Rebuilding Delgeruun
Choira Temple
By
Matthew Richards
Gaden Relief's
Mongolia Project is reporting success with the rebuilding
of Delgeruun Choira Temple in Dundgovi Province. The renovations
are progressing remarkably fast and with good craftmanship.
The temple's head lama,
Zava Damdin Rinpoche, has been spending a great amount of
time and effort overseeing and participating in this project.
Delgeruun Choira Temple is the traditional seat of his predecessors,
themselves renown lamas of Mongolia. Feeling a sense of devotion
and responsibility to both his previous incarnations and the
local community, Rinpoche wants this monastery returned to
its former glory.
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| Planting
trees in front of new temple at Delgeruun
Choira Monastery, April 2005. Photo: Zeev
Rozen. |
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You can see by the
pictures how far it's come along in the past year: from derelict
ruins to a "golden blossom" in the desert. Its new roof gleams
in the sun and the refurbished interior is ready for traditional
ceremonies and prayers. Zava Damdin Rinpoche planted a tree
outside the front to symbolize the temple's rebirth and already
the new kitchen is up and running. With
funding support from Gaden Relief's Mongolia Project, a new
electric generator and two gers (yurts) with furniture for
living quarters were purchased.
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| Hauling
water at Delgeruun Choira Monastery. Photo:
Zeev Rozen. |
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Gaden Relief's spiritual
director, Zasep Rinpoche, works closely with Zava Damdin Rinpoche,
and together the two lamas are looking at the future direction
of the Gobi temple and its needs. Besides money for the contractor
for the reconstruction work, Delgeruun Temple needs more gers,
solar panels, rest-room facilities, propane gas, cookware
and perhaps even some school supplies for study. Once the
monastery is officially open, the young monks will need a
food fund as well.
There's a lot of work
left to do but we can see what we've accomplished together
already. Soon, Delgeruun Choira Temple will once more be a
famed place to study and practice Buddhism in Mongolia.
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| The
monks of Delgeruun Choira, in front of the
new reconstructed temple and next to the yurt
currently used as the temporary temple. Zava
Damdin Rinpoche is fourth from left, second
row. May 2005. Photo: Zeev Rozen |
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| Interior
work on new temple, May 2005. Photo: Zeev
Rozen |
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| Ceiling
detail in new temple, May 2005. Photo: Zeev
Rozen |
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| While
reconstruction of the new temple is underway,
the monks use this warm and inviting temporary
temple set up inside a ger (yurt), May 2005.
Photo: Zeev Rozen |
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| New
kitchen facility for the monastery, April
2005. Photo: Zeev Rozen |
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| One
of five new Manjusri statues for the new temple,
May 2005. Photo: Zeev Rozen |
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| New
statuary for the temple, May 2005. Photo:
Zeev Rozen |
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| Young
monk performing puja in the temporary temple,
May 2005. Photo: Zeev Rozen |
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For more information about Gaden Relief's
Mongolia Project, please visit our Mongolia
Project page or contact project coordinator Matthew
Richards.
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