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Aloha! My name is Wendy and I'm a loving wife, mother, monk godmother of 3, and former educator of middle and high school students. My journey with the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery began with a brief phone call from a friend. She succinctly described the history of the monastery and told me of the need to support young students' educational and spiritual well-being with monthly sponsorship. Without hesitation, I agreed. At that point, quite honestly, I couldn't even spell Tashi Lhunpo Monastery without help, but it didn't matter. In a fraction of a second, as if time sat still, I felt my chakras align and connect immediately to the mission to support the young monks and monastery. Perhaps other terms like fate, kismet timing, and Angel whisper may also describe the moment, but who knows? All I knew is I felt warmth, compassion, gratitude and happiness (all at the same time!) at the thought of being invited to become the tiniest ripple in a karmic ocean of good for mankind and the Universe. Also, top of my mind, I agreed to sponsor monks, to honor my late grandparents. Although I wasn't raised in a Tibetan Buddhist faith, I was raised with Shin Buddhism and always deeply admired my grandparents for their unshakable support of the local Hongwanji Betsuin (church) and daily practice of offering gassho, repeating the nembutsu, and simply using their lives as testimony and practice for their love and faith in Amida Buddha and akin Bodhisattvas. Humbly accepting the mission to sponsor children who dedicate their lives to educational and spiritual practices of Buddhism allows me to stay energetically-connected and continue the dedication, faith and life work of my beloved grandparents and ancestors. To learn more about sponsoring a monk, visit our Monk Sponsorship Program.
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