Homecoming
by Larry Mermelstein

In the summer of 2003, for the first time, Damchö Tenphel Rinpoche, the younger brother of the Vidyadhara Trungpa Rinpoche, and Karma Senge Trakpa Rinpoche, the Vidyadhara's nephew, journeyed from the Surmang Monasteries in East Tibet to North America. Each was accompanied by an attendant: Karma Senge Rinpoche with his brother, Sönam Wangdü, age 27, and Damchö Rinpoche with his son, Sangye Tendzin, age 23. It was a remarkable visit in so many ways, and we are very grateful to have met them after all these years.

Karma Senge and Damcho Rinpoche (seated) with Sonam Wangdu and
Sangye Tendzin (standing). Photo by Marvin Moore.

Damchö Rinpoche, now 56, was installed by the Vidyadhara as the abbot of Kyere Monastery sometime in the late 1950s. Apparently, knowing that his own monastery of Dutsi Tel would become a very dangerous place to be, the Vidyadhara decided to move his family (mother, brother, and two sisters—perhaps others too) to the nearby region of Kyere, where they remained for many years. (The Chinese did completely destroy Dutsi Tel soon after.) Karma Senge Rinpoche, 38 years old, is also from Kyere, which is about 30 miles as the crow flies from Dutsi Tel, though it takes a day or more to travel there.

Khenpo Tsering Gyurme, also from Surmang, who has spent much time visiting in Boulder over the last several years, made most of the arrangements for this historic trip. His efforts were fraught with innumerable difficulties—from obtaining passports and other documentation for the party of four, none of whom had ever traveled beyond Tibet, to dealing with a very complex and risky health crisis throughout China during the outbreak and eventual containment of SARS. Nothing was simple, and planning seemed impossible.

We knew that the up-front costs of mounting this expedition would be very high (approximately US $15,000 just to get them on their way), and Shambhala International was not in the best financial state to undertake this commitment alone. Appreciating the immense value of such a visit, especially through our on-going work with the Vidyadhara's writings from Tibet, the Nalanda Translation Committee decided to commit the funds necessary to launch this endeavor from our endowment. Peter Volz, Director of the Office of International Affairs, arranged for the party to visit Boulder, Shambhala Mountain Center (SMC), the San Francisco Bay Area, and Halifax.

Homecoming . . . continued