Stefan's adventures in Nepal and Trulshik Rinpoche's passing

My friend Stefan just recently started studying at the renowned Rangjung Yeshe shedra, which is kind of a mix between a traditional Tibetan shedra and a modern university. As you might know Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche is the mastermind behind a lot of it.

Stefan wrote a short story about his arrival and the first weeks of his study, which I thought some of you might enjoy to read [with his permission]. Here are some excerpts and also a short video about the passing away of Trulshik Rinpoche

Kathmandu, the studies begin:
The next days I was just filling out endless papers handing in 8 passport pictures :-) and trying to find accommodation in Bouddha. Luckily everything went well and I didn't face any major troubles. To my surprise the Bouddha Stupa was half green when I arrived covered with algae and smelling a little bit like old water. Apparently I rained for about a week before I arrived.

The program that is offered at the Rangjung Yeshe Shedra (RYS) is pretty amazing. I've 4 classes 5 days a week from 8 am till 12.30. Every morning starting with Colloquial Tibetan. For this class we have two teacher an American and a Tibetan. In addition to that we have so called “Drill classes” in which we repeat what a teacher tells us in Tibetan and language partner sessions with local Tibetans that have a basic training of explaining the language to foreigners.
Then I've History of Buddhism in Asia, Philosophy class in which we're studying the Bodhicharyavatara together with the commentary by Khenpo Kunpal and Classical Tibetan. I'm happy that I had Tibetan before, because we're going quite quickly through all the grammar.

One of my language partners, Drolkar-la offered me to stay with her, when she heard that I'm still looking for accommodation. So I'm currently living together with a Tibetan family almost in front of the gates to the White Gompa (RYS). I try my best to practice speaking Tibetan with them everyday and they offer me breakfast and dinner. My accommodation is quite cosy and I enjoy staying with them.

Never have so many westerners come to the RYS before, then this year. (Also a few Nepalis and Tibetans are studying with us.) I think we're about 100 students and in some classes in the beginning up to 40 students were sitting in one classroom. Not all of them are there for the BA or MA program, many are visiting students from all over the world and stay for maybe 3 months. So we're quite a mixed group from all over the world. The atmosphere is also good, because I assume students who just wanna have fun and are not interested in studying at all, wouldn't come to a country like Nepal. Thats why I would say that most of the students are open to new experiences and new cultures. Therefore it's also not so difficult to talk about more personal stuff, like spiritual background and so on with many of them. I'm surprised though, because a lot of students are not Buddhist and are quite new to what Buddhism has to offer.

My days I often spend practicing in the morning. Then going to all the classes, have lunch, then a short rest followed by studying till late afternoon or dinner mostly I do that while sitting in one of the many cafes around the Stupa having a nice cup of tea at the same time. At the weekend I usually do something with my friends.

Two weeks ago we went up to Nagi Gompa, had tea with several nuns with whom I became friends, talking a lot and showing everybody the Yumka Dechen Gyalmo recording from 3 months ago. It was a fun trip and my friend, who is a student from Boston college enjoyed it very much as well.
He is quite curios about Buddhism and so we spent most of the time discussing the idea of emptiness :-) and other issues. He is always curios about comparing it with the ideas Ekard Tolle wrote in his books.

Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche:
Unfortunately as many of you probably know, Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche past away some time ago. (I forgot the exact date). Since last Monday everybody was allowed to come and visit his Kudung to pay their respect. Rinpoche lived in a monastery called Situpala, that is still in the progress of being built near Swayambunath. I heard so far that they will keep his body there for 49 days and then bring it to his main monastery in Solu Kumphu, where it will be kept for one more year. We visited his Kudung twice. The last time was really special, because Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche invited us all to come with him instead of giving his usual Saturday talk. So on Saturday around 9 am we left Bouddha with 4 buses, around 100 students (not only of the Shedra) went on the trip. The buses of course couldn't make it all the way up the steep hill so we had to walk the rest up.
We queued about 30 Minutes and to our surprise not only CN Rinpoche was there but also Dudjom Rinpoche Yangsi, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Chokling Rinpoche, Phakchok Rinpoche and his wife. So it turned out to become a whole gathering of great masters. Afterwards CNR gave a shot talk about Trulshik Rinpoche and invited us to come with him visiting another monastery called Druk Amitabha, that is a 10 minute walk away from Situpala.

[A short movie including some of Rinpoche's remarks can be seen here: Pilgrimage to the Kudung of Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche ]

Druk Amitabha is mind blowing, its more like a paradise for retreat, it looks like a park built on a hill top. The air is free and clean flowers are everywhere. A huge Tsokje Dorje Statue in the main Tsuklhakang and a big Amitabha statue built on the highest point.

Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso:
Thanks to my friends I found out a while ago, that Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso is currently living in Bouddha. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso is as far as I know one of the main Khenpos of the Kagyü Lineage. Teacher of the 17th Karmapa and also of Dzogchen Pönlop Rinpoche. I don't know why but before nobody was allowed to see him. Now he is available again for short audiences in the morning. So anyway we went in a small group to get a blessing for our studies. We were asked not to ask him any questions. I've to say hes quite special and reminded me a little bit of Khandrola. He seems to be beyond this world and from time to time moves his arms through the air similarly then when you do debate :-). Can't really describe it but there is a lot of humor in it. Apparently I also heard that you shouldn't ask him any questions, because the only answer he gives is meditate on emptiness :-). Don't know though, whether thats exactly true, but when my friend couldn't hold back and said, that he had lung problems and what to do about it. Khen Rinpoche replied “Meditate on the illusory appearance of all phenomena.”

sayön – earthquake:
Probably you heard about it. We had an earthquake on Sunday evening around 18.00. The epicenter was close to Gangtok in Sikkim and 6.8. Everybody could feel it although KTM is about 270 km away from Gangtok. Luckily nothing happened except that the earth was shaking for about 20 seconds. After the earthquake whole of Bouddha was on the streets, discussing, texting and phoning friends. People got quite scared an we had an earthquake meeting on Monday. We're all hoping that this was it at least for a while and we won't face any stronger ones soon.

All my love and many greetings from KTM

True self

from gentlevoice.org

Summer retreats at Lerab Ling

After a short pitstop in Holland, it was time for the anual Lerab Ling summer retreats again, and needles to say there is a lot of work in relation to them. Here the writing team members, who put together the notes for Rinpoche's teaching, are sitting in the front of the temple, prepared for anything Rinpoche might ask for.

Then according to tradition, at the end of the retreat we are treated with some entertainment and thank you speeches and songs. This year some creative Rigpa youth members composed a jazz song to thank Sogyal Rinpoche for his teachings on meditation. ( See the Rigpa youth blog for a short video of the song)

But there are breaks as well, and the breaks where used by some for for a litle bit of physical activity.


My job involved as usual, along wiht many other things, supplying the visiting monks and lama's with tibetan books.


Then during a slightly more advanced retreat, we had the great fortune of having the great learned and accomplished master Orgyan Tobgyal Rinpoche expound on the topics of the profound and vast Vajrayana, with no less then Sogyal Rinpoche himself translating, being assisted by Gyurme and Marcia. [thnx to Boon for the picture]


Finally Ringu Tulku Rinpoche came for a short visit, mainly to pay respect to the recently deceased Khandro Tsering Chodron We went on a litle outing together with Mayumla, Sogyal Rinpoche's mother.

One day at the shedra

All things come to an end, and thus also my stay at the shedra. A short amateur clip for you amusement.

The last two days in Nepal were spend in Boudha, mainly running around.

View from the white gomba

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche welcomes all the students enrolling in the summer program at Rangjung Yeshe Institute, and gave a short talk. He spoke about his wish of starting a shedra a long time ago. It would take a long time before all the buildings would be in place, but at some point Rinpoche decided they should just start. Classes would be held in the monks classes and the students would be housed with Tibetan families.

Students presented a katar to Rinpoche

Little monk Urgyan

Most of the Nepali monks arrive at a young age at the monastery's, and often from very remote places in the Himalaya's. One of the new monks came from a place very high up in the mountains, near Tibet, called Nubri. This is also where Mingyur Rinpoche comes from. Urgyan, as his name was, didn't speak either Nepali or Tibetan, and except for 2 or 3 other small monks, no one at the monastery spoke his language! I inquired with one of the main Khenpo's: 'isn't it very difficult for these litle kids, being seperated from their family, and placed in a completely different surrounding (the city of Kathmandu) with people who he doesn't understand?'. 'No,' Khenpo said 'it's okey, these kids are from the mountains. They're very tough!'

Urgyan eating

It was clear Urgyan was not used to some of our new technological inventions. Everytime a plane comes by he stares with big open eyes to the sky, and he is thrilled when he is given a telephone to play with. But I'm sure Urgyan will find his way.

Urgyan with his friend

The delivery man

As many of you might heard, the spiritual wife and consort of Jamyang Khyentse Lodro, Khandro Tsering Chodron has recently passed away, you can read about it on khandrotseringchodron.org. Just before she passed away Stefan had the great idea of hanging prayer flags at the Great Stupa :


After Khandro passed away I was the only Rigpa person in Nepal at the moment, and so I was asked to bring offerings, letters and pictures to some Rinpoche's and monastery's, and Nepal has a lot of them! A great opportunity to become more familiar with Kathmandu and it's surroundings. One of the teachers I had to visit was Trulshik Rinpoche. He was residing at Solo Kumbo though, so I had to find the brother of his main assistent, Tenshuk-la.

When I arrived at the monastery, besides all the Nepali painters and craftsman, I saw one elderly monk moving stones. I asked for the brother of Trulshik Rinpoche's main attendant, and he said 'oh that's me'. After being served tea, I told him Khandro had passed away. He had not heard the news yet, and he was genuinly saddened. Immidiatly he called Solo Khumbu, requesting prayers to be done. I was really impressed by the man, he seemed very kind and genuine, and despite the fact that he was not so young any more, he didnt mind making his hands dirty!

Tenshuk-la

Samdrup's Mom

Here is a litle story about the mother of Samdrup, the caretaker of the guesthouse and a very friendly monk. Like the monastery's lama and many other monks, he and his mother are from a remote himalayan area high up in the mountains called Nishang. Once Samdrup told me about his mother.

Samdrup

When his mother was getting a litle bit older, a lot of her friends and relatives started dying. Frightened by the prospect that she would also die one day and not knowing what to do at the time of death, she decided she should really start practicing the Dharma.

Luckily a great lama, who spent a lot of years in retreat, was residing in the area. So she decided to ask for instructions on how to practice and go on retreat. Her family was very supportive, and they told her she would not have to worry about food and other things. Traditionally in Buddhist cultures, the kindness of the mother is used as the prime example of compassion, and thus one should do everything one can to repay her kindness. So they build a litle hut, with only a small opening through which they could give her food.

Not having received much Dharma education, it was very difficult in the beginning, and often she didn't understand the instructions on how to practice and meditate. She told Samdrup and others: 'Since I was quite old when I started retreat, it was very difficult for me. My channels [the energy channels in everyone's body] where all rusty. You guys are young, you should do retreat now while your channels are still flexible!". But she persevered and finally spend about 10 years in retreat. Now she's back home again, and always radiating with joy. And she is not afraid of dying anymore. That was the story of Samdrup's mom.