October 6th, 2023
Dear Dharma friends,
I hope this finds you all in good health and that your practices are going well.
Over the last several months, our Seattle branch of Drikung Center, established by His Eminence Garchen
Rinpoche, have had few cases of thefts. Due to these two cases that happened this July and September, we are compelled to put up a fence around our property. Looking at the CCTV footage of these attacks, I
personally feel that these perpetrators are more bandits than common thieves due to their oblivious disregard to the security cameras or of our neighbors or any passersby in their brazen and raucous attempts to break open the locks using crowbars.
Unless we replace the three doors damaged by them and put up a fence, I fear, at worst, dangers to personal selves or at least continued and further damages to our Center or loss of its assets. Lord Buddha stipulated that thefts and destruction of places of worship as one of the most heinous crimes. We, as practitioners of compassion, and students of such a great lama as H. E. Garchen Rinpoche, need to ascertain that we do not feel anger towards these perpetrators and rather practice compassion instead.
Due to the above reasons, I’m sharing my aspirations and prayers to my devoted dharma brothers and sisters to help – to whatever degree you are capable of or in whatever capacity – to raise $35,000 – to defray the cost of replacing the damaged doors and the fence around our Center so that we may continue our efforts to benefit every being.
Lord Buddha said: “Fortunate students, venerate and be of service to places of worship”.
In addition, any assistance provided to a religious Center is totally different from those that are provided to individual beings. Needless to say this is due to the fact that rewards from any help provided to a
Center lives on till the time Center shuts down completely.
Please contact the following co-ordinates:
Phone: Miss Yanfen (206) 420-9278
Email: info@drikungseattle.org
Thank you and love you all
Lama Abao
Photos of fence status and evidence from last theft.
