Tibetan Aid Project Blog

Eschew economy vexations and be inspired by a Buddhist Kingdom that measures its Gross National Happiness. Five nights at Uma Paro Resort will nurture body, mind, and spirit. Explore beautiful monasteries, trek first growth forests, dine on local organic cuisine and relax with Asian-inspired body therapies all in a perfect balance between tradition and modernity. The luxurious escape at this private villa will bestow enchanting memories of an ancient culture, religion, and landscape. Take a look at http://www.uma.paro.como.bz and join us next month in New York for a chance to bid on this once in a lifetime getaway.

TAP is buzzing in preparation for next month’s Taste & Tribute New York! We are especially excited for the exquisite cuisine provided by returning chef Eric Ripert. To get your mouth watering too check out his blog at http://www.aveceric.com. It is filled with great tips for both the culinary impaired – videos, forums, and shopping guides – and the canny culinarian – ideas for exotic recipes like roasted bananas with rosemary. Join us June 29th at Le Bernardin which some call the #1 restaurant in the city. In addition to imaginative dining, there will also be an auction and of course a chance to meet new and old friends. Tickets are still available for this year’s fund raiser at our website. Hope to see you there!

All of us at the Tibetan Aid Project are busy preparing for this year’s Taste & Tribute New York benefit dinner, and our auction team has done a fabulous job putting together a great selection of luxury getaways and beautiful Tibetan art. One of our auction packages will feature a two night stay at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental, Riviera Maya in Mexico, where guests will experience a seamless blending of luxury and natural beauty. Set on 36 acres of lush tropical jungle and white sandy beaches, this magnificent resort offers a variety of experiences and activities. Enjoy a visit to the Mandarin Oriental’s spa, which blends therapies and techniques from around the world to create a new standard of holistic well-being. Experience the unique ecosystems of the surrounding mangroves and jungle, or explore the world’s second largest coral reef just offshore. Many more adventures are available on land or at sea, including horseback riding, a jungle zip line, kayaking, parasailing, and more. Several ancient Mayan archaeological sites lie within easy reach, and nearby Playa del Carmen provides numerous shopping and entertainment options. Or you may simply choose to relax at the beach or at one of the resort’s three pools: the Mandarin Oriental’s legendary service will ensure that your stay will be as perfect as the setting. To learn more about this fabulous resort, visit their website at http://www.mandarinoriental.com/rivieramaya/

The Tibetan Aid Project is sincerely grateful for the support of the Mandarin Oriental, Riviera Maya and our other sponsors and supporters. We are thrilled to be able to offer this getaway at our New York auction; we only wish that we could go ourselves!

PHOTO EXHIBIT: Meditations on Tibet by Greg Hale

EXHIBITION: March 4^th – May 27^th, 2009                                                  Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm, open to public, free of charge.

RECEPTION & PROGRAM with Greg Hale: April 28^th, 6-8pm

Admission: General public $15, Friends of TAP $5

World Affairs Council at 312 Sutter Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA.

You are invited to join the Tibetan Aid Project for an exhibition of Tibetan photos by photographer Greg Hale. Hale is a sensitive photographer who has beautifully documented his journey through Tibet. His collection features both color and black & white photographs. The exhibit is co-sponsored by the Tibetan Aid Project and the World Affairs Council of Northern California.  To make reservations for the Reception and Program with Greg Hale please contact the Tibetan Aid Project: (510) 848-4238 or tap@tibetanaidproject.org.  For more information about this exhibition please visit the events page on the Tibetan Aid Project website.

photo by Greg Hale

Thank you to everyone who made our eighth annual Taste & Tribute San Francisco such a success! The evening vibrated with the energy and unparalleled generosity of our many supporters.

This year’s 24 participating chefs dazzled guests with delicious 4-course meals complete with wine-pairings. Guests raved about the many flavors of the evening and the contented smiles at the end of the night spoke volumes about the success of each table’s culinary experience.

The staff here at TAP is so grateful for the heartfelt support of Peter Armellino, Plumed Horse; Ron Boyd, Aqua; Bruno Chemel, Chez TJ; Ben Cohn, Spruce; Preston Dishman, Viognier; Mark Dommen, One Market; Khai Duong, Ana Mandara; Dmitry Elperin, The Village Pub; Srijith Gopinathan, Campton Place; Bruce Hill, Bix/Picco; Gerald Hirigoyen, Piperade; Morgan Mueller, Bacar; Jennie Lorenzo, Fifth Floor (in the Hotel Palomar); Laurent Manrique, Aqua/Fifth Floor; Jean-Pierre Moulle, Chez Panisse; Lauren Kiino; Cindy Pawlcyn, Mustard’s Grill/Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen; Mark Richardson, Four Seasons San Francisco; Xavier Salomon, The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay; Victor Scargle, Go Fish; Liza Shaw, A16; Keiko Takahashi, El Paseo; Kolin Vazzoler, Marche; and Lionel Walter, Aqua; Without our chefs, Taste and Tribute would not be possible.

A surprising highlight of the evening was Vikram Singh’s impromptu donation to our live auction. As the general manager of Campton Place Hotel, he generously offered a deluxe two night stay for two and a dinner for six with a tasting menu and wines in Campton Place’s award-winning restaurant. Thanks to all of our generous auction donors for providing us with a colorful array of wines, exciting adventure packages, exquisite art, and luxurious getaways.

Even with all the hardships our country has been facing economically, Taste & Tribute raised upwards of $150,000, after expenses, all of which will go directly to our book preservation and distribution project. We also cultivated some wonderful new friends who, along with our many longtime supporters, will continue to help perpetuate our mission.

Special thanks to the 40 volunteers that helped carry out our vision for this year’s Taste and Tribute. Without you, things would not have fallen into place so seamlessly. TAP is forever grateful for the endless generosity of our community of supporters. Thank you for coming together to help us change the world one heart and one mind at a time.

Here at the Tibetan Aid Project we have come across some information about a new IRA Gift Law that will allow individuals aged 70½ and older to transfer up to $100,000 per year directly from an IRA to public nonprofit organizations like ours without triggering a federal income tax. The law expires December 31, 2009.

In the past, any donor attempting to roll over retirement account funds to good causes were subject to federal income tax on the entire amount transferred. The charitable deduction did not always offset the tax.

The new law solves that problem for those over 70½ by allowing tax-free IRA transfers of up to $100,000 as long as they go directly to a qualified public charity like Tibetan Aid Project. The law requires the IRA custodian to make the charitable transfer. Donors have two opportunities to do this: once before December 31, 2008, and again before the end of 2009.

If you or anyone you know might qualify and could be interested in this opportunity, see below for a suggested letter of instruction you can send the custodian of your retirement account. Please send on this information to anyone who might qualify and be interested in giving to Tibetan Aid Project.

A few weeks ago, TAP spent a couple of days at the fair. For those of you who have never experienced Kidsfaire at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, you are missing out on quite a colorful adventure. For one weekend a year Kidsfaire fills the fairground with a playful array of real life cartoon characters, carnival rides, overpriced yet irresistible fair food and a wide variety of tastes and smells from around the world.

TAP was honored with an invitation to be a part of the Target Children’s International Village, so for two days we sweat and smiled and shared our joy with the many kids of Kidsfaire. We were immensely entertained by the performance stage nearby with its line-up of Taiko drumming (Japan), a martial arts demonstration with swords & armor (Japan), Scottish traditional dance (men in kilts and knee-high socks!), Polynesian dancing, Indian dancing, and a really cute little boy in a sombrero who was part of a Mexican or Spanish dance troupe.

The activity we had for the kids was inspired by the colorful prayer flags which flutter above mountain passes and stupas in Tibet. The idea was to have kids think of a wish for others’ well-being and then draw something to represent it on a slip of paper. (One great way to start is to think of something that makes you happy, and then wish that you could share this feeling with everyone else in the world.) After you’ve drawn something that represents your wish, you can staple it onto a string. Then you hang the flags somewhere breezy and imagine that your wishes are spread by the wind to all corners (and all beings) of the world. One mother visited our booth with her three children. When I described the project to her, her face lit up. Pretty soon our table was occupied by three kids and their mother, all drawing away with crayons. They left with four flags hanging together from a string.

Our booth also featured Jataka Tales, stories related by the Buddha about his past lives. These childrens’ books are published by Dharma Publishing, one of our sister organizations. One parent remarked on the beautiful colors of the illustrations, while another bought a coloring book version of a story for her children to fill in themselves. As Tarthang Tulku says in the preface to one of these books, “The Jataka Tales celebrate the power of action motivated by compassion, love, wisdom, and kindness. They teach that all we think and do profoundly affects the quality of our lives.”

And that is how we at TAP spent our day at the fair.

In the Tibetan Aid Project office, we’re quite green—not with envy, but with a fundamental Buddhist teaching of non-violence for ourselves and the world we live in. Among all the eco-friendly habits we’ve adopted at the office, our favorite is the fossil-fuel free commute to work through the campus of UC Berkeley that TAP’s five work-study students make each day.

Our scenic trek takes about 20 minutes each way, and we make it 4 times daily. The three miles we cover are full of adventures and ecological wonders. Just yesterday I came face to face with a doe and fawn near the campus and last week a flock of wild turkeys joined me on my hike. We make friends with the locals, pet the neighborhood cat, and manage to decrease our ecological footprint with a mindful commute. I find the walk to be a relaxing and rewarding form of meditation. I make a point of noticing the beauty of my surroundings and the surprising complexity and diversity of life in this little corner of the universe.

Some other sustainable practices that we’ve adopted around the office include a recycling and composting system, the use of recycled paper for most of our printing and mailing projects, an increase in internet communications, and a dedicated effort to join in the community at the Nyingma Institute, where work-study stundents live. My house job, vacuuming the Institute, comes with a reminder to leave the community spiders unharmed. Our meals are vegetarian, part of our mission of non-violence and mindful consumption.

We hope you give some thought to how you can merge mindful practice and green living in your own daily routines. It certainly makes life more colorful!

Sunshine and warm sand . . .

Deep relaxation to the sounds of ocean surf . . .

Luxury seamlessly blended with the highest eco-friendly standards . . .

This experience is brought to you through a generous donation from Playa Viva; a sustainable resort and residence community on Mexico’s Pacific Coastline.

“Sustainability is about looking at every single aspect of a project and starting with nature and what is local in mind,” said David Leventhal, the project’s founder. “Most projects treat sustainability as an afterthought, something relegated to glossy brochures. At Playa Viva, concern for the environment is at the heart of every decision we make. Our tree houses reflect that mindset.”

Guests can enjoy hiking through a private 160-acre reserve over beaches, dunes, and wetlands. Classes in yoga, qigong, and meditation are offered, as well as numerous opportunities to fish, kayak, scuba dive, surf, and horseback ride on the beach. Before and after these activities, guests dine on delicious organic meals prepared by an array of guest chefs. Playa Viva is also home to an incredible sea turtle sanctuary, La Tortuga Feliz, which has been able to protect over 2000 nests resulting in the release of over 100,000 baby turtles. Accommodations are eco-friendly tree houses built with every amenity in design and service, proving that luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand.

Playa Viva goes beyond “green,” emphasizing regenerative practices to improve the health of local and global ecosystems. Sustainable values shape Playa Viva’s every operation, from building projects to customer relations and immersion in the community. These values are in perfect harmony with the mission of the Tibetan Aid Project. It is our sincere pleasure to have Playa Viva involved in this year’s Taste & Tribute San Francisco.

Thank you to everyone who made the third annual New York event such a success! The evening was full of memorable moments and unmatched generosity.

Photo by Lyn Hughes

Chefs Eric Ripert, Alfredo Ayala, Michael Laiskonis, Jennie Lorenzo, Michel Richard and Yosuke Suga not only dazzled the guests with course after exquisite course, but also demonstrated their warmth and good humor during the opening ceremonies. Chef Ripert also delighted the guests with a promise to hold the event in the downstairs dining room next year. Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker sparkled as the emcees for the night, providing a professional, yet intimate, ambiance for the duration of the evening. And of course, all of us at TAP are truly touched by the generous contributions of the guests, both toward our auction and toward our Fund a Library Campaign.

Proceeds directly enable the Tibetan Aid Project to continue our mission of rebuilding, preserving and perpetuating Tibet’s cultural and spiritual heritage for the benefit of the Tibetan people and all humanity.

Also be sure to read Joel Ozersky’s post from New York Magazine’s Grub Street, “Eric Ripert and Friends Cook for Tibet”.

To find more information on upcoming events, such as Taste & Tribute San Francisco, visit Tibetan Aid Project.org