Tsadra Foundation Advanced Contemplative Scholarships - User contributions [en]

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-02T01:22:51Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Submitted
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|page=20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal, and while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in South Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during his visit for the consecration of the stupa. I stayed at the Abbey for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefited from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. On a subsequent visit, I started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche.

This all began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many other great teachers, including HH Karmapa 17. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with a master in South Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine of the last thirty years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice with Mark Nowakowski 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, "bookkeeper-light," and in other roles. I cooked for Sopa choling for about two years. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=24
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=30,027
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=30,027
|othermoney=Please see the section below on my financial position. It details my savings of about USD$80,000 and my overall picture. I am self-supporting. I have no sponsors at this time.
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, whose sangha and teachings I have been living in for 25 years. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara empowerment within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all mother sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage. I myself am ready to go more deeply in my practice than ever before.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|AcceptLetterPhone=1-902-224-2752
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|CostLetterPhone=1-902-224-2752
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHaveDharmaCVUpld=2025-08-2_Carol_Lamarche_-_Dharma_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|FileHaveDescriptFinSitUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Financial_Situation.pdf
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Email=mnowakowski108@gmail.com
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-02T01:22:51Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Complete
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|page=20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal, and while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in South Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during his visit for the consecration of the stupa. I stayed at the Abbey for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefited from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. On a subsequent visit, I started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche.

This all began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many other great teachers, including HH Karmapa 17. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with a master in South Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine of the last thirty years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice with Mark Nowakowski 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, "bookkeeper-light," and in other roles. I cooked for Sopa choling for about two years. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=24
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=30,027
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=30,027
|othermoney=Please see the section below on my financial position. It details my savings of about USD$80,000 and my overall picture. I am self-supporting. I have no sponsors at this time.
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, whose sangha and teachings I have been living in for 25 years. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara empowerment within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all mother sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage. I myself am ready to go more deeply in my practice than ever before.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|AcceptLetterPhone=1-902-224-2752
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|CostLetterPhone=1-902-224-2752
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHaveDharmaCVUpld=2025-08-2_Carol_Lamarche_-_Dharma_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|FileHaveDescriptFinSitUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Financial_Situation.pdf
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Email=mnowakowski108@gmail.com
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-02T01:11:50Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Complete
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal, and while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in South Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during his visit for the consecration of the stupa. I stayed at the Abbey for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefited from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. On a subsequent visit, I started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche.

This all began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many other great teachers, including HH Karmapa 17. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with a master in South Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine of the last thirty years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice with Mark Nowakowski 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, "bookkeeper-light," and in other roles. I cooked for Sopa choling for about two years. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=24
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=30,027
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=30,027
|othermoney=Please see the section below on my financial position. It details my savings of about USD$80,000 and my overall picture. I am self-supporting. I have no sponsors at this time.
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|AcceptLetterPhone=1-902-224-2752
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|CostLetterPhone=1-902-224-2752
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHaveDharmaCVUpld=2025-08-2_Carol_Lamarche_-_Dharma_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
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|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Email=mnowakowski108@gmail.com
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-02T01:06:08Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal, and while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in South Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during his visit for the consecration of the stupa. I stayed at the Abbey for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefited from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. On a subsequent visit, I started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche.

This all began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many other great teachers, including HH Karmapa 17. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with a master in South Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine of the last thirty years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice with Mark Nowakowski 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, "bookkeeper-light," and in other roles. I cooked for Sopa choling for about two years. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=24
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=30,027
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=30,027
|othermoney=Please see the section below on my financial position. It details my savings of about USD$80,000 and my overall picture. I am self-supporting. I have no sponsors at this time.
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHaveDharmaCVUpld=2025-08-2_Carol_Lamarche_-_Dharma_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|FileHaveDescriptFinSitUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Financial_Situation.pdf
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Email=mnowakowski108@gmail.com
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-02T01:05:36Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal, and while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in South Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during his visit for the consecration of the stupa. I stayed at the Abbey for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefited from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. On a subsequent visit, I started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche.

This all began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many other great teachers, including HH Karmapa 17. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with a master in South Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine of the last thirty years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice with Mark Nowakowski 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, "bookkeeper-light," and in other roles. I cooked for Sopa choling for about two years. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=24
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=30,027
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=30,027
|othermoney=Please see the section below on my financial position. It details my savings of about USD$80,000 and my overall picture. I am self-supporting. I have no sponsors at this time.
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|FileHaveDescriptFinSitUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Financial_Situation.pdf
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Email=mnowakowski108@gmail.com
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
|FFUploadedFile-UploadName-FileHaveDharmaCV=Dharma resume - Carol Lamarche.pdf
|FFUploadedFile-UploadBase-FileHaveDharmaCV=dharma-resume-carol-lamarche
|FFUploadedFile-NewName-FileHaveDharmaCV=2025-08-2_Carol_Lamarche_-_Dharma_Resume.pdf
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-02T00:19:21Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal, and while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in South Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during his visit for the consecration of the stupa. I stayed at the Abbey for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefited from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. On a subsequent visit, I started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche.

This all began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many other great teachers, including HH Karmapa 17. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with a master in South Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine of the last thirty years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice with Mark Nowakowski 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, "bookkeeper-light," and in other roles. I cooked for Sopa choling for about two years. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=24
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=30,027
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=30,027
|othermoney=Please see the section below on my financial position. It details my savings of about USD$80,000 and my overall picture. I am self-supporting. I have no sponsors at this time.
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|FileHaveDescriptFinSitUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Financial_Situation.pdf
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Email=mnowakowski108@gmail.com
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-02T00:18:26Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal, and while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during his visit for the consecration of the stupa. I stayed at the Abbey for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefited from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. On a subsequent visit, I started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche.

This all began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many other great teachers, including HH Karmapa 17. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine of the last thirty years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice with Mark Nowakowski 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, "bookkeeper-light," and in other roles. I cooked for Sopa choling for about two years. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=24
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=30,027
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=30,027
|othermoney=Please see the section below on my financial position. It details my savings of about USD$80,000 and my overall picture. I am self-supporting. I have no sponsors at this time.
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|FileHaveDescriptFinSitUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Financial_Situation.pdf
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Email=mnowakowski108@gmail.com
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-02T00:16:04Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal, and while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during his visit for the consecration of the stupa. I stayed at the Abbey for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefited from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. On a subsequent visit, I started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche.

This all began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many other great teachers, including HH Karmapa 17. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine of the last thirty years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice with Mark Nowakowski 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, "bookkeeper-light," and in other roles. I cooked for Sopa choling for about two years. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=24
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=30,027
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=30,027
|othermoney=Please see the section below on my financial position. It details my savings of about USD$80,000 and my overall picture. I am self-supporting. I have no sponsors at this time.
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|FileHaveDescriptFinSitUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Financial_Situation.pdf
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-02T00:10:33Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal, and while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during his visit for the consecration of the stupa. I stayed at the Abbey for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefited from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. On a subsequent visit, I started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche.

This all began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many other great teachers, including HH Karmapa 17. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine of the last thirty years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice with Mark Nowakowski 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, "bookkeeper-light," and in other roles. I cooked for Sopa choling for about two years. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=24
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=30,027
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=30,027
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
|FFUploadedFile-UploadName-FileHaveDescriptFinSit=Financial position - Carol Lamarche.pdf
|FFUploadedFile-UploadBase-FileHaveDescriptFinSit=financial-position-carol-lamarche
|FFUploadedFile-NewName-FileHaveDescriptFinSit=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Financial_Situation.pdf
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T23:46:40Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal, and while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during his visit for the consecration of the stupa. I stayed at the Abbey for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefited from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. On a subsequent visit, I started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche.

This all began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many other great teachers, including HH Karmapa 17. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine of the last thirty years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice with Mark Nowakowski 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, "bookkeeper-light," and in other roles. I cooked for Sopa choling for about two years. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=24
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=30,027
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=30,027
|othermoney=I don’t own property or things of value. My 2005 model car is worth about C$2000. However, last year I did receive part of an inheritance, and with my recent illness, I received some insurance money that cleared my former debt and allowed me to save.

I now have about C$105,000 in savings. I expect that my current work, the rest of my inheritance, and potentially more insurance money (to be determined) will be enough to allow me to maintain my savings, pay for my expenses, as well as live and pay additional expected large expenses (mainly moving and insurance overpayments).

From my savings amount, I will pay for retreat expenses not otherwise funded.

Please note that the number of retreat months and the dollar amounts that I have included at this time are for years 2 and 3 of Sopa Choling’s 3-year retreat, which are the only ones being offered at this time. If year 1 is offered again in the future, I would like to consider that and potentially include that in my funding application. Also, there is a note on the Sopa Choling website that says that the costs for year 3 (2028-2029) may go up. If that is so, perhaps that could also be accounted for in this application.
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T20:21:50Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, for surgery and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal and, while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during the consecration of the stupa. I stayed for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows and started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche on subsequent visits. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefitted from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche.

This began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many great teachers. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice - 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, bookkeeper-light, and in other roles. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=36
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=41760
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=41760
|othermoney=Please note:
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T20:20:51Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, for surgery and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal and, while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during the consecration of the stupa. I stayed for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows and started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche on subsequent visits. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefitted from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche.

This began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many great teachers. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice - 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025
|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, bookkeeper-light, and in other roles. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=36
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=41760
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=41760
|othermoney=Please note:
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T20:19:47Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, for surgery and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=Around 1995, I travelled to Nepal and, while there, did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while working in Korea, I began to study and practice Zen Buddhism at a small international temple and at another small temple. I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime vows, although I did not.

In 2001, back in Canada, I discovered Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche during the consecration of the stupa. I stayed for two years and during this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows and started ngondro with Thrangu Rinpoche on subsequent visits. Ani Pema was there for two yarnes, and I benefitted from those teachings and from personal discussions with her. I had a chance to attend Shedra for one semester, with Lodro Sangpo, Karl Brunnholzl, Andy Karr. I met many great teachers there, including Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche.

This began a multi-decade journey of study and practice. Over the years, I travelled to many places to study with Thrangu Rinpoche, including Nova Scotia, Maine, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Sarnath, and Kathmandu. And I’ve had the good fortune to study and practice with many great teachers. (I really should be enlightened by now!)
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|previousretreatscomplete=Yes
|previousretreatsdetails=I attended yarne at Gampo Abbey in 2001 and 2002. I have also lived in different Buddhist centres, residences, and temples, for a total of about nine years.
|ynadvstudiesprogs=Yes
|advstudiesprogsdetails=Here are some of the main ones:
• Hevajra teachings with Thrangu Rinpoche 2006
• Vajrayogini practice and studies with Lodro Sangpo 2016 – 2025
• Vajrayogini, Krodikali, Khenpo Gangshar studiy and practice - 2020 – 2025
• Mahamudra studies with Elizabeth Callahan (online) 2020 – 2025

|ynofferedservices=Yes
|offeredservicesdetails=I have lived as a resident in dharma places for many years. In this way, I have contributed to the communities, as cook, housekeeper, bookkeeper-light, and in other roles. I’ve also helped to serve visiting teachers and lamas when they have visited. This has included preparing food, cleaning, running errands, and basically helping to create the environment.
|othercommunitywork=I’ve cared for friends and relatives who have needed support, including my elderly parents for many years. I have also served as ad hoc and formal volunteer, such as when a director of a local chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (now Hope for Mental Health).
|retreatduration=36
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=41760
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=41760
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T19:39:34Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, for surgery and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Good command
|introbuddhism=I first started studying Buddhism in university but didn’t get much from it. Around 1995 I travelled to Nepal and did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while in Korea, I began to study and practice Buddhism at the international temple there and at a small temple, where I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime robes, although I did not complete that. Then, in Canada, in 2001, I went to Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche. I stayed for two years. During this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows and started ngondro with Rinpoche. This began a multi-decade journey of study and practice.
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|retreatduration=36
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=41760
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=41760
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T19:39:20Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery, for surgery and related treatments.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have seed syllables, mantras, or terms. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and know these basics.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Very good command
|introbuddhism=I first started studying Buddhism in university but didn’t get much from it. Around 1995 I travelled to Nepal and did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while in Korea, I began to study and practice Buddhism at the international temple there and at a small temple, where I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime robes, although I did not complete that. Then, in Canada, in 2001, I went to Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche. I stayed for two years. During this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows and started ngondro with Rinpoche. This began a multi-decade journey of study and practice.
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|retreatduration=36
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=41760
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=41760
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHaveCVUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T19:36:48Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery and related treatment.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have Tibetan mantras or seed syllables. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and work with the seed syllables.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Very good command
|introbuddhism=I first started studying Buddhism in university but didn’t get much from it. Around 1995 I travelled to Nepal and did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while in Korea, I began to study and practice Buddhism at the international temple there and at a small temple, where I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime robes, although I did not complete that. Then, in Canada, in 2001, I went to Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche. I stayed for two years. During this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows and started ngondro with Rinpoche. This began a multi-decade journey of study and practice.
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|retreatduration=36
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=41760
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=41760
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHaveEligibilityDocsUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
|FFUploadedFile-UploadName-FileHaveCV=Professional-Resume-Carol-Lamarche.pdf
|FFUploadedFile-UploadBase-FileHaveCV=professional-resume-carol-lamarche
|FFUploadedFile-NewName-FileHaveCV=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_CV_Resume.pdf
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T19:25:56Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=Saved
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|center=Sopa Choling
|centerstreet=1533 Pleasant Bay Rd
|centercity=Pleasant Bay
|centerstateprov=NS
|centerpostalcode=B0E 2P0
|centercountry=Canada
|startdate=2026-09-01
|enddate=2029-09-30
|retreatmaster=Nancy Huszagh
|retreatadministrator=Les Ste Marie
|retreatadministratoremail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|retreatliaison=TBD
|retreatliaisonemail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|cvedu=BA (Honours), McGill University, Montreal, English, 1990
DEC, College de l’Outaouais, Hull, Pure and Applied Sciences, 1986
|cvwork=Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2025 until now (currently active).

Archival Assistant. Library and Archives Canada. Contract spanned November 2023 – December 2024. I was on sick leave for the last several months, for surgery and related treatment.

Technical Writer. Healing Tree Communications (own consultancy). Technical writing contract with the Nova Scotia provincial Technical Safety Branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department. Two parts of the contract spanned January 2022 to July 2023.
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have Tibetan mantras or seed syllables. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and work with the seed syllables.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Very good command
|introbuddhism=I first started studying Buddhism in university but didn’t get much from it. Around 1995 I travelled to Nepal and did a 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreat, which caught my attention. Then while in Korea, I began to study and practice Buddhism at the international temple there and at a small temple, where I took refuge and had the intention to take lifetime robes, although I did not complete that. Then, in Canada, in 2001, I went to Gampo Abbey. There I met Thrangu Rinpoche. I stayed for two years. During this time, I took refuge and bodhisattva vows and started ngondro with Rinpoche. This began a multi-decade journey of study and practice.
|refugehistory=I took refuge twice. Once with Cheong Hye Sunim in Korea around 1997. And once with Thrangu Rinpoche in Canada in 2001.
|formalvows=Yes
|formalvowsdetails=I took bodhisattva vows with Thrangu Rinpoche around 2002.
|ngondrocomplete=Yes
|ngondro1=The Chariot for Travelling the Noble Path
|ngondro1begin=2004-07-01
|ngondro1end=2020-07-01
|ngondronotes=I requested Thrangu Rinpoche to be my teacher and for permission to embark on the ngondro practice one year when Rinpoche was visiting Gampo Abbey. (I used to return to the Abbey every year until 2010 or so.) I completed the ngondro in Richmond, BC, and visited Rinpoche at Thrangu Monastery to tell him and thank him and ask for guidance on the next step.

The specific dates I have listed above are approximate.
|retreatduration=36
|StartFunding=2026-09-01
|EndFunding=2029-08-31
|costestimateCurrency=USD
|costestimate=41760
|requestedamountCurrency=USD
|requestedamount=41760
|letterofmotivation=Two years ago, I moved back to the city of my childhood to be with my mother in her final years, and to integrate my early years with my current life. Gatineau, Quebec is a beautiful place, a sacred place to me, and a great place for Mahamdura practice.
My mother and I were both excited for this new chapter and our opportunity to spend more time together. However, within just seven months, my mother’s already fragile health quickly deteriorated, and she unexpectedly passed away. In the same week, I also received a cancer diagnosis that would require surgery and other treatment. The following year became a time of burying my mother, receiving medical treatment, and feeling constantly displaced.
That overall experience did what the teachings had been unable to do: vividly demonstrate impermanence, death, and the value of the teachings.
Now, without family responsibilities, and realizing that time is short (even with a great prognosis), I want to make the most of my remaining life and opportunities.
I recently asked about the possibility of joining the next cohort for the Sopa Choling 3-year retreat. However, there may not be another new cohort. Yet I have been accepted to join the current cohort in year 2 (Sept 2026).
Over the years, I have attended the Sopa Choling gate opening and closing ceremonies many times. This year, I attended the opening of the gate after year 1 (June 2025). During that time, I felt certain that this was right for me: This particular retreat was completely designed and supported by my guru Thrangu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I’m confident that following in the traditions of my teachers, I am doing the right thing. Since deciding to joining the retreat and my acceptance, many things have fallen into place, including comments made by the druppon during the gate opening that aligned with my earlier conversations with Thrangu Rinpoche, a dream about joining the retreat, and a sudden announcement of a Chakrasamvara within two weeks in Toronto (now completed) empowerment by Tulku Damcho Rinpoche (my guru’s appointee as a senior teacher).

I wish to dedicate this retreat to my mother, as well as “all sentient beings.” In many ways, I feel the retreat has already begun, and I am already looking for ways, in daily life, to genuinely translate my practice into better circumstances for others to live, to study, to realize the wisdom teachings of our lineage.

My financial position, for the virtually first time in my life, allows me some financial stability. I am prepared to spend much of my savings on the retreat. However, if I were to do that, I would face completing retreat with a small financial cushion and the possibly of struggling to re-enter the workforce in my sixties. If I were to be fortunate enough to receive full or even partial grant funding, it would help me focus on the retreat with less concern for what comes after and re-enter the community with less financial strain. Therefore, I humbly ask for the support of the Tsadra Foundation’s supporters.
|FileHaveAcceptLetterUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Acceptance_Letter.pdf
|AcceptLetterAuthorFirst=Nancy
|AcceptLetterAuthorLast=Huzsagh
|AcceptLetterEmail=sopacholingretreats@gmail.com
|FileHaveRetreatBudgCostUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Retreat_Costs.pdf
|CostLetterAuthorFirst=Les
|CostLetterAuthorLast=Ste Marie
|CostLetterEmail=bursar@gampoabbey.org
|FileHavePhotoUpld=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Photo.jpg
|recom1NameFirst=Lodro
|recom1NameLast=Sangpo
|recom1Email=lodro.sangpo@kccl.ca
|recom1Relate=Instructor
|recom2NameFirst=Mark
|recom2NameLast=Nowakowski
|recom2Relate=Friend and teacher
|FFUploadedFile-UploadName-FileHaveEligibilityDocs=Qualifications for retreat - Carol Lamarche.pdf
|FFUploadedFile-UploadBase-FileHaveEligibilityDocs=qualifications-for-retreat-carol-lamarche
|FFUploadedFile-NewName-FileHaveEligibilityDocs=2025-08-1_Carol_Lamarche_-_Eligibility_Requirements.pdf
}}

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T19:03:26Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T19:01:57Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T19:01:32Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T17:28:49Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T17:23:14Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T17:19:39Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T17:14:51Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T16:56:34Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T16:55:11Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T16:53:04Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T16:51:04Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T16:50:15Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T16:49:23Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T16:47:08Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T16:22:16Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T16:21:27Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

20250730222740-Carol-Lamarche-Submission

2025-08-01T16:20:39Z

Carol.Lamarche: User:Carol.Lamarche

{{SavedApplication
|status=FirstSave
|Submissiondate=2025-07-30
|Submissionyear=2025
|firstname=Carol
|lastname=Lamarche
|birthdate=1967-04-18
|birthcountry=Canada
|nationality=Canada
|street=105 Lawrence Streeet
|street2=PO Box 1361
|city=Lunenburg
|stateprov=NS
|postalcode=B0J 2C0
|country=Canada
|email=allgood900@gmail.com
|telephone=1-902-223-6301
|retreattype=Three-year retreat
|studiedtibetan=Yes
|spokentibcomprehension=None
|writtentibcomprehension=Basic reading comprehension
|tibetanrequiredforretreat=Not required
|tibetanretreatparts=Some parts of the sadhanas have Tibetan mantras or seed syllables. My reading comprehension goes about that far. I have studied the alphabet to some degree and work with the seed syllables.
|otherlanguage1=French
|otherlanguage1Prof=Very good command
}}