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Dharamsala, India
32° 13' N 76° 18' E
Jun 27, 2006 07:56
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Audience and Teaching

Text written in: English

We set off to Gyuto in taxis at about 7:30 am, ahead of the bus. This morning we would be having an audience with His Holiness and we wanted to be ready. We collected the gifts from the monastery office and waited in a room off to the side of the lobby. Drupon Rinpoche, in his ever so kind and hospitable way, insisted on bringing us tea. We waited for quite some time and saw other groups come and go. Rinpoche dropped in from time to time and assured us that our turn was coming. We didn't know if we would have 2 minutes or 20 minutes with His Holiness, and we didn't know if we would be part of a large group or would enjoy a more private audience.

We waited, each with a gift to present, and as the moments passed we began to sing the songs of realization which now seemed more meaningful than ever. We sang song after song and others joined us. People who had attended Khenpo Rinpoche programs recognized some of the songs and suggested we sing others that they knew. Our Dharma sisters and brothers from Taiwan listened with big smiles on their faces.

Finally it was our turn. We cleared security and climbed the stairs to the audience room. Lined up in the open hallway outside just outside the door to that room, we looked out over the green hills at the view His Holiness would see every day. The place was pervaded by his presence.

His Holiness was very generous with his time. It is difficult to say how long we spent with him, but there was time for everything. After presenting Karmapa with the birthday gifts, we sat down to speak with him. He seemed relaxed and very open.

Question: We would like to take a message back to our Nalandabodhi sangha. How can we as a sangha best fulfill your wishes and serve your mandala?

His Holiness: I know very well all the activities of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. I have a relationship with him and a personal connection and affection for him. What would be best for you as a sangha? In my opinion, it would be to practice what dharma centres are made for—and that's for practicing the dharma. If you engage in the dharma that will contribute to my mandala. What does it mean to practice the dharma? The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is teaching Dzogchen and Mahamudra and the union of both. This should be your practice. When we take this into life, it doesn't become a new religion, but it is for the vast benefit of beings. We should consider that the whole world is one big dharma centre. We ask ourselves, "How can I benefit all the people in the world?" We should not have a sectarian view, but our view and actions should be for the benefit of all beings.

Question: We are aware of your aspiration for the well-being of the planet, and we are aware of the immense suffering the world. What is the best practice to alleviate that suffering?

His Holiness: When we think in terms of our own personal concerns (our well-being and our wish to be happy) we can't be at ease while others suffer. Our happiness depends on the happiness of others. Thinking about what's best for ourselves means thinking about what's best for the state of mind of others. When we hold the view of how to benefit others, the natural side-effect is our own happiness. We cannot be at ease when others suffer. We should think about this logical consequence again and again. At first this is just a thought, it doesn't come naturally: my happiness is your happiness. If others are happy, you are happy. Then your personal happiness and the benefit of others will merge together. We need to get used to this thought: my happiness depends on the happiness of others. We need to say this over and over again. We need to apply this thought again and again, so that it becomes a natural way of acting.

Question: We pray and supplicate that you will come to Nalanda West to teach us. Are there any indications that this may happen soon?

His Holiness: A thought occurred to me during my birthday celebration. From the time I was discovered 10 or 12 years ago, I have devoted much of my time to study and practice. That wasn't my hope for me personally. I didn't wish for it to be this way, it just happened to be like that. Now that I'm becoming 21, all is completed for myself. The rest of my life is to dedicate to whatever people need. This is the feeling. Regarding my personal wishes, there is nothing left. This is the feeling that opens a door, and Nalandabodhi U.S. and Canada are a gateway. My personal feeling is that it can be very easy soon. Already the effect has been in India, since I came to India. It is so much easier here. Already the fact that I'm in India means that Westerners can come and meet me.

His Holiness also said that he had spoken with The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche on the phone the prior evening. He said that Ponlop Rinpoche had a dream for His Holiness to do a Guru Yoga for Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, and he requested His Holiness to do so. His Holiness said that he too had had a thought to do Guru Yoga for Khenpo Rinpoche. The Guru Yoga was performed later that day by His Holiness, during the teachings with the larger assembly of delegates.

At the conclusion of the audience, as the students were leaving the room, His Holiness said in English, "See you."

Additional notes: Christoph Klonk, who was the translator during the audience, told one of the Nalandabodhi students that he had been present during a number of audiences with His Holiness that day. He said that the interview with the Nalandabodhi students was "very different from the rest." He said that it felt very "charged" compared to other interviews and much more intimate; he gave the impression that it felt like close family. When asked later, the attending students said that they had felt great warmth during the audience with His Holiness, and that there was an intimate, open, welcoming feeling in the room.

After the audience we huddled together and reviewed what His Holiness had said to us so that we would not forget a word. Then we returned to the shrine room for a teaching.

His Holiness began by expressing his gratitude for the many gifts he had been given. "What," he wondered, "could he offer in return?" Then, he said it occurred to him that the very best thing he could offer to those who had celebrated and shared this special time with him was the gift of bodhichitta. "Even the intention to be of benefit all sentient beings is of great benefit, and we should further aspire that all sentient beings might share the same intention." His Holiness then gave bodhisattva vows and admonished us that, even if we could not understand the exact words that he had spoken and that we had had repeated in Tibetan, we could not use that as an excuse to break the vows.

After the teaching, presentations were made to the delegates of each Kagyu Centre represented. Each centre received a commemorative plaque, a packet of dutsi and some DVDs of His Holiness's various travels. The latter are in Chinese and were donated by Karmapa's Taiwanese disciples. Each person had an opportunity to receive a blessing cord from His Holiness.

Once again, with full hearts, we left the shrine room to enjoy another meal, compliments of the Tsurphu Labrang. For the rest of the afternoon we strolled the grounds of Gyuto Monastery and engaged in conversation with folks from around the globe.

In the evening, we headed up to McLeod Ganj to have dinner with Drupon Rinpoche. On the way, one of our taxis got a flat tire and we were able to experience the services of one of the ubiquitous flat-tire-repair-stands. Rinpoche took us to a lovely Tibetan restaurant where some relaxed with a cold beer to relieve the day's intense heat.

In this relaxed and convivial atmosphere we presented Rinpoche with the many gifts that had been sent by Nalandabodhi, including a new laptop computer and a satellite phone. Rinpoche was quite tickled by the fact that incoming calls on the phone were free and made several jokes about calling people he needed to speak with and then asking them to call him back. He was also excited about his new computer's ability to play DVDs. It was wonderful to spend time with Rinpoche and we very much appreciated his kindness in making time for us despite his extremely busy schedule.

Drupon Rinpoche was incredibly kind to us on this trip and we were so happy to spend more time with him. As Ponlop Rinpoche's brother, it is amazing and touching to see subtle ways in which they are very similar in their expressions and mannerisms. Oona felt that even though she did not know him very well, her heart immediately opened to him. Being with him really felt like family.

In an effort to learn some of the secrets of Rinpoche's administrative skill, which had been so admirably demonstrated during the last few days, Mark asked: "Rinpoche, what would you say is the key to organized a successful event such as you have done here and also in the ongoing management of the Tsurphu Labrang?" Rinpoche's responded: "Communication. Clear and regular communication is absolutely critical." We took these wise words to heart.

Additional Images

Images of the Gyuto Monastery Shrine Room

Dinner with Drupon Rinpoche