About Songtsen
About the organization
The white lotus symbolizes purity and compassion, and is the emblem of Chenrezig, the Buddha of compassion.
Songtsen is a non-profit organization, dedicated to preserving and making accessible the culture and wisdom of Tibet and to helping communities in difficulty, particularly in the Himalayan region. It takes its inspiration from the extraordinary compassion of Kangyur Rinpoche, one of the greatest Tibetan lamas of the last century. Songtsen represents more than 30 years of aid projects and cultural activities initiated and followed through by a group of Tibetans and Westerners.
Since 1975, Songtsen has been helping preserve Tibetan culture and make its vast resources and spiritual knowledge accessible to all those interested. As part of the vision of Kangyur Rinpoche, in addition to helping preserve Tibetan culture and traditions, Songtsen is dedicated to assisting and protecting impoverished people, particularly the sick, the young and the elderly. This assistance extends not only to the Tibetan people, but to other disadvantaged communities, principally in Himalayan and Asian countries.
Songtsen is based in the Dordogne, France (see location). There are also project organizers and volunteers in India, Nepal, and Tibet.
Who we are
SONGTSEN was named in honour of a 7th century Tibetan king, Songtsen Gampo, also an emanation of Chenrezig.
Songtsen is a dedicated group of volunteers, students, and friends from around the world. Songtsen is directed by Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche, and Rangdröl Rinpoche, the three sons of Kangyur Rinpoche, Tibetans who have been living in Europe for more than 30 years.
Songtsen’s projects are supervised and carried out by a group of Tibetans and Westerners with decades of experience. The organization mainly functions through volunteers and employs only a few part time staff. Its volunteers and organizers include Tibetan lamas, engineers, teachers, doctors, and other professionals with extensive first-hand knowledge of the challenges, tasks and background of each project. Many of these volunteers have completed the three-year retreat cycle of intensive training and now devote their time to Songtsen’s projects.
Our purpose & objectives
Songtsen’s vision is to preserve Tibet’s cultural and spiritual heritage with the intention of contributing to peace and harmony in the world.
Songtsen is dedicated to humanitarian service through the cultivation of wisdom and compassion.
Its four departments have the following objectives:
- KRF Development: To help Tibetan communities, both in exile and in Tibet, preserve their identity and their unique spiritual traditions. KRF Development helps create the required infrastructure and operates programmes in education, cultural preservation, health, environment, and economic development. It also provides similar support to impoverished Himalayan communities.
- Siddhartha: To provide care for poor or orphaned children, particularly young Tibetan refugees and children in impoverished Himalayan communities, through homes and schools as well as Tibetan monastic and educational institutes in India, Bhutan, and Nepal.
- Padmakara: To preserve and communicate to a Western audience the major texts of classic and contemporary Tibetan literature, particularly works on Buddhist philosophy and practice, by translating and publishing the most important texts and teachings in Western languages and supporting the conservation and publication of rare or endangered books in Tibetan.
- Chanteloube: To make the knowledge and wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism accessible in the West by organizing lectures and seminars, and by offering facilities for the in-depth study and contemplative practice of the Buddhist teachings in a retreat environment.
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