Samten Choeling Nunnery

A family supported Nunnery

The Palri Buddha Park is a Community Park being constructed by Samten Choeling Nunnery. Life-size traditional sculptures are being installed depicting the 12 principle historical events in the life of Buddha. Buddha manifested these events to teach us how to travel the path to Buddhahood. Having this park will remind people of these events and facilitate and inspire the transmission of Dharma for all those who can benefit. Additionally, the park will serve to save the local community forest and its age-old spiritual sanctity which is being threatened by commercial interests for its rich gypsum deposits.

In 2011, we built models for all the statues. Starting in 2013 we began building the park. Thanks to many donors who generously contributed cash and materials, the park is now nearly finished. We need approximately $10,000 to complete the project. Please consider donating to this noble project. We appreciate all who have contributed, whether large or small amounts.

About the Palri Buddha Park Project

(for more information, see http://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/palri-buddha-park-a-conservation-project-in-east-bhutan)

Lopon Senam Tashi was a lay Monk from the very young age.  He became the Head of a village monastery from his early sixties.  He served for many years as Lopon (village head priest).  The monastery he was serving became more and more isolated as many villagers got resettled and moved to different parts of southern Bhutan.  But he was very firm in his service to the common people and decided not to abandon the remaining villagers.  Instead, he started his own monastery some distance away from the monastery he used to serve.  It is located on a small hillock called Mukazor, about ten miles or so from the local town Wamrong, eastern Bhutan.  This monastery came to be known as Samten Choeling Monastery, a spiritual consultancy and related service center for many villagers.  Since there were many girl children in the village who needed help, this became more of a nunnery. 

Under the supervision of Lopon Senam’s second son who is also a monk, the entire family is working hard to promote this nunnery into a full-fledged learning center with adequate infrastructure as well as the curriculum.  As seen in the illustration below, lot of infrastructure and cite transformation has already taken place compared to the early campus above. 

Right now there are seventeen nuns and one monk.  While the average age of the nuns are in their late teens, the youngest one is five and few are in late twenties.  Recruitment is done based on dire need of care.  Most of the present nuns are either from a broken family, single parent, physically challenged parents, or an orphan.
May be fortunate for some but unfortunate for local community and the monastery, the whole hillock where the monastery is located is found to be rich deposit of gypsum, the raw material for big cement companies.  It is at the verge of losing the sacred hillock to the company lobbies for gypsum quarry.  With great concern, the local communities have raised their voice not to let this happen.  Moreover, it was late Lopon Senam’s wish that, one day, he wanted to see this place turned into a beautiful park where people can visit freely and have space for quite moments away from noise and crowd.  He already started by planting some ornamental trees.  It is told that he often use to visit this place much before he decided move there.  This place is ideal for occasional spiritual discourses and meditation practices. 

Founder’s son Odzer Palzang, Samtenchholing’s succeeding Lam (Spiritual Teacher)

Mindful of the above issues, concerns, and great potential for welfare activities for the common people, Odzer Pelzang, Late Lopon Senam’s son decided to speed up constructing the park.  This will not only fulfill the late father’s wish but also a timely venture to support the local communities in making a stronger case why this cite should be protected from mining.
The major plan is to build sixty-three life-size statues (estimated cost Nu/Rs.1 crore) depicting the twelve principle deeds of Lord Buddha.  Odzer believes these visual figures will be powerful for common people, those who doesn’t read and write to help understand the Dharma.  Odzer has received profound teachings on the Dharma from his very Guru Dodrupchen who resides in Sikkim.  Odzer is with Dodrupchen since childhood and he is one of Dodrupchen’s trusted disciples.   

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