Journey Through Cancer – Chapter 47 – Meeting a Mahasiddha

[Note: I should always proofread my writing carefully with a rested body and mind and never be in too big a hurry to publish it. Or else errors, typographical and otherwise will result and inadvertent mistakes will be made. Please forgive me and accept this corrected blog post.]

Last Friday the Drikung Meditation Center in Boston was blessed with the arrival of His Eminence Garchen Triptul Rinpoche, a true mahasiddha. From the moment he arrived I could feel his love and compassion. When I offered him flowers and a kata, he smiled such a smile that it was like a brilliant light flooding around me. I had read that flowers are the perfect gift for a Buddha, because they are so beautiful and yet so ephemeral. It was so clear from the first contact with him that he is indeed a fully enlightened master. Throughout the weekend this was manifested in so many, sometimes small, ways.
On Friday night he gave a public talk on “the Heart of Bodhicitta.” Through the whole weekend he stressed in so many ways the importance of compassion and bodhicitta. Rinpoche's teaching is both profound and yet accessible. He also has an incredible sense of humor. In spite of the fact that he speaks little English, his jokes were still understandable because they involved a little physical humor like putting a cherry against his nose.
On Saturday morning he did a Green Tara empowerment and taught about Tara and enlightened female masters. That is a subject that is too often neglected. Then, in the afternoon he gave the first part of his teaching on the “Ganges Mahamudra,” a very brief but profound text. It covers so much of this deep subject by reference rather than direct statements. Hence we need a teaching from a master to bring this out and to help us to apply it. That evening we celebrated the first anniversary of the Jowo Rinpoche statue coming to America and being installed here. Garchen Rinpoche and others shared some of the stories of the origin and history of the original statue in Lhasa. They also talked about the aspiration of having a proper temple to house the Jowo Rinpoche statue. I have already felt the great positive influence of this particular statue on me.
The celebration also included a potluck dinner. By this point I could see that it would be nearly impossible to keep to my weight loss plan over the weekend, particularly with the fact that I was not sleeping on the third floor but had been moved to the bookstore during the event. There was no more stair climbing to help keep the weight off. On top of that there was such an abundance of food and not exactly low calorie food at that.
Sunday morning Garchen Rinpoche gave a Chenrezig empowerment and, because Chenrezig is the bodhisattva of compassion, in the accompanying teaching again stressed the importance of compassion and bodhicitta. Two notable characteristics of Rinpoche's teaching are accessibility and applicability. He talks on a level that everyone can understand without neglecting the depth of the teaching. Furthermore, although he may be teaching on a very specific subject there is an attention to its application in everyday life as well as many spiritual practices which are not specifically part of the subject, but are nevertheless useful.
That morning a friend from Florida arrived. Having been encouraged by the excitement in my voice when I left her a message, she came up just for the day. She took me out to lunch and also bought food for the Ganachakra Tsok. Furthermore, she brought worms to be liberated from the danger of death for the benefit of Garchen Rinpoche for long life although she had not been asked and had no way of knowing that it was something that I had hoped we would do. They were released later in day by KDC's resident monk Venerable Konchok Gedun with suitable mantra chanting.
In the afternoon he completed his teaching on the “Ganges Mahamudra.” Following that we had a Ganachakra Tsok, a food offering and feast. There was so much food! And we sang some songs, silly ones like “You Are My Sunshine,” plus serious ones like the “Star Spangled Banner” and the Tibetan National Anthem. During this celebration again Rinpoche's sense of humor was evident. He mildly clowned around and very obviously delighted in the fun everyone was having and seemed to particularly enjoy the Tibetan folk songs being sung. At the end of the Tsok celebration, the Center's board members approached him with katas and gave him a donation for the Garchen Institute and to cover his expenses, but he donated it right back toward the building of a temple for the Jowo Rinpoche statue. He made a hand sign like holding a tiny seed and then made a gesture like it was growing.
Sunday evening Rinpoche addressed a Tibetan community group, but I have not progressed sufficiently in my study of the Tibetan language in this lifetime nor remembered enough from a previous lifetime to understand any of it. Furthermore, I was busy copying and labeling discs that we were making from our recordings of the teachings. This is my small contribution to the spreading of the Dharma, especially the teachings from such an enlightened master as Garchen Rinpoche.
While it is most doubtful that I could ever be a lama, especially since I could not avoid going to the VA for prescription refill for the normally required 3 year retreat, nevertheless, I can utilize every skill I have ever learned to serve the Dharma and help it spread. Whether I am fixing a light or a toilet or copying and labeling discs or assembling and stapling booklets, I am helping to spread the Dharma as well as helping Garchen Rinpoche's words reach more people, I am practicing what I call “active compassion.” I am not doing this for my own benefit nor for honor or distinction, but for the sake of all sentient beings.
As far as my ordination as a novice monk is concerned, I believe that some would like it to be in Boston, in front of the Jowo Rinpoche statue. I can't think of a more auspicious place, although I had thought that Katsel Dharma Center in Florida would be a wonderful place too. Nevertheless, wherever and whenever it is to be, it is not really up to me. At least right now, as I see it, Drikung Meditation Center in Boston has a Khenpo visiting for a while and probably a couple of Lamas not far away, requiring only three more monks who could then be simple monks. Much of my experience has strengthened and further solidified my aspiration to be a monk. Recently hearing the statement that the wearing of the robes makes us more mindful and strengthens us helped me recognize that my wearing my robes most of the time in Boston did just that. Furthermore, although I mostly only wore them in the center, on a few occasions I wore them outside, such as to the restaurant Sunday, a couple of times to the store across from the Center and taking two neighborhood walks Wednesday. In addition to the impact of the robes on ourselves, it has also been pointed out that they open opportunities to share the Dharma with others.
While I was been in Boston, I had two interesting culinary experiences. I had several cups of Tibetan butter tea and love it. On top of that I had the traditional Tibetan tsampa, a toasted barley flour, which is served as a ball of dough after mixing with water. Sometimes this is mixed with a little dri (female yak) cheese, but I don't think any was used that morning. The Drikung Meditation Center is blessed to have Khenpo Choepel visiting. He is such a kind and gentle man. I hope he can have a long visit there, because he can benefit the Center greatly with his gentle manner and his great compassion. I also think that the loving environment and the presence of the Jowo Rinpoche will be very good for him.
With my departure Thursday morning, I had mixed feelings. I was sad to leave there, because I have come to feel so much at home there and also I will miss the time that I have spent in meditation alone in front of Jowo Rinpoche. However, I am also anxious to get home to my family and my vajra brothers and sisters at Katsel Dharma Center. I am also eager to get our bees out of my sister's tree and into our hive shortly after I get back. They have taught me so much and have more lessons to teach. They are, after, all some of the sentient beings that we are to benefit by all our practice and all our deeds.