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Bill Karelis
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Establishment of 108 Libraries in the name of the
Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
by Bill Karelis
Posted: July 26, 2012
The Vidyadhara Foundation, which I founded a few years ago in Boulder, Colorado, is focusing its attention on the Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Library Project, envisaged as 108 collections of Buddhist and Shambhala-oriented volumes, housed around the world. The Project seeks to include books by the Vidyadhara himself, but the libraries will not be limited to his writings.
The first such collection has been placed at Tashi Chöling, a beautiful Nyingma meditation center in Ashland, Oregon under the direction of the great Gyaltrul Rinpoche, made up of 1,700 volumes from the library of the late Robin Kornman, in seven languages. Known as the Robin Kornman Collection, it is sitting on shelves, with bookplates bearing the image of Gesar of Ling, attesting to its origin as coming from Robin's library, awaiting completion of the full library facility at Tashi Chöling, already a Buddhist research and study center.
The Vidyadhara Foundation now has an opportunity to provide Buddhist and Shambhala-oriented books to the best Oriental library in Lithuania, at Vilnius University. Lithuania, one of the cradles of civilization, is situated on the Baltic Sea, northeast of Poland, with 3 1/2 milllion inhabitants; Vilnius is the capital city. The collection we are offering will be situated in the library of the Oriental Studies Dept. of the University. The Oriental library itself sits atop the University, with a view of the beautiful, old downtown area, overlooking the President's offices and the Parliament building.
Five other library sites are under discussion with potential host entities.
The Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Library Project is seeking donations of good Buddhist books, especially English translations of Sutras of the Buddha and classic texts of the great Indian panditas and Tibetan masters, and adepts from all Buddhist lineages. In addition to English, volumes in Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, Chinese and Russian—and other languages—are welcome. Needless to say, any volumes of the Vidyadhara's work will be received gladly as well.
Those owning Buddhist and Shambhala-related books who wish to donate part or all of their libraries to the Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Library Project following their death may do so easily by writing a letter of distribution of personal effects, which can be attached to an existing will without further work, expense or legal implications.
The library volumes are being placed under the stipulation that the collections will be kept intact and cared for in perpetuity.
In addition, if anyone seeks to host a library collection established with the help of the Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Library Project now or in the future, that interest will be reciprocated.
Inquiries about what constitutes a library collection, where to send books, requests for the boilerplate bequest letter, and other questions, offers and comments may be sent to
for the time being.
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What we learned from Yonten: Part Two
