By Ani Pema Chodron
I am living in the retreat centre, up the hill behind Namkai
Nyingpo Rinpoche’s monastery in the midst of Juniper trees. It has
a most beautiful outlook, over the Bumthang Valley with the
medieval looking Jakar Dzong on the opposite mountain. The sound of
the Chamkar River below is the background to the day and night
activities. The Bumthang valley is famous for many sacred temples,
monasteries and sites holy to Guru Rinpoche, Pema Lingpa and
Longchenpa and is truly fragrant with Dharma. As I sit for
meditation practice, it feels that there is a tangible Dharma
energy that elevates and supports one’s own effort. I can hear the
400 monks in Lhodrak Kharchu Monastery below me, joyfully chanting.
Throughout the day, I hear the different gongs and bells for
different activities. Their wake up bell goes at 4.30, then the
gong starts inviting them to the temple for their morning
prayers.
One of the biggest events during my six month stay in Bhutan was
the visit of Dungtse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse
Rinpoche’s father. He had not been to Bhutan for over 20 years, and
was invited by the Prime Minister for a month’s stay along with
about 30 of his students from the United States.
He was escorted by his son Garab Dorje. He participated in two
large public events in Thimphu. A large chorten in the centre of
Thimphu had been dedicated many years ago by His Eminence to his
father, Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche. Dungtse Rinpoche met huge numbers
of people there one morning, giving Benza Guru Mantra lung and a
short Teaching. His arrival was preceded by hundreds of gomchen
practitioners with large drums chanting and conducting the Chod
practice. Gomchen practitioners are those trained in the dharma and
also live in the community with their families.
The enthusiasm of the people was overwhelming, crowding and rushing
towards Dungtse Rinpoche, but restrained by the army and police.
Dungtse Rinpoche’s response was deeply moving as he opened his arms
towards all those who had come to meet him. He continued his tour
for a month conducting Drupchens and other events, spending most of
his time in Eastern Bhutan where he had previously lived.
Everywhere he went, he had his young students from America ,who had
been trained by him since children, conducting the rituals, leading
the chanting, and performing an extremely beautiful Cham dance that
he himself had choreographed.
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche arrived in Thimphu at the end of his
father’s tour and over one weekend he gave a teaching on the 9th
chapter of Bodhicharavatara.. His primary message, seemed to be to
caution the young and educated Bhutanese, (as his talk was in
English) not to lose their Buddhist values in the face of modern
materialism and western education. His concern was evident as
Bhutan faces more and more influence from international media, and
the young people are very keen to be like their international
counterparts.
It was particularly lovely to see Rinpoche relaxing with his own
people “Half of Thimphu is my family, and that is very nice,” he
said… He addressed many of the cultural rituals of Bhutan as having
meaning only if people are aware of why they do them, otherwise
they become empty rituals without meaning. In time people would
start to feel that such rituals are irrelevant to their modern
life. Rinpoche has several students here maintaining Deer Park
Centre, and helping to restore Buddhism into the education
curriculum. At the conclusion of the teachings Bhutan Broadcasting
System set up and filmed a panel discussion on the topic, “Is
Buddhism Relevant to Modern Bhutan?”. The panel consisted of
Rinpoche and Lama Shenphen an educator, a scientist and director of
Deer Park.
The audience was invited to ask questions and one woman stood up
and said, “I am an architect here in Bhutan, and I design
Lhakhangs, (Temples). Very often I am not allowed to even go into
the Lhakhangs I have designed (women are forbidden to enter into
any of the Protector Temples). My question to Rinpoche is : What do
you think of this. If you were not Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche,
would you choose to be reborn as a woman?” Rinpoche responded
saying that “Whoever tells you that Buddha discriminated against
women, ask them to find such things anywhere in the Sutras of
Buddha’s Teaching. They will not find it. Such attitude has been
superimposed in various cultures, including ours.” Then he went on
to say, “Every year when I go to Bodhgaya I make an aspirational
prayer to be born as a woman, a black woman, very beautiful and to
be a republican president of the United States!!!”
As you can imagine, this brought the house down!!