Years of Service
Rinpoche wrote this letter to a longtime student based in Mongolia, a senior monk who had given many years of service to Rinpoche.
My very dear Lawrence,
I read your message. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, as well as on behalf of the whole FPMT, for all you have done in Mongolia.
Thank you for making the center bloom like a lotus in Mongolia, and for spreading the Dharma to the Mongolians, young and old. Not only that, but thank you for all your past great service and the sacrifices you have made for the organization, for many years, as well as building a monastery by yourself, and for what you have done in many other places.
Now, many of the old FPMT Sangha members are gone, like clouds disappearing in the sky. You are one of the extremely rare ones among all the Sangha. Most didn’t have enough endurance, but you are one of the FPMT wish-granting jewels.
In all the different activities that you have done, like building monasteries, spreading Dharma, and so on, you had to bear a lot of hardship. You had to practice all the three types of patience—patience toward the enemy, toward sufferings, tiredness, and so forth, and patience reflecting on the Dharma (bearing hardships to study Dharma and so forth), while offering service to spread Buddha's teachings, the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa.
So, thank you very much.