Tibetan Aid Project

"The Tibetan Aid Project's mission is to strengthen, rebuild, preserve and perpetuate Tibet's cultural and spiritual heritage for the benefit of the Tibetan people and all humanity."

The Tibetan Aid Project, located in Berkeley, California, was founded in 1969 by Lama Tarthang Tulku. The organization started out providing much needed assistance such as food, clothing, medicine, and supplies to the Tibetan refugee population via the Pen Friends Program. Since the urgency of basic material aid has subsided, the scope of aid efforts has steadily expanded. TAP continues to engage in projects that support the preservation of Tibet's great wisdom tradition and ensure the vitality of its living lineage.

Today, TAP helps produce and distribute precious Tibetan texts and reproductions of sacred art, sponsors traditional ceremonies, provides general assistance to monastic centers, monks, and nuns, and promotes awareness of Tibetan civilization worldwide. TAP's board and staff have worked with great care to ensure the sustainability of programs, address new areas of need, and sustain the integrity and vision as an organization dedicated to humanitarian, non-political ends.

The Tibetan Aid Project's Mission is to:

* Provide financial support for monastic centers, lamas, monks, nuns, and lay people.
* Sponsor ceremonies important to sustaining the lineages of all Tibetan Buddhist schools.
* Fund production, shipping and distribution of sacred texts, art, and prayer wheels for donation to institutions and individuals.
* Promote awareness of Tibet's heritage through publications, presentations, exhibits, and the production and sale of culturally significant items.

TAP relies entirely on [http://www.tibetanaidproject.org/default.php?su=volunteer volunteers] , who often live and work at the [http://www.nyingmainstitute.com/ Nyingma Institute] in Berkeley and [http://www.ratnaling.org/ Ratna Ling] near Cazadero, California.

Worldwide

The Tibetan Aid Project is now a global organization. Supporters are worldwide-over ten thousand strong- with affiliates in Amsterdam, Holland, Köln, Germany, as well as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

TAP volunteers in these countries educate the public and raise funds by organizing benefit dinners,and coordinating visual presentations and exhibits. They visit, as teachers, participants, and volunteers at the three retreat centers in Northern California. Like volunteers in the Berkeley area, they also produce prayer flags and engage in other projects that have far-reaching and strengthening effects for the perpetuation of Tibetan culture.

[http://www.tibetan-aid.nl/ TAP Holland] [http://www.tibetanaidproject.de/ TAP Germany]

[http://www.nyingma.com.br/tap.htm TAP São Paulo]

[http://www.nyingmario.org.br/ TAP Rio]

Events

* [http://www.tibetanaidproject.org/default.php?su=ttny2008 Taste & Tribute New York]
* [http://www.tibetanaidproject.org/default.php?su=ttSF2008 Taste & Tribute San Francisco]

Related Links

* [http://www.tibetanaidproject.org/ Tibetan Aid Project Official Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/tibetanaidproject TAP Myspace page]
* [http://www.dharmapublishing.com/ Dharma Publishing]
* [http://www.yeshede.org/ Yeshe De Book Distribution Project]
* [http://nyingma.org/orgs.html Nyingma Centers worldwide]
* [http://www.ratnaling.org/ Ratna Ling Retreat Center]
* [http://www.odiyan.org/ Odiyan Buddhist Retreat Center]
* [http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/20745 Facebook Tibetan Aid Project Cause]