My dear partner, David Simpkin died on 3rd September 2025 and to give him the best of send offs, I decided to take some of his ashes to a holy site in Bodhgaya in North Eastern India. For Buddhists this is a very sacred place. It is where the Buddha finally realised a state of pure selflessness, allowing his subsequent activity to be that of infinite compassion and wisdom, giving birth to a total dedication to benefitting others without discrimination, as the sun shines on the earth on a cloudless day.
The Buddha’s enlightenment, or awakening, took place 2500 years ago, under a fig tree, now known as the Bodhi Tree. (Bodhi means Awakening). Today pilgrims throng here from all over the world, and gain blessing and inspiration. Buddhists of all denominations, wearing different coloured robes, recite prayers in different languages, and some take holy vows in the exact place that Lord Buddha changed the face of history. It is a wonderful place – its blessing ever increasing as it is charged by the faith of the numerous pilgrims who have prayed here throughout the ages.
David enjoyed the ritual of Christmas so I decided to scatter his ashes on Christmas day – and why not invite the blessing of Christ too! I disguised the ashes as echinacea capsules (David was a great fan of echinacea) and thankfully customs did not object.
The present Bodhi tree (presumably a relative of the original) is cordoned off by a glass and stone wall, to protect it from the hands of the faithful, who scoop up her leaves as reminders of the activity of Lord Buddha, activity that lies latent within every one of us. I placed David’s ashes in a tray of marigolds that had been left as an offering there.
In Tibetan there is a word – “Tendrel” which means “things coming together favourably” or “auspicious connection”. By placing David’s ashes in this holy place a Tendrel is created between him, and the immeasurable compassionate Buddha activity – that began right here in Bodhgaya.
The other reason for this adventure, was to help with the Akong Rinpoche Memorial Soup Kitchen. Akong Rinpoche was the founder of the Samye Ling Tibetan Centre in Dumfriesshire and it is his brother, Lama Yeshe, who is the director of the Holy Isle.
When escaping the Chinese invasion of Tibet, in 1959, Akong Rinpoche almost died of starvation and he made a promise that if he survived, he would do everything in his power to make sure people do not have to suffer from hunger. Rinpoche encouraged his students to set up “Soup Kitchens” throughout Asia, Africa and Europe, offering food to whoever asked, serving them with kindness and respect, expecting nothing in return. There appears to be great wisdom in this practice of Compassion in Action as those who give and those who receive all experience the benefits.
Twenty years have now passed since some students of Akong Rinpoche visited the great prayer festival (Kagyu Monlam) in Bodhgaya for the first time. They were inspired by a wonderful Tibetan teacher, His Holiness 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, who lead the magnificent Monlam gathering and the prayers of vast aspirations to benefit beings. They were also moved by the extreme poverty and suffering they witnessed on the streets of Bodhgaya. They asked themselves, “What would Akong Rinpoche do if he was here?” From this inspiration in 2006, the tradition of giving food to the people of Bodhgaya and the surrounding villages was born. Since then, it has continued every year during the Monlam and that first small step has resulted in a long and inspiring journey.
Following Akong Rinpoche’s tragic death in 2013, with the blessing of His Holiness 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, the Akong Tulku Memorial Soup Kitchen became part of an ever-increasing range of Compassion in Action projects.
Each year representatives of Akong Rinpoche’s centres are appointed by his brother Lama Yeshe Rinpoche to attend the Monlam and help to run the Soup Kitchen; looking after the many enthusiastic volunteers from all over the world who find great joy in working together for a positive purpose. This year I had the great pleasure of working alongside old friends, from different European countries. We offered a warm welcome to everyone who came to enjoy the nutritious food. Some days there were more than 400 people – lots of children (who really love the oranges!), rickshaw drivers, men on polio bikes, people on sticks and crutches, elderly women, mums and babies, dads with their young children too.
The Compassion in Action projects at the Monlam are supported by the Hart Knowe Trust in co-operation with the Kagyupa International Trust. As well as offering food and friendship to local people they have a shared aspiration to give help that brings longer term benefits. There have been sewing projects to give training and resources to young women in Bodhgaya. Other initiatives include improving the living conditions at a local Girls’ Hostel and providing them with shawls, toiletries and sanitary towels, and also installing indoor plumbing and solar panels. More recently there are educational scholarships making it possible to extend education beyond the basic level, increasing the prospects of a better life for the students and their families.
By Alice Maxwell and Vin Harris
