On the morning of Wednesday 4 October, in the Multipurpose Hall of the Municipality of Santa Luce, the presentation of the project of the Lhungtok Choekhorling Monastery took place, in the presence of the institutional officials, the new abbot Gheshe Thubten Chonyi, the monastic community and journalists .
La Mayor of the Municipality of Santa Luce Giamila Carli he opened the meeting by thanking those present and underlining that he represents "the interests of the citizens in the Monastery project. After the signing of the memorandum of understanding in 2017 between the Tuscany Region, the Municipality of Santa Luce, the Sangha Onlus Association and the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, there was an acceleration of the bureaucratic process that led to the building permit. The Park of Contemplation and Peace that will be built in the Monastery area will have an important value and I am sure that it will further open up our territory to all those who want to benefit from it."
The word passed to President of the Tuscany Region Eugenio Giani who highlighted how it is "a historic moment for this community and I would say for all of Tuscany. A beautiful fact, a place for peace and contemplation that will be a light for all of Tuscany. A town, Santa Luce, which already bears in its name its vocation of identity and spirituality and also a good omen for the birth of this Monastery.
The Buddhist culture in Tuscany is a great gift. From the first time I met the Dalai Lama during the awarding of honorary citizenship of Florence I had the privilege of spending important moments with him" and added "I feel I can say that all of Tuscany is with you in the process that will lead to the construction of this Monastery, which will be a source of spirituality, light and peace for our entire Region. I say thank you on behalf of the entire Region, and now enough bureaucracy, we must really get started on the construction of the Monastery. It rarely happens that both the President of the Regional Council Antonio Mazzeo and I are present together at an event due to our commitments and the fact that we are both present today reveals the importance of the moment we are experiencing.”
Antonio Mazzeo, President of the Regional Council of Tuscany, took the floor, bringing the greetings of the regional councilors and welcoming the Abbot to Tuscany “who is a source of great pride and satisfaction for us. I thank the Mayor Giamila Carli for the work done in recent years and I congratulate her for this which is a dream for you but also a gift that you are giving to Tuscany by qualifying a space that was abandoned and which man had abused.
Over time, Santa Luce has increasingly become a place of integration and interreligious dialogue, above all thanks to your commitment. A place where the culture of peace is cultivated and in a time like this this is not at all a given. It's nice to know that there will be a space of beauty, of meditation open to all, and in which each of us can feel like protagonists.
I think that today is a beautiful day for Tuscany because once again we demonstrate that we are an open land, which includes, which knows how to integrate and valorise and knows how to keep different histories and cultures together. This is the meaning of our presence. On behalf of all my fellow Regional Councilors, I hope that everything can proceed quickly and that we will soon meet together to celebrate a new beginning, the result of your work and commitment and the attention you always give to others."
Il Fri. Massimo Stordi, President of the Sangha Onlus Association which is responsible for the construction of the Monastery: “It is a great honor to have with us Geshe Thubten Chonyi, former abbot of two Monasteries in Nepal, with around eight hundred monks and nuns and Master resident in Singapore, in one of the largest Buddhist centers in East" and added "despite the times of bureaucracy we have had a close and fruitful relationship with the Regional Presidency and the various competent Departments. The eco-sustainable monastery will be able to host monks and nuns and contribute through the practice of love and compassion to a more harmonious society, as already demonstrated by the presence of the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in our territory for over 45 years, of which Valerio Tallarico is here the director is present.”
Eugenio Giani delivers the welcome plaque of the Tuscany Region to Abbot Gheshe Thubten Chonyi
Finally,Abbot Geshe Thubten Chonyi thanking all those present, he recalled the recent consecration of the land which he carried out together with some monks of the Kopan Monastery, which from the point of view of religious ritual allows the start of the works "Buddhism has to do with the science of the mind which it means working with your emotions trying to eliminate as much as possible the negative ones that damage us. This is what I have learned in my twenty years of study and which I hope can also happen in the Monastery. I would also like to remember, as emphasized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the importance of interreligious dialogue, respect for other religions and I am sure that the new Monastery will have this function as the fulcrum of the development of peace and harmony. A place where monks and nuns can study but at the same time a peaceful and quiet place where people can be welcomed and live.”
The Mayor concluded the meeting by reading the message from the President of the Province Massimiliano Angori who was unable to participate due to other commitments.
At the end of the event, President Giani went up the hill together with Mayor Carli and some participants to see the place where the Monastery will be built.
