On Friday 30th June 2023, author Ven. Jampa Kalden via Zoom (Nepal), Wangdrak Rinpoche via telephone (Nangchen), and Dr. Elizabeth McDougal (Tenzin Chozom) in person, launched Calling the Lama From Afar: The Yogini Nuns of Gebchak Gompa at Temple on the Park in Newtown, Sydney. The event saw a full house, with many members of the Gebchak Rigpa Har-Sey community in attendance and some members of the monastic sangha. Jampa Kalden in conversation with publisher Matthew Dawson, delivered this wonderful insight into the story behind the Gebchak Nuns:
“I didn’t try to put any systematic meditation guidelines in the book. It’s not that kind of a text. But something that I discovered for myself … they don’t attain meditative realisation because of some special practices. They just do them. Whereas the rest of us make excuses and are lazy about practicing. They get on with it … these nuns put in the hard yards, that’s what its about. It’s not about doing particular practices, it’s about doing whatever practice your lama gives you.”—Jampa Kalden
Dr. Elizabeth McDougal, who has written a doctorate on the Gebchak Nuns, also provided an update to the audience on the present day situation of the nuns since the writing of the book. She also translated a message from Wangrak Rinpoche about the nuns. The evening included a Q&A session, where attendees engaged with Jampa and Elizabeth on questions relating to the book, Dharma, and the nuns. The launch concluded with the group bonding over dinner at a local Indian restaurant.
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