscan realities , culminating with a conference in the press room of the Basilica of the Sacred Convent of St. Francis, which has had over 1200 video views to date and which has also been discussed in the Vatican newspaper.
Having returned from this inter-monastic tour, we also started some first online Dharma activities as a Sangha onlus. This was able to happen thanks to our nuns, who have been teaching for years for the various FPMT centers in Italy to create the best conditions so that the Community can finally have a Monastery, from which to preserve and spread the Dharma and the message of peace and universal love, also starting from our country.
The fundraiser we called “Donate a brick” launched in June, thanks to your generosity, it has already contributed over 2500 bricks to the project for around 250.000 Euros, and this result has given us confidence because we are entering a fundamental and historical period for the start of the construction of our Monastery, where the generosity of all of you will be increasingly important.
All I can do is wish you a 2024 of peace and harmony, in which all virtuous projects can be realized, for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Ven. Massimo Stordi on behalf of the monks and nuns of Sangha Onlus.