Annual
Report
Types of Grants 2021
Study and Practice Grants | €85,296 | 58 %
Light of Dharma Grants | €61,604 | 42 %
Study and Practice Grants
These are grants for students who want to do a Nyenpa or a long-term retreat in the Dzogchen Beara (Drupdra). Grants provide financial support for the registration, food and accommodation.
In 2021, one student received a grant to do a Ridzin Düpa Nyenpa. One other student received a multi-year grant for a closed solitary 3.5yr retreat.
of which €38,100 was allocated to 2021 funding and €15,250 for 2022
These grants are for practitioners who made a commitment to be trained by the main holders of Rigpa’s practice lineage in the Vajrayana Practice roles of Chöpön and Umdze with the aim that they will give trainings themselves in the future. While these initial grants are for training in Lerab Ling, some may also take place, in Dharma Mati and Dzogchen Beara.
Eleven grants have been awarded for Training the Practice Holders to support practitioners to be trained, as well as some of the work that made the training possible. Practicioners from France, Germany, UK, Spain and Belgium benefited from these grants.
These grants are primarily offered to students that want to attend one of the international retreats held at one of Rigpa’s main retreat centres: Lerab Ling, Dzogchen Beara, Dharma Mati, Blueys Beach. Retreat duration maybe from a single week to a few months.
In 2021, 6 grants were awarded for students to do short-term retreat.
3 students attended the summer retreats (Dzogchen Retreat and the Paranirvana Retreat) in Lerab Ling.
One grant was awarded to 5 Australian students to hold a Ridzin Dupa Nyenpa in Blueys for a period of around 4 weeks.
One grant was awarded to a student for a short-term retreat in Dzogchen Beara.
One grant for a student that did a 6 week retreat at retreat centre in the Hautes Pyrénées in France
These grants are for students that want to follow Shedra studies under the Rigpa Shedra program or outside such as the Milinda teachers training
9 grants were awarded for students to attend Rigpa’s Shedra program held online (6 students) as well as onsite (3 students) in Lerab Ling. Students from the US, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Australia benefited from these grants.
1 grant was awarded for a student to follow the Milinda teachers training program for a period of 3 months
Group Practice Retreat at Blueys Retreat Centre
Personal Retreat at Dzogchen Beara Buddhist Meditation Centre
Practice Holders Training
Over the years, many Rigpa students have learned from each other, passing on the experience and knowledge they gained holding Vajrayana practice in their Rigpa centre. They now form the international community of Vajrayana practice holders.
A few people have taken the responsibility to train others and be a reference point when it comes to upholding our practice tradition and lineages. Our main trainers in our lineage of Vajrayana practice are:
In 2021, a training program for practice holders who have demonstrated qualities and the commitment to train personally with the main holders of our practice lineage has taken place. They have committed to receiving the training and sharing their knowledge and experience with their Rigpa centre.
Shedra Programme
Isabel Haber has been a student in Rigpa since 2010. She jumped right in, began following the teachings, and moved into Dharma Mati where she lived for 6 years. Isabel had a longtime desire to attend the Shedra program where she could study the Dharma more systematically. Her opportunity arose in 2020 when she went to Pharping, Nepal to attend the Rigpa Shedra under the guidance of Khenchen Namdrol Rinpoche. She had set aside funds to participate in the 2-year study program to study Longchenpa’s Text “Finding Rest in the Nature of Mind, a teaching of the Great Perfection”.
Unfortunately, the pandemic impacted the program and they were forced to return home early that year. As a result, the 2-year study program changed to 3 years, and unfortunately, Isabel didn’t have the funds to complete the last year. She was glad to learn of the opportunity to receive a study and practice grant through the Tertön Sogyal Foundations, which provided her the opportunity to complete studying the text in the rich environment of Lerab Ling.
The program this year began on January 3rd. She begins each day with her study group, followed by a review session led by Shedra teachers Verena Pfeiffer and Chantal Bergers, and then the main session with Khenpo Tashi Tseten who reads and explains Longchenpa’s verses. It was important for Isabel to receive these teachings in a sacred atmosphere surrounded by the support from a community of practitioners. Isabel highly recommends the Shedra program and although she prefers the spicy food of Nepal, she appreciates the hot water in Lerab Ling.
Ngöndro Retreat
Thank you to the Tertön Sogyal Trust who gave me the opportunity to have a six-week strict, solitary retreat in France. In a sacred environment, charged with prayers and the lineage, under the personal guidance of the master, it was possible to totally focus on the practice, day and night, without thinking about anything else. The conditions were perfect to deepen my practice and integrate into daily activity while eating or walking between formal sessions. As the retreat deepened, the experiences of my practice became more and more subtle, precise, and profound, leaving me with a greater determination to get out of samsara and for that purpose, continue practicing again and again. It took me some time to come back to the natural flow of relative reality, where birds and insects, cows and sheep, and wind in the trees are your companion along the path – knowing that all appearances are the mind. What a profound and simple peace, making yourself ready to confront with the maras!
Grégoire Languoet
Personal Retreat at La Sauveté
Light of Dharma Grants
These grants are for the investment of hardware and software of ToW (Rigpa’s archive) to ensure that the wealth of teachings given in the past, present and future are secured and can be made available to the sangha and public.
One grant was provided to replace older storage with new servers and to upgrade the current software.
These grants are primarily offered to a group of Senior Teachers and Teachers that work closely with Patrick Gaffney to produce additional content.
For 2021, 2 grants were awarded for the development of new courses and content.
One grant was awarded for the pre-production of a new course with Patrick Gaffney on impermanence and death. This course is planned to be launched in 2022
One grant to record interviews with Patrick Gaffney on the creation of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.
Light of Dharma grants were awarded to support the development of new curriculum, from concept to production. These grants are funding the upfront investment needed during the months or in some cases years that it takes to develop new curriculum. This way, when the new curriculum is delivered at local Rigpa centres, the majority of the registration fees remain at the local centre to support its expenses.
In 2021, 4 grants were awarded for the development of new curriculum
One grant was awarded to financially support one project manager that helped launching two new courses in 2021: “Mind and Its True Nature; and “Introduction to Buddhism Wisdom”
One grant to fund the research for a definitive compilation of transcripts and edited video of Dzoghen teachings
One grant for production of a new entry level course “Exploring Mind and Its True Nature”
One grant for the pre-production of a new course “Practical Wisdom – teachings on Wisdom & Compassion”. This is a course based on Sogyal Rinpoche’s teachings on activity/integration/lamtön. An additional grant is expected to be requested in 2022 for the production of the new course which is expected to be launched in 2022
Treasury of Wisdom
The Treasury of Wisdom (Rigpa’s archive) cares for and ensures that the incredible wealth of teachings shared with the Rigpa sangha in the past, present, and future are secured and accessible to those who wish to receive the teachings.
The archive has only been accessible to a few researchers and the Treasury of Wisdom team. As Rigpa embarks on a new focus of empowering teachers and practice holders, it has become more and more important to prepare the ground so that a wider group of students can access the archive directly for their research.
A Light of Dharma grant provided funds to support an upgrade of the archival software and infrastructure, enabling the teachings in the Treasury of Wisdom to be a more accessible resource.
A New Way of Seeing the World
This 12-week online interactive course provided an opportunity for students and instructors to deepen their understanding on essential elements of the Buddhist view and path, at a foundation level. The course was designed and piloted by Dominique Side, Rigpa Senior Teacher.
Course topics included:
Rigpa instructors had the opportunity to receive 2 training sessions to further their preparation in offering this course at a Rigpa centre.
A Light of Dharma grant provided funds to support the project management of this course.
Exploring Mind and Its True Nature
Based on how Sogyal Rinpoche taught on the Mind, this course introduces the Mind and its Nature in a 9 session course. It provides opportunities to deepen our experience of the teachings by incorporating them more personally through contemplation and reflection, in a spirit of open exploration.
The Buddha stressed the importance of subjective inquiry when he said:
Just as a goldsmith would test his gold by burning, cutting, and rubbing it, so you must examine my words
In that spirit, let’s explore! Click the audio link above to experience a contemplation from the course.
The Grantmaking Committee
The Grant-making Committee give their recommendations to be ratified by the Rigpa International Boards and by the boards of the Tertön Sogyal Foundations that are funding the grants.
International Boards
Lineage & Legacy Team
Investment Committee
Tertön Sogyal Trust (UK)
Rigpa's ICG
Tertön Sogyal Stifung (Germany)
International Steering Group
Lineage & Legacy Team
Fundación Tertön Sogyal (Spain)
Lineage & Legacy Team
Vision Board
Fonds Tertön Sogyal (France)
Tertön Sogyal Foundation US
The Investment Committee
The majority of the Restricted Funds and all of the Endowment Fund moneys held by the three Tertön Sogyal Foundations are invested through the advisory of the Investment Committee comprised of Rigpa students with experience in financial markets and that hold a close relationship with Rigpa and the Tertön Sogyal Foundations. All members of the Investment Committee are contributing their time and expertise on a voluntary basis.
Investment Committee
Investment Committee
Tertön Sogyal Stifung (Germany)
Tertön Sogyal Foundation US
A big
Thank You
to all donors who so generously supported the Tertön Sogyal Foundations that lead to this first year of supporting students and projects in Rigpa. This is a major endeavour that we aim to continue long into the future to benefit a growing number of Buddhist students. Your support to make this happen is vital.
Please continue to support us.
