This year, 2024, has turned out to be very blessed with buddhist blessings. Starting with a birthday retreat in April, on Shamata, at Thosamling Nunnery with Venerable Tenzin Basel. This was my first time attending a Shamata retreat, since my main practice is Vipassana in Goenka retreats.
It was a wonderful time with 20 or so participants in a beautiful rural monastery housing Geluk nuns ordained by the HH Dalai Lama. We heard a few days before the retreat that the nuns will be going to attend an impromptu teachings by His Holiness Dalai Lama during the first two mornings of our retreat and we were invited to go with them.
What an unexpected gift. Seeing HHDL for my birthday was indeed a moving experience. The nuns joked that it was a job requirement for them to attend all teachings offered by him. I was moved by the compassion pouring out of his being the moment I first glanced at him. The tears, as they flowed spontaneously, I looked around self consciously and saw some tibetans sitting around us were also moved to tears.
I had seen His Holiness once before in Bangalore but this time he was merely a few feet away as he passed through the hallway. I couldn’t say what about him made my feel so emotional. Perhaps, it was that he looked very frail with three monks holding him as he walked, or that his smile looked so unassuming and genuinely gleeful. An inspiration for sure.
In May, I had an appointment to meet with another phenomenal practitioner, Jetsumna Tenzin Palmo. Yes, THE Jetsumna! She, who spent years in the snowy caves of Spiti valley meditating. She, who challenged the Tibetan Buddhist order of denying women from gaining training and education to achieve enlightenment. This British women fought for female practitioners to be eligible for the same kind of training as monks and succeeded. I was to visit her at her nunnery, DGL near Palampur and I had an appointment to meet the venerable one on one. I was feeling excited and grateful for the opportunity.
And, it was everything I had imagined and more. I cried some more. The compassion in the eyes of these dedicated practitioners is very moving and something to aspire to. Just a look from them and we melt. Imagine that kind of impact of our fellow beings. I shared with her my struggles and aspirations. She was very generous with her advice and suggestions. We took a selfie in front of the beautiful Tara statue and I promised myself to visit again soon to keep my aspirations alive.
Finally, I was fortunate enough to meet with another stalwart of Tibetan Buddhism, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche (DKR) at his beloved Deer Park Institute. He is a dynamic, funny, wise and unconventional lama. He says the most shocking things sometimes, to the delight of his thousands of followers. He gave some very rare empowerments at Chokling monastery in Bir and then he gave talks on Sadhana at Deer Park. During the tea break, I saw him up-close, mingling with everyone and laugh & joke with those who came to see and hear him. His talks are relatable as he talks about the world as it is today – social media, psychedelics, alcohol, current affairs. He also includes Indian cultural references in his presentations and expresses the importance of India in the survival of Buddhism across the world.
Already, this year has showered many blessings on me and I am grateful. Dharma is a big part of life and so these encounters are wonderful reminders for cultivating compassion, care and joy at each step of the way. If we lose our focus, it’s comforting to know that these teachers and many others will not give up. They are practicing, praying, teaching to constantly bring us back to the present.
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