Meditation Informs Healing Facilitation

Spring Retreat 2010 – “chewing on” Dharma

This is (hopefully) the first post in a series. I attended the Spring Retreat from the “opening ceremony” until Wednesday June 9th – 12 days total. Now I am full… I could stop there, but I wrote so much in my journal, I will continue 🙂 What follows is a daily journal and stream-of-consciousness thoughts on the retreat. If you want specific details on who taught what, etc etc, go to http://www.drikungtmc.org

Here I am with Khenchen (Konchog Gyaltsen), an enlightened being. I do not feel worthy, but on a tea break I grabbed the opportunity for a photo op – in the past I always let them slide, so I figured, “I need to have a picture with a Buddha!” I mean why not? Khenchen is the lama whom I first took refuge with in 2006, along with taking the Bodhisattva vows with at the same time. Needless to say I feel a strong connection with him, even though he is quick to point out that he is not my root lama – rather he pointed me in the right direction.

5/28/10 – I decided to get up to Frederick, in spite of the flash flood warnings. Well, at least I knew what I was getting myself into. Thank you wisdom beings for helping through several walls of water, not to mention the lightening striking alongside the road – oh and for helping us avoid the section of highway that was underwater… Good Grief! Am I crazy?! Well, it is the precious Dharma and I did not want to be late!

I arrive and get greeted by a flock of men – Dharma practitioners (the best kind of guy). What a pleasant surprise – coming out of Charlottesville through the watery hell realms and into a beautiful sunset over Frederick, with Dharma friends. One of the main themes of this retreat (out of several) was that I stayed at a house with three other males. Considering I normally in the Dharma Duplex with three other women, that was a pleasant change of pace. Although Drupon would say otherwise – yes, let me digress for a moment.

Later in the retreat, I had the good fortune to offer a bodywork session at the Lama House after teachings. Therefore, I was talked into staying for dinner. At which time I mentioned I am noticing differences in male energy vs. female energy (nothing new here!), but Drupon said jokingly, “I think it is better to stay with women.” I did not know how to answer him, but it is always good to laugh! See the “Secret Teachings” post later on for more on this night.

The three of us guests sat down with the owner of the house and fleshed out what needed fixing and doing and we made a list. Good to be clear. Also good to be in the presence of builders and carpenters.

5/29/10 – Khenchen is teaching! Man I was excited! However, over the past few years, since first meeting Rinpoche, he has never opened up to me. What I mean is that I do not have a reason to be in close contact with him, and frankly it is a little intimidating – what do you say to an enlightened being? 🙂

Anyway, I was not expecting anything different from the past, meaning I was not expecting Khenchen to remember me, but when he walked in, I was the first person to greet him. And then he made my day – he wrapped me up in a big hug and said, “You made it! I’m glad you are here.” MY HEART SMILED LONG AND BROAD.

It seemed to me that Khenchen’s teachings, as the week progressed became more and more potent. He said some things which went directly to my heart, and on several occasions, I’m pretty sure he was tapping into my stream of consciousness and speaking words I needed to hear (specifically). He has done this in the past, although it might have been a coincidence.

On the first day, he stressed how only we can make ourselves happy, or we choose suffering. The Buddha, Bodhisattvas and others cannot help us without our putting in some effort. I loved his line about, “You have to put in effort to achieve effortlessness!” He also mentioned that the afflictions will not roll over, they do not age, they do not get sick and that if we put in a little effort and defeat them one day, they will regroup and come at us from a different angle. We have to stick with Dharma practice! Awesome! And it got better each day. Khenchen taught from his text, “Samsara and Nirvana: Two sides of the same hand.” This is available on the TMC website.

Khenpo Chophel taught in the afternoons, and I just love how intricately he can dissect one line from Lord Jigten Sumgon’s Gong Chik. Of course he is teaching from a commentary, but his eyes are closed the entire time he is talking – so I’m positive he has a crisp, precise memory and a heart full of wisdom. Yay!

Khenpo mentioned that the Buddha is not like a Christ or a God. Rather he is just awake to primordial awareness. The Buddha was not some great, incredible conqueror. He did not want to be worshipped, he has no agenda, he does not act out if people do not follow him. He does not mess with causality – only we can bring about the causes of our happiness and suffering.

silly laughter

Back from retreat,

a little girl tells me her version of the Big Bang Theory:

“there was a giant before it all began, and the universe was in the shape of a flea, on the giant’s chest.

the giant flicked it off which caused the Big Bang. Oh! And there was a skunk who did not like the giant very much, so he sprayed the sky thinking he could get the giant. But no, all he did was create the stars.

There were little balls of earth that kept expanding and expanding and that is how we have the Earth and the planets.”

a client gets of the table, spontaneity is in the air, along with potent essential oils:

“Hey! Look at that! My handwriting is so much better! Maybe not entirely grounded… but better! All right.” She is in the still point zone. Please, rest, remain in that space and continue to bring laughter.

Words from Spring Retreat

Not to leave you with a morbid tone there… I am keeping a detailed journal about my experiences here at the 2010 TMC Spring Retreat which I plan to write down upon my return. For the moment, things are going very well – I do a little bit of sitting in the morning, then I head up the mountain to the center by 9 am. Khenchen has been teaching and will continue to do so throughout this week (we are very fortunate!) and Khenpo Chophel has been teaching on the Gong Chik in the afternoons. It is my intention to attend most of the teachings and to be of as much service as possible – while to also listen to my body / mind and practice self care when appropriate.

Khenchen gave an answer yesterday, to a question that was not exactly on topic. But it was still incredible nonetheless! Someone asked him, “at work, my colleagues are very competitive and it is difficult not to get caught up in this energy. What would you recommend me do?” Khenchen answered, “you must compete… <wait for it!> You must be in a competition to see if you can have more Bodhicitta than anyone else.” Wow – talk about an unexpected answer 🙂

There will be more such stories when I return next week. Thank you for reading.

Tibetan and Buddhism filled summer, small poem

Hello and thank you very much for reading.

Recently, I have been feeling a strong urge to rest down – I have been enjoying bicycling, reading and spending time with a new arrival – “Uma,” a feline friend. I am still kind of active in the local Buddhist Sangha but I’m feeling a deep need to discover quiet spaces. This could be because of what I have coming up – twelve days of Buddhist teachings at the Tibetan Meditation Center, then home for a few days before the Tibetan Summer Language Intensive starts. I’m excited about that – two years worth of Tibetan language in two months. Whoa! Thank goodness I already have a little Tibetan (Bod Skad) under my belt. As a result however, I suspect I might have a quiet couple of months – June and July – where it will be challenging for me to post much. I am working on some drafts at present, but if you don’t hear from me soon, I wish you a happy, fruitful and inner coolness filled summer!

On a recent bike adventure, I sat and took a break across from a little country cemetery. This macabre poem arose:

I stand, a sentinel, against

sky vast and open, azure

gazing out across lonely graves

voluptuous muscle cars vroom by

a steady stream of bikers buzz across my view

one sees me, stops

another day; here I am

guarding worms and maggots

I, refuge for flesh eater and corpse alike

Biodynamic Craniosacral – Our Innate Healing Plan

This material is copyrighted by Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. To support my business and blogging efforts, please visit my website. More recently, I have begun teaching Astrology classes on Trauma-Informed Astrology, see http://www.traumainformedastrology.com for more! Thank you for visiting!

I had a new thought recently as I was working with a client. I realized that everything I have learned regarding Craniosacral Therapy – protocols, techniques, etc – is fluid and should not be thought as being etched in stone. What I mean is that my teachers taught in the best way they could and in a manner in which I could conceptually understand, and I am very grateful for them, holding them with deep respect. However, it is only when we begin to practice and filter all of what we learned through our own experiences and perception, that we begin to realize those protocols are simply a road map. They are not “THE” answer, rather they are one possible solution to get results.

I say this because individuals are so unique. Sometimes I will have a client who wants more traction (when I drop in techniques from Zero Balancing for instance), so much traction that I am not able to provide enough – very rare but it has happened. Then I will have another client for whom, say (arbitrarily), 10 lbs – not much when it comes to the legs – is too much. And occasionally, to really throw a wrench in the works, the same client who wanted more space in their last session will now want much more contact and containment. Therefore, as practitioners we must always be alert and listening, ready to change gears when it is requested of us – whether clients verbally articulate it or whether we feel something change under our hands.

We cannot rely on a checklist, rather we must listen and provide spacious presence to the client’s system in such a way that they feel safe, comfortable and relax with ease. Then when we are ready and when their system is ready we can listen for their body’s unique healing plan and we can connect with that level of their being. We can at this point, and possibly even should, ask “what is needed right now?” “Now that you have dropped some of your typical patterns of holding and compensating, what would be of most benefit to you right now?” “Please show me what you need.” These questions are good starting points – and the last request is a great intention to set – because a powerful intention, when grounded in knowledgeable skillfulness and the wisdom of experience, often produces powerful results. We must realize that everyone has an innate healing awareness, their own personal healing plan, and the ability to unwind and re-organize on their own. This personal healing plan or innate healing wisdom which we all have is a vital piece.

We must let go of the (arrogant) thoughts that say, “Oh – look at what I have learned. Look at my degree! Look at how many years I was in school. I am certified with hundreds of hours under my belt! I know the ANSWER!” Dear Lord! This is erroneous and I believe this is one of the primary reasons people do not receive lasting results (when that unfortunate scenario occurs). It is because someone else is trying to push the client / patient’s system to heal ahead of time. Or the practitioner is so focused on relying on their own knowledge that they do not have the space (or compassion or wisdom) to listen to the client’s system or body. And unfortunately, when this last scenario occurs, the client’s body has just shied away from the practitioner’s cold, judgmental gaze – and how can any lasting healing occur when at some level, the client does not feel safe with the practitioner – no matter what letters are after their name?

We must learn to drop the part of ourselves that diagnose, that judge, that says, “Oh look at you! There is something wrong with you and I know what that is! In fact, I can heal you.” Bullshit. Nothing is further from the truth. Get off your high horse before you hurt somebody! Get with the program and drop that old, derogatory story. It is then, and only then that you will start to notice people getting up off the table saying, “Wow! I don’t know what you did, but I feel so much better…” When in actuality, it was their system that told me where to put the fulcrum, and besides that, all I did was hold space and awareness as they re-organized around a fulcrum. So it is imperative(!) – we must listen for the client’s innate healing plan. (See footnote at the bottom.)

It is at this point that we become a part of the solution, a fulcrum around which their system re-organizes and re-orients. And it is only at this point that true, lasting healing occurs. When I have the thought “I know what they need,” which of course is now a major red flag, when this monstrous thought wanders across my serene mental landscape I pause and check in, remembering I don’t actually do anything without their body’s permission and direction. Because I could unwind someone’s jaw all day long – but if they are not ready to process the consciousness that is stored in that particular pattern, whatever is manifesting will never shift, repair or heal. However, if they are ready, and if, after listening, I am drawn to work with their jaw, in a gentle, patient manner, then it might feel like butter melting under my hands and the issue could potentially dissolve in a few seconds. Where on the other hand, if I “know” that they need something unwound, and I do not wait for their body to relax and drop its conditioned patterns of holding and compensation, it could take many minutes to TRY to unwind it, and it still might be fraught with tension (which is a lot of effort for no result – a disappointing proposition indeed).

There is a gift in waiting and listening – allowing the organic process to take effect. This organic process can happen faster and faster if you maintain a [“hands off, I just listen, I just work with your system, I am not a healer, I do not actually fix anything that is not ready to go ahead of time”] attitude and continuously hold this kindhearted space. Then client’s bodies feel your compassionate presence and move into a healing-receptive state with ease and grace. It is at this point that you start to become a healing fulcrum just by being present. This takes time – do not go into a workshop saying, “You know, I’m ready to heal others right now. I’m going to come out of my first (or second… or fifteenth) class and just heal the world.” Baby steps. Go slow, do a little and rest. Learn a little more and rest and integrate. Be gentle. Then it sticks. And it might not be until way down the road that you feel confident and wise with experience. There is a saying among my bodywork teachers: “When you touch 1,000 bodies, then you will have your answers.” That is a lot of bodies to get your hands on. But I think what this means is to trust that the process will take a long, long time to evolve and integrate. But it will happen if you apply a gentle yet persistent work ethic.

Remember, less is better than more. “We can never go too deep – only too fast” a timely quote by Hugh Milne. And for goodness sake, relax your awareness, identify your stories and then let them go.

Becoming a gifted healing facilitator is an incredible journey. And we cannot arrive at that destination without doing profound work on ourselves. Providing expert healing facilitation for others and doing great work on ourselves goes hand-in-hand. And please keep in mind that the journey is the most delicious part.

Footnote: There are times when we are in such a state of crisis or trauma that taking the time to listen is absurd. That is the beauty of Western medicine – when there is a bone sticking out of someone’s arm, there is no time to waste. I feel Western medicine does a fabulous job with acute issues, injury and disease. However, it is the non-life-threatening material that could use more of a compassionate touch.

This was hastily written by M. Kirby Moore, an ordinary human being, on May 14th, 2010.

retreat gourmet, hung bazra phai

I just returned from a little weekend retreat at the Lama House of the Tibetan Meditation Center of Frederick Maryland (TMC). To provide a little background info, briefly, I am presently experiencing bodily resistance when it comes to deepening my meditation practice (to say the least), so… I was very happy to be a retreat cook. What this means – bodily resistance – is that I notice discomfort and tension in my neck when I do any kind of Vajrayana practice (deity yoga) and I am taking it easy for the time being, or to be more specific, I am practicing patience as these obstacles dissolve.

These events are called PDL retreats because the retreat center is the Phuntsok Darjye Ling, which is associated with the TMC. This weekend there was a Vajrapani retreat happening, and when the email went out that they needed a cook, I jumped for it. Drupon Thinley Ningpo led the weekend retreat.

I have never done Vajrapani practice before, which means I have not received that blessing ceremony (initiation). But it was okay, due to Drupon giving us a lung or transmission to start things off Saturday morning. Vajrapani is purportedly a very potent practice, and I have heard Lamas warn people to wait until they are ready to practice Vajrapani – that they should start with a gentler practice like Green Tara or Chenrezig for instance. But I do not want to put words in their mouths. Vajrapani is one of the three Lords of the Dharma (I think I am saying that correctly), along with Chenrezig and Manjushri. While Manjushri is associated with wisdom and the head, and Chenrezig with compassion and the heart, Vajrapani is associated with potency or energy and the pelvis – the three main centers of the body – head heart pelvis equate to wisdom and mind, compassion and loving-kindness, and creativity and potency.

The woman who I was to assist said that she was under a bit of stress in her life, plus she had an hour drive to get to Frederick each day. So I told her to come in a little later in the mornings – leaving me to start things off. Oh – and she also did all the planning and grocery shopping.

While the fifteen or so retreatants were downstairs in the shrine room doing the practice, and gaining merit for all sentient beings (including the cooks), we were upstairs chopping and boiling and stewing. Saturday morning I made blueberry pancakes for the first time. Yum! They turned out pretty well, however, I think it is important to spread out the blueberries – when they bunch up, the pancakes tend to fall apart. But they were very tasty.

Then, for Saturday lunch, we made curried chick peas. This is definitely an Indian-type of dish, as cumin, turmeric, coriander and other spices went in, along with onions and tomatoes. It was a big hit. One of the retreatants is a Spanish professor, and she mentioned that a Spanish poet wrote an essay about chick peas – talking about “golden nuggest of bliss and delight.” For dinner we stir fried veggies and then we had to come up with a peanut sauce on the fly. It is amazing what manifests when peanut butter, hot sauce, rice wine vinegar, tamari and coconut milk come together! Oh – and I fried tofu. Fun with bean curd.

Sunday breakfast was pretty normal, but then we spent the entire morning prepping for lunch – which was Thai food that neither of us had cooked before. And believe it or not, this was actually not a recipe for disaster! Hehe. We made a Thai mushroom / lemongrass soup which had many ingredients – the only issue there was that we tried to convert the ingredients from a recipe for two people to sixteen people and we ended up with three times too much food – needless to say we had leftovers. We also made Thai spring rolls and a salad. All in all I think the retreat went remarkably well and in this case, I’d say the retreatants had something to look forward to on their breaks. In fact, they may have been reluctant to leave the kitchen / dining room to go back down and practice – oops! Middle way? (have good food, but not so good that they are developing new attachment and huge desire for it? not sure what the right “recipe” is here…)

I dedicate any merit we may have accumulated to all sentient beings. May all beings know the potent purity of spiritual practice and realize their natural state!

a petit retreat? (sabbatical)

I have been realizing that I have quite a bit of extra time (temporarily). A few minutes here, half an hour there… So I decided to do a little sabbatical in the midst of life – basically push the envelope with my practice of kindness to self. Actually I finally resolved to do what the I Ching continues to recommend to me (over the past four months…) It recommended doing a sabbatical back in November… But I resisted… for a while… <grin grin!> I no longer wonder if resistance is futile – it is. So, I’m just an ordinary human being, doing a little 10 day sabbatical in the midst of life.

Monday – I realized, hey! Just go about life as usual, just added a titch more Dharma. Did a smoke puja to start things off – to set the (my) intention / motivation of the ten days and asked for obstacles to be removed.

Tuesday – Sabbatical is starting off well. Sticking pretty close to my regimented schedule – four thoughts, metta, refuge, heart sutra, confessions, prayers, etc. As Geshe Jampel Thardo would say, just practice Bodhicitta. Oh and lots of nap time to integrate and process.

Wednesday – Things are getting stirred up. As I try to stay disciplined, the monkey mind wants to run off. Doing okay with the schedule and with down time. But the usual distractions are looming larger than normal.

Thursday – Thank goodness I am on brief sabbatical. I woke up to find the rear glass of my car has been broken. Wow! Therefore took the bus to run a couple errands, then upon returning, found some large reservoirs of anger / resentment welling up within. Oof! The agonizing hells of attachment to objects and / or positing situations as certain is not worth it! My sabbatical schedule is of little concern now – just staying present with what is arising – simply noticing and having compassion toward myself and others. I feel violated (with my car’s damage). It’s not easy – my habit of being hard of my self keeps rearing its ugly head. Although today I am doing all I can simply to be present to my rage and just let it process through.

Friday – getting my car dealt with. Drove to a friend’s to clean it up (insurance not covering the repair – grrr – need to fix that). Thankfully I had this downtime planned ahead of time… Now I am merely doing Dharma when I awaken and before I go to bed. I’ve pretty much let go of the previous schedule. Today I felt unusually joyful though – perhaps a little recalibrating after processing some heavy stuff yesterday. I looked at my astrology – when the window of my car was broken – transiting Pluto square my natal Mercury (ruler of vehicles and local travel), Mars is retrograde in my 12th house, transiting Jupiter square my natal Neptune (Sun ruler) and trine my natal Uranus (perhaps providing just the outlet I need to let rage escape… and therefore move toward self-actualization and authenticity. ugh!) Transiting Saturn is also retrograde, teetering on the threshold of my 3rd house (this could be “the reason” as the 3rd house has to do with vehicles, local travel among other characteristics).

Saturday – Woke up and I wanted to seize the day – i.e. I was feeling so good that I wanted to break off my discipline and run away… Argh. Many thoughts crossed through my mind, luckily I did not follow after any of them. Upon checking in with the I Ching I was reminded that I am still on sabbatical. Ooops… The (my) mind is very tricky indeed. Doing well being present with what I am noticing. Thankfully the I Ching speaks what I need to hear. Sitting at the Blue Ridge Zendo is helpful to clear my mind.

Sunday – Whoa! Sat Zen and did their 2 hour morning gig – walking, chanting, tea ceremony, sitting. Came back and I feel like I had an intense bodywork session (the base of my head is aching to lie down and integrate something). Also, while sitting, it seemed like time stood still – and this time I was okay with it – not like the “oh my god! when will this ever end” type of meditation. Rather it was a, “oh, I’m still sitting here. Curious. And the bell has not rung yet. Okay. Fascinating. Gonna keep on sitting.” Then came home and zonked out until our (Tibetan) Dharma group met.

Monday – Oops. Discovered more anger / resentment when I called around about getting my car repaired. Sat a bit at home and then at the Zendo. Still pushing myself, kindly. After practice, felt the need for some socializing, so I went upstairs to visit with my neighbors. I felt kind of high as I had been doing practice, but not the most grounded form. Therefore I sent some emails which might cause the recipients to take me less than seriously. Whoops. Need to ground. Sat at the Zendo with a large group of people (large for their group – there were nine of us). My mind was not settled and I left feeling kind of frazzled – that might be a first. Normally I sit zazen and I feel like my head has calmed and cleared.

Tuesday – Saw a client and then spent time afterward being kind to myself – took a bath, lay on a heating pad. Yum yum yum. Noticing telling myself big stories about an infection / cyst in my nose – I need to ask for support and then take some medicine <updated later – it is healing – Hooray!>. Got my car window replaced – Yay! Finally I let go a little and smile. Aaahhhhhhhh….. Did some nice cooking for everyone in the Dharma Duplex where I live (four of us), I made a couple of quiches. A pleasant evening.

Wednesday – Today there is nothing planned. Wow! And I don’t know what to do with myself. Yes, the perfect opportunity to do some practice. Let’s see how I do with it. Later… Ohh…. outchie! I saw the network chiropractor today, plus did some practice where I was pushing (too hard) and I think I stirred up some deep stuff. Luckily I am attempting to see all composite phenomena as illusory – including the dark hopelessness I encountered. Yowsers – be gentle Kirby… doing very little is okay. Sigh…

Thursday – Being gentle, going extra slow after what I processed or just tried to stay present with yesterday. <the brakes are on as we speak.> Did a little work outside in a friend’s garden, did a little Metta practice and then went for a hike. Very pleasant although feelings of not “getting enough accomplished” and “guilt around not doing enough Dharma” are arising and they are yucky! Ptooey! Having some difficulty grounding recently. (Wisdom, please bring myself and all sentient beings under your protection. Help us ground and connect to wisdom presence.)

Friday – aaaahhhhhhh…. my little sabbatical is over. Nothing special occurred, just attempted presence and tried to be in the freshness of the moment. It seems sitting Zen is beneficial for me – it is like cool, mountain-stream water on a hot summer afternoon. Otherwise I got glimpses of some big stuff I still need to work on. Great! I have homework. 🙂

Have a lovely, peace-filled day.

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – Togden Rinpoche and the History of Lama Yuru

7/1/08 – Today was a good day. Of course you could say that about everyday that you are on pilgrimage. However, we met with Chosje (Dharma Lord) Togden Rinpoche and Bakula Rangdrol Nyima Rinpoche gave refuge to several group members on this day. At the time, I did not know who I was meeting when we went up to the tippy top floor of Lama Yuru to attend Togden Rinpoche. All I knew is that he was a Dharma Lord. Luckily I have learned a bit more since then and I will fill in my own blanks (if that is possible).

Togden Rinpoche was seated when we entered, and he was chatting with three people who looked to be local Ladakhis. I believe his English was decent because I do not recall a translator (of course, please correct me if I am mistaken!). He reminded me of Yoda (from Star Wars) or a gnome – he was seated but you could tell he was shorter – even for a Ladakhi. However, he radiated confidence and a humble power – very difficult to describe, but he was present and grounded for certain. Oh – and he has long ears like a Chinese Buddha image / statue.

It turns out he is one of the Dharma Lords of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism – each major region has one (Ladakh, Mt. Kailash, Tsari, Lapchi) and he is the Dharma Lord of Ladakh. That also means that he is a regent if something were to happen to the Holinesses. Later, when I went back to read his bio on http://www.drikung-kagyu.org site (click on eminent teachers), I was amazed – he has done an incredible amount for Ladakh – improving its infrastructure and benefiting the Dharma in big ways. Plus he is one of the primary lineage holders of the Rinchen Terdzo – having been given the succession from H. H. Dudjom Rinpoche.

Chos is Dharma and Jai (Je) is Lord or Master. Togden Rinpoche is the reincarnation of an Indian Mahasiddha, having left a footprint in a boulder when he was two years old (among other miraculous happenings). And judging from his presence and unassuming spiritual power, I believe it! He talked to us about the history of Lama Yuru and then our group leader asked him to give us some brief transmissions – Amitabha’s Prayer to be reborn in the Pure Land of Dewachen, Chenrezig’s mantra and Guru Rinpoche’s mantra.

The name Lama Yuru comes from the Tibetan word for swastika – which was a sacred symbol in Tibet long before it was tarnished by the Nazis’ use. An arhat came to the valley where the monastery is located during the Buddha’s time. At that point, the valley was filled with water as a lake. The arhat (or some people believe it was actually Naropa) made offerings to the nagas (snake like demigods who live in water) and asked them to leave. Supposedly they listened and a crack appeared in the dam, allowing the water to drain out. He made the aspiration that there should be a monastery in that place.

Rinchen Zangpo – the famous builder / practitioner / translator from Tibet came around the same time as Naropa – 1016-1100 – and built five buildings in the shape of a mandala – one in the center and four in each direction. Then he built 108 buildings around these central ones. Naropa meditated in two caves / huts in the monastery for several years. Apparently the monastery was beautiful – there were statues of each root lama (of each lineage), lineage holders, many Taras and Arhats. However, in 1842, the Seikh king destroyed nearly all of the old monastery (luckily a couple buildings survived the destruction, allowing Lama Yuru to be one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh).

Bakula Randrol Nyima Rinpoche’s first incarnation began rebuilding the monastery in the mid to late 1800’s (and now his 4th incarnation is there). Presently, Lama Yuru is thriving, with more than 400 monks including its branch monasteries.

This is most of what Togden Rinpoche said about the history of Lama Yuru. Any mistakes are my own doing, as there was some time before I was able to record what I heard (in my journal).

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – Many sublime teachers at Lama Yuru

As I mentioned in my previous post, we spent several days at Lama Yuru Gompa. This is the largest Drikung Kagyu monastery in Ladakh, and I believe I heard someone mention that there were about 400 monks and 80 nuns at the monastery while we were there, to watch and participate in the Cham Dances and Ceremonies. Some of these monks and nuns have more experience and realization under their belts, and that is what this post is about.

Here is a list of who we attended while at the monastery, and a little about what they said or what teachings / transmissions they gave us.

Drupon Sonam Jorphel Rinpoche – or “Lama Jorphel” as he likes to be called, is one of the most productive lamas I think I have yet to come across. Lama Jorphel is the present retreat master for Lama Yuru Monastery. In fact, when His Holiness the Gyalwa Drikungpa Chetsang Rinpoche was doing his three year retreat there, the previous retreat master who was highly venerated and respected, Kyunga Rinpoche, passed away (dissolved back into the mandala). At this point, Drupon Jorphel, his successor, took over the retreat duties.

Lama Jorphel is getting older now, so I don’t think he travels quite like he used to, but our tour guide met him in Malaysia and said that he used to teach extensively outside of Ladakh. Lama Jorphel also is primarily responsible for much of Lama Yuru’s renaissance – much of the present-day monastery had to be rebuilt or created new. There is now a “hotel” which has many modern facilities which over looks the main courtyard of Lama Yuru. This allows tourists and pilgrims to stay in comfortable lodging while observing the Cham Dances.

Lama Jorphel is also responsible for much of the building of retreat facilities around Lama Yuru. There is even a building to house one or two Western retreatants – due to the harsh winters in Ladakh (or Srinagar to be more precise) – the Westerners generally come for one, two or three of the warmer months do their retreats. When we met Lama Jorphel, it was at the top of the monastery complex, where most of the retreat huts are located, and he spoke to us about the monastery and about Tibetan Buddhism.

He also talked about impermanence and how, in general, Westerners do not put enough thought into death and the resultant need to practice Dharma. He talked a little about the importance of finding an authentic spiritual teacher, and once you choose, stick with that person to develop Tamzig – devotion and commitment. He said that it is better to practice refuge and get the basics out of the way before jumping from one empowerment to the next, which is the tendency of many Westerners.

Rinpoche mentioned that technology had done so much to change Ladakh – he said it was only in the past couple decades that many cars, planes and buses had arrived. He told a story about when he was young – he said he walked from Lama Yuru (in Srinagar) to Leh Ladakh – a journey of 400 km, then he took a bus to Dharamsala, then a plane to Delhi, then he took a bus to Sikkim and finally, he had to walk from Sikkim to Lhasa (Tibet) in the winter snows… Whoa! He said that first it was telegrams, then lights and electricity, radio and finally email. He mentioned that when the first plane landed in Ladakh it was prostrated to – a seeming miracle!!

In my opinion, he seemed like a very valid, humble and potent monk. I think his accomplishments and Dharma activities speak volumes for his dedication and realization. Along the lines of Tibetan Lamas being named appropriately – apparently Jhorphel comes from “Jhor wa” which means material resources and “phel” means to increase – under Lama Jorphel’s watch, Lama Yuru monastery has grown significantly in buildings and in financial resources.

Bakula Rangdrol Nyima Rinpoche – a young Tulku, or recognized, reincarnate lama, is the 4th incarnation in this line. One of our Ladakhi guides mentioned that when he is alive and associated with the monastery, it flourishes. He is known as one of the best Cham dancers in the Drikung Kagyu, and sure enough, he had the main dancing responsibility in the Black Hat Dance (see future post).

Rinpoche gave us refuge, as several members of the pilgrimage had not taken refuge and desired to do so. His english was pretty good, so he did not use a translator. He spoke about what is required when we take refuge – 1) not causing further harm to anyone, 2) not worshiping or paying homage to non-enlightened deities / local spirits, 3) treating fellow Sangha members with kindness – as brothers and sisters. This is in addition to taking one of the five precept vows. See the history of Lama Yuru post (future post) for more on Bakula Rangdrol Nyima Rinpoche.

Drupon Sonam Kunga – as I mentioned in a previous post, Drupon is Bakula Rangdrol Nyima Rinpoche’s tutor. So we first met him in Leh, at Rinpoche’s house. At Lama Yuru however, he gave us a little tour of the main meditation and teaching hall. He spoke a bit about work around the monastery and all the new construction that had occurred over the past twenty years (quite a bit). He added to the history of the monastery which Togden Rinpoche had started. Drupon was also a member of the 3-year retreat which included His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, Khenchen Rinpoche – Konchog Gyaltsen, Drupon Samten, and seven other highly respected teachers.

I will post a piece about Togden Rinpoche separately at this is getting long. We were very blessed to have access to these sublime masters, to receive brief teachings and to learn about the fascinating history of Lama Yuru. You can visit http://www.drikung-kagyu.org and click on the eminent teachers link to see more about these amazing lamas.

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – Cham Dances at Lama Yuru

6/30/08 – We were planning to be at Lama Yuru for a few days at least. And actually, I considered asking (Drupon) Lama Jorphel if I could do a week long retreat as I had an extra week on my itinerary. However, later I opted out of that. [Updated in 2021: I really should have gone through with this retreat idea. Lama Yuru is where His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon did his 3 year retreat, where Kyunga Rinpoche started as his retreat master (see previous posts about a story there). Then Drupon Jorphel – the same one we attended – took over as retreat master when Kyunga Rinpoche passed into parinirvana. As far as Drikung Kagyu lamas go, that retreat back in the early 80’s was star-studded. The accumulated merit and spiritual momentum you might say, is potent at Lama Yuru! Hence I regret not doing even a 5-day retreat there!]

My legs ached from yesterday’s mountaineering (and / or subsequent panic attack). Today we are planning to watch the Cham dances, which are taking place today and tomorrow. Early this morning, there was the option of going up to the monastery at 5:30 am to witness the Mahakala puja which requests obstacles to be removed from the Cham ceremonies. They say that the Drikung-pas are good at calling rain (causing rain) and whether or not it was the Mahakala ceremony or the fact that we were at a Drikung Kagyu monastery or just a natural weather phenomena, it rained significantly for the first time we were in Ladakh. Actually, that was the only time it rained with any accumulation for the entire month that I was there.

The Cham dances are very subtle. It is the one occasion where the monks get to dance (they normally have vows against dancing). In this case, it is a ritual practice of embodiment and offering. Apparently the monks do some extensive visualizations – picturing themselves as the deities they are representing as they twist, hop, and spin around. They are dressed up in elaborate costumes – and usually we were not able to tell any individual monks apart as they are wearing heavy gowns and hats or crowns or antlers (depending on the dance). They also carry appropriate implements according to the deity they are representing (vajra, or scepter, or skull cup, etc). Someone mentioned that each of their movements has symbolic meaning.

We sat or stood a lot, and I noticed my mind becoming very agitated – I wanted more action. I wanted to be doing something. It really was an effort to change my mind from experiencing angst to patience to be able to sit around for several hours and observe the dancers. They would dance all day today and tomorrow, so I needed to calm down somehow. In addition to the dancers, there were two “joker” characters – monks who were dressed up as old men with silly masks on. It was their job to go around and pester people into making donations. Lucky for us, after four or five times of coming through and asking for offerings, our trip guide told them to leave us alone (we would give a significant donation later on – no need to be bothered by the jokers).

There were many people at the monastery – Westerners including us Americans, Europeans, Japanese, Tibetans, a few Indians and many local Ladakhis. Apparently the Cham dances draw large crowds – such that the major monasteries in Ladakh stagger their events so that they do not compete with each other. Also, the Cham dances used to be in the 12th Tibetan lunar month, which would be closer to early February – or in the 1st month to celebrate the New Year – still in the winter. However, observing the Cham dances is a method to obtain enlightenment (and the monks get to benefit others therefore by dancing), the dances are pretty much held in the summer in Ladakh where more people can benefit from watching. And as a large tourist draw, the monasteries profit more as well.

Just to clarify about that last paragraph I am including this section, however due to my inferior intelligence, please pardon any mistakes I am making. There are many methods or ways to obtain enlightenment – by eating or by taste (eating tsok-blessed food or mani pills), by sight – observing Cham dances or seeing a serene, peaceful yogi; by reciting words – saying prayers or mantras; by actions – doing prostrations or circumambulating stupas, etc. Not to mention meditation and working on the union of Shinay (Calm Abiding) and Vipashana (Critical Insight). And I am certain there are many other skillful means to work toward enlightenment that I am leaving out.

There were about a dozen dances each day. Some dances involved monks dressed up as animals – deer, or sometimes dressed as protector deities – it was fun to try to identify each one – Achi Chokyi Drolma was pretty easy to discern. Bakula Rangdrol Nyima Rinpoche is known as a profound Cham dancer, and as such, we were anticipating seeing him in action. Also, because he is a tulku (a recognized, reincarnated teacher), we could be pretty certain that his visualizations were clear and accurate. More on this in a future post. Each dance would last at least 15 minutes, with a few minutes of intermission between dances, or sometimes the monks would come out with all their instruments – drums, horns – short and long, symbols, etc – and parade around the courtyard. This seemed to me to be an introduction to the next dance.