December 2006.  This is a year-end report about the Konchok Foundation’s work in 2006...

October 2006   Rear view of shedra complex with lhakang roof work underway

Surmang shedra.   After an intensive building season, the structural work on the shedra (school) at Surmang Dutsi Til in Tibet is now nearly complete.  This was the third year of the five years planned for construction and decoration of the shedra.  A very large amount of finishing work will be needed in the next two years but the 25,000 sq.ft. building complex remains on schedule so far toward an anticipated opening in fall 2008.

Construction of the lhakang, which includes the main shrine room on its ground floor and classrooms on the second floor, was the most important task in 2006.  Intricate detailing is incorporated in the lhakang concrete work, which required complex and very labor-intensive forms.  One distinctive component of the lhakang roof will be built next year, since it became too cold in October to do so this season.  That is the windows and curved roof of the clerestory, which caps a light well extending down to the center of the main shrine room.

Shrine room ceiling; light well opening is at left

Khenpo Tsering, who supervises all of the work on-site, comments, “We were very busy this year on the shedra.  In addition to the lhakang, we also did a lot of work on the rooms for the students and on the teacher residences.  There are 36 rooms for students and two students will live in each room.  We completed the insulation on about half of those rooms.  We also installed the wires that will bring electricity from the solar generator to each room.  Among many jobs for next year we will put the pipes in the floor for the solar heating system.”

Khenpo Tsering Gyurme

Plans are being made for the first students to arrive at the shedra well in advance of the grand opening.

Trungpa XII Rinpoche.  Konchok Foundation continues to provide annual financial support for Trungpa Rinpoche, who turned 17 earlier in 2006.  He is presently studying at Surmang Namgyaltse.  Sadly, his mother passed away this past summer.

Wayen.   During Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche’s journey to Tibet in 2001, he visited the Golok region, an ancestral place of Gesar of Ling and Mipham Rinpoche. With him at that time were Lama Chonam and Sangye Khandro, translators with the Light of Berotsana Translation Committee.  The people of the area requested the Sakyong to help support a school and other projects there—work that falls under Konchok’s overall mission.  In 2007, the Konchok Foundation will begin to work with Lama Chonam and his community to begin raising funds to support projects there. More information on this will be forthcoming.

Kyere/Weyching.   A modest amount of support was provided in 2006 for the activities of Damchö Tenphel and Karma Senge Rinpoches at Kyere and Weyching, which are part of the Surmang group.  Fifty to seventy nuns are studying at the Weyching nunnery—for photographs, please visit www.weychinggompa.org.

September 2006   Women gather at the shedra

Funding support.  This year’s work was made possible by the wonderful gifts of more than 600 donors, including a major donor who generously gave a large part of their retirement savings.  The Sakyong’s Chicago Marathon for Surmang was most helpful, with special thanks to all of the Chicago Shambhala sangha members who worked so hard on it.  Events for Surmang were also held in Halifax, San Francisco, and other locations.

Shedra saw mill               photo courtesy Gaye Carlson

Donations are timely...Konchok Foundation continues to need more funds.  If you can help, please go to the Donations page

Thank you very much for your kind support of these efforts in Tibet,

Peter Volz, Ginny Lipson and Lyndon Comstock

for the Konchok Foundation

October 2006   Front view of the lhakang as work proceeded on the second floor