Awakening Vajra International Projects

All of the project initiatives fit within the overall mission and strategy of Awakening Vajra International. From underwriting our various capital building campaigns, to developing Buddhadharma courses, to supporting H. E. Choden Rinpoche’s reincarnation–H. E. Tenzin Gyalten Rinpoche–each project is an invaluable means to advance the Buddha’s teachings and to secure the legacy of H. E. Choden Rinpoche. Your support, both monetary and through volunteerism, is highly welcome and will make the difference in growing a dynamic, professionally directed Buddhist organization whose primary aim is to end the cycle of suffering and secure lasting happiness for all sentient beings.

You can Support Any of Awakening Vajra International Projects by Using Your Personal Credit Card or PayPal.

Gyalten Health and Wellness Clinic

The Gyalten Health and Wellness Clinic is primarily dedicated to serving the physical well-being of the monks at Lama Gaun Tashi Rabten Monastery. Each monk, at the monastery, receives a comprehensive Buddhist and secular education; but it is also necessary to safeguard, provide and promote healthy ways of being. For these reasons, Gyalten Health and Wellness Clinic will provide four integrated types of health promoting activities that will ensure a lifetime of healthy habits.

• Exercise and Fitness Training
• Healthy Eating and Nutrition
• Daily Hygiene
• Medical Care

Saga Dawa Celebration and Guru Puja Tsok
To all Awakening Vajra International students and Buddhist community members: 
 
May 31st is a doubly-auspicious day of celebration: the birthdate of our beloved H. E. Chöden Rinpoche, as well as the historical Shakyamuni Buddha. Please join us as Lama Gaun Tashi Rabten Monastery celebrates Saga Dawa with a Gura Puja Tsok. All are welcome to make an offering to help support the Lama Gaun monks in this joyous event. Don’t miss this opportunity to create immeasurable merit!
Chöden Tenzin Rinpoche’s Entrance into Sera Jey Monastery, India

In the month of March, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Gyalten will travel to India to invite H. E. Chöden Rinpoche’s reincarnation, Chöden Tenzin Rinpoche, where he lives with his family in Orisa Tibetan settlement, to attend Sera Jey Monastery. This invitation to attend Sera for the immediate future, is to follow in the footsteps of H. E. Chöden Rinpoche, will take place on the most auspicious day of 15th of the Tibetan New Year. Our precious Chöden Tenzin Rinpoche will receive a traditional monastic training in reading, writing and memorizing prayers, pujas and scriptures from many of the best geshes and teachers in the Gelug lineage. Besides being immersed in Tibetan culture and spiritual traditions he will receive instruction in learning English and Chinese languages. There will be two ceremonies of induction. One will take place at Ihopa Khangtsen and the other at Chöden Labrang (H.E. Chöden Rinpoche study house.) At each ceremony, many monks will do a guru puja (Lama Chopa) where supporters may offer a meal, Tibetan tea and money to each monk as an integral part of the celebration.

Everyone is welcome to join in the celebration by contributing to this auspicious event. This is a great meaningful opportunity to reconnect with our past beloved master H. E. Chöden Rinpoche and to connect to his present reincarnation, Chöden Tenzin Rinpoche as he follows in the path of great masters.

Lama Gaun School for Monks

The Lama Gaun School for Monks will be located on Lama Gaun Tashi Rabten Monastery campus in Nepal. The building will consist of four floors, numerous modern and technological driven classrooms and school accommodations making the learning environment as productive as possible. When completed the school will be a contemporary model of educational efficiency and profound effectiveness guiding 100 young students in secular and Buddhist studies who will become, according to H. E. Choden Rinpoche’s last wishes wise and compassionate human beings. Please join us in this campaign and make it possible to build our school to educate students, to help them become proficient Buddhist practitioners and compassionate leaders in whatever future endeavors they decide to pursue, whether to become a monk at Sera Je Monastery, attend a university or return to their villages and cities they will make the world a better place.

Biography of H. E. Chöden Rinpoche

Awakening Vajra International, under the spiritual guidance of Khen Rinpoche Geshe Gyalten, is very pleased to announce the publishing of H. E. Chöden Rinpoche’s inspiring and touching biography based primarily on Rinpoche’s own recorded words.

Kali Devi Basic School

This rural district school is located near Lama Gaun Tashi Rabten Monastery in the Village of Lama Gaun near Pharping, Nepal. We are supporting the basic needs of 150 students from the surrounding area. Specifically, each year we need to raise 7,000.00 USD to buy school supplies, sets of school clothes: shoes, socks, underwear, skirts, pants, shirts, blouses, jackets, hats et cetera for these aspiring young students. Khen Rinpoche has also asked that we supply a celebration meal, once per year, for the children, staff and teachers.

Lama Gaun Tashi Rabten Monastery

One of H. E. Choden Rinpoche’s final wishes was to build a monastery in Pharphing, Nepal to house his many monks to study Buddhadharma and be the epicenter for the study of the Five Branches of Knowledge. It was Rinpoche’s express belief that the Five Branches could offer many benefits to all humanity. The proposed monastery would house over 100 monks and be a place for all student practitioners to come to study and practice with Rinpoche’s sangha of monks.

H. E. Tenzin Gyalten Rinpoche Sponsorship Fund

This fund will offer financial support to our new Rinpoche, Tenzin Gyalten. It is aimed at two distinct but overlapping initiatives. It will first support current and ongoing daily family needs in Rinpoche’s upbringing, and secondly, in the long-term provide financial support for his education in traditional Buddhist studies and modern Western education.

Awakening Vajra International Social Service Fund

Our Social Service Initiatives (SSI) are varied and expanding to cover the needs of the local population around Lama Gaun Tashi Rabten Monastery. At present we are involved in supporting:

  1. Free, fresh uncontaminated water for 17 families in the vicinity of Lama Gaun Tashe Rabten Monastery.
  2. Building a local site for funeral prayers and cremation services.
  3. Giving money to our regional Red Cross office for various needs.
  4. Funds for the protection of local wildlife and forests.
  5. The local school, Shree Kali Devi Basic School, with clothing, books, school supplies, food and uniforms for all the children of need.
Gyalten Translation Group (GTG)

The Gyalten (means Victorious Dharma) Translation Group is responsible for collecting, consolidating, archiving, transcribing, translating and publishing thousands of hours of audio and video recordings and thousands of pages of writings in Tibetan and English. This enormous task will require many dedicated volunteers and professional personnel. At present, we have collected the precious teachings of H. E. Choden Rinpoche and Geshe Gyalten Kungka which span a period of over two decades. It is the responsibility of GTG to ensure every practitioner, with the appropriate empowerments, to have access to these precious Tibetan Buddhist teachings in all media formats.

Dharma Education Development

A main emphasis of Awakening Vajra International is to develop, over time, a fully progressive assortment of connected Buddhist education courses. We intend to develop Buddhist courses for everyday life, to basic and advance Sutrayana and Tantrayana offerings. Courses will adhere to the Tibetan tradition, and be relevant for the modern Western and Eastern student. In addition to foundation Buddhist curricula, Awakening Vajra will begin to develop a full sequence of courses related to the Five Branches of Knowledge as lay down in the tradition of the original Nalanda University.

H. E. Choden Rinpoche Holy Stupa

The stupa project in Bodh Gaya, India is an epicenter for accumulating merit, purifying misdeeds and keeping alive the holy activities of H. E. Choden Rinpoche. The holy monument is part of a three phase building project which includes not only the stupa, but a temple, free health clinic and future school. The stupa will act as a symbol of our intrinsic Buddha-nature and remind each of us to emulate our Guru’s loving-kindness and compassion. (For Brochure)

AVI Strategic Development Initiative

All organizations require structural alignment and leadership, and AVI with it many projects need professionals to coordinate its various activities, to overview strategy and enact tactics to accomplish the mission and H. E. Choden Rinpoche’s vision.The duties, the mission of AVI are numerous, important and require a coordination of many resources. From developing core curriculum, to preserving and proliferating the archives, to growing an international organization require expertise, time, energy and insights—all to preserve and propagate the legacy of H. E. Choden Rinpoche and lay the foundation for a vibrant, modern organization to pass on to H. E. Tenzin Gyalten Rinpoche.