Norbulingka Institute, Dharamsala, November 13-15, 2015
Three days of Sixth Khoryug Conference on Environmental Protection for Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries & Nunneries in the Himalayas was held at Norbulingka Institute on Nov 13-15, 2015. Kun Kyong Charitable Trust sponsored and organised the conference. Forty-five delegates from 29 monasteries, nunneries and 04 individuals participated in the conference.
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa attended the second and the third day of the conference.
DAY 01:
Forty-five delegates gathered in the beautiful Norbulingka Institute today for the sixth Khoryug Conference. Welcome notes from Gyaltsen Sonam, Internal Affairs Manager of Tsurphu Labrang and Lhakpa Tsering, Programme Manager of the Kun Kyong Charitable Trust was followed by Dekila Chungyalpa, Khoryug Advisor introducing the goals of the conference and agenda for the day. She explained that this conference is distinct from other conferences because rather than provide environmental and organizing training, these three days are dedicated to assessing lessons learned in the past five years and how Khoryug can improve organizationally in the next five years.
The agenda today focused on examining what has and has not worked over the last five years. Dekila gave a presentation on the progress of Khoryug as a whole, explaining how His Holiness’ commitment to the environment led to the development of environmental guidelines and later the first Khoryug conference, which evolved into the creation of Khoryug as a formal association of monasteries and nunneries. She further illustrated what an important role these institutions can play in managing the state of the environment in the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau, an area that provides the water for a quarter of the world’s population.
Representatives from five different regions presented on the successes in their region over the last five years. The representatives spoke about the work they have done to plant trees, revitalize habitats, farm organically, better manage waste and water and conserve electricity while seeking greener options. Representatives further discussed the obstacles they face in implementation and the difficulties they are working to overcome.
Delegates heard about the environmental efforts by Nalanda Monastery in South India, led by Karma Tulku Rinpoche, which have resulted in the revitalization of a nearby lake and wetland. Monks planted many indigenous trees and plants in the area when they realized how the habitat around the lake had been devastated. After pursuing this project for several years, they have seen wildlife return and have noticed decreased flooding in the wetland due to reintroduced vegetation.
Similarly, monasteries in Nepal have found success in their organic farming initiatives, in which they have striven to both grow organic produce as well as offer education in their surrounding communities about organic practices. Many monasteries reported that their organic production was sufficient to provide a significant portion of monastics’ diets. The produce not only improves the nutrition of these monks and nuns, but also offers a valuable opportunity to spread awareness about health and environmental issues.
In the afternoon, monks and nuns met in regional groups to discuss what successes they had achieved in the last five years and what challenges they faced, both environmental and organizational. For many monasteries and nunneries, this was a valuable opportunity to hear about the experience of other institutions that operate in similar conditions and to share advice and strategies. The day concluded with a conference-wide debriefing session in which representatives from each region shared the outcome of their discussion, which revealed many overlapping experiences as well as distinct focuses based on regional conditions.
DAY 02:
Delegates met together today to delve into the details of Khoryug monasteries and nunneries’ work within and between India, Nepal and Bhutan. In the morning, the attendees heard reports from the Northeast and Northwest regions of India on the successes of their monastery or nunnery and the challenges they have faced. They then heard from Damaris Miller, a recent graduate of Princeton University, who gathered information about Khoryug in Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim during the summer of 2014. She presented highlights from her findings, as well as those from the research of two Yale graduate students that was conducted in the spring of 2015. Together, these findings echoed much of the discussion that monastics were having already, noting the crucial influence from His Holiness the Karmapa in initiating environmental work. The presentation used both quantitative and qualitative findings to illustrate how much monasteries and nunneries have accomplished as well as specific areas that have proved challenging.
In the latter part of the morning, the delegation was honoured with a visit from His Holiness the Karmapa. His Holiness spoke to the representatives extensively and gave input as to how the organization should move forward. Tapping his hand to his heart repeatedly, he emphasized the importance of having a personal and emotional connection to the environment; without truly feeling the central role the environment plays in all of our lives we cannot make a lasting and genuine commitment. He pointed out that although our desires are limitless, our resources are extremely finite. Ultimately the necessary work that Khoryug strives to achieve cannot be carried out by only a few people but requires the effort and cooperation of every monastery and nunnery.
His Holiness further spoke about specific initiatives like creating natural disaster rescue teams within monasteries and nunneries that have received proper training and can be deployed at any time. He also recommended using internet resources like messaging apps as a way to maintain contact between different monasteries and nunneries spread out within and among three countries.
In the afternoon, delegates met in their regional groups to discuss in detail four different themes that will structure the future of Khoryug – Implementation, Communication, Coordination, and Organization. In the case of implementation, monastics discussed how Khoryug monasteries and nunneries could be most effective in their environmental projects such as waste management, tree plantation and solar electricity. With regards to communication they discussed how to better facilitate communication between monasteries and nunneries within each country as well as between countries, including the use of internet platforms such as Internet, Facebook, and Khoryug’s website. Similarly, representatives discussed how to best coordinate across distance and borders. Finally, delegates considered what the role of Khoryug should be as an organization to facilitate these efforts. The day concluded with a debriefing from each group and the presentation of numerous excellent ideas for how the work of Khoryug can be strengthened and extended into the years ahead.
DAY 03:
Monastic representatives participated today in a jam-packed series of discussions and presentations to develop an organizational plan for the next five years of Khoryug. The productive day began with a presentation by Dekila, who grounded the day in a discussion of Khoryug’s vision. Delegates agreed that the vision to “practically apply the Buddhist values of compassion and interdependence towards the Earth and all living beings that dwell here” remains powerful and encompassing. Representatives further discussed including a space for Khoryug to partner with other organizations and communities.
Dekila then presented a synthesis of recommended actions that had been distilled from the previous day’s discussion under the headings of short term and long term action in Implementation, Communication, Coordination, and Organization. After incorporating feedback from representatives to ensure the list comprised every suggestion, delegates voted to rank their top three recommendations in each category.
While the vote was tallied, the conference received a presentation on Kun Kyong Charitable Trust, which now facilitates all of His Holiness the Karmapa’s charitable endeavours, including Khoryug. The presentation covered both the structure and value of Kun Kyong as well as addressing how the trust will shape further Khoryug fundraising efforts.
Delegates spent the latter part of the morning finalizing an organization structure to be presented to His Holiness. One of the biggest recommended changes was the establishment of a tier of coordination committees. In this new structure, the conference recommended establishing a Khoryug Central Committee with representatives from each country. This group will oversee the individual country coordination committees for India, Nepal and Bhutan, who will in turn oversee the communication and coordination of the monasteries and nunneries in each country. Developing this plan marked a significant step for Khoryug as it seeks to organize with more efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.
The plan also included measures to increase environmental education, optimize communications and maximize capacity building through training and clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
After lunch, representatives from each regional group presented the final draft of the organizational and action plan to His Holiness. Upon hearing the presentation, His Holiness expressed his support for the new organizational structure. He emphasized the valuable role monasteries and nunneries can play as catalysts and educators in their communities, and for this reason the next Khoryug conference will focus on natural disaster response. His Holiness also set an annual time for the conference to be held and announced that he will award a prize for environmental excellence to both a monastery and nunnery that includes a financial reward to further support Khoryug efforts.
His Holiness appointed Lhakpa Tsering, Programme Manager of Kun Kyong Charitable Trust with added responsibility as the Khoryug Officer to oversee Khoryug programmes, coordination and implementations temporarily for 3-4 months till another appointment is made.
With the organizational plan fully approved and adopted, delegates spent the final moments of the conference celebrating their achievement, expressing gratitude for everyone’s participation, speaking to their commitment to Khoryug and environmental action. In the waning sunset of the evening, everyone gathered outside the temple to share final farewells, snap last-minute group photos and share together one more satisfied meal.
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Last Updated: August 2, 2018 by kunkyong
6th Khoryug Conference On Environmental Protection For Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries & Nunneries In The Himalayas
Three days of Sixth Khoryug Conference on Environmental Protection for Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries & Nunneries in the Himalayas was held at Norbulingka Institute on Nov 13-15, 2015. Kun Kyong Charitable Trust sponsored and organised the conference. Forty-five delegates from 29 monasteries, nunneries and 04 individuals participated in the conference.
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa attended the second and the third day of the conference.
DAY 01:
Forty-five delegates gathered in the beautiful Norbulingka Institute today for the sixth Khoryug Conference. Welcome notes from Gyaltsen Sonam, Internal Affairs Manager of Tsurphu Labrang and Lhakpa Tsering, Programme Manager of the Kun Kyong Charitable Trust was followed by Dekila Chungyalpa, Khoryug Advisor introducing the goals of the conference and agenda for the day. She explained that this conference is distinct from other conferences because rather than provide environmental and organizing training, these three days are dedicated to assessing lessons learned in the past five years and how Khoryug can improve organizationally in the next five years.
The agenda today focused on examining what has and has not worked over the last five years. Dekila gave a presentation on the progress of Khoryug as a whole, explaining how His Holiness’ commitment to the environment led to the development of environmental guidelines and later the first Khoryug conference, which evolved into the creation of Khoryug as a formal association of monasteries and nunneries. She further illustrated what an important role these institutions can play in managing the state of the environment in the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau, an area that provides the water for a quarter of the world’s population.
Representatives from five different regions presented on the successes in their region over the last five years. The representatives spoke about the work they have done to plant trees, revitalize habitats, farm organically, better manage waste and water and conserve electricity while seeking greener options. Representatives further discussed the obstacles they face in implementation and the difficulties they are working to overcome.
Delegates heard about the environmental efforts by Nalanda Monastery in South India, led by Karma Tulku Rinpoche, which have resulted in the revitalization of a nearby lake and wetland. Monks planted many indigenous trees and plants in the area when they realized how the habitat around the lake had been devastated. After pursuing this project for several years, they have seen wildlife return and have noticed decreased flooding in the wetland due to reintroduced vegetation.
Similarly, monasteries in Nepal have found success in their organic farming initiatives, in which they have striven to both grow organic produce as well as offer education in their surrounding communities about organic practices. Many monasteries reported that their organic production was sufficient to provide a significant portion of monastics’ diets. The produce not only improves the nutrition of these monks and nuns, but also offers a valuable opportunity to spread awareness about health and environmental issues.
In the afternoon, monks and nuns met in regional groups to discuss what successes they had achieved in the last five years and what challenges they faced, both environmental and organizational. For many monasteries and nunneries, this was a valuable opportunity to hear about the experience of other institutions that operate in similar conditions and to share advice and strategies. The day concluded with a conference-wide debriefing session in which representatives from each region shared the outcome of their discussion, which revealed many overlapping experiences as well as distinct focuses based on regional conditions.
DAY 02:
Delegates met together today to delve into the details of Khoryug monasteries and nunneries’ work within and between India, Nepal and Bhutan. In the morning, the attendees heard reports from the Northeast and Northwest regions of India on the successes of their monastery or nunnery and the challenges they have faced. They then heard from Damaris Miller, a recent graduate of Princeton University, who gathered information about Khoryug in Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim during the summer of 2014. She presented highlights from her findings, as well as those from the research of two Yale graduate students that was conducted in the spring of 2015. Together, these findings echoed much of the discussion that monastics were having already, noting the crucial influence from His Holiness the Karmapa in initiating environmental work. The presentation used both quantitative and qualitative findings to illustrate how much monasteries and nunneries have accomplished as well as specific areas that have proved challenging.
In the latter part of the morning, the delegation was honoured with a visit from His Holiness the Karmapa. His Holiness spoke to the representatives extensively and gave input as to how the organization should move forward. Tapping his hand to his heart repeatedly, he emphasized the importance of having a personal and emotional connection to the environment; without truly feeling the central role the environment plays in all of our lives we cannot make a lasting and genuine commitment. He pointed out that although our desires are limitless, our resources are extremely finite. Ultimately the necessary work that Khoryug strives to achieve cannot be carried out by only a few people but requires the effort and cooperation of every monastery and nunnery.
His Holiness further spoke about specific initiatives like creating natural disaster rescue teams within monasteries and nunneries that have received proper training and can be deployed at any time. He also recommended using internet resources like messaging apps as a way to maintain contact between different monasteries and nunneries spread out within and among three countries.
In the afternoon, delegates met in their regional groups to discuss in detail four different themes that will structure the future of Khoryug – Implementation, Communication, Coordination, and Organization. In the case of implementation, monastics discussed how Khoryug monasteries and nunneries could be most effective in their environmental projects such as waste management, tree plantation and solar electricity. With regards to communication they discussed how to better facilitate communication between monasteries and nunneries within each country as well as between countries, including the use of internet platforms such as Internet, Facebook, and Khoryug’s website. Similarly, representatives discussed how to best coordinate across distance and borders. Finally, delegates considered what the role of Khoryug should be as an organization to facilitate these efforts. The day concluded with a debriefing from each group and the presentation of numerous excellent ideas for how the work of Khoryug can be strengthened and extended into the years ahead.
DAY 03:
Monastic representatives participated today in a jam-packed series of discussions and presentations to develop an organizational plan for the next five years of Khoryug. The productive day began with a presentation by Dekila, who grounded the day in a discussion of Khoryug’s vision. Delegates agreed that the vision to “practically apply the Buddhist values of compassion and interdependence towards the Earth and all living beings that dwell here” remains powerful and encompassing. Representatives further discussed including a space for Khoryug to partner with other organizations and communities.
Dekila then presented a synthesis of recommended actions that had been distilled from the previous day’s discussion under the headings of short term and long term action in Implementation, Communication, Coordination, and Organization. After incorporating feedback from representatives to ensure the list comprised every suggestion, delegates voted to rank their top three recommendations in each category.
While the vote was tallied, the conference received a presentation on Kun Kyong Charitable Trust, which now facilitates all of His Holiness the Karmapa’s charitable endeavours, including Khoryug. The presentation covered both the structure and value of Kun Kyong as well as addressing how the trust will shape further Khoryug fundraising efforts.
Delegates spent the latter part of the morning finalizing an organization structure to be presented to His Holiness. One of the biggest recommended changes was the establishment of a tier of coordination committees. In this new structure, the conference recommended establishing a Khoryug Central Committee with representatives from each country. This group will oversee the individual country coordination committees for India, Nepal and Bhutan, who will in turn oversee the communication and coordination of the monasteries and nunneries in each country. Developing this plan marked a significant step for Khoryug as it seeks to organize with more efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.
The plan also included measures to increase environmental education, optimize communications and maximize capacity building through training and clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
After lunch, representatives from each regional group presented the final draft of the organizational and action plan to His Holiness. Upon hearing the presentation, His Holiness expressed his support for the new organizational structure. He emphasized the valuable role monasteries and nunneries can play as catalysts and educators in their communities, and for this reason the next Khoryug conference will focus on natural disaster response. His Holiness also set an annual time for the conference to be held and announced that he will award a prize for environmental excellence to both a monastery and nunnery that includes a financial reward to further support Khoryug efforts.
His Holiness appointed Lhakpa Tsering, Programme Manager of Kun Kyong Charitable Trust with added responsibility as the Khoryug Officer to oversee Khoryug programmes, coordination and implementations temporarily for 3-4 months till another appointment is made.
With the organizational plan fully approved and adopted, delegates spent the final moments of the conference celebrating their achievement, expressing gratitude for everyone’s participation, speaking to their commitment to Khoryug and environmental action. In the waning sunset of the evening, everyone gathered outside the temple to share final farewells, snap last-minute group photos and share together one more satisfied meal.
Category: Khoryug - Environment Protection Tags: Environment Protection, karmapa, khoryug
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