Gunchab Jampa Ling

Gunchab Jampa Ling is the Buddhist branch of Panchen Otrul Rinpoche’s activities in Mongolia. Panchen Otrul Rinpoche first came to Mongolia in 1995 to provide Buddhist teachings at the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Mongolia is a traditionally Buddhist country; since the break up of the Soviet Union, Mongolia has experienced a strong revival of its Buddhist traditions. There is a thirst for the teachings. Gunchab Jampa Ling aims to provide monks and lay people with access to the Dharma, or teachings by:
supporting monks and local monasteries
providing Buddhist teachings to a lay audience of all ages
printing accessible short publications for free distribution
 
  
Gunchab Jampa Ling is under the spiritual direction of Panchen Otrul Rinpoche (left), a high Tibetan monk. Geshe Lhawang Gyaltsen (right), a senior Tibetan monk directs the organisation.

Buddhist vows
Between 1996 and 2005, Panchen Otrul Rinpoche has given Gelong Vows to 80 monks and Getsul Vows to 300 monks. There are few senior monks able to provide high level vows in Mongolia.

Geshe Lhawang Gyaltsen has given lay vows to 250 people who have committed not to kill, not to steal, not to lie, not to partake in sexual misconduct and not to imbibe intoxicants. Two thousand people have committed to giving up alcohol. With extreme winters and high levels of unemployment, alcoholism is a big problem in Mongolia.

Photo: Monks from all over Mongolia just ordained by Panchen Otrul Rimpoche.
Buddhist teachings
Teachings & prayers at Gunchab Jampa Ling

Since 1998, Buddhist teachings have been given on Saturday and Sunday to the Public. Approximately 150 people have attended each day.  Eight hundred people are now registered at the centre. At the New Moon 50 to 70 people come to chant 21 Verses to Tara all night. At the Full Moon people chant Guru Puja and the Long Life Prayer for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

In 2004, Buddhist teachings were started for University and college students. 300 students are now registered.  Approximately 50 students attend each Saturday from 23 different colleges. They are required to come for teachings over a period of 45 days during the year. They then sit an examination, and prizes are given. On the left the University students who come to Gunchab Jampa Ling are chanting in front of Gandan Khiid, the main monastery in Ulaanbaatar at Sagadawa. Also in 2004, Buddhist teachings were also started for school children.  300 children are registered and approximately 40 children come each weekend.

Teachings in rural areas & other monasteries
Teachings have been given to monks and lay people by Panchen Otrul Rinpoche and Geshe Lhawang Gyaltsen all over Mongolia including in:
Hambogd, Omnogobi aimag
Ondershil and Choyr, Dungobi aimag
Hurjitt Monastery and Shankh Khiid, Overhangai aimag
Retreat Temple, Terelj
Lam Rim Monastery, Ulaanbaatar

 
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche visits Ondershil every year. There is a small ger temple (left) where Rinpoche gives teachings. He also visits a local Ovoo (centre) to conduct prayers. To the right Rinpoche is sitting with Ondershil elders. 

Teachings in prisons & rehabilitation centres
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche has given teachings at the women’s prison, men’s prison and the juvenile prison. Dharma books have been provided and daily necessities handed out. Dharma teachings have also been given at the alcoholic’s rehabilitation centre. Ger temples have been placed in both the women’s and men’s prison with thankas and everything necessary for the alter.

Photo: Panchen Otrul Rimpoche giving blessings at the Women’s Prison; Margery Cross handing out face cream and other provisions.



Support for monks and monasteries
Rural monasteries and temples

Gunchab Jampa Ling has provided a ger and food for junior monks at Shankh Khiid and has recently renovated a building which will serve as a school for the young monks. A roof was provided for the new monastery being built at Hurjitt.

A stupa was built in Ondershil and a metal roof put on the ger temple there. The photo on the right shows people circumambulating the new stupa during Rinpoche’s visit to Ondershil.




Monks
Support and training is provided to junior monks like these monks from Onderhsil on the left. Panchen Otrul Rinpoche also provides spiritual guidance and support to the monks at Shank Monastery (right).




The printing centre
The printing centre was set up with a grant from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in order to make the teachings available and accessible to the lay community, especially those living in rural areas who have little access to the Dharma.

7,500 copies of five different dharma books of teachings by the Dalai Lama translated into Mongolian have been printed for free distribution. 1,000 copies of two different prayer books in Tibetan with Mongolian phonetics and translations have been printed. 2,500 children’s dharma books dual language Mongolian – English have been printed.

Visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

In August 2006 we were blessed by a visit from His Holiness the Dalai Lama who gave a short teaching to those gathered. This was the closest His Holiness came to the ger districts. A large crowd gathered and overwhelmed with joy, many Mongolians, who usually do not show their emotions, cried to see His Holiness teaching in the shrine room they visit every week. This was a very special moment for all of us.