{"collection":"Buddhism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bud/tib/aprntice.htm","path":"bud/tib/aprntice.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/aprntice.htm","text":"[This article appeared in //Gassho// vol 1 no 4 (May/Jun 1994).]\nSANG-NGAK-CHO-DZONG\nAND THE EVOLUTION OF THE APPRENTICE PROGRAMME\nby Ngakpa Chogyam Rinpoche\n(Presentation for the March 1994 Conference of the Network for Western\nBuddhist Teachers with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala)\nThe evolution of Buddhism in the West, and what possible part I could play\nin that, has been my primary interest and concern for over ten years. I\nhave in that time, together with my students, created an individual\ncontext of practice that may be of interest here. What we have established\nisn't perfect but it functions very happily, having evolved out of the\nhard work and kind-hearted commitment of a small number of enthusiastic\npeople. For this reason I would like to introduce some aspects of our\nhistory, and the ideas that led to the establishment of Sang-ngak-cho-\ndzong in Britain and the US.\nSang-ngak-cho-dzong is the name we were given by His Holiness Dudjom\nRinpoche, specifically for the work in establishing a Ngakphang Sangha in\nthe West. The word Ngakphang, means 'mantra holding' and applies to those\nwho take Tantric vows and live as non-celibate householders. Ngakphang\npractitioners are usually called Ngakpas (male) and Ngakmas (female). They\nhave uncut hair, and maintain the Tantric samayas. They wear robes which\nare more or less like monk's or nun's robes, but the skirt or shamthab is\nusually white (Ngakphang Sangha members sometimes wear red shamtabs,\nespecially outside the Nyingma School). They also wear a red, white and\nblue striped shawl called a Ngakphang Sen.\nSang-ngak-cho-dzong, which has recently become a Registered Charity, is a\nrelatively small but enthusiastically committed group of Nyingma\npractitioners who attempt to live by the principles of Kindness and\nAwareness. We are a Ngakphang Sangha, or White Tantric Community, and\nattempt the practice of being Vajra brothers and Vajra sisters, in terms\nof trying always to see each other with pure-vision. In practice, this\nmeans relating to what is intrinsically good in each other, rather than\ngiving undue weight to each other's confusion and neuroses. This is a\nquality that we endeavour to apply in the outside world as well, with\nregard to feeling a genuine kindness and good heart towards everyone. We\nmaintain a respect for each other as practitioners, based on the shared\ncommitment to living the View of our tradition. We place a lot of emphasis\non genuine kindness, and genuine friendliness; as well as sincere courtesy\nand real tolerance. We view tolerance as that which allows for the\ndifferences and opposed views of different traditions and approaches,\nwithout the need to take any kind of hostile stance. The 'tolerance' which\nhas to make everything the same in order to be tolerant, we view as an\nimmature form of tolerance. We try to take the approach in which it\nshould be possible to be friendly with anyone. We maintain that to\ndisagree with a person's view or approach to Buddhism (or anything else)\ndoesn't have to preclude an otherwise warm and humane interaction.\nWe regard humour, enthusiasm, naturalness and spontaneity as crucial in\nour approach to being a functioning Sangha. We have attempted to create an\natmosphere, within our Sangha, in which no one has to modify their\npersonality or language in order to be accepted. New Apprentices are\nunconditionally welcomed and made to feel part of the Sangha. There is no\n'inner circle' to break into by being seen to be 'special' in any way.\nThere is a continually advocated proscription against engaging in the\ndiscussion of Buddhism as a method of 'making conversation'. Apprentices\nare encouraged only to discuss Buddhist topics when they actually have the\nneed to know something, or when the subject arises naturally in terms of\nshared experience. The reason behind this is to eliminate the tendency to\ngravitate to stilted forms of cultic conversation; or, to using Buddhist\ntechnical vocabulary as a form of status enhancement. I encourage this\natmosphere of 'ordinariness' by spending a lot of informal time with\nApprentices. In such 'informal time' conversation can take many forms,\nwith Buddhist teaching weaving in and out of many different topics -- in\nan atmosphere of good humour and frequent hilarity. We endeavour to create\nan atmosphere of interpersonal acceptance and mutual support, in which no\none ever offers anyone gratuitous advice or criticism for any reason. We\ntry to remember that, at best, our negative subjectivity is subjective. We\ntherefore try only to express our warm and positive subjectivity. Each\nperson is considered to be responsible for their own motivation, and if\nproblems arise between students I regard it as my responsibility to help\nthem come to a kind and open-minded understanding of each other. We\nendeavour to be good examples of what it is to be a Buddhist of any\nSchool; but, at the very least, we simply try to be kind, open and\nfriendly people.\nNon-sectarianism has always been a central theme of Sang-ngak-cho-dzong,\nand we have continued to try to establish friendly contact with other\nBuddhist organizations. We have become a member of the 'Network of\nBuddhist Organizations'; which is currently being founded in Britain, and\nview this as a wonderful opportunity to overcome the suspicion that\nsometimes exists between the Buddhist organizations of different schools\nand traditions. We hope to see far greater exchange and co-operation\nbetween groups, and are committed to participating to the furtherance of\nthis end. I feel that it is useful for students to remain as open to\nteachers of other Buddhist traditions as possible. I feel that a broad\nrange of contact with other Buddhist traditions is essential for the\npurpose of students having a wide and detailed understanding of Buddhism.\nWe are probably quite unusual as a Buddhist organization, in that we are\nsmall by design. Although our organization may possibly grow larger, it is\nenshrined in our charitable constitution that we will never develop in a\npyramidal manner. As soon as there are other Ngakphang Lamas working\nwithin Sang-ngak-cho-dzong, I will automatically cease to be the central\nfigure. This is something I instigated at the outset in order that the\nfuture development of Sang-ngak-cho-dzong would remain as free as possible\nfrom spiritual imperialism, even if I were no longer alive. I have a deep\nsense of responsibility for the future in terms of the organization that\nis growing around me, and my strongest wish has been to prevent Sang-ngak-\ncho-dzong becoming an unwieldy monolithic empire with me or anyone else at\nits head. To this end, I have always involved my students in terms of how\nSang-ngak-cho-dzong has evolved.\nI have often been saddened the superstar Lama phenomena in which students\nhave almost no personal contact with their Teachers. I have been saddened\nby the appalling accounts of sexual abuse that have come to my attention\nfrom such quarters, and convinced that their must be some better way to\nproceed. I have been especially saddened to meet people whose financial or\nfamily circumstances have prevented any real sense of being involved with\nLamas or their Sanghas. Because of this, I felt it important to attempt to\nestablish an alternative model; at least for people who wanted to study\nand practise with me. The model was to be one in which people were able to\nhave a high degree of access, especially in times of crisis. The model\nwas to be one in which those who were interested in the Nyingma Ngakphang\ntradition could gain access to someone who had some degree of experience.\nOn the basis of limited student numbers it is only possible for Sang-ngak-\ncho-dzong to grow laterally; that is to say, with a greater number of\nteachers, rather than one teacher with an unwieldy number of students.\nBecause of the problems that I saw inherent in the large student numbers,\nI decided from the outset to limit the total number of Students to between\n50-60 people. I based this number on the average extended family gathering\nat a wedding. This was a somewhat arbitrary choice, but one that was\nestablished in terms of how many people it was actually possible to know\nindividually. My decision was based on the great importance that I saw in\nbeing able to relate as personally as possible to each student. It has\nbeen a crucial consideration for me, especially in terms of the teaching\nand practice of Tantra, that the teacher-student ratio be kept small. With\nregard to my own understanding of Tantric view, meditation and action, it\nis not easily possible to give guidance to hundreds of students; many of\nwhom may be unknown to the teacher. Perhaps for Enlightened masters this\nis possible, but for an inconsequential eccentric yogi like me, it can be\nquite hard work sometimes keeping abreast of the life circumstances of\nthose with whom I currently relate as a teacher. I have 49 Students at the\nmoment, and there is currently a waiting list for men, because I am\nconcerned about the experience of women living in a male dominated\nsociety. For this reason I have committed myself to working with a larger\nproportion of women students, and to giving them greater support. This is\none of the stated aims and objectives of our charitable constitution. I\ncorrespond with all my students on a fairly regular basis, and am also\navailable by telephone and FAX almost where ever I travel. I am also able\nto see them all individually according to personal need. They are all able\nto visit me, and to invite me to their homes in order that our personal\nconnection is maintained and nurtured through informal domestic contact.\nI would not feel that I was being of any real help to these people if I\nknew any less about them than I do at the moment. I also make a practice\nof thinking about them all every day, and sometimes write to them purely\nbecause I wonder how they are getting on. On a more formal basis we have\nestablished regular private group retreats for my personal apprentices\nwhere I am able to teach and give short private interviews. These retreats\nare held several times a year.\nThese are all things that I would have valued myself as a student -- so\nthese are the circumstances I decided to make available for others. Some\nof these things I experienced and appreciated very deeply with His\nHoliness Kyabje Khordong gTerchen Tulku Chhi'med Rig'dzin Rinpoche in\nparticular, such as informal personal time and the possibility of\nreceiving letters which maintained a sense of contact. My students and I\nhave been involved in this effort together, and we have all been inspired\nwith the idea of creating something different, something that could\npossibly serve as a model for other people wanting to organize themselves\naround any particular Lama. We have made a practice of looking at the\nfunctioning of the student-teacher relationship together over the years,\nand what we have arrived at seems to suit our respective needs as a group.\nMy needs are met in terms of being financially supported. This allows me\nto: lead retreats; give individual guidance and solitary retreat\nschedules; give individual tuition to such Apprentices as our Thangka\npainter and to others involved in art and craft work; give public\nteachings; write books; edit teachings and interviews that have been\ntranscribed; answer Apprentice letters and telephone calls; be available\nto receive Apprentices at my home; and, to travel to their homes. I also\nsend out periodic 'Apprentice Letters' which keep Apprentices informed\nabout my travels, plans, and ideas; interwoven with aspects of teaching\nthat spring naturally out of these topics. Their needs are met in terms of\nallowing me to function in the ways I have described. They are aware that\nthey always have the possibility of making other needs known to me, and\nthat I will respond to the limit of my ability. We are committed to each\nother.\nSang-ngak-cho-dzong came into being through the interest shown in a style\nof explaining the Tantric teachings that made them accessible to ordinary\npeople. My primary feeling has always been, that of wishing to make\nsomething possible for people, that I believed was possible -- an\nassociation of practitioners who could work and play together in a spirit\nof real kindness and friendship. I believed from the beginning that it\nmust be possible to undermine the tendencies that I saw as being so\nharmful; such as: gossip; 'Dharma' politics; the giving of gratuitous\nadvice and gratuitous criticism; the formation of clique and inner\ncircles; elitism; sectarianism; self-righteousness; the assumption of\nartificial 'Buddhist' personality; the cultivation of a style of piety\ndesigned for the enhancement of self-image; and, many types of\ndysfunctional interpersonal behaviour. We have created an ethos within\nSang-ngak-cho-dzong where the adoption of an 'artificial Buddhist\npersonality' is not only not required, but which is actually practically\nnonexistent. The adoption of an 'artificial Buddhist personality' is\nunnecessary, when all that group acceptance depends upon -- is being an\nApprentice. The result of this is a wide range of personalities and styles\nof expression, united by an interest in the practice, teachings, lineage,\nand, a kind heart.\nI was originally called upon to be of help to people in Cardiff Wales who\nwere experiencing varying degrees of confusion in terms of their\nexperience of Tibetan Buddhism. I had returned to live in Cardiff at the\nend of the 70's, having spent that decade in study, practice, and retreat\nwithin the Nyingma School under the guidance of His Holiness Chhi'med\nRig'dzin Rinpoche; His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, and His Holiness Dilgo\nKhyentse Rinpoche. I had also studied with other Nyingma Lamas such as\nLama Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche, Lama Konchog Rinpoche, Jetsunma Khandro\nTen'dzin Drolkar, and Lama Yeshe Dorje. My main Transmission Lineage, the\nAro gTer, however came directly from Jetsunma Khandro Yeshe Rema. As it is\nknown, I am the sole surviving holder of this Lineage and so I have the\nconsiderable responsibility to keeping this tradition alive for the\nbenefit of future generations.\nWhen I returned to the West, it was with H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche's\ninstruction to teach and establish the Nyingma Ngakphang tradition in the\nWest. The beginnings of this teaching were quite organic, and came from\ninvitations from people who came to hear of me by word of mouth -- simply\nas 'a person who lived locally' who could explain things in ordinary\nlanguage. As you will know, I was recognized as the incarnation of Aro\nYeshe, by His Holiness Kyabje Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche; and as the\nincarnation of Aro Yeshe's predecessor, 'a-Shul Pema Legden, by H.H.\nKyabje Khordong gTerchen Tulku Chhi'med Rig'dzin Rinpoche, but this did\nnot play any part in how my role as a Lama in the West originated.\nThe explanation of the Buddhist teaching in creative Western vernacular\nidiom has always been important to me, because I am not an intellectual in\nany sense of the term. I am also not endowed with excessive intelligence.\nI didn't find it easy to understand many of the books that I tried to read\nwhen I first became interested in Buddhism over twenty years ago; and\nalthough I have now learnt to read complex language, in abstruse cultural\nmodes, I still find such books rather heavy going. Many of the available\nbooks are found to be highly inaccessible or totally alien to those people\nwho study with me. I have always had immense sympathy and empathy with\npeople who find Tibetan Buddhist literature impenetrable, and so my\nwritings have been dedicated to providing material not only for my\nApprentices, but for others who feel intellectually and culturally\noverwhelmed by what they try to read. I am also rather unsophisticated, so\nI have always felt for those who wanted to remain 'ordinary' at some\nlevel. I remember, with both amusement and affection, being described in a\nbook review by Stephen Batchelor as: \"the working man's Lama Govinda.\"\nOne of the main things I noticed in the West, was how people would enter\ninto practice with great fervour, and then become completely overwhelmed\nby the nature of the commitments they had taken. Tantric commitments were\noften entered into quite inadvertently. Sometimes married couples would\nfind themselves to have made vows to abstain from sexual contact with each\nother; and in the early days I was often being contacted to talk with\nthose who felt guilty about wishing to relinquish commitments that they\nhad never intended to take. Sometimes people would simply experience\nconfusion. They would find it hard to understand why they were involved\nwith in-depth studies of hell-realms when they'd originally come to learn\nabout something that would help them in their lives; to be kinder,\nhappier, more relaxed and peaceful. They were certainly interested in the\ndevelopment of wisdom and compassion. They were certainly interested in\nmeditation, but were often simply bewildered by the cultural philosophical\ninfrastructure that dominated the presentation of the teachings. People\noften stayed in this state of frustration for years, out of devotion to\nthe Lama -- and then disappeared 'for no apparent reason', without ever\nhaving expressed their inability to make sense of anything. It seemed to\nme that people often suffered from some sort of 'Dharma burn-out'; they\nwould seem to make valiant attempts to enter a Tibetan Buddhist cultural\nworld-view, and then become disheartened when time and time again that\nworld-view would clash with the reality of their actual situation. The\n'good students' tended to be those who remained with teachers, and the\n'bad students' were those who left. The 'good students' were those who\ndidn't question much about the cultural aspects of the teaching, and the\n'bad students' tended to be those who couldn't adapt to accepting\nstatements as a matter of faith.\nI was saddened by what I saw of Buddhism in the West, but soon realized\nthat many of these things seemed to happen by default -- no one was guilty\nof doing anything on purpose. The interpersonal behaviour of students\nseemed to incorporate the use of 'insider language', and the assessment of\nothers according to specific criteria, such as: extent of Buddhist\nvocabulary; knowledge of Buddhist technical categories; Empowerments\nreceived; and trips to India, Nepal and latterly Tibet. I could continue\nat great length on this subject, but it is not my wish or interest to be\ncritical. I mention these issues simply to give examples of things I\nencountered in the West, and among Western people in the East. It was the\nattitudes I encountered, and the default mechanisms I saw in operation,\nthat fuelled me with the strong wish to make some other possibility\navailable. It struck me as very sad to see people with energy and\nenthusiasm for these teachings that I held so dear, fall away through\ninability to integrate them with their ordinary Western family lives.\nThe first three people who came to see me in Cardiff in 1982 eventually\nasked me to be their teacher. They are still my Students, and one, Khandro\nDechen Tsedrup, became my wife. Khandro Dechen Tsedrup is an equal partner\nin all respects, and the fact that I am still her teacher doesn't play any\npart whatsoever in our domestic arrangements or personal relationship. We\nmake this quite obvious in the way in which we live our lives. This means\nthat Apprentices are fully aware that we are not replicating any form of\nhierarchic relationship which subverts her freedom and dignity as a woman.\nI do my share of house work as a worthwhile part of my life, because we\nregard everyday life as practice. I encourage her as much as possible in\nterms of her giving teaching input on 'Open Retreats', and it is my hope\nthat at some point in the future we will travel and teach together as a\ncouple.\nSoon other people expressed interest in working with me; and the questions\nthey asked all had the same purpose: \"How can I make sense of this for\nmyself?\"; \"How can I relate this to my daily life?\"; and \"How does the\ncomplex symbolism and ritual of Tantra relate to what I experience as the\nactual nature of the world in which I live?\" Because of the nature of my\nown personality, orientation and experience (and because of the nature of\nmy own process of understanding) I found myself being able to speak with\npeople in terms of realities, that were common to our everyday experience\nof existence. These first students organized weekend retreats under my\nguidance, and gradually other people became interested. It was a slow and\ngradual process, and one in which we were able to work together. I made a\npriority of adapting according to what I perceived to be the real\nindividual needs of each student.\nIt was not long before I decided that it was vital to look carefully at\nwhat was coming into being around me. At one point in the evolution of my\nrelationship with these first students, I suggested that they look to\nolder, more qualified teachers in the Nyingma tradition; but they were\nquite adamant that this was not what they wanted. These particular people\nwere all quite vocal in their unwillingness to involve themselves with the\nrecitation of lengthy Tibetan liturgies on a daily basis. They expressed\nto me that they recognized from past experience that there was no\npossibility of being able to maintain such practices, or even generate the\nenthusiasm to begin them. The students who gathered around me were very\nenthusiastic to be engaged in practices that they could maintain, and they\nwere happy about the style in which I explained the teaching. They wanted\nto have a teacher who facilitated the adaption and essentialization of the\npractices to their life circumstances, and who encouraged them to question\nwhatever they didn't understand. Because of this I decided to accept the\nchallenge of continuing with them as their main teacher. This caused me a\nlot of problems in some areas of the Buddhist world, but I will not\naddress that here. Suffice it to say that I became for a period of time\nthe target of hostility, resentment, and gossip from certain factions of\nWestern people and certain Tibetan Lamas who felt that I was encroaching\nof their territory.\nI naturally regard this challenge as the most tremendous responsibility.\nIt is also a most joyful and rewarding responsibility; but one that\nabsorbs my life completely. From that point onward it became crucial to me\nnot to fall, by default, into the problematic socio-political systems that\nI had seen in some other places. I decided to examine as carefully as I\ncould, the 'default problems' I had seen, and organize Sang-ngak-cho-dzong\nin such a way that these could be avoided. I am aware, when I say this,\nthat it not possible to create anything without problems; and for this\nreason I regard the structure we have created together as being\ncontinually open to adaption. It has been wonderful to see the way in\nwhich my Apprentices have grown as people. They have been an inspiration\nto me and to each other, and continually encourage me in the belief that\nthe essence of the Tibetan Buddhist teaching can really be of great value\nto ordinary working people with families in the West. We all hope that our\npractice, and the example we would hope to set, will be of some value to\nthe world in general.\nThe most substantial factor in avoiding what I felt to be the 'default\nproblems' that I saw elsewhere, was the 'Apprenticeship Programme'. 'The\nApprenticeship Programme' is something that my students and I have devised\ntogether over the years of our association. It includes a systematic\nprocedure for becoming an Apprentice that has the following features:\na. Informational booklet that explains all aspects of Apprenticeship.\nb. Information about leaving Apprenticeship.\nc. Details of the Ngakphang Tradition.\nd. The mutual obligations of Apprenticeship (Entry into Apprenticeship\nrequires that Apprentices have to refrain from smoking or using illegal\ndrugs).\nI call my personal students Apprentices, to distinguish them from the\nstudents of other teachers, and the people who attend public retreats on\nan irregular and informal basis. I lifted the word 'Apprentice' from the\nAmerican Indian tradition, specifically from my friend Sun Bear, who first\ninvited to come and teach in the US. I chose this word, because I wanted\nto establish a category of student who could be free to leave without the\nattendant problems that many people experience if they decide to leave a\nteacher. During my teaching over the last ten years, I have met many\npeople who have experienced incredible distress in the process of leaving\ntheir teacher and their teacher's organization. People have given me\ntragic accounts of having lost their friends, because the had been\n'excommunicated'. I saw this as being highly undesirable from my\nperspective, and decided that I would do what ever I could to avoid any\nmanifestation of 'cultism' that I saw arising within Sang-ngak-cho-dzong.\nSo, today we find ourselves working toward the establishment of retreat\nland somewhere in North Wales. Up until now we have held our retreats the\nhome of one of my Apprentices -- an old farm in North Wales where we\nregular convert a barn space into a shrine room. This would be sufficient\nfor our purposes but for the fact that accommodation and frequency of\nusage is limited. I have avoided any move toward establishing a 'centre'\nup until now, because I have wanted people to invest in their own practice\nboth in terms of retreat time and the acquisition of Buddhist symbolic\nsupports for practice. This has resulted in everyone having a shrine at\nhome, and owning their own vajras, bells, drums, and other supports of\npractice in the tradition we follow. It is wonderful to see the barn\nbecome transformed into a shrine room in an hour, with thangkas and rupas\narriving from everyone's home. We have our own thangka painter who\nproduces very beautiful thangkas for anyone who wishes to acquire one for\ntheir practice.\nWe produce a journal called 'Hidden Word', and a quarterly news-letter\ncalled 'Hidden Agenda'. The name Hidden Word is a loose translation of\n'Sang-ngak', the first two words of our name Sang-ngak-cho-dzong. These\npublications are intended to provide information on the Nyingma Tantras,\nand on the Ngakphang Tradition. They also provide information on the\nNgakphang Traditions of the other Schools of Tibetan Buddhism.\nWe provide Open retreats every year which can be attended by anyone. The\nOpen Retreats have teaching input from my 7 disciples -- senior\nApprentices who have been ordained into the Ngakphang Sangha. There are\nalso various practice groups in Britain and the US which are attended by\nmy Apprentices, and by the growing number of 'Friends of Sang-ngak-cho-\ndzong'. The 'Friends of Sang-ngak-cho-dzong' are people who are not my\npersonal Apprentices or disciples, but people who like to attend the 'Open\nTeaching Retreats' and other Sang-ngak-cho-dzong events. Although we have\nevolved in relative isolation from other groups, it has always been our\nwish to interact with other Buddhist sanghas in the West. In the USA we\nhave very cordial relationships with Lama Tharchin Rinpoche and Chagdud\nTulku Rinpoche. I go to the West Coast of America twice a year to give\n'Open Teaching Retreats' at Tharchin Rinpoche's Retreat Centre of Pema\nOsel Ling. Students of Tharchin Rinpoche and Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche often\nattend 'Open Teaching Retreats', and my Apprentices often attend retreats\nand empowerments given by these two Lamas. My Apprentices are encouraged\nto attend the Teachings of other Lamas from all Schools of Tibetan\nBuddhism and Bon -- and from Buddhist Teachers in general; whenever they\nhave the enthusiasm opportunity, interest or inclination. My Apprentices\nare particularly encouraged to study with my Vajra Brothers, Tharchin\nRinpoche and Sonam Sangpo Rinpoche; and with my Vajra Sister Jetsunma\nKhandro Ten'dzin Dolkar. Tharchin Rinpoche will be coming to Britain this\nSummer to give some Teachings, and our British sangha are looking forward\nvery much to meeting him. Unfortunately we do not as yet have such good\nrelationships with other Lamas and their Sanghas in Britain, but we hope\nthat our affiliation to the 'Network of Buddhist Organizations' in Britain\nwill facilitate a more open and accepting atmosphere for all the\norganizations who are part of it. We are very keen to promote a sense of\nopenness, kindness, tolerance, and mutual respect within Buddhism; because\nif we fail to be able to befriend each other as Buddhists, what purpose is\nthere is dedicating practice to the benefit of all sentient beings?\nI would like to conclude by thanking Your Holiness, and every one here\nvery much indeed for listening to my account. I would like to offer my\nwarmest appreciation for having been invited here, and for this marvellous\nopportunity to participate in what ever way I am able. I look forward to a\nhappy and creative future of friendly contact with you all.\nNgakpa Chogyam Ogyen Togden Rinpoche,\nSpiritual Director of Sang-ngak-cho-dzong\nNotes\n1. This article will also be published in the Summer 1994 edition of\n\"Hidden Agenda\".\n2. Sang-ngak-cho-dzong is spelt with an umlaut over the \"o\" in \"Cho\" this\nhas been removed in this version as have various other accent marks.\n3. For more information about Sang-ngak-cho-dzong, please contact: the\nSecretary, Sang-ngak-cho-dzong, 5 Court Close, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF4\n1JR, Wales, U.K. tel: 0222 620332.\n4. Sang-ngak-cho-dzong is a Registered UK Charity, No. 1019886.\n=======================================================================\nDISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT\nTITLE OF WORK: Sang-Ngak-Cho-Dzong & the Evolution of the Apprentice\nProgramme\nFILENAME: APRNTICE.ZIP\nAUTHOR: Venerable Ngakpa Chogyam Rinpoche\nAUTHOR'S ADDRESS: Sang-ngak-cho-dzong, 5 Court Close, Whitchurch,\nCardiff CF4 1JR, Wales, UK\nPUBLISHER'S ADDRESS: //Gassho//, POB 4951, Berkeley CA 94704\nCOPYRIGHT HOLDER: Ngakpa Chogyam Rinpoche\nDATE OF PUBLICATION: 1994\nDATE OF DHARMANET PUBLICATION: May 1994\nORIGIN SITE: BODY DHARMA * Berkeley CA 510/836-4717 DharmaNet (96:101/33.0)\nThe copyright holder retains all rights to this work and hereby grants\nelectronic distribution rights to DharmaNet International. 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