South Africa

Choden is an old friend of mine originally from South Africa who became a monk about two years ago. He recently returned there on a trip with Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche, Abbot of Samye Ling Monastery, and has sent in this account of his visit:

"South Africa was beautiful and abundant. The sun shone everywhere we went, the earth felt powerful and space vast. Yet there is the undercurrent of violence lurking in the shadows; those who do not have envying and conspiring against those who have too much. Fear seemed to be etched onto people's faces. I took Tara protecting from War to Rokpa's therapy centre in Groot Marico in the northern part of South Africa and had it placed on the shrine there. For me, the significance of this aspect of Tara is that her energy and wisdom are like a protective shield warding off the lurking shadows of greed and violence - they cannot approach or penetrate the light of her awareness."