Dear Dharma Friends & Supporters,

This year the monsoon was unusually heavy in Nepal and has caused great damage in the hill areas, with landslides and floods. Kopan also experienced its share of trouble. A huge section of hill moved, with the slip reaching across the whole hillside, from the Kopan monastery property, across a few Nepali houses on the hill top, over to the monastery around 150 meters away.

Large cracks appeared in foundations and walls of the monk's quarters. Five rooms are completely uninhabitable, as cracks up to the size of one's hand have opened up in the walls of the rooms. Other rooms are now not safe for occupation. All the monks had to move out of their accommodation for safety reasons, many of them sleep in big gompa or in friend's rooms.

During the past week structural engineers conducted a preliminary assessment. It is not possible to assess the total damage until the end of the monsoon. At that time it will be decided whether the building can be saved by underpinning into the bedrock, if there is any there, or whether it has to be demolished.

In the best scenario, the building may remain in its present state. However, parts of it are clearly not safe enough to occupy, and need to be reconstructed. We hope of course hoped that the building can be saved. However, the cost is in the order of $50,000 to $100,000 to underpin the building. To rebuild would cost at least $300,000. This is of course a huge financial burden for Kopan. A new building with monks' accommodation is nearing completion at the moment, and stretching the resources of the monastery already.

We appeal to all our friends and benefactors in this difficult situation. Please help Kopan to cope with this totally unexpected and quite substantial financial burden. It would be difficult to deal with this on our own and we request your assistance urgently.

All donations will be acknowledged and the sponsors will be included in the daily prayers of the monastery.
We thank you from our heart for caring, and make strong dedication in our prayers for your life to be long, healthy and stable and for success of all activities.

With many many thanks and Tashi Delek
From all the monks here
Khenrinpoche Lama Lhundrup
Abbot Kopan Monastery