His Holiness Karma Kuchen photo by Mannie Garcia

October 23, 2009

Dear Palyul Students and Friends:

The Great Vidyadharas – all of the Palyul Throne Holders of the
past up to our present root teacher, the late His Holiness Pema
Norbu Rinpoche, the Eleventh Throne Holder – have purely upheld
the authentic teachings of the Palyul Lineage.

His Holiness Penor Rinpoche has enthroned me as the Twelfth
Throne Holder of the Palyul Lineage, and following his advice
and enlightened intention, along with the assistance of his two
heart sons, I have accepted the responsibility for upholding the
Buddha Dharma, as well as overseeing and serving the Palyul
mother monastery, and all of its branch monasteries and dharma
centers worldwide. I have full-heartedly taken on this
responsibility, and I am doing my very best.

Therefore, I advise all of our Palyul students and friends to
not become entangled in any unnecessary confusion and worries
but rather to devote yourselves to learning and practicing the
dharma, and to continue your support of the Palyul dharma
centers. At this time, for the sake of peace and harmony for
all, it is my fervent request that you mingle your mindstream
with the dharma and earnestly practice the teachings.

With blessings,

Signed
Paltrul Karma Kuchen

NGA GYAI TSUG GYEN PEN CHEN BIMALA
You are the crown jewel of five hundred scholars,

LAR YANG SID PA ZUNG WAI TSUL TEN CHING
The great scholar Vimalamitra, who has taken birth once again;

NYING POI TEN PA PEL LA DA DRAL WA
You who have no rivals in spreading the heart essence of the
teachings:

PEMA NORBUI ZHAB LA SOL WA DEB
I pray to Drubwang Pema Norbu.

GANG GI YANG SID CHOG GI TRUL PAI KU
Hold us with your compassion

NYUR WA NYID DU JON PAR TUG JE ZUNG
Through the swift coming of your reincarnation, the supreme
emanation!

This email was sent to those identified as members of the CLOSE
STUDENTS list of the Palyul.org email list who have expressed an
interest in thi type of content. The contents of this letter are
intended for Dharma students of Palyul and anyone else who might
benefit.

May all beings benefit!

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

The sangha has been busily preparing for His Holiness’ arrival at KPC.  Here are some proof pictures of the gang at work!

Ani Samten dusting the crystal stupas in the Prayer Room

Michelle polishing the Guru Rinpoche statue on the Palyul Lineage altar.

Claire getting ready to hang prayer flags

Gonpo getting ready for a dump run

Sandy weeding the path around the Enlightenment Stupa

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

Baby Boomer Bird Bust Looming?

Christopher is anticipating a tidal wave coming in the next 10 or 15 years. It is thought that many baby boomers, a huge demographic, will feel that they are incapable of taking care of their parrots. So perhaps thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of parrots will need new homes. Those in the parrot rescue world are not looking forward to this, but they do want to be ready for it.

“Because we don’t have much funding and a limit on space right now, we can only take in the worst of the worst cases.” It is his hope that in the future, the aviary will have a bigger facility and more funding and be able to take in even the birds that just cause their owners “inconvenience.” He said the aviary gets a couple of calls a week saying that it is difficult for the owner to take care of their bird, they work a lot, whatever. It seems bad, but it is still a convenience problem. “We currently just take in birds that are in an emergency situation.”

Visitors At the Flight Cage:  Yes!

Christopher does not want his flock to stress out about, “Being a prey animal in a small cage, unable to fight or to flee, and having unfamiliar people walking around your cage staring at you.” He prefers not to have too many folks visit the inside of the aviary; the birds would feel trapped.

However, he welcomes visits to the outside flight cage. The flight cage is big enough so that the birds could move to the other side if they felt nervous. On most nice weather days, with the temperature above 60 degrees, Christopher brings the parrots out around noon and takes them in around 4 pm. The birds are very social when they are comfortable. Please come and say hello. Some of the birds, and perhaps even Christopher, will answer you!

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the  Garuda Aviary website. 

Private Parrot Whisperer

When asked if he had a Facebook or My Space page, Christopher replied, “Absolutely not.” He is a pretty private person and is known as somewhat of a recluse. “I have an e-mail address, I’ve had it for about four months, and it’s the very first in my life. And I give it to no one, because chances are they will try to contact me.” When he had business cards printed when he was doing massage work, there was no phone number on them!

Dear Parrot Whisperer, I Have This Parrot That…

Christopher says, “Many people haven’t done research before they bought their parrot. They find themselves at the end of their rope with an animal they can barely take care of. In that case, I try to give advice that might make that situation easier. But my preference would be to talk with them before they bought a parrot, and hopefully dissuade them from doing so.”

He adds, “If people really feel that they absolutely need to buy a parrot, there are lots of people out there who need to get rid of perfectly good parrots. And unfortunately, for years to come parrots will be juggled from home to home here in America. At this aviary, we try to educate people that parrots do not make good pets; they should be left in the wild. Dogs and cats have had centuries of selective breeding so that we can have those animals that are best with people. Parrots do not have the benefit of that breeding. They are basically wild animals brought right into our living rooms.”

Even hand-hatched parrots have the instincts of a wild animal. What is Christopher’s advice for someone who wants a parrot? “Look for another animal. Probably 90% of people who get a parrot will want to get rid of it within three years. That is why parrots get juggled around from house to house so much. And every time that happens, it takes a huge emotional toll on the bird. What you end up with are birds that are considered unhandleable. That is where this aviary finds its niche; birds that cannot be handled by anybody else find a home here.”

Stay until tomorrow as the story continues…

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

Itty Bitty Buddy Bird

Christopher has a pet bird of his very own that he keeps at home. She is a small Sun Conure. Christopher says that is kind of funny, because the bird he is closest to at the Aviary is Demara, the Hyacinth Macaw, the largest bird in the flock. While the two birds that Christopher is the closest to are quite different in size, there is not much difference in their emotional bearing. Jetsunma will sometimes give Christopher a hard time for how loud his little bird is at home. But he says imagine a bird 100 times her size honking and barking and squawking, wanting his attention. That is what he has to deal with at the aviary.

Bicycles and Birds

Christopher rides a bike; and rides and rides…. “I have a Giant road bike, and I cycle a lot. I don’t really have a lot of time off, and one way that I rejuvenate myself is with hard cardiovascular workouts. On my bicycle I will take trips of 30-40 miles. Weather providing, I get about 70-90 miles a week; that has a huge effect.”

Christopher also used to touch people for a living, not parrots. “I was licensed as a massage therapist, and that entails a lot of knowledge about the bodies’ biomechanics and biochemistry.  If a person works hard they produce a lot of toxins, and if you just go home at night, you’re going to keep them. People wonder why when they go to bed and wake up the next morning and don’t really feel relaxed. So you need to use your body in order to help your body. Cycling is one way that I use to get rid of the stress of this job.”

The  story continues…

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

Bird Bath

Christopher uses a misting system to give the flock a much-loved “bath.” This is a great tool to shower the flock with. Christopher says the rainforest parrots, the colorful birds, especially require showers. The Cockatoos, from the Australian continent, a dryer place, are usually not quite as exuberant during showers, but they still enjoy it.

Cockatoos require a lot more water, on them, though. They have quite a lot of dander, and it’s kind of waxy. Unless he continually sprays them, the water will just roll off. The flock will sometimes line up close to him as he sprays them, some hanging upside down, and spread and flap their wings so that the water will get to all their feathers. This gang really looks forward to and enjoys their bath days!

Birds:  Beethoven or Brahms?

Do birds like music? Sure they do! Should they listen to the same music Christopher does? Not!

“I wear ear plugs when I am inside doing this job, and I will listen to music,” says Christopher. He also will sometimes play classical music for the parrots. Christopher finds the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven a bit “bombastic.” He thinks the birds prefer Mozart and Handel, and maybe Vivaldi. Somewhat more soothing and calming music. Christopher says Beethoven’s music sometimes will get real quiet and kind of lull you, and then, BAM, he hits you.  That’s when the birds start calling out. Christopher wants something more on an even keel.

As for the kind of music Christopher prefers, “I guess that I would have to say by most people’s ears, it’s just horrible, ghastly stuff; really hard music. Stuff that most people don’t even want to hear.” Some groups he likes are Deftones, Faith No More; and Wu-Tang Clan. (Note to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: He does not subject the birds to that music.)

To be continued…

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

Boss Bird’s First Steps

“Knowing that parrots are intensely hierarchical, I asserted myself as their singular alpha,” says Christopher. Translation: He was now the “bird in charge.” He enforced that by being the only person who went in their cages, being the person who fed them, and being present and in charge when there were visitors to the aviary. He took up as many duties of alpha bird as he could conceive of. That went a long way toward easing the parrots’ anxiety. Feather plucking and fighting decreased. Christopher presented a stable and dependable routine, the birds did not have to deal with a steady stream of different people.

Feeding the Flock

Using a mix of nuts, seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables, Christopher tries to tailor each bird’s diet to its particular preference; all 36 of them. He carefully watches what each bird leaves behind in their food bowls, to see what they are not eating. “I try to explore what they like,” he says.

The birds eat nuts that are still in the shell. Christopher tried t

hem on shelled nuts and they had zero interest. He is not sure whether that is because they like to play a little and to crack open the nut with their beaks, or whether there is a deep-seated instinct that says a nut in the shell is good; no bugs have gotten in it. His Macaws would eat just nuts all day if he let them. The problem is that a diet of all nuts is an incomplete diet. He moderates the amount of nuts they get, and makes sure they eat other things such as sunflower and safflower seeds, as well as the other nutritious things that come in their seed mix.

Some of the smaller birds would prefer to just eat one type of seed only out of the mix. So he does not load up their bowls with that mix, requiring them to eat other things. He monitors closely the fresh produce he offers them, making sure not to put out something that they have no interest in eating. In the past, some volunteers would bring string beans for the birds. He said they had no interest in string beans. However, snap peas in the pod are one of their favorites. Yummy!

Another item that the parrots love is hot peppers; the hotter the better! The capsicum oil that makes hot peppers hot, does not bother the birds’ dry mouth in the least. They eat them up like they were strawberries. Cantaloupe is another big favorite. A common theme is seeds. Parrots in the wild are drawn to fruit for the seeds. Seeds are a cache of nutrition for them.

While the birds are out in the flight cage playing, Christopher is inside preparing their food. “Being the alpha, I am the one taking them outside and bringing them back in; kind of like leading them from one place to the next.” Sometimes Christopher will hide nuts in the birds’ cages. They will then have to forage in the pieces of tree trunks resembling fallen trees he has placed at the bottom of the cage. This is somewhat like what they do in the wild. Parrots also like to chew things. He can put a piece of tree trunk in a Cockatoo’s cage, and within a week they will have stripped off all the outer bark leaving only the hardwood part.

After the birds have eaten, Christopher spends time going through the seed bowls and sorting out what was eaten and what was not. Christopher says, “Because their diet is not cheap, and being a non-profit organization operating during a recession, we have to maximize every single dollar.”  To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

Bored Birds

Although the volunteers continued to perform needed tasks, it became obvious that none of them were capable of working more closely with the birds. Christopher did work closely with the flock, taking them in and out of the flight cage, and also made toys for the birds to chew on and play with. These things stimulated the birds and kept them from becoming bored, a common plight with caged parrots. These activities also kept the aviary from becoming simply a “warehouse” for parrots, just keeping the bird alive. Warehousing was something no one wanted to happen.

But still Christopher noticed as he was taking the birds in for the night, that there was still some feather plucking and fighting going on. He felt like he might want to work with the flock full time. But there was one problem: How would he pay his bills?

Balloons or Beaks?

Many people are faced with a choice at some point in their life: Do I take a job that is rewarding, or do I get paid? Christopher had a very interesting job; he was part of the ground crew for a hot air balloon tour company in Sedona. “In Arizona there is plenty of good weather for flying balloons, and they are flown at dawn. So 300 days a year, I would get up before dawn and launch hot air balloons. And that’s a pretty good job in Arizona because the weather is so conducive to flying.”

The first two years at this job he was a regular member of the ground crew. (Please don’t say: I see your job is looking up!) The next four years he was one of the tour company’s crew chiefs. He learned every detail of hot air ballooning, including completely assembling and dissembling the balloons by himself. He went up for rides at least two dozen times, because some customers cancelled, and the balloon needed a certain amount of weight to fly properly. He served as a human sandbag; good work if you can get it.

Nearing the end of his ballooning career, he knew a lot about flying hot air balloons. He was able to pilot the balloon for a few minutes a couple of times. It was his plan to get trained and certified as a pilot. This would have been a good job to have. Passengers were coming from all around the country as well as around the world. Pilots were being well tipped by their usually well-heeled customers.

Christopher was looking at a career that would have at least kept him comfortable financially. But seeing how things were progressing at the aviary and seeing how much attention the flock needed, he had to abandon the balloons and become the alpha bird. He took the job as the main parrot caretaker. Along with the job came a small salary; a very small salary.

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website.