Jun 64 min read

Gyuto Library Fundraising Appeal

Dear Sangha and members of the Medicine Buddha Tantrayana Meditation Centre, friends and supporters,

We have received a very inspiring letter from the Director of Gyuto Library of Gyuto Tantric Monastery, Venerable Lobsang Lodup, requesting us to take part in a major fundraising project at the library. We, thus, now have the great honour of being the key fundraisers for the Gyuto Library Project 2024/2025.

Why Medicine Buddha Centre?? The monastery could easily approach their subsidiaries in the US or Taiwan for financial support, but they have carefully selected our Sangha community for this important project.

As many of you will know, Lama Tendar-la and members of the Medicine Buddha Centre and Sangha have been supporting Gyuto Library for a long time, in fact, since its inception, when funding was very scarce. Through his kindness, Lama Tendar has been sustaining the library with its numerous publications of very important texts over the years during his annual visits to the monastery.

Lama Tendar has a very strong connection with the Monastery, having completed his studies there for over 16 years and hence, he understands the criticality of a structured education and set texts for the Geshe curriculum.

The monastery has entrusted their trust and complete faith in our Centre for this meritorious deed and we receive the vast amount of merit as a result. Without merit, we cannot make progress on the Spiritual Path, so, it is indeed an honour and a great privilege to be chosen to do this.

The Sangha of the Medicine Buddha Centre are very devoted both to Lama Tendar and the Monastery. They have been described as possessing a dharma heart, and have demonstrated a genuine interest in the study and practice of Tantra.

In turn, we are looked after impeccably on a practical level and embraced spiritually while we are there. The on-going success of our Centre has as its strong foundation – a deep connection with Gyuto Monastery and its higher Tantric practice.

We are totally reliant on the Masters and precious work of the Monastery for our own Enlightenment and spiritual realisations – they are reliant on our support to sustain this precious work.

The Library this year, has several on-going projects that are in urgent need of sponsorship:

1. The acquisition of rare and necessary texts that are being published inside of Tibet (and elsewhere) and which are vitally necessary for the study and practice of Higher Tantra; texts that would otherwise be degraded or lost to modern practitioners.

2. The printing and publishing of texts for the standard curriculum, for scholars and graduates who attend Gyuto Tantric Monastery, as well as Geshes from other monasteries, for their further studies and practice on the Mantra path. The texts are all distributed freely.

3. The sourcing, translation, publishing and printing of texts for specific teachings included, but not a core part, of the central curriculum.

4. All of these projects require substantial financial resources for the professional librarians, translators, researchers and conservators employed at the monastery.

The estimated cost for the next year for these projects is $100,000.00AUD (one hundred thousand Australian dollars).

Gyuto Monastery is one of only two Tantric monasteries in India and Tibet, propagating the sacred teachings of the Higher Tantric Tibetan Buddhist canon. Without the important work of translating, publishing and teaching these sacred texts, many of them would be lost.

The monastery - is, as are all Tibetan monasteries, totally reliant on the kindness and generosity of its sponsors and the Buddhist faithful for its survival.

We have few of the original masters from Tibet still living, and less refugees and potential texts and relics are leaving the country, so, even more important, to carefully preserve what we have.

As Geshe Lodup says “Your support for these projects will be an immense contribution to the preservation and flourishing of the precious teachings of the Buddha that are so needed, by all sentient beings, in these challenging times. Not a cent of the money raised will be wasted or misused. You can be assured that all who carry out these projects have the highest Bodhisattva motivation and intentions. We, at Gyuto Library, offer our full support, assurances and guarantees for any fund-raising efforts on your part and we thank you deeply for your much needed support of these critically important projects that will ensure that precious and sacred Dharma teachings survive for the benefit of all sentient beings for centuries to come.”

This is a very exciting opportunity to crystallise the merit for our Centre and ensure the success and spiritual fulfillment of all our endeavours. The generosity of our sponsors will continue to benefit monks, aspiring Geshes and dedicated practitioners from around the world for decades to come. Your merit, gained by the flourishing of Buddha Dharma, will continue to benefit you and your loved ones for life after life. We thank you for your energy and commitment to this project – every little contribution will make a difference and we will publish progress reports regularly. We will get there together and it will remind us that there is nothing we cannot achieve with the right intention and right actions.

Ani-Drolma (formerly Karilyn Fazio) is taking responsibility for the management of this project.

Please contact her on (0407) 510 129 or email at karilynfazio@theimpetusteam.com with ideas for how you can raise money – we have until June 30th 2025 to raise the money but are hoping to get it raised earlier.