The Tibetan Aid Project is committed to helping restore the entire range of Tibetan Buddhist teachings to the Tibetan people, on a scale that will make it possible for all Tibetans to renew their connection to their heritage. A great number of the texts that have been distributed are the foundational texts for all Tibetan Buddhist traditions.

Projects that aim to provide a wide range of texts in digital format are important initiatives, complementary to the work of the Tibetan Aid Project. However, most Tibetans do not have access to such texts. The Tibetan Aid Project has helped distribute traditional texts that have reached some of the most remote villages in the Himalayas. These books are the unique treasures of the Tibetan culture and both Tibetan monastics and lay practitioners value them as the very heart of their heritage.

In the early years, the Tibetan Aid Project focused on these basic needs. As the Tibetan exiles adapted to their new homes, they were able to handle some of these needs themselves. In addition, a number of other organizations were subsequently founded in the West to meet the basic needs of Tibetans. As a result, the Tibetan Aid Project now focuses on cultural preservation and higher education, as this is the greater need.

Ever since 1959, and especially starting in the mid-1960s, Tibetans were barred from transmitting their own heritage in their native country. Under these circumstances, we devoted our efforts to the exile communities. As soon as conditions improved in Tibet, we began exploring ways to support Tibetan culture there. Over the past few decades, the Tibetan Aid Project has been able to give limited support to a number of centers in Tibet. We have heard repeatedly from travelers in Tibet that our texts can be found in even the most remote regions. However, distribution of books and art in Tibet is currently impossible.

The Tibetan tradition has an incredible wealth of teachings. In the Nyingma tradition alone, more than 80,000 texts have been identified. So despite the work done so far, there is still a lot of work to be done. Just imagine how many textbooks are required for the students at a large university every year, and you will begin to get a sense of the scale at which text production and distribution must take place for a successful transmission of the living heritage of Tibet to occur.

In addition, the Yeshe De Project is continuing to do research that leads to the discovery of more texts. Now that Buddhism can be more openly practiced in the remote regions of Tibet, rare texts previously thought to be lost are coming to light. As long as there are important texts to preserve and pass on, the work will continue.

No. The Dalai Lama is the supreme religious leader of Tibet. The Tibetan Aid Project was founded by Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche, a teacher trained in the Nyingma school.  Our mission focuses on cultural preservation and does not engage the political situation of Tibet. Of course, we do share many of the same goals and are deeply grateful for the work His Holiness has accomplished on behalf of the Tibetan people.

Because we coordinate our programs with affiliated organizations, Yeshe De Project and Dharma Publishing, the Tibetan Aid Project is able to take advantage of decades of printing experience. Although small-scale printing of texts has been done among the Tibetan exile communities (and to some extent in China), it will be some time before they can do the kinds of large-scale, high quality projects that the Tibetan Aid Project supports.

Tarthang Rinpoche is one of the last remaining high lamas to have received a complete education in pre-1959 Tibet. After teaching at Sanskrit University in India for several years, he settled in Berkeley in 1969, where he founded Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center, Tibetan Aid Project, Dharma Publishing, Nyingma Institute, Odiyan Buddhist Retreat Center, and other organizations, all within his Nyingma Mandala of Organizations. For many years, Tarthang Rinpoche taught and wrote extensively. Currently, he is continuing his editorial and publishing work required to produce the vast number of books that are made each year to send to Tibetans, focusing on Odiyan Buddhist Retreat Center in northern California, a foundation for establishing Dharma in the West, and working on his many other philanthropic activities. He continues to guide Tibetan Aid Project as a member of the Board of Directors.

No. The Tibetan Aid Project is committed to supporting the culture of Tibet and the precious heritage of wisdom and compassion it transmits. Many other groups support these goals indirectly, but in most cases their main focus lies elsewhere – for example, working for political change in Tibet, for the preservation or restoration of a particular monastery or nunnery, or on behalf of a particular teacher.

In the Nyingma school, lamas traditionally carry out their dharma activities more independently. Each teacher has his or her own vision for the Dharma and acts to fulfill it. That is the model our mandala of Nyingma organizations has followed in the West. However, Tibetan Aid Project and a number of our sister organizations do cooperate with other organizations on projects in India, Nepal, and Tibet. The World Peace Ceremony is a good example of a monumental event that was established by Tarthang Rinpoche and then developed extensively in cooperation with dozens of other Nyingma monasteries.  From its earliest beginnings, Tibetan Aid Project has strived to offer financial support to monasteries and centers of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.