Live Story from my Spiritual Friend: The Power of Devotion in Tibetan Buddhism

posted by sonam yeshi

This is one of inspirational live story orally shared by my Spiritual Friend to me. It is about a well known Tibetan Master at Chumar, Qinghai, Bigar Rinpoche (the name is based on spoken sound). i had heard of a few live stories of this revered Tulku, a wondering Tibetan Master difficult to be located of his whereabout.
Past few months ago (in year 2012), he had a Buddhist Puja conducted in Chumar, Qinghai. Before he started the ceremony, he requested all attended devottees who were cigaratte smokers to give up smoking - on the spot this Bodhisattva said if they did not do so, he would passed away! Thus many smokers agreed, but there were a few reluctant or unable to make such a determined resolution on the spot. Thus this Tibetan Master immediately requested them to leave this Teaching & Buddhist prayer He was presiding. Finally, these few also agreed to follow this instruction of giving up smoking.

Personally, i was very touched by this Tibetan Master, Bigar Rinpoche - someone who could challenge his life in order to save people who has connections with Him.

Curiously, i asked Kunde Rinpoche that why this Rinpoche was exchanging his own life for those connected to give up this difficult habit? Kunde Rinpoche reminded that 'smoking' is regarded a great obstacle towards liberation, because the toxins from the cigarettes would 'choke'/'obstruct' the main energy channels of human beings.
Even one do not believe in the scriptural explaination, it is common knowledge that medically smoking is bad for human lungs and personal health. This live story reflects the power of devotion in Tibetan Buddhism - even this modern age still existing!

Wishing All A Happy New Year 新年安康，吉祥如意
May All Beings be Well & Happy
Tashi Delek

与善知识对话(3):生与死之迷 [Dialogue with my Spiritual Friend (3):Myth of Life & Death]

posted by sonam yeshi

与善知识对话 (3)： 生与死之迷

(贡德仁波切上师言教)

因缘：2013年2月1日. 将近华人农历新年， 有一位佛友的一位兄长往生。此佛友曾为亲友对佛法僧行佈施，接下佛缘。有人说：‘华人新年就到来，许多人避忌白事而缺席…‘.

弟子问上师：不知上师对此习俗有何教导？

贡德仁波切：在藏传佛教里，一个人往生是‘吉祥事情', 因为此时（中阴界）是解脱六道轮回之时（因缘具足），亲友都会前来参与超度仪轨。反之，参加喜宴是尽量避忌，因为此后是轮回的再轮转！

弟子：谢谢上师三日来为佛友之兄诵经文及观持頗瓦作超度仪轨， 并于火化葬礼里及翌日以佛教仪轨为往者及亲人结佛缘，给予佛友及至亲们心灵开导，以及佛法之甘露解开一些生与死之迷， 阿弥陀佛！

注: ()之文字纯属笔者个人注入以求了义更清晰。

 【translation】

Dialogue with my Spiritual Friend (3):Myth of Life & Death

(Oral Teachings from Kunde Rinpoche)

Preamble: on 1^st Feb. 2013, the day closing to the Lunar New Year, a Buddhist friend’s brother passed away. This friend had been making connections for her closed relatives with the Guru and the Three Jewels by generously supported the dharma works. Someone said that ‘the Chinese New Year is around the corner, thus many people avoid this nature of taboo event…’

Thus this student requested to her Buddhist Master:

Student: Kunde Rinpoche la, this is the cultural belief on death during festive season, may you enlighten us?

Kunde Rinpoche: In Tibetan Buddhism, a person passed away was regarded as ‘blessed’, because the Bardo Teaching considered this state (Intermediate) is possible to liberate from the Six Realms of Samsara Existence (with auspicious connected conditions),relatives & friends would attend the special liberation prayer ceremony. Contrary, attending wedding gathering is more hesitated for them, it is because the event reflects the beginning of Samsara existence!

Student: Thank You to Master having performed the Buddhist prayers & Phowa for the deceased during these three days, thus making connection for the departed & his relatives, giving this friend & relatives peace of mind teachings & the Dharma dews that answered the myths of Life & Death, Amitabha!

p.s.: wordings in () are meant to clarify the meaning of the spoken words.

Thus have i heard...

(any errors or mistakes herein are not intentional by the translator and its transliteration, please notify the writer)

Inspirational Practice from My Master (3) - Beyond the written Rules

Inspirational Practice from My Master (3)

[preamble: A friend requested if Kunde Rinpoche could visit a family for someone is experiencing vision blurness due to diabetes and distressing experiences in related family matters. After our practice session of Vajrasattva Chang Chog, it was already past 2300hrs. Rinpoche la went despite he had travelled to perform 2 sessions of phowas for friend's beloved individuals in the morning-afternoon, and 1 session of mass practice on Vajrasattva Chang Chog in the evening, in between with a Dharma Talk and Vajrasattva Tsok offering. ]

As Kunde Rinpoche was walking towards the residence (shop) of the requested family, a little fair girl, aged four approached him, and asked: can you carry me? Rinpoche la consented and carry her up. little girl: thank you. Rinpoche smiled and get her down. Shortly, this little girl learned the Medicine Buddha Mantra easily & chanting together while her grandmother was learning to memorize the Mantra syllable voicing...
 
After the visit, I was infromed this little girl lost her mother to a heart attack at age 29 this year! Personally, it was heart-aching hearing this painful live experience, and i felt grateful and touched by the compassionate act of Kunde Rinpoche la - responding for humane condition beyond the written rules when embracing the imminent suffering of the lay person in need of support!

Tashi delek

Inspirational Practice from My Master(2) [translation]

上师行教（二）

Inspirational Practice from My Master(2) [translation]

Mosquitoes question again?

Recently, it has been raining. i found the apartment I am residing was visiting by a lot of mosquitoes for days, thus those evenings I could smell the mosquitoes spray gas blowing through wind to my residence. I looked at my own arms and legs -  I have ‘donated’ some blood to them in 2-3days  as the mosquito repellent liquid plucked on the wall has used up more days ago. As a Buddhist, it is difficult to justify intentional killing of insects as rational people would say we need ‘wisdom’ since certain ‘species’ may be harmful to human beings. Ask anyone around locally - who has not known of someone suffered from ‘denggi fever’ or suspected of this infectious tropical disease?

About 2 months ago when my master Kunde Rinpoche was preparing his dharma activities documents, slides, video at his office (also my little living space), they were many mosquitoes for a few days.  When I saw his 2 arms with many red bums of mosquitoes bites, I felt sorry and did not know what to do. He consoled me it was alright for him. Much later we noticed there were some mosquitoes died due to ‘over sucked’ and the body too heavy to fly! Then I saw the Master picked those ‘dead beings’ up, gazed with his silent prayer and put them away to avoid my careless footsteps on them. He said to me in gentle and soft voice that it is alright for him they were too full hence their body became too heavy to fly and thus suffered! (我是没有什么的咯，但是它们吃太饱了很辛苦！) – I felt more than touched, very move by his compassion. In a strange way, my fear towards this sentient beings dissipated….. -  since then, I felt it is not enough to just do my Buddhist chanting occasionally, transfer merits to all sentient beings… even under unforeseen circumstances, it is not easy to co-exist with such living beings irrespective of big or small?

Tashi delek

上师行教（一）[Inspirational Practice from My Master(1)]

上师行教（一）

一日贡德仁波切在本地一家私立医院照顾才皈依不久的一位老人佛友，慈悲以替代五位受海外大学教育因父亲不随入信主和个人因缘，没有及时给予心灵上之扶持。一日老人的一位女儿刚到访医院，见到在场的尊者，用食指向尊者指着从上至下（?)：you?Monk [你？和尚]，后把一张？元钞票往尊者手咎塞，尊者只头低下说‘不要’（很像俗语说‘委屈求全’？），双臂依然置放于身体前面。弟子听一位友人后述说此景，她适时至在场亲睹，后赶忙解围，听此境描述后令弟子感动不已，忍辱易写易讲却不易行！- 相对之下，对自己如在相似情景之下可能连一分不如的忍辱力感到非常惭愧！- 顶礼上师， 祈愿上师贡德仁波切广度丛生，佛光普照！

[translation]

Inspirational Practice from My Master(1)

One day Kunde Rinpoche stayed in a private hospital to take care of a senior friend who had just taken refuge not long ago, compassionately replacing the 5 children who were educated overseas but cos’ of religious differences and personal conditions unable to visit and provided the needed spiritual supports. Later one day one of his daughters managed to visit him at the hospital, upon reaching and seeing Rinpoche la, she pointed with her index finger from top to bottom(?): you?Monk? Then she push a note (?dollars) into the arms of the Venerable, Rinpoche la who shook his head bowed down and said ‘no  need’(Chinese saying: tolerant to maintain wholeness?), both arms still post in front of his body. When sonam yeshi heard from a friend who witnessed the situation and shared the episode, she was very moved, tolerance is much easier to write and preach than to practice! – In comparison, under such circumstances, self may not even have one percent of such tolerant virtue, and personally felt regretful! – I prostrate to the Guru, May my Master, Kunde Rinpoche sustained impeccable efforts for all Sentient Beings thus be shined in the Light of the Dharma!

Tashi Delek 吉祥如意

与善知识对话 - 上师与弟子(1) [Dialogue with My Spiritual Friend(1)]

与善知识对话 - 上师与弟子

有一日，上师问弟子：

上师问： 如果有一日我不能走路了，您会怎样？

弟子答：我会把您送到山洞修行！

弟子好奇，也问回上师：

弟子问：如果有一日我不能走路了，您会怎样？

上师答：我会背着您，跟随我所去之向。

弟子听后惭愧不已，下定决心无论路如何难走及遇到任何阻扰，也会跟随上师学习及辅助尊者发心之弘法工作！

[translation:]

Dialogue with my Spiritual Friend: The Master and student

One day my Master asked student:

Master: what would you do if one day I could not walk?

Student: I would send master to the cave for practice.

The student then felt curious and asked back the same question:

Student: what would you do if one day I could not walk?

Master: I would carry you wherever I go.

The student after hearing such felt shameful and decided that no matter how difficult and challenges along the road, she would persist in the dharma practice and assisting the Master’s aspiration in His Dharma works.

 

 

Dealing with Incidental Travel Hiccup

posted by sonam yeshi

My Teacher, Rinpoche la was travelling alone from India to Bhutan in a train, in such short time to the rest room (toilet), his travelling luggage undearneat his seat (which he thought is safe) could be just been stolen without the awareness of others. Obviously, someone in the same couch disappeared. Moreover, the other coachmates remained just trying to sit on the fence. Probably the traveller does not look alike in characteristics, and an obvious travller! All travel documents and cash you may think is the safest place to put in such public space could be just like any other similar theft incidences we encoutered or heard of which may be out of our imagination.

On top of this, the most trusted authority nearest to where one lost the luggaged pushed this practitioner away to another police station and to another place, thus for the whole day Rinpoche la was referred here and there from one police station to another - this is a real case of lack of civic-mindedness and considerations. This case is an eye opener for travellers which may be seasoning travelling a land he regards like his own home, and 'so far so safe' and taking for granted people around him are human beings.

My question was - Did those authorities personnel been approached by a helpless traveller consciously try to excute law entrusted without fear or favor, irrespective the traveller is own citizen or not? Is the simple act of allowing or assisting a traveller to make a simple police report he needs to facilitate the documentation of his travelling pass being replacement such difficult? - In such case, it was really a bad image and shame of the responsible personnels who are empowered to uphold security and justice by its government!

But the Rinpoche is such calm and gentle. I do wish he could be 'fierceful' a little with uncivilized authority who has no heart with reason 'this is not our duty in this station! (at least exert the duty of basic protection as a legal traveller) - then why do we have police stations in any country? Aren't they belong to the same government? How could an enforcement authority been such immuned for a request of theft report in public space which involved travelling documents? Don't they understand there are other records available in other systems such as airline check-in luggage etc. and train tickets records in one's computer system? Personally, i think it is not a matter of compassion towards the criminal but to protect the innocent and to uphold the basic security in an environment.

I am posting it to share this experience of my Teacher which happened on 4 October 2012 in a train at India to Bhutan. It is also a reminder and a lesson to all of us when travelling alone in particular, there were 'hugry ghosts' around us, we do not need to understand whether there is really such a realm exist in our cosmology!

Reflecting on the Buddha's Teachings, the mind's lessoned learned : watch our own mind, we may become hungry ghost too if we do not guard our fergile mind?
"To Do Good, To Avoid Evils, This is the Teachings of the Buddhas!" - simple phrase but profound ethical, humane meaning for mind training.

Tashi Delek!