Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

The Wild and True Story of Khyentse Foundation

2011-09-02T14:05:00.001+07:00

From KF COMMUNIQUÉ, August Issue 2011

As a young boy, having been recognized as the tulku of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche inherited responsibility for Dzongsar monastery and for its associated lineages. Rinpoche’s teachers and tutors invested everything they had to give him what he needed to carry out this enormous task. In the decades since Rinpoche began teaching around the world, thousands of people have been inspired to follow him.

As Rinpoche's activities increased, hisview became even more vast. Whiletending to the individual needs of his students, he constantly seeks new waysto ensure that the authentic teachings of the Buddha will be available a hundred years from now, a thousand years from now. The integrity he exhibits, the skill with which he teaches, and his compassion toward all beings often inspires his students to make generous offerings to him. Rinpoche nearly always offers these resources to support others. Ten years ago, however, the rivers of generosity that ran through him had swelled to the point that it became clear that a new structure was needed to help channel these offerings.

In 2001, Rinpoche made a rare pilgrimage to Dzongsar. He took a handful of his students on the journey, and together they weathered the Jeep rides and long treks to arrive at Rinpoche's traditional seat of Dzongsar, in Derge, Sichuan. One evening he invited his guests into the room that had once been the private chambers of Chökyi Lodrö. The group had been awed by the immensity of Dzongsar and by the enormous responsibility that Rinpoche had been upholding for so many years, personally providing for all the basic needs of hundreds of monks and khenpos. They asked how they could help relieve Rinpoche of the pressure of this responsibility, so that he could focus on his heart's desire. No longer saddled with the financial burden of supporting the monasteries, Rinpoche would be free to turn his gaze outward, even farther.

Khyentse Foundation was established later that year as a system of patronage. Meetings were held in Bali, Hong Kong, and San Francisco to discuss the scope and mission of the Foundation. With the help of Gene Smith, Professor Steven Goodman, Ivy Ang, and a number of those original pilgrims, Rinpoche set priorities for his projects and the group created its first five-year plan. All the goals set in 2001 were met, as were the goals of the second five-year plan.

2011 marks Khyentse Foundation's tenth anniversary. This year Rinpoche raised the bar considerably, encouraging the foundation to set its highest goals yet. "Maybe it's time we miss a few of our goals," he teased. But with the continued support of our friends, and the inclusion of new supporters, perhaps we can see that bet and maybe even up the ante.

Khyentse Rinpoche’s new feature Casting and others

2011-08-20T13:49:00.001+07:00

◎ Casting Call（2011/02/22）http://filmindiaworldwide.com/casting.html
Casting female lead role in Khyentse Norbu's new feature film Vara, shooting at the end of the year. Seeking captivating young actress to convincingly play a 19 - 23 year old classical Indian dancer（Bharatanatyam / Mohinattam / Odissi）from a small, rural Indian village. Must speak Hindi. Please send your replies to Casting Director Uma da Cunha uma.dacunha@gmail.com
◎ Welcome to Filmindia Worldwide http://filmindiaworldwide.com/
◎ Casting female lead role in Khyentse Norbu's new - Filmindia Worldwidehttp://filmindiaworldwide.com/casting.html
◎ Co-production Market « Film Bazaar
http://filmbazaarindia.com/?page_id=112
VARA - THE BOON
Bhutan╱Language：Hindi
Director Khyentse Norbu╱Producer Solo Products LLC
◎ Fatih Akin's Masterclass at Goa IFFI Film Bazaar
http://passionforcinema.com/fatih-akins-masterclass-at-goa-iffi-film-bazaar/
◎ Bhutan Time
http://pul.se/Fatih-Akin-to-take-Masterclass-at-41st-IFFI-Goa-India_Filmmaking-41st-IFFI-Fatih-Akin-bfYqjRV4gkU,lnBAeyP2AtzE
◎ Fatih Akin to take Masterclass at 41st IFFI, Goa (India)
http://www.fest21.com/en/blog/utpal_borpujari/fatih_akin_to_take_masterclass_at_41st_iffi_goa_india
◎ Tricycle » Director of The Cup making new film September 6, 2010 Posted by James Shaheenhttp://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=2264
◎ Monk Norbu Plans Movie On Indian Classical Dancer
http://web6.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=526372
◎ There are 7 forms of Indian Classical Dances：Bharatnatyam、Kathak、Kathakali、Kuchipudi、Manipuri、Mohiniatam、Odissi。http://dances.iloveindia.com/index.html

The passing of Khandro Tsering Chodron

2011-06-19T00:40:00.001+07:00

From: chronicleproject.com

Khandro Tsering Chodron, one of the foremost women practitioners of our time, passed away on the 30th of May 2011 at Lerab Ling in France. Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and Sogyal Rinpoche were both present at the moment of her passing, where she showed all the signs of attaining the final accomplishment of a great dzogchen practitioner.

Khandro Tsering was born in the Earth Snake year (1929) into a prominent family of Kham. She married Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro (Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's predecessor) in 1948, at a time when he was in poor health and many of his disciples were urging him to take a consort to prolong his life. For the next eleven years she served as his attendant and devoted companion, receiving countless teachings and transmissions, requesting practices and prayers and putting questions to him in the form of songs.

Khandro Tsering Chodron traveled with Jamyang Khyentse from Kham to Central Tibet in 1955, and later to India and to Sikkim, where they settled at the temple of the Royal Palace in Gangtok. Khandro continued to live there for many years after Jamyang Khyentse passed away in 1959, quietly devoting her life to constant prayer in the presence of his reliquary stupa. She has travelled to Europe and America several times at the request of her nephew Sogyal Rinpoche.

In the 1980s, Khandro Tsering Chodron visited Trungpa Rinpoche's sangha in Boulder, Colorado, where many Western students were deeply moved by her presence. At one point, Trungpa Rinpoche asked her to sing during a Vajrayogini feast in Boulder. In the end she did not actually sing, but a recording of her singing was played during the feast. Students who were there remember the haunting power of her voice. If you were there, or if you have a memory of Khandro Tsering Chodron, please let us know:content@chronicleproject.com.

My Vital Advice

By Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro

Homage to the unsurpassed savior, the Lord of Oddiyana.

Now that you've found this precious human life with freedom and richness,
Take care not to squander it unconsciously.
Push yourself to uncover the meaning of this life.

Your mind is the source of everything.
It is skilled in deception and manipulation, and beguiling when unexamined.
Once you look into it, it is without basis or root.
It comes from nowhere, stays nowhere and goes nowhere.
Everything, including samsara and nirvana,
Is but a reflection of pure and impure mind;
In reality, neither samsara nor nirvana exist.

The source of compassionate awareness
Is primordially empty. Though free from characteristics,
It is not just a barren nothingness
But is luminous and naturally present.

Pristine awareness is not captured by names and labels.
The endless unfolding of samsara and nirvana pours forth as its radiance.
At the same time, there is no rift between the place from where all these come and that which is coming;
Remain in that nondual place.

Unborn dharmakaya Rigpa
Arises naturally without cause or condition.
Alert, fresh and naked,
It is uncolored by dualistic mind
And unpolluted by intellectual ideas.
Stay in that spontaneously arisen meditation.
Even the words "to meditate" are but words;
In reality, there is no meditator and nothing to meditate on.
Without distraction, always maintain empty awareness,
The true face of dharmakaya.

The deluded karma of samsara will never run out.
The more you work to solve your problems, the greater they become.
Belief in enemies and friends grows and grows,
And the causes for incarnating in lower realms pile up.
Direct yourself toward the dharma,
And if you can bring dharma to every action, word and thought,
You will uncover the great awakening, the path to liberation.
When death falls upon you, you will regret nothing.
During this life and in those to come,
You will walk the path of ever-growing happiness.

Atop your head and in your heart,
Imagine as a single being
Your most kind guru and the great Lord of Oddiyana.
Feel an upwelling of unbearable longing and devotion.
Whatever joy or sorrow befalls you, whatever favor or misfortune,
Pray forever to the lord Guru.
Let your minds flow together, yours at one with his.

As death draws near, let go of all attachment and hatred.
Picture Guru Padmasambhava above your head;
Imagine your consciousness as an orb of light, marked with the syllable Hri;
Dissolve that into the heart of the guru.
If you practice regularly now
And recite "The Aspiration to Be Born in the Copper-Colored Mountain,"
At death, a clear visualization will be easy.

To put it briefly, the essence of dharma
Is to cut through clinging to samsara,
To cultivate love and compassion toward those in the six realms
And to completely tame one's mind.
Without distraction, please always practice thus.

Even though I am immune to dharma, have no experience of meditation, and just use up the donations, I, Chokyi Lodro, wrote this according to what the past masters have taught, to fulfill the request of the yogini Pad Lu.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mayumla, Khandro's sister and Sogyal Rinpoche's mother

Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro (1894-1959), was the primary incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche with Khandro Tsering Chodron

The following photos sent by Serena Yang

Thank you Serena for sending these from Taiwan

Serena Yang is standing to Khandro La's right

Shangri-la maybe the problem

2011-06-03T18:04:00.000+07:00

Article by Rinpoche at Bhutan Observer

In Bhutan, when we scold our kids with words like kao majebe or drenpa-ma-khug (in Dzongkha) or ma-tugpa (in Sharchhop), we mean they have not “gone through” life, or through any real character-building experience. Drenpa-ma-khugpa kids are naive, immature, and undeveloped. They are happy enough in their naïveté, and not really smart enough to know better. Does this represent how we are as a nation?
In fact, when I travel, people are often delighted to hear I’m Bhutanese, having heard that Bhutan is one of the happiest countries in the world. I have to admit this kind of remark makes me really uncomfortable. Are we really so happy?
Bhutan has a very strange problem. We may be proud of being considered this beautiful pristine heaven on earth, but thinking that we are citizens of a Shangri-la nation may be our problem.
Let us not be too quick to claim that we earned this unique label. We got our good fortune with a bit of luck, through the blessings of the Triple Gems and the gurus, a history of good governance, and I dare say, also through our relative insignificance. But the real tests are coming, because things are not going to stay like this, and we simply cannot remain complacent and take our good fortune for granted.
Modernity has already brought challenges to Bhutan such as Facebook, non-Bhutanese values, materialism, and drugs like SP and N10. But those are just the obvious issues. What I am talking about is more subtle and implicit, and even more important.
When we think we’re too special, we become spoiled, we think we’re ‘entitled’ to privilege, and we certainly don’t want to get our hands dirty. That manifests in a so-called youth unemployment problem, which may have more to do with our young not wanting to do any menial or manual labour while we import thousands of Indian labourers to do our construction for us.
And it also manifests in our elites often spoiling themselves – sometimes more concerned about feathering their own nests, buying Prados, sending their children abroad, and going on shopping sprees in Bangkok than caring for others, giving to their communities, and taking real responsibility for our nation’s future.
More subtly, this feeling of specialness manifests in a reliance on exalted words and concepts, and in an antipathy for the kind of trench work and attention to detail required to translate words into action.
Some readers may reject such comments, as they did my last article in May, simply on the grounds that lamas like me should stay out of politics. In one sense, I really appreciate their concern. Rule by lamas in Tibet, for example, was disastrous, and Bhutan very wisely decided to prevent lamas from voting and running for office.
And yet, the welfare and stability of a nation are the concern of every citizen. In fact, I think people like me – lamas, elites, business leaders, top government officials and everyone else without exception who are blessed with great privileges – have a particular responsibility to really plan, and care for the future of Bhutan. And that’s why I feel compelled to say what I see and ask to be heard as a private citizen of Bhutan.
Though democratic forms have been introduced in Bhutan, it is also important to give real economic democracy to the people. Because when our stomachs are filled, we will have more time for ideology. When we are hungry and poor, we will strive for survival and petty profit and become increasingly discontent. We should not be complacent in our ignorance, thinking Maoist problems are simply “over there” in a neighbouring country and have nothing to do with us. In fact, our social problems of today, such as drug addiction, unemployment, and gangs, do risk turning into our Maoist problems of tomorrow.
Some may like to look over at Nepal and just be thankful we don’t have the same problems, like being without proper government for years. But can we learn a lesson from Nepal’s problems? And I don’t mean just being thankful we’re not like that. At least our neighbouring country may be “going through” a drenpa-tag learning curve. And if one day in the next two decades, a new generation of Nepalis makes sense of this difficult historical experience with resolve and insight, it might make a true success of the country. But for us the lesson of Nepal is primarily what can happen when the poor are neglected.
The lesson that “greed is suffering” is one of the most fundamental teachings of the Buddha. But even though we may not easily transcend our greed, it may be smart for the elites, simply for their own survival, to settle for a bit less so that the poor can have a bit more. Or if they can’t do that, then at least our elites might foster a healthier type of greed by desiring to help the poor become richer. Everything is interdependent, the dharma shows us, and wealth is no exception. The phenomenon of an independently arising wealth just does not exist. The world has demonstrated this again and again. If almost everyone is poor, to whom will the rich sell their goods?
One might wonder, is Rinpoche suggesting we have problems where we have none? I am not saying that. I am merely reminding us not to be too complacent. There are days I feel some foreign expats are more genuinely caring of Bhutan than many Bhutanese. Our patriotism and loyalty seem almost always oriented towards some past glory. But our love for Bhutan should also be driven by a healthy anxiety about the future.
Though I am part of it, I worry for the Bhutanese elite and for its complacency. Sometimes I hear people worry about Indian and Bollywood influences on our youth. But we should also recall that our entire religion, wisdom tradition, and key aspects of our culture derive from India. I am personally more concerned about our new-found attraction to the bright lights and upscale lifestyles of Bangkok, and about the propensity of wealthy Bhutanese to send their children there to study and to draw their educational models from Thailand. In fact, I wonder if Bangkok’s seduction of grace and the easy life may just be our undoing. Once there, our kids become mesmerized by an all-encompassing paradise of drenpa-ma-khugpa. Where will we be when they finally wake up?
But that cultural commentary aside, my main point here is simply that Bhutan can no longer afford to live off the merit of the past, with all the ‘specialness’ that merit seems to confer. If we’re to create a better future for our children and ensure our country’s long-term wellbeing, we have to gather new merit now. Two of the best ways do that are to get our hands dirty as we build our nation and for our elites to care for and give a little more to others, and thereby to provide better examples and leadership. They might find that their giving actually feels good.
Maybe most importantly, it will help Bhutan a lot if we think a little less that we are so special. On the contrary, we might even celebrate our relative insignificance as a nation as a blessing that confers real protection. After all, it’s when people ignore us that we can really get something done.

By Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

[VIDEO] Rinpoche Explaining Lhatsun Namkai Jigme

2011-03-06T11:23:00.000+07:00

During a break in Tashiding, Rinpoche called his students and friends outside to give a brief explanation about Lhatsun Namkha Jigme (1597-1654), the Tibetan visionary-saint and the author of the Riwo Sangcho smoke offering practice that many of us do.

Lhatsun Chenpo Namkha Jigme was an incarnation of both the great pandit and Dzogchen master Vimalamitra, who attained the ja lü phowa chenpo, and of the omniscient Longchenpa. He was born in 1597 at Jaryül in southern Tibet. At birth, the space between his eyebrows and the tips of his tongue and nose were all very clearly marked with the seed-syllable AH.

He was ordained as a novice in 1607 by Tulku Orgyen Paljor and was given the name Kunzang Namgyal. He particularly practised the Kagye (the ‘Eight Great Herukas’) and Lama Gongdu, completely mastering all the accomplishments and enlightened activities of these practices.

He stayed for seventeen years with Dzogchenpa Sonam Wangpo, receiving the complete instructions of Nyingtik, and from Ngawang Mikyo Dorje he received thorough instruction on the profound and secret yogic practices known as ‘The Path of Skillful Means’ (thap lam), and its attendant activities known as ‘the disciplined conduct of awareness’. He was the heart-disciple of both Rigdzin Jatson Nyingpo and Terton Dudul Dorje, Jatson Nyingpo principally transmitted to him the Ratnasamanyasamgha, Konchok Chidu teachings, as a lineage holder. He became a supreme practitioner of all these teachings and many lamas consider that since his time no one has displayed such complete mastery.

Namkha Jigme was himself a terton, he was the discoverer of the "Attainment of the Vidyadhara Life" (rig 'dzin srog sgrub), from which the famed "Riwo Sangcho (ri bo bsang mchod)" comes from and "The Spontaneous Song of the Clouds: the Nucleus of Indestructible Reality" (rdo rje snying po sprin gyi thol glu)

Through his practice of Riwo Sangcho, he was able to remove all human and non-human obstacles to the Dharma in Sikkim, opening it as a ‘secret land’ of the teachings. Because of this, he was able to teach Dzogchen very widely in Sikkim in the remaining years of his life, establishing a vibrant and unbroken lineage that continues to this day, known simply as ‘Sikkim Dzogchen’. Encouraged by Jatson and Dudul, Lhatsun Namkha Jigme along with Kathok Rigdzin Chenpo and Ngadak Sempa Phuntsok went to Sikkim in the water horse year of the Tibetan calendar corresponding to 1642 A.D, they established the Royal Phuntsok Namgyal Dynasty by choosing young Bhutia Phuntsok Namgyal, who became the first Chogyal (Dharma King) of Sikkim.

More than two hundred of Lhatsun Namkha Jikmé’s writings have survived. Accomplishing the Life-Force of the Vidyadharas and The Spontaneous Song of the Clouds have continued to be transmitted and practiced throughout Tibet and particularly in Sikkim right up to the present day without any decline. His incarnation, Jigme Pawo (1682-?) continued his work in Sikkim. His later incarnations include the Khyentse lineage; Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro states in his autobiography that he had clear memories of his past life as Lhatsun Namkha Jikme, and that he had been shown the tantric disciplines by Lhatsun in a vision.

[VIDEO] Rinpoche's interview with BBSTV

2011-03-06T11:13:00.003+07:00

[VIDEO] Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Speaking about Gene Smith

2011-02-19T18:41:00.001+07:00

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Speaking about Gene Smith
from Khyentse Foundation on Vimeo.

THE FEBRUARY COMMUNIQUÉ: CHINA

2011-02-19T18:35:00.004+07:00

COMMUNIQUÉ
A publication of Khyentse Foundation February, 2011

READ THE COMMUNIQUÉ

In this issue we pay tribute to another great patron of Buddhism, Gene Smith, and a great teacher of the dharma, Khenpo Appey Rinpoche, both dear friends of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, and both of whom recently passed away. Read the report and view a slideshow on Rinpoche’s recent trip to Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. And Lama Shenphen tells us the story of emperor Wu Liang, one of China’s great patrons of Buddhism.We also report on the Foundation’s new partnership with the University of Hamburg and introduce one of KF’s key behind-the-scenes players, Margaret Sablatnig.

From: Khyentsefoundation.org

Vara – preview of Jamyang Kyentse Rinpoche’s new film

2011-02-11T17:55:00.000+07:00

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche’s third feature film is set to be refreshingly different. Unlike his two previous films – The Cup and Travellers and Magicians – Vara, meaning blessing or boon in Sanskrit, will have a cast of professional actors, some of whom are well-known Bollywood actors.

Based on the novel Blood and Tears by the celebrated Indian poet and novelist, Sunil Gan-gopadhyay, the film will be in Hindi medium. Some of the potential lead actors include Imran Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Shahana Goswami, Mamatha Bhukya, and Padmapriya Janakiraman.

To be shot either in Sri Lanka or South India, Vara explores the real-life ideals of understanding and compassion, sacrifice and selflessness. It celebrates the strength of women and explores a hierarchy of caste and creed.

Vara is about a beautiful young Indian temple dancer who, in love with a low-caste sculptor, puts both their lives at risk when she agrees to model for him in secret. The girl tries to save her unborn child at all cost in a small isolated, traditional village. The film will have several villagers caught up in a tangle of love and societal expectations. The story is interwoven with scenes of Indian classical dance.

With his usual sense of good humour, Rinpoche says that, produced in an obscure foreign language, the film could be boring and a commercial failure.

However, he claims that Vara is different. “I am very nervous because it’s very different,” he says. The subject for Vara includes a lot of complicated issues like the caste system, the Bharatanatyam, which is one of the most profound, deep, vast, and infinite dance that is very spiritual. The cast are not going to be his students, or those related to him, but Bollywood actors or some independent actors. He plans to meet the actors in Mumbai soon. “All these will make the film nerve breaking for me. I can’t use my Rinpoche’s tyranny,” he smiles. Rinpoche is, however, ready to take up the challenge for he has always been a fan of Bharatanatyam, Karnatak music, and Jaya Deva’s Gita Govinda, which is beautiful poetry.

Rinpoche says the film has no particular target audience or message for the viewers for he believes that giving away messages is arrogant. But he enjoys making films and telling stories. Anyone who is bored enough of watching such kind of films could make the audience, he jokes.

For Vara, Rinpoche will team up with the legendary cinematographer, Christopher Doyle. The two will be supported by an international crew of filmmakers from India, the United States, and Hong Kong, and a local crew of Sri Lankan production.

Although funding is still being sought, Rinpoche says there are several producers. The production team is spearheaded by the producer, Nanette Nelms, who has worked with well-respected directors, and the executive producer John Solomon, who, in his previous career, served as a vice-president of both Walt Disney Imagineering and Witt-Thomas Films.

Rinpoche and his team are looking for some kind of investment from everywhere, including Bhutan. “But make no mistake that this film is so obscure that it might not make a return of your capital,” he reminds fund raisers.

The budget for the film is tentatively worked out to about US$ 3 million.

Could the film mean paying some sort of tribute to India?

Rinpoche thinks for a moment and declares that his love for India and its culture is “quite deep”. “You can say that it’s a tribute to this resilient, vast, deep India and its culture,” he says. “I am trying to make one small aspect of India credible.”

Asked about his plan to produce another film on Bhutan, Rinpoche says “later” and gets ready for some melodious Chinese and Tibetan songs sung by his grandniece, who is currently in Bhutan to visit him. Rinpoche, in fact, has a story set in Bhutan, which is ready to be shot anytime. But he wants to take up the Vara challenge first.

Source: Bhutan Observer

Rinpoche's interview with Kuensel

2011-01-31T22:59:00.000+07:00

31 January, 2011 - Understanding and redefining culture, particularly in the context of a society’s changing priorities and values, the importance of a national language of communication and promoting job dignity are some of the many issues confronting Bhutan today.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, in a perspective titled “Many Questions, Few Answers”, which featured in Kuensel last year, wrote about these issues and posed some tough but thought provoking questions.

Kuensel’s Kesang Dema spoke with Khyentse Rinpoche to find answers to some of the questions raised.

To start with, what made you write the piece?
Actually what I’ve written, the thoughts and concerns, had been there for a long time. There had always been a hesitation. You know we Bhutanese have a lot of etiquettes and we worry how somebody might get upset.

I took a bold decision. I thought it’s better to say now than not say all these, go through the consequences and regret for having not said this.

I was genuinely interested. My article’s title suggested there are many questions but no answers and sadly I still haven’t got a proper answer. Probably it is also not easy to answer these questions.

You wrote about redefining outmoded culture and values, which are an integral part of the Bhutanese society. What does it mean to change something that’s been rooted for centuries?
We don’t really need to change a lot of our culture and habits. But there are probably a few we can do without.

I can’t pinpoint which culture while I have mentioned in my article that for one we could reconsider our national obsession with the colour of our robes. Sometimes I really wonder how necessary or useful it is. Rather, it could be more divisive and create more class-consciousness, a lot of dignity and others. So I thought this could solve a bit of problem.

Dignity of labour or the lack of it is a major problem in Bhutan. What can we do about it?
I’ll have to say a big responsibility lies on people like me, elites and big people, and I mean those people who have privileges. It has to come from us. If we don’t show example, and if we don’t walk the talk, it’ll be just an empty mouthing.

It’s not like we don’t have it inherently, you know because I have seen many Bhutanese in New York, some carrying out prestigious work here doing meager work there. They appear so happy and confident.

That’s one thing we could do. Also I think schools, educators and social activists could also educate people so that we’ll find job dignity in whatever we do. But I think it takes a lot to have our acts together.

Your argument on the need to rethink Dzongkha as the main language invited personal diatribes. Why do you think so?
One of the respondents to my article had written a really beautiful piece in English. It was so impressive. Almost 10 to 20 words, I had to look at the dictionary to find what it means. But I would be happier if you write it just like that in Dzongkha. That’s what I mean.

Language is very important, as we all know. One of the reasons why there is no job dignity and all these is also because of the literacy. Communication is the most important. Things fall apart when there is no communication. So the only means, one of the fastest ways to communicate, is through the language.

We have to create a language that is pervasive, easy, accessible and I am not saying Dzongkha is not the right one. I am just questioning and right now, I haven’t got the right answer. And while we are developing Dzongkha, probably we are missing out a lot because things are moving so fast.

What, according to you, are the core values and principles in our ancient traditions that are timeless and genuinely contribute to our wellbeing?
When a Bhutanese find a cockroach, before they kill it, they have a second thought on whether they should do it or not. That is what makes Bhutanese so special. They might kill it anyway. But that concern, the awkward feeling of may be I shouldn’t do it. That is something they shouldn’t lose.

Everything is about GNH today. What does it mean to you?
Ultimately, as I was mentioning, GNH is really one of the most fundamental concept of Buddhist teaching. This is how I interpret. No aggression, no passion, no ignorance. But GNH, relatively and practically, is a philosophy or a path of wiser greed, a more enlightened greed and to follow that and develop that.

Right now, our greed is just completely stupid. So stupid that it’s actually destroying ourselves. Why would you do that? Why not have a wiser greed so that you can have more fun, so that you can live happy, so that you can make others happy, by which it also makes you happy.

Teaching Schedule, February-May 2011

2011-01-27T11:58:00.000+07:00

Words of My Perfect Teacher
Longevity Hall of Taipei Veterans General Hospital (VGH)
Taipei, Taiwan
18-21 February, 2011
Registration is required.

Ushnisha Vijaya Puja
Tian-Mu Convention Center
(National Training Institute for Farmers' Organization)
113 Chung Shan North Road Sec 7, Taipei, Taiwan
6-12 March 2011
07:30 - 17:30

Bodhicharyavatara by Shantideva
Deer Park Institute
Bir, Himachal Pradesh, India
26-29 May, 2011

Source: Siddhartha's Intent

The Four Seals of Dharma and Seeing Anew

2010-11-07T07:04:00.001+07:00

Excerpted from For Buddhism, Science is Not a Killer of Religion by Paul Wallace

I have known about the Four Seals for years, but my first true personal encounter with them occurred in June. I was visiting India for the first time and while I was there I learned a lot of interesting things. One of these is, the roads of India are perilous and unbelievably chaotic. No one really knows how to drive, it seems, and the water buffalo and cows are outnumbered in the streets only by the small and fast-moving motorized rickshaws. So when I was taking a four-hour taxi ride from Delhi to Agra I had to have something to distract my attention from the harrowing video game-like scene out the front window.

A friend who was riding with me handed me a book called What Makes You Not a Buddhist. Written by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, a Bhutanese lama (and Director of the first Buddhist soccer film, The Cup), it peels away all the claptrap—the heavens, the hells, the pure lands, the deities, the hungry ghosts, the hell beings, and says simply: These are four things you must “believe” in order to call yourself a true Buddhist. They are (1) all compounded things are impermanent; (2) all emotions are pain; (3) all things—including “yourself”—have no inherent existence, and (4) nirvana is beyond concepts. That’s it. Here there are no personal gods or demons or cosmic metaphysics or even divinities to judge you, smite you, love you, die for you, or get between you and your reason.

Notice that the Four Seals are very far from self-evident. This is important. Taken together, the Seals amount to much more than an intellectual solution to the problem of suffering; instead they represent a radically new way of seeing the world. To see the world falsely is to suffer, says the Buddha, and to see the world through the lens of the Four Seals is to see the world as it really is. And when this clear vision is acquired, suffering simply dissipates. The end of suffering comes only with right vision.

So Buddhadharma suggests that you not try to relieve suffering by clinging to what you think will save you, whether it is science, religion, art, your spouse, your children, your money, your public image. Doing so will only increase your suffering and that of your fellow creatures. Instead, let go of everything you think is true, hit the big reset button, and learn to see the world correctly. This is what the Four Seals insist on, and this is what the Buddha insisted on. He did not argue his point of view with those who came to him seeking help; instead, he painted for them a new and clear picture of the world.

I had read about the Four Seals before, but for some reason (maybe because I was in India, maybe because I had just finished working with and learning from Buddhist monks, maybe because the taxi ride was making me ill) I found the seals to be palpably and scarily true. And, per the Buddhadharma, I didn’t believe them just because I was taught them (which I had been), or because I read them in a book written by a lama (which I was doing). I believed them because I had found them to be true in my own experience.

Which is strange, because I’m not a Buddhist.

Not only that, but I’m not into blending things. I’m kind of a purist. I like my wine red, my coffee black, my M&M’s plain, and my religious traditions separate. I hold to the principle that if one wants to find water one should dig a single deep well instead of a number of shallow ones. So it embarrasses me somewhat to admit that although my language is Christian, my stories are Christian, my Scriptures are Christian and my baptism is Christian, in truth I live in the hinterlands of Christianity, just a short distance away from Buddhism’s border. I’m a Christian all right, but I can see Buddhaland from my house.

It is my proximity to Buddhism that allows me to reconcile science and Christianity in a way that may seem contradictory to reason. Living near that border allows a Christian to be wide open to science and shows that Christianity too can absorb and incorporate modern science into itself with plenty of room to spare for metaphysics.

Support Deer Park Institute, India

2010-11-01T13:25:00.001+07:00

You can make a charitable donation to Siddhartha's Intent Western Door in support of Deer Park Institute. As a thank-you for your support of US$30 or more, we would like to offer you one of the following gifts:

	Dhih A collection of Buddhist mantras and verses in original Sanskrit chanted by Raji Ramanan.
	Dharma Nada Resonance of Dharma Chants of Buddhist sutras and mantras in Sanskrit by classical Indian music singer Vidya Rao.

For details about how to donate, please visit Siddhartha's Intent

The Namgyalma Mantra

2010-10-29T21:10:00.001+07:00

Namgyalma is a deity for long life and purification. Her mantra has infinite benefits. It is said to be so powerful that anybody who hears it will never again be born from the womb. Therefore, if animals hear it, they will never again be reborn in the lower realms.

There is a story from the time Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was on earth concerning a deva called Paripu Denpa. Due to karma, when devas start experiencing the signs of death, they spontaneously remember their previous lives and see their future lives; they perceive that they are about to be reborn in the lower realms and so forth. Since their realm has unbelievable enjoyments thousands of times better than those of the richest country on earth, when they realize that they are about to leave a life of such pleasure and be reborn where there is incredible suffering, their minds suffer greatly.

Thus, as he was dying, the deva Denpa saw that he was about to be reborn as six types of animal—dog, monkey and so forth. Very worried, he asked King Indra what to do. King Indra suggested that he see the Buddha, which he did. Buddha manifested as the deity Namgyalma and gave him the mantra. Denpa recited it six times daily and in seven days completely changed his karma so that he did not have to be reborn as those six types of animal. The Namgyalma mantra is unbelievably powerful for purification. I have translated its benefits and explained how to recite it for people who have cancer and other diseases.

The kind, compassionate Guru Shakyamuni Buddha taught the benefits of reciting the Namgyalma mantra to the Four Guardian Kings. Even if you are in danger of dying because the karma that determines your life-span is running out, if you wash your body, wear clean clothes and, abiding in the eight precepts, recite the Namgyalma mantra one thousand times, you can increase your life-span, purify your obscurations and free yourself from disease.

If you recite the Namgyalma mantra into the ear of an animal, you ensure that this is its last animal rebirth. If somebody suffering from a heavy disease that doctors cannot diagnose does the practice Lord Buddha taught to the deva Denpa, he or she will be liberated from that disease, bring to an end all future rebirths in the lower realms, and after death be reborn in a blissful pure land. For humans, the present life will be their last rebirth from the womb.

If you recite this mantra twenty-one times, blow upon mustard seeds and throw them onto the bones of even extremely evil beings who have created many heavy negative karmas, those beings will immediately be liberated from the lower realms and be reborn in a higher realm, such as that of a deva. Throwing seeds blessed by the Namgyalma mantra onto the bones or body of a dead being purifies that being’s consciousness, and even though that being may have been reborn in hell or any other lower realm, that being can be reborn in a deva realm.

If you put this mantra in a stupa or on a banner inside your house or above the roof, whoever is touched by even the shadow of that stupa or banner will not be reborn in the lower realms. Also, any being touched by a breeze that has first touched a stupa, banner or statue containing this mantra is purified of the karma to be reborn in the lower realms. What need is there to mention, therefore, how great the purification experienced by those who recite this mantra or keep it on their body.

Namgyalma Mantra

Long mantra:
OM NAMO BHAGAVATE SARVA TRAILOKYA PRATIVISHISHTAYA BUDDHAYA TE NAMA TA YA THA OM BHRUM BHRUM BHRUM SHODHAYA SHODHAYA VISHODHAYA VISHODHAYA ASAMA SAMANTA AVABHA SPHARANA GATI GAGANA SVABHAVA VISHUDDHE ABHISHINTSANTU MAM SARVA TATHAGATA SUGATA VARA VACANA AMRITA ABHISHEKERA MAHAMUDRA MANTRA PADAIH AHARA AHARA MAMA AYUS SANDHARANI SHODHAYA SHODHAYA VISHODHAYA VISHODHAYA GAGANA SVABHAVA VISHUDDHE USNISHA VIJAYA PARISHUDDHE SAHASRA RASMI SANYTSODITE SARVA TATHAGATA AVALOKINI SAT PARAMITA PARIPURANI SARVA TATHAGATA MATE DASHA BHUMI PRATISHTHITE SARVA TATHAGATA HRIDAYA ADHISHTHANA ADHISHTHITE MUDRE MUDRE MAHA MUDRE VAJRA KAYA SAMHATANA PARISHUDDHE SARVA KARMA AVARANA VISHUDDHE PRATINI VARTAYA MAMA AYUR VISHUDDHE SARVA TATHAGATA SAMAYA ADHISHTHANA ADHISHTHITE OM MUNI MUNI MAHA MUNI VIMUNI VIMUNI MAHA VIMUNI MATI MATI MAHA MATI MAMATI SUMATI TATHATA BHUTAKOTI PARISHUDDHE VISPHUTA BUDDHI SHUDDHE HE HE JAYA JAYA VIJAYA VIJAYA SMARA SMARA SPHARA SPHARA SPHARAYA SPHARAYA SARVA BUDDHA ADHISHTHANA ADHISHTHITE SHUDDHE SHUDDHE BUDDHE BUDDHE VAJRE VAJRE MAHA VAJRE SUVAJRE VAJRA GARBHE JAYA GARBHE VIJAYA GARBHE VAJRA DZOLA GARBHE VAJRODBHAVE VAJRA SAMBHAVE VAJRE VAJRINI VAJRAM BHAVATU MAMA SHARIRAM SARVA SATTVANANYTSA KAYA PARISHUDDHIR BHAVATU ME SADA SARVA GATI PARISHUDDHISHTSA SARVA TATHAGATASHTSA MAM SAMASVASAYANTU BUDDHYA BUDDHYA SIDDHYA SIDDHYA BODHAYA BODHAYA VIBODHAYA VIBODHAYA MOTSAYA MOTSAYA VIMOTSAYA VIMOTSAYA SHODHAYA SHODHAYA VISHODHAYA VISHODHAYA SAMANTENA MOTSAYA MOTSAYA SAMANTA RASMI PARISHUDDHE SARVA TATHAGATA HRIDAYA ADHISHTHANA ADHISHTHITE MUDRE MUDRE MAHA MUDRE MAHAMUDRA MANTRA PADAIH SOHA

Short mantra: OM DHRUM SOHA OM AMRITA AYUR DADE SOHA

Source: tonglen.oceandrop.org

The wealth of being natural

2010-10-26T19:10:00.001+07:00

Source: Gentle Voice Archive, March 2001 Issue (#15)

In March 1999 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche gave a weekend teaching at Vajradhara Gonpa about calm abiding or shamatha meditation. Here we present an extract from that teaching.

For those who are completely new, there are going to be a lot of technical terms like yoga, shamatha, etc. Don't worry so much, it's just my habit. I have this habit, we Buddhists have a habit of uttering some of these words. It doesn't mean a lot. But once you experience [it], then maybe some of this can give [you] a lot of meaning. For instance, the word 'yoga'. I think for a lot of Byron Bay and Nimbin people [towns in northern New South Wales with alternative populations], 'yoga' just means stretching. Me, I am trained to think in a different way. When we say [the word] 'yoga' - in Tibetan 'yoga' is translated as nal jor (rnal 'byor) - it has a very rich meaning. Nal(rnal) actually means 'being natural' and jor ('byor) means 'wealth', 'richness'.
So we are talking about the richness or the wealth of being natural. As a human being, we need to have wealth - mundane, materialistic wealth, and more mental wealth or spiritual wealth, such as love, compassion, knowledge, intelligence, diligence, patience and so on. Then [we need] physical wealth - beauty, attractiveness, majesty, radiance or whatever. But yoga is the richness or the wealth of being natural. In fact, the word 'yogi', or in Tibetan nal jor pa, means 'one who has such kind of wealth, the wealth of being natural'. In India or in Tibet, we refer to practitioners, meditators, as yogis, meaning they have this richness or they have this wealth of being natural.

The question is, for what should we practise shamatha? To be natural or, in fact, to use more practical language, to be under the control of oneself. That's it. Most of the time we are not under the control of [ourselves]. Our mind is always attracted or distracted with something - our enemies, our lovers, our friends, just everything, hope, fear, jealousy, pride, attachment, aggression, all of this. So, in other words, [it's] the objects, the phenomena, the world, which control our mind; we have no control over it. Maybe we can control [it] a little bit, for a split second; but if you are in an extreme emotional state, you'll lose it.

So the purpose of shamatha meditation you can say, therefore, is to actually achieve a certain control over one's own mind. In that case, it can be used for all kinds of mundane purposes - as mundane as, tomorrow, if you need to go for a job interview, you need to behave well in front of whoever is the new employer. Your state of mind should be relaxed, you should not cough too much or you should not scratch. You should not do certain things, otherwise this might make the person who's supposed to give you a job think twice because you are behaving strangely. So, on every level in our world, we need control and in order to gain such control we do shamatha meditation.

Then, of course, for a Buddhist the objective is not just a worldly, mundane, short-term objective. We are supposedly looking for enlightenment, we are supposedly looking for higher achievement. For that, definitely, we need control over our mind.

From the Buddhist point of view, being natural has got a lot to do with [being] unfabricated, unfabricated by all kinds of dualistic references. So, in this sense, for example, the highest vipashyana or insight meditation, such as maha-ati of the Nyingma tradition, emphasises a lot not fabricating and remaining in the state of being natural. So I guess for those who have a long, solid aim to follow this path and gradually practise advanced Buddhist meditation such as Dzogchen or whatever, they should get used to this term of being natural.
As a human being, when a problem comes, our immediate habit, our strong habit, is to counter-attack or to overcome it or try to do something about it. That's the habit that we have. No one - not many people anyway - can accept that, in fact, the best way to combat this problem, the best way to overcome it, is by remaining in the state of naturalness. That's kind of difficult because, first of all, we do not know what 'being natural' [is]… And, you see, in the absolute definition, being natural is being free from dualistic references, so you are going beyond not only aggression, passion and all that, but even [beyond] so-called good thoughts like love and compassion, serenity, sanity, all of that - because all those are also a bit of an emotion, all of those are also thoughts, concepts.

But right now for many of us, if we talk about reaching to a stage where not only [do we not] have negative emotions but [there are] also no other dualistic thoughts such as love and compassion and all that, that's beyond our reach. We have a lot of this religious habit, for instance, 'I'm a Buddhist, I should be compassionate.' That's good, there's nothing wrong with that, but there's something that you have to actually add. Not only should one be compassionate as a Buddhist, but one should actually really try to remain in the state of [naturalness]. That's probably the main aim of the Buddhist teachings.

In fact, as you would hear if you received teachings like Mahamudra, if we can remain in this state of [naturalness], that is referred to as wealth. Why is it wealth? When you have this ability to remain in the natural state, then you will manage to find all this wealth of love and compassion automatically. So, in this sense, what I'm saying is that if you do shamatha meditation - just watching the breathing in and out, in and out - when the thoughts come, do not reject them, do not encourage them. That's not what you are supposed to do. You only watch the breathing, in and out. Slowly, all this fabrication of thoughts becomes less or weak or slow. When that happens, the true colour or the true nature of the mind then has some space to function.

Right now we are not giving this mind any opportunity to act like itself. There's just no space to manifest itself. Then the [next] question - maybe a curious question - is if we let this mind perform, what kind of performance does this mind have? What is the true colour [of mind]? This is where the Buddhist answer comes in. Here, the Buddhists [would] ask, 'What is the definition of mind?' Luminous. This luminosity has a big definition. It's endless. Most of the Mahayana teachings, all the Vajrayana teachings, are taught in order to explain what this luminosity means. So it's not something that we can just say in a few hours. But, generally, in order to encourage practitioners, we usually give beautiful names to this true nature of mind, this true colour, such as 'buddha nature', 'the buddha within'. Now, as I say this, it sounds a little negative because I'm almost saying we just give this a beautiful label that it actually does not deserve. I'm not [meaning] that. It does deserve [the label]. This true nature of mind is given a name 'buddha nature', 'the buddha within', 'basic goodness', and it really does deserve this name of buddha nature.

Why? It's quite difficult to tell you because it's like you don't have eyes on your toes. So if I tell you, 'Imagine how you would see the table through your toe', you cannot imagine [it]. You can use the reference of putting your head upside-down and looking at it, but it doesn't work. It's slightly difficult to imagine. Why? Because right now this mind of ours… Every time we use this mind, we are always using this mind through these emotions, through this fabrication, through these fabricated filters. That's the only reference we have. These emotions, these negative things, like jealousy, pride, that's the only way. That's it. This is why the true colour [of mind] is not manifesting, because that's the only way we can understand.
Now, if I say, imagine your mind without anger, without aggression, without ignorance, without dullness, without agitation, without references, without knowledge, without education, without a political system, it's quite difficult, isn't it? The Buddhists have decided to give this beautiful name, 'the buddha within', 'buddha nature', to this true colour [of mind]. And it does really deserve this name because what Buddhists think is this - 'buddha' [means] the awakened one - the true colour, the true nature of the mind is the awakened state. The ignorance, the desire, the jealousy, all these are not awakened. So what I'm saying is, the term 'awakened' is used in reference to these emotions. The emotions, the negative emotions like desire, aggression, they are not awakened. Why are they not awakened?
It's easy to know because when you have aggression, you are blind, definitely. On a gross level, when you have aggression you only see one thing, what you want to see, what you have decided to see, what you are taught to see, what you are fixated on seeing. That's it. You don't see the whole picture. You only see that one side of the picture, and even that one side we don't know whether that is the real one side. It could be just your imagination. That's why it's not awakened; it is totally in a deep sleep. As long as you have this ignorance, these emotions, these things are making us not natural. That's it. Why are we not natural? Because of these things. We are angry, we lose our naturalness. We are jealous, we lose our [naturalness]. The real mind has none of these.
So now, what are we doing? Shamatha is now a big trick. Shamatha does not necessarily grab this true colour of the mind and say, 'Look, this is what you should be looking at'. That's not shamatha's job. Shamatha knows very well that you are distracted by all this, you are fabricating, you are being not natural because of all these [delusions]. So shamatha then chooses another object and says, 'Hey, pay attention to this, divert your attention to this', and by doing so, you then realise all this [distraction] is surrounding you all the time, constantly, and that's already an achievement. The moment you have this realisation that, 'I have been surrounded from beginningless time [by] all these thoughts, these distractions', that's a very big achievement. You should be throwing a party every time you [realise] this.

Another reason why we are not in touch with the natural state of mind is we are not in the present, we are never in the present in the normal time. When you meditate, as you do shamatha, thoughts arise. If you think [about it], most of these thoughts are something to do with the past or the future. Some may be not that obviously [about] the past or may be not that obviously [about] the future, but they are related to the past or the future - something that you have done in the past, something that you are going to do in the future. This is where we dwell. We waste so much of our life, dwelling in the past and the future, brooding about the past and fantasising about the future or [fearing] the future, using these two [reference points], sometimes using the past as a reference and thinking that something like that might happen in the future - hope, fear, always.

This creates a lot of unnaturalness because the most important [thing] is the present and this we always take for granted. Not only do we take it for granted, but this we never dwell [in] actually. We don't dwell in the present. In shamatha, as you will see, you are dwelling on the present moment's breath. This is why, as you concentrate on the breath, you shouldn't be concentrating on the past breath or the future breath - 'Oh, I did that' or 'I'm going to concentrate on this future breath'. This breath that you are breathing now, this is the most important [one]. This is what you should be concentrating [on]. If you dwell in the present, preoccupation with the past and the future is going to definitely reduce or become weak. And if you have less of this preoccupation or fabrication, definitely that's the state of naturalness.
Let's see, now that you have this idea. Try to do one more [meditation], watching the present moment's breath. If you lose it, it doesn't matter. Just breathe and concentrate on the present moment, this moment's breath, this moment.

Rinpoche on the Future of Dharma in the West

2010-10-04T13:14:00.001+07:00

Source: KhyentseFoundation.org

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche on the Future of Dharma in the West at the 2010 KF Board Meeting from Khyentse Foundation on Vimeo.

The six fondness

2010-09-21T17:40:00.001+07:00

Source: The Six Fondnesses | Gentlevoice.org

A Teaching from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in Australia.
As many of you will have experienced over the years Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has a particular style of teaching. Very generous and inclusive.

During the Uttaratantra Shastra teaching at Bangalow, in Australia this year, there was a particular section in these teachings that caught the mind of many of us as being a most delightful and relatable explanation of the six Paramitas. I have only lightly edited this passage so those of you who have not heard Rinpoche directly can appreciate the humour and deep affection as well as the profound wisdom that infuses Rinpoche’s style of Teaching.

THE SIX FONDNESSES

“ For the path dweller to be virtuous and to accumulate virtuous deeds is so important. To think virtuously is very important. However good deeds have so many obstacles. These obstacles can be categorised into the six fondnesses.”
“What are they – it is quite interesting – they are the six different kinds of love.”
Rinpoche invites a definition. “What is love by the way?” (Audience laughter)

Audience responds with some words.

“Tenderness, yes tenderness. That is good. Tenderness I think I like. A soft spot. A Fondness.”
1. “ There is a certain type of rat that is always collecting things – a pack rat. This kind of attitude, a tenderness towards, a fondness for collecting attacks generosity, the first paramita.”
2. “ The next is a tenderness, a fondness towards not staying out of trouble. A very good one, this, I thought. A fondness to trouble.”

Mischievous? (Audience)

“Mischievous is something kind of good. No? Well according to us it is,” ( Rinpoche and audience laughter) “ This fondness of not staying out of trouble becomes the obstacle to discipline.”

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Bangalow 2010 Photo by Bridget Gebbie

3. “The fondness to making the point is the obstacle to patience”
4. “ Fondness to carelessness is the obstacle to diligence “ Sloppiness. Yes. Sloppiness is good. Messiness. A fondness to Australians. No, No, No I am just…”
5. “ A fondness to be dependent, to be co-dependent. We have a fondness for wanting space, for respecting human rights but that’s all talk. Behind our actions we have a fondness to be dictated to, to be controlled by others. Fondness to be dominated by an object “
“ A bit like having a girlfriend or a boyfriend. To have someone who can change their mood faster than lightning. That’s terrible,”
(Lots of laughter)
“Basically we love dependency even though we talk about independence. This is the obstacle to meditation – samadhi. “
6. “Now this is a really good one. Fantastic this one. You know how the French – I hope there are no French people here – love smelly cheese. We love disgusting stuff like pig’s nose. There is tenderness, a fondness for liking bad stuff, or for liking cheap stuff, so that is why we need wisdom.”

“ These things, these six fondnesses are the mastermind, the planner, the mover, the fixer of non virtuous deeds. They lead to non-virtuous action. They sustain, they enhance, the non-virtuous action. The six paramitas are there because these fondnesses need to be analysed and attacked.”

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.

Rinpoche talks about relationships, profession and hobbies.

2010-09-05T14:43:00.001+07:00

EMAHO!

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche about relationships, profession and hobbies. from Karmapa Youth on Vimeo.

Rinpoche in France, 2010

2010-08-27T15:59:00.001+07:00

Tashi Palbar Ling, France, 17 August 2010

Rinpoche on the Core purpose of the Khyentse Foundation

2010-08-24T01:56:00.001+07:00

COMMUNIQUE, A Newsletter for the Khyentse Foundation Community
Summer 2003
Download here: CommuniqueSummer, 2003

It is without a doubt that the past glory of Buddhism is due to its followers’ courage in seeking the true meaning beyond a material life. But one should never forget that this glory was also due to the support provided by people and nations who saw value in such pursuits. Even great kings and warlords have put aside their usual ambitions in the interest of supporting the buddhadharma. It is in these footsteps Khyentse Foundation wishes to follow.

Buddhism has enjoyed many golden eras - the age of Ashoka’s Mauryan Empire (3rd century B.C,), the Chinese Tang Dynasty (8th century A.D.), Japan’s Tendai Dynasty (9th century A.D.), Kublai Khan’s reign (12th century A.D.), and pre-invasion Tibet. During those times, Buddhism suffused all parts of society. Just as people nowadays worship Ivy League graduates, Hollywood stars, and football players, the general public had tremendous respect for professional renunciants. They saw the value in investing in the enterprise of seeking enlightenment.

In a last few remaining places like Bhutan and Thailand, one can still find that same sort of veneration for enlightenment seekers. A renunciant can decide to do a nine-year retreat without much worry. Or a dharma student can find easy access to a monastery and a school for however long he or she wants to study. Giving is a very natural part of life in these places. Buddhism is kept alive in this way. Besides these few examples, the modern age has lost this habit.

Buddhism has been introduced and is growing in the West but support systems for spiritual pursuits are scarce. Only after buying a new Macintosh, going on vacation, taking out gym membership and so forth, do we find some leftover pocket change to donate. Conversely, many western Buddhist students find retreat and renunciation difficult because of the continual need to support themselves on a material level. They lack institutions such as shedras (Buddhist colleges) and monasteries where they might simply walk in and request teachings. They must satisfy their interests individually, perhaps by going to Nepal or India to study language and scriptures on their own.

If we sincerely want to carry on the traditions of Buddhism, if we are talking about establishing Buddhism in the west, we need to think ahead to the next generation. This means creating lasting structures that foster practice and make the dharma available to anyone who is interested. We cannot sit back and wait until America or France becomes a Buddhist country. During his time, King Ashoka built many shrines and monasteries, he inscribed Buddhist
teachings on rocks and pillars. He sent missionaries to countries as far as Greece and Egypt. His own son, a monk, carried Buddhism to Sri Lanka, where it is still the major religion. So we are starting small by doing things like publishing texts, sponsoring a three- year retreatant in France, feeding and housing seven hundred monks in India and Bhutan. The whole purpose
of the Khyentse Foundation is to create a system of support for the continuing study and practice of the dharma.

- Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, July 2003

COMMUNIQUE
A Newsletter for the Khyentse Foundation Community
Summer 2003

H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's 100th Anniversary Celebration

2010-08-14T05:05:00.001+07:00

Hong Kong, 9th & 10th October 2010

Everyone’s Invited :)

His Eminence Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche & Matthieu Ricard cordially invite you to H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s 100th Anniversary Celebration. The year 2010 marks the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910–1991), one of the most remarkable spiritual teachers of our time. To mark this special occasion, there will be ongoing activities celebrating his life and paying tribute to the benefits and activities he accomplished. Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, his tulku or reincarnation, will give teachings, and preside over the ceremonies and offerings in Asia and abroad.

The celebration event in Hong Kong will be held in 2 days on 9th Oct and 10th Oct 2010. This event is free of charge and open to public. The event will be conducted in English with Putonghua interpretation. You can simply sign up for the event and receive an instant email confirmation letter. Please print out the email confirmation letter and bring it along for entry. Free seating is available on first-come, first-serve basis.

For details, please visit www.dilgokhyentse.hk

Best Regards,

Organizing Committee of H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s 100th Anniversary Celebration - Hong Kong

For enquiries, please feel free to contact via email at info@dilgokhyentse.hk

BLHP Now Opens for Translation Grant Applications!

2010-08-07T11:08:00.001+07:00

Special Announcement for Translators:

BLHP Now Opens for Translation Grant Applications!

After months of intensive preparation, the Buddhist Literary Heritage Project (BLHP) is delighted to announce the opening of the first cycle of translation grant applications. We invite translators experienced in the translation of Tibetan into English to participate in this historic movement to translate and make the words of the Buddha universally accessible. All are welcome to apply.

Visit http://www.buddhistliteraryheritage.org/grant for more information, and download the relevant documents through these links:

[G5] Editorial Policy may also be consulted for a wider perspective on BLHP’s plans.

For questions concerning translation grant applications, please contact us atgrant@buddhistliteraryheritage.org. The submission deadline for this round of application is October 15, 2010.

Works In Progress: 3 (+24) Pilot Translations

To date, BLHP has funded three pilot translations:

Sutra of the Meeting of the Noble Father and Son (56 out of 335 pages)
The Kurukulla Practice Manual of Noble Tara (38 pages)
The Glorious King of Tantras that Cuts Through All Secrets (16 pages)

The first pilot translation undertaken by Tsechen Kunchab Ling is currently under review. The remaining pilot translations undertaken by Dharma Translation Committee are close to completion.

BLHP has recently confirmed the pilot translation of 24 short sutras (173 pages), undertaken by Sakya Pandita Translation Group. Some of the titles include:

Noble Mahayana Sutra Known as the Hand Gesture of Calling Witness
Noble Mahayana Sutra Known as Sutra Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions
Noble Mahayana Sutra Known as Advice to the King
Sutra of the Display of the Pure Land of Great Bliss
Noble Mahayana Sutra Known as Livelihood from the City

Check out the latest updates on our website: http://www.buddhistliteraryheritage.org.

The 1^st BLHP awareness event was held in Singapore on March 20, 2010. More than 80 volunteers, sponsors and friends of the BLHP gathered to hear Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche discuss the importance of translating the words of the Buddha, to ask questions, and to share their appreciation of the project.

“Here, there are Croatians, Czech Republics, Polish, Texans, New Yorkers ... just these vast amounts of people who suddenly have at least an amazing curiosity towards the Buddhadharma. To introduce the words of the Buddha to them, as a Buddhist, as a follower of the Buddha, I don’t think there’s anything else that one can do better...”

~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche,Chair, Buddhist Literary Heritage Project

Check out the video, photo gallery and transcript of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s speech on website!

On the Buddhism Beat. Find out what Sarah Wilkinson (BLHP Ambassador in USA) shared in an interview by Rev. Danny Fisher, featured on Shambhala SunSpace.

The 2^nd BLHP Working Committee Planning Meeting convened on June 12-14, 2010, in Walden, New York, U.S.A. at Tsechen Kunchab Ling Temple, which graciously hosted the meeting. The committee addressed, debated, and eventually aligned on strategic decisions concerning editorial and style issues for finished manuscripts, amount of scholarly ancillary material to be included, payment for translators, grant application procedures and fundraising.

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Help us make the Buddha’s heritage of ancient wisdom accessible to all!

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Rinpoche in Russia

2010-07-23T19:06:00.001+07:00

Source: tantra.fishup.ru

6

Rinpoche’s teachings in pdf

2010-07-21T06:36:00.001+07:00

You can request Rinpoche’s teachings on

Madhyamikavatara Commentary by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche
Longchen Nyingtik Practice Manual (you need to provide the name of the teacher from whom you received Nyendro transmission)
Mahayana-Uttaratantra-Shastra by Arya Maitreya with Commentary by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche
What to do at India's Buddhist Holy Sites by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Simply fill the > Online Form < and send your publication request or visit Khyentse Foundation’s download page for other online teaching resources.

Wisdom - DJKR

2010-07-16T02:48:00.001+07:00

Uploaded at youtube.com by infinitty88

EMAHO!

EMAHO!

DJKR Teaching schedule

2010-05-27T20:27:00.001+07:00

June 30 - July 1, 2010

Calling the Guru from Afar

Karma Tengyal Ling

Stechlin-Menz, Near Berlin, Germany

July 16-18, 2010

Ngöndro

Kunphenling, near Moscow, Russia

July 23-July 25, 2010

Chandrakirti's Madhyamakavatara

St. Petersburg Russia

July 27-July 28, 2010

Subject To Be Announced

Warsaw, Poland

August 13-21, 2010
Reading transmission of the "Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Verses" and teaching onNagarjuna's "Letter to a Friend"
Songtsen, Chanteloube, France

Relics on display

2010-05-13T06:02:00.001+07:00

Source: 31 relics on display | Kuenselonline.com

Rinpoche’s collection of toys

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche 12 May, 2010 - A magnifying glass, table clock, pen, rings, walking stick and toys, which belonged to His Holiness the late Dilgo Khyentse rinpoche, are among the holy relics that are being displayed at Satsam chorten, Paro, in celebration of his hundredth anniversary.
Among other relics are Guru Rinpoche’s consort Yeshe Tsogyal’s footprint left on a stone. The relics of Buddha from Dilgo Khyentse rinpoche’s gao (amulet) include a Guru Dewachenpo’s statue, believed to have blessed by Guru himself, and Tibetan king Trison Detsen’s handwriting (740-798), who was believed to be an emanation of Manjushri, the god of wisdom.

In total, there are 31 relics that date to the time of the Buddha and Guru Rinpoche and many Buddhist masters through the ages.

Among the displays is the relic of Longchen Rabjampa’s brain (1308-14364), the great Nyingma master, who systematised the Nyingma teachings in his seven treasures, and wrote extensively on Dzogchen; and Terdak Lingpa’s bone (1646-1714), the 5th Dalai Lama’s teacher, Rigdzen Pema Trinle.

Naropa’s bone ornament, Marpa, the great translator’s jaw, and a fragment of Milarepa’s meditation belt are also on display.

The coordinator of the event, Gyalse trulku, said that when bodhisattvas die, they pray that their remains (in form of relics) will enlighten all living beings through their senses of light, touch, smell, taste and hearing, thereby, liberating them.

By Tenzin Namgyel

Remembering Dilgo Khyentse

2010-05-12T06:06:00.000+07:00

Source: Remembering Dilgo Khyentse | Kuenselonline.com

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Dilgo Khyentse

Centenary Celebrations 12 May, 2010 - It was a time for devotees to show their reverence to their spiritual teacher, who, through his teachings, steered them clear of the path of sin.
Besides, they were also given an opportunity through teachings they received to make atonement for sins they had committed in their younger days.

A one-time soldier, Rinchen Wangdi, admitted that he would have killed at least 100 wild animals and killed countless fishes when he was young.

“We were aggressive people and we wouldn’t have changed had it not been for Dilgo Khyentse rinpoche, whom we were fortunate to meet,” he said.

Rimpoche, he said, explained to them, referring to a group of ex-soldiers, who were assigned to be Dilgo Khyentse rimpoche’s personal attendants, why we need to be compassionate to all living beings and turned us into being more kind, loving and patient people.

“We were taught to kill,” said Norbu, 69, another ex-soldier, who served as Dilgo rinpoche’s personal attendant for three years. “But after we were taken under his wing, we could never think of killing.”

The group of ex-soldiers, along with other personal attendants, who had served the rinpoche, were yesterday recognised and presented statues during the first day of the centenary celebrations of Dilgo Khyentse rinpoche being held in Paro

His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo, Her Majesty the Grand Queen Mother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck and members of the royal family, attended the event. Dilgo Khyentse rimpoche was the root teacher for the royal family.

Her Majesty the Grand Queen Mother Ashi Kesang Cheoden Wangchuck was also recognised for her support to Dilgo Khyentse rinpoche during the celebrations.

Also in attendance was Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley, several ministers and senior government officials, most of whom had at one time received teachings from or been associated with Dilgo Khyentse during his presence in Bhutan.

“Rinpoche never got angry in the seven years that I was with him,” said Dego, 71, also an ex-soldier, who became Dilgo Khyentse’s personal attendant. “Every morning he’d wake up at exactly 3 am and meditate until 8 am and, although we disturbed him by entering his room during meditation, he never got angry.”

Norbu said how difficult it was to understand the teachings of many rinpoches today, who sometimes gave incomplete teachings or transmissions. “Rinpoche’s teachings were always complete, and they were very clear,” he said.

“I regard him as the truest practitioner, a real Buddha,” added Dego, pointing out that Dilgo Khyentse, despite being Nyingma, could also teach according to the traditions of Kagyu, Gelug, and Sakya.

Dego also explained that his high regard for Dilgo Khyentse stems from the rinpoche’s experience of receiving most of his teachings within Tibet itself.

Dilgo Khyentse moved to Bhutan in 1959 and lived in Bhutan until his death in 1991.

Between those years, Dilgo Khyentse began teaching not only in Bhutan but also in India, Nepal, Southeast Asia, Europe and the USA. With such a reach, it was no surprise that nearly half of those attending the centenary celebrations being held at Satsam chorten in Paro were from abroad.

Dilgo Khyentse’s influence had been the same, despite the different cultural backgrounds of his students.

“I was a professional fisherman,” said Jean Pierre Devorsine, who had come all the way from France. Like the ex-soldiers, Dilgo Khyentse convinced the 58-year-old against killing. He devoted 30 years of his life to the teachings of Dilgo Khyentse.

Some, like Paivi Ahonen, from Finland, had never even met the rinpoche, yet through his published teachings, came to respect Dilgo Khyentse and followed him to the centenary celebrations.

The centenary celebrations, which end this Thursday, is open to the public.

By Gyalsten K Dorji

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Born in Kham, eastern Tibet, in 1910, Dilgo Khyentse rinpoche was recognised as the reincarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo at age seven at Shechen, a major Nyingmapa monastery in Tibet. After which, he received essential teachings of the Nyingma tradition from his root guru, Shechen Gyaltsap. Between the ages of 15 and 28, he spent his time in solitary retreat, meditating. Although he desired to spend the rest of his life in solitary meditation, he was instructed to teach instead, which he did for the rest of his life.

In 1959, at the invitation of the royal family, Dilgo Khyentse along with his family, moved to Bhutan. In 1961, he established and began teaching at the Semthokha rigney school.

In 1980, he established Shechen monastery in Nepal and also began publishing Buddhist teachings, of which over 300 volumes were eventually published.

In 1985, he returned to Tibet, followed by two more visits. He inaugurated the rebuilding of the original Shechen monastery that had been destroyed during the cultural revolution.

Following the death of Dudjom rinpoche in 1987, he became the head of the Nyinma school.

In 1991, Dilgo Khyentse rinpoche died and was cremated in Paro. His funeral was attended by around 50,000 people.

Many Questions, Few Answers

2010-05-10T00:26:00.001+07:00

photo courtesy: Jigme Lhendup

The following article is from Kuenselonline

PERSPECTIVES 9 May, 2010 - In Laos there is a saying that too much education makes you unhappy. This proverb is contrary to everything you hear these days — namely that education is the key to everything.
But this kind of folk proverb has a lot of wisdom, in part because we often only identify issues as problems when we have knowledge and information about them. So we don’t really know whether our peace and happiness are due simply to ignorance or to our ability to make ourselves truly happy even when we have knowledge.

But there is more wisdom in that Laotian proverb, because education sometimes seems to make us so greedy and stressed. Many of my friends, particularly in Asian countries like Singapore and Hong Kong, are pushed relentlessly from a very young age to study so hard, get A’s, go to university, be competitive, get bank jobs, work around the clock, and live totally scheduled lives. They don’t have a life; they are stressed; and they aren’t very happy.

By contrast, Laotians still manage to smile and be friendly despite having been bombed more than any other country for a mistake they didn’t even make. From my own experience there, I think it may have something to do with Laotians being very laid back and seemingly not very ambitious or greedy.

Educating for GNH
S o what does Educating for Gross National Happiness mean? For Buddhists, I don’t think GNH is anything new, and in fact was taught by the Buddha 2,500 years ago when he said that where there is greed, there is no happiness.

Thus, for a trained Buddhist ear, people’s lament about the recession last year was simply their complaint that they could no longer satisfy their greed. And globalization really means multiplying our individual greed globally.

Considering some statistics that show the average American presently consumes 30 times the resources of one Indian, it is frightening to think what will happen when the Indians and Chinese become as rich as they want, or even to half the level of Americans – and (perhaps unfortunately) they are becoming rich. For a start, there won’t be many trees left and we are already nervous about the climate change impacts of growing energy use in India and China.

So if GNH means anything, and if it has to do with protecting the natural world, then it must also be about not letting greed be the driver. But how do we teach that, and how do we implement that in practice in Bhutan? These are questions not just for the Royal Government of Bhutan, but for all Bhutanese.

Sovereignty and independence require that we don’t owe too much to others, which in turn requires economic development so that we can achieve greater self-reliance. But can we do that without encouraging greed?

Educating creatively
S o genuinely educating for GNH in Bhutan must somehow meet the challenge of the modern world, including preserving and strengthening precious sovereignty and developing economically and materially, while at the same time preserving our most vital, core traditional values and not giving in to greed. I believe that fine balance is the essence of the Fourth King’s great pronouncement that GNH is more important than GNP.

That fine balance means not simply preserving – just for their own sake – traditions that have become counter-productive but allowing them to evolve creatively.

So educating genuinely for GNH will require greater clarity and understanding and then some tough decisions made with real courage and honesty to redefine our priorities and values, and to change deeply ingrained habits that no longer work.

To find the right balance between tradition and innovation, we have to be truly creative. Culture cannot be preserved genuinely and joyfully through imposition or obligation. Rather we have to find ways to practice elements of our ancient culture in ways that are relevant, vibrant, alive, dynamic, inspiring, modern, and even ‘fashionable’. A good example is the current popularity of “Zen simplicity” in clothing fashions and home decorations, so that it is a compliment to call someone’s taste “so Zen!”

Meeting these challenges is urgent. Major social problems are beginning to emerge – like drug abuse, youth unemployment, and alienation. These are growing at least as fast if not much faster than our commitment to GNH, and will not be solved simply by adhering rigidly or blindly to old habits and traditions. Because the stakes are high, and because GNH – as our professed guide for development and change – requires honest discourse, I will focus on some of our most sacred cows in the examples that follow.

1. Rethinking jobs
S ome of the causes of drug abuse, youth problems and alienation are certainly in the growing wealth, consumption, and affluence that young people now see and take as their own goals, and in trends that come with urbanization.

But, given our traditional hierarchical society, some likely stem from things like the status we still accord civil service positions compared with other jobs. I remember when I was young how much pride our village families took when a family member got even a low-level civil service job in the capital. In a traditional society like Bhutan that values status highly, even small symbols like having the white lagye (sleeve), were such a big deal.

Sadly, these outmoded values are still nurtured by the many perks and privileges given to higher-level civil servants with desk jobs. They are perceived to be the ones with titles, the biggest houses and cars, salary raises, overseas study and travel opportunities, and special robes – still one of our country’s biggest obsessions now joined by special number plates for cars. And of course, they have the greatest job security and perhaps the illusion of power.

Not surprisingly I hear of young people who won’t tell their parents they work as restaurant waiters, and simply say they work “in Thimphu,” so that rural relatives will believe they have some important job.

At a time when the government can’t provide enough civil service positions for our young, and promotes a policy to grow the private sector and encourage young Bhutanese to stand on their own feet, we must have the courage to change this old value system that no longer serves our country’s needs. That’s difficult for strong traditional cultures like India and Bhutan, but we must do it – in our educational system, in the media, through awards and recognition, and in how we assign privilege, security and opportunity.

It’s not as if Bhutanese are not adaptable. I’ve seen even high-ranking Bhutanese in Jackson Heights, New York, flip hamburgers, make sushi, and do all kinds of so-called menial jobs, and they are proud to be able to send money to their relatives back home.

Dignity of all labour seems to have a little more meaning there than in Bhutan. We need to respect and value all kinds of work in Bhutan as well, not just desk jobs in the civil service.

One example of how we could tackle these issues is to reduce our obsession with traditional symbols that no longer serve us, including robes and scarves. As we Bhutanese well know, symbols matter. We might say that sweeping the office floor is an important and dignified job. But if the one working in the office wears a special robe laden with meaning and the sweeper doesn’t, the visible differences can undermine all talk of job dignity. Perhaps we could learn from some of the world’s most powerful leaders, like the British Prime Minister, whose dress is exactly like any other professional Englishman going to work.

So if we are not yet quite ready to equalize some of the actual perks and privileges that are now the almost exclusive domain of civil servants, we could begin with symbols. One way or the other, we have to start respecting all kinds of productive labour if we are to move ahead as a society.

This is even more important in our new and supposedly egalitarian democracy. By contrast, our traditional dress codes are a residue of a very hierarchical system that was a brilliantly appropriate method at the time the Zhabdrung, in his wisdom, needed to overcome tribal divisions and unify the country. Equality was not a core societal value at that time. But now, when our democracy values equality, these hierarchical dress codes are a form of divisiveness, which is actually contrary to the Zhabdrung’s unifying vision for Bhutan.

One person driving the latest Land Cruiser while another has to settle for a Maruti and most cannot afford cars at all seems contrary to the “equitable” economic development that is one of the key pillars of GNH. In any case, civil servants generally have enough power through their positions that they do not also need to flaunt decorations and visible symbols of elitism.

In all my remarks about the civil service, needless to say, I am not talking about front-line workers like teachers, nurses, and police, who do some of the hardest and most challenging work, often for very modest pay. Elsewhere in the world, as well as here, these front-line workers need more, rather than less, support and care.

2. Rethinking culture
O f course, one of the core pillars of GNH is culture, which is obviously very important for the identity and sovereignty of a nation. But keeping a rich tradition and culture vibrant and alive does not mean pushing people to do exactly what their ancestors did 50 or 100 years ago. If we try to do that, we will not only ruin the creativity and critical intellect of the young by teaching them to mimic rather than create, but we won’t even keep our culture alive or survive as a nation in the modern world.

Resisting change might serve a supposed purpose of GNH by encouraging people to be happy with what they have. But unwisely insisting on the mimicking of old habits also stifles avant-garde activity and innovation, fails to value excellence, and ends up settling for mediocrity. And in the end, that approach undermines rather than enhances GNH by making our culture static rather than dynamic.

For example, the handicraft skills, about which we often brag, have become stagnant, lack innovation, and in fact are fast eroding in Bhutan. It’s far more expensive to make a traditional clay Buddha statue in Bhutan, even of mediocre quality, than to buy a bronze one of much better quality in Kathmandu.

We are proud of our basket weaving, but the Indonesians put us to shame in quality and innovation, let alone price. Our silver-smithing, wood-carving, and thangka painting are generally mediocre at best, lacking in innovation, effort, and attention to detail, and with poor workmanship and many imperfections.

And aside from the extremely expensive kiras and textiles that only the richest Bhutanese can afford to wear, we have to admit that Lao, Cambodian, and Thai weaving, textiles and arts are often far superior in quality to our own. In fact, if the truth be told, there is very little hand-made coming out of Bhutan that is exceptionally good in quality.

We just have to hope that tourists will still buy Bhutanese crafts just because they are Bhutanese, and that Bhutanese will buy them out of patriotism! But sooner or later people will find out that our handicrafts are mostly both mediocre and expensive, and that really doesn’t work in this competitive age.

Of course, there are talented individual craftsmen working away quietly with excellent motivation, who should really be helped and supported to create first-rate products of which we can be truly proud. But sadly, our crafts people rarely get to compare their own work or learn from other cultures, because civil servants (not craftsmen) are the ones who take most of the funded study tours to see industries in other countries.

Actually, many so-called traditions are little more than habits that we have no choice but to change for our own sakes, such as our health. After all, our lifestyles have changed drastically. For example, even though we still eat the same amount of rice, cheese, and fat as a hundred years ago, many of us now drive and sit behind computers rather than walk and work manually. For health reasons alone, we need to change our diets.

Of course, some traditional forms can serve us well in the modern world, like the traditional rammed earth buildings that are not only economically sound and aesthetically pleasing but also ecologically responsible. But even here, it is embarrassing that it took a billion dollar modern corporate hotelier like Aman to show us Bhutanese that rammed earth design can be extremely elegant rather than low-class and backward. We should be taking the lead in such innovations.

And while we are on architecture, there is nothing traditional about the ugly corrugated tin roofs that now deprive Thimphu of architectural elegance. Of course, traditional wooden shingles are both expensive and ecologically unsound given our Constitution’s commitment to 60% forest cover. But a creative and innovative solution would be to design the new roofs so that they at least look a little more like the elegant traditional wooden roofs that are more aesthetically pleasing. For example, even though slate is mined in Bhutan, the technology has not been developed.

Such innovations would be much better investments, for example, than the endless paintings and carvings that are overly elaborate, expensive, difficult to maintain, and not particularly creative since they look like they are mostly made in the same mould. My point here is simply that – as we talk about preserving our culture and traditions – we need to be much more discriminating and precise in our choices. In particular:
• What are the true core values and principles in our ancient traditions that are timeless and genuinely contribute to our wellbeing?
• What forms, traditions, and practices do we cling to rigidly that no longer serve us, and that can be easily discarded, adapted, or changed in ways that are far more appropriate to our current needs? And which ones are truly valuable, aesthetically pleasing, and relevant to the modern world?
• And when we adapt, we need to choose our models carefully and with discrimination. For example, I’ve noticed a growing tendency for affluent Bhutanese to send their children to study in Bangkok rather than in India. Yet Thailand, while it has a reputation in other areas, is not particularly well known for its educational excellence. In fact, some of what we learn from Thailand may teach us what not to do here in Bhutan.

By contrast, India, which also provides 70% of our foreign aid, produces some of the world’s most highly educated people and has some of the best innovative educational models available. As well, Bhutan and India share centuries of thought, philosophy, and understanding, particularly since Bhutan’s two major religious traditions originate in India.

3. Rethinking language
I want to say a few words now about the most sacred cow of all – language. Quite frankly, there is a problem in every discussion of Dzongkha being regarded as so highly “sensitive”. Surely the issue of the national language is no clandestine project and should be squarely in the public domain.

Despite all the government encouragement and enforcement, most Bhutanese still don’t speak Dzongkha, and most of those who do, speak it poorly with even poorer reading and writing skills. I hear it is many students’ least favourite subject and that there are not enough fluent Dzongkha speaking teachers to teach it well. And even if you are a Dzongkha master, there is hardly any literature to read except newspapers that are easier to understand in English.

I have even heard complaints that use of Dzongkha in Parliament disadvantages and disempowers MPs from other areas, and that native Dzongkha-speaking MPs sometimes rely on their eloquence rather than on the content of their arguments. And the many Bhutanese who still don’t understand Dzongkha, despite all the government’s efforts, cannot even follow what is going on in the very forum that supposedly represents them.

Dzongkha doesn’t even preserve our precious wisdom heritage, culture, and buddhadharma, which has been carried through Choekey, not Dzongkha. In fact Dzongkha doesn’t do much to preserve our history, prayers, poetry, dance, songs, philosophy, and more, since there are so few Dzongkha books, and since our ancient texts like the Kangyur and Tengyur aren’t in Dzongkha. The few Dzongkha books in existence are mostly very recent, and generally do not represent our ancient heritage.

Even our monks often don’t understand what they are chanting, since all the prayers recited in Bhutan are in Choekey, not in Dzongkha, and Chokey is not native to anyone in Bhutan. So the Buddhist liturgies are simply parroted meaninglessly rather than understood.

In fact Bhutanese will soon have to learn English to study and practice the dharma, since there is already more dharma translated into English than into Dzongkha. I know these are extremely touchy subjects. But in the process of building a nation, tough questions have to be asked, and indeed, our new democracy requires us to have the courage to debate these issues openly and without fear.

The biggest concern about promoting Dzongkha actually has to do with time management, since time is an increasingly rare resource in the modern world. If you think of all our 178,000 Bhutanese students, then millions of hours are spent each year studying Dzongkha. You cannot undertake any tertiary studies in science, mathematics, philosophy, psychology or geography in Dzongkha, which doesn’t even have the vocabulary really to discuss such disciplines properly. And by the time any university text is translated into Dzongkha, it will likely be outdated, or the Dzongkha will need to be updated.

Building a new national language is extremely difficult, and we have to ask whether it is worth the huge effort required, and whether it’s the best use of our very limited time and resources. I read that time and human resources are the most precious resources we have in our modern economy. I would ask – if only to provoke debate – that, if that is so, then aren’t we wasting a whole generation’s precious time in forcing them to spend hours each week and year learning a language they will hardly use – time that could be spent in much more productive ways to build our nation?

I fully appreciate our leaders’ wish to have a unifying language as a symbol of our sovereignty. But what is the experience of other nations in our region in that regard? India is one of the most culturally rich countries in the world, with hundreds of dialects and many major languages, each with its own ancient literature. Attempts to promote Hindi as the national language have not been successful, except in the popularity it enjoys in Bollywood, and English still serves as a unifying language. At the same time India celebrates its diversity by recognizing 18 official languages in its Constitution, and giving citizens the right to communicate in the language of their own state and choice. Similarly diversity could be a source of pride in Bhutan.

And if we do want to render our spoken languages into written form, then we might learn from the Malays and Indonesians, who have adopted the Roman alphabet for their own languages. Do we Bhutanese really want to expend so much precious time and resources learning a written Dzongkha with its own distinct script?

Of course, there is nothing wrong with teaching Dzongkha or Tshangla as language studies, and even encouraging some translation to preserve certain cultural traditions. It’s the balance between Dzongkha’s contribution to our national identity and the huge expenditure of time and resources on cultivating Dzongkha as the first national language that I am questioning.

And I am asking whether – given our very limited time and resources – strong Dzongkha emphasis may actually undermine and diminish, rather than enhance, our sovereignty and potential contribution to the world. Could we achieve those goals more effectively, as India has done, by relying on English as our unifying language without compromising (and indeed celebrating) our rich linguistic and cultural diversity?

Seeking Answers
T o be loyal is not necessarily to be a sycophant. Often, saying what you think can at least encourage some productive contemplation.

But I also know that we don’t have much time to find solutions to questions like those above and that we need to act while parts of our ancient culture remain resilient. For example, I am so moved that – in an era when the entertainment industry is continuously seeking new and more dazzling ways to satisfy the seemingly insatiable appetites of their television and other audiences – Bhutanese continue to attend tshechus where each year’s offerings are basically the same as the last. But will that commitment last?

I don’t know whether we can preserve our precious heritage in this fast-changing and greedy materialist world. But I do know that if we are to have any chance at all, we must at least have the courage to raise tough questions, to abandon outworn practices, symbols, and traditions that no longer serve us, to identify what is most genuine, wise, and lasting in our heritage, and to adapt creatively and with integrity and innovation to this modern world. Attaining that fine balance is the real challenge of a GNH-based education system.

It is too idealistic to think that greed will disappear altogether. But in some pockets of the world, like Bhutan, we might at least introduce a more monitored and sober greed. After all, one great thing about the human mind is that it can be influenced and that greed can therefore at least be ameliorated.

I am sure there will be a lot of interpretation of what I am saying here, and I expect that. Some may accept it blindly just because a Rinpoche said it, others might edit it in their minds or take it out of context, while still others might get completely upset. But it’s not really my concern whether people’s reactions are positive or negative. The questions I’ve raised are simply ones I’d like to see discussed by all Bhutanese and to which I, for one, am seeking answers.

In fact, no blame is intended in anything I’ve said. As I mentioned at the start, responsibility does not rest with the Royal Government of Bhutan alone. In a democracy, all Bhutanese are responsible for our country’s development, for debating the tough issues, and for making choices.

I am not pretending either to know those answers or to imply that those of us in the spiritual and monastic traditions are free of responsibility. On the contrary, we too can no longer simply closet ourselves in monasteries, but need to find new ways to contribute to the modern Bhutan. For example, I’d like to see our monks help those schools that are now introducing meditation and educate communities about preventing forest fires and alcohol abuse.

I could also be totally wrong even in the questions I am raising. But I would rather say all this up front than just hear grumbling in the background. After all, a new democracy requires that we identify the toughest challenges and chew the most bitter truths if we really want to build a good nation in this day and age.

By Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

Volunteer English Teachers Needed for Dzongsar Shedra in India

2010-04-22T00:48:00.001+07:00

published on April 5, 2010 at siddharthasintent.org

Volunteer teachers are required to teach adult monks in Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute in Chauntra (HP), India.

The positions commence at regular intervals during the year and preference is given to male teachers who can stay for a minimum period of six months.

The successful applicants will be provided with accommodation, meals and an allowance. Prerequisites include a qualification teaching English as a second language and relevant experience.

See links below to an overview of the English language program, job description for the position, and some photos of an English class and the monastery.

If you have relevant qualifications and experience and are interested in the position, please email Suzie Erbacher with a letter of application, a current CV and two written references. Suzie will also answer any questions about the positions.

Useful web links:
1.    Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute
2.    Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and Siddhartha's Intent
3.   Khyentse Foundation

Tribute to Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro

2010-04-11T15:46:00.001+07:00

Uploaded @ youtube by Lerab — June 28, 2009 —

Exploring the life and times of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö,
one of the greatest Tibetan Buddhist masters of the 20th century to mark the 50th anniversary of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö's parinirvana

Video 1

Video 2

What is ‘Khyentse’?

2010-04-05T14:29:00.001+07:00

From: Khyentse - Wisdom and Compassion | Gentle Voice | Siddhartha’s Intent

After the enthronement of the yangsi of His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in Nepal in December 1997, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche gave a talk on the meaning of the word "Khyentse".

In Vajrayana the idea of the guru is very special. And many of us are disciples of His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and this is the enthronement ceremony of the incarnation of His Holiness. Just briefly, all the Khyentse reincarnations are considered as the incarnations of Vimalamitra and King Trisong Detsen.

The great Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo was one of the most important illuminators in Buddhism in general and especially Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet, not because he had a big seat or a high rank but because of his spiritual achievement. Together with Jamgon Kongtrul, Chogyur Lingpa and Jamyang Loter Wangpo, he actually started this Rime movement. Not only was he a scholar and a saint, but he was also considered as one of the five king tertons. He had five emanations - body, speech, mind, quality and activity. And the emanation of the mind was His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche who also had similar qualities to the great Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.

The word "Khyentse" loosely means wisdom and compassion. And for those who have seen His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, the previous incarnation, I’m sure you remember he is the embodiment of wisdom and compassion and he represents that. It is very difficult for us ignorant beings, even though we can maybe understand wisdom and compassion intellectually, to actually see the example of wisdom and compassion. It’s very rare. But many of us had the opportunity, because of our past karmic deeds, to see the past incarnation and now we have this great opportunity to see his incarnation. And although I’ve been dragged into this [talk] by Tulku Pema Wangyal, I guess I should consider myself as someone who’s very fortunate to have this chance to accumulate merit by saying a few Dharma words.

So I decided that I would say a few words on the words "khyen" and "tse" because we all know that there are Khyentse beings and we also somehow know that there are concepts called wisdom and compassion. Now, as I said, the word "khyen" refers to wisdom or understanding. Here we are not talking about an ordinary kind of wisdom or an ordinary kind of understanding. Wisdom here is the mind that knows the ultimate truth of all phenomena. To give you some examples of why wisdom is necessary, generally our problems come when we don’t know something. Our petty misunderstandings come when we don’t have complete understanding. We have lots of misunderstanding or not understanding reality. We have that kind of ignorance because of the habits of our past lives.

Although some people may have a little intellectual understanding of wisdom, it is very difficult to have wisdom because in Buddhism when we talk about wisdom, we are talking about the wisdom to free ourselves from all these delusions. And many times the things that we think are wisdom, are in fact not really wisdom. In Mahayana, wisdom is the mind that understands selflessness or the mind that understands the emptiness aspect of the self. But even though it’s easy to study that, it’s very difficult to experience it. This is because of many lifetimes of attachment to the self.

In Buddhism we talk about samsara and nirvana. Samsara is where there’s all this delusion. When we talk about ignorance or delusion such as clinging to the self, we’re not talking about a defilement that actually does exist truly within us and that we then later have to purify. In fact, all these delusions, all this ignorance, in reality they don’t exist. But because of our own insecurity we think that they exist. We are very attached to this existence of the self and we’re constantly busy as the slave of this self. Now wisdom is that which understands the non-existent aspect of such a delusion. But as I’ve said many times, one can roughly understand wisdom through study and receiving teachings, but in order to actually understand wisdom one has to have lots of merit.

It’s the same for devotion. It’s kind of easy to understand what devotion is, but to have devotion one needs lots of merit. Until you have merit, a person does not have devotion. I think not only the spiritual, enlightened qualities such as wisdom, devotion and compassion, but even the mere happiness that we have in our day-to-day life depends so much on merit.
For instance... I’m going to become a little wild now. For instance, if someone like my interpreter [here] says to this nun [here], "How beautiful you are", it depends so much on how much this nun has merit or not. If she has the merit to have even a short time of happiness, such praise will definitely give her lots of happiness. If she doesn’t have enough merit, the same remark that the interpreter makes can cause lots of problems. For instance, it can raise her expectations [yet] maybe the interpreter said it just out of politeness. But because there’s not enough merit to interpret this remark properly, she may have raised her expectations and she might follow him wherever he goes! And then if he is a kind of patient or skilful person, it might work. But I don’t think he could tell her she’s beautiful every day. So merit, sonam in Tibetan, is one of the most important qualities that really has a lot of influence on everything. I’m sure you must have experienced in your life a certain thing that sometimes makes you unhappy can make you very happy and this is very much because of merit.

You may be wondering now, "How can one have merit?" Strangely, even to have merit you have to have merit. Merit is the cause of merit. This is the difficult part in Buddhist practice. In one aspect there is the complete idea of wisdom which is beyond all sorts of concepts, beyond all sorts of habitual hang-ups. But in order to get this wisdom we talk about merit which comes very much together with our emotions. It’s the same for emptiness. This is what we have to realise. But in order to realise emptiness one has to have merit, such as singing well or making offerings to their guru [which the people outside are doing right now] and such as some of you being patient and trying to listen to what I’m trying to say and at the same time not getting disturbed by all those drums [outside]. One can accumulate merit this way also.

There are two great methods for accumulating merit. Compassion for sentient beings and devotion to the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and the guru. In fact, we can abbreviate these into just one compassion because, when we talk about Mahayana, we talk about compassion.

And the same compassion is almost interpreted as devotion in Vajrayana. So this is the second aspect of the name Khyentse, tsewa or compassion. Compassion is not only sympathy. In fact, it is the mind that understands equality, equality between oneself and others, equality between bad and good, equality within all dualistic phenomena. That is compassion. But for many of us compassion is very difficult to arouse. There are so many obstacles to compassion and the opposite of compassion, which is selfishness, attachment to the self, is very strong. And there are lots of favourable circumstances for that clinging to the self.

I can’t talk about you, but if I talk of my own experience, I find it very difficult to have genuine compassion even for a few seconds. Even if I’m reading the bodhicitta vows and prayers and supplications or whatever and even though I understand the meaning, always behind all that there’s selfishness. You know, in the Mahayana sutras there are many different kinds of bodhicitta. But the most supreme kind of bodhicitta is the shepherd-like bodhicitta, someone who wishes enlightenment for all sentient beings, someone who wants enlightenment only after all sentient beings are enlightened. That kind of bodhicitta mind is very difficult to realise.

I don’t know whether you have this or not. But I have this a lot. I don’t care about other people. And I consider myself quite good at least, even just wanting to get enlightenment. Many people don’t even want to get enlightenment. But at least I’d like to get enlightenment. Just for myself, though! It must be happening to you. When we make offerings to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, even though we say this is for the sake of all sentient beings, our mind is always aiming for a result just for oneself. So compassion for sentient beings is quite difficult for me. So I guess this is one of the reasons why I also like Vajrayana where devotion is taught as a sort of higher interpretation of compassion.

At least as a beginner, as a very deluded being, when you begin the practice of devotion, you can start with one person like your own guru. It’s much easier to admire someone than to take the responsibility for everyone. And I guess I must be also pleasantly brainwashed by people like Jigme Lingpa. Jigme Lingpa said that years and years of chanting mantras and reading sadhanas and doing pujas is very good, but it’s nothing compared to a minute of meditation because meditation penetrates our mind probably more. Then he said that years and years of meditation is nothing compared to an instant of remembrance of the guru. And this is why I think that the practice of devotion is very strong and all-pervasive.

But I understand that many people have difficulty with devotion. For those who have seen great masters like His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (like myself I’m very fortunate to have met him), I guess we have less of a problem having this sacred outlook. But for those who have to end up with people like myself, I understand completely why devotion is so difficult! Because firstly you don’t even have much trust in the guru anyway these days.

Again, I’m going to tell you about some of my own experiences, but I know many of you are old dharma students so you have heard these things again and again. I was saying that complete trust in the guru is quite difficult. For instance, recently when I was doing guru yoga practice, I practised it all according to the text, visualising the guru in front of you and all of that, and at the stage where you ask for blessings, both supreme or uncommon blessings and we can also ask for common blessings...
Of course, as supreme blessings we ask for enlightenment, the growth of wisdom, dispelling ignorance and all that. This is, of course, the ultimate aim of guru yoga. And then, in order to benefit people, we can also ask for blessings so that one can have longevity, no sickness and all sorts of worldly blessings.

I noticed that my seeking for beyond-worldly blessings was much, much less than for worldly blessings. I wasn’t really asking to get rid of my ego as much as I was asking for longevity, success for my projects and so on. Then I realised this - that I was actually still attached to worldly life. In fact, I was using the guru as something like a god to ask him for certain rewards. Then as soon as I realised that this was not a great thought that I had, I then thought that the realisation of that fault was also the blessing of the guru. At times, when I manage to realise my faults, then out of nowhere this pride and ego creep in, thinking, "Oh, I managed to realise my fault, That’s good!" So it goes on like this. Then again I scold myself like this, saying, "No, I shouldn’t have this kind of ego."

And then one day... You see, I’m interested in writing scripts and making movies and all that. And one day I found myself praying to the guru, "Please bless me so that I will write my script properly, so that my film project will be successful. Then immediately I thought, "No, His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche doesn’t even know how to make a movie. How can I ask him that?" At that time I was reading both Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s and Khyentse Chokyi Lodro’s biographies. And in them they mention so much about how much devotion they have to their masters and what they seek from their guru as a blessing - enlightenment, benefit for sentient beings, all sorts of enlightened qualities. I felt very embarrassed that I was asking for such mundane things. But then because I have read enough Buddhist books I can bring all this... My mind, my ego, my selfishness is so clever that it skilfully brings good excuses. Then I thought I could ask for blessing to write a good script for the sake of sentient beings!

Again I told myself, "No. Now what I’m doing is actually helping my ego and my selfishness, using all sorts of Mahayana excuses, which is not good." Anyway, going back to when I pray or supplicate to him so that he will give me the blessings for my movies... After that I thought, "No, no, he doesn’t know how to write a script. He doesn’t know how to operate a camera. Stuff like that he doesn’t know." And then later I realised, "See, this shows I have no trust in him. He’s the Buddha. He should know everything. I have considered him as someone who does not know a single, mundane thing such as operating a camera which takes two days or a week at the longest to learn." So that much I have no trust in him. And this shows that I still have to develop my devotion, develop my trust.

After that I tried to make sure that I spent more time praying and supplicating so that he would bless me so that my wisdom would grow and so that all my enlightened qualities would flourish. And I have gained slightly more confidence, so these days I don’t feel embarrassed about asking for blessings for anything, like writing successful scripts. I think it’s okay.

What I’m trying to tell you is this. We have this problem of not concentrating on one point, like the guru is okay as a teacher, but if you want longevity and you happen to know Amitayus, the long-life Buddha, then you ask for blessings separately from the long-life Buddha. Or if you want to increase your wisdom, then you ask for blessings from Manjushri. Things like that. This also tells us that we have this lack of understanding that the guru is the embodiment of all the refuge objects. This shows that we still have lots of dualistic mind. As long as we have this kind of weakness, we will never have this courage to have wisdom.

We call those who have bodhicitta bodhisattvas. And the name bodhisattva has the connotation of someone having courage, not only courage to help certain sentient beings, but in fact courage to face the reality, the courage to face this illusory aspect of our life. So in order to have khyen or wisdom, one should have compassion. And without compassion, one does not have wisdom. And the quickest way to get these two attainments, "Khyentse" or wisdom and compassion, I personally think, is through devotion which is the quintessence of compassion. So in this way devotion has many degrees. We can start simple devotion mainly out of our own emotions such as admiration and inspiration. And finally, when we manage to increase this devotion, the very devotion that we have becomes wisdom. And then we will not have the fear of needing to depend on someone all the time. You know, depending on someone is a very strange thing. Our mind wants to depend on someone at times, but at other times the very idea of depending on someone can be a big hassle. So I think that’s about all!

Heart Advice

2010-04-01T17:57:00.001+07:00

Source: Siddhartha’s Intent | Gentle Voice Archive

HEART ADVICE
FROM DZONGSAR KHYENTSE RINPOCHE

During April and May 2000 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche led a Longchen Nyingthik ngöndro retreat at Vajradhara Gonpa. Before flying out for a brief visit to San Francisco, he gave this heart advice to the retreatants.

Now I am going to go through the supplication notes written by Jamgön Kongtrül Rinpoche at the end of his Calling the Guru from Afar. I think it is quite important, not only at this time, but throughout your dharma practice. These supplications are quite short. You don't actually have to compose a word. You can think and say [them] as if you are talking to the gurus, devas, dakas and dakinis, the buddhas and bodhisattvas. You can actually talk to them.

So, according to Jamgön Kongtrül, at the end of the Guru Yoga doing this supplication is very special. Actually, I sometimes recite this again and again. It seems to help me a little bit: 'Please know me, guru, right away at this minute, this very minute, at this very moment show your compassion!' Lama khyenno tukjey nyur du zik damchö taru chinpar jingyi lob. 'Bless me that I may perfect the sublime dharma.'

On the one hand, the dharma practice, the spiritual path, can be very easy, like in the mahasandhi's method. If you have the merit, if you have the devotion, if the guru's compassion is there and if you have a karmic link with a master, then it is very, very easy. On the other hand, dharma practice can be very long-winded, very boring, at times risky, makes one dread it or it's not that inspiring - you lose your inspiration. You know a day or two, a week or two, a month or two of dharma practice is fine, but to actually continue it all the way until we die, to really commit ourselves... In fact, to improve our enthusiasm towards the dharma again and again, more and more, is quite difficult.

The reason is, first of all, we have a lack of understanding of the dharma. We don't see [its] attractiveness. For example, until a person sees a turquoise as a very precious stone no one will put effort into it. But the moment you see it, then you put effort into it. It is like that. We have heard how dharma is precious and all that, but because there is a lack of practice we have not managed to actually see the value, the beauty, the attractiveness or the abundance, the wealth of the dharma, as much as we should. Therefore our longing for the practice of the dharma, our enthusiasm to practise the dharma, is always a little bit weak.

And on the top of that, on the other hand, we also have the obstacles of past karmic debt, the karma and emotions that we have collected for so many lifetimes. So these two attack us from both sides. First, not understanding the value of the dharma practice and on the top of that being attacked by our past karmic debts and so on.

So this is what is meant by damchö taru chinpar jingyi lob. Bless me, give me the blessings so that I may be stubborn, be persistent, so that I will not give up, no matter what happens. Give me that kind of blessing.

Now you can do this kind of supplication during the Mandala offering and you can definitely do it during the Refuge. For instance, I take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha so that I will be persistent, so that I will not give up this dharma and so on. And also during the Bodhicitta obviously. One of the biggest things we do is to lose our enthusiasm for the dharma just because we don't have a good dream. No matter how many years we practise, we don't even have a good dream or our practice never seems to give us physical pleasure or, I don't know, some kind of sensation. That's why we give up the dharma, we sort of lose interest in the dharma just because of that. This is really true. This does happen!

You should keep in mind that you have taken the bodhisattva vow. As Shantideva said, as a bodhisattva you have a duty to sentient beings. You know you are practising the dharma here not for your liberation basically. You understand this? Intellectually, maybe even I understand, but sometimes I forget this. Like when I practise the dharma, I'm not practising it for myself; you are not practising it for yourself, you are practising for all sentient beings. Whether you get enlightenment or not, who cares? Why should we care? This kind of attitude we have to have.

Now as we go along this path, we have to deal with all kinds of strange, smelly, ugly, irritating people. (But we have not even reached that level, since most of us give up the dharma just because we don't have a good dream.) Now imagine, facing these people one by one. As Shantideva said, you have to actually spend time and energy on them. I mean, you are supposed to liberate all these people. So that's why persistence and stubbornness are so important.

Jamgön Kongtrül Rinpoche is incredible. His few words tell us so much.Kyoshey tingney kyewar jingyi lob. Bless me so that I will have the genuine heart of sadness. That's how Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche would translate it. Some kind of a sadness is very necessary. I have heard from you guys during the personal interviews that many of you are kind of sad, not so satisfied with your life. Most of the time when I answer you (I don't know whether you have noticed this), I try not to solve that problem because in a way it is good for a dharma practitioner. We should never be satisfied with this life. This life, this so-called worldly life, is futile, isn't it? We should always have this sense of, 'What are we doing here?' Why are we getting up, having our breakfast, going to our job, earning some money and having a nap for maybe 15 minutes? Then we go back to our job. Again we go to sleep. Then the next day the same thing. And after five days the so-called weekend appears and we go to the beach or to a picnic or, if not that, we go to dharma centres. Why are we doing this? That kind of sadness you should have! That's not a problem. You should have this. This is always going to be a bit like the plates you eat soup or rice on. There is a kind of rim on them that goes up. Something that rises, so that the soup and rice will not fall out. Now genuine sadness is like that. This is something that you should not dismantle. If you have that, your mind will somehow go to the dharma, especially if you have a dharma practice and a guru and all that. So keep that. So may I have the genuine heart of sadness all the time. Kyoshey tingney… from the bottom of my heart.

That does not mean in Buddhism that you have to adopt the path of escapism. You cannot, you cannot! You have to live, you have to pay the bills, you have to. Even in the dharma centres nowadays you have to pay the bills. I sometimes feel a little sorry for this generation, for you guys, because in the West there is no dharma culture. Even now in Tibet and Bhutan there is this culture. In Bhutan if you are a dharma practitioner, all you need is a drum and a bell and a thigh-bone trumpet and you can just go around in the village and beat a few drums and all the villagers will come and feed you. So you can just practise the dharma. But that kind of tradition is disappearing. Also, our own greed will not let us live like that anyway because it is not a comfortable way of living. You have to go around begging food and you might get something or you might not. So 'genuine' does not mean that you have to give up everything. But you should always have this genuine heart of sadness. I think that is so important.

And then, longmey lona tungwar jingyi lob. 'Bless me that without wasting time I curtail my plans.' I don't know, some of these translations don't seem to move me. But the Tibetan… longmey lona tungwar jingyi lob. Longmey is like if you are busy, you have no time. Since you have no time, you are always making short-term plans. For example, if you only have two days to live, you do not need to make plans. Why should you? One should always have this lona tung. Nameans 'tail' or 'nose'. Actually, 'tail' here. We have all these tails about, 'Tomorrow I will go to Sydney and then next year I'll practise. After about five years I will build a retreat hut.' Things like this, such a long tail. And especially looking at us, including myself, we are all over the hill and we are now going down. I think most of us have actually reached to the top. For us now more than ever, we should be making shorter plans. Let's say you have 30 more years to live and that's it. This is how we should think. But most of us are planning as if we are going to live for 1,000 years, if not more! So we should always have short-term plans, as if we are going to die in a few days' time, as if you have no more time.

The next one is chiwa nyingney drenpar jingyi lob. 'Bless me that I take death to heart.' Most of us don't think of death from the bottom of our heart. We don't. We think that it is going to come somewhere at the end. Like in about ten days' time. That's already quite good. Actually, I did try to meditate on death when I was in Bhutan and it really had a lot of effect. I don't know whether I told you this. When I was doing meditation in Paro on death, I decided to do 14 days just on death, on the fact that I am going to die definitely in the next minute. I would look at my watch and it would be 9.10, and I would think, 'I don't know whether I will ever see this hand reach 9.11!' So that even though we may not reach a great level, we must pray to the gurus, devas, dakas and dakinis so that we will remember death from the heart, not just from the mouth.

Lleyla yichey kyewar jingyi lob. This is very important again. 'Bless me that I feel conviction in the law of karma.' We have covered this quite a lot during previous talks. We do not have enough trust in cause and effect, trust in karma. This is why, unconsciously, consciously, we always do things that are not necessarily virtuous. This is why we do not have that much enthusiasm [for] doing Mandala offering, because we do not really have complete trust in the so-called karma. So this is what you have to pray for. These are the actual blessings you should be asking for.

Lamla barchey meypar jingyi lob. 'Bless me that the path is free of obstacles.' Our spiritual path has so many obstacles, because of our habitual patterns, because of our own insecurity, because of the importance that we put on comfort and pleasure, on the eight worldly dharmas. We make ourselves very vulnerable, so when things bother you, you blame them when it is actually you. Shantideva said once, 'If someone beats you with a stick, you should blame your body for being soft.' You know, there are so many obstacles, especially like now when doing a retreat. Although this is not a big retreat, I think this is already quite a good sample retreat. It has actually been quite serious, quite good. When you are in the middle of a retreat, the obstacles can actually mature more. So during these [next] 12 days we have to be quite careful because everything is heightened, attainment and your obstacles. So even a small, neighbouring fart can stir you up for the whole 12 days. So don't let it become like that.

And what is it? Drubla tsöndrü nüpar jingyi lob. 'Bless me that I am able to practise diligently.' Kyenngen lamdu longwar jingyi lob. 'Bless me that difficulties are utilised as the path.' Let's say that there is a neighbouring fart or somebody hiccups or whatever. I don't know, a small, ridiculous reason, like dropping a pen. Something like that. Or something that is a really bad circumstance, like a telegram saying that your father has died. A dharma practitioner has to have this ability to transform that as the path, as a challenge. 'Challenge' is a good word, actually. That ability is what you should be looking for, that ability is what you should be receiving from Guru Rinpoche.

The next words are nyenpo rangtsuk tubpar jingyi lob. 'Bless me that I may be steadfast in using the remedies.' No, no, no, this is not a good translation. Bless me so that these supposed antidotes that you have received from your guru - compassion, patience, pure vision, devotion, mantras, mudras, meditation, samadhi, things like that - all these antidotes which are supposedly defensive systems that you have received… Bless me, guru, so that when the time comes, these offensive or defensive systems or antidotes will have power. For example, when somebody makes you angry, you lose it, you have no compassion, you have no love, you don't think about tolerance, you don't even think about patience. That's because your antidote is not working, it is not functioning. So this is what we are asking for. Bless me so that it will work, so that it will become powerful. Normally it is okay, but especially at a very important time, let it have some kind of a strength. Don't let it lie low and dysfunctional, scattered here and there. Give this a boost.

Chömin mögü kyewar jingyi lob. 'Bless me that I feel genuine devotion.' For the moment we only have created, fabricated devotion. We have talked about this before. The next one is neyluk rangzhai jalwar jingyi lob. 'Bless me that I may come face to face with the natural state.' At the moment our mind is here, all the objects are there, our mind is going there and we are only talking there, not inwards. So bless me that I will come face to face with the natural state of my mind.

'Bless me that natural awareness is awakened within my heart.' Rang-rig nying-ü seypar jingyi lob. Bless me so that the natural state, the natural awareness or the natural wisdom will awaken in my heart. Kongtrül Rinpoche is saying that the wisdom does not come from outside, it has to arise from within. Trülnang zhitsa chöpar jingyi lob'Bless me that confused experience is cut at the root.' And there are a few confused experiences! Everything that we see and do is a confused experience. Do you remember the story that I told you about the Dzogchen master Patrul Rinpoche? [He asked his student Nyoshul Lungtok], 'Can you see the stars? Can you hear the dogs barking?' And at that time the whole of his [student's] life experience sort of cracked, he came out of this casket of this life, this experience. This is what you need.

And tsechik sangye drubpar jingyi lob. 'Bless me that I may accomplish buddhahood in a single lifetime.' Bless me so that I will achieve enlightenment within this life. This is what you should be praying for. Okay, start your prayers and I will slowly sneak out. I will see you again soon.

(The quotes in this article are from Calling the Guru from Afar, A Supplication to Pierce Your Heart with Devotion, by Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye, Rangjung Yeshe Translations & Publications, Kathmandu, Nepal)

(The Gentle Voice would like to thank Ann Pickering for transcribing and Ani Lodro for initially editing this teaching.)

RInpoche’s pilgrimage in Sri Lanka

2010-03-30T23:12:00.001+07:00

Source: Jigmey Lhendup, posted at Facebook

Prayer for Rinpoche’s Long life

2010-03-21T01:01:00.001+07:00

Uploaded at youtube by pathtobuddha

A living Guru, Director and Buddha.

Prayer for Rinpoche’s Long Life

Om svasti!
Dance of wisdom and love,

sovereign of the entire Buddhist teaching
The great Dharma-ocean

of the transmission and realization

of the profound and vast,
You have mastered

through hearing, reflecting, and meditating.
Supreme incarnation,

may your aspiration be fulfilled,

and may your life and activity be infinite.

Manjushri – the wisdom Buddha

2010-03-20T00:54:00.000+07:00

Losar Podcast

2010-03-02T15:04:00.001+07:00

14 February, 2010: 2137

Male Iron Tiger Year

Click here to listen (will be redirected to Official page) or download [6.6Mb] the podcast as an mp3 file. 11:30 minutes.

Visit of H.H. Sakya Trizin - London 2010

2010-02-27T20:45:00.001+07:00

Source: Dechen: Sakya and Kargyu Buddhism

Initiation of Kalachakra and Parting from the Four Attachments, 13-16th June 2010

We are delighted to announce the visit of His Holiness Sakya Trizin, head of theSakya tradition of Buddhism, to centres of the Dechen community in England.

To mark the recent opening of Sakya Buddhist Centre London (Sakya Dechen Ling), London's only Sakya centre, His Holiness will bestow an extraordinary set of teachings focussing on the Parting from the Four Attachments and the major initiation of Kalachakra, to be given for the first time by H.H. in the United Kingdom.

Sunday 13th June, 5pm, Parting from the Four Attachments

Monday 14th June, 3pm, Preliminary Part of the Initiation of Kalachakra

Tuesday 15th June, 3pm, Main Part of the Initiation of Kalachakra

On Wednesday 16th June H.H. Sakya Trizin will be engaged in a series of previously arranged private meetings. He departs London on the 17th June.

Booking: Click here to book on-line. Places are limited.

Accommodation: Please click here for guidance on accommodation during H.H. Sakya Trizin's visit.

Further information :

For further information please click on the above links or contact Sakya Buddhist Centre London on +44 (0) 20 7183 2109 or email london@dechen.org.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s teaching schedule

2010-02-16T22:14:00.001+07:00

For those of you who happen to land on this blog...

Source: COMMUNIQUÉ A publication of Khyentse Foundation February, 2010

(copy-pasted with good cause...)

February 26-March 1, 2010
The Bodhicaryavatara (Year 2)
Deer Park Institute
Bir, India

March 20-21, 2010
Amitabha Sutra from the Perspective of Triple Vision
Sakya Tenphel Ling
5, Pasir Ris Drive 4, Singapore 519455
Time: 2.30pm-6pm

April 9-18, 2010
Uttaratantra
Bangalow, NSW Australia
Contact: Meg Mottram

May 5-7, 2010
Hong Kong
Details to be announced.

June 30 - July 1
Calling the Guru from Afar
Karma Tengyal Ling
Near Berlin

August 13-21, 2010
Ja Lung of the 8000 verses of Prajnaparamita; Praise to Dependent Arising by Tsongkapa, based on the commentary of Gorampa.
Songtsen, Chanteloube, France

Wisdom and Compassion

2010-02-10T17:32:00.001+07:00

Source: Siddhartha’s intent’s Gentle Voice

After the enthronement of the yangsi of His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in Nepal in December 1997, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche gave a talk on the meaning of the word "Khyentse".

Some old photos of Rinpoche

2010-01-14T05:32:00.001+07:00

Source: all over the web, copyrights apply. Used with good cause.

Preview of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's New Book

2010-01-03T03:31:00.001+07:00

What to do at India's Buddhist Holy Sites

published on January 1, 2010

Siddhartha's Intent and Khyentse Foundation jointly announce that a preview of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's advice, What to do at India's Buddhist Holy Sites, is available as a free PDF download upon formal request.

Rinpoche wrote the book in response to the questions students frequently ask about going on pilgrimage to Buddhist holy sites. What to do at India's Buddhist Holy Sites is not a guidebook for ordinary tourists, but for Buddhists who wish to purify their defilements and accumulate merit by going on pilgrimage.

Focussing primarily on the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha and the great Indian masters of the past, Rinpoche offers pilgrims advice on every aspect of pilgrimage: where to go, what to do, the meaning of pilgrimage and generating the right motivation before leaving home. He explains what Buddhists mean when they describe a person, place or object as being 'holy'. Included are suggestions for which prayers and practices one can do at the four main Buddhist holy sites in India and Nepal.

"The aim of all Buddhist practice is to catch a glimpse of the awakened state. Going on pilgrimage, soaking up the sacred atmosphere of holy places and mingling with other pilgrims are simply different ways of trying to achieve that glimpse." Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

Source: Siddhartha’s Intent

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PS: Dear readers, Happy New Year 2010. Wishing everyone success, contentment, good health and enlightenment!

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

2009-12-27T17:35:00.001+07:00

Source: shechen.org

The teacher is at the very center of the Tibetan Buddhist world. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was the archetype of the spiritual teacher. His inner journey led him to an extraordinary depth of knowledge and enabled him to be, for all who met him, a fountain of loving kindness, wisdom, and compassion.

Childhood

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was born in 1910 in Eastern Tibet to a family descended from the royal lineage of the ninth century king Trisong Detsen. When he was still in his mother’s womb, he was recognized as a tulku or incarnation by the illustrious teacher, Mipham Rinpoche. He was later enthroned as an emanation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, one of the most important tertons (treasure-finders) and writers of the 19th century. Khyen-tse means wisdom and love.
Even as a little boy, Rinpoche manifested a strong desire to devote himself entirely to the spiritual life. Although his father wanted him to follow in his footsteps, he finally agreed to allow his son to pursue his own wishes and, at the age of eleven, Rinpoche entered Shechen Monastery in Kham, one of the six main monasteries of the Nyingma School.

Education and Teachers

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche had many great teachers including his root guru, Shechen Gyaltsap from whom he received all the essential empowerments and instructions of the Nyingma tradition. Then, from the age of fifteen until he was twenty-eight, he spent his time meditating in silent retreat, living in isolated hermitages and caves, or sometimes simply under the shelter of overhanging rocks in the mountainous countryside.
He later spent many years with Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro (1893-1959) receiving empowerments and teachings. When he told his teacher that he wanted to spend the rest of his life in solitary retreats, Chokyi Lodro answered, “The time has come for you to teach and transmit to others the precious teachings you have received.” Since then, Rinpoche worked for the benefit of others with the tireless energy that is the hallmark of the Khyentse lineage. He was a great teacher and terton, and was the most eminent modern day proponent of the non-sectarian or Rimed tradition. His Terma (rediscovered texts) fill five volumes.

Life in Exile

In the late 1950’s Khyentse Rinpoche and his family, his wife, Khandro Lhamo, and their two young daughters, fled Tibet. They were welcomed in Bhutan by the Bhutanese Royal Family. Rinpoche began anew, teaching in a large school near the country’s capital. Soon his inner qualities drew many students to him, and as the years passed he became the foremost Buddhist teacher in Bhutan, revered by all from the King to the humblest farmer. In Bhutan, Rinpoche gave teachings, performed ceremonies, wrote treaties and texts, and oversaw the preservation and construction of numerous stupas and statues.

Contributions to Buddhist Tradition and Culture Preservation

Rinpoche devoted considerable efforts to founding and sustaining temples, colleges, and monasteries where study and practice of the Buddhist tradition could be undertaken. One of his last activities was the founding of Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery, in Nepal. There he transplanted the rich Shechen tradition to a new home - a magnificent monastery near the great Stupa of Bodhanath. It was his wish that the teachings be continued in their authentic purity, just as they were studied and practiced in Tibet. He appointed his grandson,Rabjam Rinpoche as abbot of the monastery. The monastery now has over 300 monks studying and practicing under its auspices.

In India, he built a stupa at Bodhgaya, and planned to construct seven stupas in pilgrimage places to avert conflict, disease, and famine, and promote world peace. Khyentse Rinpoche was widely regarded as one of the greatest Dzogchen masters of his time and was the teacher of many important lamas including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Sogyal Rinpoche, Dzigar Kontrul Rinpoche, and other teachers from the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Even in his later years, Rinpoche traveled throughout the Himalayas and the West, transmitting and explaining the teachings to his countless students. His books have been translated into many Western languages, and his inspiration is still strongly felt today.
In 1985 Rinpoche made the first of three extended visits to Tibet. He inaugurated the rebuilding of the original Shechen Monastery which had been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. While in Central Tibet, he petitioned the Chinese government for permission to restore Samye Monastery stressing its importance for the world’s cultural heritage. Samye, founded in the eighth century, was the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet and by 1990 its main temple had been restored. Wherever he went, he was greeted with great joy and emotion by people who had waited for years to see him again.
Scholar, sage, and poet, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche never ceased to inspire all who encountered him through his extraordinary presence, simplicity, dignity, and humor. Wherever he was, he would always pray and meditate for several hours before dawn and then embark on an uninterrupted flow of activities and teachings - in gatherings ranging from a few dozen to several thousand people - until late into the night. His immense knowledge, the warmth of his blessings, and the depth of his inner realization gave his teachings a quality quite different from others.

His achievements in different fields each seem more than enough to have filled a whole lifetime. He spent 20 years in retreat, wrote over 25 volumes on Buddhist philosophy and practice, published and saved countless texts, and initiated numerous projects to preserve and disseminate Buddhist thought, tradition and culture. But above all, what he considered most important was that the teachings he had realized and transmitted were put into practice by others.
At the age of 81, after a brief illness, he passed away in Bhutan. His cremation was attended by over fifty thousand people, including teachers and disciples from around the world.

A Message from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

2009-12-22T14:45:00.001+07:00

Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's Return to the West

December 21, 2009

Photo courtesy of Lotus Speech

One way or another, the majority of students and practitioners from all the different lineages of Tibetan Buddhism will have a connection with Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Some of us are fortunate enough to consider ourselves as his students. The present Yangsi Rinpoche, without a single doubt, embodies the previous Khyentse Rinpoche's presence, wisdom and compassion. Now, for the first time, Yangsi Rinpoche is traveling to the west. This journey is a rare gift from His Eminence Rabjam Rinpoche and establishes our continuous, uninterrupted connection with Kyabjé Khyentse Rinpoche and the Khyentse lineage. I hope those who have time and space will make a point to participate in this program.

For more information, visit www.dilgokhyentsevancouver.ca andwww.khyentsevisit2010.org

After three years of nothing, let’s party – an excerpt

2009-12-20T17:03:00.001+07:00

From Sydney Morning Herald,

Read more at After three years of nothing, let’s party, April 12, 2008

- The Rinpoche, considered the third incarnation of his line, is profound and mischievous.

"Tibetans are famous for being dirty," he declared. "But when I went to Nimbin, it's a little unfair to Tibetans."

- "The only problem of our lives is this habit of getting distracted all the time," the Rinpoche said, blaming praise, criticism, fame and "so-called happiness". "The only thing that we should really do … is develop mindfulness, the opposite of distraction."

He thinks anyone healthy and without family obligations could do a three-year retreat, but warns that rejoining the world is hard. "This modern world is designed [so that] if you stop being part of this machine for even 10 days, you're already disqualified, you will not get the same job," he said.

"That computer - you need to constantly update yourself, otherwise you don't have a licence to even be a human being."

- There is no reason for it to last three years, three months and three days, other than symbolic tradition. "Nine years is fine,

12 years is fine, 25 years is fine, but there has been a tradition in Tibet especially of three years," the Rinpoche said. "I guess human beings like numbers. It sets some kind of goal."

Although retreatants don't really have a goal. "This is a journey without a goal; that's the biggest goal," he said. "This is very difficult for human beings. When you are asked to come here, to spend all your money and a good chunk of your life to do nothing and gain nothing, it's difficult."

Rinpoche’s address to Khyentse Foundation board

2009-12-16T19:31:00.001+07:00

Source: Khyentse Foundation

December 03, 2009
What Our Founder Has To Say

Excerpt of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche’s address to the Khyentse Foundation board of directors and advisors in California.

...
I have had the opportunity to meet many masters, and some of them have had a very strong influence in my life. I was thinking about it the other day. I think two who had the most influence are those lamas who really have this concern for the dharma like Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Deshung Rinpoche. I think I wouldn’t be lying if I said that these people used to lose sleep because they were so concerned and worried basically, almost to the extent of paranoia, about one word, one page. Sometimes of course I’m still very lazy and very much distracted here and there. But what really makes me feel guilty, scared, or uneasy is when I remember these lamas, like Deshung Rinpoche and Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, when I remember the accounts of the moments when they expressed their concerns about the lineage, the teachings of Buddha. So it’s almost as if there’s no choice—we also have to be concerned, because of them. And also, I think it is really important to be concerned with each different aspect of the teachings and the traditions.

For example, when we talk about the environment, of course, it’s good to protect your own trees in your own backyard. But as a citizen of this world, one can’t really forget the Amazon. So not to be concerned, as a Tibetan Buddhist myself, not to be concerned with the decline or degeneration of let’s say Theravadin Buddhism in Burma, is not wise. If we lose one tradition such as Theravada, everything will collapse: Mahayana will collapse, Vajrayana will collapse. It’s so interdependent.

We human beings, we have this habit of being concerned with things that are immediate, things that are connected with us personally, and we tend to forget the general, the big picture. I think this also happens within dharma circles. Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö used to say that there are a few lamas who are concerned with their lineage, but nobody seems to really worry about Shakyamuni. This is so true.

Some lamas feel that this is the age of degeneration, so in fact, the effect of the dharma is no more, so to speak; so there is almost no point, it’s like the show is over. This is how I think some traditional lamas think. But I personally think that’s not true. Because still we have people who really are interested in concepts such as emptiness, bodhicitta, compassion, interdependent arising; not only just curiosity—we still do have people who actually put some effort in it, at least intellectually, and a few even try to put it into practice. So I don’t really believe that the Buddhadharma has completely come to a stop.

Definitely, from the dharma point of view, you can say that we are experiencing a degenerated time. But the fact that it is a degenerated time is actually one of the reasons why we should work even harder.

If you read sutras such as the Fortunate Eon Sutra, the life accounts of the thousand Buddhas, their previous lives, and you read these beautiful stories about the bodhisattvas, around the dark age when there was no Buddha, no dharma, and very few living masters, what they did was they offered a bell to a stupa. The bell would ring, the sound of the bell would be heard by people walking by, and then people would notice the stupa and through that create some kind of a karmic connection to the dharma. And because of having done such a virtuous deed, these bodhisattva later achieved enlightenment and became one of the thousand Buddhas. We hear many of these accounts, so actually it tells us that as the degenerated time becomes deeper, I think we have even more reason to really gather all our courage and put this into practice.

If we, as followers of the Buddha, cannot put the dharma into practice, at least we can protect the dharma, maintain it, preserve it, multiply it, and make it available so that other people who have time and energy and wish to practice the dharma, so that they can have it. I don’t think there is anything that is less important, anything that we can disregard. Everything, every lineage, every activity that is related to preserving the dharma is so important.

Click here for full transcript

Do nothing

2009-12-13T11:41:00.002+07:00

A guided meditation by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Source: Tricycle

Photo: Wikimedia

I’m going to talk a little about shamatha meditation, and I thought it would be good to try and actually do the meditation as we go along. The actual technique is very simple. All the great meditators of the past advised us to sit up straight when we meditate. When we sit up straight, there is a sense of alertness, a sense of importance—it produces the right atmosphere. In this particular instruction, I’m going to suggest we don’t use an external object, such as a flower, but instead follow the standard Theravada tradition of using our breath as the object. So we concentrate on our breathing: we simply follow our breath in and out. That’s it. Our mind is focused on the breathing, our posture is straight, our eyes are open. That’s the essential technique: basically doing nothing.
Let’s do that for a while.

We simply sit straight and we watch our breathing. We are not concerned with distractions, with all the thoughts that occupy our mind. We just sit—alone, by ourselves, no reference at all. Us, the breathing, and the concentration. That’s all we have.

So we sit, we concentrate on the breathing, nothing else. Then some thoughts may come, and any number of distractions: things you talked about yesterday, movies you watched last week, a conversation you just had, things you need to do tomorrow, a sudden panic—did I switch off the gas in the kitchen this morning? All of this will come, and when it does, go back to the breathing. This is the slogan of shamatha instruction: just come back. Every time we notice that we’ve gotten distracted, we remember the instruction and we come back to the breath. Let’s do this for a while.

If we have ambitions—even if our aim is enlightenment— then there is no meditation, because we are thinking about it, craving it, fantasizing, imagining things. That is not meditation. This is why an important characteristic of shamatha meditation is to let go of any goal and simply sit for the sake of sitting. We breathe in and out, and we just watch that. Nothing else. It doesn’t matter if we get enlightenment or not. It doesn’t matter if our friends get enlightened faster. Who cares? We are just breathing. We just sit straight and watch the breath in and out. Nothing else. We let go of our ambitions. This includes trying to do a perfect shamatha meditation. We should get rid of even that. Just sit.

The beautiful thing about having less obsessions and ambitions—and just sitting straight and watching the breathing—is that nothing will disturb us. Things only disturb us when we have an aim. When we have an aim, we become obsessed. Say our aim is to go somewhere, but somebody parks right in front of our car, blocking us. If something gets in the way of our aim, it becomes a terrible thing. If we don’t have an aim, though, it doesn’t matter.

Meditators often have a strong ambition to achieve something with their meditation. But when meditators get distracted, they go through all kinds of hell: they lose their confidence, they get frustrated, they condemn themselves, they condemn the technique. This is why, at least during the first few moments of meditation, it doesn’t matter whether we are getting enlightened or not, it doesn’t matter whether the hot water is boiling in the kettle, it doesn’t matter whether the telephone is ringing, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s one of our friends. For a few moments, things don’t matter.

You don’t have to meditate for the sake of attaining enlightenment. If you are not interested in enlightenment, you can practice shamatha to be natural—to not be so swayed by circumstances. Most of the time we are not in control of ourselves; our mind is always attracted to, or distracted by, something—our enemies, our lovers, our friends, hope, fear, jealousy, pride, attachment, aggression. In other words, all these objects and these phenomena control our mind. Maybe we can control it for a split second, but when we are in an extreme emotional state, we lose it.

Letting go of ambition is a bit like the renunciation that Buddhists talk about. The Buddha renounced his palace, his queen, his son, and his parents, and went out in search of enlightenment. You can say that the Buddha was trying to diminish his ambition. At least, he was trying to see the futility of it, and he was letting go. Letting go is quite important if you want to become a shamatha practitioner. We do shamatha meditation so we can achieve this power to let go.
Meditation is one of the rare occasions when we’re not doing anything. Otherwise, we’re always doing something, we’re always thinking something, we’re always occupied. We get lost in millions of obsessions or fixations. But by meditating—by not doing anything—all these fixations are revealed. Beginners might find this a little frightening, but slowly they will gain inner confidence, and these fixations will automatically lessen. The classical meditationinstruction texts say our obsessions will undo themselves like a snake uncoiling itself.

Thoughts are coming and I’m telling you to go back to the breathing. You automatically interpret this as “We should stop the thoughts.” This is not what I mean. I’m not saying you should stop thinking. All I’m saying is, concentrate on the breathing. When thoughts come, don’t stop them, don’t increase them, don’t encourage them, don’t discourage them. Your job is to concentrate on the breathing. That’s it. Stopping the thoughts is not your job. It’s important to understand the difference: thoughts are going to come; all you do is just concentrate on the breathing. That’s it.

Lord Maitreya has some really good advice for shamatha practice: When we are doing shamatha and the mind gets distracted, it is important that we remember the antidote. The antidote here is very simply to go back to the breath. We call this “Applying the antidote.” But sometimes we apply the antidote too much, which can cause both dullness and agitation. You got that? If you keep applying the antidote—antidote, antidote, antidote—it’s like applying the antidote when there’s no poison. That becomes a problem.

Always do short but frequent shamatha sessions. I’m talking especially to beginners. If you’re going to meditate for fifteen minutes, start fresh at least thirty times. Over time we can start doing longer sessions—in a fifteen-minute session, we can do it fifteen times with a break in between. And when you take a break, take a real break— walk, stand up, do something else. Don’t just linger there half meditating, half not meditating. After a while, you can practice seven times within fifteen minutes.

Keeping it short is important because if you do too much at the beginning, you’ll get fed up with the technique. We are human beings—we don’t like to get bored. We like to change what we eat, we like changing our clothes. We like change.

Likewise, the spiritual path is a long process, and we need a lot of patience. We need to like the path, so keep the meditation short and precise and frequent. That way we develop strong habits. Later on, it becomes part of us. It’s like drinking alcohol: when we first start drinking, we drink a little; we don’t drink two or three bottles at one time. If we did, we’d get so sick we’d never touch it again. So practice shamatha for a short time but many times. That way you’ll get habituated. This is necessary. Shamatha should become part of your life.

And during the off sessions, also, if it’s possible, remember you are breathing. We always forget that we are breathing.

Also, you should not limit your meditation to only in the morning or only in the evening: you should do it any time, all the time. Practice time is always now—it’s never in the future. Don’t ever leave your shamatha thinking, “I’m going to do it next weekend, next month, or next year.” Do it now. Anyway, you’re only doing it for about forty-five seconds, if you’re a beginner. It’s easy. You can do it anywhere. It only requires this: to sit straight.

As we meditate, we simply sit straight and watch the breath. So what does that do? It creates space. In fact, the technique itself is just a trick. The main point is to recognize all these thoughts and distractions that are constantly bombarding us. We still get angry, but we know that we are angry—this kind of anger has so much humor. We can actually drive it in certain directions—we have more control.

The frustrating thing about our life is that there is no control over these emotions. That’s why there’s no fun. The whole purpose of Buddhism is to have fun, isn’t it? And in order to have fun you have to have control. If someone else has control over you, that’s it: there’s no fun.

Shamatha involves a lot of discipline. Lamas often advise us to do meditation in a group, because when we are doing meditation in a group, we want to be the best, the fastest; we have so much pride and ego, and we’re so competitive—why not use this competitiveness as a tool on the path? It’s like working out—if you buy the machines and bring them home, you do three or four days and the machines end up in the garage. But if you go to a gym, you see the other people who are diligently doing it, and all the other beautiful bodies, and it gives you inspiration. What a wrong motivation! But at least it will lead you somewhere.
Keep it simple, don’t make it complicated. Concentrate on the breathing, sit straight—that’s all. Every day, do a few minutes, and, on top of that, do it spontaneously in different places—not just in front of the shrine, but everywhere. There’s so much merit in just sitting there.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche was born in Bhutan in 1961 and is recognized as the main incarnation of Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1894-1959). From early childhood, he has studied with some of the greatest contemporary masters, including His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He has established dharma centers in Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe.

Online Art Auction to Benefit Lotus Outreach

2009-12-12T21:34:00.001+07:00

Borrowed from: Siddhartha's Intent

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has created seven original works of art for an exclusive auction to benefit Lotus Outreach. 100% of proceeds from this virtual auction will go toward supporting charitable initiatives for women and children in Asia. This is your chance to own the original artwork before print versions are even released!

Click here to view the auction and bid!

Projecting the Dharma

2009-12-09T06:58:00.000+07:00

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche: Projecting the Dharma from Siddhartha's Intent on Vimeo.

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

2009-12-04T16:43:00.001+07:00

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, Dzòngsar Kyēndze Chȫgyi Lōtrö
Tibetan: རྫོང་གསར་མཁྱེན་བརྩ་ཆོས་ཀྱི་བློ་གྲོས་
Wylie: Rdzong-gsar Mkhyen-brtse Chos-kyi Blo-gros

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö, c.1893-1959) was a Tibetan lama, a master of many lineages, and a teacher of many of the major figures in 20th century Tibetan Buddhism. Though he died in 1959 in Sikkim, and is not so well known in the West, he was a major proponent of the Rime movement within Tibetan Buddhism, and had a profound influence on many of the Tibetan lamas teaching today.

He was born in 1893 at Rekhe Ajam near Kathok Monastery in eastern Tibet, south of Derge. His father was Gyurme Tsewang Gyatso of Amdo and was considered to be a tantric master. His mother was Tsultrim Tso.

In 1900 at age seven, he was brought to Kathok Monastery, and Kathok Situ Gyatso recognized him ceremonially as the action emanation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the great Rime master of 19th century Tibet. In the following years of his youth he was tutored by Khenpo Thupten in grammar, astrology, Sanskrit, and in Buddhist scripture. By the time he was thirteen he had received the transmission of the Longchen Nyingthig- the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse, the Nyingthig Yabzhi - Four Branches of Heart Essence, and an introduction to Dzogchen meditation.

When he was fifteen he moved to Dzongsar Monastery, the seat of the previous Khyenste Wangpo. He studied Abhidharma andMadhyamaka philosophy, and soon began teaching Buddhist canonical texts to several students there. From the time he was seventeen, he received Sakya school transmissions such as Lamdre Lopshe and the Hevajra tantra, and many Nyingma termateachings.

In 1919, when he was twenty six, he went to Dzogchen Monastery and received ordination as a monk. Later in the same year he established a shedra at Dzongsar Monastery. At Shechen monastery, he received a number of transmissions from Shechen Gyaltsap, who became one of his principal masters. The next few years of his life he visited many monasteries of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and received transmissions and lineage teachings from various teachers.

Then in 1926 he went on a pilgrimage to Central Tibet, and at the main Nyingma monastery of Mindroling took ordination as a monk for a second time. Just before he returned to his home region in Eastern Tibet, Kathok Situ Gyatso of Kathok Monastery died. After this, for the next fifteen years Chokyi Lodro took part in the administration of Kathok Monastery, which is home of the Kathok lineage teachings of the Nyingma. He continued to perfect, and accomplish the meditations and the sadhanas of all the Tibetan traditions, becoming a true Rime master, who was able to teach both analytical philosophy and the performance of practices leading to realization from the various lineages. During this time-period he also completed a five hundred thousand accumulation of his ngondro.

In the 1940s he studied with the leading Vajrayana masters from all over Tibet, and continued receiving transmissions from the Gelugpa, Nyingma, Sakya and Kagyu schools. He developed a reputation during that era as being a Rime master par excellence, and many of the new generation of Lamas who would bring Tibetan Buddhism to the West began to see him as their master. Thus he became a teacher and guide for Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche and Sogyal Rinpoche. He was a major influence on a very young Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, who first met him in 1945, and he is also mentioned with awe by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche in his biography.

Later Life and Death

He became seriously ill in 1949, when he was fifty six years old. According to the prophecies of Khyentse Wangpo, of Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye and from his own prophecies, in order to remove obstacles to his longevity, and so he could continue to teach Dharma, it was necessary for him to drop his monastic vows and marry. For a Nyingma Lama, this was not an unusual circumstance. He married Khandro Tsering Chödrön (b. 1929) that same year, and rapidly recovered his health.

In 1955 as the situation for monasteries continued to worsen in Eastern Tibet, he traveled to Lhasa. While there, he was invited to Tsurphu Monastery to give teachings and empowerments to the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. In turn the Karmapa gave him an empowerment in the red form of Avalokiteshvara, a historic, personal yidam of the Karmapas.

He then commenced a pilgrimage to India. He visited sites sacred to Buddhism in Nepal and India, and then at the invitation of the King of Sikkim, took up residence in Gangtok, Sikkim. In the final four years of his life, the Palace Temple where he resided became a spiritual center. By this time he was known as a Master of masters, and his presence attracted many lamas from Tibet, who came to receive transmissions from him. According to Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche one could ask him for clarification about some point, in any of the termas from any of the numerous lineages, and he always had an answer.

At the age of sixty-seven, in early 1959 with the Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet underway, he again became seriously ill. Prayers and rituals for his long life were performed day and night, by all the lineages in Sikkim. Despite these devoted spiritual efforts, he died. According to Sogyal Rinpoche he died in the 'sleeping lion's posture', a yogic posture, and remained in a subtle meditative state for three days. His body was kept in state for six months, as disciples throughout the Himalayas came to pay their respects. According to legend, his body did not display the usual signs of decomposition during this time. This phenomenon has been known to occur at the death of several other Tulkus. His cremation was performed at a stupa at Tashiding, Sikkim, and his remains are kept in the Royal Chapel of Sikkim.

In 1961 Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche was born in Bhutan, and was immediately recognized as the incarnation of Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.

Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo

2009-12-01T14:15:00.005+07:00

Source Rangjung Yeshe Publications

Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892)

From Masters of Meditation and Miracles by Tulku Thondup

According to the Nyingma tradition, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo is the body incarnation of Jigme Lingpa. He became one of the greatest masters, in whom the lineages of all of Tibetan Buddhism find their confluence. He became a prominent propagator of Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and other teaching lineages. He was recognized as the rebirth of Jigme Lingpa (1730-1798) by the Nyingmapas and the Nesar Khyentse (1524-?) and Thartse Champa Namkha Chi-me by the Sakyapas. As Jigme Lingpa, he was also the manifestation of King Trisong Detsen, Vimalamitra, and many other masters. He was the master of thirteen lineal orders and was regarded as one of the five kings among the hundred major tertons of the Nyingma tradition.

He was also known as Dorje Ziji, Pema Do-ngak Lingpa, Jigpa Mepe De, Tsokye Lama Gyepe Bang, Kunkhyen Lama Gyepe Bang, Jigme Khyentse Dokar, Mañjughosha, and Kun-ga Tenpe Gyaltsen.

He was born near Khyungchen Trak in a family of the Nyo clan from the village of Dilgo in the Terlung Valley of Dege amid wondrous signs on the fifth day of the sixth month of the Iron Dragon year of the fourteenth Rabjung (1820). His father was Rinchen Wangyal, an administrator of the Dege Palace, and his mother was Sonamtso, from a Mongol background.

Once his father asked the first Dodrupchen whether he should become a monk. Dodrupchen replied, "Do not become a monk. If you don't become a monk and get married, a great tulku will be born among your offspring. He will become a great source of benefits for the Dharma and beings."

From childhood he could recall his previous lives, and Ekajati and Mahakala were visible in forms and in energies around him to offer their protection.

At the age of eight he started to study Tibetan, astrology, medicine, and other disciplines with his father and Lamen Chotrak Gyatso. He was very intelligent, and he perfected his recitation and writing studies without the slightest difficulty. He also understood the meanings of the profound texts merely by reading them.

One day when he was seriously sick, in a vision he was given Vajrakila empowerment by Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal, and the obstructions of his life were pacified.

At about age eleven, he went to Kathok Monastery, and his uncle Mokton named him Jigme Khyentse Dokar, which indicated that he was the tulku of Jigme Lingpa.

At twelve, Thartse Khenpo Kun-ga Tenzin (1776-?) recognized him as the tulku of his teacher and uncle, Ngor Thartse Khenchen Champa Namkha Chi-me, who was a great Khenpo of Ngor Monastery in Central Tibet and who then taught and died at Lhundrup Teng in Dege. Kun-ga Tenzin named him Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Kun-ga Tenpe Gyaltsen.

At fifteen, in a pure vision he went to Bodhgaya and was entrusted with the treasures of the Prajnaparamita and Anuttaratantra teachings by Manjushrimitra. In front of the Bodhgaya temple, he purified the defilements of gross body by burning it and transforming it into a pure body like that of Vimalamitra.

At sixteen, in a pure vision, he went to Zangdok Palri, and from Guru Rinpoche, with hosts of dakinis, he received the introduction to the three Buddha bodies and the prophecy that he would become the "receiver of seven orders" (bKa' Babs bDun). Then Guru Rinpoche and the dakinis merged into Khyentse, saying:

Maintaining the emptiness intrinsic awareness nakedly,

Unstained by the grasped objects or

Unpolluted by the grasper thoughts

Is the vision of the Buddhas.

At eighteen he went to the hermitage of Zhechen Monastery and studied Sanskrit, poetry, and other subjects with Gyurme Thutop of Zhechen.

At nineteen, from Jigme Gyalwe Nyuku he received the transmissions of the Longchen Nyingthig cycle with miraculous signs. Then Lama Norbu, a disciple of the first Dodrupchen, gave him the introduction to the nature of the mind while transmitting the teachings of Amitabha discovered by Dodrupchen. Even in the latter part of his life, Khyentse Wangpo would say, "There is no more to progress [in the realization of the nature of the mind] than he realized then."

At twenty, at the request of Thartse Khenpo, he went to Ngor Monastery in Central Tibet. There he discovered many teachings and objects as earth ter. They included Thugje Chenpo Semnyi Ngalso, discovered at Tragmar Drinzang; Lama Kuzhi Drupthap at Damsho Nyingtrung; Tsasum Gyutrul Trawa at Singu Yutso; and Tsasum Chidu at Yarlung Sheltrak.

At twenty-one, he took full monastic ordination from Khenpo Rigdzin Wangpo at Mindroling Monastery in Central Tibet. He received bodhichitta vows from Sangye Kun-ga, the seventh Throne-holder of Mindroling.

Before the Jowo image at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the rice he threw as offering instantly turned into white flowers, and a hundred butter lamps burned without needing to be lit. While he was saying prayers for the benefit of others, someone requested him to make an aspiration for himself. He said:

Without having any leader here [in me] or any servant over there,

Without having enemies to subdue or friends to protect,

In a solitary place, by taming my own mind,

May I accomplish the vast deeds of the bodhisattvas.

At twenty-four, at Oyuk, his memory of having been Chetsun Senge Wangchuk and his subsequent attainment of the light body of great transformation was awakened, and he discovered the profound Chetsun Nyingthig teachings. He made an extensive pilgrimage as an ascetic in Tsang, Ngari, and Central Tibet. At many places he perceived the images as the real Buddhas or the masters, and he beheld pure visions and had realizations. By the end of his twenty-fourth year, he returned to Kham and studied the teachings of the Ngor tradition at Dzongsar Tashi Lhatse.

At twenty-nine, he went to Central Tibet again for three years. At Gegye in Changdrok, as he was receiving the blessings from Guru Rinpoche in a pure vision, he discovered Sangdrup Tsokye Nyingthig as mind ter. At Samye, he saw the Tsokye Dorje image transform itself as the actual Guru Rinpoche and merge into him. As a result, he discovered Tsokye Nyingthig . At thirty-five, while he was meditating on white Tara, he had the vision of the Tara. As the result, he discovered Phagme Nyingthig.

At forty, as a result of pure vision, he received blessings from Guru Rinpoche, which enabled him to see all the tertons and all the ter teachings that had appeared in the past, were appearing then, or would appear in the future in Tibet. Since that time he became the master of all of the ters.

From Khenpo Pema Dorje he received many transmissions including Longchen Nyingthig, Gyutrul Zhitro, Dupa Do, and the seventeen tantras. Also, from the fourth Dzogchen Rinpoche he received the common and uncommon ngondro teachings of Longchen Nyingthig. He also received Longchen Nyingthig transmissions from Jigme Gyalwe Nyuku and Jetsun Sonam Chokden.

Then he received the teachings of all the lineages that exist in Tibet from about one hundred and fifty lamas over a period of some thirteen years. He studied or received the transmissions of more than seven hundred volumes. They included the traditions of Nyingma, Kadam, Sakya, Drikung, Taklung, Kamtsang, Drukpa, and others.

His main teachers were Trichen Tashi Rinchen of Sakya, Thartse Kun-ga Tendzin (1776-?), Champa Naljor, and Ngawang Lektrup of Ngor in Tsang Province in the west, Trichen Gyurme Sangye and Jetsun Thrinle Chodron of Mindroling, and Lhatsun Rinpoche of Drepung Monastery in Ü Province, and Zhechen Gyurme Thutop, Jigme Gyalwe Nyuku, Migyur Namkhe Dorje, Khenpo Pema Dorje, and Kongtrul Lodro Thaye of Kham Province in the east.

He accomplished everything that he studied. However, according to Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse, Khyentse Wangpo's "main practice was the guru yoga of Longchen Nyingthig."

He made Dzongsar Tashi Lhatse Monastery of the Sakya tradition in Dege his main seat and rebuilt it after the destruction caused by Nyakrong forces.

According to the Nyingma tradition, he received the transmissions or became the receiver of the seven orders (bKa' Babs bDun) of teachings:

1. He received the transmissions of both the Old Tantras and New Tantras.

2. He discovered many earth treasures (Sa gTer).

3. He rediscovered many earth treasures that had been discovered by earlier tertons.

4. He discovered many mind treasures (dGongs gTer).

5. He rediscovered or reawakened many mind treasures that had been discovered by earlier tertons.

6. He discovered many Pure Vision teachings (Dag sNang).

7. He received oral-transmission teachings (sNyan brGyud) in pure vision from many divinities.

The third Dodrupchen, who studied with him, describes his personal experiences of Khyentse Wangpo:

Wherever he lived, a very strong sweet scent always filled the surroundings, which was believed to be the sign of his strict monastic discipline. Even a movement of his fingers was inspiring and meaningful, and people became powerless not to appreciate every gesture he made. Wherever he lived, you would always feel a pleasant heat, as if from a fire in the cold. Numerous people saw him in different forms of Buddhas or early masters. Whatever the season, people in his presence always had the feeling of being in the joy and prosperity of summer. He was exceptionally caring of poor people and spoke to them very gently. Arrogant and cruel people who were known as brave men would run from him without looking back, like escapees, or would submit as if their heads were falling off. Before him, every great master or powerful person became insignificant and humble. He was humble, honest, and kind. He was skilled in both Dharmic and secular ethical values. Before him, no one dared to express flattering or deceptive words. He taught all kinds of assemblies with great confidence, like a lion among other animals. In the midst of hosts of disciples, he was simple, and harmonious with all, and he spoke at the right moment and for the right length of time. His reasoning mind was swift like a river coursing down a steep mountain. His voice would fill the atmosphere as if it were the waves of the ocean. Sometimes he taught without caring to eat his meal. Because of the rush of disciples and the load of teachings, visitors sometimes had to wait weeks or even months to see him, but everyone felt joy in waiting for him.

Khyentse Wangpo constructed many temples and libraries, and inspired thousands of people to undertake activities on behalf of Dharma. He commissioned the building of about two thousand statues, the copying of about two thousand volumes of scripture, the carving of wooden blocks for about forty volumes, the making of more than a hundred copper statues gilded with gold, and the repair of many historical temples and monasteries.

For many decades he gave teachings and transmissions to disciples of different traditions. For example, he gave the empowerments of Vajrasattva discovered by Minling Terchen about fifty times and the empowerment and instruction of Longchen Nyingthig about twenty times.

At seventy-three, at the beginning of the first month of the Water Dragon year (1892), he said that he kept seeing Amitabha Buddha in the midst of an ocean of disciples. After the completion of an elaborate ceremony on the twenty-fifth day of the first month, he said to his offering master (mCh'od dPon), "From now on you don't have to do anything." The next day he started to show ill health. His disciples asked, "What prayers should we do for your longevity?" He replied, "None. Around the twentieth of next month, I will have recovered." When they insisted, he said, "It will be good if you say as many hundred-syllable mantras of Vajrasattva as you can."

Then in the morning of the twenty-first of the second month, he washed his hands and said, "Now take everything away [from my table]. All my work is completed." Then, uttering lots of prayers of auspiciousness, he threw grain flowers, which is a sign of completion. Later that day, he was withdrawn into the expanse of the enlightened mind of Vimalamitra. In the surrounding land there were gentle earthquakes. Even after death, his face looked radiant like the face of the moon. His body became as light as if it were made of cotton.

His main Nyingma disciples are listed in the lineage tree (page 340). Among Sakyapas, they are Sakya Dakchen, three Jetsunmas of Sakya, Kun-ga Tenzin of Ngor, Thartse Zhaptrung, Zhalu Losal Tenkyong, and Ngor Thartse Ponlop Loter Wangpo (1847-1914). Among Kagyupas, they are the fourteenth and fifteenth Karmapas, Taklung Ma Rinpoche, Situ Pema Nyinche (1774-1853), Dazang Tulku, Dokhampa, Pandita Karma Ngedon, Kongtrul Yonten Gyatso (1813-1899), and Samding Dorje Phagmo. Among Gelukpas, they are Konchok Tenpa Rabgye of Tashi Khyil, Lhatsun Tondrup Gyaltsen, Hor Khangsar Kyabgon, and Lithang Champa Phuntsok.

Khyentse Wangpo manifested many incarnations simultaneously. They include Chokyi Wangpo (1894-1909) of Dzongsar, Chokyi Lodro (1893-1959) of Kathok, Karma Khyentse Özer (1896-1945) of Palpung (Beri), Guru Tsewang (1897-?) of Dzogchen, Kunzang Drodul Dechen Dorje (1897-1946) of Dza Palme, and Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor (1910-1991) of Zhechen. Among them, Kathok Khyentse Chokyi Lodro was the most outstanding teacher. After the death of Dzongsar Khyentse, Kathok Khyentse moved to Dzongsar Monastery, the seat of the previous Khyentse Wangpo, and since then Kathok Khyentse became known as the Dzongsar Khyentse. Since the early 1960s, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, single-handedly upholding the unique tradition of Khyentse incarnations, propagated Dharma tirelessly in India, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, and the West.

Dudjom Rinpoche on Tobacco

2009-11-28T15:02:00.005+07:00

We enthusiastically express our unending devotion to His Holiness Düd’jom Rinpoche, Jig’drèl Yeshé Dorje—Mahasiddha and luminary gTértön of the 20th century. As the inconsequential eccentric yogi and yogini of the Aro gTér – we feebly attempt to raise Düd’jom Rinpoche’s demon-destroying banner of battle against the demonic carcinogen tobacco. We hope that Vajrayana practitioners who respect Padmasambhava and the Nyingma tradition will pay heed to Düd’jom Rinpoche’s text ‘The guide that leads the blind on a false path which ends in a precipice’ and to the words of the great gTértöns.

Düd’jom (bDud ’joms) means demon subduing. The word düd (bDud - mara) has many meanings and covers every aspect of dualistic derangement.

(The bDud bZhi – the four demons are as follows:
1. phungpo düd / phung po bDud - the demon of illusory connections
2. nyon-mongpa’i düd / nyon mongs pa’i bDud - the demon of emotional disturbances
3. chhi’ dag düd / 'chi bDag gi bDud - the demon of fatality
4. nyem-jèd kyi düd / sNyem byed kyi bDud - the demon of arrogance.
They are the source from which malevolencies arise – either in human form or in any other form.)
As we discuss it here bDud means:
tobacco - the demonic carcinogen with tacit government sanction...

* The following essay was originally translated (with the benefit of explanations by Khenpo Pema Shérab) by Könchog Ten'dzin in 1979. This current translation was produced by the translation committee of the Confederate Sanghas of Aro in 1999 with advice from Ngak'chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen.

Tobacco: ‘the guide that leads the blind
on a false path which ends in a precipice’

OM SWASTI: With supreme appreciation and deep respect for Padmasambhava - wisdom manifestation of all Buddhas and union of the Buddha families
– I shall relate the history of tobacco. Approximately a hundred years after Buddha Shakyamuni’s parinirvana, a Chinese demon maddened with obsession, spoke these dying words:
“Through my body I wish to lead the beings of this earth to lower realms. Bury my body intact and eventually a plant, different from all others, will grow out of my remains. Merely by smelling it, people will experience pleasure in body and mind, far more joyful than the union of male and female. It will spread far and wide until most of the beings on this earth will enjoy it.”

At present the actual fruition of this wish is clearly evident. Opium and other related intoxicants are taken by mouth or nose, neither help quench thirst or satisfy hunger. They do not possess a taste which is delicious, and they are bereft of anything which promotes health or which strengthens one's life force. These substances serve to increase nervousness and blood pressure. They also cause cancer and pulmonary disease.
At this time, many people, from all levels of society, develop irresistible attraction for these substances and proceed to consume them without control – and thus demonic intentionality has borne fruit.

In the gTérma of Chögyal Ratna Lingpa it is stated:
‘Padmasambhava bound the Nine Demonic Brothers under oath, but they were breakers of samaya , and the youngest of them found a way to undermine their commitment to protect beings. He told his kindred: “Brothers, do not despair, listen to me. I shall manifest myself in the country of China as tobacco; the name of this toxin will be ‘the black poison’. It will grow in the border lands, from whence it will spread to Tibet. The people of Tibet will consume this enjoyable substance. By the strength of this, the five neurotic poisons will increase. Rejecting the ten positive actions, people will practise the ten negative ones. The lives of the lineage holders will become precarious, and they will depart for the Buddha Fields. The smoke of this poison, penetrating the earth, will annihilate hundreds of thousands of cities of the kLu . Rain will not fall, harvest and livestock will not thrive, there will be civil unrest, plagues, and calamities. The poison's smoke rising into the sky will destroy celestial dimensions, untimely eclipses and comets will appear. The essential fluids and veins of those who smoke will dehydrate. It causes the four hundred and four diseases to arise. Whomever smokes will be reborn in the lower realms. If one smokes and others inhale the odour, it will be as if one were ripping out the hearts of six million beings.’

According to the gTérma of Sang-gyé Lingpa:
‘In this decadent age people will indulge in unwholesome behaviour. In particular, rather than eating nourishing food, people will consume the substances which are poisonous and evil smelling. Interrupting what they are doing, they will consume the poison. They will need to spit, their noses will run, their health and complexion will fade.’

The gTérma of Rig’dzin Go’dem predicts:
“In the ultimate decadent age people will absorb poisonous vomit, food of dri za’i . Merely smelling it, one will go to the Mar-med Myal-wa. For this reason give it up right now.”

From the predictions discovered by Düd’dül Dorje:
‘Practitioners will enjoy inhaling the smoke of these plants and sniffing their powder and the country will be invaded by samaya breakers. They will be deceived by illusion and experience the arising of obsessive characteristics. As a sign of the exhaustion of merit they will have causes for tears which will flow uncontrollably.’

The gTérmas of Longsel reveal:
‘The time when people smoke these vile substances is also the time when close friends will poison each other's minds.’

The gTérma of Thugchog Dorje specify:
‘Because of the five neurotic poisons, the obsessions, animosities, strife, arguments, and miseries of beings will blaze like an inferno. As the ten good qualities are discarded, negativity will rage like a storm. Wholesome behaviour will be neglected, while perverse practices will be promulgated. In this degenerate age the Protectors will vanish as demonic beings assume power. People will inhale tobacco smoke, and the spatial-veins of discriminative wisdom will become blocked, whilst agitation and distorted emotions become intensified. The central channel will be obstructed and the clarity of awareness dies. Exhaustion of energy will cause agitation around the world. Religious artifacts, the objects of veneration, will deteriorate; perverted ideologies and false religions will spread. The Protectors will turn aside and look only towards Mount Méru. Foreigners will invade Tibet, and Tibetans will be forced to stray in the border lands. Doctrines of Illusion will spread and the world will become a dimension of hell.’

The gTérma of Dro’dül Lingpa predicted:
‘By merely smelling the odour of these herbs, grasses and leaves will spring from demonic blood, one will find oneself in Vajra Hell.’

A prediction of Ma-gÇig Labdrön states:
‘In the final period of disputation a substance will appear which one ingests orally, and it will aggravate all five neuroses . It will
originate in China, extend to Mongolia and Tibet. Wherever it travels it will be consumed, and wherever it is consumed – rainfall will become irregular, accompanied by severe frost and hail. If practitioners consume this substance, even were they to practise for a hundred æons – they will not realise their yidams. In future lives, they will wander incessantly in the three lower realms, where even the compassion of the Buddhas will have no power to help them.'

There are innumerable other predictions concerning tobacco - the use of which has been particularly forbidden by accomplished masters of both Sarma and Nyingma traditions. The vajra words of Padmasambhava were not given to deceive practitioners, so do not entertain doubts as to: ‘how can so many problems arise from smoking a natural plant?’ Aconite is also a plant, yet eating a small quantity of it can be lethal. If this should be the case with a plant, at the physical level, why couldn’t the fruit of the demonic intentionality cause spiritual death?
Understanding this, the wise will render themselves a great kindness by renouncing tobacco and narcotics. In doing so, may the honourable and wise who avoid the path to the precipice have the good fortune of finding respite in the ecstatic garden of liberation.

This was written at the request of Golok Gé-rTa Jig’mèd, by Dorje Yeshé (His Holiness Düd'jom Rinpoche)

Sarwa Mangalam.

http://www.aroter.org/teachings/tobacco.htm

What Buddha Found

2009-11-27T02:40:00.002+07:00

Without a single scientific tool, Prince Siddhartha sat on a patch of kusha grass beneath a ficus religiosa tree investigating human nature. After a long time of contemplation, he came to the realisation that all form, including our flesh and bones, and all our emotions and all our perceptions, are assembled - they are the product of two or more things coming together. When any two components or more come together, a new phenomenon emerges - nails and wood become a table; water and leaves become tea; fear, devotion, and a savior become God. This end product doesn't have an existence independent of its parts. Believing it truly exists independently is the greatest deception. Meanwhile parts have undergone a change. Just by meeting, their character has changed and, together, they have become something else - they are "compounded."

He realized that this applies not only to the human experience but to all matter, the entire world, the universe - because everything is interdependent, everything is subject to change. Not one component in all creation exists in an autonomous, permanent, pure state. Not the book you are holding, not atoms, not even the gods.

- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, from What Makes You not a Buddhist

Pride, ego and ignorance

2009-11-25T14:37:00.002+07:00

And I think the classic way of defining the ego is, at the end of the day, the only solution: Ignorance—which is the same as ego—is when you're looking at two, or more than two, ever-changing transitory things, and yet you think that they're one; you think they're independent and permanent. That is ignorance and that is ego.

For instance, if I look at my hand, I make three mistakes. One, I think it's the same hand I had this morning. But that's not true; it has changed. And two, I think there's something called “hand” when there actually isn't because it's a part of a lot of things—my veins, my skin, my blood, all kinds of things.

And then another mistake I make is not realizing that the existence of my hand actually depends on many things. For instance, the fact that the ceiling hasn't fallen on my hand is the reason why it's moving, why it's there. But I don't think in that way. I think my hand is there because my hand is there.

...because pride is thinking something that is not necessarily you. For instance, if I asked you, “Are you a man?” you would say, “Yes.” That is confidence, not pride. Now, if I ask, “Are you a superman?” and you say, “Yes,” that may be pride because “super” is only an adjective, and is not imputed. Pride, ego, and ignorance are all synonymous.

-Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche (excerpt of interview by Andrew Cohen)

Khyentse Rinpoche teaches in Bhutan

2009-11-24T20:59:00.002+07:00

From Kuenselonline
10 chapters for 400 devotees

Dzongsar Khentse Rinpoche completed a 4-year series of lessons on November 22

24 November, 2009 - His Eminence Dzongsar Jamyang Khentse Rinpoche gave teachings in English on ‘wisdom’ to about 400 Bhutanese devotees in Thimphu from November 20-22.

Wisdom is the 9th chapter of the Mahayana Buddhist text, Jangchub Sempai Chenjug (Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life). The text was written in Sanskrit verse by Gyalshey Zhiwala (Shantideva), a Buddhist monk at Nalanda university in India around 700 A.D.

Wisdom, Rinpoche explained, is a completely natural mind. The nature of wisdom is indestructible and so is emptiness. Emptiness, wisdom, nirvana, enlightenment and mind are synonymous and some of the components of wisdom are generosity, patience and honesty, he said.

Explaining the two kinds of truth in Buddhism, Rinpoche said that ultimate truth is that it does not exist on its own and that itself is emptiness. In relative truth there is existence of six realms: nirvana, etc.

Citing an example of owning a car in a dream, Rinpoche said relative truths are all illusions and therefore life is like a dream but the dreamer does not realise that they are dreaming. Relating the dream of a car, he said, wisdom has a capacity to understand and make sense of life.

Wisdom is within ourselves but we need to recognise it. How do we do so? By listening to essential instructions of the guru and following the vows of bodhisattvas.

Responding to a question by a particpant on the difference between wisdom and intelligence, Rinpoche said intelligence is being clever, smart and having the capacity to understand and memorise things easily, but wisdom has nothing to do with intelligence.

For example, a person, who neither gets hurt while being criticised nor carried away by praise, has wisdom.

Wisdom is also called non-dualistic mind. The cause of suffering is a dualistic mind, which has a tendency to think something is true when it is not.

We do not want suffering, but we are actually attached to the cause of suffering, said Rinpoche. Suffering does not only mean physical pain or misfortune, but also the suffering one has to go through to get money to buy a mobile phone, for instance. Then there is suffering to take care and protect the mobile phone from loss and damage.

To be happy is not the aim of Buddhism but the aim of beings. If you are looking for happiness, then you are looking for sufferings, said Rinpoche.

Dualistic minds see impermanence as permanent. We care for our body as if it will last forever. We care for our arms with moisturising creams, but how long will it continue? Wisdom is non-dualistic mind, the mind that really sees truth. All phenomena is like a dream and subject to change. Most of us today do not realise this and go on making money. Life is like a dewdrop on the grass, no matter how we try to fight off age. What we need to do is to realise this and be truthful, honest and kind to others, said Rinpoche.

Everything in life is determined by view. Views establish values. Bad views cause war, inflation and disharmony, while good views lead to Buddhahood. Of the nine views in Nyingma traditions, shame and fear of wrongdoing is the foundation of all Buddhist values.

The teaching of the Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life was started in 2005 on the request of Bhutanese devotees. The ten chapters of the text were completed on November 22. At the conclusion, Rinpoche said his dedication was for the wellbeing of the earth, its beings and the leaders of Bhutan and the Bhutanese.

By Tenzin Namgyel

What's your aim?

2009-11-23T03:34:00.002+07:00

What is your aim? What is your goal? Your goal is supposedly to see all the worldly value has no value. Now if you have that kind of view, if you have that kind of aim, then a teacher, a genuine teacher who breaks all this pride, crushes your pride makes this worldly life completely miserable, is something that you ask for.

- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Transcribed from The Words of my Perfect Teacher

Life as Cinema

2009-11-21T14:40:00.003+07:00

Source: Landmark Theaters

Life As Cinema

- by Khyentse Norbu, director of Travellers & Magicians

Let us imagine that we are born in a cinema and all we know is this screen in front of us.

We do not recognize that we are looking at a film and that the events in the movie have no true existence. Everything we perceive on that screen–love, hatred, aggression, suspense, thrills–are in fact just the effect of a projection of light through film. But no one tells us this. We are sitting there watching, fixated on the film. If somebody tries to divert our attention, we say, “shut up!” We are so engrossed. Yet we are blind to the futility aspect of this projection.

But if somebody in the next seat suddenly tells us: “Look, this is just a film. This is not real. This is not really happening. This is really only a projection,” then there is a possibility we may realize that it is essenceless.

This does not mean that we get up and leave the cinema. We can now relax, and simply watch the intensity, the love affairs, the suspense of the crimes, or whatever is going on. If we are confident that this is merely a projection, we know we can rewind or fast-forward or leave whenever we like, or watch a double feature. Sometimes a sequence in the movie can overwhelm our emotions. A tragic part might hit our soft spot. We now know that this is not a real thing, not a big deal. Until we see that this projection has no inherent existence we will be carried away, seduced by all the glory and beauty of this world, by apparent success and failure. Which is not to say that once we see the truth of the projection, we run off to Nepal or India, and become a monk or nun. We may still keep our job, wear a tie and a suit, and still go with a briefcase to our office every day. But somewhere inside us we know that this is essenceless.

Now, it could happen that we don’t hear the person in the next seat whispering, “Hey, this is just a film,” because we are too engrossed. Maybe there is a big car crash in the movie, or loud music, so we do not hear the message. Or we might hear the whisper but our ego interprets this information so that we remain confused, believing something in the movie is true. What does that mean? That means we lack merit. Without merit, we are like an illiterate beggar who wins a multi-million dollar lottery but does not know what to do with such wealth and loses it immediately.

If we have the merit to hear the whisper, then as Buddhists we have different options. In Theravada and Hinayana Buddhism we leave the movie hall, or close our eyes, so we are not carried away by the movie. We put an end to our suffering in this way. In the Mahayana, we understand that the movie is not real, that it is a projection and empty, and we do not suffer. We don’t stop watching the movie, but we see it has no inherent existence. Moreover, we are concerned about the others in the cinema. Finally, in the Vajrayana, we know it is just a movie, we are not fooled, and we enjoy the show. The more emotion the movie evokes in us, the more we appreciate the brilliance of the production, and the more we share our insights with our fellow viewers.

People ask: “What are the similarities between teaching and directing?” I can say there is a big difference and yet it can be very similar. It all depends on the motivation. I could be teaching dharma purely for worldly gain and in that case I might as well ride in a limousine half-doped like some directors do. But the question still comes up: “You are a Buddhist lama, why do you make film?” This question is a bit puzzling. It indicates to me that from certain standpoints this work is viewed as almost sacrilegious, like I am breaking some kind of holy rule. At the same time, I understand. People automatically associate film with money, sex and violence because there are so many such films coming out of Hollywood and Bollywood.

But if only they had access to films by the likes of Ozu, Satyajit Ray, Antonioni, people would understand that filmmaking doesn’t have to be like that. In fact it is a tool. Film is a medium and Buddhism is a science. You can be a scientist and you can be a filmmaker, a salesperson or a politician at the same time.

DJK Rinpoche performing Fire Puja

2009-11-19T14:49:00.004+07:00

Photo uploaded on Flickr by Ronai Rocha

Rinpoche's Interview with Filmmaker magazine

2009-11-19T01:26:00.006+07:00

Once Upon a time in Bhuan

Source: Filmmaker Magazine, 1/26/2005

Bari Pearlman speaks with Khyentse Norbu, director of Travellers and Magicians, the first film ever to be shot in Bhutan.

Tshewang Dendup and Sonam Lhamo in Travellers and Magicians. PHOTOS: CATHERINE RYAN.

With his first film The Cup, filmmaker Khyentse Norbu offered us a refreshing and inspired glimpse into the inner workings of a Tibetan monastery and its relationship with the burgeoning modern world around it. Known also as His Eminence Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, he is one of the most important incarnate Lamas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and The Cupreflected his personal experience as both a young monk and as a�spiritual leader in�the larger world. With his follow-up, Travellers and Magicians,Khyentse Norbu again turns his lens on a corner of the world few have seen, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The first film every to be shot there, it was a challenge for the filmmaker and his crew, but one that resulted in a thoughtful and resonant work. Travellers and Magicians explores themes of longing and ambition through the eyes of Dondup, a well-educated young government official in a remote rural village who dreams of a life in America but falls for a beautiful local girl, and the cautionary tale-within-a tale told by a monk he encounters on his journey.

Zeitgeist Films will release Travellers and Magicians on Friday, January 28 at the Quad Theater in New York and the Nu Art in Los Angeles. For additional cities, visit the film's website.

FILMMAKER: The film weaves together two stories — the main story of a Bhutanese man traveling to a neighboring village in hopes of meeting someone to take him to America, and then the story that a monk he is stranded with tells about a magician. Which of these stories was your impetus for writing the film?

LAMA KHYENTSE NORBU: Dondup, the main character, came first. I always wanted to make a film about Bhutan, to bring Bhutan to the rest of the world. And I thought the best way to do that was to make a road movie. And there is this phenomenon of waiting for a ride that is very much the truth of life in Bhutan, especially the rural part. Also, I was inspired by a Japanese writer, Yasunari Kawabata, whose short story "Izuni Odoriko," is about a boy who is infatuated with a dancer girl on the road. So I mixed it all together. And then the monk's story is a well-known Buddhist fable.

FILMMAKER: It seemed that maybe there was something in the idea of storytelling itself that was at play here. Is that a Bhutanese tradition?

NORBU: Right. That's what they do when they wait for a ride, not just for hours, but days. Cars are very scarce, so they just camp by the roadside and picnic and wait. And instead of getting impatient and edgy, they tell stories. That always happens, and it was an inspiration for me to make a film about it.

FILMMAKER: Why did you make the monk the storyteller?

NORBU: Buddhism plays a very important role in Bhutan. And for us it is not a religion, it is a science, a truth. Truth is always sort of irritating, no one wants to hear truth. So I decided to portray the monk as slightly irritating, butting in all the time. And yet, what he is saying makes sense. He uses the story to question Dondup about going somewhere else, to a life somewhere else. He says, maybe the grass is greener on this side, there's this beautiful country, this beautiful girl. Why do you have to go to America?

FILMMAKER: But yet, in the story he tells, the magician's downfall happens when he falls in love with another man's wife. That leads to the murder and death and suffering that follow. So is he saying that if Dondup stays behind and falls in love with the young woman, he would also fall into some desirous and destructive relationship? Isn't it really two choices of the same thing in the end?

NORBU: Mainly what the monk was saying is that fantasy should be understood only as a fantasy. Fantasy should not be taken as a reality. As long as you do that, you're fine.

FILMMAKER: One thing I appreciated so much about your previous film The Cup, and also this one, is your depiction of monks. Many westerners think of monks as very ascetic and quiet and lacking personality. The monks in your films are full of personality and are working through the same things as everyone else. But it raises the question of how the monk's engagement in storytelling, or your engagement in filmmaking, which are both entertaining and diversionary activities, reconcile themselves against a Buddhist spiritual life in which you are dedicated to working against ego?

NORBU: I think that is not a challenge that happens only in the film industry. In fact, it can happen more viciously in the spiritual world, and I say viciously because it can come in disguise as a spiritual thing, what we call spiritual materialism. I could stick with my main profession of being a Tibetan Lama, and do it with a totally worldly and materialistic motivation disguised as spirituality. And that would be worse. Being a Tibetan master, or this or that, is very much ego-enriching too. Long before I made films, I had to play the "god" role. Fame and attention were there even before I became a filmmaker, so not much has changed. In fact, what little spiritual practice and experience that I have had, have helped me to not go overboard, not become too paranoid and arrogant. So far!

FILMMAKER: You were a consultant to Bernardo Bertolucci when he made Little Buddha, and even had a bit part in the film. I wonder what you think of that film, or Martin Scorsese's Kundun, or Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog, or even more recently I Heart Huckabees, in terms of how those directors used film to grapple with spiritual themes and questions.

NORBU: You know, it seems people don't have time to read books. People don't have time to meditate. I guess people have a little bit of time to watch a film. And in that regard, film can play an important role in invoking an inner truth for yourself. So I think these films are very good, and it is a pity that people don't go and watch them. People like watching the same body, they want to watch Tom Hanks in different hats, so it's difficult.

FILMMAKER: You chose to work with an American cinematographer, Alan Kozlowski. Was this a new experience for him?

NORBU: Yeah, we had a lot of disagreements. In a nice way. I like to think of myself as being influenced by Ozu. I don't like moving so much. And Alan really likes moving. But I appreciated that. A little bit of movement is good, and I learned a lot from that. For me, I guess I have a lot of Asian influence — Asian art, Asian thinking. I like a static camera and everything happens there in front of it rather than the camera following the actor. So we shot many different ways, and the editors chose the final shots.

FILMMAKER: There was a sort of intangible quality to the forest scenes. What special technique did you use for those scenes?

NORBU: I did a slightly different color grading, so that it has a dreamlike color.

FILMMAKER: The color was almost bluish-green.

NORBU: Yes, and we did some vignetting.

FILMMAKER: Was it difficult filming in the forest area?

NORBU: Everywhere! You know, it's a hard place to work and non-Bhutanese, coming from the west, are not used to climbing mountains. And there are no 5-star hotels, no hot showers. And when you have to work very intensively, even a hot shower helps [laughs]. And many challenging things happened. There were no rushes to watch. There was no electricity. The camera fell in the middle of shooting. It looked like it was still working, but there was no way to know, and the nearest place to test it was Australia. I spent three weeks just going to check on the camera.

FILMMAKER: Did you consider using a local cameraman?

NORBU: Well, I didn't have much choice. There are no good Bhutanese cameramen, but if I had the choice, I would have chosen one.

FILMMAKER: Isn't Tshewang Dendup, who plays Dondup in the film, a cameraman?

NORBU: Yes. I think he finished his degree in journalism at U.C. Berkeley. And that was in fact how I met him. I was performing a public ceremony with 1,000 people, and he was covering it for the Bhutan Broadcasting Service. He was taking a photo of me, and I said, "You. Come here. I need you." And he's so funny, so energetic, constant laughter all the time on the set. So I think he enjoyed the experience. He never complained.

FILMMAKER: I very much enjoyed his performance, but how did his transition to the other side of the camera go? As someone who actually understood production, I can only imagine he would have a certain self-consciousness.

NORBU: All of the actors were new and they didn't have any reference points for understanding the process. I don't think any of them really worried about how they looked. They are not self-conscious. If they have any worries, it's about remembering their next line, or their next mark. And even there, I gave them a lot of freedom to perform. I would say, I want to say something like this, but you choose the way you say it, the dialogue.

FILMMAKER: And they just had to stick to the story.

NORBU: As much as possible. But a lot of them didn't know the story. Just on the spot.

FILMMAKER: Was there a script?

NORBU: There was, but many people — like the old man — they don't know how to read. And it doesn't make sense explaining the whole story as it would just confuse them. Then they might have tried to "become" someone, and I thought that could be a hindrance.

FILMMAKER: So the old man is an apple seller in real life?

NORBU: Yes, a real apple seller. And the old husband in the forest is a souvenir seller. You know, scheduling and call sheets are not really in the Bhutanese genes. And you know, the old husband, he just disappeared, went off to buy a few things — for a few weeks! Which actually worked for me. Saved some money. In his death scene, originally you were supposed to see him dying. Now you just hear him inside. Because he wasn't there to shoot and we couldn't afford to wait.

FILMMAKER: And what about the crew? Did you have any Bhutanese people helping with the production?

NORBU: There are some professional electricians and sound recorders. But I was too nervous to appoint them as the key crew. So the key crew was all from the United States, Australia, Hong Kong.

FILMMAKER: But then there was the opportunity for mentoring and teaching. Did you get the sense that they might continue to try to make films?

NORBU: I think so. But the thing is, it costs a lot so it's almost unrealistic.

FILMMAKER: What about video?

NORBU: Oh yeah, that's already happening a lot.

FILMMAKER: You chose to use the official Bhutanese language of Dzongkha instead of the local dialects the actors used normally.

NORBU: Most of them sort of speak Dzongkha, and we had a good dialogue coach to help them. And by the way, Sonam Kinga, the dialogue coach, ended up playing the monk. Because more and more as I looked at him coaching, I thought he should play the monk.

FILMMAKER: So like in The Cup, you worked with all non-actors?

NORBU: No choice. In fact, I worried that I wouldn't know how to direct professional actors. I would be very intimidated.

FILMMAKER: And have your actors returned to their lives as they were before they participated in your film?

NORBU: Oh yeah, naturally, because what else can they do? There is no film industry. For example, Sonam Llamo, who plays the young girl Sonam in the film, is in school in New Mexico right now.

FILMMAKER: How was this film received in Bhutan?

NORBU: Well, except [in Bhutan] that there's a little too much Bollywood influence. It's all they know. So they were a little surprised that there were no songs [laughs]. But also maybe some of them, especially the filmmakers, were encouraged that one can make a film about simple stories, such as waiting for a ride. You don't have to have a very big drama.

FILMMAKER: What role can art play in opening up the Bhutanese people and others like them to new ideas, and do you consider yourself to be an artist who can do that?

NORBU: I hope so. Art, poetry, all of that, is kind of a surrealistic language that we know. I hope to make something beautiful or attractive enough so that the next generation can look to it and have some kind of sense or feeling of what Bhutan has been, and then from there they can go wherever they like. Bhutan is changing. Already we have television and films. We have our first 5-star hotels. We don't have McDonald's and Starbucks yet, but they will come.

FILMMAKER: What do you think is the best and the worst that the Bhutanese will take from this influx?

NORBU: It will open Bhutanese minds, which is definitely important. It might disturb the environment. It might disturb different values. So there are both good and bad aspects to it.

FILMMAKER: By the same token, what does the outside world stand to gain from having a glimpse of Bhutan?

NORBU: Just that it exists. That is important. Because like Tibet, it can be swallowed by someone else and never known. Bhutan is landlocked between the two most populated and fasted growing nations. It has no chance to remain like this forever. The Bhutanese must expect that they will have to change. But if we can change a little bit on our own terms, that is better.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche at Santa Barbara

2009-11-17T15:17:00.001+07:00

From: drukpakinley

Dakinis offering Dedication prayers on the final day of Sera Khandro Empowerments bestowed by H.E. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche at Santa Barbara, California, USA, August 2008

The Essence of retreat

2009-11-15T18:40:00.000+07:00

From: Siddhartha's Intent

"The essence of retreat is setting up a boundary--and we are not actually talking about a physical boundary, but we are talking about a boundary of time, setting up a boundary between past and future, which ideally means we remain in presentness.

"To remain in the present is what Buddhists call mindfulness, becoming more aware of yourself in your surroundings."

--Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

Our Basic Insecurity

2009-11-14T00:13:00.002+07:00

Source: Gentle Voice Archive, August 1997, Siddhartha's Intent

Our Basic Insecurity

by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

In many countries and on many occasions Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has taught about shamatha or "calm abiding" meditation as a means to stabilise and focus our minds. Here is an excerpt from the shamatha teaching he gave in Sydney, Australia.

To begin with we must find the reason why we're doing shamatha meditation. Basically, we're doing it so that we can gain a certain control over ourselves. This means that we have no control over ourselves right now. And out of the many different problems that we face, I think one of the fundamental anxieties or sufferings that we experience is that there's a basic insecurity within us. And that insecurity is what we need to destroy or at least understand.
The basic insecurity that we have is about our identity. And more specifically than that, we have this insecurity about whether there's such a thing as "I" or "the self". Now we may not ask this question normally, but we do pose this question unconsciously or semi-consciously all the time. The Buddhist reason for having such insecurity within us is that if we go on checking our life, especially our day-to-day life, we'll realise that there's doubt about our existence. For instance, we introduce ourselves to someone by saying "I'm so and so". We may print our names on cards or we may try to achieve a certain promotion or a certain title. And more subtly than that we experience all sorts of extreme emotions like passion and aggression. All these are actually more than a person becoming passionate or angry at someone else. The cause of all this aggression and passion is the need to convince ourselves that the self exists, that I do exist.
But still it doesn't help. Still we're constantly insecure. So out of this insecurity we create lots of false hope and expectations. And millions of expectations aren't really fulfilled. Indeed, we often also experience what we don't expect. In fact, what we don't expect seems to happen all the time. And when this keeps on repeating itself, then people begin to lose respect for themselves, begin to lose respect for the environment, and there's no trust. So that's why, for many of us, having a sacred outlook towards someone or something is so difficult to achieve. There's no sacred outlook towards ourselves. There's no certainty. Let's not even talk about a sacred outlook as being something to do with religion, like God or pure soul or anything like that. We're not even sure of our own existence. We're always in doubt. Even though, of course, we do pretend a lot of the time that we exist.
But somehow we're quite intelligent. We know that we're pretending and we want to cover that up. We don't want to admit to ourselves that we're pretending. And to cover it up we do extreme things like maybe have an affair or yell at someone. And when you go through that kind of extreme emotion, it gives you a certain satisfaction that you do exist. And you live your life with this sort of shallow satisfaction all the time. But it doesn't actually give you stable confidence in yourself.
And then we begin to lose our appreciation of life... I think we should develop a certain appreciation of our life. When I talk about appreciation of life, it includes everything. For example, as I eat this biscuit and it goes down my throat, I should actually feel, "Wow! Incredible! It's so good that I can actually eat a little bit of biscuit. That's amazing!" You see, it may never happen. For example, while I'm chewing this biscuit, while it's melting in my mouth, suddenly this roof may collapse and I may die. This biscuit may never go down my throat! It's so important to develop this appreciation of our life. And shamatha meditation is one key, a very special key, to developing this appreciation.
So we have two goals now. Through the meditation we build a certain confidence, in other words, eliminate that basic insecurity that we have, and we learn how to appreciate our moment-by-moment life. This isn't really Buddhism, it's a very human thing to do. You can't say that this is a religion. In fact, many shamatha meditation masters often say that the aim of shamatha meditation isn't necessarily to gain enlightenment in the sense of getting rid of all sorts of emotions and reaching the stage where you completely abandon all sorts of dualistic phenomena. The aim of shamatha meditation has nothing to do with that. The aim of it, as I was saying earlier, is to gain control over ourselves. And by gaining that control, we gain a certain confidence and appreciate our life moment by moment, day by day.

Long Life Prayer for Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

2009-11-09T16:46:00.002+07:00

Source: Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar

Om svasti!
Dance of wisdom and love, sovereign of the entire Buddhist teaching
The great Dharma-ocean of the transmission and realization of the profound and vast,
You have mastered through hearing, reflecting, and meditating.
Supreme incarnation, may your aspiration be fulfilled, and may your life and activity be infinite.

Composed by Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Dear Rinpoche's favorite director

2009-11-08T02:47:00.002+07:00

Yasujirō Ozu (小津安二郎 Ozu Yasujirō^?, 12 December 1903 – 12 December 1963) was a prominent Japanese film director and script writer. He is known for his distinctive technical style, developed since the silent era. Marriage and family, especially the relationship between the generations, are among the most persistent themes in his body of work.

If you have time to watch (free to watch), here is Ozu's

Floating Weeds - Ukigusa
(1959) - Color - 119 min

Starring - Ganjiro Nakamura as Master Komajuro Arashi, Hiroshi Kawaguchi as Kiyoshi Homma, Machiko Kyo as Sumiko, Ayako Wakao as Kayo, Hikaru Hoshi as Kimura, Haruko Sugimura as Oyoshi, Haruo Tanaka as Yatazo, Yosuke Irie as Sugiyama, Hitomi Nozoe as Aiko,
Directed by - Yasujiro Ozu

Rinpoche's Podcast: Volumes 4 and 5: Parting from the Four Attachments

2009-11-06T20:03:00.002+07:00

published on March 30, 2008

30 August, 2008

Recorded in Tsechen Kunchab Ling, Walden, New York. Download Volume 4 [28Mb, 48:56 minutes] and Volume 5 [56.9MB, 1 hour 39 minutes] of the podcast as mp3 files.

Click to listen (Note: you will be directed to Siddhartha's Intent)

The cup half full/half empty?

2009-11-04T21:16:00.002+07:00

Source: Elsewhere

FILM DIRECTOR KHYENTSE NORBU INTERVIEWED: The cup half full/half empty?

There is a wry scene halfway through The Cup, the debut feature by Bhutanese film maker Khyentse Norbu. In a remote Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas, novice monks are obsessed with the World Cup soccer competition. An older monk, Geko, attempts to explain it to his abbot, who's bemused by the idea of two nations fighting over a ball. But the abbot wants to know what they get by winning.

"A cup," says Geko.

The abbot cradles his teacup in his hands and considers this. He and Geko nod silently, barely able to suppress smiles.

It is a telling, typically understated scene in a movie which is unexpectedly humorous and irreverent, yet carries deeper messages just below its gently beguiling surface.

Yes, director Norbu laughs quietly, soccer might be an unexpected theme from a man considered an incarnation of a famous 19th-century Tibetan spiritual leader who goes by the ecclesiastical title His Eminence Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche.

But many years ago he learned novices were slipping out to watch soccer on television in the nearby village. He grappled then with an explanation to his abbot. Two countries fighting over a ball? For a cup?

He still sounds amused by it.

At one level The Cup is a shrewd, light comedy about youthful indiscipline and enthusiasm (a soccer-crazy young monk wears his Ronaldo T-shirt beneath his robes). But it is also a small film about big ideas, notably the schism between the traditional and the modern, and contrasts are drawn between the young novices and the even less worldly Tibetans who arrive at the lamasery.

The Cup depicts the reality of a contemporary lamasery where monks wear sunglasses and young boys graffiti walls with soccer slogans, as high-spirited as any pre-teens in a Western boarding school. The film maintains a delicate balance between storytelling and metaphor, although Norbu says a movie with a message was not his original intention.

"But as I was shooting and writing, I realised I could also take advantage of sending a message, one to fellow Tibetans or Bhutanese, saying modernisation is not a threat and we could use it for a good purpose.

"And the other was to the world in general and people in the West who have certain preconceptions about Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism. They think [Tibetan Buddhists] don't eat or sleep probably, or watch television. That's not true and I think it's important people realise the human side of these people."

Norbu is clearer about Tibet's future than Westerners, who have some misty-eyed perception of it as a spiritual Shangri-La frozen in some imagined utopian past.

He says it's important for those in Tibet and Bhutan - which only got limited local television a decade ago - to be in touch with the modern world. Modernisation and technology is not a threat. With the right attitude and motivation you can use them for your own benefit. They become a threat when you lose your own values, get too attracted to them and put too much value on consumerism.

He believes it is necessary for Bhutan to cautiously embrace new ideas such as film and television because it cannot afford to romanticise itself. After all, it sits between the opposing powers of China and India.

Born in Bhutan in 1961, Norbu was raised and educated in nearby Sikkim. He continued studies in Bhutan and India and his interest in film dates from seeing television at age 13. He acquired an apprenticeship under Bernardo Bertolucci when the Italian director was making Little Buddha.

Since that experience Norbu watched and studied films, notably those by Indian director Satyajit Ray, whom he admires. But when making his own feature debut he was mindful of the social climate in which he would have to work.

"Generally, everyone was very cooperative because more and more people realise film language is an important one to speak. There are some conservative people who might have had a bit of doubt.

"Many people around that region think film has always to do with sex and violence and I cannot blame them, because that's what they see, from Hollywood or India. If only they could see films like Ingmar Bergman's Seventh Seal they would change their minds," he says, adding his hope that his effort will encourage young Tibetans, especially in the exile communities of Europe, to make their own stories.

He hasn't had any criticism from Tibetan communities for the film - which depicts a drunken old lama - but admits, "I'm considered a Rinpoche, a high-ranking lama, so maybe behind my back there is back-biting - but that's okay."

The Cup won acclaim at film festivals including Cannes, but for Norbu the applause is fleeting. While he expects to make another film, he is hoping to finish promotion for this one, then go on a retreat.

"This is very new and has all the tendencies to corrupt, and I'd better be careful. Just like in the film, I am a normal human being, but probably I have more information about worldly life.

"But the power of fame and attention is very intoxicating, and intoxication is strange, because before you know it, you are already there."

So might it have been better not to have pursued this film-making path?

Not at all, that would have been an extreme response - and the Middle Path is always encouraged in Buddhism, he laughs wryly.

"If you withdraw, you are escaping. But escaping does not necessarily mean you are free, it just means you are escaping."

Added: 26 Jun 09

An Aspiration to Protect the World Environment

2009-11-03T02:17:00.003+07:00

Source: Ecological Buddhism

An Aspiration to Protect the World Environment
by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Let us make offerings to the Three Precious Jewels, the Ocean of Conquerors,
And especially to Guru (Padmasambhava) Nangsi Zilnon*,
Sublime Avalokiteshvara, and venerable Cintamanicakra (Tara),
Who are our allies in this degenerate age!

Let us seek refuge in them!
May they crush the egotism and unlimited avarice that are our mighty foes
in this degenerate age!

Above all, may individuals recognize that it is their greatest personal responsibility to implement the protection of the world’s environment!
Grant your blessings that, having recognized this, from this day on they can practice whatever they preach, without voicing mere empty words!

If and when, starting from today,
This writer pledges not to keep tap water running while brushing his teeth,
Grant your blessings that this may come to pass!

Written by the commoner Khyentse Norbu

* A splendid form of Guru Rinpoche

About the translator
Dr Gyurme Dorje has been a Tibetan scholar for over 40 years. His published works (author, translator, co-editor, or contributor) include the Tibet Handbook,The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History,Tibetan Medical Paintings, Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings, Bhutan,andThe Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's Podcast: How to Accumulate Merit

2009-11-02T02:44:00.006+07:00

Volume 8: How to Accumulate Merit

published on August 25, 2008

25 August, 2008

Recorded in Mahabodhi Society of USA, Cupertino, California. Click here to go to Siddhartha's Intent website to listen online, or download [64M] the podcast as an mp3 file. 1 hour 50 minutes. Please note: this is a field recording of low fidelity.

Recorded Teachings of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

2009-10-30T21:16:00.003+07:00

From/Source: Siddhartha's Intent

Recorded Teachings of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and other teachers available from Siddhartha's Intent International Vancouver, Canada

To support the teaching activities of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and to continue to make the recordings of his teachings available, we request donations as indicated below.

Introduction -- Please Review Before Ordering

Once you complete your order, you will receive a detailed PayPal receipt via e-mail.

If you order downloadable MP3 recordings, you will also receive an e-mail from webmaster@siddharthasintent.org with download instructions, including your username and password. This message will go to the same e-mail address as the PayPal receipt. If you do not receive this message within 24 hours of your order, please check your SPAM folder before contacting vancouver@siddharthasintent.org.

Please direct all inquiries regarding any unlisted recorded teachings to vancouver@siddharthasintent.org.

To order click here

Words of my perfect teacher

2009-10-30T01:34:00.002+07:00

An (ir)reverent portrait of Dzongsar Khyentse Norbu Rinpoche

a film by Lesley Ann Patten
Featuring Bernardo Bertolucci and Steven Seagal
And music by Sting
produced by Lesley Ann Patten for ZIJI Film & Television Ltd., and Kent Martin for The National Film Board of Canada
Canada - Color - 103 min - 35mm - Digital Surround Sound

Synopsis

From the streets of London and New York to the World Cup in Germany to the mystical mountain kingdom of Bhutan, Words of My Perfect Teacher follows three students on a quest for spiritual enlightenment. Buddhism teaches that to walk the path toward true enlightenment you must have a teacher. These students are ready to be taught the path, there is only one small snag: their teacher.

Meet Dzongsar Khyentse Norbu Rinpoche. He may be one of the world’s most eminent Buddhist teachers, but it’s a job description he slyly rejects at every turn. A citizen of the world and as fascinated by soccer and filmmaking, Dzongsar Khyentse constantly confounds all attempts at easy categorization.

Read Words of my perfect teacher Press book for full synopsis, Cast of Characters, filmmakers etc. @ International Film Circuit, Inc.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

The Wild and True Story of Khyentse Foundation

Khyentse Rinpoche’s new feature Casting and others

The passing of Khandro Tsering Chodron

From: chronicleproject.com

My Vital Advice

The following photos sent by Serena Yang

Shangri-la maybe the problem

[VIDEO] Rinpoche Explaining Lhatsun Namkai Jigme

[VIDEO] Rinpoche's interview with BBSTV

[VIDEO] Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Speaking about Gene Smith

THE FEBRUARY COMMUNIQUÉ: CHINA

Vara – preview of Jamyang Kyentse Rinpoche’s new film

Rinpoche's interview with Kuensel

Teaching Schedule, February-May 2011

The Four Seals of Dharma and Seeing Anew

Support Deer Park Institute, India

Dhih

Dharma Nada

The Namgyalma Mantra

The wealth of being natural

Rinpoche on the Future of Dharma in the West

The six fondness

THE SIX FONDNESSES

Rinpoche talks about relationships, profession and hobbies.

Rinpoche in France, 2010

Rinpoche on the Core purpose of the Khyentse Foundation

H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's 100th Anniversary Celebration

Hong Kong, 9th & 10th October 2010

BLHP Now Opens for Translation Grant Applications!

Rinpoche in Russia

6

Rinpoche’s teachings in pdf

You can request Rinpoche’s teachings on

Wisdom - DJKR

DJKR Teaching schedule

Relics on display

Remembering Dilgo Khyentse

Many Questions, Few Answers

Volunteer English Teachers Needed for Dzongsar Shedra in India

Tribute to Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro

What is ‘Khyentse’?

Heart Advice

RInpoche’s pilgrimage in Sri Lanka

Prayer for Rinpoche’s Long life

Manjushri – the wisdom Buddha

Losar Podcast

Visit of H.H. Sakya Trizin - London 2010

Source: Dechen: Sakya and Kargyu Buddhism

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s teaching schedule

Wisdom and Compassion

Some old photos of Rinpoche

Preview of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's New Book

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Source: shechen.org

Childhood

Life in Exile

Contributions to Buddhist Tradition and Culture Preservation

A Message from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

After three years of nothing, let’s party – an excerpt

Rinpoche’s address to Khyentse Foundation board

Do nothing

Online Art Auction to Benefit Lotus Outreach

Projecting the Dharma

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

He was born in 1893 at Rekhe Ajam near Kathok Monastery in eastern Tibet, south of Derge. His father was Gyurme Tsewang Gyatso of Amdo and was considered to be a tantric master. His mother was Tsultrim Tso.

Later Life and Death

Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo

Dudjom Rinpoche on Tobacco

What Buddha Found

Pride, ego and ignorance

Khyentse Rinpoche teaches in Bhutan

What's your aim?

Life as Cinema

DJK Rinpoche performing Fire Puja

Rinpoche's Interview with Filmmaker magazine

Once Upon a time in Bhuan

Bari Pearlman speaks with Khyentse Norbu, director of Travellers and Magicians, the first film ever to be shot in Bhutan.

An Aspiration to Protect the World Environment
by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche