A N E W S L E T T E R O F S I D D H A RT H A S I N T E N T

MARCH 2002

2001-

A TIBET ODYSSEY
Stor y Page 4

Photo Raymond Steiner)

E s c o rt of Khampa headmen

IN THIS ISSUE
I n t e rv i e w Dzigar Kongtrl Rinpoche Page 7

Four Seals of the Dharm a

plus
BIR REMNANTS
Page 8 On the Vajrayana Path Two Tales from India Dharma Dates

Page 6

On the VAJRAYANA
From January to March 2001 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche taught on the Longchen Nyingthik ngndro at Sea to Sky Retreat Centre outside Vancouver, Canada. In the previous issue of the Gentle Voice Rinpoche spoke about bodhicitta and humility. Here are further questions and answers from that teaching. On pride and jealousy Student: Rinpoche, what are good antidotes to pride and jealousy? Rinpoche: Rejoice! As it suggests in the seven-branch prayer. It is difficult to deal with these two, pride and jealousy, especially pride. I suggest you refrain from going where pride can occur, avoid getting involved with pride. After many years of practice you will still notice that pride, jealousy and anger occur, but you will notice that they become shorter. If, at present, you know that you have pride and jealousy, thats already quite good actually. And you should admit that it is pride and jealousy. Of course, a lot of this has got to do with confidence. If you are confident, then you dont have pride and you dont have jealousy. On distraction S: Rinpoche, it seems like some of the practices, because of their elaborate form and mantra, actually bring up more thoughts, they speed the mind up. I find that just by sitting, things calm down. Especially in mandala offering practice I find that I can get completely distracted from the practice for a long time, because of the momentum thats happening.

PATH

(Photos Suyin Lee)

offering body, speech and mind or Mount Meru or clear springs or beautiful garlands or the ladies of garlands, lamps, charm, etc. Instead, if you are thinking about Rome and Paris, you are distracted. Its kind of easy to tell. On prayer S: Do you have any advice on how to relate to the doubt that comes up? I experience a lot of doubt when Im practising because I feel like Im making it all up all the time. R: There are many ways. Dont think that this doubt is going to become less; in fact, its going to become more. And as you practise more, your doubt is going to become sharper and more intelligent. Right now these doubts are very stupid doubts, easy to answer. Read some books and you will solve this problem, if you really need to. But I would suggest not reading books. The best I know of is that when the doubt comes, again pray to the refuge objects if you are practising taking refuge, or else pray to the guru. Pray that this doubt will transform into wisdom. Thats the best way and the easiest. Dont think about other methods. You can analyse, read entire books on Madhyamika, and it will help today, but tomorrow there will be new doubts. Then you will have to read another book. I will give you one piece of advice: when we practise and when we ask for blessings, we tend to think of the great but perhaps remote issues like purifying defilements. But you should pray about what you have now, here, such as loss of inspiration, such as wandering mind, such as not understanding the dharma, stuff like that. Not the general issues. Do you understand what Im saying?

R: I think thats still less of a risk than just thinking that we are meditating but actually not really being there. Meditation has a lot of loopholes and sidetracks and the sidetracks are so subtle. The meditators greatest difficulty is not knowing whether we are distracted or whether we are concentrating. Especially as we become slightly more mature. . S: Then how do you know? R: Well, you will know once you are quite good, but somewhere in the middle its quite tough to know. And when you know, theres another difficulty: you will not trust what you know. Then our old habits tell us, Oh, read a book, analyse it. And we will analyse it, reading about Madhyamika. But that is a sidetrack actually. Madhyamika is good to establish the view, but when we practise, we need to have a certain trust also. So this is why I guess the lamas always emphasise practices like the ngndro. Patrul Rinpoche gives the example of a wild yak that you tie with a long rope and you tie this rope to a strong peg. Form meditations like mandala offering are like a peg. In such a practice you can easily tell if you are not thinking about
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S. Purify whatever is happening? On deity R: Yes. Its always better. Of course, the general issues also. You can even think, May I purify all my defilements of the past, present and future. People do that actually. Thats what the text also says. But I always like to include mainly the problems that I have now. Whatever I have. And we have a lot! You cant think, This is such a mundane concern, I shouldnt bother Guru Rinpoche with it. You shouldnt think that. Guru Rinpoche does everything. If the kitchen stove doesnt work, you can pray about that also. Guru Rinpoche spans everything from enlightenment to the stove. Or a dispute between two people, especially in such a case. This person Jason may be praying, Guru Rinpoche, please make Heather listen to me. And Heather is praying, Guru Rinpoche, please make Jason listen to me. Then you two can talk. In this way, include everything. From time to time remember the illusory aspect, that everythings an illusion, that nothing has any truly existing nature. That way, when a prayer is not answered the very next day, you will not get disheartened. On visualisation S: Rinpoche, do you have any advice for how to visualise? I have difficulty visualising. R: Well, if you are having difficulty, begin to learn to have confidence that they are there. Instead of going through details of their hair, how it falls on their neck and shoulders, the way they hold their knife, whatever Forget that! Just think that they are there. On post-meditation practice S: So when youre doing post-meditation practice, are you thinking the body or the world is dharmakaya? R: Ideally we should be seeing everything as the deity. But thats very difficult for us, so beginners like us should learn to think theyre illusion. Now, seeing phenomena as the deity and seeing them as illusion are very connected, but if you were to ask me, Which one accumulates more merit? then I would say seeing phenomena as the deity. This is the sophistication of the Vajrayana. But, then again, the question arises, Why deity? Because phenomena are illusion. You look at Heather, she is totally an illusion, the way you see her is projected by your mind. So think that however she appears in your mind is not really what she is. Based on that, then you think that she is not an ordinary being in the way you perceive her, but she is Vajrayogini. So all the interactions between her and you become more meaningful. Because the Theravada teachers are interested in liberating you from sorrow they will teach you to think that she is not beautiful, she is a skeleton. And in the Mahayana you are taught that she is an illusion. In the Vajrayana, she is a deity. R: When the great Sakyapa masters talk about mind, they say, Look at the mind. The clarity aspect of mind is the sangha; the emptiness aspect of mind is the dharma; the non-duality of emptiness and clarity is Buddha. This nonduality of emptiness and clarity cannot be expressed, it is beyond expression, that is the guru; that is beyond expression and is actually bliss. Its free from all kinds of effort of trying to express or effort of dualism, basically. And the bliss is the deity. Of course, we have to do temporarily with created deities, but ultimately they are beyond form. They are form, but they are also beyond that. And then, just to finish the whole set, the unceasing mind that is clarity, emptiness, inexpressible, blissful, is the dakini. The Sakyapas concept of deities is not so much

POEM FOR DZONGSAR KHYENTSE RINPOCHE

As the pure white light divides to the four colours, So the Adi Buddha Samantabhadra Manifests in the four corners of the earth. Appearing in the southern continent, Precious Kuntuzangpo, please remain with us. Like the human rebirth, hard to attain and easily lost, Is the fortune of meeting with the precious ones. Like suffering, pervasive and also subtle, Is the compassion and kindness of the mother-like lamas. Like a spring morning, a clear sky and white blossoms, Is the incomparable beauty of the Buddhas smile. But now, like trees seen through fog in moonlight, Is the mysterious nature of the Buddhas mind. Glorious teacher, who has the one quality that illuminates all, Please remain with us. Sunyata

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2001 -

A Tibet Odyssey
(Photo Stuart MacFarlane)

When Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche mentioned one day, casually in passing as he often does, "You should come to Tibet next year," we rejoiced. Maybe our dream to visit Dzongsar Monastery with Rinpoche might become a reality! On numerous occasions since first visiting Tibet in 1985, Rinpoche had talked about Dzongsar, inspiring us to want to go there if for no other reason than to place our feet on the ground where so many great and enlightened beings have walked before us. Dzongsar Monastery in Derge, eastern Tibet, has a long and distinguished history. It was originally built in 746 A.D. as a Bn temple. After the introduction of Buddhism into Tibet the monastery first became Nyingmapa, then Kagypa and, in 1275 A.D, a religious envoy of the Yuan emperor arrived at Dzongsar and decreed that the monastery become Sakyapa. Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820 1892) consolidated the various traditions, rendering Dzongsar the principal seat of the ris-med or nonsectarian movement. In 1918 Jamyang Khyentse Tibetans crowd around the encamped tents Chkyi Lodr (1893 -1959) created the Dzongsar Institute of Buddhist Studies. The main purpose of the institute was to propagate non-sectarian training in Buddhist philosophy, debate and other traditional practices and, still in regular use today, are more than 40 important and valuable texts, written by masters of all Buddhist traditions. Shortly before we departed for Tibet, a fellow traveller sent an email that well described what we may have to brave on our adventure. "Im excited and frankly terrified at the prospect. Rinpoches description of what to expect was quite horrific. Terrifying roads and drivers, Chinese hotels with beds full of scabies and bathrooms full of shit, very little food or water, and no prospect of washing at all for the entire time, plus two full days of riding horses with no sad4 - Gentle Voice

dles on precarious mountain passes and altitude sickness. Joy! When asked, So whats the pay-off? Rinpoche replied, The bluest skies youve ever seen." And yes, we experienced most of the above! There were 19 students in the group altogether. The first party of seven met in Chengdu and spent one day there, making final preparations for the drive to Kham, eastern Tibet. The journey to Derge took two days of non-stop driving for 15 hours each day. Passing through small Tibetan villages, we climbed to passes of over 4,900 metres through alpine tundra with distant snow caps and a shifting mirage of yak hair tents, yaks and the occasional nomadic herder. The drive from Derge to Dzongsar was a joyful trip through virgin forests of lofty conifer and juniper trees that covered a huge ravine on either side of a crystal clear, rushing river. After a four-hour drive we exited the ravine and entered Khamie Valley, a vast fertile plateau dominated on all sides by mountains with the river, like a silver thread, coursing down the middle. In the (Photo Raymond Steiner) distance, positioned on a hill majestically overlooking the entire valley, was Dzongsar Monastery. This spectacular sight was overwhelming and we stopped to savour the moment and to shed tears of joy. The thrill and emotion we all felt on arriving in Dzongsar is unforgettable. In 1959 Dzongsar Monastery was completely destroyed by the first perpetrators of the Cultural Revolution. In 1983 the Chinese began a policy of reviving religious activity and since then Rinpoche has funded the reconstruction of Dzongsar Monastery and Dzongsar Institute, while reinstating over 500 monks and lamas. Dzongsars non-sectarian stance has been of enormous significance to the development of Tibetan Buddhism. In terms of Buddhist prac-

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche is joyfully escorted back to Dzongsar

(Photo Amelia Chow)

Nomads camped around the mountainside to be near Rinpoche and young girls sang songs of devotion that echoed around the mountains, as they did kora. As always Rinpoche did not disappoint the local devotees and gave a The Abbot of Dzongsar Monastery, Lodro Phuntso, greetnumber of discourses and initiations during the days we ed us on arrival with warmth and his beaming smile. He were there. One misty rainy day, led by Rinpoche, we rode guided us to the podrang or palace along a maze of narrow, higher up into the mountains to Lake Tsingynu (The cobbled stone pathways and past imposing buildings that Turquoise Lake of the Collection of Tears from the Lion). house temples, 23 shrines, many stupas, monks and lay Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Chogyur Lingpa discovpeoples quarters and the Tibetan Medicine Dispensary. ered many terma at Lake Tsingynu. On one occasion Chogyur Lingpa tied his robe to the end of a long rope and The following day we travelled to Dzongsar Meditation threw it into the lake; when he pulled it out there was nothCentre at Tak Tsang to meet up with Rinpoche. Revelling in ing in it. Rinpoche told us, our new mode of trans"He then appeared to port, we rode on horsebecome a little crazy and back, young Tibetan men walked on the water to the and women leading our middle of the lake, horses as they sang folk dropped his robe into the songs and chatted togethwater again and, when he er. A group of "whiteys" withdrew the robe, it contentatively mounted must tained treasure teachings." have appeared a bizarre One of the many terma sight to the children who discovered at that time ran along beside us gigWarriors compete in a ceremonial race as part of a Gesar of Ling puja was Wisdom Light. gling. We were later told that we were the first The most momentous Westerners ever to visit occasion during our stay Tak Tsang. (and there were many!) was to receive an initiaTak Tsang, a seventh-cention bestowed by tury cave, occupies a very Dzongsar Khyentse special place in the history Rinpoche on Guru of Tibetan Buddhism. Not Rinpoche Day in Guru only has it been personally (Photos Amelia Chow) Rinpoches cave at Tak blessed by the presence of Tsang. In the seventh century, before departing Tak Tsang, Guru Rinpoche and his consort Yeshe Tsogyal, but also Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal concealed blessing pills, Mipham Rinpoche, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and statues and numerous precious items in the cave, sealing Jamyang Khyentse Chkyi Lodr have spent time in them behind mud and stone. In the eighteenth century retreat there, as well as many other great masters. Mipham Jamgn Kongtrl and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo discovRinpoche retreated for 13 years in a cave above Tak Tsang, ered the treasures. To dispel doubt as to the origination of where he wrote over 26 volumes of teachings. He also the terma, they invited many people to come to attend the wrote poetry and created pottery. It was a sublime experiexcavation. A three-page root text was uncovered as well ence to be with Rinpoche in this most sacred of sacred as many other items, including a painted guidebook and places. Continued page 6 tice, Dzongsar Monastery offers the tuition and instructions of the greatest Vajrayana masters.
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FOUR SEALS of the DHARMA

Often I have been asked by people, What is Buddhism in a nutshell? What is the unique philosophy of Buddhism? With these words Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche introduced a teaching on the four seals of the Dharma, entitled What is Buddhism and What is Not? in 1999. In this excerpt from that teaching, and on the adjacent page in an interview with Dzigar Kongtrl Rinpoche, we explore these four views that make up the path of Siddhartha Gautama. Briefly, Ill run through these four views. The first is that anything that is compounded is impermanent. Now thats unique. The second one (slightly more complicated than the first and also painful to listen to) is that all emotions are pain, all emotions are suffering, all emotions are dukkha. Now thats something we dont want to hear. And its something unique to Buddhism. I think only Buddhists talk about this. Many other religions or philosophies worship things like love, celebration, songs and things like that. Buddhists think this is all suffering. Why? Because they involve dualism. This is a big subject now. This we have to discuss for a while. From the Buddhist point of view, as long as there is a subject and object, as long as there is a separation between subject and object, as long as you think they are independent and then function as subject and object, that is an emotion, which includes everything, almost every thought that we have. The third view is much more difficult. No phenomenon has inherent existence. Some of you worn-out, jaded Buddhists must have heard this thousands of times. But for those who are new it might be quite interesting. Yet its also quite difficult to chew because theres a lot of blockage within us. The fourth one (and the most difficult to understand and the most difficult to accept) is that nirvana is beyond extremes. Now that is a very, very difficult one. Not only difficult to understand, but difficult to accept because, as religious people, we all think that we will somehow go to a place where we will have a better sofa, a better shower system, a better sewerage system Something like that. Some kind of a nirvana where you dont even have to have a remote control, where everything works the moment you think. And so when Buddhists begin to say that nirvana is actually beyond extremes its something quite difficult to accept.

Continued from page 5 thangka that recorded the stay in Tak Tsang of Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal. The following day we prepared for our horse ride back to Dzongsar. Although Rinpoche had told us a little of what to expect on our return to the Khamje Valley, we were nevertheless amazed by what happened next. After riding for some time we arrived at the most stunning scene in a field waiting to escort Rinpoche back to Dzongsar were hundreds of Khampa "headmen" from surrounding districts. Holding banners aloft and dressed in traditional ceremonial costume (worn only in the presence of a high lama and for performing Khampa dances), the men were mounted on horses decorated in finery. The huge procession winding its way slowly along the mountain tracks was an extraordinary and unique vision. With this huge escort Rinpoche rode into the Khamje Valley to be greeted on arrival by hundreds and hundreds of Tibetans who lined the route, all of them dressed in traditional costume. The procession slowly made its way to an area in the centre of the valley and the festivities began with the most reckless horse-riding competition we have ever seen! For three days and nights Rinpoche stayed in a tent from where he watched the celebrations. During the entire time he tirelessly met, blessed and talked with people whilst traditional dancing, singing and other events Continued page 10
6 - Gentle Voice (Photo Raymond Steiner) During his visit Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche poses with Khenpo Pedam (left)

I N T DZIGAR E R KONTRL V I RINPOCHE E W

help us stay on the right track. And in the end its really going to help us realise the state of mind that is beyond impermanence and permanence. Also, Buddha said that the awareness of impermanence is like the greatest of all the footprints of the animals in the jungle. The elephants footprint is the biggest!
(Photo Valarie Kamala Kennedy)

The second mark of existence says all thats defiled is suffering. So what arises in our dualistic mind is also a great deal of suffering. I think if the root is poisonous, all the branches and leaves of the trees are going to be poisonous. When our mind is rooted in ignorance, all that comes out of the ignorance is going to be that way. Another of the marks of existence is that all phenomena are free of inherent existence. Yet thats quite the opposite of this selfimportance that sentient beings experience. Could you please explain this contradiction? Yes, I think when we are really able to examine our mind, then theres a way to go beyond where our mind has been, which is ignorant, confused, caught in self-importance, cherishing the self, protecting the self and all the rest of the negative emotions and karma. Theres a way to go beyond that, which is to see that it all happens out of ignorance. And ignorance is not inherently existent. Ignorance just comes about as an obscuration to that great egolessness nature or the nature of all phenomena, being sunyata. Your example of feeling like were "jet-lagged" seems very helpful. We have the intention to wake up, yet were constantly falling asleep when we dont want to. So the non-existence of ignorance and the ability to change are tools we can use? Thats right. We have this sleep, and its habitually very powerful. But at the same time awareness is also very powerful. And ones awareness is purely cultivated through the methods and the blessings of the lineage and the wisdom which is transmitted through them. Then we get this intrinsic carefreeness as well. The fourth mark of existence says that nirvana is beyond extremes, or that nirvana is peace. Could you expand on that, Rinpoche? Nirvana is peace. Is there anything youd like to say in conclusion, Rinpoche? I would like to encourage everyone to really take the teachings of the Buddha and the teachings of all the enlightened masters into deep consideration!
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In August and September 2001 Venerable Dzigar Kongtrl Rinpoche returned to Australia to give teachings. Rinpoche was recognised at the age of nine by the sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa and His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as an emanation of Jamgn Kongtrl Lodr Thaye, a great and influential spiritual teacher and non-sectarian master of the late nineteenth century. Rinpoche kindly spoke to the Gentle Voice during his visit. Welcome back to Australia, Rinpoche. The first time you visited us was just before your own personal retreat. How was that experience for you? It was a good experience in regard to what I was able to do with myself. I was feeling not quite balanced, travelling so much that year and the year before and also doing a lot of teachings and not having so much personal time or a sense of the balance in the mind. And I was also feeling the need to go deeper. So thats why I decided to do this three-year retreat. During the retreat I had to come out a few times to seek more teachings from Trulshik Rinpoche in France. And also I had to go to India to see my mother and then finally relate to her passing away. But I also had quite a bit of time for myself. And I felt very happy with what I was able to do. Youve spoken about the four marks of existence (or the four seals of the Dharma, see page 6). It seems that its vital to develop a really profound awareness of impermanence if we are going to wake up. I think thats really very important, as many of the great teachers have said. And I really do think its true from my own little bit of experience of it. Contemplating impermanence in the beginning is what is going to inspire us to turn our minds towards the dharma. In the middle when we contemplate impermanence, its really going to

BIR REMNANTS
On the first day of Tibetan New Year 2001, Im shaken awake by an earthquake. An omen? It is Bir, India, and thus my retreat begins. First light suffuses, Seeps from the pores of the peaks; No darkness resists. Light spills over the Land like happiness. Another Doubtful day starts. Mellifluous monastery bell Tolls, pinpointing the present. But even nowness, subtle object, Wont bring liberation. Ignorant of the fate of cows Three spotted calves run In fields made dainty with dawn. Naked yellow willow now has New sari of nuclear green, Startling in the still bleak courtyard. It is enough to sit With the sun at my back, Eating my rice porridge. The occasional sultana Is bliss.

Outside my window, Birdsong of piercing sweetness Announces the now. Limp light breaks the stiff Funereal dawn too late To warm up the corpse. From my window, flames Consume the cherished form. It is not far to death. These flies, like thoughts, Annoy and annoy. I wish I Wasnt growing old. Making a pancake The gas flares; suddenly Supreme happiness. Hard hail has rendered This earth sweet with strewn petals, Mandala garland. Retinue of spring snow, These brief white butterflies Gladden my heart.

Mani stones, Choling Monastery, Bir (above and top right) (All photos Valerie Kamala Kennedy)

Relentlessly rehearsing Scenes both past and future, This distracted mind Eschews the present. Brown buds burst bleak branches. Late snow will not slow their way To inexorable spring.
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Mani stone carver

Even here amidst The garland of saffron spires, Shakespeare still speaks. Where chill waters stilled, Now flounces the turbulent Tune of sated spring. Harbinger of night, A lone star glitters in the Bardo of evening. On the night dark roof Wrapped round with murmurd mantras I gaze at strange stars. In the pantheon Of night, a billion worlds Flicker and gleam. Who am I that I should Dream them?

Mani wall outside Choling Monastery, Bir

They have no "they have". Recognising this, my thoughts Stop dead in their tracks. Jackals howl in the Cool night air while in my warm Bed I write and write. Of what use, matching The word to the perception? No liberation. Valerie Kamala Kennedy

TWO TALES FROM INDIA

Pema Biddha, a Bhutanese student at Sarnath College, India, has contributed these two tales of recent escapades.

THE GREAT GATECRASH

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and Ugyen Wangchuk went for dinner to a restaurant in Varanasi one evening. It seemed to be a buffet so they helped themselves, only to realise that they had gatecrashed someone's dinner. Fortunately, the party turned out to be a Buddhist group from Korea. The Koreans invited them to stay and gestured for them to go ahead, which saved Rinpoche and Ugyen Wangchuk from becoming embarrassed. The two had barely started eating when a man who looked like a priest arrived. Everyone stood up, including Rinpoche and Ugyen. They could not afford to be impolite by continuing with their dinner. The group started chanting prayers. After they had finished chanting, another man arrived and started to give a discourse which Rinpoche and Ugyen couldn't understand. But both of them had to listen while their food remained untouched and their stomachs went on growling. They sure had an experience!

DOGS AT BIR
The dog at Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's labrang in Bir recently had puppies. The retreat house could not keep them all, so the monks took the puppies to nearby villages and offered them free to the local people. No one would take them. So Sonam Choepel came up with an idea. The mother dog is a beautiful Alsatian and quite an attraction in Bir. One reason is that she is the only Alsatian, but its also because she belongs to the retreat house and Rinpoche. Sonam Choepel took the mother dog along with the puppies. It did the trick. People, thinking the puppies would grow up like their beautiful, pedigreed mother, rushed in to take the puppies and there weren't enough for all the people there. But, sadly, the puppies grew up to be just like their father!

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Continued from page 6 This adventure of a lifetime was coming to an end, and the day before our departure a tsog offering was made and we spent the evening farewelling our hosts and Tibetan friends. Later all of us were summoned to Rinpoches quarters where he gave us the unique gift of one Tibetan boot each, saying, "There was no time to make a pair!" The next day we left Dzongsar for the long journey back to Chengdu, rejoicing in the time we had had in Tibet, but also saddened that we were leaving such an enchanting place. The vibrant blue skies, vivid green hills, white snowcapped mountain peaks, virgin forests and shimmering lakes - and the Tibetan people we had met - were all beyond beautiful. Leaving Dzongsar behind us at the start of our return journey, we drove for a few hours and stopped for a picnic lunch beside a picturesque lake. Rinpoche told us the Tibetan name of the lake when translated means "Where My Mind Fell". Long ago a Chinese princess spent time at the lake en route to Tibet. The vision of the lake had such an effect on the princess that she said her mind fell there! This lake and many places we visited in Tibet had a similar effect on us all. I hope I will be fortunate enough to return Dzongsar to "fell" more of my mind - and pick up the other boot!

Festival ground in Khamje Valley

were performed in honour of his visit. On one of the mornings Rinpoche gave an empowerment and walked through the crowd for an hour or more, blessing everyone present. The unassuming and unquestioning devotion of the Tibetan people was at all times humbling. During the next couple of days Rinpoche conducted a guided tour of Dzongsar Monastery and Dzongsar Institute, whilst he narrated countless stories about the history of both places. We also went for a picnic to Dolpo, a plateau where many Tibetans hid during the Cultural Revolution. Once again, hundreds of local people joined us and, sitting under the shade of trees, we watched with great amusement as the Tibetans competed in running races, tug-of-war and many other unique and playful games we had never seen before.

KHENPO JIGME PHNTSOK- U P D A T E

In the previous issue the Gentle Voice reported on Khenpo Jigme Phntsok and Serthar Institute which he founded at Larung Gar, eastern Tibet, in 1980. By 1999 over 7,000 monks, nuns and lay practitioners were studying Buddhist philosophy and meditation there. Now, it seems that the monastic complex is being targeted in the most extensive demolition since the Cultural Revolution. London-based monitoring group Tibet Information Network reports that the demolition of housing has been extensive and the impact of the expulsion of practitioners from Larung Gar tragic. "Teams of workers supervised by officials were instructed to carry out the demolition of residences in order to ensure that monks and nuns would not return to the site, and reports indicate that many nuns were required to sign agreements stating that they would not return." Reports received by TIN describe the suicide of at least one nun and the expulsion of hundreds more from the institute since official work teams moved in. The authorities have primarily targeted nuns homes, although the homes of some Buddhist students from China and overseas were also destroyed. A Westerner who has recently returned from Tibet told TIN, "There are many nuns from Serthar now begging for food and money in Xining, Chengdu and other areas. The main problem is that, if they go home, they cannot enter a nunnery and they have taken vows not to go back to lay life." There is also concern for the welfare of the highly respected spiritual teacher Khenpo Jigme Phntsok who established the monastic institute for the purpose of reviving Buddhist scholarship and meditation. Khenpo Jigme was in poor health before the work teams arrived and his condition has reportedly deteriorated. He was taken to a clinic in Barkham run by the military for medical treatment, but has now been moved to the provincial capital Chengdu. It is not known whether he is receiving medical treatment in hospital in Chengdu, where medical facilities are more sophisticated than in Barkham. According to TIN, "Chinese authorities have stated that Serthar Institute will be continuously monitored and that particular attention will be paid to any contact with people in India, reflecting a particular sensitivity to connections with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile." Further information and pictures are available at www.savetibet.org.

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(Photo Amelia Chow)

DHARMA DATES
HIS HOLINESS DALAI LAMA His Holiness Dalai Lama will visit Australia from 18 to 27 May 2002. In Melbourne he will give a free public talk and a teaching on the great Buddhist text by Atisha, Lamp of the Path to Enlightenment, including the bodhisattva vows and a Chenrezig initiation and blessing. In Geelong there will be a free public talk and a White Tara initiation. In Sydney His Holiness will give a free public talk and a teaching on the Four Noble Truths, and he will also visit Canberra. For further information please refer to www.dalailama.org.au. THE WAY OF THE BODHISATTVA Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche will teach on the final chapter of Shantidevas The Way of the Bodhisattva in Sydney in the second half of 2002. Siddharthas Intent will advertise details of this event later in the year. For further information please phone Sue Robinson on (02) 9949 9339 or Linda Adelstein on (02) 9360 6022. In the meantime, the seventape set of The Way of the Bodhisattva, Part V, is now available. Contact Carol Weaver on (02) 9810 4591 about this. KHYENTSE FOUNDATION The Khyentse Foundation is a non-profit organisation established in the United States in 2001 as the central vehicle to manage worldwide contributions and to support the activities of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. The foundation depends on the collaborative effort of Khyentse Rinpoches students, friends and sponsors, who are engaged in an international fund-raising campaign to provide the financial resources to help Rinpoche fulfil his aspirations. The foundations first priority is to create an endowment that will provide for the continued patronage of Khyentse Rinpoches monastic colleges in Tibet, India and Bhutan, where over 700 students, monks, nuns and yogis depend primarily on Rinpoche for their basic needs. Other special projects include the establishment of a scholarship fund, the publication and translation of Buddhist texts, the establishment and maintenance of a Buddhist college in the West, and the endowment of a chair or professorship of Buddhist studies at a major North American university. In our shifting world the truth of impermanence is more and more evident, yet sponsoring Rinpoches activities is one way of contributing to something inexhaustible and meaningful. If you would like to know more, please visit www.khyentsefoundation.org, email Cangioli Che at cangioli@khyentsefoundation.org or email your countrys Khyentse Foundation representative (in Australia, for example, contact Jill Robinson at jill@khyentsefoundation.org or on (02) 9489 0196.) JIGME TROMGE RINPOCHE Jigme Tromge Rinpoche is a reincarnation of Tsewang Norbu, the son of the first Chogyur Lingpa. In a previous life Jigme Rinpoche was also Yudra Nyingpo, one of the twenty-five close disciples of Guru Padmasambhava. Born in 1964, he received a traditional Buddhist education in Asia and then completed a three-year retreat in the United States. Jigme Rinpoche has received empowerments and teachings from many masters, including his father, His Eminence Chagdud Rinpoche. Jigme Rinpoche will visit Australia in June or July 2002 to give teachings and empowerments. For further details call (02) 9818 2650.

MANJUSHRI SHEDRA BUDDHIST STUDIES PROGRAMME This is a graduated course of study held at Sydneys Sakya Tharpa Ling taught by Loppon Ngawang Dhamchoe who received his training at Sakya College in India. It encompasses three levels of systematic study and solid training, using practical and logical methods for integrating the understanding into your life. The students will develop an authentic practice, mental clarity, and the wisdom and ability to benefit others. The programme runs from March to December 2002, one night per week with three one-day seminars and an end-of-year retreat. For details contact Ani Pema Chodron (02) 9555 9194 or email anipema@optusnet.com.au HOUSES FOR RENT AND FOR SALE Caretaker, tenant or retreatant required for a small house at Gesar Springs Community, near Kyogle, northern New South Wales. A nominal rent is required in return for basic maintenance duties (for example, mowing). Also on the community are two houses for sale, one small house (price negotiable) and one larger one (price $Aus60,000). For further information please phone Ngawang Palter on (02) 9416 4937. STAY IN TOUCH If you would like to be notified by email about teaching events organised by Siddharthas Intent in Australia, please send your email address to hugocroci@optusnet.com.au. And if you change your postal address, please notify us of this change at the same email address, so that we can stay in touch with you. For further information about Siddharthas Intent and the activities of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche you can visit our website at www.siddharthasintent.org.
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PRACTICE FOR SYDNEY-SIDERS... Shamatha meditation is held every Tuesday evening at 7.30 p.m. Phone Jenifer Wells on (02) 9357 1740 or 0421 494 084 for details. And a Tsasum Drildrup tsog is held on the tenth day of the lunar calendar. Please contact Rati on (02) 9571 7383 or 0400 841 553 for details. IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS A full day of Longchen Nyingthik ngndro practice is held every four to six weeks and Chimey Phagma Nyingthik practice takes place on the full moon. Please contact Kate Miller on (02) 4787 8766 for details. Every Monday evening at 7.30 p.m. there is a shamatha practice and on Guru Rinpoche day a Tsasum Drildrup tsog is held. Ring Pamela Croci on (02) 4757 2339 for further information.

STOP PRESS!
Vajradhara Gonpa has just learned that, due to recent world events, the cost of insurance for the gonpa has skyrocketed! The gonpa is Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoches long-term Australian retreat centre, situated near Kyogle in northern New South Wales. To manage this additional expense and to keep the building of two retreat huts on track, the gonpa is appealing for help. You can contribute to this worthwhile community by becoming a yearly member for $120 or a life member for $1,000. Alternatively, you may wish to make a donation. Please phone the gonpa on (02) 6633 1382, email vajgonpa@nor.com.au or write to P.O. Box 345, Kyogle, NSW, 2474, Australia.

AND IN NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES A Longchen Nyingthik ngndro practice is held on the third Saturday of every month. Please contact Nikki Keefe on (02) 6687 1441 or Christina Peebles on (02) 6688 2055 for further details. And a weekly Green Tara practice is held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at 68 Magellan Street, Lismore (above Noahs Ark Bookshop). Phone Geoff Moxham on (02) 6688 6166 for details.

PLEASE NOTE: Because of its sacred content, please treat this newsletter with respect. Should you need to dispose of it, please burn it, rather than throwing it away.

12 - Gentle Voice

PO Box 1114 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 Australia A NEWSLETTER O F S I D D H A RT H A S INTENT

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