Thus, the seeds of a vision were born. At this time he established the foundations in India and America, and thus the Yeshe De Project for the Preservation of Sacred Texts of Buddhism was born.

 

In 1989, we started our production of books to distribute at the Grand World Peace Ceremony in Bodh Gaya. The initial venture - 1,400 books in 1989 - has grown exponentially.

As of the 30th Ceremony in January 2019, the Yeshe De Project has already printed 7 million books.

Of these, 5 million were distributed in Bodh Gaya and to the Sangha in Tibet.

 

About 456,000 people participated in the 30 Ceremonies, practically all of whom received our books.

More of3,300 monasteries in India, Nepal, Sikkim, Ladakh, Bhutan and Tibet received collections and individual books. And since 2000, the main monasteries of all other schools of Tibetan Buddhism have received books every year for their centers.

In addition to distributing 5 million books to the Sangha, the Yeshe De Project has produced8 Great Collections of Kanjur and Tanjur.Collectively, some 5,400 sets from most of these collections were distributed not only to the Nyingma monasteries and colleges, but also to the main monasteries and shedras of the other three schools. Additionally, original Nyingma Edition sets of Kanjur and Tanjur have been distributed to universities and libraries in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

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The costs of this undertaking have been staggering: the materials, personnel, construction and equipment.

It is difficult to understand how this vision manifested itself in such a concrete and vast way. Clearly, it could not have been accomplished without Rinpoche's vision, guidance and perseverance, and without the dedication of donors, volunteers and students who participated in the project, many for 30-40 years directly.

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The range of Nyingma masters that the Yeshe De Project has published is vast and deep.

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includes the kingSrongtsam Gampo, from the 7th century, whose Mani Kabum is revered by monastics and brings tears to the eyes of lay Tibetans. The Revered Omniscientlongchenpa, from the 14th century, whose works inspired the hearts and transformed the minds of thousands of practitioners for centuries.

the big onesmindroling mastersof the seventeenth century, including the scholarly commentaries ofterdag lingpa and the exquisite poetry ofLochen Dharmasri. and the incomparableJigme Lingpa, from the 18th century, who received through the 500-year visionary transmission the entire body of Longchenpa's writings and teachings, and who in turn catalyzed the practice and transformation of thousands of students with his own Longchen nyingtik teachings.Patrul Rinpoche, and the list goes on and on, with one renowned master after another.

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These are just a few of hundreds of masters, jewels in networks and lineage chains stretching from the Buddha to today's Tibetan practitioners across Asia. For these lineages to continue, they need the books to study, practice and be suitable vessels to receive Mantrayana empowerments and powers. So, while in the West we still cannot read or understand this literature, and although we may feel that there is little connection to our lives, still, this effort is fundamental. For by keeping the lineages vital, deep and alive in the Tibetan community, we have the chance that someday they may be transmitted intact and pure to the West.

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It is truly extraordinary that we have been able to be a part of what may be one of the greatest and most generous text preservation efforts ever undertaken on this earth, on this planet -  all with the sole purpose of enlightening and sharing wisdom, transforming negativity and bringing harmony and peace into our world.