Projects
The Monastery Repair Project
Under the supervision of H.E the Dhardo Rinpoche, the Managing Committee was set up in order to uplift the monastery. Since then various policies have been formulated and implemented and some became successes and others went in vain due to certain circumstances.
The Yiga Choeling Monastery has witnessed severe crisis both in terms of finance and man power in the last two decades. According to Thupden W Bhutia, Secretary, even though the Managing Committee is responsible for the preservation and maintenance of this monastery "being a non-profit charitable organization (they are)…strongly dependent on the well-wishers and donors for the upkeep of the monastery." At present the monastery is barely able to meet its needs only through donations and contributions from the local residents.
Apart from the regular maintenance costs, substantial financial assistance is needed for extensive repairs of parts of this historical monastery and shrine.
Recently the local residents have started a drive to collect funds for the repair of the Kali shrine, work on which has also commenced.
Due to safety reasons, most of the monks have to commute daily to the monastery from nearby lodgings as the concrete pillars on which the monk's hostel was based, have developed cracks. The roof is also damaged beyond repair and will have to be completely replaced. Due to the local weather conditions the wooden walls are damp. Hence the hostel is entirely uninhabitable and can collapse any moment. The estimate for the proposed reconstruction work is around Rs.23,21,625 as of October 2010.
The metal sheets forming the shed which functions as the kitchen, has also outlived its utility and needs immediate replacement. The toilets are not in usable condition either.
In the near future the monastery is also planning to establish its own office, school, meditation room, kitchen, library, museum and dispensary facilities.
To help them realize this dream and for more information, please contact info@yigachoeling.com
The Padmasambhava Centre for Charitable Activities (PCCA) is a registered non-profit organization that has taken up the cause of supporting the monks of Yiga Choeling Monastery.
The Prayer Wheel Repainting Project
There are two very old, big prayer wheels which have not been repainted for a long time. The first mini project that PCCA took up was the repainting of the oldest prayer wheel, due to the generosity of a sponsor from Kolkata.
The Maitreya CD Project
Apart from sponsoring the costs for monthly supply of essentials, PCCA is also trying to help the monks become financially independent to an extent. Instead of being completely dependent on erratic and small donations, there is a need to generate regular income.
The first step towards this would be generating awareness. As this historic monument is not very well known to the global tourist, a website for the monastery has been created and sponsored by PCCA. This will not only help tourists to visit this place but it is hoped will also play a role in promoting tourism in West Bengal.
This monastery houses one of the largest clay statues of the Maitreya Buddha. Apart from the great beauty and the intricate workmanship of the famous artist Wangyal of Lhasa, this statue has tremendous historic value as it was commissioned by the legendary Kyabje Domo Geshe Rinpoche NgawangKalsang, popularly referred to as Domo Geshe Rinpoche. This statue is one of those three Maitreya statues, that had been prophesied long time ago, would be built by him.
The Maitreya Buddha is supposed to be the Coming Buddha, whose advent is long awaited. Apart from the spiritual significance, His very name suggests Friendship and Compassion. Apparently no chant or prayer invoking this great Being is currently available as an audio recording.
When seven of the monks of the Yiga Choeling Monastery came down to Kolkata on January 2011 to perform the first ever Padmasambhava Puja in the city for PCCA, a recording of some of the sacred chants was done. This album is now being released as Maitreya Volume 1.
In fact, right after this recording was completed, it suddenly snowed in Ghoom, a highly auspicious sign for the monks that the heavens have signaled their approval!
It is hoped that this recording, sponsored by PCCA, will not only help the monks generate income for the upkeep of the monastery but also spread the message of friendship and compassion by bridging all differences at a global level.
Gift Items Project
As part of the promotion of the Maitreya CD project, as well as generating income on their own, some gift items have been sponsored by PCCA for the monastery. These include stickers bearing the image of the Maitreya statue (both front and back gummed varieties are available), canvas bags with the "OM MANI PADME HUM" symbol in various colours as well as "T shirts" with artwork relevant to the Yiga Choeling monastery. The purchase of these gift items will directly support the monks.
For more information on PCCA or to help them support these projects, please contact www.padmasambhavacentre.org
