My very dear one,
I was very happy to visit you. I think the spot you chose for the abbey is wonderful—a place for awakening. It seems you lead practices from sutras so that is very good for community practice. Of course, later, when people take bodhisattva vows and possibly enter tantra etc, there are other prayers that have deeper benefit. As westerners they may not like gatherings and prayers so much. Other traditions, like the Chinese, have a strong tradition of reciting prayers in a group. It is very good and powerful to make prayers in a group—it helps everyone to collect merit and purify negative karma. It is mentioned in the Kadampa teachings that it is a hundred times more powerful to make prayers with your community than alone in your room, so I was happy to see the group practices and discussions.

Regarding the Heart Sutra chanted with a Chinese tune, it is better than just reading it in English. I remember His Holiness the Dalai Lama asking you and others to chant. I think it would be good to develop chanting in English—I’m sure that can be done. You recited the mantra of the Heart Sutra very nicely, so you know how to do it. Again, this is just my thought and idea.

Regarding your questions on emptiness, about the point “the sprout is non-truly existent because it is a dependent arising.” I took the lung from Chöden Rinpoche on the Three Principal Aspects of the Path, which included Pabongka Rinpoche’s commentary (received in Mongolia last year). Also at that time Denma Lochoe Rinpoche gave a commentary on dependent arising.

Chöden Rinpoche emphasized this meaning, to realize emptiness is dependent on causes and conditions. Gen Lam.rim.pa said this dependent arising is meant as emptiness. Your question “the sprout is not truly existent because it is a dependent arising” is similar as in the Three Principles of the Path—to realize dependent arising is the same meaning. I think realizing the sprout is a dependent arising, relying on causes and conditions, helps us to realize that the sprout is not independent. That leads to realizing the subtle view of the Prasangika—how the sprout exists. So, here, regarding the "cho chen", the base—if it is a dependent arising it has to be non-truly existent. The sprout, which is the base, is not truly existent—this is called “dub cha chur”, a phenomenon which has to be proved to one’s own mind in order that it can realize it. It helps the person to realize the sprout is non-truly existing because it is a dependent arising. This reasoning here and what is said in the Three Principles of the Path is the same. The only way to realize emptiness is to develop the Prasangika School view.

Kyabje Denma Locho Rinpoche emphasized twice that the meaning of this verse in the Three Principal Aspects of the Path is emptiness, which is the same as Gen Lamrimpa commented.

You can have an intellectual understanding of emptiness, which is preliminary to actual realization, the subtle dependent arising. With the support of the collection of merits, strong guru devotion, and having planted imprints in the past, this intellectual understanding helps us have the realization. That is the cause resulting in the extremely subtle dependent arising of the Prasangika school view.

Words and belief create hell and also enlightenment and nirvana. I had already discussed this with you but I wanted to give a little further explanation. Thank you for your question.

Thank you very much for all your dedication to sentient beings. See you soon.

With much love and prayers...