The Padmasambhava Peace Institute Project

Jigme Rinpoche wrote this letter in 2003 to introduce the Padmasambhava Peace Institute. Since then, the project has found a home at the Black Mountain Preserve, and has already hosted a number of groups and events. For more information, please see our website www.padmapeace.org.

Dear Sangha and Friends:

Please allow me to introduce you to the Padmasambhava Peace Institute and the Black Mountain Preserve. The Padmasambhava Peace Institute is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to bringing peace, love and harmony to all beings and the environment. In today’s violent world, we must go beyond a general support and prayers for peace. We must be proactive in creating the atmosphere, knowledge, and skills that will lead us to a world at peace.

Many prophecies in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition have indicated that if a truly magnificent statue of Guru Rinpoche were built, peace would prevail. For many years, I have aspired to manifest these prophecies by building such a statue at a sacred sanctuary that would serve as a dharma-teaching center.

The beautiful Black Mountain Preserve, in northern Sonoma County, California will be the future site of the Padmasambhava Peace Institute. Our goal is to offer programs and retreats for at risk youth and adults; non-violent living; health and hospice care, cultural art and language programs. We will also be developing a Shedra, which is an intensive educational/philosophical learning center based on Buddhist principles. Shedra courses will include Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, language, art, medicine, and astrology and Buddhist ritual activities.

The first phase of this project will be to acquire the property and implement the programs noted above. The second phase will be to erect the statue of Guru Rinpoche. My late father said of this project: “This statue of Padmasambhava can be created as a joyful endeavor, generating merit amidst the fruits of merit. In the future, however, should the nation’s merit be depleted, should violence and chaos threaten the well-being of its peoples, then the powerful blessings of the Guru Rinpoche’s manifest form will become even more evident. The blessings are immediate and will also endure for generations to come. In the infinite interdependence of all phenomena, the very wind that blows over the surface of the statue will carry Guru Rinpoche’s sacred essence to the furthest reaches of the universe, blessing beings everywhere.”

I invite you to participate in helping to bring this very important project to fruition. The initial cost to purchase the property and the buildings and to begin the education programs is $2.2 million. We have been fortunate to secure a loan for $1.5 million and need to raise an additional $600,000 by October 2003 to close escrow.

I would be delighted to talk to you in more depth about this important endeavor. May all beings benefit from your generosity!

Tashi Delek

Jigme Tromge Rinpoche

This page was last updated on May 20, 2007

This page was last updated on May 20, 2007