The people here are my family, each and every one is a brilliant light of smiling, compassionate, gleeful, exuberant joy.
The temple is nothing less than outrageous, it is so beautiful and so much bigger than can be described here - trying to describe its mammoth details is like calling the Empire State building a hut. The place is like a magic kingdom, the temple and its statues, thangkas and paintings are quite literally the most exquisite of anything I have ever seen. Every square millimeter of space is covered in beautiful, colorful, hand-painted artful glory. Walking in the main gates is like taking steps into another world. However grand and wondrous the space is, it is nothing compared to those who live inside. Living here are some of the most deeply inspiring and devoted monks this world has to offer, in no small part due to the leadership and compassion of the one and only Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche. Today they are in a state of celebration and while they'll dutifully maintain their devout and austere manners, their excitement simply cannot be contained. It’s like a circus of cheering faces, smiles exploding off of each and every one, jovial pushing to be in every picture, screams of glee flying through the air. All day and well into the night this continued, an endless barrage of childlike wonder everywhere you look. The stuff that warms your heart and makes you believe in love. It was surreal and deeply touching. It always is here. They are all just so happy to see us, every time, for no special reason, they’re just built that way.
I can’t believe it’s already been a year - just twelve short months ago it seemed the entire planet’s attention was fixated on Nala - the little slice of Dewachen buried in the hills outside Kathmandu. What an event it was to be - for the Kagyu Lineage and our beloved Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche, but also for Nepal as a whole - an event of such magnitude and attendance to take place here after such a tumultuous year came as a source of great rejoicement. So one year later we are gathered here once more, and all the family is here together again, including our old friends from Czech, the lovely group who runs Nala Foundation. They are special guests indeed, as these kind people are directly responsible for keeping this wondrous place running; taking care of the monks, medical aid and food, and helping Rinpoche to further his activity and develop his many projects to fruition. They are extremely generous with their time, and they are all extremely kind hearted people. Seeing their eyes light up around the monks was such a treat to watch, they simply couldn’t stop clambering together, hugging their way into endless pictures together, the happiness on their faces a true testament of love. I feel extremely honored to have been included in today’s celebration, and to be a part of supporting Nala in any way. Thank you, what a great gift. Singing, dancing, performances, karate, more hugs and pictures - it was glorious. A group photo in front of the Gonpa at sunset - glorious. A day surrounded by family and friends - glorious. Simply enjoying the special rarity of being together - glorious as well. A day in Rinpoche’s presence is indeed always glorious. My heartfelt thanks and respect to you Rinpoche, always.
So a giant happy birthday goes out to Nala today, congratulations on your very first anniversary! Thank you so much for inviting me to share in the joy of the inauguration, and now to be back again to celebrate the first year’s completion. My only remaining wish is that there are many many more of these to come, infinite numbers, and in my heart of hearts I will be here for each and every one of them.
Dhagpo Sheydrub Ling Maniwa Lama Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche Nadační fond NALA
