This issue of Gentle Voice is titled ‘Art Unlimited’ and there are a multitude of different forms of art: drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, computer generated art, digital graphics, pop art, minimal art, performance art, street art, indigenous art, architecture, music, dance, film, photography, the art of conversation, the art of seduction and so on…!  Types of art are as varied as media, subject matter and technology allow.

Maree: [M]  Emma Walker, one of Australia’s most respected young artists says, “The creative process is not a straight forward one.  There is no exact recipe that can be followed to produce a consistent result.  Each artist comes with unique inner workings and personal history that creates their own individual approach.  For this reason, the variety of outcomes is limitless”.…. In your view, what is integral to the work of the artist?

Rinpoche: [R] I really like that actually. I think she is very right. It is limitless and that’s so good. It is so good but also because of its limitlessness it’s also frustrating.

M: What genre of art do you most identify with and why?

R: I’m supposed to identify myself with the art of being able to become useless but the temptation to be useful is just so strong. The temptation to have some kind of purpose in life is so strong because of lack of renunciation and all that – it’s just not possible but that’s what I should be identifying. Other than that, I guess the most tangible and visible so far is the art of filmmaking that I have been exploring and recently I am actually picking up on drawing. I really like drawing.

M: From your perspective what is the purest form of art?

R: You know communication with people is so, so, so difficult. Even the notion that we actually did communicate with somebody is only in your own imagination and for that matter even miss communication. In my mind I think that I am talking to you and you are listening to me and I think you are listening to what I say and that’s about the only thing I have to settle with. In my mind I think that you can see the same fake flowers from Hong Kong as I see (Rinpoche points to a bowl of flowers on the table) but actually who knows, most probably you never see what I see and I never see what you see. So the purest art is actually the closest and the most successful way of being able to convey the message and portray or demonstrate what I see – to you. To me that is the purest art.

M: Do you think art in its purest form is spontaneous or premeditated?

R: I actually think both. I like premeditated art because after all we human beings are more capable of mimicking. Spontaneous is very difficult. Many times we just make believe that we are being spontaneous. Of course, I think the aspiration to be spontaneous is quite important other wise we become too corrupted. And I think, as I was saying earlier, the purest form of art is based on being able to communicate. I think children do that, they force adults to think like them even for a split moment, that’s quite a success and they do it kind of spontaneously.

M: Most artists seem to be suffering, searching; tortured souls and many of your students are artistic. Can you explain the link between spirituality and the artist?

R: I think it is connected to what I said earlier. My ideal art should be able to be useless. Art, music, romance, and poetry, all of this is the closest thing that we have that is spiritual in this materialist world. I mean, scientists, mathematicians they are all bound and limited by logic and measurement and all of that but suddenly a scientist can fall in love and when they fall in love logic doesn’t make any sense and nothing makes sense but at the same time also everything makes sense. Everything that logically doesn’t make sense makes sense. I think without many of the artists realising that as soon as you try to be a good artist the war between uselessness and usefulness begins. This is maybe bothering people and I think it is good.

M: What similarities do you think there are between a meditative state and creating a work of art?

R: It can be similar, because in meditation there is no meditation such as keeping a notebook next to you, write it down and record everything. Whatever comes, especially in Buddhism, you are supposed to shrug off, no hope, no fear, no jotting it down. I guess if an artist can do that I think they become much more creative because they don’t get stuck with one idea.

By Ani Lodro Palmo

M: Sand Mandalas, Kseniya Simonova’s Sand Animation, Ice Sculptures – for instance – are transient art. Do you think that ephemeral art is a higher form of artistic expression because in the end what is created is destroyed?

R: I think that’s a very good idea. The idea is good but nowadays everything has become so commercialised. It would be so good if somebody made a really amazing Sand Mandala or an Ice Castle without any audience and the manufacturing date or expiry date is never known. These days even the renunciation of a person is recorded and made a big who-ha about it. If somebody renounces the world then it will be publicised. Not the best thing to do is it?

M: In your view what role does the artist have in society today?

R: To create harmony. Definitely. Harmony is so important.

M: And how does an artist achieve that?

R: To really make people realise their own potential and their own weakness, both, through whatever medium they are using. Not just entertainment, not just through creating distractions but to really make you believe.

M: When you visit small galleries in London, Paris and New York and view the work of young emerging artists – what do you think of their art?

R: I am so bad with these because I am not really trained, I don’t know especially the modern arts. I am still trying and learning to appreciate it.

M: What about Impressionist artists? Are there any paintings or Old Masters that you admire?

R: Oh they are amazing, just mind-boggling. Amazing!

M: Any particular artist or artwork that you really admire?

R: Many, many Russian artists. The ones in Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. Wow! The works there are just amazing.

M: Do you think artists can enhance their skills at art schools or do you think it is preferable for artistic skills to emerge without any formal training?

R: Both. I think artists  isolate themselves too much from the rest of the world.

I would like to say that I wish many artists should try to become politicians. That’s what is lacking.

Compiled by Arne Schelling

Retreat is important. When interviewing various masters for this article, they all say it. It becomes even clearer when Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche defines what retreat really is ; “Ideally what are you retreating from? You are supposed to be retreating from the past and future. That is the ultimate boundary of your retreat. Not your door. Not your geographical area. Ideally you are supposed to be in the hut, and this hut is the present moment. But of course this is not that easy, especially for those who are not used to it.”

Being in the present, this seems to be the underlying theme of all practices, of all retreats, of all meditations. Being here and now. There is no other time anyway; the future hasn’t come yet and the past is gone like a dream from which we have awoken. But how can we find this elusive present? First we need the inspiration to do retreat ourselves.

Chagdud Khandro Photo Arne Schelling

Chagdud Khandro : “For me, amidst my ordinary activities, retreat beckons me like a distant, celestial realm. I aspire to immerse myself in disciplined practice, to concentrate, to open new dimensions of wisdom. I enter, close the boundaries, and breathe a sigh of relief. Soon however comes the bumptious confrontation with my own bad habits, the day-to-day presentation of my mind’s chatter and unleashed emotions, and worst of all, doubt.”

When we are setting the boundaries, how long should the retreat be and what kind of rules or discipline should be applied?
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche : “So what do we do? We try to grab that situation as much as we can, so this is why the masters of the past have skilfully designed so called retreats, like a month retreat, a week retreat, a weekend retreat or even a whole life retreat and also prescribed out of skilful means different kind of situations which yourself can apply. For instance, if you have decided to do a retreat for a week, since it is really a short retreat, you can really make your own rule: ‘I’m not going to visit facebook. I’m not going to talk with the people. I’m not going to eat more than one meal a day. I will get up early in the morning and I will not talk’. All these kind of disciplines we can apply, but what I’m trying to tell you is: all this is a method, it’s a technique that works for a certain time, for certain people in a certain situation.”

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche Photo Arne Schelling

If we are planning to do a retreat ourselves, a life long retreat would be a very unusual choice. We still cling tightly to our usual ruts. Ringu Tulku Rinpoche explains how we can integrate shorter periods of retreat in our day to day life: “Short-term retreats, I think are very beneficial things for anybody, and therefore, I always recommended that western people start with short term retreats. I think it is very useful, and very beneficial to do short retreats, for even one day. I know about a Tibetan friend of mine, very old, now almost 100 years old, he used to do a one-day retreat every full moon and new moon, and used to say that it is really, really useful. I also recommended this to some people, and they did it sometimes, and they found it very nice. But because you are always working and you are always very busy and lots of things are happening, maybe you don’t have to necessarily do it on the full moon and new moon, but on the weekend or something like that, when you are a little bit more free. You don’t have to go somewhere, like to a retreat place, a forest or solitude, but even at home, you just go to your room and don’t speak for the whole day, and then just practice. Only one day and one night. That also rejuvenates the energy and is very useful. I prefer this kind of retreat, and I think they are very useful. Of course, when you can spend one or two weeks, or one or two months sometimes, I think it will also be very good.”

Rules or retreats don’t sound like a fun thing to do. But don’t take the rules or the retreat as a burden.
Mindrolling Khandro Rinpoche warns ; “Definitely don’t take retreat as an imprisonment. Some people view it as being very severe to yourself and its almost like now here is a time when your are distancing yourself from every sort of mundane like and dislike. That’s also bringing in too much exaggeration to what a retreat is.”

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche adds ; “Rules are necessary in one way, but rules can also become a bit of a burden. If you do the practice, thinking that it is something that you have to do, because you have promised to do it, or because it was your pledge, then you are not necessarily applying diligence in this case. The core message of Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara on the practice is to really have joy to practice and joy to listen to the teachings. Joy.”

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche Photo Arne Schelling

The importance of having joy has been emphasised again and again. In order to have joy, it is sometimes helpful not to be stuck with the label of ‘retreat’.
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche: “Whatever we call it, retreat is actually just a good lifestyle. Really it is a good life, a good lifestyle with the chances and time to work with one’s mind and to appreciate working with one’s mind. You should not see it as some kind of burden, but should approach retreat with some kind of joy.”

This joy can also be nourished by realising the kindness of the master, who guides our retreat. In the case of the Dharma Gar retreat, guided by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche since 2008, the practitioners should really be aware of the preciousness of that unique opportunity to practice.
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche : “Now to encourage people who are doing this sort of retreat with a greater sense of appreciation we should consider this. You know, we live our lives and time just goes, year by year, time just flies and so also our life just goes with the time. And when such an opportunity and situation such as the Dharma Gar arises, an opportunity that comes from one’s own merit and the blessing and kindness of the teacher coming together, we must realize how precious this is. You know, not having to leave one’s own environment and not having to leave one’s own home, one can actually get the satisfaction of the practice being done and guided by a great master, and the growth that comes with it. Its much more significant than if a lump of gold in the size of your own head dropping into your lap. It’s right to have that kind of appreciation. With that appreciation there should to be a not-do-it-too-tight and not-too-loose approach to the practice and retreat as a lifestyle.”

Mindrolling Khandro Rinpoche Photo Arne Schelling

With this underlying understanding we learn how to appreciate this rare and positive circumstance of ours, which is the quintessence of all the teachings on the precious human life: the ability to practice Dharma.
Mindrolling Khandro Rinpoche : “Western students in particular look at retreat as a project. And before they go into retreat, they have pretty much a formulated idea what they want to achieve during that time of the retreat. I think that’s a wrong attitude to go into it, because it lacks a lot of devotion and the sense of how fortunate one is, that one is able to spend time with the practice. So not only in retreat, but in the context of our practice, we have to be able to really appreciate the preciousness of the teachings, the devotion aspect of how grateful we are for the blessings of the guru as well as the opportunity to practice the path of the dharma in our lives and a sense of really valuing the time that we have. We should have the perspective of humility to even try to attempt realizing the practices in our lifetime.
So to be like this is very gentle as well as generating an appreciative but simple attitude to retreat, and this is often lost when we go in it. For example, when people write to me about being in retreat, they ask: do I have the permission to go into retreat? This I find very odd, because you don’t really need permission to spend time with your practice and to value your practices. “

But how to practice?
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche emphasises on the importance of really knowing what we are practicing. “One of the main things in the retreat is that you need to really know what to practice, and how to practice. If you don’t know, you need to learn. It doesn’t need to be very complicated or too deep or too profound or very elaborate, you just have to know how to do meditation or any kind of practice you do; you just have to have a clear practical understanding on how to do it, then I think it’s useful.”

And on top of that, the blessing of the lineage is crucial.
Chagdud Khandro puts it in a nutshell ; “the blessing is in sitting still with all this instead of running. Relying on the lineage instructions instead of my ad hoc fabrications. Creating, dissolving, resting. Deepening compassion is the most valid measure, but how to measure compassion?” A very important key factor in retreat is our attitude. We should always tune our compassionate motivation, again and again, giving rise to Bodhicitta, the wish to attain enlightenment for all sentient beings. To make that wish firm and our practice meaningful, it is so important to let go of our expectations. Chagud Khadro remembers; “Chagdud Rinpoche said to me, ‘When you meditate, it is like rain on the mountainside. All kinds of plants bloom–medicinal and poisonous. Let go of your expectations.’ ”

What are our expectations?
Mindrolling Khandro Rinpoche : “People seem to think that a retreat has to have a result. Of course we all hope for a result, but at the same time when a retreat becomes goal orientated, result orientated, then we allow self frustration or dejection to come after leaving the retreat and all the while that we are in retreat we are like a hungry ghost, looking for experience, looking for something to happen, looking for some extraordinary event or realization to take place. That makes it all very deliberate, full of tension and orientated very much with form and deliberate concepts, so that the pleasure, just the genuine happiness of being quiet in our own self, with our own practice and finally being able to bring some understanding to what we have only literally and intellectually interpreted gets lost. That kind of happiness is not often found. I wouldn’t say its not found at all, because some people of course practice very well, but its not so often found, which I find is very, very unfortunate.”

And Ringu Tulku Rinpoche adds ; “Regarding retreats, western people sometimes come with too much expectation, and without really knowing what the retreat is all about. Then it doesn’t help, but becomes a problem. Retreat is training to practice, and if you can take it like that and use that time to learn how to practice, and to not expect too much result, then it will be very useful. “

Even though we shouldn’t expect anything, retreats do bring about some benefits.

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche : “Really to get some realisation it has to come through from the practice, whatever the practice that one is doing. For example if one is doing the ‘four thoughts that turn ones mind towards the Dharma’, there has to be some experience of having one’s mind turned away from the samsara and the causes that actually lead to suffering. And if we are taking refuge or are doing the Bodhicitta practice or Vajrasattva or Guru Yoga, out of each of those practices there is some accomplishment that one can have in one’s mind; one can have relative experiences. One should actually see if one has those or not. If one has such realisations and accomplishments, one should be very grateful and appreciative. And if one doesn’t have them, then one should understand how one can actually still have effects of the practice on the mind. I think it’s very important. The daily practice and also the Dzogrim practice, each has it’s own kind of relative accomplishment. We should also see if that accomplishment is there or not. If the accomplishment is lacking, we should pray for that and for the encouragement to practice. If not, through asking teachers or engaging with other older students, or through reading of how one can do better, we can make progress and have those accomplishments. That is important.

Ultimately there is a real sense of confidence coming from that. How the Dharma manifests in one’s own experiences, that’s very important. And then in the nature itself. If one has confidence in the nature itself, that’s everything, you know?
I think that confidence comes, slowly, slowly comes, but sometimes you really have to see how to generate it or how to just have that confidence, that it is not fake, or that it is not ungrounded in realization or only based on temporary experiences. I think that is very helpful. I would suggest people to get to that point through this ten years period of the practice. I really pray that people will do that. You know in my experience of guiding students, a lot of people make it to that grade. That’s very beautiful and that’s wonderful for a teacher to see. So I hope that this takes place in this Dharma Gar program. “

Mindrolling Khandro Rinpoche : “Intensive practice means that your body, speech and mind is now so ingrained with the practice that it has the power of cutting through. Otherwise, how can we practice in mundane life? In mundane life there are moments of switching on and switching off; now you are a practitioner and now you are a samsaric mundane person. This is very detrimental to the path of progress of understanding Dharma. Now in retreat, you don’t need to have a mundane interpretation and view, versus a much more Dharmic view. You can be completely installed in the essence of the Dharma with body, speech and mind. So, although there is a form and a structure to the practice, I would say, there is much more a uniformity and evenness of day and night, holding the view of the practice all the time, and that’s what retreat is about. So I think that attitude to retreat is definitely something people need to really understand better, and not see it so much as an ambitious project to complete.

Definitely what you realize is how much just touching the surface your practice actually is. The enormity of what it means to be a practitioner strikes you more impactfully when you are in retreat. And you begin to see that everything that you are trying to do in terms of Dharma is just scraping the surface. And you begin to say; “that is not how I should actually be practicing.” Dharma requires a tremendous degree of involvement so that you dive into it completely, immersing yourself completely into it. So I think it’s a very humbling experience, definitely.”

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche : “Any practice you do is much more strong, much more profound in retreat than otherwise, even if you are not doing it so well. People who do retreat that way find that maybe not immediately, but in the long run, retreat becomes something really valuable in their life. They find they can really get something. But sometimes they don’t know immediately what they accomplished.”

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and Joshua Vishnu Pokora Photo Arne Schelling

As with all Dharma practices, the retreat is to as Drubgyud Tenzin Rinpoche says: “overcome the eight worldly dharmas and accomplish the two kayas”.

Drubgyud Tenzin Rinpoche recalls a conversation he had with Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, while walking in a garden in Bhutan: “Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche said; “Do you see the gate there at the end of the wall? With a lot of studies you can reach that gate. But with just one moment of practice, you will go far, far beyond that gate.”

This was filmed at the pyramids of Teotihuacan (behind Rinpoche is the pyramid of the sun, the biggest in Mexico).
The message was recorded for the TV-online program of Buddha=B4s Amigo:

In January 2011 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche lead a drupchen in Tashiding, Sikkim. The drupchen practice was from the Rigdzin Sokdrup, “The Practice of the Life of the Vidyadharas” a cycle of Terma revealed by Lhatsun Namkha Jigme. The video link is a teaching that Rinpoche gave during this time.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche explaining Lhatsun Namkai Jigme
from Noa Jones on Vimeo.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche explaining Lhatsun Namkai Jigme from Noa Jones on Vimeo

Thangthong Gyalpo Tulku and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche at Tashiding photo Gerard from Netherlands

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche making offerings photo Sarah Mist

PILGRIMAGE

“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

Pilgrim at Sarnath photo Sarah Mist

Rinpoche wrote the book “ What to do at India’s Buddhist Holy Sites “ 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. Focusing 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.

Click here to request a pdf file of Rinpoche’s book

Click here for a preview of Rinpoches Book

This story below is an excerpt from “What to do at India’s Buddhist Holy Sites” and was told to Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche By Deshung Rinpoche.

There are many stories, about people whose devotion was such that their one-pointed longing actually created holy places, or even invoked the material presence of holy beings into their own perceptions.

Like Lodro, for example, who felt tremendous devotion for the bodhisattva Mañjushri. One evening, he came across an amazing passage in a book he was reading about how Mañjushri had vowed three times to show himself to anyone who travelled to Mount Panchashisha * . For Lodro this was the most wonderful and inspiring discovery, and he became so excited that, after a sleepless night and without eating breakfast, he ran to his master’s house to ask his permission and blessings to visit the mountain. At first Lodro’s master did his best to convince him that such a journey, fraught with danger and hardship, was entirely unnecessary, but Lodro would not be convinced. Again and again he begged his master to allow him to go, until eventually he gave in and agreed.

In those days travelling was difficult, but Lodro, undaunted by the dangers that lay ahead, packed enough food and medicine for several months onto the back of his donkey, waved goodbye to his master, family and all his friends, and set off across the Tibetan plateau.

The terrain was extremely tough. He had to cross several fast flowing rivers and survive the punishing heat of empty deserts where his only companions were venomous snakes and wild animals. Nevertheless, after several months, Lodro arrived safely at Mount Panchashisha and immediately started searching for Mañjushri. He looked everywhere, again and again, but couldn’t find anyone who even vaguely resembled the bodhisattva. Then, one evening as he rested his back against the cold iron steps of a monastery he fell fast asleep. The  next  thing  he  remembered  was  walking  into  a  lively  bar  where  a  boisterous  crowd  of  locals  were drinking, laughing and having fun. It was late and Lodro was tired. He asked for a room, and the enormously fat Madame who sat behind a small desk at one end of the main corridor told him they were full up, but he could sleep in a corner of the corridor if he wanted to. He accepted gratefully and pulled a book out of his luggage to read before he went to sleep. Before long a rowdy gang of Chinese boys burst out of the bar into the corridor and started making fun of the fat Madame. Lodro tried to ignore them, but the leader caught sight of him and swaggered over to examine him.

The path that leads to the Manjushri Cave at Wu Ti Shan in China

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

Not  quite  knowing  what  to  say,  Lodro,  in  his  innocence,  found  himself  telling  the  Chinese  boy  about Mañjushri’s vow. The boy laughed and laughed.

“You Tibetans, you’re so superstitious! Why is that?” he cried. “And you actually believe what you read in books! I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve never heard of anyone called Mañjushri.”

Shaking his head in disbelief he turned back to his friends, saying, “Winter’s coming. You should go home before you freeze to death.”

The whole gang then staggered back into the bar for another drink as the Madame and Lodro exchanged a look of relief. A few days later, on his way back from another futile trek up the mountain, Lodro bumped into the same Chinese boy.

“You still here?” exclaimed the boy.

“Alright, I give up,” replied Lodro, with a wan smile. “You were right, I am too superstitious.”

“So, you’ve finally had enough, have you?” crowed the Chinese boy. “Will you go home now?”

“I thought I’d make a pilgrimage to Mongolia,” said Lodro. “I might as well, it’s on the way home. And it’ll mean this journey wasn’t a complete waste of time.”

Lodro looked sad and there was something about the way his shoulders slumped as he spoke that softened the Chinese boy’s heart.

“I tell you what,” he said, slightly less aggressively than before. “You don’t have much money and you’ve run out of supplies, so you’re going to need some help. I have a friend in Mongolia. I’ll write him a letter. If you deliver it to him I’m sure he’ll do what he can.”

Auspicious Clouds at Wu Ti Shan

The next day, Lodro once again packed everything he had onto his old donkey and, feeling depressed and disheartened, took one last look at Mañjushri’s mountain, hoping desperately that Mañjushri might appear at least long enough to wave him goodbye. But no. The crowds of people rushing to and fro before him gave up nothing but the Chinese boy with the letter he’d promised. Lodro thanked him, tucked the letter into his yak skin coat and left for Mongolia.

After several months Lodro reached the town where the Chinese boy’s friend was supposed to live. Waving the letter in his hand, he stopped everyone he met to ask where the recipient of the letter might be found. To his surprise, every single person he approached burst out laughing. Lodro was extremely puzzled. Eventually he met an old woman who managed to control herself long enough to ask if she could read the letter. Lodro gave it to her, without reading it himself. She studied it carefully, then asked,

“Who wrote this letter?”

And Lodro told her the whole story. She shook her head and sighed, “Those young men are always bullying helpless pilgrims like you. But there is one creature I know of who bears the name written in this letter. If you really want to deliver it, go to the rubbish tip at the edge of the village. There you’ll find a pig. He’s very fat so you can’t miss him.”

Lodro was a little baffled by this information, nevertheless he decided that, as he was already so close he would go to the tip and have a look at the pig.

Before long, he found a huge hill of rubbish on top of which sat an extremely large and rather hairy pig. Feeling a little self-conscious, Lodro unrolled the letter and held it in front of the pig’s small, bright eyes and was completely astounded when the pig appeared to read it. Once he’d finished, the pig started weeping uncontrollably and fell down dead. Suddenly curious about what could possibly have had such a strong effect on the animal, Lodro finally read the letter.

Dharma Arya Bodhisattva,

Your mission to benefit beings in Mongolia has been accomplished. Now hurry back to Mount Panchashisha.

Mañjushri

Amazed and reinvigorated, Lodro rushed back to Mount Panchashisha with just one thought in his mind,

“This time, when I meet Mañjushri, I’m going to hold onto him extremely tightly and I’ll never let him go!”

His first stop back on the mountain was the bar where the Madame had given him shelter. Lodro asked her if she’d seen the Chinese boy.

“Those boys are always on the move. Who knows where they’ll be?” she said.

Lodro’s heart sank.

“But you’re tired,” continued the Madame, a little more gently. “Why don’t you sleep now. You can look for the boys tomorrow.”

And she offered him his old place in the corridor. He fell asleep quickly, only to wake with a start to find himself slumped against the steps of the monastery and freezing cold. There was no sign of the Madame, the bar or the town. Physically he was on Mount Panchashisha, the external realm where Mañjushri is said to live, yet his merit had been such that his experiences of Mañjushri had all taken place in a dream.

I’ve always hoped that Lodro finally realized that Mañjushri’s compassion is so immense and all pervasive that it’s possible to invoke his presence absolutely anywhere—even his hometown. And from that point of view, his journey to China had been unnecessary, but it definitely wasn’t a waste, because if Lodro had not made his pilgrimage he probably wouldn’t have experienced this inner journey, or realized anything at all.

Chotu, the chai wala at Bodhgayas Number 1 tea stall photo Pawo Choyning

After I heard this story from Deshung Rinpoche, I visited Mount Panchashisha * several times, but had even less success than Lodro. Not only did I completely fail to invoke Mañjushri’s presence, I didn’t have any dreams at all. The only thing that happened was I got annoyed by the ticketing system that’s been instituted at most of the temples and by the monks who sold the tickets. Most of all I was extremely disappointed to see holy shrines reduced to the status of national monuments. Later, though, my intellectual mind began to wonder if one of those arrogant, acquisitive monks who could only think about the amount of tickets they were selling, was in fact Mañjushri. Who knows?

*Also known as Mount Wu Tai Shan.

In December 2010 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche and Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche lead a Barche Kunsel Drupchen at the sacred Asura Caves in Pharping, Nepal. Here are a few photos from Pawo Choyning Dorji’s gallery of this time.

Dzongsar Khyentse, Jigme Khyentse and Tsikey Chokling photo Pawo Choyning Dorji

Dzongsar Khyentse, Jigme Khyentse and Tsikey Chokling photo Pawo Choyning Dorji

Flowers on the last day of the drupchen photo Pawo Choyning Dorji

And more blessings photo Pawo Choyning Dorji

Bodhanath Stupa photo Pawo Choyning Dorji

Nine days of teaching with Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

“Buddha Nature and Vajrayāna” 13th-21st May, 2011

Bangalow, NSW, Australia

Please click here to go the SI Australia Site for further infomation on the teachings

and other updates.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Noa Jones

Feb 2011
In September, Rinpoche posted a message on the SI Web site warning people who might be thinking to following him on his pilgrimages to Bodhgaya and Sikkim:

“Here in India, worlds like “delay”, “cancellation”, “confirmation”, “cleanliness”, “no problem,” “yes” and “no” all have different meanings. And in fact, if you learn how to appreciate those different definitions, you will find that this is what makes this part of the world magical. So, people who are wishing to come from the first world expecting their toilet will flush, and a hot shower, who are married to, the whole principal of no trespassing, who value individual rights and personal space, might as well just look at pictures, preferably black and white and especially taken by Cartier Bresson and Raghu Rai.”

Attending the drupchen in Tashiding, Sikkim was part practice, part pilgrimage and part adventure. About 20 of Rinpoche’s Bhutanese, Tibetan and Sikkimese students attended the ten-day drupchen and another ninety came from other parts of the world. Tashiding Gonpa is remote and even when one drives—and if one makes it through the road blocks and striking protesters—there is a good 10 to 15 minute walk up a set of stairs to arrive at its gates. People scrambled to find housing near the top but the higher one stayed, the more rustic the conditions became. People were shacking up in the strangest of places to be closer to the action. The action being a red hot drupchen, Lhatsun Namka Jigme’s Ridgin Songdrup, in a very cold temple.

Tashiding landscape and Farmhouse

Like all sangha gatherings, there were exuberant reunions with old friends and lots of new connections made. And of course the restrained clamour for the guru’s attention. He appeared, but always seemingly just out of reach, emerging from the mist, disappearing, giving scant moment of his precious time to as many people as possible before moving on with the enigmatic grace of his. And as the days progressed, as we all became grimy and exhausted, he only seemed to become more luminous.

It rained for days and then hail, the likes of which a 17-year resident had never seen, came crashing down on the temple roof on one sunny cold day. Most days were cold, though sometimes hot. The nights were frigid and in the sky the moon waxed from half to full. We asked if there was a reason the drupchen landed on these particular dates. Did it have to do with the moon? “Sometimes we check astrology for dates but this time we only checked Rinpoche’s schedule,” said Khenpo Sonam Tashi. The shivering masses, old friends, wanderers, court jesters, and royalty, engaged in all kinds of survival techniques, sharing supplies and telling stories, inviting romance, butting heads, and spending rollicking nights with that Sikkimese potion, tongba, in the parking lot below.

“No matter where we go, it’s the people we meet who create the ambience and character of a place and who inject it with a unique energy. A café becomes ‘cool’ or a ‘dive’ depending on the kind of people who hang out there; a rave party for three hundred over-60s and two teenagers is unlikely to involve much raving. It goes without saying that for people like us whose minds and perceptions aren’t very flexible, a holy site is made powerful by collective devotion and veneration, not wall-to-wall carpets.”

Fresh paint on old stone - Tashiding Gonpa

The real potion of the week, however, was the amrita, the mendrup, that was produced with the help of the monks from Pemayangse over the course of the ten days. Preparations had been underway for months prior to the drupchen, overseen by Khenpo Sonam Tashi. Substances were ordered and gotten from an expert in Kalingpong, others were brought from Rinpoche’s secret stash. “Mother pills” are required, just like starter is needed to make sourdough bread. These pills contain parts of pills that contain parts of pills that go all the way back to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s days and with those came snow lion milk, herbal medicines, the eight substances, and so on. During the ten day drupchen, one day is spent preparing these substances, then three days is spent mixing the dry substances, and on the fifth day it is mixed with the mother pills and wet substances. This mix is placed into a large vase and the main practice begins. On the ninth day, the vase was opened and the mendrup is measured. Everyone was very pleased because there were clear signs that the substances had increased, which is the best result. Khenpo Sonam Tashi said that this means it “woke up” and that the worst case scenario is that it merely rots.

Stupa that Liberates upon Seeing - Lhatsun Namkha Jigme photo Sangpo Shresthra

Drupchens are magical, not least because of the chanting of the mantras must continue uninterrupted through the night. Not everyone signed up for all night shifts, although some signed up for almost all of them. Tshewang Dendup, the “hero” from Travellers & Magicians, became the hero of the night, taking it upon himself to make sure there were thermoses of tea and some biscuits to keep people awake. Sometimes only one or two people would show up and the pressure of the drupchen’s success lay on their shoulders, which was enough to keep them alert and chanting ! The mantras changed every few days to match the activity of the amrita production.

We were told plainly not to complain but by the fifth day, Tashi Colman was making the rounds in the shrine room, alerting people to the exact number of minutes and seconds until the drupchen would end (although there was a rumour that he may have been set up).

Rinpoche sat on the throne flanked by Thangthong Tulku, who is the reincarnation of Thangthong Gyalpo, the famous bridge maker.  Jamyang Gyeltshen, whom many students know from Sea to Sky Retreat Centre in Canada attended them both. Jamyang was in fine form, serving Rinpoche all kinds of crazy concoctions, and seemingly always going for elaborate costume changes between services. You never knew what he’d show up with at tea time, perfectly pressed espresso in a Tibetan robe, banana flambé in traditional Sikkimese dress, paan in a tracksuit, all variety of chili pastes. Rinpoche seemed amused.

And Rinpoche was more than just amused by the westerners that came to the drupchen. He made a point of praising the effort they put into making the drupchen a success. He even went so far as to say they “saved” it. This was a surprise for some of the monks who were unaccustomed to foreigners participating in such rituals. “In the end they learned a lot,” said Khenpo Sonam Tashi about the monks, “and they were very happy.”

Stupa of Choki Lodro at Tashiding Gompa

Rinpoche noted that the very first empowerment he ever received after his enthronement was from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, the Lama Gongdu. It took place right there in Tashiding, in the room that was now used for cold storage. It was also here that Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro was cremated in 1959. Several of Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro’s close students were key coordinators of the drupchen. If one wasn’t made aware of these men, they might have seemed like any other old codgers fetching thermoses of tea and making sure things were running smooth. “Butter tea or sweet?” We asked them. And they pointed and poured with a smile. But these were the very same men, his carpenter and his cowherd, who travelled with Chokyi Lodro from Derge, witnessing miracles and mastery along the way.

Khenpo Sonam Tashi, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and Thangthong Tulku on the last day at Tashiding

After the drupchen, a smaller group of students followed Rinpoche to Ghezing (Geyshing) where Rinpoche did a fire puja and hosted two bonfires to burn loads of his old possessions so that he could clear way for the new abbot of the Gonpa there. He saved a few things, his Bee Gees record, a tea set from his teens, and of course his pechas, but suitcases full of clothes and books went up in flames while his students sang and danced around the flames.

For the two weeks following the drupchen, the nine monks who had come from Rinpoche’s Chokyi Gyatsho Institute (Dewathang, Bhutan), remained in Tashiding to roll the mendrup into pills, which will be saved for special occasions. Seeing what goes into the production gave many of those who attended the drupchen a new appreciation for precious pills. Many participants are now back at home with their hot showers and routines, some kept going on the pilgrim path. But all took a little shining memory of Tashiding with them that can be lit up or forgotten, clung to, used, misremembered. It doesn’t really matter. As Rinpoche said in “ What to Do in the Holy Sites of India”:

“What exactly is the right motivation for going on a pilgrimage? At best, it is to develop wisdom, love, compassion, devotion and a genuine sense of renunciation (renunciation mind). So, as you set out, you should make the wish that your journey, one way or another, will continuously remind you of all of the great noble enlightened qualities of the Buddha, and that as a result you will accumulate merit and purify defilement.“

Noa Jones  – Feb 2011

Mt. Kanchenjunga from Tashiding Gonpa

The Spirit of Nalanda continues…

By Melitis Kwong

Deer Park Institute is a centre for study of classical Indian wisdom traditions. The Institute’s core vision is to re-create the spirit of Nalanda, a great university of ancient India where all traditions of Buddhism were studied and practiced, alongside other schools of classical Indian philosophy, arts and science.

Interfaith Meetings with His Holiness Dalai Lama photo Jennifer Yo

Deer Park Institute’s campus is situated on the former site of Dzongsar Institute, a well respected Tibetan Buddhist college. When Dzongsar Institute moved to its new site in Chauntra, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche transformed the campus into a centre with a new vision.

In remembrance of the Buddha’s first teachings at the historical Deer Park (Mriga Dava) in Sarnath, where the Buddha displayed a spirit of open inquiry into the nature of mind, existence and suffering without any bias, Dzongsar  Khyentse Rinpoche named the new (centre) institute “Deer Park”.

Since opening in March 2006, the Institute has hosted teachings by great masters of all lineages of Tibetan Buddhism including Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Geshe Lakdor ….  Deer Park in the spirit of inclusiveness also runs courses and retreats in the Zen and Theravada traditions within Buddhism and courses on other classical Indian philosophy such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and Kashmiri Shaivism, which have recently been integrated into the program.  This year (2011) Deer Park launched a series of Tibetan language courses and translation workshops, providing an exciting new dimension to the Institute’s academic curriculum.

The principal vision of Deer Park is to create a welcoming, safe and open-minded place of learning. Students from all over the world visit and attend programs, sharing their knowledge and experience. The atmosphere is intimate and friendly. A youthful kitchen staff prepares simple, healthy, delicious vegetarian food. The office staff includes young interns from different Asian countries.

Clowning in the Himalayas photo Jennifer Yo

Deer Park welcomes students, laypeople and wisdom seekers to attend their programs. Most of the programs are free of charge and the language of instruction is English.The Institute’s programs are not advertised extensively, relying instead on ‘word of mouth’. People, who have come to know about its existence, appreciate its non-sectarian approach as upheld by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. The dining area often becomes the centre for activities with lively discussions and exchanges. The campus has a number of meditation halls that are the venues for different activities, from meditation and ecology workshops to film screenings. The Institute can accommodate up to 65 or 70 people in single rooms with attached bathrooms; double rooms with shared bathrooms and the dormitory.

Communities bond on the steps of Deer Park photo Jennifer Yo

One feature of the Institute’s activities is its commitment to ecological sustainability. Deer Park has organized workshops and conferences on environmental issues, preserving local culture and sustainable livelihoods with courses held in the Institute as well as in local schools. To disseminate awareness of these issues, informative documentaries and printed materials have also been produced. Since 2009, Deer Park Institute has been invited by the Himachal Pradesh (HP) Government (the local state government) to advise on zero waste and has received an Appreciation Award.

Deer Park is located in Himachal Pradesh , within the Bir Tibetan colony at the foothill of the Himalayas.  Set in an idyllic landscape, Deer Park is surrounded by hills, namely the Dhauladhar range, and rice fields. On a sunny day, students and guests can take an hour’s walk to visit Dzongsar Institute in the nearby town of Chauntra, or walk through the rice fields to Sherabling Monastery (Situ Rinpoche’s monastery). In Bir village itself you can visit four other monasteries, all within ten minute’s walk. There are other holy places of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions nearby such as Tso Pema where Guru Rinpoche displayed miracles and practiced in the caves or the ancient temple of Baijnath.  For students keen on outdoor adventure, one can hike up the hill from Deer Park to a waterfall or simply take a thirty-minute stroll to the Upper Bir village.

Lunchtime with Rinpoche at Deer Park Institute photo Jennifer Yo

With Dharamsala becoming more crowded as tourists flock to this famous Tibetan settlement, home of H.H. Dalai Lama, many long-term Dharma students are attracted to the spaciousness and tranquillity of Deer Park and its surroundings.  Although, over the past ten years more hotels and restaurants have been established in Bir, it still retains its charm as a small village with its monasteries against the backdrop of the magnificent Dhauladhar range.

You can travel to Deer Park by air, train or bus from Delhi. It’s a long journey but once you arrive you’ll appreciate the fresh air and the serene countryside. As you walk up the hill towards the Institute, the friendly staff or our friendly dogs, the majestic temple and the clean surroundings of the campus will welcome you. You can then sip a cup of “Chai”, taste homemade cookies from the Deer Park café, visit the temples, browse through the expansive library and sit back and enjoy your stay at Deer Park.

It is through Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s vast vision, and the dedication of the staff and volunteers, that Deer Park Institute came into being. May this endeavour be auspicious and enable the precious Dharma to spread and benefit all beings.

For detailed information on Deer Park programs and other related information, please check the web site www.deerpark.in

For further inquires on program registration and room booking, please write to: info@deerpark.in

Welcome to Bir photo Pawo Choyning Dorji

Tara Blessing at Deer Park Institute, Bir HP India Oct 1 & 2, 2010.

Synopsis by Crystal Catherine Southwood.

On October 1, 2010 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche bestowed the jenang (Tib) or darshan (Skt) blessing of the tantric deity Arya Tara. The Manjushri Hall at Deer Park Institute was completely filled and many people sat outside looking in through the windows. The lineage of this blessing came from Shakya Shri.

Rinpoche explained that although “not a major abisheka (empowerment) it is one of the many methods of the infinite tantric path to introduce you to the mandala of a certain deity — it creates a connection.” The connection is with the deity and its mandala as well as with the master who bestows the empowerment.

The ceremony consisted of the classical aspects: generating bodhicitta motivation, mandala offering, refuge & bodhisattva vows, request for connection and then the body (through blessing water), speech (through mantra) and mind blessings. For the mind blessing Rinpoche handed everyone a fresh flower, which I placed on the crown of my head.

The following quotes are from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche said during this Tara Initiation

“These flowers are not just marigolds, they have infinite dimension, and represent that Arya Tara will always be your crown ornament and your pledge that you will never take it off.”

“When you just watch the non fabricated mind, that mind is none other than Arya Tara.”

” By engaging in deity practice and visualising self as deity we are actually purifying our perception to what is our true nature”.

“Ultimately our very being is Arya Tara – Arya Tara is not an externally existing deity. We must discover this innate Arya Tara and utilize its full potential.”

“Me telling you Arya Tara is inside you is the same as me telling you oil is in the sesame seed. Oil is always in the sesame seed. It [tantra] is not a deceiving path.”

“Tantra has something to do with continuity, it means, before you practice, while you practice and after realisation, your innate nature has not changed at all.”

“The real cause of suffering is that we do not have the right view.”

Rinpoche also mentioned that the ultimate truth that Buddha realised is beyond words. Concepts that at first Buddha did not teach so as not to lead people astray. What was given are called provisional teachings – teachings that lead along the path but that are not ultimate truth, because most beings were not ready for that.

Rinpoche talked about how to maintain the blessing through various methods such as various ways to do the sadhana. Viewing self and environment all as Arya Tara, visualising Arya Tara as your root guru, reciting praises, reciting mantra, even just reciting the seed syllable Tam has many blessings.

“Sadhana is a method to land on dharmata and arise as Tara instead of our impure self. To try to get pure perception for a moment and replace our impure perception with right perception.”

During question and answer someone asked about merit.
Rinpoche said “Anything that brings you closer to the truth is meritorious.”

Someone asked about grace and Rinpoche said,
“The utlimate grace/blessing is that we have innate Arya Tara.”

Climbing the staircase photo Crystal Catherine Southwood

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche’s address
to the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative Launch

At the Chokyi Gyatso Institute for Buddhist Studies, Deothang, 18 Dec, 2010.
Translated from Tshangla-Lo by Tshewang Dendup

Compared to talking face to face with you, it is much more difficult to talk on camera. It is also difficult to remember all the things I want to say. Even so, on the occasion of the launch of the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative, I would like to convey my deepest gratitude to you for being here this weekend.

I have been thinking about an initiative like this for some time. But it was only the last time when I visited Deothang in March this year that I really got to talk about it with our friends and the people of Deothang.

In general in Bhutan, lots of changes and progress are taking place. Some of these could be good changes, but it is difficult to comment on them because it is hard to distinguish if the changes are good or bad. What we think is a good change this year could be a bad one next year.

Following the wishes of our monarchs to establish democracy, we now have democracy in place, and in line with these developments, it is important for the people to shoulder our responsibilities and start fulfilling our responsibilities and activities properly. Based on that, the idea was to start a project like the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative and see what it can bring forth, even though the project is not on a big scale.

However, I want to make one thing very clear. There are those who understand this clearly and very well. But on the other hand, those who don’t might embark on this venture with pomposity and a lot of hullabaloo as if they were setting up a new association, organisation, or party. Some people like to go around saying that they are members of a special organisation and they exude an excitement similar to those belonging to an archery or cricket team. Sometimes, these people also display a sense of exclusivity, as if to say “I am better than them.” I want to make it very clear and stress that the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative isn’t in any way like that at all.

Although religion is deeply woven into our lives in Bhutan, I also want to make it very clear that the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative is not a religious entity at all, and it will not have any religious trappings like tshechus and holy days and stuff like that. Needless to say, I also want to emphasize the apolitical nature of the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative..

So what then is the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative?

Bhutan has seen good progress which is due to the collective merit of the people of Bhutan, the blessings of the Three Jewels, and on top of that, the far-sighted vision of our Kings who have guarded the well being of Bhutanese people for generations.

While Bhutan continues to embrace the offerings of the modern world and learns the ways of the modern world, it has done so without losing the essence of our unique culture, our unique thinking and mentality, even the way we sit and eat. All these have not diminished, and the credit for this goes to our monarchs.

Our country Bhutan is now in a new set up. Bhutan is a democracy now. So far things have gone well. So why then are we forming the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative?

The Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative is being formed mainly because our people and the Bhutanese citizens have a responsibility. The English word “initiative” is hard to translate but its meaning includes carrying or shouldering responsibility.

It is carrying our responsibility without someone else having to tell us. It is US fulfilling our responsibilities without the prodding of a cowherd. It is for us and it is for our children, and it is for the future well being. Taking such an initiative and to be concerned in this manner, that is the main aim of the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative.

As I said before, establishing clubs and creating teams and stuff like hosting parties, picnics, gathering people for enjoyment, distributing leaflets, hoisting flags and blowing horns that is not our intention and thinking. Please keep this in mind. This is very, very important.

The government has looked after us like a mother after a child. The government has looked after us even beyond the stage that it should, even after the child is now able to ingest solid foods. The government has taken care of us thus far. We are now like 15 and 16 year old teenagers. With democracy in place, Bhutan and her culture, education, environmental preservation and protection, our unique philosophy and psyche, our thinking the caretaker and the custodian of these should not be just the government and the work of a department alone.

Once a child grows up, it should not expect its parents to take care of it further. When the child reaches the age of 15 or 16 or 20 and still expects the parents to look after it, then that is not good. Likewise, the people of Bhutan should now work sincerely in tandem to fulfil the aims of the government and the vision of our King. In doing so, we have to think not only of the present but of the generations to come in the future.

Coming to Gross National Happiness, we should not only engage in talk but also translate it into action  to “walk the talk.” And in doing so, we should not wait for others. Rather, all of us, each one of us, on our own, being concerned, should shoulder the responsibilities, and we should start working in line with the philosophy of the government.

The government is doing its job and in the future also, the hope is that it will continue to do so. But we have to do our bit and not just leave it to the government. After all, it is for us that these actions are being done. We have also become dependent on aid like some other countries. A mentality like that means that we can never mature and grow up.

So being self reliant and realizing our potential I think these issues will come up in discussions in the upcoming meetings, but I am mentioning this here just to highlight its importance.

In our villages, even though we have enough to feed our children, the trend has set in where our youth want to go to Thimphu and to the urban areas. These days you can no longer say things like “you cannot go” and “you should not go.” Why are our young ones wanting to go to the urban areas? Once they reach the urban areas, if they have no problems living a decent life, it is not a problem at all. But often they end up having no jobs, or if they get jobs, those jobs are not up to their expectations, and then they get exasperated and land up in a situation where they feel ashamed to go back to their homes and end up abusing drugs or drinking alcohol.

How can we stem this flow of our youth to the urban areas? We cannot use force and threat. Within Samdrup Jongkhar and Deothang, what are the things that we can do to create the enabling environment and conditions that will keep our young men and women here?

As I say these words, I am reminded of this way of thinking that many of us have  a tendency amongst us to think: “We cannot do this. This is un-doable.” We should do away with such thinking and abandon such thoughts.

Even if something does not work this year, next year, or in five or six years, if we start our project now, we will have a long term plan, because we have to think long term. We have to think long term. If we start now, if we begin our activities now and start now, then even if we are not able to accomplish our aims during our lifetimes, it is not a problem. If we start this plan and establish it now, then it will bear fruit in our children’s lifetime. If we don’t do this now, it will be too late later.

In Bhutan, when we build a house, we face labour shortages. We cannot get labourers. There is a lack of skilled workers. Even if we get labourers, we have to contend with the shame factor because such vocations are looked down in our society with the common aspiration to land a white collar job. How can we change this attitude, this thinking?

Deothang and Samdrup Jongkhar are fertile areas and receive abundant rainfall. Yet we get our food and vegetables from outside. How can we be self sufficient and feed ourselves? How to inculcate such thinking? How do we make our people think in those terms and in terms of environmental conservation and ecological awareness and prevention? Education is the key.

With the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative, the thinking is to go beyond the common and established view, the prevalent view that chanting mantras and counting malas constitutes practice and instead take it beyond those rituals and really integrate spiritual practice. So the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative will look at how to integrate religious practice and go beyond the chanting and counting of malas. And with this kind of initiative, we will work with all of us united in such thoughts.

Many people, including civil servants and business folk, have worked and helped in launching the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative, and I want to thank them. From my side, the Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative has been started with good intention and we should all rejoice. And if this goes well, this initiative could be replicated in other districts.

Please keep this in mind and thank you all.

For more information go to http://www.sji.bt/

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche taking care in Deothang 2010 photo Pawo Choyning Dorji

From the archives, Sydney, Australia 1984.