Blocked In Beijing?

Well, according to greatfirewallofchina.org, my sites are blocked in China, which I find strange, because site statistics show regular visits from China, such as this visit to http://www.nyingmapa.us from Beijing on July 12th.

New White Mahakala Book

I finished my new White Mahakala practice text and commentary back in May, and we staggered on the Chinese translation, so the decision now is to publish in English only, for release later this year. Hopefully, this one will be available by December 2007.

Tibetan Protection Amulets

Here is the link to a really splendid collection of btags grol and srung ba'i 'khorlo available for free download. You can also purchase the real thing--produced overseas by Nyingmapa lamas, and appropriately empowered-- by clicking here.

Printing Prayer Flags

We are making a huge line of prayer flags, to hang from one peak to another around here, and received this nice block from a friend overseas. Unfortunately, the wood was not well seasoned (it was in fact still damp), and in the 19% humidity here, a crack developed. This did not, however, detract from the resulting image, so we keep working.You can just barely see a Gesar flag in the background. From the foreground flag to the background flag is a distance of about 300 feet, and that is where we will string the new prayer flags. We print them one at a time, on unbleached cotton, and then sew them on cotton clothesline.

Fourth Dodrupchen Rinpoche

The Fourth Dodrupchen Rinpoche

Many years ago, my teacher told me, "I really want you to make some connection with Dodrupchen Rinpoche, so sit down, write him a letter, and introduce yourself." Then, at the same time, he wrote to Dodrupchen Rinpoche and said, "I really want you to make some connection with this stupid guy, so please write to him."

One morning, not long after, I went out to check the post and discovered that I had received a package. Unfortunately, this package had been vandalized by a group of naughty teenagers, and the contents were strewn in wet grass all the way down the block. Dodrupchen Rinpoche had sent me color pictures of Padmasambhava and the disciples, together with a beautiful letter.

There I was, running down the street, trying to collect the pictures. One of these proved difficult to recover, always blowing away in the wind just as I reached for it. Finally, I gave up chasing and just waited. Sure enough, the next gust of wind blew the picture to my hand.

Dodrupchen Monastery

Rinpoche has, for many years, had a center in Massachusetts which, true to the U.S. Mail prophecy, burned down shortly after it was inaugurated. The durable students there nevertheless managed a comeback. This center sells all sorts of interesting things over the web, so take a look.

In any event, the exchange of letters was the extent of the connection with Dodrupchen Rinpoche. I never wrote to him again, and he never wrote to me. Forty years passed by, and then I chanced to make the acquaintance of the young reincarnation of the "last disciple" who proved so difficult to collect, that windy day. I told him the story, and he replied, "You're right...that is interesting!"

Within a day, he more or less spontaneously gave the reading empowerment of Dodrupchen Rinpoche's abbreviated Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro to a small group of students.

I have very great hope for those particular students.

Padmasambhava's Day

The 10th day of the 6th month (tomorrow, if you're in the U.S.) would be a good day to reflect that there are so many useful things you could be doing with your life... if you can only summon the will to just do them. When you are finished with the Guru Rinpoche Puja, get up from your seat and go live your life to the fullest. Whatever it is you feel compelled to do, just strongly do it in a manner that leaves no regrets. Once, I had a friend who worked in a convalescent home. She told me that the clients never said, "Oh, I wish I had not done this or that;" rather, they all said, "I wish I had done this or that."

I send a rain of blessings to my many friends all around the world.

Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro

I have just completed my new book on the kLong-chen sNying-thig sNgon-'gro. This should be available somewhere around Spring 2008, depending on the publisher. We might post excerpts at http://www.nyingmapa.us

Buddhist Texts for Download

Just a reminder that we still have a couple of things available for download at: 

[NOTE: THIS RESOURCE HAS BEEN TAKEN OFFLINE]

By the way: the illustration is of an eighteenth century porcelain kapala, of all things.

Lama Tharchin Recent Heart Surgery

I do not know the gentleman personally, but I can certainly extend deepest prayers for full recovery. Lama Tharchin had a pacemaker installed, and is reportedly doing fine.

Guru Rinpoche Flags

Does anybody know where to get these very good quality Guru Rinpoche flags? This is the paper print that came in the package. The flags are well printed on good cloth, stoutly sewn on strong cords, and hold up in the 80 mph winds we regularly have around here. Someone gave me these, but I do not know where to get others.

Still More Flags

This is a fifteen foot flag, just received from a Tibetan lady from Dolpo who lives hereabouts. We have been enjoying unusually windy weather lately.

Few Remember

H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche passed away in 1987, followed by Dilgo Khyentse, in 1991. Here is a photograph of H.H. Mindrolling Trichen, who is the actual Supreme Head of the Nyingmapa Sect, following the agreement of 1962 between H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, and H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. H.H. Penor Rinpoche, who most assume to be Supreme Head of the sect is actually the head of the Palyul lineage. Penor Rinpoche nominally succeeded Dilgo Khyentse as head of the sect in 1992, but resigned in 2003. To his credit, H.H. Mindrolling Trichen has never cared much for sectarian politics.

Dzi Beads

Many people have written to ask about these beads. Yes, it is true, they are listed in the materia medica of Tibetan traditional medicine. No, they are not petrified worms from outer space. They are etched agates, ultimately of Mesopotamian origin. You can find authoritative information about them in Etched Carnelian Beads by Horace Beck (1933), Etched Beads in India by M.G. Dikshit (1949), and Etched Beads and dZi Beads by Peter Francis, Jr.

The best place to buy them is in the pawnshops in Lhasa.

What should you pay, and what are they worth?

I have no idea.

Many years ago, Tarthang Rinpoche and I were dead broke, and the landlady was adamant: we either paid up or else. We were sitting around, more or less stunned by poverty, trying to find ways to raise the rent. Finally, he sighed, went upstairs to his trunk, and came back with a solid gold spoon, a complete Tibetan saddle, and a single Dzi bead. "What do you think we could get for these?" he asked, triumphantly.

"Well," I opined, "we will surely get something for the spoon, and we might get something for the saddle, but the bead won't even get us on the bus."

Buying these beads is worse than buying jade. Jade has no price. What is worth $5.00 to me might be worth $5,000.00 to you, and vice-versa.

Do Tibetans really value these beads?

Yes, they really do.

His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991) wore these beads on a necklace.

River Sky Redux

River Sky is back, in limited operation. Make appointments here.
Note that we have plans to put the Tibetan pharmacy site back up in the near future.
In the interim, if you have specific needs, write to rinpoche!@riversky.org (after first removing the exclamation (!) point). We still have the largest inventory of Tibetan traditional dietary supplements in the United States, available for investigational use.

Tibet Is Not Utopia

People are fanning the flames of the Samye statue controversy, but it would be useful to ask ourselves what--if any--benefit would come of this. Basically, two Chinese down around Guangzhou (if I am not mistaken) raised 800,000 RMB (roughly USD $106,000) to install a large statue of Padmasambhava near Samye, but did not make the proper local government relationships in Tibet. Construction began (see above), and then suddenly, the statue was removed.

If you want to say that this is a Chinese government attempt to repress legitimate expressions of faith in Tibet, you would probably be mistaken. If you want to say there is more to this story than the "flame fanners" know, you would probably be correct.

We do not have to look all the way to China to find "causes." In the United States, the city of Garden Grove, California discriminated against a Buddhist temple, necessitating a federal lawsuit.

What we have at Samye is a zoning situation:

On 1 January 2007, a new "Measures for the 'Regulation on Religious Affairs'" with 56 articles, issued by the 11th Standing Committee of the "TAR" People's Government on 19 September 2006, entered into force.

Article 13 of the new "Measures for the Regulation on Religious Affairs", states that, "Religious organizations or venues for religious activities that plan to build a religious structure such as an open-air religious statue, stupa, or Mani Lhakhang [Prayer (wheel) Temple] outside a venue for religious activities petition the Autonomous Region's government religious affairs department for examination and approval after receiving consent from the prefectural (city) administrative office (people's government) religious affairs department where the venue is located. The autonomous region's people's government religious affairs department shall put forth its decision on whether to grant approval within 30 days of receiving it.

Religious organizations and venues for religious activities that plan to build a large-scale, open-air religious statue outside a venue for religious activities handle [the matter] in accordance with the provisions in the State Council "Regulation on Religious Affairs." No group or individual outside of religious organizations and venues for religious activities may build religious structures such as a large-scale open-air religious statue or mani lhakhang [prayer (wheel) temple]"

As a reinforcement, Article 48 states that, "Where, in violation of provisions in Article 13 of these measures, a religious structure such as an outdoor religious statue, stupa, or mani lhakhang [prayer (wheel) temple] is built without authorization outside of a venue for religious activity, the people's government religious affairs department at the county level or above orders redress, suspension of construction, and demolition within a specified time limit, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations."

Before we start shouting slogans, we need to remember the concept of Skillful Means. Perhaps if the people in China had researched a bit more carefully, the statue would still be in place.

The Situation at Samye

Briefly stated--- there is an issue involving a new, large statue of Padmasambhava, at Samye. Below are references to both sides of the story.

Here is the "official" line:

Samye Monastery made bold to erect a copper statue of Buddha Padmasambhava in the open air donated by a related enterprise's principal, which disobeyed the Law of the People's Republic of China on Protection of Cultural and the Notice of Illegally Building Open Statue of Buddha jointly issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs of People's Republic of China, Ministry of Construction of the People's Republic of China and China National Tourism Administration.Relics Samye Monastery then self moved the open-air statue forwardly.

Democratic Management Committee of Samye Monastery,
Lhoka Prefecture,
Tibet Autonomous Region, China
June 8th, 2007

Here is the other version.

I do not want to comment on the concept of "illegally building open statue of Buddha" beyond stating that even in the U.S., you would still need to observe certain laws before erecting a large statue of this type.

If they need a place to put the statue they "self moved forwardly," they can send it here. We'll pull the permits.

Splendid Kapala

Some things are eminently useful, although the real thing is infinitely better.

Great Perfection Tourism

You can obtain further information by following this link.

Please carefully note the references to the personal property of Jigme Lingpa --- which by any objective measure will have been formerly housed in Tsering Jong.

Gesar Flag

The colorful Gesar flags are produced and sold by my friend in Taiwan, who then donates half of everything he makes to the support of over 3,000 monks in the care of Penor Rinpoche.

Here you see we have placed one in a strategic location...after an invigorating little climb.

The Liberation of Small Creatures

I completed my short book about releasing animals. We have an electronic review version on the web (for a limited time), and you can download this here.

When you click the link, navigate to the "Teachings" page and then find the link for Perfectly Natural Reation: The Liberation of Small Creatures.

If you read this, please be kind enough to write to me and tell me how it might be improved. My address is: rinpoche!@riversky.org. Of course, you would remove the exclamation point (!) from this address.

NOTE: I HAVE TAKEN THIS OFFLINE AS OF FEBRUARY 2009.

New Kurukulle Book

UPDATE: This was an edition in November 2007. We revised the plans for this book by eliminating the Chinese translation. With all respect to the translator, who certainly tried her best, the resulting translation did not pass our panel of judges. This is a pity, because in many ways I wrote this book for the Chinese audience, in order to dispel some of the more worldly notions about Kurukulle practice. As of 2014, the book is no longer available.

The Karmapa's Rabbit

Somebody who knows my unreasonable fondness for rabbits sent me this picture of the 13th Karmapa and his rabbit (lower right corner). So, I did what anybody would do. I printed out this picture and gave it to my rabbits---who last night listened so lovingly and attentively to the puja.

Nature's Own Kite

Jade Grace, 11, is visiting for the summer--as is her custom--and last evening, decided she wanted to fly one of the kites. Near sunset, the line became entangled in a creosote bush. We tried, for awhile, to disentangle it but then just gave up. The creosote bush proceeded to fly the kite without any further assistance from us. Three in the morning, and the kite was still aloft.

"You know...there's a teaching here," observed Jade Grace.

"What might that be?" I asked.

"Sometimes you just have to let nature fly the kite on its own," she replied.

Yesterday, we repaired the damaged flagpole and sent one of Tarthang Rinpoche's flags aloft. These are the finest prayer flags in the world, bar none. You can purchase them for USD $125.00 each--well worth the price--and all proceeds go to aiding Tibetan refugees. These flags fly all over the world, and are a kind of badge of honor.

Latest Flags

Everybody who follows this site knows we are quite fond of flags. Here is a photo of the often rumored but rarely encountered Mahakala flag (top), and a mounted "Thousand Eyes" flag (bottom), which is the companion to one we had made for our Lion City friend, Lotus Lake. That is a Hilleberg Keron GT3 expedition tent in the background --- still going strong after 80 mph winds.

Sending Vast Luck to Everyone

Today we are printing prayer flags, and sending luck to you on the winds.

What Makes You Not a Buddhist

This book was an extraordinarily great pleasure to read.

1. All compounded things are impermanent.
2. All emotions are pain.
3. All things have no inherent existence.
4. Nirvana is beyond concepts.

British Photography in Central Tibet, 1920-1950

The most remarkable visual resource treating Tibet in the first half of the twentieth century may be visited by clicking here.

Happy Birthday to the Dalai Lama

Happy Birthday to His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, who was 72 (73 Tibetan) yesterday.

Ram, Yam Revisited

The temperatures are approaching 126 degrees, the winds are regularly 60 mph or better, and then---in the middle of a clear day---lightning struck, touching off a 400 acre wildfire. Shades of last summer! The flagpole on the left in the above picture snapped off in the wind, so now we have another repair.

How to Set Up A Tibetan Buddhist Shrine, or Altar

After studying the search queries that bring visitors to these pages, I learned that many people want information on how to establish a shrine in their homes. With this in mind, I want to offer a few words of advice. I also want to encourage you to consult other sources. There is a wrong way, a right way, and then there is my way. Hereinbelow you will read "my way," which is not necessarily the right way.

(1) Direction.

Most shrines in America are erected facing West, toward Tibet. The lama will invariably sit with the shrine on his left, in which case he will be facing South. I have read advice to the effect that the shrine should be on the West wall, facing East. Overseas, I had one shrine set on the North wall facing South. My feeling is that Padmasambhava pervades the ten directions, so any position is by definition, inherently auspicious.

(2) Central Figure.

Many people ask if it is appropriate to place Padmasambhava as the central figure, or Shakyamuni as the central figure. I usually arrange Padmasambhava as the central figure, with Shakyamuni behind him and slightly higher. This reminds one that there is fundamentally no difference.

(3) Lama, Yidam, Dakini, etc.

I put my teacher's picture directly in front of Padmasambhava. On Padmasambhava's right (my left), I put a scripture. On His left (my right) I place a stupa. On the second tier down, I put (from left to right) Manjushri, Chenrazigs, and Vajrasattva. On the next tier down I place (from left to right) my yidam(s), dakini(s), and protector(s).

(4) Offerings.

The offering bowls are (from left to right) drinking water, bathing water, flowers, incense, light, perfumed water, food offering, and music offering. You can also put a row of butter lamps behind these, and then replace the "light bowl" with a mandala. I have seen this but I do not do this myself. I like to put up mandalas by themselves. I think the nicest way is to put three levels of offerings: a row of tormas and mandalas, then a row of butter lamps, then the row of bowls. I like to arrange these in tiers.

(5) Fixtures.
I think it is essential to use nice cloth beneath the images and offerings. You can purchase shrine cloth, umbrellas, and so forth from many places, and these may be as simple or elaborate as your budget permits.

(6) Structures.
The homes and temples in Tibet are being systematically looted of furnishings. Please do not encourage this by purchasing antiques. You can purchase all sorts of tables locally, or you can purpose-build cabinets on your own. It is traditional to have cabinets made with niches for the various images, and then you can have tiered tables in front of these for the offerings.

Do a Google image search on "Tibetan shrine," or "Tibetan altar" and you will see numerous examples.

International Dunhuang Project

The British Library--surely one of the finest such institutions the world has ever known--is attempting to make over 100,000 items from Dunhuang available over the Internet. You can read all about this, here. The real thrill is that you can sponsor a sutra, just like the old days! I see that it will cost £1,107 to do the Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra. This is the Chinese, but they also have numerous Tibetan works. Therefore, if you wish to sponsor a sutra in Tibetan, visit the above site. If I had more time, I would spend it studying the treasures found at Dunhuang.

Chushi Gangdruk - "FOUR RIVERS, SIX RANGES"

News of a large statue of Guru Rinpoche recently moved at Samye Monastery calls to mind "Four Rivers, Six Ranges." This was the nominal designation of Tibetan guerillas based in Kham, who waged unsuccessful resistance warfare in the 1950s. This expenditure of blood and treasure... what did it gain? What I mean to say is that when you hear of such things, there is always this tendency to react...to aggressively wish something. But, we should stop and think. Getting angry at the Chinese doesn't help anything... planning reprisals doesn't help anything... shouting slogans doesn't help anything. Quite possibly, we don't know all the facts surrounding the Samye matter.

Then.. there is this quotation from H.H. Dalai Lama XIV:

"The ability to look at events from different perspectives can be very helpful. Then, practicing this, one can use certain experiences, certain tragedies, to develop a calmness of mind. One must realize that every phenomenon, every event, has different aspects. Everything is of a relative nature. For example, in my own case, I lost my country. From that viewpoint, it is very tragic--and there are even worse things. There's a lot of destruction happening in our country. That's a very negative thing. But if I look at the same event from another angle, I realize that as a refugee, I have another perspective. As a refugee there is no need for formalities, ceremony, protocol. If everything were status quo, if things were okay, then on a lot of occasions you merely go through the motions; you pretend. But when you are passing through desperate situations, there's no time to pretend. So from that angle, this tragic experience has been very useful to me. Also, being a refugee creates a lot of new opportunities for meeting with many people. People from different religious traditions, from different walks of life, those whom I may not have met had I remained in my country. So in that sense it's been very, very useful."

Remembering Pema Wangyal

I learned that Pema Wangyal passed away.

I once commissioned him to paint two tangkhas: Longchenpa and Jigme Lingpa. I still have the Longchenpa tangkha hanging at the head of my bed. The one of Jigme Lingpa was lent to a student who now refuses to give it back.

Once upon a time, Pema was staying in San Francisco and we decided to have lunch together. When we finished, he sat down to paint and I sat idly by, picking my teeth and playing with the pots of colours. We were chatting about women---Pema had a string of blondes, and they were all becoming jealous of each other. He wanted me to intercede to keep the peace. Without thinking, I dipped my fingers into the blue and put my fingers on the wet toothpick, which I then placed in my mouth.

That was enough to stop my breathing.

One of the lamas came rushing into the room when he heard me choking, and Pema shouting that I had poisoned myself with the blue---cyanide---paint. The lama smacked me over the heart with his thumb and forced one of H.H. Karmapa's Precious Pills down my throat. Thereafter, with his fingers on my pulse, he asked me, "How do you feel?" I replied: "I don't care how I feel."

That is how effective the Precious Pills are.

I got the above photograph from Mike Dunham's blog. I hope the photographer will not mind if I include it here with this memory of my friend.

The Liberation of Small Creatures

The review copy of my little booklet, Perfectly Natural Reaction: The Liberation of Small Creatures is now available for download here. We will keep this link active for awhile, with the provision that you write to me and tell me how you liked it, or did not like it, as the case may be.

NOTE: AS OF 23 FEBRUARY 2009 I HAVE TAKEN THIS OFF LINE.
YOU CAN WRITE AND REQUEST A COPY IF YOU LIKE.

Download Site

When opportunity permits, we will be parking downloads somewhere at [deleted] This will be inclusive of documents, recordings of mantras, and images.

NOTE: AS OF 23 FEBRUARY 2009 I HAVE TAKEN THIS OFF LINE.
YOU CAN WRITE AND MAKE REQUESTS IF YOU LIKE.

Garab Dorje

What's up with Garab Dorje's right hand in this painting?

More Treasure Vases

Nubri Monastery - Your Turn to Help

I am tremendously moved by the circumstances at the 500-year-old Nubri Monastery.
H.E. Dodrupchen Rinpoche's students have taken responsibility for assisting.
I hope everyone will help them!
Visit the Nubri Monastery Home Page and see for yourself.

How to Contact Me

Friends have suggested that I provide a point of contact for people with questions. That is easy: rinpoche!(at)riversky(dot)org

Naturally, you would remove the exclamation mark before using this address.

Social Notes from All Over

His Eminence the Ninth Ogyen Tulku and Tenpa Rinpoche engaged in a White Mahakala Empowerment, 13 June 2007 (Ogyen Tulku did all the work and Tenpa Rinpoche just sat around doing nothing).

High Desert

My new book, High Desert: Imitations of Meditation in America's Western Mojave, is now in pre-press. This will be available in September 2007 just about everywhere.

Kalu Rinpoche

The most recently available photograph of Kalu Rinpoche, who is seventeen years old now.

Gesar Flag, Nyingma in America Style

Here is a scan of the original design for the Nyingma "Gesar" prayer flag commissioned by H.H. Tarthang Rinpoche circa the early 1970s. I seem to think this was drawn by somebody named Glen Eddy, but I could be wrong about that. Note the seal of the Tibetan Nyingmapa Meditation Center, at top, center.

Early Dharma Press

Above is not, strictly speaking, the first thing ever published by Dharma Press (now Dharma Publishing), but it is certainly among the first.

This picture by Sherab Palden Beru was published in August 1969, by Tarthang Rinpoche, on an Excelsior hand-powered printing press I helped to buy.

The original was published in the British magazine Middle Way, to illustrate an article by Trungpa Rinpoche.

I had the block done by M&H, in San Francisco. The gold for all of this came from washing dishes for USD $2.00 an hour at the Khyber Pass Restaurant, and whatever I could scrounge.

The signature at the bottom is that of H.H. Tarthang Rinpoche. This picture has survived fires, floods, and other disasters.

For the record, the first thing ever published by Dharma Press was a silkscreen work, and then, after the press was delivered, a little business card with the Seven Line Prayer.

Here is another picture, of Milarepa, by Sherab Palden Beru, done in Scotland circa 1968.

Nyingma Seal, Revisited

Here's another version of the Nyingma seal. You will notice the syllable in the center is "AH" not "OM," and the two-headed "lotsawa" birds are apparently of the same family (rather than two different families).