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Page 2: Mandala eZine December 2009

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www.fpmt.org/shopFoundation for the Preservationof the Mahayana Tradition

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December 2009 MANDALA EZINE 3

contents

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LAMA YESHE’S WISDOM6 Making the Most of Your LifeBy Lama Yeshe

ADVICE FROM THE VIRTUOUSFRIEND8 A Morning Meditation and theMeaning of SamsaraBy Lama Zopa Rinpoche

COVER FEATURE10 The Best ofMandala

MEDIA PAGE23 Featured Media

COMMUNITY FORUM24 Discussion Topic

25 Photo Bulletin Board

COVER:Mandala covers from past years.

Mandala eZineMandala eZine

Page 4: Mandala eZine December 2009

Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive contains recordings and transcripts

of Lama Thubten Yeshe’s and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings

dating back to the early 1970s—and we’re still growing! Our

Web site offers thousands of pages of teachings by some

of the greatest lamas of our time. Hundreds of audio

recordings, our photo gallery and our ever-popular

books are also freely accessible at lamayeshe.com.

Please see our Web site or contact us

for more information

TEACHINGS FROM THE MEDICINE BUDDHA RETREATLand of Medicine Buddha, October–November 2001

by lama zopa rinpocheedited by ailsa cameron458 pages, $20

“Because bodhisattvas have unbelievable merit, they can understand the limitless skies of bene�t and qualities that Medicine Buddha has. �e fortunate one who has good karma and much merit and the one who has miraculous psychic powers is able to believe in this, and they should cherish this Medicine Buddha practice.”

FREEDOM THROUGHUNDERSTANDINGThe Buddhist Pathto Happiness and Liberation

lama thubten yeshe & lama zopa rinpoche198 pages. free

THE HEART OF THE PATHSeeing the Guru as Buddha

by lama zopa rinpocheedited by ailsa cameron502 pages, $20

*plus shipping charges of$1 per book ($5 minimum)

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free books!*

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December 2009 MANDALA EZINE 5

Mandala is the official publica-tion of the Foundation for thePreservation of the MahayanaTradition (FPMT), an interna-tional charitable organizationfounded more than thirty yearsago by two Tibetan Buddhistmasters: Lama Thubten Yeshe

(1935-1984) and LamaThubten Zopa Rinpoche. FPMT is now a vibrantinternational community with a network of over 150 affiliate centers,projects, services and study groups in more than thirty countries.

Editorial PolicyRecurring topics include: Buddhist philosophy; Education; Ordinationand the Sangha; Buddhism and Modern Life; Youth Issues; FPMTActivities Worldwide; Lama Yeshe and his teachings; Lama Zopa Rin-poche and his teachings; His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his teachings,among many other topics.

Writers, photographers and artists, both amateur and professional,are encouraged to submit material for consideration. Mandala currentlydoes not pay for publishable content; we credit all photos and other workas requested.Mandala, in addition to the Mandala eZine, is published quarterly

and is available via the Friends of FPMT program. Additionally, bothpublications are supplemented by online stories published exclusively at:www.mandalamagazine.org

Friends of FPMT is a donor program composed of Friends workingtogether to support FPMT’s global activities.

To learn about Friends of FPMT levels and benefits, contact us orvisit: www.fpmt.org/friendsMandala is published in January, April, July and October.Mandala eZine is published in February, May, August and December.

Managing Editor and PublisherCarina [email protected]

Assistant Editor,Advertising & SalesMichael [email protected]

Art DirectorCowgirls [email protected]

Friends of FPMT ProgramSherri [email protected]

FPMT Inc.1632 SE 11th Ave.Portland, OR 97214-4702Tel: 1 503 808 1588Fax: 1 503 808 1589Toll free USA only 1 866 808 3302

FPMT Board of DirectorsSpiritual DirectorLama Zopa Rinpoche

Board MembersKhenrinpoche Geshe LhundrupVen. Roger KunsangVen. Pemba SherpaKaruna CaytonAndrew HaynesPeter KedgeTim McNeillTara MelwaniAlison MurdochPaula de Wijs-Koolkin

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Friends of FPMT, formerly known as FPMT Foundation

Membership, has been established to truly support your

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Become A Friend of FPMT! www.fpmt.org/friends

Page 6: Mandala eZine December 2009

6 MANDALA EZINE December 2009

LAMA YESHE’S WISDOM

By Lama Yeshe

… Even though you might say that you’refollowing a spiritual path or leading a meditator’slife, you’re not serious. It doesn’t matter if yousit in meditation, go to church on Sundays,visit the temple regularly or do any other kindof customary religious activity; that doesn’tmean anything.The actions that you need to doare those that actually lead you to everlasting,peaceful happiness, the truly joyful state, notthose that simply bring up and down transitorypleasure. Actions that bounce you up and downare not true Dharma, not true meditation, nottrue religion – here I can make a definitive state-ment. Check up: you might think you’re doingsomething spiritual but is your polluted mindsimply dreaming?

… It’s your relative mind that functions inyour everyday life. For example, wheneverthings go wrong in your interactions with people– family, friends or society in general – youalways blame somebody else. Check your mind– you do. That’s a misconception. In fact, allyour problems, both physical and mental, comefrom ignorance – a lack of intensive knowledge-wisdom – and attachment. These two mentalfactors are the biggest root of any problem,social or individual. Check up, but this timecheck up on your own mind.

Think about when you cheat others throughlying or when you kill, taking another’s life.Check up: why do you do such things?The rootis ignorance; the motivation is attachment,involvement in your own pleasure. The energyof ignorance, a lack of intensive knowledge-wisdom, is like a king or queen and attachment

is like a director. It’s the mind; it’s your mind.I’m not talking about something else. And yourmind contains the association of these twothings: ignorance and attachment.

These two factors are the principal cause ofall problems, physical and mental. If you do notrealize this you’ll never be able to solve yourproblems because you’ll continue thinking thattheir cause lies outside: “I’m not happy, I’m notgoing to see him again; I’m not happy, I need abigger house; I’m not happy, I need a better car.”You can never put an end to problems that way.Especially in the West, we always think thatmoney is the solution to all problems. It’s nottrue; that’s a complete misconception.

Don’t think, “Lama’s putting me down . . .that’s not how I think.” I’m not talking aboutintellectual thought; I’m talking about some-thing much more deeply rooted in your mind.Human problems don’t originate from intel-lectual thought. Actually, if you could see whatgoes on in your mind, you wouldn’t believe it.Even though you’re not consciously aware ofthis materialistic way of thinking, deep in yoursubconscious there are forces leading you in acircle from one trip to another to another toanother, constantly changing. This is what wemean by cyclic existence. We go round andround but never reach beyond the circle. Ourentire way of living is a joke. We give childrentoys to play with … we’re the same; it’s just adifferent game.

… Look at religious wars. There’s onegoing on right now;1 and not only now –throughout history. Religious wars come from

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR LIFE

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December 2009 MANDALA EZINE 7

attachment. I’m talking about how attachmentfunctions. Two small children fighting over apiece of candy comes from attachment; twohuge countries fighting each other also comesfrom attachment; and religious people fightingeach other comes from attachment, as well.

Actually, those religious people fighting eachother all think that religion is wonderful butfighting is not a religious action, is it? Forthem, religion is just an idea, that’s all. Thosewho fight religious wars are not religious people.Religion is about compassion and universal love.How can killing become a religious action? It’simpossible. It comes from attachment.

So you can understand how attachment isthe biggest problem in the world. “My religionis good, therefore I’m going to kill you.” That’sridiculous. People who think like that aresimply destroying themselves.

If I were to do that I’d be turning religioninto poison. What I was doing would havenothing to do with religion. But even thoughmy actions were the opposite of religion, I’d bethinking, “My religion is good.” Instead ofbeing medicine to solve my psychologicalproblems, because of my distorted mentalattitude, my religion would be poison. Eventhough I’m thinking, “This is my religion,”not a minute of my actions would be religious.

For example, I have the idea that mythangka2 is my religion. Then if somebodytries to burn my thangka I get upset becauseI think he’s destroying my religion. That’s amisconception. A painting isn’t religion.People who think material things are religion

misunderstand the meaning of religion.Religion is not external; Dharma is notexternal. It’s only in the mind.

The Bible says the same thing. The NewTestament contains wonderful teachings byJesus but many people don’t understand whatthey mean. For example, he said that peoplewho worship idols are not following him.That’s very true; that’s a fantastic teaching. Wehave to understand how to integrate religionwith our everyday life, put it into action andsolve our problems, not think that materialthings like church and property are religion.That’s ridiculous.

In other words, people who worship idolsthinking that the material atoms are theirreligion and don’t realize the nature of theirown consciousness or spirit have no idea ofwhat religion really is. Jesus gave perfect teachingsexplaining this; we just don’t realize.y

Excerpted from the third chapter of FreedomThrough Understanding,a new free book available from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.Further edited here for space.

Photo of Lama Yeshe taken at Royal HollowayCollege, Surrey, UK, September 1975.

1 Lama may have been referring to the conflict in Lebanon,which had started just a few months earlier.2 A thangka is a Tibetan religious painted scroll.

Page 8: Mandala eZine December 2009

8 MANDALA EZINE December 2009

ADVICE FROM THE VIRTUOUS FRIEND

A MORNING MEDITATIONAND THE MEANING OF SAMSARA

The first thing to do in the morning is thebodhichitta motivation and this is to bejoined at the end by dedicating your

life, to live your life, for sentient beings, forothers who are numberless, who do not wantsuffering, who want happiness the same asyourself. A further elaboration on cultivatingyour daily life attitude in the morning whenyou generate bodhichitta is to have theattitude of opening your mind to others.

Every morning upon awakening, HisHoliness Kyabje Serkong Tsenshab Rinpocheused to meditate on this practice. In tantricpractice, sleeping yoga can be done with orwithout mental fabrication. For the latter, goto bed meditating on the dharmakaya, orsimply meditating on emptiness. For theformer, see yourself as the deity in the mandala,remember the guru-deity, and then sleep inthat pure mind. In the morning you awake tothe sound of music played by the dakas anddakinis and you arise from the clear light. Thedakas and dakinis recite this verse:

“Abandon stretching the legs out,” is a verygood expression. When your mind becomeslazy you stretch out your legs. Your whole bodyis stretched out in the ten directions; you are inno rush to practice Dharma. Even though itmay not be put into words, stretching the legsindicates the thought that the happiness of thismoment is more important than Dharma. It‘s

like a manifestation. “Abandon stretching thelegs out” means abandon clinging to this lifeand being lazy in practicing the Dharma.

Death is definite and can happen at anytime. Even today it can happen at any moment.And there are only two possibilities: one maybe reborn in the lower realms or one mayreceive the body of a happy transmigratorybeing. Migration to the lower realms is due tobad karma and going to a high rebirth resultsfrom good karma, from practicing Dharma.

Even in one day, the karma collected ismostly negative; the four [branches of negativeactions] – base, action, thought and goal – arecomplete and powerful, more powerful thanthe positive karma that is collected. Even if youpractice Dharma, most [branches] are notcomplete. Thus, it is almost definite for you tobe reborn in the lower realms.

... I guess “give up entering samsara” meansgiving up the thought that samsara is good andsamsaric pleasures are good – not realizingsuffering as suffering but seeing it as purehappiness. It means giving up the mind thatengages in samsara through attachment in thisway, and then thinking how all samsara is inthe nature of suffering.

Samsara is not the earth, not the houses,not the factories, not Disneyland, not exactlyeven this body. LamaTsongkhapa explained inthe Lamrim Chenmo that the term “samsara” –circling, korwa [in Tibetan] – is the part of thecontinuity of the aggregates caused by karmaand delusions, the part of the continuity of theaggregates that is the contaminated delusions.

Abandon stretching the legs out;Give up entering samsara;Achieve the unified state of Vajrasattva.

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December 2009 MANDALA EZINE 9

The name for delusion is “falling down” –if you have delusion, you always abide in samsara,you never achieve liberation, and you fall downto the lower realms. [After] having been bornin higher realms, you are again reborn in lowerrealms. So exactly what this is saying is theaggregate [which is] the contaminated seed ofdelusions, from that seed, delusion arises.Then, whatever karma [you create] plants akarmic seed on the mental continuum. It thenproduces, or throws, [you into] the futurerebirth. That seed of delusion compounds thesuffering of mind and the suffering of bodyand also future rebirth and future life suffering.That is why these aggregates are pervaded bysuffering; all six realms are pervaded by suffering.The desire realm, form realm, formless realmare pervaded by suffering, they are in the natureof suffering. [Because there is the] contami-nated seed of delusion, they are in the nature ofsuffering, pervaded by suffering. Not only that,they are caused by karma and delusions and soare pervaded by suffering. That describespervasive compounding suffering: that seedcompounds future life suffering.

Why [Tsongkhapa] says “the part of thecontinuity of the aggregates caused by karmaand delusions” is because, on the five paths – thepath of merit, preparatory path, right-seeingpath, path of meditation, and path of no-more-learning – the meditator who attains the path ofmeditation has no more continuity of future life,there is no continual circling in samsara [underthe power of karma and delusion]. The conti-nuity ends [and] doesn’t circle to a next life.

The Seventh Dalai Lama and KyabjePabongka Dechen Nyingpo [both explainedthe] the part of continuity of rebirth of thecontaminated aggregates caused by karma anddelusions. Kyabje Denman Lochö Rinpochealso explained like that: the part of the conti-nuity of rebirth of the contaminated aggregatescaused by karma and delusions. So that isexactly what samsara is: the circling. The nameis given to the function, the continuity due tothe circling. When the continuity of takingrebirth again and again of contaminatedaggregates caused by karma and delusions isstopped by ceasing the cause, karma anddelusions, you achieve liberation from samsara.It is only stopped by ceasing the cause.Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo said that samsarais the action of this continuous circling.y

Excerpted from the first module Light of the Path Online, “ThePreliminary Practice: Mindfulness of Renunciation.” This and othermodules are due to be released in early 2010. Lightly edited forpublication inMandala eZine.

By Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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MarcSakam

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10 MANDALA EZINE December 2009

BEST OF MANDALA

THE CRY of a Fawnby Lin Jensen

For twenty-two years, Mandalamagazine has been delivering

topical articles, features and news toFPMT students and novice Buddhistsaround the world.

In case you missed out the firsttime they were published, every yearin December we will feature a few ofour favorites from the vault. Thearticles selected here were nominatedbyMandala readers, past editors andFPMT staff.

Enjoy!

MANDALAbestof

First excerpted inMandala October-November 2005,“The Cry of a Fawn,” is the heartfelt account of the author’s personal

transformation after an intimate and deadly encounter with an injured fawn.Excellently narrated, few pieces about life’s suffering and pain have

hit the mark so well and with such gentleness.

I’ll begin with a simple recitation of the facts.Perhaps that’s all that’s needed. The facts may

be the best anyone can do. Karen and I weredriving south on Highway 395 in eastern

Oregon. It had been raining heavily, but thestorm had broken up and a late afternoon sunslanted in from the west. The highway had justdescended from a conifer woods and was

Page 11: Mandala eZine December 2009

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Page 12: Mandala eZine December 2009

12 MANDALA EZINE December 2009

BEST OF MANDALA

gradually flattening out into the sagebrush andgrass country of the Great Basin. Karen and Iboth saw the sign indicating a deer crossingand had noted to each other that we shouldstay alert. The highway climbed a little rise andthen descended into a shallow pocket where asmall fenced enclosure set off a few acres ofseeded grass from the surrounding sagebrush.

We both saw the fawn as soon as we cameover the rise. We saw that it had been struckand that it was struggling to get up. Highway395 is a mere ribbon of road at that point, twonarrow lanes separated by a faded line of yellowpaint. The stricken fawn was exactly in thecenter of the road, its thin legs splayed out onboth sides of the lane divider. We found spaceto park the car and ran back to get the fawn.

The fawn, terrified, tried to escape us,stabbing at the pavement with its front legs, itslittle sticks of bones flailing about, its clovenhooves clattering on the asphalt, its whole rearsection, rump, thighs, calves, dragging behindit. I could hardly bear to look at it. It wasbrought down like this, its little body ruinedbeyond recovery. I picked it up and carried itoff the road and laid it on the grass. In the neardistance, a doe paced back and forth along afence line. The fawn would never again rise. Itwould exhaust all the life left to it trying to doso, bewildered that legs that had propelled itinto a sustained run on the very day of its birthwould not now carry it across a hundred yardsof sage and grass to its mother.

“What are we going to do?” Karen asked.She knew, of course, but neither of us wantedto say it. “It might take days for it to die,” Isaid, my eyes searching the roadside for a stoneheavy enough to smash a deer’s skull.

Then I heard the sound of an engine andthe whine of mud tires on pavement. I lookedup to see a pickup truck coming over the risewhere it caught the late sun, revealing theunmistakable silhouette of gun racks in therear window. A hunter! I hailed the truckdown. The driver, his eyes screwed to the road,seemed to take notice of me only at the lastmoment. As he slammed past us, I thought hewas gone, but then the tail lights of his truckflashed, and he skidded to a stop.

When he reached us, his eyes went first tothe fawn, where it was struggling once more torise. He watched it for a moment. He waschewing on the stub of an unlit cigar, and hetook it from his mouth and shoved it into hisshirt pocket. “You hit it?” he asked. “No, wefound it like this,” I told him. “Do you have agun?” “I don’t,” he said. “You wouldn’t oftenhear me say that. We could sure use one now.I’ve got a pocket knife in the truck,” he said.“We can cut the jugular vein.”

When he got back with the knife, heopened the blade and ran his finger over it totest its sharpness. He looked at me andshrugged, pulled his cigar stub out of his pocketand stuck it back in his mouth. The hunter gotdown on his knees by the fawn. I got downbeside him and turned the fawn’s head to theside to expose its throat. From that angle, itseye stared up at us in terror and confusion. Thehunter punched the blade into its throat.

It was then that the fawn cried out. I’dnever before heard a deer make any call at all.I suppose I thought the species was mute. Thehunter was clearly as startled by the sound as Iwas. He said, “Sorry, old buddy.” I neededwords myself, but I hadn’t any of my own at

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December 2009 MANDALA EZINE 13

Indispensable for anyone wishing to do pujas according to the advice of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

The 8 Mahayana precept ceremony and commentary

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the moment, so I too said, “Sorry, old buddy.”The hunter sawed his way through the flesh ofthe fawn’s throat, and said again, “Sorry, oldbuddy.” And I said, “Sorry, old buddy.” Bloodgushed from the torn throat as the hunter andI pressed it against the earth. Neither of uscould bear to see it try to rise again. The huntersaid, “It helps to say something,” and herepeated, “Sorry, old buddy.” And I echoedhim a third time, saying, “Sorry, old buddy.” Asecond later, the fawn’s eye went blank and itsbrief encounter with humans was over. Thehunter wiped the blade of his pocket knife onthe grass and a minute later I heard the pickupstart, and he was gone.

But the cry of the fawn was not gone. Itsgaping throat and blank eye still reverberated

with the sound of it and gave expression to allthe suffering I’ve ever caused or witnessed. Thefawn was dead by my own hand; its bewild-erment, its terror, its innocence were facts ashard as the stones that littered the shoulder ofthe road. There was nothing I could look tothat would soften or mitigate these realities. Icouldn’t imagine retracing the fifty yards thatseparated me from the car, turning the key inthe ignition, and driving myself back into thatbanal and false normality where the death of afawn is merely an unfortunate incident to bekept in perspective.

How can I make anyone understand this?How can I show that the death of the fawn wasnot a matter merely pitiable, not a mattersimply of regret or guilt or remorse? How can

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I explain that none of the deaths of my life-time will ever again be merely regrettable?How can I touch the tenderness in all this,convey the degree to which the cry of the fawnexposed my heart?

It was a cry like that of Karen who, twentydays earlier, working her way down a Nevadatrail so steep and eroded that it was little morethan a ditch of teetering rocks, caught the toeof her boot and fell. With the leading footwedged and the following foot trapped behindthe first, her body tilted and, arching outwardand down, slammed full length into the rockswith nothing but the ineffectual failure of onethin arm to break the fall. She lay for a longinstant, blood running from her mouth andfrom a hand split upon some sharp edge. Her

eyes swam up from their sudden bed of stoneslike the eyes of one drowning beneath thewaters of her own life’s current. She saw fromthat sunken and solitary depth how the canyonwalls rose into the blue summer sky, and shesaid, through bubbles of blood forming at herlips, “I’ve done it now.” She sat in the trailtrying to comprehend what had happened toher while I bound her split hand in moistenedclothing I had stripped from myself. Sheprobed her bloody mouth, trying to see if herteeth were still there, and she said again, “I’vereally done it now, haven’t I?” She spoke alanguage of wonderment that what she hadalways feared might happen had, in fact,happened. Weeks later, she would rememberhow the canyon walls carried her to the wonderof blue sky from the very place of her fall.

It was a cry like that of the man who,paunchy and middle-aged, rushed up to aurinal alongside me at a rest stop on Inter-state 5 and confided to me that he’d wet hispants. We stood there side by side, just inchesbetween our elbows, utter strangers to eachother. He didn’t look at me or preface hisdisclosure in any way. He simply said to noone else but me because no one else was inthe restroom, “I thought I was gonna makeit, and I almost did, but not quite. I dribbleda little.” I looked at him then, his face so nearthat without my reading glasses it appearedblurred. He stared straight ahead, his neckand cheeks red with embarrassment, histhroat working up and down as though therewas more he wanted to say or wanted to pre-vent himself from saying. “Can you believethey recommend diapers for my condition?”He couldn’t grasp what had happened to him.

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December 2009 MANDALA EZINE 15

He needed someone, anyone, to hear thevoice of his humiliation, the anguish he feltover the betrayal wrought upon him by hisbody.

It was a cry like that of children anywherewhen war or poverty or disaster has left themstunned and wise before their time. A cry likethat of their parents who could not save them,and of all of us who have seen the young takendown while we ourselves survived. A cry likethe hunter’s own “Sorry, old buddy,” recitedlike a prayer of contrition for the hard work ofhis hands.

We cry out from the place of our ambush,where the certainty of accident, disease, infir-mity, and death lies in wait for us. Ourinnocence is assaulted on all sides. Were we notcapable of being surprised by this, we wouldlong ago have succumbed to despair. Were wenot capable of sorrow, we would be brutes.

If you look at a map of Oregon, you canpretty well pinpoint the exact stretch of roadwhere the fawn was struck. You can see it inrelationship to the rest of Oregon, and with amore general map, you can see its relationshipto all of North America. It was, as I told you,on Highway 395, forty-one miles south ofJohn Day and twenty-nine miles north ofBurns. I tell you this because I want you tounderstand how Oregon spreads out from theplace where the fawn died, out into Wash-ington and Idaho and California and thePacific Ocean. And I want you to see hownone of these neighboring territories limitsthe extension of space, so that being, of itsown nature, spreads itself across the face ofthe earth and beyond.

Any astronomical chart will show you that

the whole universe is contiguous to the exactspot where the fawn cried out, so that absolutelyeverything was gathered into that cry. The crywas voiced everywhere, heard everywhere, andnot just at that time, not just at 5:30 P.M. on Au-gust 25th, 1997, but at all times. You can hearit now. It is the voice of our dismay, the cry ofour innocent bewilderment. It is the injury re-ceived of our ears, the wound from which oursaving sympathy bleeds forth. Listen! Listen! Itcalls us to the site of our deepest redemption.y

From Bad Dog!: A Memoir of Love, Beauty and Redemp-tion in Dark Places by Lin Jensen who teaches Buddhist ethicsand practices at Chico State University in California. He isthe founding teacher and teacher emeritus of the Chico ZenSangha in Chico. Reprinted with permission of WisdomPublications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A.www.wisdompubs.org

Page 16: Mandala eZine December 2009

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At what time does Geshe-la get up in themorning at Kopan?I wake up at the time I wake up, sleep at thetime to sleep, eat when the time is for food andgo to the toilet when I need to go to the toilet.

How many courses does Geshe-la teach?At the moment, I do not teach any class. . .There is nothing to write about me.

How long does it take for Geshe-la to do hisprayers every day?I don’t practice, I sleep all the time. My mainpractice is sleep, eat and go to toilet.

Does Geshe-la have any suggestionsfor students?Students know what they need to do.

I know, but it is really trying to help people,just like Milarepa’s story, which can reallyinspire people.Normally, I try to benefit people by giving theteachings; besides that, there is not any benefittowards others. Anyway, there are a lot holybeings out there; it is not necessary to take meas an example.

Like Buddha teaches with 84,000 methods,Geshe-la is one of the 84,000 methods.No. If people would like to know my where-abouts, you may tell them that I am inTaiwan now, will stay in Taiwan for onemonth, then I will go to Singapore. Thenmaybe I will come back to Taiwan, then I willgo to Hong Kong where I will give teachingfor one or two days, and then I will go back

GESHE Lama KonchogTaken fromMandala September-

December 1998, this interview with GesheLama Konchog comes from “A Day in theLife of an FPMT Lama,” a regularlyfeatured section that began withMandalaMay-June 1995.With characteristic

humility and self-effacement, Geshe LamaKonchog doesn’t give his interviewer much tograsp on. This is particularly amazing

interview when juxtaposed with the accountsof Geshe Lama Konchog’s remarkable

activities that were published after his death.Here Jean Chuang talked to Geshe LamaKonchog during a visit to Jinsui Fairlin in

Taipei, Taiwan.Geshe Lama Konchog at Kopan Monastery, 2001

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December 2009 MANDALA EZINE 17

to Kopan. That’s it. Actually there is no needto put this in the magazine. I am useless, I amgood for nothing.

But Geshe-la’s story is really very inspiring.There is one kind of wood that grows sotwisted, yet the leaves and flowers flourish: justlike me. I am terrible, very bad person, but Iam very fortunate to have very qualified lamas.The shape of the wood is so terrible that itcannot be used to make something out of it,but the flowers and leaves are beautiful. Eventhough I am a terrible and bad person, due tothe kindness of the lama, I have something tospeak from my mouth, otherwise I am totallyuseless.

Maybe Geshe-la doesn’t want to sayanything, but somehow it will inspire people.For us ordinary people, full of vexations,we do need all these stories to help us.We would like to have Geshe-la share hisexperiences with us.If I want to tell my daily story then I need toexplain all the bad things as well: the anger,attachment, hatred, pride, delusion that arises.Instead of inspired, the readers might bedisappointed. But if I say only good things, itis useless.

So would you mind telling us all the bad things?Every day different delusions arise, so if youwrite about every day it will be difficult.

So make it one day for example, such as today?I am suffering from the heat. I have desire, at-tachment, to drink water, to drink Coca-Cola;I have the desire to sleep; all these things.

So how does Geshe-la transform hismind to stop the desire?I cannot transform. If you can transform, thatwould be wonderful. I am just controlled bythese things.

In our daily life, we have all these vexations.If Geshe-la could tell us how you manage, atleast we could give it a try.We all should look to Buddha.

We would like to look to the Buddha,but Buddha is far and Geshe-la is here.Buddha was the same as us at the very begin-ning, then through practice he became Buddha.

I am a person from a remote place, it is nouse to advertise in the city. There is no point towrite these things. I try to give teaching asmuch as I can; I hope this may benefit others.There is no benefit to say anything else.

Your life is very beneficial to us. And puttingthese things in the magazine is also kind ofkeeping a record.If you need to write, you may write down thatI have the desire to sleep and desire for goodfood and to eat a lot. Then when I eat toomuch and feel too full, I have to lie down. AndI have to stretch my legs to relax. All thesethings. My normal life story is like that.

Ven. Tenzin Zopa, Geshe-la’s attendant laterspoke about him:I do not know Geshe-la’s mental activities; Ican provide only some information aboutGeshe-la’s physical activities, but not every-thing he does.

Geshe-la does not really have a fixed schedulefor his daily life at Kopan. Normally Geshe-la

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BEST OF MANDALA

wakes up between 3 and 4:30 in the morning,and then he seems to do meditation andprayers before asking for tea. I serve morningtea around 4 or 4:30, sometimes at 5 A.M.

If he is busy in the morning, he does hisprayers in the evening or sometimes at night.It all depends on how busy he is. He has twovery thick prayer books, one is long and theother is just a normal prayer book, and he willcomplete these two prayer books every day.

He has his breakfast in his room. In Kopan,he does torma offerings to all the Buddhas andbodhisattvas and all the beings of the six realmsevery morning. He also receives the people whocome to visit him. Sometimes he just goes to seeLama Lhundup or goes around the monastery.

He takes his lunch (midday), tea (5:00 P.M.)and dinner (7:00 P.M.) with the other geshes,the staff and the visitors in Kopan’s diningroom. And he does walking exercise aroundKopan hill for his knee’s sake.

He likes to be around the small monks inKopan whenever he has time. He is happywith the small monks.

Last night when I talked to him about theinterview, he said, “I am an old, extra, uselessperson at Kopan.” Then he said that two of hisold and good friends whom he used to talk tohad passed away and that he is pretty lonely.Thetwo good friends, in fact, were the two big dogsin Kopan, who died a couple of years ago. Theirnames were Mahakala and Gomchen, whichmeans meditator.Those two dogs were huge andeveryone at Kopan was scared of them.

I don’t think Geshe-la is a useless person. Itis very clear to me that wherever he goes andwhatever he talks about, he is concerned with

the education and living conditions of theKopan nuns and monks and also all theLama Zopa Rinpoche’s organization, as well asSera Je and all the other monasteries. He isconcerned about all these just like a parentcares about their children.

I regard Geshe-la as our father and LamaLhundrup as our mother, and Lama ZopaRinpoche and Lama Yeshe are a combination ofboth. I hope that other Kopan monks and nunsand all the students also know this. I feel it is veryimportant to know how precious all these lamasare. Geshe-la also really cares about the preser-vation of Tibetan culture and teachings.

Before, Geshe-la used to teach the monksand nuns philosophy on a regular basis,however, due to his busy schedule of overseastraveling he is no longer teaching philosophy.Also, Kopan has a few young geshes now, whohave come back to teach.

Currently, Geshe-la gives initiations to thenuns and monks, sometimes general teachings,and teaches at most of the Kopan courses forforeigners. Whenever there is a need, Geshe-lais happy to help either giving advice for theretreats and so forth.

There are many people who come to visithim and there are many emails requesting hisadvice or help; he is very happy to help.

At night, he comes to see the monksdebating. Once in a while, Lama Lhundrup andGeshe-la get to debate with each other andeverybody gets really excited. And sometimesGeshe-la debates with the other geshes orstudents. They all really enjoy the debates.

In the evening at 7:45 Geshe-la tries to listento the Tibetan news on Voice of America.y

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BEST OF MANDALA

As Petra McWilliams (known now as Ven.Tenzin Chogkyi) came out of her three-

year deity retreat, she was invited to talk aboutthe most important realization she had duringthat time. “There’s no way!” was her firstthought – so much had happened. Four and ahalf seconds later, she knew what she wantedto say:

For me, the most important aspect of thisretreat was really experiencing the difference

between understanding things intellectually,and even whole-heartedly believing that theywere true, and having a real heart-felt life-transforming realization. The lamas always saythat there’s a difference. I’d experienced somany lam-rim topics that for me were intellec-tual, or something I whole-heartedly believedin, but feeling them transform into realizationswas one of the most striking and significantaspects of my retreat. I want to talk about one

THE SECRET of Happiness

It is not often that someone with solid retreat experience is willingto openly share about their personal transformation. First published in

Mandala September-November 2003, this reflexive piece byVen. Tenzin Chogkyi (Petra McWilliams) gives a taste of just howlife-changing long retreat can be. Inspiring and encouraging,this piece can soothe even the most skeptic of minds.

Petra McWilliams (who has since ordained and is called Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi) after her three-year retreat.

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of them, because this one happened early on,and set the tone for a lot of the rest of mywork in retreat.

It happened on January 15, 2001, the firstyear in retreat, and the birthday of the greatbodhisattva Martin Luther King, Jr. As I wasdoing my prostrations – usually when I wokeup, around 3:30 or 4:00 A.M., I would do around of prostrations to the 35 confessionalbuddhas, and I found that a large number of myepiphanies happened then, face down on a coldfloor – I suddenly flashed on my mother, whohad passed away twenty years ago. I thoughtabout my selfishness and lack of kindness to her,especially as a rebellious teenager. In that mo-ment, I had an enormous realization of thedepth and extent of my self-cherishing. And on

top of that, I realized what the lamas havealways said, and I had heard over and overagain for years and thought I believed: that self-cherishing is the source of every moment ofsuffering that I’ve ever had in my entire life. Ithit me like a ton of bricks!

For the next three days I just sat on mycushion crying almost non-stop. I spontaneouslyreviewed my entire life, and saw that everymoment of suffering that I’d ever experienced,from amoment of slight irritation to the life-longdifficult relationship with my father, was createdby my self-cherishing; not to mention all thesuffering that I’d created and caused other people

to experience. And it was just relentless – mymind couldn’t stop going through this process.At one point I was desperately looking for someexception to the rule that self-cherishing hadcaused every moment of suffering. There wasn’tone exception! So I just cried and cried. It was sointense.

At that point I remembered one of myfavorite teachings, the Seven Point MindTraining by Geshe Chekawa; and the fivepowers [under “Teaching and practice to beapplied your whole life”] – especially thefourth power, “to rip something out by theheart.” In Liberation in the Palm of YourHand, Pabongka Rinpoche says on thatpoint, when self-cherishing raises its uglyhead, just bash it. I decided to take this

teaching as my heart advice, and to live mylife by it. I started applying it with fiercedetermination because I’d just seen thisrelationship between self-cherishing and myown and others’ suffering. And so everymorning even before I got out of bed, I’d say,“I’m going to do it! I’m not going to give it aninch. I’m just going to bash it whenever itraises its head.” I was relentless anddetermined.

And in doing this, I noticed anotherrelationship that the mind training texts alsomentioned – that self-cherishing and self-grasping are inextricably linked, even though

I realized what the lamas have always said, and I had heard over andover again for years and thought I believed: that self-cherishing is

the source of every moment of suffering that I’ve ever had in my entire life.It hit me like a ton of bricks!

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December 2009 MANDALA EZINE 21

they’re different. And I saw this too, that, as Iwas tearing out the heart of my self-cherishing.I was also going for the jugular of my self-grasping and my ego. It was an extremelyuncomfortable and edgy process of not lettingmy ego have any slack either.

I remember reading a transcript of ateaching by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche onemptiness. In the question and answer sessionat the end of the teaching, one of his studentsasked him why it’s so hard to see reality the wayit is. Rinpoche said, “I think largely becausewe’re afraid to see it.” And the student said,“Why are we so afraid?” And he said, “Becausewe want an umbilical cord attached to our egothrough which we can feed all the time.” And Isaw that even in total isolation, in a yurt in themiddle of nowhere, I was still thinking of allthese tricky, sneaky little ways to feed my ego.It’s incredible what you do to feed your ego.

As I relentlessly bashed both the self-cherishing, and the self-grasping, I noticed howmy ego felt stripped, and shredded, and howmuch my sense of identity was linked to thesetwo things. And as I was bashing them I felt likeI was ripping my identity to shreds. It led to an

incredibly uncomfortable experience of “ground-lessness,” as Pema Chödrön expresses it, wherethere was nothing to hang on to, becauseeverything I had been hanging on to, and calling“me,” just wasn’t allowed any breathing roomanymore.

The more I got used to it, the ground-lessness gave way to an incredible feeling ofspaciousness. Nothing to hold on to meantnothing to limit me, nothing to stop me. Thisled to some amazing meditative experiences inwhich I felt my ego, self-cherishing, and self-grasping strip away. In bodhichitta meditationsI would feel there was no “I” between me andthe other sentient beings – there was no little,isolated, tightly defined ego-grasping “me.”Those barriers had just come down. I wouldsend out light rays to benefit sentient beings,and it felt like there was no more “me,” just thishuge heart filling the universe. It was a feelingof poignant bitter-sweet rapture – an incredibleexperience of bliss that had a poignant edgebecause I felt the suffering. There was no “I”limiting me from the feeling that I really couldbenefit sentient beings. And I experienced aphysical sensation of limitless bliss.

And I realized once again that what the lamashave always said is so true – that to overcomeself-cherishing is the highest happiness; thatwhat we’ve been used to thinking sincebeginningless time – that looking out forourselves will give us happiness – is completely

wrong. It’s just the opposite. Only by over-coming self-cherishing completely can we havethe highest happiness. And [this happiness] wasjust a thousand-fold stronger than any feeling ofhappiness or bliss that I’d ever had in my life. Itjust went on, day after day after day. And the

The more I got used to it, the groundlessness gave way to anincredible feeling of spaciousness. Nothing to hold on to meant

nothing to limit me, nothing to stop me.

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only reason that this happiness was possible was because there wasno more “me” to get in the way. It didn’t have anything to do withme at all. And I saw how renunciation leads directly to bodhichitta– out of the ashes of this level of renunciation rises the phoenix ofbodhichitta.

I saw from my experience that to get to this point you need tobe willing to give up everything you’ve thought since beginninglesstime would give you happiness, comfort and security; you justneed to strip it all down and give it all up. And what you’re reallydoing is just releasing yourself from this prison that keeps youtrapped, trapped in this lie called “self-cherishing,” and that’s whatkeeps you trapped in samsara.

Because I’ve had a taste of this experience, I just keep trying;being willing to go to the edge – so that I can live there all thetime, that I can get to the point where bodhichitta is mypermanent address! And just having the taste of that experience,and knowing what real happiness is, and what the cause of thathappiness is, is by far the most significant experience of myretreat. And I will never give up until I get there.y

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FPMT’s Discovering Buddhism program is now ONLINE!Now you can watch the renowned Discovering Buddhism videos, listen to teachings and meditations, down-load readings, take quizzes, and discuss with your fellow students and teacher, ALL with the convenience of online access to the materials.

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Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition

During Ven. Robina Courtin’stime as editor of Mandala, thecenter directory was often accom-panied with a small cartoon.While some were serious, otherswere hilarious, like this comic byChris Riddell taken fromMandalaSeptember-October 1997.

BEST OF MANDALA

Page 23: Mandala eZine December 2009

F E A T U R E D M E D I AFEATURED AUDIO:“What is a Buddhist?”By Ven. Sarah ThresherExcerpted from the teaching given by Ven. Sarah Thresher at Tse ChenLing in California, USA. First recorded in October 14, 2005, thisprofound and sometimes hilarious teaching continues to be relevant fornew and seasoned practitioners alike. Ven. Sarah Thresher is a memberof the IMI (International Mahayana Institute), the community ofBuddhist monks and nuns of the FPMT. The lecture in its entirety iskindly offered free to the public by IMI.

MEDIA PAGE

FEATURED VIDEO:“The Analogy of the Movie”By Lama Zopa RinpocheExcerpted from a collectionof high-quality recordingsfrom the Light of the Pathretreat. September 13, 2009.

FEATURED PHOTO:“Lama Surveying the Construction ofKopan’s Gompa, 1972”Photo courtesy ofLama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

December 2009 MANDALA EZINE 23

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COMMUNITY FORUM

Mandala has had many “best of” moments

since its debut in 1987. Remembering these

excellent articles helps our past and current

staff REJOICE in the tremendous accom-

plishments of the magazine by bringing

FPMT news, teachings and inspiring topical

stories to students for over twenty years.Drawing by Emma Bramma-Smith

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR “BEST OF” MOMENTS? THE MOMENTS THATHELP YOU REJOICE IN YOUR LIFE’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS?Please send your responses to [email protected] will be printed in the March 2010 issue ofMandala eZine.

RESPONSE TO LAST ISSUE’S DISCUSSION TOPIC(How do you archive your own history and growth? What benefits do you experience from contem-plating your own spiritual evolution?)

ANSWERED BY Alison HarrIn my mind there is an archive of experiences that flow through my consciousness. It’s oftenwhen I’m rejoicing about what a blessing my life has become to me and how fortunate I am tobe alive that I actually look closely at my growth and see how far I’ve come. I remember howdifficult times were for me and how much I was truly suffering. A big part in measuring mygrowth is seeing how different people treat me as I progress.

One of the greatest benefits of my own growth is having the chance to help others in need.I write to about 15 inmates for Liberation Prison Project. Having the experience and skills tohelp these people when I can is unbelievable. I feel so lucky that I can give back. Only throughthe hardships I’ve endured would this be possible. Therefore I am grateful for every one ofthem! They’ve made me a better human being and made me who I am.

Where it is darkest, the stars shine brightest. With the right choices, a glowing light andwarmth eventually comes. This is how I know I’m on the path to freedom.y

D I S C U S S I O N T O P I C

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P H O T O B U L L E T I N B O A R D

Send us a photo of you or a group with an issue ofMandala and we’ll post it on

our bulletin board in the next eZine. This is an excellent opportunity for us to

visualize the amazing international community of teachers, students and friends

that make up the FPMT family.

To see more of the FPMT family reading theirMandalas, visit our Facebook page.

Send your photos to [email protected]

Ann Miles, Jefferson City, Missouri, USA Susan (Drolkar) and Spoggy the Dharmabird, Tasmania, Australia

Lachlan McLaughlin, Mornington, Victoria,Australia

David Lynch, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Page 26: Mandala eZine December 2009

Our practice of Buddhismdepends on you!

Sangha Jewel–A Community of Buddhist Monks and Nuns399 Webster Street San Francisco CA 94117 [email protected]

Support the Sangha Jewel at www.imisangha.org

We serve your practice of Buddhism!For over 30 years the monks and nuns of International Mahayana Institute have engaged in study, practice and service around the world, supporting your practice of Buddhism and laying the foundation for future generations of Buddhist practitioners like you.

If your life has been touched through the service and practice offered by our community, then we offer you the opportunity to support the teachings, the monasteries and the monastics.

Don't miss the Jan-March 2010 printissue of Mandala which focused entirely

on FPMT's Spiritual Director,Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

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