Sangha News October 2017
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Sangha News October 2017 come, Ani Legshe supported herself as a bookkeeper. The earlier chapters of Ani Legshe’s life read like a romantic novel. There were dozens of very eligible bachelors who courted Ani Legshe along with many proposals of marriage. While living in Hawaii, Ani Legshe dated President Barack Obama’s father. In India, Ani was Ani Tsultrim and Ani Legshe courted by an Indian maharaja, who bestowed upon her many precious SANGHA stones and jewelry. Also among Ani Legshe’s suitors was an undercover SPOTLIGHT: Ani Legshe CIA agent and a bank robber. and Ani Tsultrim Through it all, Ani Legshe learned to refuse these suitors and their by Gary Farrell proposals. There is something inherently In 1972, Ani Legshe went back to beautiful about our elders. Perhaps college at San Francisco State it’s their wisdom accrued from a University. It was there that Ani lifetime of spiritual practice and heard a lecture by Dr. Ajari, a adventure. Such is the case of two Vajrayana teacher from Russia, of our precious Anis here at Tashi whose teachings penetrated her Choling, Ani Legshe and Ani heart like a diamond arrow. Soon Tsultrim. Ani Legshe made her way into Dr. Ajari’s inner circle. Dr. Ajari founded Ani Legshe, the elder of the two, was a self-supporting community of born in Chicago in 1934. Her father students who were living in an old was from France and died from Victorian flat in the Fillmore area. tuberculosis when she was only 4 There she encountered a very years old. Ani Legshe, then named important friend with whom she Diane Everett, also contracted the continued her life-long spiritual disease, but survived. Her mother journey, even after Dr Ajari’s death in moved the family to California where 1993. Her name was Marilyn Ani graduated from a parochial high Costello, now known as Ani Tsultrim. school in Fresno. In the years to Ani Tsultrim was born in Salt Lake City, Utah during World War II when 1 Sangha News October 2017 her father was fighting overseas. Back in New York, Ani Tsultrim grew Her mother decided to move the discontented with the radical left family to Pasadena, California where movement when, at a meeting, a they were raised in a pacifist leader began advocating taking up Brethren Church community. Later arms against the government. Ani and family returned to their Despite Ani’s fearlessness, she had Scandinavian Lutheran roots, but a an aversion to violence, and big church scandal forced Ani to reconsider her spiritual path. Soon on her own, Ani Tsultrim moved to New York City where she supported herself as a cocktail waitress and go-go dancer. She spent a year in Spain teaching English. Due to her limited Spanish, she was not that good at it. Then she returned to New York City, moving into the East Village. Her spiritual roots were nurtured by the bohemian atmosphere of the village, encounters with the Buddhist author Alan Watts, and the emergence of the radical left. Ani Tsultrim joined an underground film-making group fighting for economic and racial justice and Dr. Ajari (on the right) with Lama Anagarika against the war in Vietnam. The Govinda group had close ties to the Black Panther movement and Students for felt too many of the leaders were Democratic Society (SDS). They egotistical male college drop-outs. began documenting the Revolution She left the group in 1969. An old as it unfolded. She was part of the friend encouraged her to return back radicals who occupied Columbia to San Francisco to meet a very University and was tear-gassed interesting spiritual teacher named while participating in the SDS Dr. Ajari. Dr. Ajari was descended protests at the 1968 Democratic from a long line of Mongolian and National Convention in Chicago. Siberian Vajrayana Buddhists. He had recently emigrated from Russia. Dr. Ajari also went to Japan where 2 Sangha News October 2017 he studied extensively with masters Amitabha Garden. Both Ani Legshe of the Ten Dai, Shingon, and and Ani Tsultrim had lost track of Shugendo traditions. He did a 3- Gyatrul Rinpoche, and were shocked year retreat in Japan with Shugendo to discover that he was teaching in masters. The fire ceremony was a the old Townsend Street center in central part of their practice, as was San Francisco just blocks away from mountain “yogic hiking.” them. They took refuge with Gyatrul Rinpoche and later began Tröma Now centered in San Francisco, Dr. Nagmo practice with Sangye Ajari forbade his students to smoke, Khandro. drink alcohol, or take drugs and encouraged them to become vegetarians. He taught “fire-walking” at which Ani Tsultrim and Ani Legshe were particularly adept. It was during this time in 1972 that Ani Legshe joined Dr. Ajari’s group and donned the robes and mountain-climbing garb that he had created. When Ani Legshe presented Dr. Ajari the precious jewels given to her by the maharaja many years earlier, Dr. Ajari drove the group to a cliff above the ocean and threw the jewels into the Pacific as an offering to the nagas. Dr. Ajari and his community developed a business of manufacturing and selling futons and Japanese bedding. Using its profits, Dr. Ajari supported the efforts of a In 2010, both women flew to number of Tibetan lamas who first Namdroling Monastery in India arrived in the Bay Area in the mid where they were ordained. Shortly 1970s. He became a pivotal support thereafter, they moved to Hornbrook, system for Gyatrul Rinpoche and California to be close to their beloved Sangye Khandro who were centered teachers. in Oakland at that time. In the past few years, Ani Legshe Dr. Ajari died in 1993. His remains has developed Alzheimer’s and Ani are in a stupa at Tashi Choling’s 3 Sangha News October 2017 Tsultrim has taken on the responsibility of being her caregiver. As Ani Legshe’s memory fades, we trust that her beautiful light and story will be an inspiration to many. We are thankful that she continues to have such a caring and devoted friend in Ani Tsultrim. Christy Sloan is now Ani Dolma We Have a New Nun! On August 7, Christy Sloan was ordained as a novice nun at the Palyul Retreat Center in upstate New York. POSTSCRIPT about helping Her ordination name is Thubten On August 28th, Gyatrul Rinpoche Chonid Dolma and she will go by Ani sent a letter via email asking that the Dolma. “I had a very gradual sangha help Ani Tsultrim and Ani awareness of wanting to be Legshe with shopping, cleaning, ordained,” she said. “Four years ago visiting, and recycling. Financial I took lay ordination and started donations are also needed. The thinking about becoming a novice following link to a Caring Bridge site nun. I talked with Ani Yeshe about it provides a calendar and describes as we drive back and forth to pujas more about what’s needed. together. I am very happy to be https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ani ordained. I have a feeling as if I have legshe always been ordained,” she said. People can also be in touch with Ani As we welcome Ani Dolma into her Tsultrim directly with questions and new role in the sangha, let’s take to coordinate shopping, cleaning, time to congratulate her for joining visiting, etc., by phone at our growing tribe of Anis. (530) 261-1156 or email at [email protected]. 4 Sangha News October 2017 contemporary methods to disseminate Buddhist culture. His Chinese/Tibetan publications include: Buddhism: Superstition or Wisdom?, The Heart Sutra and Quantum Physics, and The Secret Code for Unlocking Tibetan Buddhism. How does such an accomplished master find time in his busy schedule Khenchen Tsultrim Lodro to come to Ashland and Tashi Choling? It was during Sangye Rinpoche’s Teachings on Khandro and Lama Chonam’s 2015 Reincarnation trip to Tibet and China that the initial connection took place at Larung Gar. Khenchen Tsultrim Lodro said he by Gary Farrell would go to the place that Khenpo Jigme Phunstok went. The idea was Two hundred and fifty people packed supported by Venerable Gyatrul the Ashland Springs Hotel Rinpoche, spiritual director of Tashi Conference room August 6-7 to hear Choling. Thus, the stage was set for one of the most important Buddhist this extraordinary event. teachers of our time. Khenchen Tsultrim Lodro Rinpoche, who has The topic of Khenchen’s teaching overseen monastic education at was reincarnation. Throughout the Larung Gar, Tibet’s largest teaching, Khenchen wove strands monastery, for more than twenty from the Tibetan Book of the Dead years, producing successive and bardo teachings, along with generations of accomplished recent scientific research conducted students. into past-life memory and reincarnation. The result was a Khenchen has traveled extensively tapestry of beauty, revealing in within China and Tibet to teach exquisite detail the dying and death dharma, advocate protection of all process along with rebirth. living beings, and promote Concluding his Ashland teachings, environmental awareness and Khenchen stated that we all have education. Additionally, he has worries and a good 70% are useless committed himself to a deep worries about things that never understanding of Western science happen. Death, however, is a useful and philosophy, utilizing worry and knowledge of death is of 5 Sangha News October 2017 vital importance. What ceases to how to maintain them. Many new exist are superficial things, but our students took vows for the very first fundamental essence continues. time, and older students were able to Thus, we should make time to renew their vows.