According to the official website of the Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies in Ithaca, New York, The Library and Museum of the 14th Dalai Lama has been planned to be set up at this sprawling campus of Namgyal Monastery in United States to protect the legacy of the Dalai Lama and all that he represents to many millions of people throughout the world.
“We are pleased to announce that Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies has been chosen as the official site of the His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s Library and Museum(DLLM). This will protect the legacy of the Dalai Lama and all that he represents to many millions of people throughout the world. Its primary mission is as a learning center for scholars and practitioners of all faiths, as well as scientists,educators, and philosophers of all disciplines.” said the official website of the institute.
The article said that after considerable discussion and debate, the parent monastery in Dharamsala and Namgyal-Ithaca agreed that the diverse university of community in Ithaca comprising of around 33000 students from two neighbouring Universities would be an ideal location for a library and museum dedicated to the vision and works of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The Abbot and Executive Council of Namgyal Monastery in India received the plans for this new project with genuine appreciation. On the 28th of April, 2016, His Holiness reviewed the proposal and gave his consent to proceed, naming the new educational institution, The Library and Museum of the 14th Dalai Lama.
The primary objective of this Library and Museum is to serve as the central repository for the collected works of the current and all the previous Dalai Lama of Tibet. This is of immeasurable importance to those scholars who specialize in the study of Tibet and Buddhism.
Currently, the total estimated cost for construction of the DLLM is $13 million dollars. The monastery is offering lifetime memberships to the DLLM for persons who donate $10,000 or more. A lifetime membership entitles donors to free entrance to DLLM at any time,as well as other benefits. Contributions such as books of His Holiness, as well as pictures of His Holiness and donations for the archive building or its content are also being requested.