SNOW LION NEWSLETTER & CATALOG H Oz
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BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID ITHACA, NY 14851 Permit No. 746 Deliver to current resident SNOW LION NEWSLETTER & CATALOG H oZ SNOW LION PUBLICATIONS PO BOX 6483, ITHACA, NY 14851, (607)-273-8506 VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1 SAKYA JETSUNMA CHIME LUDING by Katherine Pfaff She is known by many names: "old enough to scare crows away" Mrs. Luding, Lama Chime, Jet- at the age of seven. sun Kushok, Chime Osel Rikdzin When she was ten years old, she Bhutri Thrinley Wangmo, Sakya made her first retreat. She medi- Jetsunma, Chime Luding, or just tated on the form of Vajrapani plain Chime-La. She is often men- known as Bhutadamara, and in tioned in conjunction with her fa- one month completed one million mily: the sister of His Holiness recitations of the short mantra, Sakya Trizin, the sister-in-law of HUM VAJRA PHAT, and one His Eminence Luding Khen Rin- hundred thousand recitations of poche, or the mother of Luding the long mantra. Shabdrung Rinpoche. On other In her eleventh year, her father, occasions she is invoked as one of Kunga Rinchen, sent her on her the few known high lamas and first teaching assignment. She lineage holders who are also wom- spent the fourth through tenth en. She is known as one of the Tibetan months among the three women in the history of nomads on the northern plains of Sakya to have transmitted the Lam Tibet, giving transmissions and Dre teachings. She is spoken of as teachings on Phowa, or transfer- an emanation of Vajrayogini, the ence of consciousness, as well as enlightened energy of liberation. conducting torma offerings, per- But to those who know her well, forming lhasang, or incense offer- she is the earth itself, stable, un- ings, and giving other teachings shakable, free from the eight and empowerments. wordly dharmas, and a pure exam- This was 1951, and it was here ple of the fruition of practice un- that she made one of the first of der difficult circumstances. her well-known mos, or divina- In 1938, the year of the earth tions. There was a large monastery Tiger, this Sakya Jetsunma was in the area where she was giving born as the first child of her par- the teachings, and this was the ents. Three other children were time of political troubles sur- born after her, but only she and rounding the Racking regent. The the youngest, who became the abbot of the local monastery, Sakya Trizin, survived to adult- Kardor Rinpoche, had sided with hood. They shared the same the Radring regent and for this he teachers, took the same teachings, had been imprisoned by the Tibe- and made the same retreats. They tan government. An earnest and also shared the loss of their si- worried delegation from this blings, parents and homeland and monastery requested an audience were very close. They were raised with the young Sakya Jetsunma and asked her to do a mo to deter- Photo: C. Landry Jetstin Kushok by Trinley Zangmo, their mother's sister, a remarkable woman who mine when their abbot would be oversaw their education, who su- released from prison. She made a pervised the running of the town divination with dice and recom- MAITREYA of Sakya, and who only slept from mended that the members of the the hours of nine to eleven in ord- monastery perform the four man- sions". H.E. Tai Situ Rinpoche— er to practice through the night in dala puja of Green Tara, and re- INSTITUTE eminent scholar, artist, Buddhist TEACHINGS her meditation box. cite the Twenty-One Praises to philosopher and lecturer—is the Jetsun Kushok shares this tra- Tara one hundred thousand times. In 1952, during a visit to Lhasa inspiration behind and founder of dition of juggling practice with Maitreya Institute is a program when the Dalai Lama recognized without boundaries: an intensive Maitreya Institute. He has BY householder duties. She is the described it as a "bridge between mother of five, although her only and confirmed her brother as the exploration of mind and body Sakya Trizin, a group of monks re- through multi-disciplinary work- culture, religion, education and daughter died in infancy. She has quested an audience with her. many different ways of life." Rin- a full-time job as a weaver for a shops, lectures, performances and THRANGU They thanked her sincerely and poche believes such "bridges" are high fashion designer, Zonda Nel- forums. Benefiting the self and profusely, and when she inquired others is both the process and goal essential because "having liberat- lis; she does part-time work clean- ed the distances and the ing houses; and she runs dharma the reason for this thanks, having of Maitreya Institute. The Insti- RINPOCHE forgotten about the incident and tute's programs are designed to boundaries—the mountains, center activities and sees students the mo, they told her that they had challenge us all to entertain fresh rivers, oceans, and space—and in the remaining waking hours. followed her instructions, and that ways of perceiving health and come to a point where everything Like her aunt, she practices is exposed to everything, the only The Ven. Thrangu Rinpoche through the dark hours of the their abbot had been released the healing, psychology, economics, day after they had completed the way to preserve good will is to ap- will be giving teachings in the US, night, often not sleeping at all. She philosophy, geomancy and the one hundred thousandth recitation arts. By presenting teachers who preciate similarities and find ways Canada and Europe between April has said that she is rarely tired, to understand and work with the and August of 1988. Thrangu and has never been bored or of the Twenty-One Praises. are on the frontier of their respec- Her younger brother had died differences." Rinpoche is the abbot of H.H. lonely. tive fields, we can hope to provide when he was four years old. Her The word "maitri" itself means Karmapa's monastery in Rumteck Jetsun Kushok-La was born into an opportunity for expanded self- mother died in 1948 when Jetsun "loving-kindness", the qualities and of Gampo Abbey in Canada. the Drolma Podrang, or Tara discovery and for the awakening of was nine and His Holiness two. benefiting self and others. This is In the US contact Dr. Clark Palace of the Sakya Khon family. creativity in our heart and mind. Their younger sister died in 1951 Maitreya Institute was estab- the active principle of Maitreya In- Johnson, 1390 Kalmia Avenue, She began her dharma studies at stitute, which is community- Boulder, CO 80302, 3034496608. the age of five, and His Holiness at age eight and their father died lished first in Hawaii, then in San less than a month later, during an Francisco, and most recently in oriented, non-profit and non- In the UK contact Miss Cornelia Sakya Trizin was born when she epidemic in Sakya. This meant France. 1987 marks the third year denominational . Contact: 3315 Hwang, Thrangu House, 76 was six years old. According to the Sacramento Street, #622 San Fran- Bullingdon Road, Oxford, UK, tradition of her family, she took of Maitreya Institute's "Frontiers Continued on page 2 of the Mind: Human Dimen- cisco, CA 94118 415-392-4080. (0865) 241-555. novice ordination when she was SNOW LION SPRING 88 NEWSLETTER AND CATALOG NEWS & PROFILES Continued from page I SAKYA JETSUNMA CHIME LUDING that the teaching that would nor- dala or the Virupa transmission of bling to himself as though he were Contributions can be sent to: This retreat is open to all interest- mally be conferred by their father Hevajra. Jetsun Kushok bestowed reciting texts. When he was three Padma Amrita Vajrayogini Fund, ed in experiencing the monastic would have to be offered by the short version of the Lamdre by or four, he showed real interest in c/o Katherine Pfaff, 1433 W lifestyle. another guru. Their aunt took Ngawang Chodrak, as well as the becoming a monk and took delight Main, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. Along with the group practice, them to Ngor, where they received lung for all the various practices in being around ordained people. Jetsun Kushok will be giving the Abbey has 4 private retreat the Lamdre from the<great Kang- and ceremonies connected with When there were religious ceremo- teachings at Thubten Dhondrup cabins which are available for soli- sar abbot, Ngawang Lodro Shen- the Sakya lineage. The whole nies he would far prefer attending Ling, the Los Angeles Sakya tary practice. The cost for non- pen Nyingpo, Dampa Rinpoche. teaching lasted around three them than playing with other chil- Center, April 15-17. For further ordained sangha is $20 a day. The In 1952, Following the Dalai months. dren. This was the child that be- information, contact Lama Lob- food is primarily vegetarian and no Lama's recognition of her brother Thus she became the third came the Luding Shabdrung. sang Drakpa, 938 S. Perendo, Los solid food is taken after the noon as the Sakya Trizin, their original woman in Sakya history to have Leaving the four-year-old Shab- Angeles, CA 90006 (213)388-5992. meal. plans to take teaching from the transmitted the Lamdre, and in drung Rinpoche behind in the Ven. Thrangu Rinpoche will be great Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi 1956 when she and His Holiness care of his uncles, Jetsun Kushok at the Abbey in the Spring of 1988 Lodro in Kham had to be altered went to Lhasa to receive the went with her husband and three and after that will continue to visit, since His Holiness could not ven- middle-length teaching on the young sons to Canada and settled GAMPO to send other teaching lamas and ture too far away from Sakya and Lam Rim from the Dalai Lama, on a farm as labourers in Taber, to provide ongoing guidance for his duties.