The Foundation
Pema has been teaching and writing extensively for the past two decades. She now looks forward to spending more of her time in retreat and guiding the monks and nuns at the Abbey. At the same time, the Abbey is growing, and more training monastics are making a long, or lifetime commitment to monastic life. It is now time to look ahead to establish the conditions for the security of Gampo Abbey into the future for when Pema is no longer able to provide that security.
Monastic life is centered around meditation, study, and training contained and guided by the community itself. While individual monks and nuns are often able to contribute to the costs of living at the Abbey, and the Abbey itself is engaged in fund raising, it is impossible for the community to sustain itself without considerable effort from the outside.
At some point in the life of a monastic, it is possible to make a lifetime commitment to the monastic path and to one’s monastery. At the point at which monastics commit to Gampo Abbey for life, the Abbey needs to be able to honor that commitment and offer them a ‘monastic home’ for many years into the future.
The Pema Chödrön Foundation has been established to support this commitment. Because The Foundation is entirely independent and dedicated to just this mission, funds donated will always and only be used this way.
The current focus of The Pema Chödrön Foundation is the creation of an endowment to hold and generate resources for the support of the Abbey. The royalties from all of Pema’s books and tapes is held by the Foundation. In addition, teaching gifts and honoraria that is not otherwise directed will benefit The Foundation.
Pema needs your help. While she has been at the heart of the creation and building of Gampo Abbey, she needs your help to make the possibility of bringing the monastic tradition to the West a living reality.
In order to provide the Abbey with the funds that it cannot raise itself, the endowment needs to raise $3,000,000. Any help that you could offer would be tremendously helpful and greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Timothy Olmstead
President
The Pema Chödrön Foundation