Kathmandu, Nepal, is in lockdown again and emergency food aid is essential both in the city and rural areas. Our friend, Ram Hari Khadka, established a children’s charity “Indreni” at Sundarijal, 18 kilometres away from the city, and recently became aware of many families in the mountainous area who are in desperate need of food. …
Akong – A Remarkable Life tells the story of Akong Tulku Rinpoche, Tibetan Buddhist master, compelled to flee his homeland at the height of Sino-Tibetan tensions and forced into exile into unknown lands. Later he would become, along with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the key pioneers of Tibetan Buddhism in the West.
Vin Harris, one of our founding Trustees, has studied and practiced meditation for more than 45 years under the guidance of many great Tibetan Buddhist Masters. He uses his experience to teach and develop mindfulness training programmes throughout the UK and Europe.
The Hart Knowe Trust worked with the Mindfulness Association to establish a project that enabled almost 700 people to participate in mindfulness courses. Between 2016 and 2019 we supported four rounds of Mindfulness for Everyone Projects, offering free access to mindfulness training for 67 groups of people from vulnerable and isolated communities in locations throughout the UK.
We believe that although mindfulness begins with enhancing the well-being of the individual, it also has a vital role to play in creating a more compassionate world for the good of all. The Mindfulness Innovation Challenge is a new initiative designed to reach the parts of our society that mindfulness has not yet reached.
As well as being a way to deal with immediate problems such as stress and anxiety, mindfulness can also be regarded as a life-long journey. The book “Mindful Heroes: stories of journeys that changed lives” explores this view of mindfulness through the stories told by a group of people who followed the path of mindfulness and went on an inner journey that would change their world.
At the time of writing the whole world is affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Through our networks established in India whilst developing the Compassion in Action Projects we have been able to sponsor the provision of food, support services and protective equipment to alleviate suffering in Bodhgaya and the surrounding villages.
The Sewing Happiness Project provides training and resources for young women living in and around Bodhgaya. It was the brain child of Jangchup Lingpa who is the Secretary of the Kagyupa International Trust. Lama Chodrak, CEO of Kagyu Monlam immediately gave Jangchup the go ahead to pursue his idea further. This training programme fitted perfectly with our aspiration to plant seeds of compassionate action that can grow to provide longer lasting benefit and we had no hesitation in offering our support.
We are able to contribute to the well-being of 200 girls by improving the facilities at two Girls’ Hostels in the villages near Bodhgaya. This is made possible thanks to our colleagues based in the area who visit the outlying villages from time to time to assess their needs.
These girls who live at the Government-run hostels during term-time come from families who live below India’s national poverty line far from the nearest school.
Following the tragic death of Akong Rinpoche in 2013, the Hart Knowe Trust was even more committed to carry on the project he had inspired us to start. His brother Lama Yeshe, who is the Abbot of Samye Ling, named it the “Akong Tulku Memorial Soup Kitchen”. In co-operation with the Kagyupa International Monlam Trust, the Soup Kitchen has become established as a special event that the local people and volunteers from all over the world look forward to.