Buddhist Flags: Swe Monastery, Ngawa
Mission & Vision
As a non-profit corporation and online educational resource, we at Jonang Foundation work with the living Jonang tradition in order to support the Jonangpa inside Tibet as well as to promote understanding of this little-known Tibetan Buddhist tradition through research and scholarship.
The mission and vision for which Jonang Foundation was founded and organized is to facilitate greater preservation, documentation, revivification and transmission of the Jonang lineage from its ancient ancestors up to the living tradition; collection, conservation and diffusion of Jonang art and literature; translation of seminal Jonang historical, philosophical and contemplative Tibetan literary works into Western languages; development of educational institutions including schools, monasteries, retreat facilities and libraries that support the Jonang; promotion of the distinct intellectual, creative and spiritual Jonang heritage.
Brief History
Jonang Foundation was conceived in the summer of 2004 in the Golok region of Amdo, Tibet (Qinghai Province, China) by Michael Sheehy and Cynthia Williams. Over the course of several conversations with Khenpo Kunga Sherab Saljay Rinpoche and several other prominent Jonangpa lamas in the Golok and Dzamthang areas, it became apparent that there was need for an organization to help facilitate the emergence of the Jonang tradition into the world beyond the cultural parameters of Tibet. In February of 2006, Jonang Foundation was incorporated as a U.S. non-profit organization in the state of California in order to support the activities and carry-out the intents of the Jonang Standing Council and the Jonang tradition in general.
Our 5 Guiding Principles
- Preservation of the Jonang tradition in all its expressions, ancient and modern
- Education of the intellectual and meditative traditions of the Jonang for students inside Tibet as well as within the international community
- Translation of seminal literary works of the Jonang with an emphasis on texts of historical, philosophical and contemplative significance
- Documentation of the distinctive Jonang heritage in its contemporary contexts through textual, video and photographic digital mediums
- Revivification of the living Jonang tradition inside Tibet including the restoration and renovation of monasteries, nunneries, Buddhist studies colleges and meditation retreat facilities
Current Projects
- Art & Literature Collection
- Tibet Primary School Project
- Ngedon Thartuk Translation Initiative
- Portraits of the Living Tradition: A Documentary Series
Future Initiatives
- Teaching Tours: host a series of teaching tours within North America and Europe of prominent Jonang lamas
- Shedra Project: help fund and develop Buddhist studies colleges at select Jonang monasteries and nunneries; part of our larger Jonang education projects and in partnership with the Jonang Shedra Committee and the Jonang Standing Council
- Tibetan Studies Programs: organize and lead field trips in Tibet to historical and contemporary sites of the Jonang with select groups of students interested in studying the Jonang Buddhist heritage and Tibetan culture
- Text Redistribution: publish a series of rare Tibetan texts of the Jonang not currently available and redistribute these texts to each of the Jonang monastic colleges; publish a working "Collected Works of the Jonang"; an extension of the Jonang Art & Literature Collection
- Site Renovation Initiative: facilitate the reconstruction and restoration of select Jonang monasteries, nunneries, stupas and other important historical sites of the Jonang in Tibet
- Study & Retreat Center: build a center in North America for the study of zhentong and the practice of the Kalachakra according to the Jonang lineage
To support the work of Jonang Foundation or directly contribute to any one of these projects, please see our Support page.
