Venerable Panchen Ötrul Rinpoche’s Visit to Mongolia, August 2024

In 1995, Venerable Panchen Ötrul Rinpoche accompanied His Holiness the Dalai Lama on a visit to Mongolia. At the end of the visit, His Holiness asked Venerable Rinpoche to stay, teach and support the Mongolian people, who were suffering from extreme poverty as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Venerable Rinpoche focused on two main areas. He set about establishing Kunchab Jampa Ling Buddhist Centre to support the revival of Tibetan Buddhism, Mongolia’s traditional religion, and Asral NGO Charity, to help address the scale of the poverty that was increasing rapidly.

With Asral NGO, Venerable Rinpoche focused on access to education and the development of practical skills training, in particular supporting single mothers and their children. He established a hot meal program to support some of the most disadvantaged children. Each year, he visits the prisons, orphanages and schools. Except for the last four years, because of the pandemic, Venerable Rinpoche has visited Mongolia annually since 1995.

This year, Venerable Rinpoche travelled to Mongolia with his personal attendant, Younam. He was warmly welcomed at Ulanbaataar’s new Ghengis Khan Airport by Venerable Geshi Lharampa Ngawang Tsutrim, Dharma Teacher of Kunchab Jampa Ling; Ueli Minder; Ugaanna, Chimelham and Tuul, board members; and Burmaa, Director of Asral and Kunchab Jampa Ling, and by a number of his students.

Venerable Rinpoche’s students and friends gathered in Asral/Kunchab Jampa Ling Centre to welcome him to Mongolia, offering long-life prayers and a mandala offering. Venerable Rinpoche expressed his warm wishes to all the students and gave a brief teaching on living a meaningful life. He expressed his deep gratitude to all the people and organisations who have continued to support his charitable projects.

He was interviewed about his life and work in Mongolia for an article subsequently published by a Mongolian online news programme. This same programme published an article some months ago, at Asral’s request, seeking support for an unwell single father of four small children, who was in dire need of medical attention. The family also didn’t have a proper place to live. The article helped to raise over €15,000 to support the father and his children.

After a few days of rest, Venerable Rinpoche was able to receive students and friends, many of whom expressed great joy in seeing him after four years.

Sinéad Ni Gharbhith, an Irish student of Venerable Rinpoche, arrived in Ulaanbaatar with Charles and Richanda Walsh, long-time supporters of Venerable Rinpoche’s work in Ireland and Mongolia.

Asral organised a visit to the women’s prison. Asral NGO and Kunchab Jampa Ling Centre work closely with the prison authority in Ulaanbaatar to help alleviate the difficult conditions that women can experience in prison. Asral facilitates counselling and Buddhist teachings to help develop a peaceful mind, and regularly provides toiletries and sanitary products to women and their newborn children.

Asral NGO runs a centre in Gachuurt, a former commune during Soviet times situated 30 km North of Ulaanbaatar,
supporting the local community particularly with training in organic vegetable growing. The group from Ireland was invited to the Centre in Gaachuurt. Many families showed fresh vegetables produced as a result of their gardening skills and expressed their gratitude to Asral NGO. With the support of the Irish Government, through Irish Aid, Asral renovated the local kindergarten and provided two gers (Mongolian tents) for herders’ children, increasing the capacity from 166 to 220 places. The children’s hostel was supplied with new kitchen equipment, 60 new beds and bedding, and the local hospital was equipped with modern cooking facilities.

Venerable Rinpoche and the group from Ireland visited some families experiencing poverty in the shanty area of Ulaanbaatar, supported by Asral charity.

The group also visited Asral’s Hot Meal project. Over 60 vulnerable children between the ages of six to sixteen have
access to education through the Hot Meal project each year. Asral provides hot nutritious food, assists with homework and organises medical checkups for the children. Vitamins, school supplies, English classes, clothes, hygiene training and disease prevention programmes are also provided.

Children from the project presented modern and traditional dances and songs to the group, to express their gratitude to Asral NGO and all their supporters.

The group then toured the MIM (Made in Mongolia) Project, a successful craft enterprise initiated by Venerable Rinpoche to enable local people to apply traditional felt-making techniques to produce high-quality products. A non-profit initiative supporting mainly women who are single mothers, all profits help to sustain the wider community through Asral’s social welfare activities. MIM products are now sold in Ireland and internationally, including in the UK, the USA, Japan and New Zealand.

Venerable Thuksay Rinpoche, a Tibetan Lama who resides in Mongolia, came to greet Venerable Rinpoche at the Centre. He has been a great supporter of Asral and Kunchab Jampa Ling Centre’s work for many years.

Venerable Rinpoche continuously receives devotees at the Centre and gives blessings and prayers daily.

Pictures from the Day of Arrival in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia