Hardworking Lama

This message was written by one of Rinpoche’s students, Karma Choeying, following the Three-Day January Retreat; he wrote it in response to spending some time assisting Rinpoche with his many activities as a means to express his appreciation for Rinpoche’s efforts for the Dharma and the Sangha.

After this year's January retreat, I wanted to write a brief message about the tireless dedication of our Lama Khenpo Karten Rinpoche to the Dharma and the Sangha.

As you all know, the Manjushri Dharma Center has been closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. One may presume that with the lockdown, maybe Rinpoche will have more free time. In reality, this is very far from the truth.

I know this because I have been fortunate to work somewhat closely with Rinpoche over the past several months providing minor assistance, mainly helping his transition to an online platform related to technology, social media, and English. 

Some of what Rinpoche does for the Sangha can be clearly seen, while other activities are not directly visible. Regarding those that we do see, we know that Rinpoche typically holds online prayers twice per week on Monday and Wednesday. For the past several weeks, Saturday and Sunday, Rinpoche has been holding a Teaching on the “Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas” in Tibetan.

After assisting Rinpoche to set up these Teachings, I saw how much effort really goes into a 1.5-hour Practice. Not only does Rinpoche have to prepare for his Teachings beforehand; he is very determined that the live stream video gives the clearest and most pleasant viewing experience. Initially, being unfamiliar with these electronics and online platforms, he has put in a lot of time to understand the hardware and software necessary for a live broadcast; additionally, much of the language required to operate these devices and websites is in English, Rinpoche’s second language, which makes it a bit challenging. Since then, he has been experimenting with different cameras and equipment, and he is still constantly trying to improve and better the online experience from the Dharma Center. Fortunately, some students and friends give him a hand, such as Michael Martinez from Pacific Grove who has helped Rinpoche produce a really special and professional live stream with multiple devices, the MDC logo, etc., but much of the work Rinpoche does himself. Truly, as some students joke, he has really become the Technology Lama! As an aside, it is surprising to see how much time really goes into a live stream video.

Additionally, Rinpoche’s Dharma activities are not just limited to Pujas or Teachings online. I believe that other activities also constitute much of his efforts.
This past year has been difficult for everyone; many of us have suffered from material, physical, and mental afflictions. As young children, we turn to our mothers or fathers for comfort when we encounter problems; in a similar way, many of us turn to the Lama for solace when in difficulty. Rinpoche, I believe, is the only source of refuge for many people both here and overseas. Often we turn to him when we or our loved ones are faced with sickness, depression, difficulties, and death. Sometimes we reach out to him just because we are feeling sad and we know that hearing his voice or seeing his face will make us feel better. Last spring, Rinpoche intended to go on a silent retreat in conjunction with the temporary closure of the MDC. I don’t think that he was actually able to carry out this retreat because, at that time, which was the beginning of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, so many people were initially quite shocked and frightened when confronted with the new and unknown prospect of the disease and lockdowns, and many reached out to Rinpoche for his support and blessings. To read a little about this, you can check out Rinpoche’s blog “A Discussion between Two Old Men”.

He does whatever he can for his students and still maintains his inner happiness, which acts as a lamp to light and warm the hearts of those struggling around him. 
In truth, he is only one Lama! Not only is Rinpoche occupied with these efforts for the Dharma and the Sangha, in addition he engages in many mundane and domestic tasks, such as taking care of his Dharma Center, shopping, preparing his own meals, etc. Most of the time he gets around on foot. This may seem somewhat typical from a Western perspective, but often Lamas and monks share these responsibilities with one another, and respected Teachers also have many attendants to support them. 

Of course, many students engage in the service of supporting the Rinpoche; certainly, the MDC Board does a great deal, but also many of his students help him with things like setting up his Dharma activities like the retreat, Zoom meetings and Live streams, assisting with the translation of his written Teachings, assisting with his daily life such as driving and doing things around the MDC, and providing generous material support among many other things.
I just wanted to write this brief message at the end of the retreat for all of my Dharma brothers and sisters, and to let Rinpoche know that we do see some of what he does and sincerely appreciate him and his efforts.

Rinpoche has such a strong and genuine motivation to turn his students’ minds towards the Dharma. Often, he says in his talks that he really loves the Dharma, and I sincerely hold it to be true. The patience, persistence, and joy with which he continues to practice is astounding. He is such a great Teacher and example for his students, and I think that we are truly lucky to have him as our Lama.

It is said that happening upon a genuine Dharma Teacher is one of the rarest and most precious occurrences in one’s life, and in this respect I believe that we are extremely fortunate. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Rinpoche! Katrinche Lama La

~Karma Choeying  (Tony )

Message of Greeting

My warmest greetings and tashi deleks to all of my Dharma friends who are hearing these words today!
Today we are beginning the retreat that we do for a few days at the beginning of every year. It is a time when many people enjoy celebrating, saying Happy New Year! to each other. If we really think about it, what it actually means is that another whole year of our life has passed! The passing of a year and the passing of our life are just the same. Our human lives are very precious and sacred and it’s like we’re celebrating that a portion of our life is gone. I’m not saying it’s a bad custom, just that that’s the reality if you really think about it. If we celebrate the sublime Dharma then it will be truly meaningful. That is why we organize our yearly retreat to coincide with New Years. Although we can’t actually gather together because of Covid I am really so happy to be able to gather with all of you online. I want to thank everyone.
2020 was a very hazardous year for the whole world; great numbers of people have died, gotten sick, and have mental and physical difficulties; business, work and finances are also very difficult for so many. 
However, the past is the past; whatever happened, good or bad, is done. Learning through our experience from past difficulties it’s up to us to prepare for the future to be better. 
According Buddhism in general, outer and inner things do not truly exist in the way they appear as objects to our senses. They are said to be impermanent, in a constant state of change. Buddha also said that the end of birth is death; the end of gathering is dispersing; the end of accumulation is exhaustion; the end of rising is falling. This is not something that Buddha newly made up for Buddhism. He was just observing and commenting on things as they are; we must learn to accept it. 
Today we are gathering together and for a short time we will practice the Dharma. This is something very important. To me, I don’t see anything at all in human life that surpasses the practice of Dharma. We have come together for the practice of Dharma. Practicing Dharma does not necessarily mean becoming a Buddhist. Since we want happiness we seek paths to happiness and there are many profound explanations for this in the Buddhist scriptures. But happiness transcends the boundaries of any single religion; it is the indispensable cherished wealth of the whole world. Real happiness must be found within our own mind; it is a big mistake to seek it outside ourselves.
In brief, we must take good care in our actions of body, speech, and mind; especially our mind. The mental problems that many of us have are a result of not taking care of our minds. Everyone hopes for happiness but our actions and hopes go in different directions by mistake. As I said in the Dharma Song, a Gong to Wake Us from the Sleep of Ignorance,
Nobody takes care 
of the wish-fulfilling jewel of their own mind.
Everyone chases after objects 
of the five senses, one after another.
Thus, we should realize that the real purpose of our coming together for these days is to take care of our mind. Taking care of our mind might be very easy; or it might not be at all easy. This is because we don’t usually take care of our mind. Not taking care of our mind causes us many difficulties. As I said in the Gong to Wake Us,
If we took care of our mind
like we take care of our body,
we would not much longer have to experience
mental difficulties as we do now.
Don’t be like a mother, searching in the West,
for a child she has lost in the East!
Having turned the mind inwards,
don’t seek happiness outside!
Let’s all seize this good opportunity to act in ways that are different from before. We always hope for happiness but our actions lead in another direction. If we want happiness, what will be the cause for that? Attitudes discordant with happiness such as anger and pride must definitely be abandoned. For example, if we would like to see beautiful flowers with fruit in a garden, we must first give them water and fertilizer. Likewise, if we always rely on love, compassion, mindfulness, alertness, conscientiousness and so forth, we will soon experience happiness arising within our mind. 
Buddhist scriptures explain that effects correspond to their causes. If we always have a mind of virtue we will experience happiness, and from non-virtue will come suffering; it’s just natural. 
As we encounter serious difficulties from the pandemic this year, don’t think only of the bad side of it; there are also benefits we can derive. For example, as we fall prey to suffering regardless of our status and have to depend on others, we can finally understand how interconnected we are. Also, because of the pandemic, many become more aware of impermanence and as a result attachment and anger diminishes; in the future, thinking of our one earth, people have to come together in unity and harmony. In particular, if we are someone striving to practice Buddha’s teachings we must definitely be able to see bad conditions as helpful; as good conditions for practice. These days it is especially beneficial to have Dharma on the internet; that is something we can all be happy about.
Starting now, over the course of three days, according to my knowledge I will explain and emphasize some of the instructions of Gampopa’s Precious Garland of the Supreme Path. As you listen, think, and meditate, keep in mind that the teachings are more important than the person giving them. If we strive every day to take care of our mind, our new year will become truly meaningful; that is my hope and prayer. Finally, like the incomparable Gampopa, I pray that the minds of all who attend these teachings may turn towards and become the Dharma. That’s all for now. Thank you

A powerful story about a Snake and a saw

A snake found its way into a carpentry store and as it moved around, it unwittingly slithered over a saw lying on the ground and was cut. Instinctively, the snake struck out at the saw and bit the tool, seriously wounding its mouth. Not understanding what was happening and believing the saw to be an attacker, the snake decided to wrap its whole body around the saw to constrict and suffocate the supposed enemy.The snake squeezed the saw with all its strength, and in the process wound up killing itself. 

Sometimes we react in anger to hurt those who have harmed us. We believe that they are going to further harm us and we retaliate, but we do not realize that we are in fact hurting ourselves. As it says in the 20th verse of The Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas:

As long as you do not subdue the enemy of your own anger,

External foes will only increase as you try to conquer them.

Therefore, calling up the armies of love and compassion,

Subdue your own mind—This is the practice of a bodhisattva.

In life, sometimes it is better to ignore situations, people, and their attitudes because the consequences can be harmful. The snake viewed the saw as an enemy and aggressor, not realizing the object was inanimate. Our own anger is the real enemy and not someone outside of ourselves. People often think to themselves that the other person has hurt them and then label this person as the enemy. If you think about this very seriously, this is a real misunderstanding. 

If you reflect, when a person is angry with you, it stems from the anger arising in his or her own mind and is also how one reacts to anger. That is why anger often results in both parties fighting or arguing, sometimes forming long held resentments. Both are ignorant about where the real enemy lies. Everyone wants happiness and doesn't want suffering but we do not understand that when we react in anger, everyone suffers. It is better to show compassion to someone who did us wrong. 

Just like the story of the snake above, the serpent thought that the saw was hurting him but in fact it was his own misconception and inability to let go of negative emotions. The idea of the enemy and anger itself arose from the faulty perceptions in the snake’s own mind. Similarly we have to check our minds to see where this anger is coming from. Two people’s misunderstanding as to who or what the real enemy is can result in dire consequences.

Shantideva said in the Guide to the Bodhisattva Conduct:

"If you tried to cover the whole earth with leather, 

Where would you find enough?

But just putting leather on the soles of your feet,

Is similar to covering the whole earth."

This is a very good example; even if we had to cover up externally grasped objects, we could not, and it would be meaningless. Shantideva is saying that it would be better if we could take control of our own mind.

Usually when we experience even a temporary, slight fascimile of happiness, we crow with delight and jump for joy; and when we experience a temporary, slight unwanted frustration, we get unhappy and cry; some even commit suicide if it is too painful. Rather than being like that, we should make our mind immutable, whatever experiences, pleasant or painful, arise.

meditation is medicine for the mind.

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Many people seem to believe that meditation is extremely challenging and complex, but actually this is not the case. It is important to first ask ourselves the question, why meditate? Often when I ask my students, many respond that they believe the purpose of meditation is to stop thinking and to stop thoughts. 

Recently, I walked to the beach with a younger student. Near the sea shore, we sat down and I said, “Let’s meditate”. He quickly sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. I told him, “this is too fast.” He said, “What should I do?” 

I told him that with any kind of Dharma activity, take your time to begin. Reflect and ask yourself, why am I meditating. He said, “Oh, I never do this! Should I do this every time?” Yes; before beginning any sort of Dharma activity, we must think about the purpose of what we are going to do and check our motivation. If you have good motivation, then the action is positive. For instance, you can ask yourself, is this Dharma activity for the benefit of sentient beings? Even if you do positive activities, such as thousands of prostrations, but have negative intentions, you are committing a negative action. As Patrul Rinpoche said:

What makes an action good or bad? 

Not how it looks, nor whether it is big or small, 

But the good or evil motivation behind it. 

Then he asked me how to meditate. I inquired, “How do you usually meditate?” He responded, “I meditate on nothingness and try to quiet the mind.” I asked him, “Do you only meditate just this one way?” to which he responded yes. This type of meditation, or dzogchen, resting in the natural state of the innately luminous and pure mind, is very difficult for a beginner and difficult to maintain for long stretches of time. 

There are so many different ways to meditate, such as meditation on loving kindness, compassion, selflessness, impermanence, the difficulty of finding the human life, etc. If you are a Mahayana or Vajrayana practitioner, you can practice guru yoga, deity visualization, etc.  Also, you can meditate on emptiness and an introspection into the origin of the self, that is, who is the self and where does the self reside.

As an example, I told my student at the beach, now that there are these destructive fires in California, you can practice a deity visualization: imagine a vast Buddha Amitabha above the land, in Carmel Valley, in Santa Cruz, wherever the fire is raging. Then, visualize nectar-like water streaming from Buddha Amitabha and extinguishing the fire. 

When he heard this, he was so happy and began to smile, and he pointed in the direction of Santa Cruz. He then said, “I had no idea that this is meditation. This is very good right now because there are fires everywhere.” Afterwards we meditated and my student told me, “Wow Rinpoche, I really enjoyed this meditation.”

In Tibetan, the word for meditation is gom, which literally means to become familiar, to become accustomed, or to cultivate. Gom refers to familiarizing the mind to that which is true, and that which is virtuous. I think it very helpful to understand the etymology of the word Gom because it teaches you how to meditate! If you want to run a marathon, it would be impossible if you had never even run a mile before. You must start out running for 30 or 40 minutes a day, and slowly as your body becomes accustomed to the discomfort and your mind becomes accustomed to the challenge, slowly you can build up endurance and run 26.2 miles without an injury. Or if you want to cultivate a garden, you must properly prepare the soil and know the right seeds to plant at what time of year.

Meditation is learned and practiced in the same way. It is important that in the beginning, sessions should be short. If you have never meditated, try sitting for only a few minutes, 5 minutes or less. Initially meditation is very challenging, but gradually and incrementally, it becomes easier. As long as there is improvement, don’t give up meditation. If you are able to extend your time meditating from 5 minutes to 6 minutes, this is good and an improvement; what is important is to persevere! Eventually, try 10 minutes, then 15 minutes; progressively you will see that your mind is more positive and more relaxed. Turning your mind towards the positive will give rise to bodhichitta, to contentment, the desire to help all sentient beings, among numerous other benefits. As I often say, meditation is medicine for the mind.

Gom also does not refer to only one technique or style of meditation, but actually can refer to any kind of Dharma activity performed using body, speech, and mind. Making prostrations, repetition of mantras, or any kind of spiritual activity is gom. So it is not necessary to limit your meditation to one kind of activity. Anything done with positive motivation can be a form of meditation.

To begin with, there is object meditation. You can focus on an object, such as a flower, placed in front of you. Your eyes should be relaxed and gently opened as you focus on the object. As your eyes gaze at the flowers, see how long you can hold your attention on the object. This is stillness. Later, inevitably, the monkey mind will come in and take your attention away from the flowers. This is movement. Then, you must bring your attention back, realizing, I am meditating; do not move. Realizing and watching the shift of your own attention, both stillness and movement, that is called awareness, or rigpa.

In the beginning, you might experience 99% movement and 1% stillness. At first, object meditation may be almost completely movement with our negative monkey mind. This is because we never meditate. Slowly, meditating little by little, we achieve longer periods of stillness, from 1% to 2%, from 2% to 3%, and so forth, to the point where movement and stillness are equal. 

These three --movement, stillness, and awareness-- can be applied to everything that you do, and are not limited to Buddhism or Dharma. Stability of mind is conducive to all activities. Movement, on the other hand, is not. I see so many people, changing all the time and moving to and fro, back and forth.

Actually, we are constantly fighting with movement. All sentient beings have minds, and most human beings have a slightly negative mind. That is why they may think to themselves, “I don’t want this monkey mind,” and feel, “I need to rid myself of it.” In truth, it depends on how you use your mind. 

The human mind could be likened to a horse. We are the rider of this horse, but most of us have no control over the animal. Unless the rider has control over the animal, it will not listen, and the horse could assert its own will, going wherever it pleases. In some cases, a wild horse could even be extremely dangerous to the rider, by kicking and thrashing, and can seriously injure or even kill his driver. Such is the case with our own mind.

One could say, horses are bad, and we don’t need them, but this is certainly untrue. Actually, if one is a skilled rider and knows how to control a horse, this animal is of great benefit, going great distances at speeds unimaginable by foot, and an excellent companion who could even become the rider’s best friend. Ultimately, the mind does become your best friend. Without the mind, we could not meditate; if your mind is focused, you can achieve anything.

As I wrote in A Dharma Gong to Wake Us from Ignorance:

།མ་དུལ་རྨོངས་པའི་སེམས་འདིས། །འབྲས་བུ་འཁོར་བའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ། 

།དུལ་ཞིང་ཞི་བའི་སེམས་འདིས། འབྲས་བུ་ཐར་པའི་བདེ་བ།

This untamed mind of delusion

results in the suffering of samsara.

A subdued, peaceful mind

results in the bliss of Liberation.

Samsara and samsaric suffering comes from nowhere but our own mind.

Modern scientists continue to confirm what Buddhists have known to be true for thousands of years. A friend told me about a recent Harvard study that showed how 47% of the time, our mind is not on what we are doing (that’s around a third of our lives!) and found a causal relationship between more mental wandering and levels of unhappiness.

Buddhist thought maintains that we have one mind with so many different mental functions operating at different levels. The true nature of the mind is not negative; rather this pure mind is referred to as Buddha nature. Ignorance obscures our innate wisdom and creates suffering. This pure mind is covered by delusions and negativity, which is just like a house which has been cluttered with dirt and mess. You feel miserable living in this messy house and you cannot appreciate its actual beauty. When you finally get around to putting in the hard work and decluttering your home, you feel so light and happy seeing the natural beauty of the home that was just obscured. This “inner house” of the mental space has to be cleaned in the same way. 

།དྲི་མེད་འོད་གསལ་རིག་མཛོད། །ཉོན་མོངས་གད་སྙིགས་མ་བཀང་། 

།རྙེད་དཀའི་མི་ལུས་རིན་ཆེན། །འཁོར་བའི་བྲན་གཡོག་མ་བྱེད། 

Don’t fill the stainless treasury of luminous awareness

with the garbage of delusion!

Don’t make this difficult-to-find

precious human life a slave to samsara!

And also,

།སེམས་ཉིད་ཡིད་བཞིན་ནོར་བུ། །གད་སྙིགས་ནང་དུ་གཡུགས་ནས། 

།འཁྲུལ་སྣང་མགོ་བོ་འཁོར་བའི། །ཀྱེ་མ་བདག་འདྲའི་སེམས་ཅན། 

Buddha nature is a wish-fulfilling jewel.

How sad that sentient beings like myself,

deceived by our hallucinations,

would throw it in the trash!

Buddha nature permeates our current state like butter permeates milk. We may see milk and think, I want butter, how can I extract it from the liquid? We must churn the butter; this requires work and effort. One day, after churning, you will find the presence of pure butter and the disappearance of milk. 

To tell you the truth, all human beings are mad! The two types of madness amongst humans, though, are quite different.

The first group, representing the vast majority of sentient beings, are mad, desperately running outside after samsara. This is a very serious form of madness with dire consequences. These sentient beings believe in the reality of the outer world, holding their 5 senses to be true. As I wrote in A Dharma Gong to Wake Us from Ignorance:

།རང་སེམས་ཡིད་བཞིན་ནོར་བུ་། །བདག་པོ་རྒྱག་མཁན་མི་འདུག། 

།ཐམས་ཅད་དབང་ལྔའི་རྗེས་སུ། །གཅིག་རྗེས་གཉིས་མཐུད་འབྲངས་སོང་། 

Nobody takes care

of the wish-fulfilling jewel of mind.

Everyone chases the five senses,

one after another.

Actually, samsara is like a drug; we are addicted and seek more and more, but we don’t see things as they really are. Our suffering is just like grabbing a rock and hitting ourselves repeatedly in the head, crying out, “Where is the origin of our pain?”, when in reality, it is our own doing! This brings more suffering and does not bring happiness. As stated in The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva:

The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to turn away immediately

From those things which bring desire and attachment.

For the pleasures of the senses are just like salty water:

The more we taste of them, the more our thirst increases.

The second group of crazy people is far fewer in number. These are the beings unwaveringly seeking pure Dharma and inner peace within their own mind. These individuals are also seen by worldly people as crazy. Such with Buddha Shakyamuni, who left his kingdom, wealth, and family. Jetsun Milarepa was called a lunatic during his life. His extreme renunciation, reclusiveness, and unconventional behavior brought derision from local people. From Milarepa’s “The Song of the Lunatic” taken from The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa translated by Garma C.C. Chang:

Men say, “Is not Milarepa mad?”

I also think it may be so,

Now listen to my madness.

The father and the son are mad,

And so are the transmission

And Dorje Chang’s succession.

Mad too were my great-grandfather, the fair sage Tilopa.

And my grandfather, Naropa the great scholar.

Mad too, was my father, Marpa the translator.

So too is Milarepa.

Also, as I wrote in A Dharma Gong to Wake Us from Ignorance:

།ལྟད་མོ་ཕྱི་ལ་མ་བལྟ། །ནང་ལ་ལྟད་མོ་བལྟོས་དང་། 

།སྔར་མ་མཐོང་བའི་ལྟད་མོ། །བསོད་ནམས་ཡོད་ན་རྙེད་ཡོང་། 

Don’t look for shows outside;

watch the show inside!

If you are lucky you’ll discover

a show like never seen before!

In conclusion, it is important to consider the purpose of meditation and to regard all activities with proper motivation as a form of meditation. Begin slowly, and gradually you will develop endurance and cultivate positive qualities. This can be summed up in the three supreme methods preliminary to Dharma practice: 

1. Motivation: say to yourself, all sentient beings throughout all realms want happiness just like me, but do not know the cause of happiness. Therefore they suffer, wandering helplessly throughout samsara without any refuge or protection. I’m going to practice with the intention to help free all sentient beings of their immense suffering
   

1. Focus: we should practice with a concentrated mind, focusing wholeheartedly on whatever we are doing. Although your body may be sitting for meditation or prostrating, and your speech reciting mantras or praying, it is important that your mind is with you at all times 
   

1. Dedication: dedicate the merit for the welfare of all sentient beings, praying that bodhicitta continually grows greater
   

If you have all three, your practice becomes Dharma. Without these three, although the efforts may support or strengthen your own mind, it will not be Dharma. 

This mind of yours, which may now seem like your enemy, will eventually become your best friend. See samsara for what it actually is. Like all sentient beings, you seek happiness, but do not be fooled! Look in the right direction. 

As I wrote in A Dharma Gong to Wake Us from Ignorance:

།བུ་ཆུང་ཤར་ཕྱོགས་སྟོར་ཡང་། །མ་ཡིས་ནུབ་ནས་བཙལ་ལྟར། 

།སེམས་པ་ནང་དུ་བཞག་ནས། །བདེ་སྐྱིད་ཕྱི་ནས་མ་འཚོལ།

Don’t be like a mother, searching in the West,

for a child she has lost in the East!

Having turned the mind inwards,

don’t seek happiness outside!

I share this with you all because in this modern time, the word “meditation” is thrown about casually and without proper context. Thus, many sincere people new to dharma wish to meditate but have become confused about the meaning of the term as Buddhists understand it. My sincere wish is that all could experience the vast benefit that comes from meditation, which has been my own practical experience, and I pray the same for all sentient beings.

~Khenpo Karten Rinpoche

ཉི་གདུགས་དང་འབྲེལ་བའི་གཏམ།

སློབ་མ་ཆོས་མིང་དུ་ཀརྨ་དབྱངས་སྐྱིད་དམ་Shayna Morse,ནས་ཉི་གདུག་དང་ཅོག་ཙེ་ཉོས་པའི་ཉིན་མོ། 

ས་གནས་ཁ་ལི་ཧྥོ་ཉ་ནི་དུས་བཞི་ལ་འགྱུར་བ་ཆེར་མེད་པ་ག་དུས་ཡིན་ཀྱང་ཉི་མ་ཤར་སའི་ས་གནས་ཞིག་ཡིན། ལྷག་པར་དུ་དབྱར་སྨད་ནས་བཟུང་སྟེ་སོས་ཀའི་བར་ཆར་པ་མི་འབབས། རི་མགོ་རྣམས་སྤངས་མདོག་སེར་པོར་གྱུར་ཅིང་མེ་ཡི་འཇིགས་པ་ཧ་ཅང་ཆེ། འདི་ལོར་ཡང་ས་གནས་མ་འདྲ་བ་གསུམ་དུ་རི་བོ་མེ་ཡིས་ཚིག་ནས་ངོས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་གྲོགས་འགའ་དང་ངོ་ཤེས་འགའ་ཡི་ཁང་པ་མེ་ལ་ཤོར་ནས་དཀའ་ངལ་མང་པོ་ཞིག་འཕྲད་བཞིན་པའི་སྐབས་ཡིན། མ་ཟད་ང་ཡི་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ཡོད་སའི་ས་གནས་འདི་ཉིད་ཀྱང་ཉི་མ་ཧ་ཅང་ཚ་ས་ཞིག་ཡིན། ག་དུས་་མཚོ་འགྲམ་ལ་སོང་ཡང་ཟ་ཁང་བདག་པོ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་ཉི་གདུགས་དང་རྐུབ་སྟེག་རང་འགྲིག་ཅན་གྱི་གྲིབ་བསིལ་འོག་ནས་མི་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་དགའ་བའི་འཛུམ་དང་བཅས་ཟ་མ་བཟའ་བཞིན་པ་མཐོང་ཐེངས་རེར་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་རྒྱབ་ལོགས་ཉི་རའི་ནང་དུ་ང་ལའང་དེ་འདྲ་ཞིག་ཡོད་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་བསམ་པའི་བསམ་བློ་རེ་འཁོར་མྱོང་། 

ཁ་སང་ཞོགས་ཟས་བཟའ་བཞིན་པའི་སྐབས་སུ་ཟ་ཁྲིའི་སྒང་ནས་ཁ་པར་གྱི་ཏིར་སྒྲ་ཞིག་ཡོད་པ་དེ་ལ་ཧ་ལོའི་སྒྲ་ཡིས་བསུ་མ་བྱས་དུས་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་ཚོགས་གཞོན་ཟུར་པ་ཆོས་མིང་དུ་ཀརྨ་དབྱངས་སྐྱིད་དམ་shyna morse རེད་འདུག མོ་རང་ནས་ཟེར་ན། 

(ངས་ཁྱེད་རང་ལ་ཆོས་ཚོགས་རྒྱབ་ལོགས་སུ་ལྷོད་དལ་ངང་འདུག་ས་ཉི་གདུགས་སེར་པོ་དང་རྐུབ་སྟེགས་རང་འགྲིག་ཅན་ཞིག་དྲ་རྒྱའི་རྒྱུད་ནས་མངག་ཉོ་བྱས་ཡོད་པས་གང་མགྱོགས་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་ཁ་བྱང་ཐོག་ཏུ་འབྱོར་གྱི་རེད) ཟེར། དེ་ནི་ངོ་མ་བསམ་དོན་ལྷུན་འགྲུབ་ཟེར་བ་དེ་རེད། ཅི་འདྲའི་ཡ་མཚན་ལ་ཁ་སང་རང་དེ་འདྲ་ཞིག་ཉོ་དགོས་བསམ་ནས་བསྡད་ཡོད། 

ད་ཡིན་ན་བན་རྒན་ང་ལ་ཉི་རའི་ནང་དུ་བསིལ་གྲིབ་འོག་ནས་རྩོམ་འབྲི་རྒྱུ་དང་། ཇ་འཐུང་ས་སོགས་ཧ་ཅང་ཕན་པོ་བྱུང་བས་དད་ལྡན་མ་ཀརྨ་དབྱངས་སྐྱིད་ལགས་ལ་ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེ་ཞུ་འདོད་བྱུང་། 

ཕ་རྒན་དྲན་རྟེན་ཟངས་ཀྱི་ལྡི་ཁོག་ཞིག་ཉོས་པའི་ཉིན་མོ།

ད་ནང་ཞོགས་པ་ཁ་འདོན་གྲུབ་མ་ཐག་ཉེ་འཁོར་དུ་ཡོད་པའི་ཅ་དངོས་རྙིང་པ་གཙོང་སའི་ཚོང་ཁང་ཞིག་ནང་དུ་སོང་། 

ཚོང་ཁང་དེར་སྐབས་རེ་བོད་པའི་ཅ་དངོས་རྙིང་པ་མཆོད་ཆས་དང་ཐང་སྐུ་སོགས་གོང་ཁེ་བོའི་ངང་ནས་རྙེད་ཀྱི་ཡོད། ལོ་གཅིག་གོང་ཚེ་ལྷ་རྣམ་གསུམ་གྱི་གོས་ཆེན་ཚེམ་དྲུབ་ཐང་ཀ་རྙིང་པ་ཞིག་ལ་ཨ་བཅུ་གཉིས་ཀྱིས་ཉོས། དུས་དེ་ནས་བཟུང་སྟེ་གཏམ་དཔེར། གླེན་པས་གཡུ་རྙེད་ཐེངས་གཅིག་ལ་རེ་བ་ཐེངས་མ་བརྒྱ་བྱས་པའི་དཔེ་ལྟར་ག་དུས་ཡིན་ནའང་དུས་ཚོད་ཁོམས་སྐབས་ཚོང་ཁང་འདིའི་ནང་དུ་སོང་གྲངས་ནི་ཉུང་ཉུང་ཞིག་གཏན་ནས་མིན།  

དེ་རིང་ཡོད་པའི་ཅ་དངོས་ཕལ་མོ་ཆེ་ནི་སྡེར་མ་དང་། ཟ་ཁྲི། ཉལ་ཆས། སྣོད་ཆས། རྣ་རྒྱན། མཛུབ་དཀྲིས། སྐེ་རྒྱན་སོགས་རེད་འདུག ཟུར་ཞིག་ལ་མདོག་ཡིད་དུ་འོང་ཞིང་དམར་ལ་སྨུག་མདངས་ཅན་ཟངས་ཀྱི་<ལྡི་ཁོག་>ཞབས་འོག་ཏུ་མེ་གཏང་ནས་ཟས་རིགས་གཡོས་སྦྱོར་བྱེད་ས་སྤུས་གཙང་ཞིག་མཐོང་། ལག་ཏུ་བླངས་ནས་མིག་གྱེར་གྱེར་སྐེ་འཁྱོག་འཁྱོག་ངང་ཡུན་རིང་པོར་གཡས་བལྟ་གཡོན་བལྟ་ཞིབ་ཏུ་བྱས། ད་རེས་ཀྱི་ཟངས་ཀྱི་ལྡི་ཁོག་འདིའི་བཟོ་ལྟ་དང་། དབྱིབས། ཆེ་ཆུང་སོགས་གང་ལ་བསམ་ཡང་ཉོ་འདོད་བྱུང་། སྣོད་ཞབས་སུ་ཤོག་ཛར་ཞིག་གི་ངོས་སུ་རིན་གོང་ལ་only 12$ ཞེས་གསལ་ན་མི་གསལ་བའི་ཨང་གྲངས་དེ་ཉིད་མཐོང་བ་དང་ལྷན་རང་དབང་མེད་པར་ཉོ་འདོད་ལྷག་པར་སྐྱེས། ངོས་ཀྱི་ཕ་འདས་པོ་དེ་ཉིད་ཅ་དངོས་རྙིང་པའི་རིགས་ལ་དགའ་ཞེན་ཆེ་བ་མ་ཟད། ཤིང་ཕོར་དངུལ་ཤན་ཅན་དང་། ཟངས་དང་རག་གི་སྣོད་སྤྱད་ཉར་རྒྱུ་ལ་ཧ་ཅང་དགའ། ཕ་འདས་པོའི་དྲན་རྟེན་དུ་ཆོས་ཚོགས་སུ་ཤིང་ཕོར་ཆེ་ཆུང་འདྲ་མིན་མང་པོ་ཞིག་ཉར་ཡོད་ཀྱང་། ཟངས་ཀྱི་སྣོད་སྤྱད་ད་ལྟ་ལས་མ་རྙེད་པས་ལྡི་ཁོག་དེ་ཁུར་ནས་ཚོང་དཔོན་མི་རྒན་མིག་ཤེལ་ཅན་དེར་ཨ་སྒོར་བཅུ་གཉིས་སྤྲད་ནས་ཉོས། མི་རྒན་ནས་ཀྱང་you found a good one ཞེས་ཟེར་བཞིན་མཐེ་བོང་སྒྲེང་ཙམ་བྱེད་བཞིན་གདའ། ངས་ཀྱང་ཟངས་ཀྱི་ལྡི་ཁོག་དེ་ཉིད་མཆན་དུ་བཅུག་ནས་ནང་དུ་འབྱོར། ཕ་རྒན་འདས་གྲོངས་སུ་ཕྱིན་ནས་མི་ལོ་ཉེར་བཞི་ཙམ་སོང་ཡང་ད་དུང་ལོ་དང་ཟླ་བ་སོང་བཞིན་ཇེ་དྲན་རེད་འདུག། ཕ་རྒན་ཡོད་པའི་སྐབས་སུ་ད་ལྟ་ནང་བཞིན་ལག་བཟུང་ཁ་པར་ཕར་ཞོག། སྐབས་དེ་དུས་པར་ཆས་དཀྱུས་མ་ཞིག་ཀྱང་སྡེ་དགོན་གཉིས་ཆར་མཐོང་རྒྱུ་ཧ་ཅང་དཀོན། རྒྱུ་མཚན་དེ་བས་ན་ངོས་ཀྱི་ཕ་འདས་པོའི་དྲན་རྟེན་ལ་རང་ཉིད་དགའ་མིན་ལ་མ་ལྟོས་པར་ཁོང་གང་ལ་དགའ་བའི་ཅ་དངོས་རིགས་ཉོ་ནས་ཉར་གྱི་ཡོད། 

དྲིན་ཅན་ཕ་ལོ་དམ་པ། ། མི་བརྗེད་དྲན་རྟེན་ཆེད་དུ། ། དེ་རིང་ཚོང་ཁང་ནང་ནས། ། ཟངས་ཀྱི་ལྡི་ཁོག་ཉོས་ཡོད། །

གདོང་ལ་བགྲེས་ཉམས་དོད་ཅིང་། ། ལག་ཏུ་ཕྲེང་བ་ཐོགས་པའི། ། བོད་ཀྱི་མི་རྒན་མཐོང་དུས། ། དྲིན་ཅན་ཕ་ལོ་དྲན་བྱུང་། 

ཞིམ་པོའི་ཟས་ཞིག་བཟའ་དུས། ། ཁྱེད་ཉིད་ཡོད་ན་བསམ་བྱུང་། ། དྲོན་པོའི་གོས་ཤིག་མཐོང་དུས། ། ཁྱེད་ལ་བཀོན་ན་བསམ་བྱུང་། 

།ཕྱི་རྒྱལ་ལུགས་སྲོལ་མེད་པ། ། རང་མགོ་རང་གིས་མི་ཐོན། ། བོད་པའི་ལུགས་སྲོལ་མེད་ཅིང་། ། ཕ་མར་གུས་བཀུར་མེད་པ། །

དེང་དུས་གཞོན་སྐྱེས་འགའ་ཡིས། ། ཕ་མར་དྲིན་ལན་མེད་པར། ། ཁ་ལན་ཚིག་ལན་སློག་དུས། ། སེམས་པ་གཏིང་ནས་སྐྱོ་བྱུང་། །

དེ་རིང་གི་ཉིན་ཐོ་དེ་ཙམ་ཡིན་ཁ་དྲོ། ཚེ་རིང་།

The Day I Bought a Copper Skillet In Memory of my Father

 

         Today, after I finished my morning recitations I went to a neighborhood second-hand thrift store. Occasionally you can find old Tibetan items there, thangkas, offering materials, and so forth, for inexpensive prices. A year ago I bought an old brocade thangka of the Three Long Life Deities there, which would normally cost seven or eight hundred dollars, for only twelve dollars! Ever since then, like the old saying goes, once finding a turquoise on the road, the fool will return there a hundred times, whenever I have free time I go to that store; I’ve been there quite a few times!

         Today, most of the stuff they had was dishes, food containers, pots, earrings, rings, and necklaces. In one corner I saw a good quality copper skillet with a nice brownish red color resting on a cooking tripod where you could light a flame under it. When I picked it up, with wide eyes, craning my neck, I examined it from every angle for a long time. After considering the shape, appearance, and size of this modern copper skillet, I wanted to buy it. When I saw that, with its base they were only asking twelve dollars I couldn’t help but buy it. Not only was it the kind of old thing that my late father loved, he also liked wooden bowls with silver bands, as well as copper and brass pans. As mementos of my father I had many different wooden bowls of different sizes at the Dharma center but I had not yet been able to find a copper pot, so I took this copper skillet and gave twelve dollars to the elderly bespectacled person who was minding the store. He said, ‘You found a good buy,’ and gave me the thumbs-up. I took it under my arm and carried it home. Although it had been about twenty-four years since my father died I miss him more every month and year that passes. In my father’s day there were no cell phones and it was very rare to even see an ordinary camera in the village or monastery. That’s why, to remind me of my father, regardless of whether I like them or not, I buy and keep the kinds of things that he liked.

 

As an unforgetting memento

of my kind, holy father,

today, from the store,

I bought a copper skillet for you.

 

When I see elderly Tibetans

with their dignified aged faces,

carrying their malas in their hands

I miss my kind father.

 

When I eat some delicious food,

I wish you were there.

When I see a guest’s clothing,

I wish you were wearing it.

 

It’s not the custom in foreign countries

to not be self-reliant.

It’s not the Tibetan custom

to have no respect for parents.

 

These days some young people

do not return their parents’ kindness,

and talk back to them instead.

It deeply saddens me.

 

That’s my blog for this auspicious holiday of Father’s Day.

 

May you live long!

 

 

 

ཕ་འདས་པོ་དེ་རྨི་ལམ་ཁྱད་མཚར་ཞིག་གཏང་བྱུང་།"A Vivid Dream About My Father"

ད་ནངས་ཞོགས་པ་ཞི་བར་གཤེགས་པའི་ཕ་འདས་པོ་དེ་རྨི་ལམ་ཁྱེད་མཚར་ཞིག་གཏང་བྱུང་། 

ཞོགས་པ་ཆུ་ཚོད་ལྔ་པ་ཙམ་གྱི་སྐབས་སུ་རྨི་ལམ་ནང་ཁོ་རང་གསོན་པའི་སྐབས་སུ་མགོ་ཞྭ་རྐང་ལྷམ་ཚང་མ་གཅིག་པ་དང་མ་ཟད་གདོང་ཉམས་སོགས་གཅིག་པ་རེད་འདུག། ཁོ་རང་འཇམ་དབྱམས་ཆོས་འཁོར་གླིང་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་སྒོ་ཁར་སླེབས་བྱུང་། ངས་དགའ་བཞིན་དུ་གློ་བུར་དུ་སྒོ་ཕྱེས་ནས་ནང་དུ་ཁྲིད་ཅིང་སྣེ་ལེན་བྱས་པ་ཡིན། ང་ནི་ཧ་ཅང་དགའ་གི་འདུག། ཡིན་ནའངརྨི་ལམ་ཡིན་པ་ཡང་ཤེས་ཀྱི་འདུག། ང་ཡི་ཕ་འདས་གྲོངས་སུ་ཕྱིན་ནས་མི་ལོ་ཉེར་བཞི་འགྲོ་གི་ཡོད། ངེད་གཉིས་ཇ་མཉམ་བཏུང་བྱས་ནས་ཁྱུག་ཙམ་ཞིག་བསྡད། ཕ་རྒན་ནས་འདི་ལྟར་ཟེར། ང་ཕར་རང་ཡུལ་དུ་མ་སོང་བའི་གོང་ང་ལ་ཟྭ་ཐུག་ཞིག་ཁྱེད་རང་མཉམ་དུ་ཟ་འདོད་ཡོད་ཅེས་ཟེར། འདི་ལོའི་དཔྱིད་ཀར་ཏོག་དབྱིབས་ནད་ངན་དེས་རྐྱེན་བྱས་ནས་ཟྭ་བཀོག་ལ་འགྲོ་ཐུབ་མ་སོང་བས་ང་ཡི་ནང་ལ་་ཟྭ་གཏན་ནས་མེད་པས་ཅི་དགོས་ན་བསམ་བྱུང་། དེ་མ་ཐག་ཕ་རྒན་ནས་འདི་ལྟར་ཟེར། ངེད་གཉིས་བྷོ་སི་ཊོན་ཨ་མ་ཡེ་ཤེས་དང་། ཕ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གཉིས་ནང་དུ་ཟྭ་ཐུག་བཟའ་ལ་འགྲོ་ཟེར། ངས་ཁྱེད་ཀྱི་ཨ་མ་ཡེ་ཤེས་དང་དཀོན་མཆོག་གཉིས་གང་འདྲ་་བྱས་ནས་ཤེས་ཀྱི་ཡོད་ཞུས་པས།  ཁྱེད་རང་ལོ་ལྟར་ཁོང་ཚོ་སར་འགྲོ་གི་ཡོད་དམ་ཟེར། ངས་འགྲོ་གི་ཡོད་ལགས་ཞུས་པ་ཡིན། ང་ལ་ལྟོས་ན་ཨ་མ་ཡེ་ཤེས་དང་ཕ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གཉིས་ཀྱི་ནང་མི་ལུང་པ་འདིར་ང་ཡི་ཁྱིམ་ཚང་གཉིས་པ་འདྲ་བོ་ཡིན། ང་ག་དུས་བྷོ་སོ་ཊོན་ལ་སོང་ནའང་ཟས་གོས་གནས་མལ་སོགས་ཀྱིས་མས་བུ་ལ་བརྩེ་བ་ལྟར་ཧ་ཅང་སྣེ་ལེན་ཡག་པོ་གནང་གི་ཡོད། 

ཕ་རྒན་ནས་ད་ལྟ་རང་འགྲོ་ཟེར་བ་དང་ངེད་ཕ་བུ་གཉིས་སྐད་ཅིག་དེ་ཉིད་དུ་ཨ་མ་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱི་སྒོ་འགྲམ་དུ་སླེབས་འདུག། ཨ་མ་ཡེ་ཤེས་ནས་སྒེའུ་ནང་ནས་ང་མཐོང་བ་དང་མཉམ་དུ་མཁན་པོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཕེབས་འདུག་ག། ང་ཚོའི་ཟྭ་ཐུག་བཀོལ་ཡོད་ནང་དུ་ཕེབས་ནས་ཟྭ་ཐུག་མཉམ་དུ་མཆོད་ཟེར་ཞོར་སྒོ་ཕྱེས་སོང་། ངེད་ཕ་བུ་གཉིས་ཟྭ་ཐུག་བཟའ་རུ་ཡོང་བ་ཨ་མ་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱིས་གང་འདྲ་བྱས་ཤེས་ཀྱི་ཡོད་དམ།?

ངེད་ཕ་བུ་གཉིས་ནང་དུ་འཛུལ་ནས་ཚང་མར་འཚམས་འདྲི་དང་ལྷན་ཁོང་ཚོ་ལ་ང་ཡི་ཨ་ཕ་ངོ་སྤྲོད་བྱས་པ་ཡིན། ཟུར་དུ་མགོ་བོར་མེ་ཏོག་སྣ་ཚོགས་འདྲ་མིན་དང་གཟུགས་པོར་དབུས་གཙང་གི་སྐྱེ་དམན་གྱི་ཆས་གོས་ཅན་འདྲ་བོ་བུད་མེད་གཉིས་ཀྱི་ལག་ཏུ་སྤུས་ཤེལ་གྱི་ཕྲེང་བ་དམར་སེར་ཧ་ཅང་ཡག་པོ་རེ་བཟུང་ནས་རེ་རེ་བཞིན་ངེད་ཕ་བུ་གཉིས་ལ་སྤྲད་བྱུང་། ཕ་རྒན་འདས་པོ་ནི་ནམ་རྒྱུན་ཕྲེང་བ་འདྲ་མིན་ཉར་རྒྱུ་ལ་ཧ་ཅང་དགའ་མཁན་ཞིག་ཡིན་སྟབས་ཁོང་ཕྲེང་བ་དེར་ཧ་ཅང་དགའ་སོང་། ང་ལ་སྤྲད་པའི་ཕྲེང་བ་དེ་ཡང་ངས་ཨ་རྒན་ལ་ཕུལ་བ་ཡིན། ཁོ་རང་ནས་ཕྲེང་བ་གཉིས་ལག་པ་གཡས་གཡོན་དུ་བཟུང་ནས་འཛུམ་མདངས་དང་བཅས་ང་ལ་ཟྭ་ཐུག་མེད་ཀྱང་འགྲིག། ང་ལ་ཕྲེང་བ་འདིའི་ཆེད་དུ་ཡོང་བ་ཡིན་ཟེར་བཞིན་ནམ་མཁར་བཀྱག་སོང་། ནམ་མཁའ་ནས་ཀྱང་དེ་ལྟར་ཟེར་བཞིན་ཇེ་མཐོར་ཇེ་མཐོར་སོང་ནས་མཐར་མི་སྣང་བར་གྱུར་སོང་། ང་ཚོའི་གཅིག་གིས་གཅིག་ལ་བལྟ་བཞིན་ད་དུང་ཨ་རྒན་ཟྭ་ཐུག་བཟའ་རུ་ཡོང་སྒུག་བྱས་ནས་ཅུང་བསྡད། ཞོགས་པ་ཆུ་ཚོད་ལྔ་པའི་སྐབས་སུ་གཉིད་ལས་སད་པ་དང་མཉམ་དུ་སེམས་ལ་དགའ་སྐྱོ་འདྲེས་མས་ཁེངས་འདུག། ང་ཡི་ཚོར་བ་རུ་ད་དུང་ང་བྷོ་སི་ཊོན་ཨ་མ་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱི་ནང་དུ་ཡོད་པའི་ཚོར་བ་འདུག། དྲི་བ་ནི་ད་རེས་ག་རེ་བྱས་ནས་ངོས་ཀྱི་ཕ་འདས་པོ་རྨི་ལམ་ནང་ནས་འདིར་ཡོང་རེད། ལན། 

དེ་ནི་ཁོ་རང་གསོན་པའི་སྐབས་སུ་ཆེས་དགའ་ཤོས་ནི་གཅོད་ཉན་རྒྱུ་དང་ཉམས་ལེན་བྱེད་རྒྱུ་དེ་རེད། ཁོ་རང་གིས་ཌཱ་རུ་བཀྲོལ་བ་དང་དྲིལ་བུ་བསིལ་བ་སོགས་བྱེད་མི་ཤེས་ཀྱང་། གལ་ཆེ་ཤོས་དམིགས་པ་བཟུང་རྒྱུ་དེ་ཡིན་སྟབས་དེ་ཁོ་རང་གིས་བྱེད་ཤེས་ཀྱི་ཡོད། ཁ་སང་རེས་གཟའ་ལྷག་པ་སྤྱི་ཟླ་བདུན་པའི་སྤྱི་ཚེས་ཉེར་དགུའི་ཉིན་མོ་ཉིའུ་ཡོག་ལ་གཏན་བཞུགས་ངོས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་གྲོགས་འགའ་ཡི་རེ་སྐུལ་ལྟར་བཅོད་མཁའ་འགྲོའི་གད་རྒྱངས་ངོ་དེབ་ཐད་གཏོང་བརྒྱུད་ནས་བཏོན་པ་ཡིན། རྒྱུ་མཚན་དེར་བསྟེན་ཁ་སང་ཕ་རྒན་འདས་པོ་རྨི་ལམ་ནང་དུ་མཇལ་བ་རེད་བསམ། 

ཉིན་མོ་དེར་བྷོ་སི་ཊོན་ཨ་མ་ཡེ་ཤེས་ལ་ཁ་པར་གཏང་ནས་ད་ནུབ་རྨི་ལམ་གཏང་ཚུལ་བཤད་དུས་ཨ་མ་ཡེ་ཤེས་ལགས་ནས་ཀྱང་དེ་རིང་ང་ལ་དམིགས་བསལ་གྱི་བཀྲ་ཤིས་པའི་རྟགས་མཚན་སྣང་ཚུལ་མ་འདྲ་བ་འགའ་ཤས་བྱུང་ཚུལ་བཤད་བྱུང་། 

"A Vivid Dream About My Father" 

Last night, I had a vivid dream about my father, which I would like to share. In the dream, my father came to California and visited Manjushri Dharma Center. I opened the door for him and I was so happy to see him standing there. He looked just like how he used to, the same beard, the same clothes, the hair, and smiling face. He had such a beautiful smile. I knew that it was a dream while I was dreaming, and I also knew that he had passed away 24 years ago.

My father made prostrations to the center's shrine, and then we ate food and drank tea together. He then told me that he wanted to have some nettle soup with me before he left. In my mind, I thought to myself, because of the pandemic, I couldn't head out to pick nettle leaves. I didn't have any nettle in my house, so what should I do? While I was wondering this, my Dad instantly knew what I was thinking and said to me "No problem, Son. We can head to Ama Yeshe's house in Boston." In the dream, I was astonished because my father had never met Ama Yeshe. I asked my dad, "How do you know her? You have never met her before!" He asked me if I visited them every year, and I said, "Yes!"

Ama Yeshe and P'ha La Konchok are like second family to me, like surrogate parents. They have treated me so well and have always been so kind to me. Whenever I'm in Boston, they prepare delicious food for me and always show me great hospitality. Anyway, my father said to me "Let's go to Boston right now, and eat nettle soup at Ama Yeshe's house!" 

As soon as he said that, instantly, we found ourselves at Ama Yeshe's house. She was so surprised to see me standing outside her window. She said "Oh, Khen Rinpoche, you here! We are so happy to see you! We have already made some nettle soup for you here! Perfect timing! Please do come in and eat with us." Ama Yeshe knows how much I love nettle soup. I greeted her with, "Tashi Delek," and introduced her to my father. 

Inside Ama Yeshe's house, I saw two beautiful women. They were wearing fine jewels and silk brocade chubas. They looked just like dakinis, or like the goddess of long life, Tseringma. Each of these dakinis had a very beautiful amber mala in her hands. They gave the malas to us: one to my father, and one to me. My father always loved malas, and had many precious malas in his collection, so I offered mine to him as well. He held both malas in his hands.

Suddenly, my father said that he did not want to eat nettle soup anymore as he had only really come here for these malas. He said he had to go, and then he smiled broadly, and began to rise up up into the sky. He flew farther and farther away, until he disappeared into the sky. I waited for a while, as I thought he might come back for the nettle soup, but he did not.

That was when I awoke from this strange dream. It was 5:00 AM. At first it felt as if I was still really at Ama Yeshe's house in Boston. I had a bittersweet feeling about the dream. At one and the same time, I was both sad that I had not gotten the chance to eat nettle soup with my father, and happy that he had visited me. 

Vivid dreams like these seem so real. I wondered to myself, Why did my father come into my dream now, of all possible times? I believe it was because I did the Chod practice on July 29th, the night of my dream. My father especially loved Chod pujas. He often used to listen to my chanting while I was doing my Chod practices. He didn't use the bell and damaru, but he knew all the visualizations of offering the body (Lujin). He was familiar not only with the words of the Chod texts, but also their profound meaning. For him, Chod was a very special practice, and that could well be why he came into my dream last night. 

Later on, I called Ama Yeshe and told her about my dream.  She replied that she was very happy to hear about it. She added that she me had also seen some special auspicious signs in the sky that morning just before I called her. I just wanted to share this with all of you.