The Mara? & The Buddha!

[Picture photographed by Sonam Yeshi on 10 April 2011 - a beutiful ring of light captured!]

A friend travelled about 200KM with her 2 daughters to join us for our Naga Vase Puja, Released Life & Smoke Puja on 10April 2011. They missed the exit in the N-S highway and spent double the time to reach us. Luckily they managed to arrived before we started to proceed to the destination with the Naga Vases.

Later in the afternoon, all friends had left , we cleaned the floor of the centre together. Then she narrated to me this moving episode of her experiences with Konde Rinpoche - sometime while this late friend, Sonam Dzogchen (the name given by Konde Rinpoche after he had taken Refuge to the Guru, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha before his diceased) was admitted to a local hospital - The wife of this sicked friend was wearing the robe of a renounced nun, visiting him at that time with one of their daughters. The wife pointed with her index finger from top to bottom towards our teacher, something like asking that he was a monk?, followed by her daughter putting a 50 (RM) dollar note inside one of his arms stated it was for his blessing chant he did to his illing father etc. 

The friend mentioned that she respected this Rinpoche, who was standing humbly, with his head looking down and forward,just noded, no sign of any negative emotion. Like a child, he gave back the money to this 'surprised' friend instead, and said he did not need it! She remarked: i wish i have one percent of his patience and compassion...Once again, i was moved to tears hearing another real-life experience of my humane teacher's patience and tolerance...
Sometimes out of concerned for his child-like, no concept style had been like '"trapped" by people that i know, i confessed that i felt myself also like a Mara in front of him many times...and he softly/gently asked me: are you going to scold me? [laughter] :)-D

Note: A picture to share - The Smoke Puja which seems to turn out like Fire Puja, no smoke, only beautiful fire which was lit up effortlessly (no ignite material used nor human fanning required, narrated by brother Wah) - an auspicious sign of spiritual devotion... - it is still impermanent!