DUDJOM TERSAR YESHE NYINGPO TEMPLE
Orgyen Cho Dzong Retreat Main Temple & Meditation Room
OCDR's Main Temple and Meditation Room were finally put into renovation during the summer of 2019. As part of the plan to prepare for Khandro Semo Lhanzey la's 49 days ceremony, the temple was cleaned and renovated to honor one of her last wishes. At the same time, while Guru Rinpoche Ku was being painted, Rinpoche went to buy new cabinets and necessary tools for the temple. And when it was time, everyone took part to restore and rearrange the temple:
While the main temple was being cleaned and rearranged in the morning, at night activities would be focused in the Yoga Room in the Dining Hall Area. The Yoga Room before was a small temple where OCDR's sangha would congregate, practice and receive teachings from Shenphen Dawa Rinpoche. However, until recent years, due to Shephen Rinpoche's health condition, the room was closed and used as a storage for a portion of our relics. In Namgay Rinpoche's time, the room is opened again for sangha to come and pay respects to the Ku's and relics in the room. It is now known as the Meditation Room.
The Main Temple and the Meditation Room took the sangha in total one month to finish the work. Besides from cleaning the area, Rinpoche also wanted to add in new touch to the temple to symbolize a new generation that we were entering in. Dharma objects were being brought in. Old furnitures were fixed with cushions and ceremonial clothes were added. New designs for the wall were implemented, giving the temple a new and fresh look:
The Meditation Room also received a new touch with new carpets, chandelier and furnitures:
On October 24th, 2020, the Karmarong arrived to install new pillars for the entrance of OCDR's Main Temple. They started by placing new cement to create a strong foundation for the lions:
The next day, the Karmarong began by preparing the wooden boards for the pillars:
On October 31st, the Karmarong returned to carve the designs and place them in the corners of the Main Temple's entrance:
Once the Main Temple's entrance pillars were properly installed, Lopon Jacque spent the week to smooth the pillars and apply the primers:
During the weekend, November 7th and 8th, Rinpoche and Volunteering Sangha Members started to paint the trims of the Main Temple's entrance and roof:
For the next two weeks, Lopon Jacque carved the design above the Main Tempke's Entrance. It was completed and posted up on November 20th, 2020:
The next day, a group of Bhutanese came to help paint the lions and Lopon Jacque continued to make a carving of another design for the windows of the Main Temple:
For the last day of November and the first week of December, the designs were moved into the main temple for painting before placing them up on the temple's main entry. While the paintings inside were going on, Lopon Lulu painted the outside pillars, Lopon Jampal drew new designs onto the pillars and Lopon Jacque continued to carve designs for the temple's main entrance:
On December 11th, the Sangha and the Bhutanese community took down the sidings of the Temple to prepare the space for new sidings for Jake to put on:
On the same day, the carved designs finished painting and placed on the temple:
On December 13th, Jake arrived to install the foundation for the new sidings of the Main Temple:
During the winter, due to the harsh condition, the projects slowed down. Nonetheless, Lopon Jacque and Lopon Lulu continued. First was the door of the temple:
On March 22nd, 2021, Jake returned to continue the sidings of the temple:
On March 30th, new sidings for the front of the main temple were completely installed and on April 11th the sides as well:
On April 24th, the mandala painting by Lopon Tandin was attached to the top of the main temple's front entrance:
On May 6th, Jake removed the panelings in the back of the temple:
By June 6th, after Jake installed rock sheets, Lopon Lulu painted the entire side of the wall white:
On July 21st, Tashi and Lopon Lulu removed the decking base and installed wood paneling around the temple:
In the beginning of August, the Tibetan Construction Group arrived to start installing the foundation for the deck around the temple:
During his visit to OCDR, Jacob volunteered to install the new fan lighting in the temple: