Happy New Year!

We received this message from our members in Australia:

With Jetsunma’s blessings, six Australian retreatants attended a three-day Ngondro retreat in Canberra, Australia, in early November.  Ngondro is Preliminary Practice for Vajrayana Buddhists, the first stage of committed practice on the path to enlightenment.  Retreatants came from Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra.

We were fortunate in being able to have the retreat in Sakya Lama Choedak Rinpoche’s Centre on the outskirts of Canberra. Canberra is the capital of Australia and is surrounded by beautiful bush land–and lots of kangaroos! We had good weather and a full schedule from 7:00 in the morning until 9:30 at night, with breaks in between.

The retreat focused on the practice of Ngondro (Refuge and Bodhicitta) and the opening practices of the New York Palyul Retreat. We also listened extensively to Jetsunma’s teachings on Refuge and Bodhicitta.  We started and finished the retreat with a Tsog offering.  We were very grateful to have the blessings of the Lama for this retreat.

A KPC group Ngondro practice has not happened for many years in Australia and we hope this retreat is the beginning of new growth and beneficial change. Even a local kangaroo who was inspired to do at least one prostration!

Having His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche on the throne at KPC reminded us all of his predecessor–and our mutual teacher–His Holiness Penor Rinpoche.  (Karma Kuchen Rinpoche was raised as his heart son.)

That is Penor Rinpoche’s picture behind him, with the light beautifully reflecting as if from his heart.  In fact, seeing Karma Kuchen Rinpoche on the throne felt like being with Penor Rinpoche as a young man.  As Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, KPC Spiritual Director, remarked, His Holiness seemed to have “mixed his mind with that of Penor Rinpoche.”

His Holiness offered four empowerments:  Guru Rinpoche (or Precious Teacher), Vajrakilaya (wrathful remover of spiritual obstacles), Dorje Phagmo (the feminine mind of enlightenment), and Amitayus (Buddha of Long Life).  Here two Palyul monks, accomplished musicians, blow the long horns to signal the point at which the empowerment is transferred to those present.

People approached the throne to receive the blessings and empowerment substances.

Jetsunma was able to visit extensively with His Holiness.  Here they are, preparing to sit down for a long discussion.

His Holiness was very pleased with a gift that Jetsunma brought:  an empowered miniature stupa with a crystal  bhumpa .  The crystal contained a precious relic, carefully sealed inside.

When His Holiness asked to see the relic, Ani Dawa, who had sealed the stupa herself, started to tell him that it wasn’t possible.

“It’s permanently sealed . . .” she started to explain, then, seeing that it had yielded immediately to his hand, she trailed off,

“ . . . or not.”

His Holiness easily and securely re-assembled the stupa once he had looked inside.

The incident reminded observers of a story told about his predecessor, Penor Rinpoche, as a child.  He is said to have dropped an ancient, sacred vajra (a ritual instrument) and broken it.  Appalled, he quickly applied saliva to stick the parts together again—and successfully mended it!

Speaking of young people, they also came to visit.  Elizabeth and Riley were running a bake sale for the benefit of the Garuda Aviary, to which they are devoted.  They offered the first cupcake (it was the first one–right, girls?) to His Holiness, who seemed very pleased.

Not to be left out of the gift action, photographer Manny Garcia presented a portrait he had crafted of His Holiness.  (One of Manny’s photos of then-candidate Barak Obama became the basis for the famous “Hope” poster.  Now THIS would make a great poster, wouldn’t  it, Manny?)

At the end of the empowerments, Manny herded everyone outside for a group photo with His Holiness.

Of course, some people don’t need to be herded!  We’ve watched Ani Dolma (a former  U.S. Army major, now retired) organize a crowd!  Here she seems bemused by the goings on.  (TEN HUT!)

Finally, everyone was ready, and pictures were snapped.  We particularly like this shot:  look carefully at His Holiness, making the peace sign—and young Robin, in front of him, unconsciously but perfectly framing his gesture with her exuberant arms!  May we always act in such harmony with our teachers!

We rejoice in the arrival of His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, the head of the Palyul lineage, at Kunzang Palyul Choling.  Yesterday was a joyous day.  Here are some photos that captured the event.

It started with chalk drawings of the eight auspicious symbols.  This is a traditional part of a greeting for a Rinpoche.

As His Holiness arrived, we tossed flower petals

We also made smoke offerings of cedar

Jetsunma and Ani Sonam awaiting the arrival of His Holiness Karma Kuchen

Welcome Holiness!

Sangha offering katas to His Holiness Karma Kuchen

Jetsunma giving a blessing to a small visitor

Recently, following Ani Kunzang’s visit to Australia, Lungtog, Kunzang and Wangmo took the opportunity to circumnambulate a 13 foot (4 metre) high consecrated statue of Guru Rinpoche blessed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The statue is the first statue to be be built as part of the first stage of The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion being built in Bendigo, Victoria under the direction of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The statue of Guru Rinpoche, resplendantly covered in gold leaf, will no doubt remove obstacles of all kinds including obstacles to the completion of the Stupa. During our visit we prayed for the long life and good health of our kind root teacher and all sentient beings. As well as circumnambulating Guru Rinpoche we also practised Guru Yoga together at the base of Guru Rinpoche and during that time, for a moment, the rain and wind ceased. Here is a picture of Ani Kunzang gazing up at the statue of Guru Rinpoche. the statue is housed in temporary accommodation while the rest of the Stupa is being built.

Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC) Australia

In commemoration of the 21st anniversary of the enthronement of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo on September 24, we are presenting testimonials from Jetsunma’s students about her impact on their lives. This story is from Ani Sangye Drolma.

In April, 2007, I found myself back in the hospital for the second round of pneumonia in two months. I was in the middle of being treated for Wegener’s granulomatosis and numerous complications, and was in pretty sorry shape. During the last two days in the hospital, I developed a strange neck tightness. At home it grew worse. My vision started to deteriorate. An opthalmologist diagnosed swollen optic nerves (papilledema) and ordered a brain MRI. He sent me home to see if it resolved itself.

Two days later, I awoke and while still in that half-asleep daze, I felt myself slipping away, dying. Suddenly, a voice inside me shouted something like, “You can’t die! Jetsunma didn’t say it was okay!” Whatever that was, it was enough to startle me to my senses. I forced myself to wake up all the way. I could tell that something was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I had an odd sense of apprehension and—completely unlike me when I’m sick—I was afraid to be alone. I called a friend to come over, and she lined up helpers for the day. I felt a little silly asking for people to come sit with me while I figured out what was happening. Meanwhile, I got a message to Jetsunma, asking for her blessing and prayers.

By midday, I grew increasingly nauseous, the headache worsened, and I began vomiting with incredible force. My friends later said it sounded like an exorcism! I took an ambulance to the ER. Because the MRI had not shown a tumor, the diagnosis was elevated intracranial pressure (aka pseudotumor cerebri). As the pressure inside the skull rises, its inability to expand forces the pressure into the eyes and brain. It’s excruciating.

The only way to lower the pressure is to do a spinal puncture immediately. If it’s delayed, blindness and death are inevitable. But there was a catch : Due to blood clots the prior year, I was still on an injectable blood thinner that made spinal punctures impossible (it causes bleeding in the spinal canal, leading to paralysis). My doctor was terrified, but urged me to do the puncture to at least stay alive. My vision was deteriorating by the minute. I called Jetsunma’s attendant.

As I explained the whole thing, I could hear Jetsunma in the background asking for all the details. “What’s the name of the blood thinner? What do they want to do? When?” After a few minutes of exchanging information through her attendant, Jetsunma got on the phone and said, “Ani, you’re in some big trouble here. I want you to follow my instructions exactly. Do everything I say and you’ll be alright.” She continued, “You must accumulate 100 7-Line Prayers right away. Make sure you do 100. Tell your doctors to give you a high dose of vitamin K, in whatever form is most easily assimilated. That’s the important thing, that it be easily assimilated. After you have the vitamin K, wait 12 hours. If you still need the spinal tap at that point, it will be safe to do it. No sooner than 12 hours.”

I couldn’t believe my good fortune, to have my own precious Lama give me personal instructions to save my life. My primary care doctor walked in and asked what I had decided to do. I told her what I wanted—the vitamin K, 12 hours. The interesting thing is, vitamin K has no known effect on that blood thinner. The doctor and I both knew that, both knew it didn’t make sense. But I didn’t care. Jetsunma knows things way beyond what science does.

Ani Megan arrived and helped me count off 100 7-Line Prayers in between vomiting. The ER doctor refused to give me the vitamin K because it didn’t make sense to him. After 6 more hours of going downhill, they saw I wasn’t going to change my mind and they didn’t want a corpse on their hands. They assigned me to a doctor who gave me the vitamin K. I was admitted and waited out the next 12 agonizing hours. Ani Megan stayed with me all night, enduring endless projectile vomiting and a bad drug reaction to boot.

When the guy came to take me for the spinal puncture a very odd calm swept over me. I stopped vomiting for the first time in 2 days. As they inserted the needle into my spine, I heard a loud “Psssst!” like letting the air out of a tire. The doctor said that was not typical. My cerebrospinal pressure was the highest they had ever seen. They couldn’t believe I was still alive. Incredibly, I felt almost no pain during the procedure and was completely calm.

I later learned Jetsunma had rearranged her practice that day around the spinal tap, so she could be with me. I felt Jetsunma’s presence in the room. Ani Megan said she did, too.

Within 6 weeks, my vision returned to its present state—a little bizarre, but good vision. I suffered no paralysis. I’ll never know how that vitamin K worked, or how Jetsunma came up with it. What I do know is that she has the Wisdom Mind, and I had the great fortune to receive her amazing stream of blessings.

Ani Sangye Drolma

In commemoration of the 21st anniversary of the enthronement of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo on September 24, we are presenting testimonials from Jetsunma’s students about her impact on their lives. This story is from Ani Sangye Drolma.

On June 14, 2006,  I was living in Flagstaff, Arizona when Jetsunma’s prayers literally saved the city. 

At the time, I was almost completely disabled by a mystery illness— severe pain for 8 months,  unable to walk more than 5 feet without gasping for breath,  dangerously anemic.  I was laying down in the afternoon when I noticed that the sunlight on the floor looked orange.  It was too early for sunset.  After a couple minutes, I decided to look outside.  It was excruciating to move. 

To my horror, I saw a huge pillar of flames rising several hundred feet about ½ mile from my house.  I made my way outside and met up with a neighbor.  The winds were very high, blowing straight towards us.  Flagstaff was in the middle of a 10-year drought. The forest was like a tinderbox.  We decided to begin evacuating our homes without waiting for the fire officials to come.  I didn’t know how I was going to do it.  I could barely walk the 30 feet back to my door. I began reciting 7-Line Prayer under my breath and taking Refuge over and over. 

To go in my house meant climbing two steps. This was sheer agony.  I begged Guru Rinpoche and Jetsunma to protect me and my animals,  and to hold back the flames so that our entire neighborhood could get out safely.  I was breathing as if through a drinking straw. I got my bird and two dogs safely into the car and got it running with the air vents closed.  The neighborhood was filling with smoke.  I packed my robes and as much Dharma as I could.  At times I crawled on my hands and knees to move around the house.  Though I wanted to just give up and lay down, I prayed for the strength to get out alive, so my babies wouldn’t be left alone with no one to drive them out of there.

By the time I got everything packed in my car,  my next door neighbor was just arriving home.  She was hysterical.  I told her to get her cat and bird first.  She was frozen.  She said she’d leave the windows open so her cat could escape.  I knew this would mean certain death for her bird,  as the smoke was already filling our homes.  I pleaded with Jetsunma to be with me as I climbed the small fence between our homes and helped her catch her cat.  The bird cage wouldn’t fit in her car and she kept wanting to just leave the bird.  I worried about my animals, still sitting in the car.  How could I save my own animals and leave hers?  We finally found a container for the bird and got him in her car. 

I looked around.  Our quiet little neighborhood in the woods now looked like a war zone. I could barely see across the street due to smoke. Fire engines and police cars filled the streets.  Air tankers were flying in and out, dropping red fire retardant all over the houses and trees. Firefighters were going door to door with mandatory evacuation orders.  There was fear in their eyes.  They said the fire was across a two-lane highway, and if it jumped the highway the fire could not be contained. 

I decided to head to my office downtown and figure out where to go from there.  I was sure I would be homeless.  As I drove I listened to the local news.  It was hopeless.  The fire was about to jump the highway.  The combination of high winds and unlimited fuel would certainly wipe out the subdivision.  Their greater concern now was stopping the fire before it swept over Mars Hill and into downtown.  They evacuated more neighborhoods. They predicted the fire would form a horseshoe and encircle the city.  As soon as I reached a phone I called Jetsunma’s attendant and asked Jetsunma to please pray for Flagstaff.  She gave the message to Jetsunma immediately. 

Less than 10 minutes later,  the news reported there had been a major change in the fire.  For no apparent reason,  with high winds at its back and with ample fuel, the fire had jumped the highway and just stopped advancing.  The fire chief stuttered as he gave the update, saying he’d never seen anything like it.  Though it took a few days to completely extinguish the fire, we were allowed back home late the following day. 

 A few days after the fire, I drove out to see where it had happened.  I saw the path of the fire, burned right across the highway and a few yards onto the dry grass. And there,  abruptly, was where it had stopped.  I couldn’t contain my tears of gratitude to Jetsunma for having witnessed such a miracle. 

 And as if all that weren’t enough, I experienced another miracle as a result :  The evacuation so weakened me that my doctors quickly ordered tests they weren’t considering.  This led to a faster diagnosis of the rare disease that was rapidly killing me.  Two weeks after the fire, I began life-saving treatment. 

In commemoration of the 21st anniversary of the enthronement of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo on September 24, we are presenting testimonials from Jetsunma’s students about her impact on their lives.

I had been searching for some time. Ever since my father-in-law died very young, and my Grandmother, who had taught me to pray, passed away, I had been searching,  I wanted to know where they went.  It didn’t seem to me that this life was the end.  I had been taught that when you’re dead, you’re dead.  But that didn’t bring any comfort at the loss of dearly loved ones.

I had done some volunteer work with Native Americans, and a Native American woman I worked with suggested that I learn to meditate.  She gave me the name and number of a woman who was a student of Jetsunma’s.  I learned that Jetsunma was teaching in Arlington, Virginia where I lived.   I went with my friend Tracey from work to hear Jetsunma speak, and we were both very moved.  I felt a connection to Jetsunma and knew when she invited the audience to her Center in Kensington, Maryland that Tracey and I would go there.

When I entered Jetsunma’s rec. room that evening in Kensington, I felt the most incredible love that I had ever felt in my life.  Needless-to-say I kept going back.  That was 25 years ago.

The blessing of having Jetsunma with her incredible loving kindness and compassion hook me onto the Path has changed my life.  I know that when Jetsunma speaks to us, and we each hear and receive what we need at that time.  There is something that happens, and I can feel something shift inside.  Something changes, and it has been that way ever since I had the blessing of hearing Jetsunma at that very first teaching in Arlington.

I didn’t grow up with a sense of cause and effect, other than to know if I’d been bad I’d be punished.  Through the grace of my Precious Lama’s Teachings, including some very direct instructions and teachings, I have had the blessing of being totally opened up to see what was going on and what I needed to work hard to change.  I know that Jetsunma can see what is happening to each of us, and has the great compassion to tell us what it is we need to change.

 I can’t imagine not being here with my Root Guru’s Sangha, all of us working together in Jetsunma’s Mandala. I am grateful in my heart beyond words to be here with my Precious Root Guru Jetsunma and this Precious Sangha.  This Precious Teacher and this incredible Path have given and continue to give me the foundation of my life, so that I can be of benefit to beings.

Love,

Amita Rene

In commemoration of the 21st anniversary of the enthronement of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo on September 24, we are presenting testimonials from Jetsunma’s students about her impact on their lives.

My mother said that when I was very young, I was compassionate. It seems to me now that perhaps this was, in part, the saving grace that led me to Jetsunma, despite the fact that my childhood was less than ideal (as it is for many people). At around four years old, I was (so a photograph shows), happy, cheerful and confident. The next photo, around five, shows bewilderment. By six or seven, this had evolved into sullenness. And so it went, as I evolved from painfully shy and unhappy to resentful, bitter and angry. I liked no one, and especially not myself.

I first encountered the Dharma in 1963 at the age of 16. I remember the incident, so fleeting, as though it were yesterday. I was on a long weekend home stay with a friend from a Catholic boarding school  I soon discovered that her father was totally disrespected in his own home, apparently for being meek and mild and, horror of horrors, a Buddhist (whatever that was!). He was almost totally ostracised from family life and sat in a corner, reading a small book. I can see him now, calmly and peacefully abiding whilst all around him chaos and criticism reigned. It seems there was still a small vestige of compassion in me. It was this (and embarrassment at the father’s situation) that moved me to approach him at an opportune time and ask what he was reading. He smiled, pleased with my interruption and curiosity, and wordlessly passed the book to me. I do not remember what I read, but I do remember recognising the unmistakeable truth of what I read on the very first page. Mr. F. noted with a knowing smile my reaction and offered to lend me the book. Unfortunately my karma at that time was not such that I could accept what I now realise was the Dharma, and I backed off.  I am now 62 and  although I remember very little else about that weekend, this incident has stayed with me ever since.

Sometime around 1995 I became aware of and intrigued by the Dalai Lama, and started to acquire and read books on Buddhism by His Holiness and other teachers. By 1999 I considered myself to be a Buddhist in heart and mind. Around 2001 I came across The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and, as for so many others, this became my “bible”.  I decided to try and develop devotion to Guru Rinpoche, figuring that I had nothing to lose and possibly a lot to gain. Every day I prayed Guru Rinpoche, Precious One. You are the embodiment of the compassion and blessing of all the Buddhas …  I decided I should become a student of Sogyal Rinpoche. I made contact with a group in Brisbane but my efforts to get to meetings met with obstacles. I let things be and continued with my own evolving practice. My habitual tendencies were not diminishing. If anything, they were growing worse. I was the man in “Groundhog Day”!

So I prayed to Guru Rinpoche to help me find a teacher, but really only in a lukewarm way because I have never liked being part of a group. Nevertheless, before long I attended a teaching by someone I greatly admire, Ani Tenzin Palmo. It was March or April 2008 and there I met and connected with Ani Tenzin Wangmo. I shall always be grateful that Ani La led me to Jetsunma. I jumped in pretty quickly after that, realising that Jetsunma was the remarkable Tulku I had read about some years earlier in Reborn in the West, but never dreaming that one day I would become her student.

Although I quickly recognised that Jetsunma is a remarkably gifted teacher of Dharma, devotion had to be manufactured, just as I had previously developed fledgling devotion to Guru Rinpoche on a nothing-to-lose basis. This time, though, the basis was do or die. I knew that I had come to an important crossroad in my life and now that I think about it, this is the only time I have ever actually recognised a crossroad at the time of arriving at it.

True devotion eluded me. I knew I had to develop devotion in order to proceed swiftly on the path and I longed to develop it. I wondered why it was not happening for me. When I listened to Jetsunma’s teachings, which I regularly did, I was enthralled and motivated whilst becoming more and more aware and truly regretful of my negative habits and unskilful actions. I recognised with utter clarity that I was walking on a tightrope above a deep and terrifying abyss. But still I persisted in the grip of the five poisons and lack of mindfulness; over and over my negative thoughts and actions played themselves out although slowly, slowly, there was minuscule movement of the scales. My thoughts were becoming less neurotic and judgemental, my heart more kind and open.

I continued to reflect on why I had not yet developed true devotion to Jetsunma and then, very recently, I read Michelle Grissom’s confession, and it seemed that virtually in an instant a veil was lifted from my mind and heart. I recognised Michelle’s poisons as my own (at least in part) and I also realised that the comments I had read on the Internet about the Buddha from Brooklyn had poisoned my mind even though I told myself at the time that I did not believe the negative things I was reading. I knew Jetsunma was the real deal. I knew she had deliberately taken rebirth to help all sentient beings. I knew my Lama was good and true and virtuous. And yet, a seed of doubt had been sewn that I had refused to acknowledge and deal with. And then Michelle’s confession miraculously set me free. Now, finally, I am on the cusp of true devotion.

How do I know?

I know because when I think of Jetsunma, love born of gratitude swells in my heart the way it does when I think of my dear mother who died in 2005, one day short of her 90^th birthday. I have felt this kind of love for no one else. This realisation is very recent, very precious. I once read that the last thought a dying person has is of their mother. That may be so. However, I know that my mother of this life cannot ferry me to Dewachen; only Jetsunma, my root guru and my teacher, can do this. Therefore when the Lord of Death gives me my final illness, I hope and pray (and in fact truly expect) that it is Jetsunma, inseparable as she is from Guru Rinpoche, Kuntuzangpo and Buddha Amitabha, to whom I will turn in my hour of need.

Sherida

Brisbane, Australia

23/9/09