Drukpa's initiative to save the environment in Ladakh
Over the years, deforestation in the harsh unfavorable climate has been a growing concern for the region. In order to maintain the ecological balance, the Drukpa lineage, one of the widely followed Buddhism sect in Ladakh had taken up this green initiative to plant over 10,000 trees along the banks of River Indus in Leh.
Tweet-- In appreciation of the herculean task completed under the leadership of his holiness, Gyalwang Drukpa, head of the Drukpa lineage, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has granted 10,000 acres of land for further plantation of trees to Drukpa.
Incidentally, Drukpa's efforts to conserve the environment dates back to early 2009 when under the leadership of his holiness, Gyalwang Drukpa, head of Drukpa lineage and over 700 monks collected plastic bottles along the 400km pad yatra from Manali to Leh to save Himalayas from getting polluted.
Notes to Editor
About Drukpa Lineage
The Drukpa Lineage follows the Mahayana Buddhist tradition in philosophy, i.e. the philosophy of "getting enlightened for the benefit of others" and the methods are based on the Tantrayana teachings passed down from the great Indian saint Naropa, who was born in 1016 in a West Bengal royal family. The lineage acquired the name Drukpa in the twelfth century when, assuming the human form, Avalokiteshvara - the Great Lord of Universal Compassion - manifested in Tibet as the outstanding disciple of Mahasiddha Lingchen Repa. This sublime being was called Drogon Tsangpa Gyare, the meaning being: Drogon - the Protector of Beings; Tsang - born in the land of Tsang; Gya - from the noble clan of Chinese (Gya) origin; Re - a cotton-clad yogi. "Druk" in Tibetan means "Dragon" and it also refers to the sound of thunder. In 1206, more than 800 years ago, Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje saw nine dragons fly up into the sky from the ground of Namdruk, and he named his lineage "Drukpa" or "lineage of the Dragons" after this auspicious event. In this way, Tsangpa Gyare became the founder of the lineage and was known as the First Gyalwang Drukpa. The present Gyalwang Drukpa is the twelfth incarnation of the founder of the Drukpa Lineage