A Message from Rinpoche about the Earthquake in Nepal

On April 26th, following the devastating earthquake in Nepal, as people scrambled to find safety, food and shelter under the threat of strong aftershocks, our leader, H.E. Trungram Gyaltrul Rinpoche wrote this message asking for help and prayers for Nepal:

When the disastrous earthquake measuring 7.8 or 8.1 Mw occurred at 11:56 NST on 25 April, Nepal, the nation known for Never-Ending Peace and Love, became a nation of extreme suffering, beset by casualties, death and destruction.

People of Nepal, my heart goes out to you. I pray for all those who did not survive, and for all those who are living in fear, struggling for survival. I wish for your safety, and your swift return to normalcy.

To those who watch from afar, I humbly urge you to pray for Nepal and especially for those in need. I also ask that you send your financial support, to help save lives now and rebuild lives later.

Despite the best efforts of aid agencies, it is not always easy to reach those who are most in need—and they are often too weak to seek help themselves. The continuing aftershocks add further complexity. The monks and nuns of the Trungram Monastery are helping those in surrounding communities—but they need help themselves.

Our United Trungram Buddhist Foundation (UTBF) has established the Buddhist Relief Services Fund. The goal is to help save lives now, and rebuild lives later. Our immediate focus is on supplying food, water, medicine and temporary shelter for those in need.

Soon, we will turn to longer-term recovery efforts, helping people re-establish themselves, rebuilding the Sankhu monastery and founding an orphanage for those bereft by the earthquake.

Please support our efforts.

Trungram Gyaltrul