KTD 10-Day Teachings/The Long and Winding Road

Tomorrow I leave Woodstock. We have been having rain last night and today, and everything is wet and leaves have been blowing off the trees.

I took this picture yesterday, looking back up the hill as I was coming down off the mountain (KTD is on Mount Guardian), and it reminded me of one of my favorite Beatles songs.

Think of the lyrics as a devotional song to Karmapa, KTD, and Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche—not just a romantic love song.

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

The long and winding road

That leads to your door

Will never disappear

I've seen that road before

It always leads me here

Lead me to your door.

The wild and windy night

That the rain washed away

Has left a pool of tears

Crying for the day.

Why leave me standing here?

Let me know the way.

Many times I've been alone

And many times I've cried,

Anyway you've always known

The many ways I've tried.

And still they lead me back

To the long, winding road

You left me standing here

A long, long time ago

Don't leave me standing here

Lead me to your door.

But still they lead me back

To the long winding road

You left me standing here

A long, long time ago (ohhh)

Don't keep me waiting here (don't keep me waiting)

Lead me to your door. (yeah yeah yeah yeah)

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Song of the Turkey Buzzard

Turkey Vulture, photo by Elizabeth Barakah Hodges

Back in the 1980s, when I was working as a program assistant for the University Extension division of the University of California at Berkeley, I made the mistake of reading Lew Welch’s poem Song of the Turkey Buzzard on my lunch hour.

I say “mistake” because the poem—in which Welch predicts his own suicide and sky burial—had a profound emotional effect on me, and I went into what I can only describe as some kind of altered state for about four hours. In short—I was useless at my job that afternoon.

In Tibet, where the ground is often too frozen to allow for burial and where firewood for cremations can be scarce, one way that the dead are “buried” is through what is called sky burial—ritual dismemberment of the corpse, the parts of which are then consumed by vultures.

So I was stunned to hear the following story, tacked onto one of the morning teachings by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche as a seemingly impromptu embellishment. (Note from AWW: This is not a verbatim transcript.)

In Tibet, the people who prepare bodies for sky burial are chod practitioners who do practice for the people who have died.

The birds that eat the bodies are considered dakas and dakinis, and are remarkable in their behavior.

After people who have earned merit through compassionate actions are dismembered, vultures will encircle the body but not touch it. Another vulture comes from the sky, gives a call, and lands on the center of the body. This vulture does a little dance, and then begins to eat—at which point the other vultures begin to eat, too.

The feast is considered a ganachakra (sacred feast), and the central vulture is the ganachakra master.

Now, many people will think this is a gruesome story, but I think it’s beautiful—and it connected me, immediately, to that experience long ago when I read Song of the Turkey Buzzard for the first time.

So I wonder if Lew Welch provided the food for a ganachakra, never seen by human eyes, out there in the California wilderness so long ago.

SONG OF THE TURKEY BUZZARD

For Rock Scully

who heard it

the first

time

Praises, Tamalpais,

Perfect in Wisdom and Beauty,

She of the Wheeling Birds

I.

The rider riddle is easy to ask,

but the answer might surprise you.

How desperately I wanted Cougar

(I, Leo, etc.)

brilliant proofs: terrain,

color, food, all

nonsense. All made up.

They were always there, the

laziest high-flyers, bronze-winged,

the silent ones

"A cunning man always laughs and smiles,

even if he's desperately hungry,

while a good bird always flies like a vulture,

even if it is starving."

(Milarepa sang)

Over and over again, that sign:

I hit one once, with a .22

heard the "flak" and a feather flew off, he

flapped his wings just once and

went on sailing. Bronze

(when seen from above)

as I have seen them, all day sitting

on a cliff so steep they

circled below me, in the up-draft

passed so close I could see his

eye.

Praises, Tamalpais,

Perfect in Wisdom and Beauty,

She of the Wheeling Birds

Another time the vision was so clear another saw it, too.

Wet, a hatching bird, the shell of the egg streaked with dry scum,

exhausted, wet, too weak to move the shriveled wings, fierce

sun-heat, sand. Twitching, as with elbows (we all have the same

parts). Beak open, neck stretched, gasping for air. O how we

want to live!

"Poor little bird," she said, "he'll never make it."

Praises, Tamalpais,

Perfect in Wisdom and Beauty,

She of the Wheeling Birds

Even so, I didn't get it for a long long while. It finally came

in a trance, a coma, half in sleep and half in fever-mind. A Turkey

Buzzard, wounded, found by a rock on the mountain. He wanted

to die alone. I had never seen one, wild, so close. When I reached

out, he sidled away, head drooping, as dizzy as I was. I put my

hands on his wing-shoulders and lifted him. He tried, feebly, to

tear at my hands with his beak. He tore my flesh too slightly to

make any difference. Then he tried to heave his great wings. Weak

as he was, I could barely hold him.

A drunken veterinarian found a festering bullet in his side,

a .22 that slid between the great bronze scales his feathers were.

We removed it and cleansed the wound.

Finally he ate the rotten gophers I trapped and prepared

for him. Even at first, he drank a lot of water. My dog seemed

frightened of him.

They smell sweet

meat is dry on their talons

The very opposite of

death

bird of re-birth

Buzzard

meat is rotten meat made

sweet again and

lean, unkillable, wing-locked

soarer till he's but a

speck in the highest sky

infallible

eye finds Feast! on

baked concrete

free!

squashed rabbit ripened:

our good cheese

(to keep the highways clean, and bother no Being )

II.

Praises Gentle Tamalpais

Perfect in Wisdom and Beauty of the

sweetest water

and the soaring birds

great seas at the feet of thy cliffs

Hear my last Will & Testament:

Among my friends there shall always be

one with proper instructions

for my continuance.

Let no one grieve.

I shall have used it all up

used up every bit of it.

What an extravagance!

What a relief!

On a marked rock, following his orders,

place my meat.

All care must be taken not to

frighten the natives of this

barbarous land, who

will not let us die, even,

as we wish.

With proper ceremony disembowel what I

no longer need, that it might more quickly

rot and tempt

my new form

-

NOT THE BRONZE CASKET BUT THE BRAZEN WING

SOARING FOREVER ABOVE THEE O PERFECT

O SWEETEST WATER O GLORIOUS

WHEELING

BIRD

(From "Ring of Bone" by Lew Welch, Grey Fox Press, Bolinas, California)

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Woodstock/Fireflies

I am staying at one of the several places in Woodstock that are on the banks of streams that run through the village.

Tonight, after dinner, the grounds are filled with the tiny twinkling lights of fireflies. I don't see fireflies very often any more; I think they may be casualties of too much pesticide use.

I remember catching fireflies in jars in Georgia—jars that had holes punched in the lids—on summer nights when it was much more pleasant to be outside than in. We lived on a creek, and our summer nights were filled with fireflies! Our jars glowed greenish-yellow with the many tiny lights; at the end of the evening, we'd open the lids and release the fireflies.

Tiny lights in the darkness remind me of the importance of light in almost all of the world's spiritual literature—including, of course, Buddhism's emphasis on enlightenment—and of one of my favorite poets, Lew Welch, who has been very much with me in spirit throughout the 10-day teachings at KTD. Here's one of his poems, about light:

HE EXPLAINS IT ANOTHER WAY

At times we're almost able to see it was once all
Light, and wants to get back to it.

Not brilliant, swift, or huge, since Light
is the measure, and we are

Flake off of All-Measure
Cinder cast down from Sun

(explaining every "fall" and why we yearn so?)

Harnessed jelly of the Stars!


-Lew Welch, "Ring of Bone"

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Favorite Table

In addition to trying to add blog posts of substance over the next view days, I'll probably post a few miscellaneous photographs; here's one, above—a view of my favorite table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at KTD.

I like to sit here because I then have a view of the mountains. We don't have mountains in Florida, so I really appreciate being here, with the lovely views and what has been, at least for this trip, refreshingly cool weather.

The "Gift Shop" sign actually refers to Namse Bangdzo, one of the best Buddhist bookstores ever.

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Entering the Dharma Gate

Entering the Dharma Gate

---

Though grief in the Ocean of Samsara
Is preached, and its renunciation is urged,
Few people are really convinced
And renounce it with determination.
Though knowing that life will ever turn to death,
Few feel uneasy, or think that it will end.
Though their life is blessed with good prospects,
Few can practice abstention for a day.
Though the Bliss of Liberation is expounded
And Samsara's pains are stressed,
Few can really enter the Dharma Gate.
Though the profound Pith-Instructions
Of the Whispered Lineage are given without stint, few
Without fail can practice them.
Though the teaching of Mahamudra is expounded
And the Pointing-out demonstration is exercised,
Few can really understand the Essence of Mind.
To the hermit's life and the Guru's wish
One can always aspire, but few
Can put them into practice.
The perfect, skillful path of Naropa
May be shown, without concealment,
But those who can really follow it
Are very few. My dear lad,
You should follow in my footsteps
If in this life you want to do
Something that is worthwhile.

-- Jetsun Milarepa

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Googly Eyes

I mentioned an impromptu celebration for Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche's birthday; it happened this way.

Before the morning teachings yesterday, several people walked around handing out "googly eyes." You can see what they look like in the picture above. One of the folks explained that we were to put them on after Khenpo took his seat, before beginning the morning prayers. Then, at a signal, we were to release the "stalks" of the eyeballs so they would spring out and bounce around.

All went as planned, to everyone's delight including Khenpo, who found a set of "googlies" at his seat and put them on to google back at us.

One of the things I love about my teachers is that they have a wonderful sense of humor!

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Changes in KTD's Bylaws

Yesterday, Lama Yeshe Gyamtso read a letter from His Holiness Karmapa that clarifies the terms of office for the appointees to KTD's Board of Directors. (Note from A Word Witch: I am not absolutely sure whether the correct name is "Board of Directors" or "Board of Trustees," so I will try to find out.)

There were several resolutions to change KTD's bylaws that were adopted unanimously by the current board, so the bylaws have been amended and signed by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, as follows:

1. Kunzang-la, Lama Kathy Wesley, and Lama David Bole have been appointed to the board.

2. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche's term of office on the board is infinite (yes, you read that correctly—infinite).

3. Every other trustee, including Tenzin Chonyi or Tenzin-la—who is currently on the board—will serve for five years.

4. A new staff position of Executive Director has been created. When this job is filled, the person who holds it will report to the president of KTD, Tenzin-la, and to the board. All KTD managers will report to the Executive Director.

The letter making this announcement was signed on June 13, 2009.

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche's Birthday

Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche's birthday is celebrated on July 4 every year. Today, his birthday luncheon-and-cake party was held in the dining room in the new building, parts of which are still under construction.

The dining room is lovely—a long, big room with banks of windows that look out onto the beautiful trees that surround the monastery.

I was part of the cleanup crew for the event, so after I had finished doing my part sweeping the floor, I was able to achieve one of my goals for the day—getting the picture, above, that gives a glimpse of the spaciousness and beauty of the room. Having Karmapa's picture there, along with birthday decorations, makes an even better photo.

I will post more about a spontaneous celebration of Khenpo's birthday before this morning's teachings after I can get some new batteries for my camera (again!).

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Double Rainbow Over the Moon

Today's rainbow was a double for part of the time. If you look closely in this picture, you can see the moon underneath the rainbow.

Remember to click on the picture to make it bigger.

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Another Auspicious Day

Back on June 4, we had a "rain of flowers" in Florida and a rainbow over the moon. That was the same day that I found out that Gainesville Karma Thegsum Choling's resident lama, Lama David Bole, was going to be appointed to the KTD Board of Directors—but I was sworn to secrecy.

Today, almost exactly a month later, we had the same phenomena here in Woodstock. A shower started falling while I was sitting at the front gate with my friend Sandra. "Look, it's a rain of flowers," I said, "the rain is falling while the sun is shining."

"Maybe there will be a rainbow," Sandra responded.

Then, on my way into the shrine building to get a jacket for what is becoming a regular night walk down to the pond, there it was—one of the biggest rainbows I've ever seen! Look for another view of the rainbow right over the moon in the next post.

Make sure you click on this picture for a bigger view!

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Guru Rinpoche Day

Today is Guru Rinpoche day, according to the Tibetan calendar, and it was an eventful one for several reasons.

There was a beautiful ceremony tonight called “Shower of Blessings” that honored Guru Rinpoche (Sanskrit: Padmasambhava), who was responsible for solidifying the practice of Buddhism in Tibet and who is responsible for ensuring the spread of Buddhism to any borderland—like the USA.

There were, of course, the magnificent teachings about Machik Labdron—no, I have not forgotten about her—being given by KTD’s abbot, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche.

There was my own interview with Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche this morning, an auspicious day for that since I have always felt drawn to Guru Rinpoche.

But the loveliest part of the day was an impromptu talk given by Khenpo at the end of the afternoon’s question-and-answer session, which he cut short by saying, “Now I am going to tell you a little bit of truth.”

Rinpoche talked (in Tibetan) for a long time. He wept; he laughed; he wept and laughed again. At the end of his talk, his translator—the gifted Lama Yeshe Gyamtso—asked Rinpoche for clarification for parts of the translation. This back-and-forth went on for a while; Lama Yeshe apologized to us, saying he wasn’t sure that his translation could capture the emotion that Khenpo had conveyed.

Khenpo began by giving some history of the founding of KTD. In 1959-60, His Holiness the 16^th Karmapa (hereinafter referred to as HHK 16) fled Tibet and settled in Sikkim. Since he was a refugee, he did not have means of survival; he had a hard time. Many of the Sikkimese people had faith, however, and one family in particular has served both HHK 16 and HHK 17 well.

This family “did the best service” by taking in HHK 16 and other lamas, giving them a place to live and making sure the lamas got better food than the family did. This is the family of Kunzang-la, newly appointed to KTD’s Board of Directors; her brother was responsible for the successful restoration of Rumtek, Karmapa’s monastery in Sikkim, after it had fallen into disrepair. This family “remained steady, and their samaya is pure,” according to Rinpoche.

Rinpoche then announced that HHK 17 had recently made some announcements with regard to the administration of KTD. Tenzin Chonyi, who has been president of the organization for many years, will remain president for five years. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche will remain on the board, and Kunzang-la is a new trustee.

“I have no qualities to remain on the board,” Rinpoche said, but added that he had agreed to stay on at Karmapa’s request. No qualities. Hmmmm. I would debate that.

Khenpo also announced that he had chosen Lama Kathy Wesley and Lama David Bole to be new board members. He said that he trusts Lama Kathy “as much as I trust my own heart,” and mentioned Lama David’s administrative abilities and even-tempered disposition while in retreat.

Khenpo then gave some background on Bardor Tulku Rinpoche (hereinafter referred to as BTR), who has for many years been the primary teacher who travels to teach at KTD’s affiliated centers. When BTR was only 12 years old, he was on his own in India after escaping from Tibet. Because he prayed one-pointedly, he was able to reach Rumtek, where he was adopted by HHK 16 as “the son of his heart.” There were two other young men who had that same close relationship with HHK 16; these were Tenzin Chonyi or Tenzin-la, and Shamar Rinpoche’s brother, Jigme-la. The training and lives of these three young men were closely supervised by HHK 16.

When HHK 16 was gifted with the land that became KTD, he chose Tenzin-la to stay in America to oversee that center. Jigme-la went to a center in France. “It is like sending away my eyes and heart,” HHK 16 said, but the young men were sent for the dharma, “not for ordinary purposes,” according to Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche.

Later, when BTR came to KTD, “he wore a tool belt for almost 15 years” while the monastery was being built. While construction was ongoing, Khenpo traveled and taught and founded 30 dharma centers throughout the country.

Khenpo had received three commands from HHK 16: to build a monastery, to start a three-year retreat, and to “take care of Tenzin-la if he has problems in the future.” Khenpo said that the 16^th Karmapa made this last statement with tears in his eyes.

This year, Bardor Tulku Rinpoche has resigned as a director of KTD (though he still teaches at the monastery). Khenpo explained that BTR is now 60 years old and has his own terma (treasure text) lineage to preserve, and that he has a lot to do and not much time to waste.

Note from A Word Witch: BTR also has his own new center, Kunzang Palchen Ling, across the river in Red Hook, New York.

“Now about my nephew,” Khenpo said. His nephew is Lama Karma Drodul, who is three people in one—teacher, translator (since he teaches in English), and attendant. Khenpo remarked that because of these skills, the affiliate centers “could save money” by inviting Lama Karma to teach.

Note from A Word Witch: Lama Karma is a shining presence at these teachings, always friendly and approachable when seen out and about, competent and clear when leading Mahakala or other practices, and compassionate in his translations during interviews. KTD is fortunate to have him.

Khenpo Ugyen Tenzin will continue to travel and teach, accompanied by his translator, Jigme Nyima.

KKR then said that he will continue to ask Lama Yeshe Gyamtso to translate for him when he can; everyone clapped enthusiastically.

Note from A Word Witch: I had heard a rumor earlier in the week that this was Lama Yeshe’s last year to translate for the 10-day teachings, so I asked him; that rumor is not true.

Khenpo closed his talk by saying, “We need to remember what we are about.”

We are not involved in the dharma to acquire position or rank, Khenpo said, but to fulfill His Holiness Karmapa’s aspirations and vision. That is our only purpose—to implement Karmapa’s vision.

Many people, myself included, were very moved by Rinpoche’s wise words. He said what needed to be said, and on an auspicious day to boot. This is a talk I will remember for a long, long time.

KTD 10-Day Teachings/The Great Black One

I have become quite fond of sitting in on Mahakala practice from 5-6 p.m. every day. Mahakala, the Great Black One, is a being who is the protector of the Karma Kagyu lineage. The practice is filled with the sounds of drums, horns, and cymbals, and has a mesmerizing cadence; on the days when there are two drummers, the drums sound like two hearts beating together.

There was another great black visitor tonight on the hill behind the shrine building—a large black bear who came to eat the leftover offerings from the Guru Rinpoche tsok (sacred feast). She (I have decided the bear is female) is very beautiful, and did not seem disturbed by the many people watching her or taking pictures.

I think folks need to remember that bears are really wild animals, and can be very dangerous; some people were getting closer to her than I thought safe. I was glad I had a zoom feature on my camera.

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Animal Food

Right behind the shrine building is a steep hill with a large outcrop of rock where people have hung prayer flags. This is the place where the tormas and other food items are put outside after sacred ceremonies, so the neighborhood animals can benefit from the blessings.

The first day I was here, I saw the butt end of a large, brownish raccoon, headed up the hill. Squirrels prowl this area constantly; today, they were attracted to a small birthday cake left over from Saturday’s celebration. The squirrels here are pretty fat.

I saw a large hawk land near the birthday cake, but he flew away when I tried to take his picture. It’s hard to get pictures of birds.

There are quite a few stories about the neighborhood bears. Several people have seen them over the past few days. I haven’t seen them, but I did spot one of them last year, down by the pond.

One day near dusk, I plan to hang out on the back porch, be very quiet, and see what creatures might reveal themselves.

KTD 10-Day Teachings/People Food

Several years ago, His Holiness Karmapa ordered that all his affiliated centers serve only vegetarian food. So we’re eating meatless at this event, thereby relieving the suffering of quite a few cows, chickens, turkeys, and fish (there are quite a lot of us here).

Mealtime is announced with the blowing of a conch shell. Usually folks form two long lines that snake through the bookstore and merge right before the food serving area; this is, of course, a great opportunity to do some browsing and maybe even decide what to purchase!

The main dining room is where the Rinpoches and lamas eat, as well as those other folks who can find room. This time of year, though, my favorite place to eat is on the patio, where you can often feed the local birds and watch chipmunks scurry about, looking for crumbs.

We’ve been lucky this year because we have been spared (so far) any really hot weather. Nights are definitely cool, and days are—for a person from Florida—dang near perfect, with temperatures in the 70s.

So far this week, we’ve had Ethiopian food, Mexican food, spaghetti with some delicious walnut meatballs, and an odd-sounding but yummy lentil apricot soup, among other things.

Like at any other place that has to serve food to lots of people, the kitchen is usually humming with activity. I’m glad my assignment is shrine building maintenance. For the past couple of days, I’ve been reassembling texts that got disorganized last Saturday, on Karmapa’s birthday. Working on documents—right up my alley. I’d be a nervous wreck in the kitchen, but I certainly do enjoy the results of all that kitchen activity.

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Karmapa’s Birthday

Saturday was filled with joyful celebration and powerful ceremony. It was also the day the memory card died in my digital camera. (What’s that old saying about the best-laid plans of mice and men often going astray?)

In the morning, we had a long-life ceremony for His Holiness Karmapa. The shrine room was filled to capacity, the shrine itself looked gorgeous, and our Rinpoches were in fine voice. From my vantage point in a chair at the back of the room (an old leg injury that hasn’t really healed prevents me from sitting on cushions for any length of time), I had a direct view of Karmapa’s throne that sits right under the big golden Buddha statue that is the focal point of the shrine room. Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Khenpo Ugyen Tenzin, Lama Karma Drodul, and other monks and male lamas sat to the left; nuns and female lamas, as well as other dignitaries and representatives of the local Tibetan community, sat to the right (from my point of view).

There is a dedicated volunteer who has been doing the flower arrangements for KTD for years; you can see some of her work, above—a spectacular offering of the heart.

The most moving moment of the day for me was watching Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, who is in his 80s, doing three full prostrations in front of the shrine and then stretching to place the long–life offerings in front of Karmapa’s picture, atop his throne. Thinking about the many people whose lives Khenpo has touched in a positive way had me blinking back tears.

The shrine building maintenance crew, of which I am a part for the duration of the 10-day teachings, was very busy on Saturday, so I was late to lunch and got the tail end of what was some very tasty rice, dal, and raita, all of which I love! I skipped the musical offerings to Karmapa to come back to the shrine building to do a little bit more work and get a bit of rest before the afternoon’s event, an empowerment for long life and health from Guru Rinpoche’s Embodiment of All Jewels cycle.

In a stunning feat of word power, I can describe that ceremony in one word: WOW. J

Here are some other impressions of the day, quickly jotted down so I wouldn’t forget them:

-Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche mugging for the camera in wrathful pose when I asked to take his picture in the shrine room, early Saturday morning

-Tiny children, handsome young men, and lithe young women approaching His Holiness Karmapa’s throne, some doing prostrations, some parents teaching their children how to do prostrations

-People having full-blown personal conversations with each other in the middle of the sacred long-life ceremony for Karmapa

-After lunch, as the crowd begins to gather back in the shrine room for the Guru Rinpoche empowerment, a hard rain begins to fall

-Hearing a silly joke that made me laugh out loud: “What does a fish say when it hits a wall? Dam.”

-Being struck by a phrase that Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche used during the refuge ceremony that preceded the empowerment, describing how refuge has always been given: “From mind to mind, down through time.”

-Standing up eating a late lunch in the kitchen in the new building, looking down into the woods below, I get a kind of a poem:

Your throne a mountain of white scarves

crowned by White Tara

your seat aflurry with activity

joyful music and tasty food

eating the last of luncheon’s fixin’s

standing by the window

looking down into deep woods

I offer you what I can

the lone beauty

of this single falling leaf

just past midsummer

KTD 10-Day Teachings/Dorm Life

After a looonnnggg trip by car to the Orlando airport and then by plane to the Newburgh airport and then by car again to KTD, my friend Jacqueline and I arrived yesterday for this year’s 10-day teachings, a continuation of Machik’s Complete Explanation taught by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche and translated by Lama Yeshe Gyamtso.

Last night, Jacqueline and I were the only two people in the dorm, pictured above; tonight, the dorm is filling up and we have been working hard.

Everyone who stays at KTD is required to do a certain amount of karma yoga—work—each day, in return for the reasonable rates for room and board.

So today we have been working in the main shrine building, and the shrine room in particular—laying out cushions, setting up chairs, cleaning practice tables for the visiting monks, nuns, and dignitaries who will be here for the special day tomorrow.

Today was gray and rainy, but it gets warm moving things around and cleaning in the shrine room, so I asked if we could open the windows and front doors to get some air circulating. Yes. At one point, we looked up to see curling clouds of fog swooping up the steps and coming inside the building! I ran for my digital camera, hoping for a picture and remembering that enlightened beings are said sometimes to manifest as weather-related phenomena such as fog, but by the time I got back the doors had been closed against the incoming moisture.

Late in the afternoon, I asked to be relieved of our duties long enough for the two of us to sit in on Mahakala practice. Mahakala, the great dark protector of the Karma Kagyu lineage, is a powerful practice that uses two drums and two different kinds of horns. Practice was led by Khenpo Ugyen Tenzin, assisted by Lama Karma Drodul, with Lama David Bole from Florida and two of KTD’s resident nuns. What an amazing sound all those instruments made when played together! The two drums sound like two hearts beating. A highlight of the day.

I will say more about tonight’s teaching tomorrow, when I have my notes handy; I’m still getting the blogging organized from here.

And tomorrow is a big day—a birthday White Tara long life practice for His Holiness Karmapa in the morning, and a Guru Rinpoche empowerment in the afternoon. Teachings about Machik will resume on Sunday.

I also learned that this year’s 10-day teachings sold out relatively early, compared to past years. I think we are in for a wonderful 10 days.

Ooooo, one of my dorm mates just came in and said there is a big, beautiful thunderhead, filled with lightning, coming over the mountain now, and that people have been standing outside watching it while I have been sitting here blogging.

What was that about enlightened beings manifesting as weather? Hmmmm….

Who Is Machik Labdron, and Why Do I Care About Her? (Part Three)

Fast forward about another 20 years to the publication of Machik’s Complete Explanation, translated by Sarah Harding—the most complete account of Machik’s life and teachings that is available, at least that I’m aware of—and to the summer of 2008, when my own refuge lama, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, began a series of teachings on that text.

I had wanted to get teachings about Machik’s life and practice for many years, so to be able to attend these seminars with my very own dharma teacher is a precious opportunity indeed. Like many Machik fans, I yearn to do chod—the practice she developed and taught—but even more important, at least to me, is the opportunity to learn about her life and to hear her words of wisdom voiced by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche.

The spiritual autobiography of a Tibetan Buddhist teacher is called a namthar. Reading or listening to namthars has always been one of my favorite things, because a namthar is really a teaching in itself as well as a source of tremendous inspiration, both creatively and with regard to putting the dharma into practice. And according to Rinpoche, Machik’s Complete Explanation is not only her authoritative biography, but also the earliest source of her own teachings.

Last summer’s 10-day teachings at KTD featured Rinpoche concluding a teaching about Gampopa’s instructions to the assembly (his disciples and students), and beginning the teaching on Machik’s Complete Explanation. To signify the end of one set of teachings and the beginning of another, Rinpoche wore a large butterfly pin on his robes the day he started teaching about Machik Labdron.

Attending the 10-day teachings is a unique experience that offers students the opportunity to immerse themselves completely in the dharma, from listening to the teachings to spending time in dharma practice, meeting other students from throughout the country, volunteering to do some of the many tasks required to keep the center running, enjoying a vegetarian diet, and browsing and shopping in what may well be the best Buddhist bookstore in North America, Namse Bangdzo. (Yes, I was born to shop—primarily for books—and Namse Bangdzo is a kind of heaven for me.)

Some highlights from my notes from last year’s teachings: Machik Labdron had to be born as a woman in order to tame Tibet; “A man couldn’t have done it,” Rinpoche said.

Machik was an expert in triple voice modulation; she could read several lines of text at once. “Maybe only one person today can do this.”

Machik and Milarepa were contemporaries. There are no stories about the two of them meeting, but Rinpoche said it would have been possible.

There is not just one form of chod, in which the practitioner imagines feeding his or her own body to surrounding demons; there are many. The essence of chod practice is the cutting through of selfishness.

Thanks to the American teacher and writer Pema Chodron, many people here in the West have learned about the practice of tonglen, sometimes called “sending and taking,” during which we work with our breath to transform negativity into positive energy.

“Tonglen is imaginary,” Rinpoche said at one point. “Chod is real.” In response to a question, Rinpoche said that for accomplished practitioners, this is actually true—the more harm that demons cause, the happier the chod practitioner becomes, because the ground for practice becomes more fertile.

The greatest demon or mara (obstruction to enlightenment) is fixation on the self. To cut through fixation—“That is the dharma system of this beggar woman,” Machik Labdron.

The longer I am around the dharma, the more it becomes obvious to me that in order to really practice for the benefit of sentient beings, the more one has to give up attachments to hopes, fears, and personal rewards—even to the point of giving up ideas about “I, Me, Mine,” as my favorite Beatle, George Harrison, sang all those years ago.

Giving up attachment to self, giving up hope and fear, giving up everything we have been taught to hold dear—giving it all up in a supreme act of generosity for the benefit of other sentient beings—that is what Machik Labdron and her teachings are all about; that is who she is, and why I care about her.