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The Retreatants
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Female retreatants with Ingrid Zehnder, second from right,
secretary and general factotum |
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The retreatants with Lama Champa |
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Sirje Kalvic - Jinpa is from Estonia. She has been
interested in the Dharma since she was a teenager. She took refuge in
1995 with H.H. Sakya Trizin, and, more seriously, took up study of the
dharma. A group of disciples formed a Sangha in Estonia. She met H.H.
Chetsang Rinpoche in Estonia and was inspired to go to the Snake Year
teachings in India in the year 2000. Here she met Garchen Rinpoche and
Druwang Rinpoche and became interested in a retreat. She has two sons
in Estonia in their teens and early twenties. |
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Ute Greve - Ute is from Germany. She first experienced
Buddhism in 1975-76 on a trip to Sri Lanka. She then had two children,
and no time to practice. In 1998 she took refuge with the Dalai Lama
and began practicing with a Sanga in Hanover. In 2000 she joined a
Gelugpa and Karma Kagyu mixed Sanga and subsequently became secretary
for them Now they are sponsoring her retreat in Almora. Her main
teachers are Lama Yeshe Sangma and Lama Drime Ozer from Lama Gendun
Rinpoche's Monastery in France. H.E. Loden SherabDagyab Kyabgon
Rinpoche and Tom Geist, a disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh and Sogyal
Rinpoche. She met Lama Champa in Germany last year and requested
permission to do a retreat under his guidance. |
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Anila Manuela Salgado - Manuela is from Santiago,
Chile. She took refuge with Khenchen Kunchog Gyaltsten, and two years
ago took ordination from H.H. Chetsang Rinpoche. She has two daughters
and one granddaughter who is five. She met Lama Champa on his visits to
Chile. |
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Koh Kim Min - Koh Kim Min is from Singapore. He sold
his business in order to take part in the retreat. He has studied with
several Tibetan Buddhist Lamas living in China and met Druwang Rinpoche
in Singapore. His son is also Buddhist and would like to come for a
retreat the next time one is held. They decided father should come
first, and his son will look after the family. |
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Emily Selke - Emily is from Indiana, U.S.A. She took
refuge with Khenchen Kunchog Gyalsten Rinpoche in 1998. Four months
later she met Garchen Rinpoche in Arizona and moved there to studywith
him. She was inspired to do a retreat through seeing Garchen Rinpoche's
perfect qualities, and she made strong aspirations to do the retreat. |
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Rachel Dodds - Rachel is from Vancouver, B.C. Canada.
She took refuge with the Dalai Lama in India in 1995. In 1998 she met
His Eminence Ayang Rinpoche in Vancouver, and he encouraged all his
students to meet Garchen Rinpoche. She has spent the last five years on
and off in Arizona studying and doing retreats at Garchen Rinpoche's
Center there. Through his blessings she feels very fortunate to be in
retreat in Almora! |
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Jay Ortner - Jay is from Delaware, USA. He became
interested in the Buddha Dharma through Chogyam Trungpa's Centers. He
took refuge with Khenchen Kunchog Gyalsten Rinpoche in 2001. He has
spent time in India and Nepal doing retreats and pilgrimages and going
to Dharma teachings. At the Monkey Year teachings His Holiness Chestang
Rinpoche suggested he do this Three Year Retreat. |
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Robert Jakobson - Robert is from Estonia. He enjoys
the diversity of different forms of Buddhism and hopes in the future to
take up Asian Studies at College. He is nineteen years old and has
practiced Yantra Yoga and studied many forms of human movementfrom the
point of view of its physical, intellectal and spiritual aspects. His
favourite words of wisdomare "Let the beauty we love be what we do."
Robert decided to leave the retreat in February.
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Rolf Truhitte - Rolf is from California, U.S.A. He has
spent many years working in Taiwan and speaks Mandarin well. He has
studied with Ayang Rinpoche, Penor Rinpoche, and Garchen Rinpoche in
Taiwan, The U.S. and India. He has also studied Chinese martial arts
for many years which is paying off during prostrations! |
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Linda Liew - Linda is from Singapore. She has taken
teachings with Garchen Rinpoche, Nuba Rinpoche and Druwang Rinpoche.
Linda has taken the vegetarian vow with Druwang Rinpoche. She was also
fortunate to do a pilgrimage with him to Lapchi. She was also inspired
by him to do this retreat. |
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Jay and Robert |
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