Help Build a Community Temple in Langdurbi, Bhutan

Beloved Venerable Khenpo Rinpoche Tenzin humbly and gratefully invites you to support him in helping to complete the build of a much needed, beautiful community Temple in his birth village of Langdurbi, Bhutan.

Venerable Khenpo Rinpoche Tenzin (affectionately and respectfully known by his students and friends as Khenpo La), is an incredibly humble and greatly accomplished scholar and practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.

Khenpo La is helping raise funds for the deeply spiritual yet impoverished community of Langdurbi (his home village) whose whole mode of living revolves around subsistence farming, community, family and faith. The funding of their beautiful new temple ceased in Covid and since then the community have been trying in earnest but with great difficulty to complete their project, so it can benefit the whole village and beyond.

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to help support Khenpo La’s continual, joyful and tireless efforts to benefit all sentient beings.

Khenpo La is well known for his exceedingly generous nature, freely sharing his time, energy and wisdom with everyone and anyone he meets. As a small and humble gesture of deep gratitude for Khenpo La’s endless compassion and kindness, we feel it is essential for us to give back to him in any way we can to support his remarkable work to help reduce the great suffering in the world.

THE BUILD OF THE GURU CHOLING LHAKHANG TEMPLE IN LANGDURBI, BHUTAN

As you can see from the photos, the construction of the Guru Choling Lhakhang community Temple, in Khenpo La’s home village of Langdurbi, has been specially built using traditional Bhutanese architecture, with extensive use of mud, stone and wood. The outer building structure is finished and the Temple is within touching distance of completion but stands painfully empty of all the exquisite spiritual artefacts, essential in a Buddhist temple due to the challenge of lack of funds to bring it to completion.

An investment of $40,000 (almost 3 Million Bhutanese Ngultrum) is urgently needed to help with the finishing of the temple halls, including the symbolic paintings on the walls and ceilings, hand painting of Thangkas (auspicious Buddhist wall hangings) and the sculpting of the precious Buddhist statues, so the local community can come together to send out prayers for all sentient beings from their magnificent vantage point.

The traditional construction method is highly skilled with additional spiritual work that the artists train for for many years, both in the physical capacity and the spiritual understanding of the deities, before being allowed to sculpt the Buddhas and paint the Thangkas; which in time will adorn the walls that bless the Temple and also will bless the public that attend there.

In 2020 the Government of Bhutan issued a grant to the village of Langdurbi (where Khenpo La was born in 1971) to build a community Temple where all social and cultural gatherings can take place. Unfortunately in 2021 the building work came to a standstill. Funds had run out, the challenges of the pandemic meant there was no further support from the government and the villagers of Langdurbi, a small community, did not have the funds to bring the Temple to fruition.

Naturally, Khenpo La feels a deep obligation and duty to support this Temple build and the people of his birth place (as much as he does for his extended ‘village’ of those around the world who have the honour and complete privilege of having him in their lives).

If you feel moved, and this resonates with your being, to help beloved Khenpo La ensure this Temple is realized for the people of Langdurbi, please do not hesitate to make a donation towards the $40,000 needed. Your kindness, generosity and compassion are so greatly and humbly appreciated!

Already, with the help of his students and friends, he has managed to donate a considerable amount to keep things moving forward. This page has been created with great love, to continue the forward momentum and carry on the support of the construction and maintenance of this very auspicious and greatly precious Temple right up to its completion.

Reap a multitude of blessings by having a Temple item dedicated in your name...

When you donate specific amounts (over and above $1000) for the items detailed below Khenpo La will ensure that these incredible spiritual work's of art are dedicated, with prayers, in your name in return for your generous donations.

You can also dedicate a donation with a request for prayers in the name of a person/s who may need some extra blessings in their life (don’t we all!). Please mention this in your message when you donate.

9ft Guru Rinpoche Statue - $6,000

8ft Khenpo Statue - $5,500

8ft Gyelpo Statue - $5,500

7ft Shebdrung Rinpoche Statue - $4,200

7 ft Pema Lingpa Statue - $4,200

WHY LANGDURBI IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT AREA FOR THIS TEMPLE TO BE BUILT

Langdurbi, based in Bardho Gewang in the Zhemgang District, is one of the remotest villages in Bardho within a very precious and protected part of Bhutan due to it being so incredibly rich in biodiversity and endangered animal species. It is home to the oldest nature reserve in the Kingdom of Bhutan and hundreds of rare animal and plant species, including the One-Horned Rhinoceros that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.

The area is dissected by steep slopes, deep gorges and narrow valleys making access extremely challenging. It takes approximately 7 to 8 hours to walk from Randibi, the nearest town as access by car is not possible.

The local inhabitants of Langdurbi are famous for their rich culture of folk song, dance, bamboo crafting and their pottery and earthenware skills are highly prized in the country.

A community Temple in such a remote area offers many benefits to the local community, it will bring about a deeper sense of collectiveness, purpose and sharing in the village and surrounding areas. The Temple will be a blessed space the local community can gather in to offer prayers, invite precious beings for teachings and guidance, celebrate auspicious days collectively and share many activities that would otherwise be impossible.

Please donate whatever you wish towards the $40,000 needed so this magnificent Temple and its blessings become a reality.

MORE ABOUT BELOVED KHENPO TENZIN (KHENPO LA)

Khenpo La is highly respected and widely sought out by Monasteries and Buddhist peers, in Bhutan, India and the world, for his precious teachings and wisdom. He is dearly loved and respected all over the world by a multitude of students and friends for his skilfully gentle, humorous and deceptively simple way of sharing Dharma teachings and his compassionate wisdom and practical guidance in daily life matters.

Born in the remote village of Langdurbi in 1971, Khenpo Tenzin has dedicated his life to the study and practice of Buddhism. At the young age of 15 he joined Tali Monastery in Bhutan where he studied and mastered the Mask Dances of Drukpa Kagyud and the Heart Essence (Nying-Ting) sects with great dedication and perseverance.

He was 17 years old when he travelled to India to join the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute. It was here where he received his novice and monk's vows from His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. Over numerous years and under the direct guidance of His Holiness, Khenpo La completed his studies of Ngondro, Tsalung, Dzogchen, Sutras, Tantra, Madyamika View (Uma Gonpa Rabsel), Janchub Lam Den.

He received all the necessary and precious empowerments including Richen Torzod from His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. He matriculated in 1990 and was awarded a Masters Degree in Buddhist Philosophy in 2001 and a Doctorate of Buddhist Philosophy in 2006.

Over many years Khenpo Tenzin has listened to and meditated on a wealth of instructions and important empowerments received directly from numerous of the greatest and most precious sublime masters of the past and present, including Refuge Vows from His Holiness Dogdrup Rinpoche, Life Empowerment of Saviour Amitayus from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Bodhisattva Vows, Tandin and Life Empowerments from His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama, oral transmission of Dzogchen practice from His Holiness Taklung Tshetrul Rinpoche, life empowerment from His Holiness Miling Thrichen, His Holiness Jadrel, Sakya Gongma and received instruction of Namchoe Phowa (consciousness transference) and empowerment of the Peaceful Sadhana of Manjushri from His Holiness Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok.

Khenpo La has also received the Empowerment of Condensation of Jewels (Konchok Chidue|), Life Empowerment of Thangtong Gyalpo from His Holiness Karmapa, an oral transmission of the Mantas of Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya and Propitiating Empowerment (Kago) of Wrathful Guru from Dharma King Ayang Rinpoche. Empowerment of Eighty Saints, Drikung Phowa instruction and his life empowerment of White Tara from His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Rinpoche and His Holiness Garchen Rinpoche bestowed him with the Empowerment of the Great Protecting Deity of Drikung Sect.

In a nutshell, he has undergone five accumulation practices (Bum Nga), mantra recitations of the great compassion Avalokitesvara, Red and Yellow Manjushri.

Khenpo La continues with great devotion and energy, to this day, to dedicate his life to the practice and study of Buddhism for the benefit of all sentient beings. For 7 years he taught the younger Monks at Ayang Rinpoche’s Monastery in South India at the request of the late His Holiness Penor Rinpoche and is now regularly invited by numerous centres around the world to teach and share his extensive knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism.

To do justice to a remarkable life spent in selfless sharing of incredible teachings and guidance so humanity can benefit and live a more peaceful, joyful and productive life would be impossible in such a small space.

If you have read this far, we sincerely hope Khenpo La and his beautiful project have lit a spark in your life as it has in ours and inspires you to donate to this amazing creation that will benefit all sentient beings, not only the community building it.

You can donate to this cause by giving whatever you wish or the specific amount needed as detailed above towards a particular Statue, Thangka or part of the Temple’s sacred decor and have it dedicated to you or a loved one with special prayers that will be of great benefit to you and your loved ones.

With great hope and love we urge you to donate now so this beautiful community that protects and looks after some of the most beautiful and rare species in the world can have a sacred place to come together.

Thank you for your great kindness and generosity!

UPDATE FOR THE TEMPLE!