17/11/2005

Amnyi Trulchung Rinpoche completes his tour of Europe.

After a very successful tour through Europe, Amnyi Trulchung Rinpoche is now back in New Zealand.

Rinpoche visited and taught throughout Holland, Luxembourg, Spain and the United Kingdom. Wherever he went, people responded warmly to his good heartedness and great generosity.

Highlights of the trip included:

• 

  Teaching in Rotterdam at the Phuntsok Cho Ling Centre of Lama Jigme Namgyal, who invited him to give an initiation and teachings on Vajrasattva. During two weekends more than 20 people enjoyed Rinpoche's fresh and inspiring explanations.

  He was also invited by Nel de Jong, a dutch amchi (Tibetan doctor) to give the Medicine Buddha lung to a number of her pupils who are studying the Medicine Buddha scriptures, which Rinpoche happily gave. This was followed by several meetings with members of the Tibetan community in Holland.

• Rinpoche taught and met with several hundred people during his time in London. These were individuals, interfaith groups and businesses, many of whom had never encountered the dharma before. He even recorded with the band 'Embrace' for their next album.

  Rinpoche gave several teachings at Tri Yoga, Europes largest yoga centre, as well as blessing their new complex at Soho. Focusing on compassion and how to help others, Rinpoche brought these teachings into the lives of many people who would not ordinarily encounter them.

• Whilst in Amsterdam, Rinpoche had a private audience with Sogyal Rinpoche, who invited him to attend the Myall Lakes retreat in Australia in January 2006.

• Rinpoche met up with Mipham Rinpoche in Spain, who is also from Ju Mohor monastery of which Amnyi Trulchung Rinpoche is abbot. He spent several days there and updated Mipham Rinpoche on the events at their monastery back in Tibet.

• In Luxembourg, Rinpoche gave teachings at the youth hostel in the city of Luxembourg and at the Amnye Machen Tibetan Centre, where he spoke in both occasions on what "the culture of peace can do for body and mind". On the last day of his visit in Luxembourg a number of people used the opportunity to participate in a lively question and answer session.

• Rinpoche established the Rigdzin Fonds in Holland, a charitable organisation that will support his work for the revitalisation of Tibetan culture in East Tibet.

Following on from the success of the tour, Rinpoche will return to Europe again next year to cement the relationships he established on this trip.