There used to be a saying in Tibet, “...that half of Tibet are poor people. Half of the poor people are Drukpas. Half of them are enlightened.” Today six yogis remain of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition. Known as “togden” (“having realization”), these men have followed the example and style of Milarepa’s life. In Tibet a togden’s life had nothing to do with simply being a monk. Most of them, after having spent about 15 years in the monastery, went to the drubkang (the retreat center) around the age of 27. The drubkarig was very far from the monastery, and being supported by their families, all they had to do was practice: ngondro, yidam practice, Demchog and Phagmo retreats, Nawchosdrug, and strict ten—year retreats. In particular, these six remaining togdens, having entered the monastery at a very early age, had already done years of retreat in Tibet when they were requested to escape to India during the Chinese invasion.

Since leaving Tibet, they have lived at Tashi Jong in Northern India, the monastic center of His Holiness Khamtrul Rinpoche, leader of the Drukpa Kagyu sect. Until 1975, due to lack of support, their lives became intermingled with the monks’ lives and only their minds and appearances were different. In this situation, the toqdens hadn’t been able to do their yogic practices for years. Their time had been wholly used up in performing duties to maintain the monastery, including teaching the monks, and performing rituals and menial tasks. Also, the low altitude and tropical climate of India produced chronic and serious ailments to the togdens’ health.

Clearly a practice building, kitchen, and ongoing support for food and medicines was essential. Letters emphatically expressing this need were brought to Trungpa. Rinpoche’s attention in the Spring of 1975. He felt we should support them however possible. At Naropa that summer, students enthusiastically responded with a $1,000 contribution to build a drubkang. Thirty people also became monthly sponsors providing the yogis with food.

Since then, $100 a month has been sent regularly for their support. Ani Jinba, a Buddhist nun from Holland and devoted student of Khamtrul Rinpoche and Khyentse Rinpoche, living and working at Tashi Jong, has overseen the togdens’ welfare and acted as correspondent. She regularly sends letters and pictures about their activities and practice. In one letter she related the preciousness of the togdens and the importance of the drubkang:

It is not much use to have a monastery without a drubkang, as it is the drubkang and the togdens that carry on the essence of realized Dharma of the lineage. The monks are only involved in doing pujas, and of ninety monks maybe ten understand what the puja is about. The monks can of course take teaching, but very few are interested in practice.

Initially the yogis had many enthusiastic offers of monthly sponsorship, but now many of these have fallen through. We, along with a few others, are the only ones who have continued sending money monthly for the togdens. As the number of regular sponsors continues to drop off, it becomes more imperative to find new ones.

If you are interested in contributing to this noble situation, please click here. In turn, you will be kept informed through newsletters of the togdens’ lives and practice. This is an excellent opportunity to extend ourselves to the Drukpa Kagyu yogic tradition, which has been the heart’s blood of our own practice lineage.

The togdens constantly send their gratitude and blessings. Below is a letter received from Togden Choskyi Lodoe:

Dear Friends,

There is a group of togdens here at Tashi Jong and we are doing the Six Yogas of Naropa practice. We receive money from you. Thank you for that. From Tashi Jong.

In mid-November, 2002, I had the good fortune to travel to Ojo Caliente, NM, to meet Ani Jinba.  She is a Tibetan-Buddhist nun from Holland and a highly skilled translator who speaks nine languages.  She has been in and out of Tashi Jong since 1969 and knows the attitudes and details of what goes on there.  In the mid-seventies the late Khamtrul Rinpoche, who was her root teacher, asked her to find support for the Togdens.  Because of his request she started the sponsor project, of which we are a part, for the Togdens, and she is very committed to it. 

At the time that Ani Jinba started the sponsor project there were seven Togdens.  She was able to collect enough money to build the first trulkhorkhang, a place where they do yogic exercises.  It was also used as a temple for twice-monthly ganachakras and other pujas.  At the request of the late Khamtrul Rinpoche, each of the Togdens received a monthly allowance for his necessities.  By the early nineties other sponsors who were students of Togden Atin offered money for additional buildings, new rooms for new togdens-in-training and a larger trulkhorkhang.  When the new trulkhorkhang was completed the old one became their main temple.  Before his passing in 1980, the late Khamtrul Rinpoche had a statue of Vajrayogini made for this temple.  Since it was installed and consecrated, it has been levitating there.  It actually abides in space.

Over the years since the early seventies, Ani Jinba found many sponsors for various lamas, monks and nuns.  For the majority of these sponsor projects she let the recipients look after their own correspondence and money situations.  All of these sponsorships have ended, not because the sponsors did not want to sponsor any more, but because of the carelessness and neglect of the Tibetan recipients themselves.  The recipients seldom wrote back to thank the sponsors, let alone to share any information, so that in time most sponsors just gave up.  Ani Jinba says, somewhat philosophically, “That is just how it goes.  It is just generally how the Tibetans are.”

Ani Jinba still has a few sponsors in Holland for some lamas at Tashi Jong, but she does all of the correspondence herself and brings the money from Holland to Tashi Jong.  That is how our sponsorship program works.  Ani Jinba writes me when she is going to be at her house in Amsterdam and I send her a check there.  She then takes the money to Tashi Jong and to the Togdens personally.  She has generously offered to provide me with all the information I need to write these newsletters.  She said that short-term visitors to Tashi Jong may have an idea about Tashi Jong, but they do not really know what goes on there and they do not have any in-depth details because they do not speak Tibetan.  Ani Jinba speaks Tibetan fluently and has a house in Tashi Jong, where she spends several months each year.

Besides traveling the world translating for many Tibetan lamas and Rinpoches, Ani Jinba is currently in retreat at Tahi Jong, where she is completing the final details for her translation of Vairotsana’s life.  Her book will be published by Shambhala Publications some time later this year.