Pictures of HH Karma Kuchen Rinpoche

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Arrival of HH Karma Kuchen Rinpoche

Last week I had the great blessing of being able to fly to Maryland to see HH Karma Kuchen Rinpoche. I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts as to what I might post about the visit, and yet my mind is still swimming in the blessings. So I thought I might share with you some pictures of Rinpoche’s arrival at KPC. I wasn’t there for his arrival, so I am very grateful for the photographer (Mannie Garcia) who took these, also posted at http://www.tara.org/about/blog/.

With Many Thanks

With many thanks, and much humility, I must write that it has been made possible for me to travel to the Washington, D.C. area in a couple of weeks, to see His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche! I am absolutely overjoyed! Thank you for your generosity. May it ultimately be to the benefit of all sentient beings!

Reality of the Begging Bowl

In the majority of Buddhist countries, monastics are supported by the lay community. Offerings are made either directly to the monasteries, or to the ordained, to provide for living expenses and needs. Although we are ordained and renunciates, we still have needs to be met: shelter, food, study materials, travel expenses at times, retreats, etc.

Here in the West, however, a different situation is present. The majority of monastics (in the Tibetan tradition) that I know here in the States have to work. We try to limit the amount of work we do to a couple of days a week so we are free to focus on our practice and study of the Buddha Dharma. That’s the reality of the monastic community here. Most of us work in fields that are supportive to our practice, or at the least at a job that doesn’t contradict our vows. The Dharma is still so new here, and we are making the best of the situation in preparation for those to follow us in the future. The ordained community must start somewhere. I make aspiration prayers that someday we will be able to have more monasteries here in the States where the western ordained can live.

Personally, I a nurse. I just got an incredible new nursing job last week! I start in 3 weeks. I will work 2 to 3 days a week, with the option of picking up more shifts. My schedule will be very flexible. Each month I fill out a form, stating my available days to work, and the scheduler fills those days for me on the work schedule at the medical facility. How wonderful! And because of the way my schedule works, if I’m not available for a few months because of retreat, no problem. I simply let them know when I return to town. I’m actually in a bit of shock. Sounds too good to be true. I can work a few days a week with control over my schedule, and never have to miss summer retreat at the Palyul temple in upstate New York. Wow!

I feel very lucky for my new position. Nursing work has added a lot to my life. I get to sit with people whose bodies are crumbling, some on the mend, some dying, some going home. Has taught me a lot about the Dharma, about impermanence, and about the preciousness of the human rebirth. Has shown me places in my own mind of which I was previously unaware. How ready am I for death? How steady is my meditation?

With each patient, I am offered the opportunity to care for a sentient being that was previously one of my mothers. I treat each of them as a manifestation of my Guru, to repay the kindness of the profound teachings I have somehow been able to receive in this life.

This is the first job I’ve had in about 2 years. The new position begins on the 13th of October, with orientation being the 13th through the 15th. I will then be put on the schedule for the following week. At first it sounded so great, as my teacher HH Karma Kuchen Rinpoche will be giving teachings at a temple in the DC/Maryland area on the weekend of the 17th and 18th of October. So I thought I would fly to DC after my orientation, see him for at least a few days, receive teachings from him, and then fly back to Colorado the next week to tend to patients. Yet I don’t think it’s going to work out exactly as I had planned.

Although I have the time to see him (the last chance I have before he leaves the country), I’m lacking $300 worth of karma for the air ticket. Ahhh! Oh well. I have the karma for the time, but not for the airfare.

It’s still possible I might go. A friend of mine is trying to get the funds to send me, even though he presently doesn’t know where or how he’ll get them that quickly. Anyone with $300 worth of airfare karma who cares to share, or several people with smaller amounts, let me know!  I’m not too proud to beg! The history of monasticism is based on the begging bowl, isn’t it?

But really, it’s okay. I’m praying to see Rinpoche one more time before he leaves the States, but I also must recognize my limits. Everything occurs based on causes and conditions. At the moment, all I can do is continue to make aspiration prayers that somehow the trip will be sponsored, by one or multiple individuals. If I can’t see him in  a few weeks, I can always continue to plan on seeing him at some point next year.

If anyone is interested in assisting some way, allow me to thank you now, with much humility and gratitude for your aspirations of generosity. Feel free to contact me at:

rigpasramblings (at) ymail (dot) com

 

A Day of Study

I’m committing to a day of intense study. One problem: there’s just too much to choose from! I pulled out a stack of books to start with (in no particular order):

• A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidharma (Bhikkhu Bodhi, ed.)
• A Garland of Immortal Wish-fulfilling Trees
• The Vision of Dhamma (Nyanaponika Thera)
• Uttaratantra (Maitreya)
• Deity, Mantra and Wisdom (Jigme Lingpa, Patrul Rinpoche, Getse Mahapandita)
• Calm and Clear (Lama Mipham)
• Kindly Bent to East Us (Longchenpa)
• The All-Pervading Melodious Sound of Thunder: The Outer Liberation Story of Terton Mingyur Dorje
• Ways of Enlightenment (Nyingma Institute)
• Approaching the Great Perfection (Van Schaik)
• Mipham’s Beacon of Certainty
• The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism (Dudjom Rinpoche)

Is it entirely wrong to speed read through some sections of the above texts? To be honest, sometimes I do. I tend to speed read through sections that are familiar to me, and then focus in on the sections that are new, reading more slowly, to fill in the gaps in my education. The problem is, however, that the sections I have to focus in on tend to outnumber the parts that are familiar!

Somehow I don’t think I’ll make it through the entire stack today ….. especially since I still need to review my Tibetan language lessons at some point.

Settling In, Remembering to Breathe

 

I’ve been gone for a few months now. In June, I was in Arizona for a while. Then I left for Maryland the first of July. Drove up to the Palyul temple in New York, and stayed there for 5 weeks. Then back in Maryland for another week.

After returning to Colorado for a couple of days, I then left again for a mindfulness retreat with the international sangha of monks and nuns from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village (based out of France). I still haven’t unpacked or done laundry. Just enjoying sitting for a bit, breathing, smiling at the clouds in the sky.

The picture above is from the retreat in New York, at Palyul Ling. The western ordained met with His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche to receive advice from him. He is truly wonderful. In my heart there is no separation between him and His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. There is a continuity in the teachings, in the blessings, in the wisdom. Penor Rinpoche trained him for his current position as head of Palyul. In fact, the two of them have been leap-frogging through time and space, taking turns as head of the lineage. The two of them have been sharing the responsibility for many years now. So in truth there is no break in the teachings. Now we simply wait for Penor Rinpoche to return to us.

In the picture, that’s me to Rinpoche’s left (or looking at the pic, to your right). I didn’t care if my face was hidden in the picture, although I’m glad it isn’t. I just wanted to sit as close to Rinpoche as I could. I felt like a little kid, wanting to crawl up into my father’s lap. (Just to clarify, yes, I did restrain myself. I remained on the floor.)

37 Practices of a Bodhisattva

At Nyunge Retreat, with Garchen Rinpoche, we chanted the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva as part of morning opening prayers. The text is very much at the core of Gar Rinpoche’s teachings. After inquiring about the Tibetan text for the book, I found this amazing edition being offered on the web. It has the Tibetan and English texts, on facing pages. It is absolutely beautiful, a treasure for study and daily practice.

Here’s the description from the website:

“A collection of the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, the Prayer for Excellent Conduct, opening prayers and prayers of dedication.   A commentary by Kyabje Pema Norbu Rinpoche on the Prayer for Excellent Conduct is also included. The text is beautifully presented as a pocket-sized manual, with a deep brown cover decorated in gold calligraphy, gilt-edged pages and a gold ribbon bookmark. This convenient volume will be an excellent companion to accompany those in bodhisattva training wherever they go, a constant reminder of the fundamentals of the buddhist path.”

The publisher is Vimala. The webpage for the book is: http://vimalatreasures.org/path-of-the-bodhisattva.aspx

In no way am I being paid to post this here, nor am I associated with the publisher in any way other than having just received a copy of the book myself. I’m just happy to share with you the opportunity to order this beautiful book. The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva has been a cornerstone of my life for many years, and I know I will treasure this new edition for many years to come.

Prayer Request

Just got a phone call from my mother. A child born in the family, yesterday around 1pm, has some sort of rare blood disorder. “Negative … antigen … platlet … disesase.” Those are the pieces of the puzzle that she remembers.

His name is Brody Joseph Brumfield. Please, however you pray, please lift his name in prayer. So heart breaking, to see such a small being suffer.

May little Brody be healed, his bone marrow begin producing the proper platlet proteins, and he live a life of mindfulness, with the lessons of samsara beginning so soon.

But if he cannot be healed, if he cannot bear this suffering, may he instantly find himself in the arms of compassion, in heaven, in Dewachen, in the Pureland, in the heart of a lotus.

Departing for Nyunge Retreat

I leave Thursday for Arizona, to be at the Garchen Institute for about a week. During that time I have the great fortune to be a part of a Nyunge Retreat.

Never been to a Nyunge Retreat before, though I’ve wanted to for many years. Seems my aspiration prayers are coming to fruition. I’m very thankful for some sponsors here in Colorado who are covering the expense of the trip. Otherwise, I would not be going.

I’ve never done one before, but I do know it involves fasting and prostrations. The first day one eats lunch, then only fluids for the remainder of the day. No food or water the 2nd day, with plenty of prostrations. The third day, the fast is broken, but I don’t know at what time. One practices mindful silence the entire time, spending much time in prayer and mantra recitation.

The practice dates back to a Bhikshuni (fully ordained nun) who was from Afghanistan. In Tibet, she is remembered by the name of Gelongma Palmo. The practice is supposed to bring great blessings to the practitioner,  purifying vast amounts of negative karma through the arising of the compassion of Thousand-Armed Avalokitashavara.

Chenrezig has been a great blessing in my life, and it is with great joy that I am readying for the trip to Arizona.

A Trip Long Awaited

With the nursing program behind me, a friend and I took a trip to Trail Ridge Road, up on the north side of Estes Park, Colorado. It’s one of my favorite places on the planet. Here are some pictures to show you why. 

 

Trail Ridge Road (click on image for picture gallery)