The Annual General Meeting of Dzamling Gar was held on April 25, 2021 in the Dzamling Gar Gönpa. The AGM was live with masks and social distancing and approximately 30 people were present from the local Dzogchen Community. There was also a Zoom transmission for those near and far.
Urara Taoka,Yellow Gakyil and the outgoing Gakyil president, presented first. Urara gave a detailed report on the financial situation of 2020, including various agenda items that required voting by the Dzamling Gar members.
Blue followed presented by Naomi Zeitz. Naomi made a report on the courses and activities from 2020 comprised of 58 live and online courses with 4,4034 online participants, including 638 from China, as well as presenting some upcoming courses and activities. Online courses and practices, implemented because of COVID, were discovered to be very popular and beneficial and will continue after the virus has gone. Courses and activities also continue live since the size of the Dzamling Gar Gönpa allows for social distancing, doors can be opened, and participants are required to use masks.
Red Gakyil activities were presented by Raul Barratini, and Raul talked about the projects for the year 2020, from road and side gate repair and construction, to the purchase and housing of the new mulch machine for the garden.
The grand finale was an inspirational presentation by Alix de Fermor about the value of karma yoga and how important it was to Rinpoche. We were then treated to a lovely video slide show of the years of karma yoga around the world, created by Carles Jañez Brucet, which used the joyful and upbeat Merigar (West) song written by Chögyal Namkha Norbu as the soundtrack, promoting the pleasure and value of karma yoga, Kale Kapore. People were so motivated by the presentation that 25 people arrived for the karma yoga in the garden the following Friday. Again Carles made us happy with delicious paella as only a Spaniard can make.
