It takes courage to help others

Rinpoche wrote this piece for the Huffington Post, where he is chronicling the relief efforts in Nepal. Please visit that site to read the complete article.

Sometimes it seems like when you are trying to do the most good, you face the most difficulties.

Last Friday, Nepal had a third earthquake. This one registered 5.7 magnitude. After the first 7.8 mw earthquake, our volunteers, including monks and nuns from my monastery just outside Kathmandu, visited remote villages, bringing medical aid, food and comfort to the newly homeless. They were preparing to go out again when the second big earthquake came. It destroyed many more roads and houses; it also triggered avalanches that wiped Langtang Village off the face of the earth. That scared a lot of volunteers and aid workers, for good reason, and slowed down their efforts. Now the third earthquake has made matters even worse. It renewed fears of real danger. And it has made transportation even harder. Think of the rugged topography and the complete lack of road system; delivering supplies to the more remote (and ignored) areas requires porting everything on your back. People find these natural obstacles discouraging. READ MORE