When I wake up at 7am every morning, Lama D has already been up for three hours. His group is called Tharpi Sabuen, “Seeds for Enlightenment”. He’s hard at work every morning teaching Buddhism, and now is up to to 21,000 students on WeChat and Telegram. WeChat is the channel used by everyone in Bhutan – even the grandmothers in distant villages can use WeChat. Lama D’s “office” is our jungle porch overlooking the river in Bali, Indonesia. He teaches in Dzongkha, the main language of the Bhutan. His students are Bhutanese, spread all over the world.
Lama D’s group sponsors many charitable projects and ceremonies in Bhutan. He takes no money personally for the classes. His 12 coordinators handle funds from voluntary donations, which he directs to support many charities, events, and needy people in Bhutan.
Lama D’s mother is very proud. She is the honored guest at a ceremony sponsored by his Tharpi Sabuen group.
Recently the Tharpi Sabuen group installed a wall of blessing flags high on the mountain in Punakha district of Bhutan.
This sacred stupa is inaugurated in Thimphu, Bhutan by the Khempo leader. (Khempo mens a very high Lama) Lama D and I designed the stupa together, using images of the five patron saints of Bhutan and their mantras in gold-plated copper. The stupas are being constructed in Bhutan and Nepal. Lama D’s group has already installed seven of these stupas in various prayer sites in Bhutan, and they plan to finish a total 205 stupas. Everyone can use the stupas to pray and to remember the five seed saints of Buddhism and Bhutan.
This new Thangkha painting honoring the Mother of Sakyamuni Buddha was recently inaugurated by TharpiSabuen.
Hundreds of his students attend a ceremony in Bhutan in honor of Padma Sambhava, the patron saint of Bhutan, pictured on the enormous wall hanging at the Dzong (temple-fortress). This ceremony is sponsored by Lama D’s group Tharpi Sabuen.
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