This year, Merigar East turns 20.

Twenty years of teachings, practice, meetings, friendships, and transformation.
Twenty years of living legacy left by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu — not only in books, but in real places, real people, and real continuity.

But twenty years also mean something else.

Twenty years of questions.
Twenty years of doubts about how to continue.
Twenty years of building and learning — sometimes the hard way — what it really means to maintain a Gar.

Perhaps because this is an anniversary year, it feels important to speak plainly.

Taking care of a Gar is not romantic.
Keeping a Gar open is not poetic.

Making sure the teachings can continue — online and in person — requires continuous effort, responsibility, and often difficult decisions.

A Gar does not survive because it exists. It survives because people decide that it should.

The Inner Challenges

There are outer difficulties. But sometimes the inner ones are more subtle — and more demanding.

Our challenges are the same ones many communities face:

How do we collaborate?
How do we communicate?
How do we unite our efforts for something that is bigger than personal views or individual preferences?

A Gar is not just a place.
It is also a mirror of our collective maturity.

When the team is small, fatigue becomes real.
When responsibilities are many and people are few, the process requires patience and presence.
And yes — sometimes the process tests our capacity to work together.
And perhaps, it also tests the depth of our own practice.

The Outer Challenges

There are also very concrete realities.

A roof that needs repair.
Stairs that require fixing.
Walls affected by weather.
Electricity that needs stabilization.
Water systems that require a complete rethink.

A Gar is not sustained by our spiritual intention alone. It requires work, time, skills, and resources.
Alongside the long-term shortage of dedicated people — Gakyil members, gekos, assistants, and long-stay volunteers — we now also face significant maintenance needs that can no longer be postponed.

These are not dramatic issues. But they are real ones.

A Transformative Year — In Reality

This year was originally meant to culminate in a retreat with Yeshi Namkhai and a larger gathering celebrating the 20th anniversary of Merigar East.

However, after careful consideration, the retreat with Yeshi has been postponed — we felt it was wiser to wait for a more favorable moment. We hope to return with good news and new dates when the conditions allow it.

This also gives us the opportunity to focus on something more fundamental: strengthening the foundations of the Gar — both outwardly and inwardly.

Repairing what needs repair.
Rethinking what needs to be rethought.
Rebuilding collaboration and clarifying direction.
And creating more stable conditions for the teachings to continue here.

If the Gar reflects our collective practice, then caring for it is also practice.

A Gift for 20 Years

If you feel a connection with Merigar East —whether you have been here physically, joined online teachings, served in Gakyil, visited for personal retreat, or simply carry an inner wish to come one day — this is a moment when you can support this place in a very concrete way.

A birthday gift for its 20 years.

Not symbolic — but practical.

A contribution that helps maintain continuity, stability, and openness for future teachings.

The road of transformation ahead is long, and the Gar will need the support of the community more than ever.

You can read more about the current needs and offer your support here:

👉 Donation link: https://dzogchen.ro/supporting-the-place-of-retreat-and-teachings/ 

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What Is Alive Now at Merigar East

First Steps on the Path

One of the ongoing courses at Merigar East is First Steps on the Path, organized in collaboration with Sangha App.

Every Monday, this weekly course brings together several SMS teachers and practitioners from across continents.

Participants join from Hungary, Finland, Poland, the United States, France, Romania, Germany, Lithuania, Italy, Great Britain, Austria, Singapore, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Argentina, Russia, Brazil, Slovakia, Spain, Bulgaria, Latvia — and more.

Together we go step by step through essential practices of the community. We practice together, and through the Sangha App platform we also share reflections and experiences — not as theory, but as lived practice.

On March 22, we will continue with the second module of the course.

You can check the program and register here:
👉 https://dzogchen.ro/events/first-steps-on-the-path/

Karma Yoga Week – April 10-23

In April, we are preparing a Karma Yoga Week, together with practitioners from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and other neighboring countries.

Yes, it coincides with Easter — a holiday period for many, both Catholic and Orthodox.
And yet, we are choosing to dedicate these days to the Gar.

The plan is concrete and practical, with a clear list of maintenance tasks. This is not symbolic volunteering — it is focused, structured work to support the physical continuity of the place.

If you feel moved to participate and support this initiative, you can do so in two ways:

Join onsite and contribute with your hands:  https://forms.gle/dCZnvc5WFypoLGHb7

Or support online with a financial contribution that helps cover the costs for the karma yogis:  https://dzogchen.ro/product/karma-yoga-support-april-2026/

Sometimes practicing together means sitting in the Gonpa.
Sometimes it means repairing a roof.

Both matter ❤️

Merigar East 2026 and Beyond – A Community Survey

Another important step for us this year is a community survey about Merigar East 2026 and beyond.

If this Gar is to continue in a meaningful way, we need clarity.

What practices are truly needed?
What kind of retreats are people ready to attend?
What form of continuity makes sense now — not ten years ago, not in theory, but today?

This survey is not a formality. It will directly influence how we prioritize activities, teachers, and projects in the coming years.

Please help us prioritize wisely.

Survey link: https://us15.list-manage.com/survey?u=036cf26d0f2d4ff8237eef30d&id=71de2a4967&attribution=false

An Open Place for Practice

Merigar East remains an open place.

Open for practice.
Open for retreat.
Open for collaboration — and for anyone who wishes to help, physically, administratively, or simply by being present.

Whether you come for personal retreat, to join collective practice, to participate in Gakyil, or to offer support in any way — you are welcome.

This Gar exists because people care.

And it will continue only if we continue to care — together.