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Dear Maitreya Project...

Letters from Heart Shrine Relic Tour hosts & visitors

'It was a wonderful event from many different points of
view! There was great consideration and respect for the relics and many requests for blessings. The altar was always shining during the show and the gompa we prepared to host the relics was teeming with a strong energy which everyone seemed to be aware of. The group from Muni Gyana Centre was very closely-knit, we developed a strong team spirit in sharing the happiness for the success of such important an event.

The extraordinary work and care of the two Relic Custodians, Andy and Peter, their respect and devotion towards the masters who continue to offer themselves to others in this "special way", were like living and deep teachings, not only for me but for many of us. I felt [as though] Rinpoche was there, together to the relics and Maitreya, and this explains how everything was so perfect.

So, many, many thanks from the very bottom of my heart for making all of this possible; thank you for the extraordinary energy which we set in motion by working all together, side by side.

Deep love,
Rosanna, September 2006

"Hello everyone.......The universe is so timely, with my brother's passing on Friday, Phil and I and two of our three sons could not have wished for a better two days to have followed that than visiting & volunteering at the Heart Shrine Relic Tour. The exhibition of these ancient and sacred Buddhist relics is profound to say the least. Being in that peaceful energy, and receiving a blessing brought me such a peace, purification, and sense of relief, that is unexplainable.

You do not have to be a practicing Buddhist to view them or receive a blessings — I am not myself, but believe in so many of their beliefs of sending love and kindness and compassion to everyone. I love the
statement by the Dalai Lama "Don't use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are".'

~ Una, September 2006

Thank you for bringing the Heart Shrine Relic Tour to Ireland. I visited the Relics on Sunday, July 30, and as a practising Buddhist, the personal blessing I received was one of the most important moments in my life.
~ Debra, July 2006

From the very depth of our hearts we would like to thank you for all your support and good advice in arranging the Heart Shrine Relic Tour here in Copenhagen. The weekend was a flower opening the hearts of 1500 visitors; people came from different countries and from different parts of Denmark — it was a weekend that went beyond culture, tradition and nationality. Very beautiful, very powerful, and very, very beneficial. Again, and on behalf of all volunteers and members of Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling, I would like to thank you for letting us host the relics.
~ Lise Lotte, October 2005

I've been composing this over and over in my head all week and I'll probably still not get it as right as I want to, but here goes anyway.....

This has been for me, the experience of a lifetime. At least so far.

I would like to say a huge thanks to all who I had the great honour and pleasure of working alongside during the whole planning and operation of the tour. I could not have been in better company.

Thank you for welcoming me into the group. Thank you for being you. I hope to see all of you again soon.

I would hate to leave out the many volunteers who were not actually on the committee, but showed up and did what they had to do in a professional manner. My thanks to all of them.

Many thanks to Dave and Dekyi Lee for allowing me to be a part of this amazing experience. I am eternally grateful.

With folded hands, I bow to you all.
Metta, Maitri, Love
~ Rob, September 2005

Dear friends at Maitreya Project,

I attended the Chenrezig Jenang and teachings with Ven. Lama Zopa Rimpoche last weekend in Madrid and of course I was fortunate enough to walk around and meditate before the Holy Relics.

I live more than 600 kilometers south from Madrid, so I traveled there for the teaching and booked a bed at a backpacker's hostel.

On Friday night I ate something that got me sick with severe stomach and back pain. The Chenrezig initiation ended at 2 in the morning a couple of days later. I had been in pain for the whole weekend, sitting in half-lotus position without a cushion, doing prostrations, walking long distances uphill, poor eating, etc.

At 2 in the morning the subway is closed in Madrid, so I had to walk several miles uphill for the hostel. As I walked, I was thinking about Buddhiststuff and thinking about the Relics.

There were other people sleeping in the room so I didn't want to make noise undressing so I used my Thai pants as a pajama and laid down on the bed. All of a sudden, I came to realize I didn't have any back or tummy pain at all, my tiredness was zero, my heartbeat was calm and I wasn't even sweating. Mentally I was in a beautiful state of shin.

When I came back home, I learned that some other people have had similar experiences. I hope every human being will be able to contemplate and understand the meaning of these Relics.
~ Carlos,August 2005

Hosting the Relics is one of the highlights of my life. The whole time they were at our Center I couldn't get enough of looking at them, praying to them and simply being in their presence. When I'm around them something shifts inside of me and I can finally see a glimpse of my true self, void of all my self cherishing and ego. The aura field that surrounds the Relics is so powerful it seems to touch everyone who comes in contact with them, at least that's what I saw from the two exhibits at Drepung Loseling Institute. As a host organiser I was fortunate enough to spend two nights sleeping in their presence and the experience was astounding. The first night I felt like someone was rewiring my circuit board. My dreams were disturbing, though not unpleasant, and I woke up feeling ready to tackle my self grasping and ignorance. The second night was completely different, full of wonderful Dharma dreams (which I never experience) that left me floating for days.
~ Wendy,April 2005

Once again our sangha has been truly blessed by the Maitreya Project Heart Shrine Relic Tour. I cannot thank you enough for allowing the relics to be displayed at our institute. Personally, I am honored to have been able to work with the Tour and hope we are fortunate enough to do so again.
~ Wendy,December 2004

In the summer of 2004 I saw the Maitreya Project Heart Shrine Relic Tour in Illinois twice within a week and the experience was nothing short of inspiring. I have much gratitude for having the opportunity to see these beautiful relics & to receive the many blessings they contain.
~ Ken, November 2004

Thanks for everyone's efforts in travelling the distances to make this available to so many people. I've 'visited' four [Heart Shrine Relic Tour] sites so far, and plan to see you at a few more stops. It's a great blessing to 'meet' the relics in this lifetime...
~ K, October 2004

My dream of bringing the relics to France came true! I never imagined it could be so extraordinary. Immense thanks to Rinpoche for having allowed us to receive and meet these holy beings.
~ Michelle, October 2004

I was fortunate enough to visit the exhibition in Moscow. May I always keep and strengthen this connection with the heart of the Protector of the Land of the Hundreds of Deities. Thank you for this good work you do!
~ Douglas, October 2004

The experience I have had, on my several visits to see the relics, is powerful if difficult to describe. For some time afterwards, my chatty, unsettled and often cranky mind comes to rest and a more spacious and engaged heart awakens. What great fortune that the Maitreya Project Heart Shrine Relic Tour has offered this experience to so many people!
~ Karen P., October 2004

An English man reported that he had fervently prayed for his aunt in England who was suffering from cancer. At some point during the weekend, he received a phone message from her saying something like "Dear Barney, thanks to God and the bones of your Lamas, I've gone in for my check up and the cancer has disappeared."
~ Theresa, October 2004

Thank you for doing the Heart Shrine Relic Tour [in Vienna and Graz, Austria and Ljublijana, Slovenia]. It was a very successful and happy event for many people. The feedback was enormously positive and many people mentioned in written and oral form how deeply they were moved by this exhibition. We are indebted to the people of the Maitreya Project who do a great work to which we finally could simply connect as the local organisers and combine our efforts for the sake of all!
~ Ralf, 21 September 2004

Last time the Relic Tour was here I was real sick [and] I couldn't walk normally. My older sister had to accompany me to the Jade Buddha Temple in Houston [Texas, USA]. It gave me a lot of joy [and] was a strange, happy feeling I had not experienced before. I just took a quick look at the holy relics and went to the blessing line. After the blessing I felt stronger than before. I wish that one day in the future I can see the holy relics again.
~ Susan, 20 September 2004

Thank you so much for organising this wonderful tour. Our family was fortunate enough to view the relics in Birmingham [England], and we are grateful to everyone involved...
~ Sally, 13 September 2004

Words fail to express the gratitude I have for those responsible for making the Tour possible. [It is] truly a reminder of the sacredness within.
~ Mike, 24 August 2004

I am writing to you after I went to the Relic Tour that was held in Seattle, Washington, USA, today. I would like to express how thankful and happy I am to have been able to see the relics of the Buddha. The Maitreya Project is a wonderful idea and I am glad that I was able to participate. I look forward to making the journey to see the statue of Maitreya Buddha when it is complete.
~ Valerie, 2 April 2004

The experience of seeing so many relics in one place last weekend was a unique and unforgettable experience that I will cherish in my memory... The relics supersede the divisions which emerged after the passing away of the Buddha... Emphasis on both the doctrinal and cultural commonalities of Buddhist [traditions] will surely serve to enhance the importance of the project you have most generously undertaken.
~ Kusum, 12 March 2004

Thank you so much for arranging for the relics to come to Atlanta [Georgia, USA]. It was the most wonderful experience of my life and of great benefit to our center and community as a whole. We had many other centers come to see the relics and it was great to have such a diverse community in our shrine room. Some Chinese nuns sat with our monks at one of the opening ceremonies and chanted after the monks finished their morning prayers. It reduced me to tears.
~Wendy, 13 November, 2003

I was at the stop in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; I was the guy whose mom is on hospice with cancer... You were both very kind and selflessly compassionate towards me... I am most fortunate and grateful for this...
~ David, 12 November 2003

Dear Friends,

Although I'm dead tired and in a midst of this pouring rain, I can't help feeling the urge to write a note to summarize my feelings for the work you've done.

From the time I started with this project 2 months ago, I always knew it would be an extreme and tiring challenge. This is certainly true, through many nights with little sleep, but I could not imagine the outpouring of initiative, spirit and kindness that everybody exhibited!

I can't remember everybody and everything you all did. But I do know it was an incredibly superb job

It has been a humbling experience and an honor to have worked with all of you.

Gratefully yours,
~ Dyung,October 2003

Just a short note to say thanks for welcoming me into your organising group... It was an honor to support this wonderful event. In our day-to-day lives thereare really very few times when we have the opportunity to make so many people happy and to afford them the chance to become healthier and wiser... As people left the event each day I noticed that most left happier, some were crying, some could not stop talking, but I think each one left with more energy and a deeper understanding of who and what they are...
~ Mike, October 2003