We are sad to share the news of Ginny Lipson’s passing on Wednesday, November 24, 2021. The Ri-mé Society society hosted a moving Sukhavati ceremony for her on Saturday with a hundred friends and family members gathered online.
Ginny Lipson was the administrative anchor of the Konchok Foundation, handling most of the day-to-day details for the organization for thirteen years, between its founding in 2004 to her retirement in 2016. Ginny did this service out of the generosity of her heart as a volunteer.
Lyndon Comstock, our Treasurer, writes, “Ginny’s wide circle of friends and acquaintances in the sangha include the great majority of the many hundreds of people who’ve participated in supporting Surmang via Konchok Foundation. She and her husband Howard Lipson hosted Surmang Khenpo at their home for extended periods. Now that she has entered the end of life bardo, he is arranging pujas for her with the monks and nuns at Surmang. I think one of her few regrets was that her health was never strong enough to travel to Surmang herself, but she is certainly there now, in spirit.”
The Konchok Foundation would like to offer our condolences to her husband, Howard Lipson, their two sons, and her sister, and express our profound gratitude to Ginny for all of her efforts to support education projects for the people of the Surmang valley in eastern Tibet.
Here is a tribute from the Ri-mé Society, posted to The Chronicles of CTR.
Jinny and Howard met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1971. Having lived on a farm for some time, they then moved to Burlington, Vermont in 1976, and established the Burlington Dharmadhatu Buddhist center. The center hosted His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche, Vajra Regent Ösel Tenzin, and others.
In 1980, Howard and Ginny moved to Boulder, Colorado, where they both became dedicated members of the Boulder Buddhist community. Ginny was an avid Vajrayana practitioner, of both the Vajrayogini and Chakrasamvara sadhana practices. She was among the very first choppöns (shrine attendants) for practice events and feasts, and continued that role for many years. Both Ginny and Howard have been ideal practitioners, students, and teachers.
Both Ginny and Howard also hosted and supported the Surmang Khenpo and the Konchok Foundations for years. Konchok Foundation supports activities, education, and services at Surmang Dudtsi-til, the home monastery of the Trungpa lineage in Eastern Tibet.
Ginny had a continuous and completely genuine warmth that radiated to anyone she met. It flowed through her eyes and her open demeanor to all. Her sincerity, humility, warmth and dedicated Buddhist practice combined to gift all of us with her wonderful presence. Our best to Howard, and may Ginny’s path continue unhindered, and blessed by guru and lineage.
With a sad farewell to Ginny,
Ri-mé Society
