May Lein Ho continues her story –
AFTER I CAME BACK from Karme Ling with Rinpoche’s permission and blessing to start working on the White Tara Statue project, Ani Lodro called twice to relay specific wishes from Rinpoche, something that has never happened to us before in twenty years of working with Rinpoche on Dharma projects.
In the past, Rinpoche would always approve a project proposal, and that would be it. No more instructions, just do it.
Not this time.
For our White Tara Project, Rinpoche is paying very close attention, picking the specific date for our puja next year and specifying quite precisely what Buddha statues we should offer. I even heard that he had talked about this project to his students before we announced it!
Rinpoche’s First Call – The Purpose of the White Tara Shrine
In Ani Lodro’s first call from Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Rinpoche says that the purpose of this Shrine is to make auspiciousness, dharmic joy and happiness. A magnificent White Tara Shrine will be created at KTD, manifested by the joyful energy of as many people as possible. A payment plan has been designed so that more people would be able to get a statue, and groups are encouraged to come together in order to order a statue or statues. In this way there is a way for everyone to participate in the karmic streams coming together to create Rinpoche’s White Tara Shrine, as he orchestrates the project and its manifestation.
There is a way for everyone to feel happy about the generation, the purpose, and what is achieved. It is quite special.
Rinpoche’s Second Call – Commissioning of the White Tara Statues
Ani Lodro called me back the second time when I called Rinpoche in order to ask who I should commission to make the statues – there is no way to go to a store and buy this many White Tara statues of identical style, quality and craftsmanship. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche told me that the quality of the statue is the most important factor. Someone must be found who can make the very best statues available, never sacrificing quality for cost.
Of course, the more we can save on the base cost, the more resources will be available to pay back our KTD loans – but as Rinpoche repeatedly says, this is not the point here.
To Khenpo Karthar, the quality of the statues is where he wants us to focus, quite challenging from our point of view – to find someone who can make White Tara statues of the best quality, but at the same time charge us the least!
To our joy, with the blessing of His Holiness Karmapa and Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, we have found our statue maker.
The story continues – please stay tuned; I will write you the next installment soon.
— May Lein Ho
The White Tara Statue Request Form – updated 5/1/2013
KTD Mandala News 