PO Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851 607-273-8519 WINTER 1999 NEWSLETTER & CATALOG SUPPLEMENT REVEALING THE MEDICINE BUDDHA'S ART H.H. Dalai Lama Opens Groundbreaking Tibetan Medical Conference SETTLING INTO AMERICA by Victoria Huckenpaliler as Harvard Medical School, and Yale cause such a conference had already Interviews with the Four The First International Conference and Oxford Universities, exchanged been held in Tibet in the eighth cen- on Tibetan Medicine, held in the views with Tibetan doctors, including tury, and had included participants Tibetan Employees at Snow Lion nation's capital from 7-9 November the Dalai Lama's past and present from China, Mongolia, Iran and and inaugurated by H.H. the Dalai personal physicians, Dr. Yeshe Greece! Following his statement, Dr. by Julie Totlen main office with huge, silly grins on Lama, brought together notable phy- Donden and Dr. Tenzin Choedrak, in Wayne Jonas, Director of the Office Palden carefully wraps a pair of their faces, probably the result of sicians, scholars, and translators an atmosphere of mutual courtesy of Alternative Medicine at the Na- eternal knot earrings. Gently folding D.D.'s latest wisecrack. As they return from twenty-two nations seeking an and deference. tional Institute of Health, set the tone the plastic cushioning, he glances up to work and begin to regain their integrative approach to healing. The His Holiness opened the plenary by advocating greater receptivity in at a picture of the Dalai Lama at- calm, Kunga gently begins singing Western physicians, whose impec- session by gently reminding partici- the West to indigenous medicines, re- tached to the wall directly in front of an old Tibetan folk tune. The others cable medical credentials had been pants that the event was not, as it had sulting in improved communication his work space. He finishes wrapping join in, one by one, perhaps uncon- earned at such eminent institutions been billed, the first of its type, be- between patients and physicians. Cur- the earrings and slips them into what sciously, and Karma, at his desk a few rently, though forty percent of Ameri- might be called a masterfully packed feet away, starts humming as well. He cans use alternative therapies, only shipment. has just finished unloading a new ar- twenty to thirty percent of this group Over in the warehouse across the rival of offering scarves and now lifts informs their family doctors, intuit- hall, D.D. and Kunga are laughing the last from the box, pausing for a ing that the use of complementary wildly. A moment later they enter the moment to admire its silken beauty. o practices would be looked at These four guys—Dhondup Dorjee IS askance. To counter this problem, Dr. Zurkhang, Palden Choedak Oshoe, o CO Above photo: Front row (I. to r.) p o Jonas advocated that the Western Karma Dorjee, and Kunga Nyima— Karma Dorjee-Procurement Agent; are the ones who make sure that you medical profession dispense with its Dhondup Zurkhang-Manager of K So illusion of knowledge and consider Shipping and Warehouse Operations. receive your stuff from Snow Lion. All oo alternative systems through a dia- Back row (I. to r.) Kunga Nyima- four of these Tibetans are hard-work- JO fp logue of trust and goodwill. Order Fulfillment; Palden Choedak ing, dedicated people. Each of them oa. Dr. Herbert Benson, trained as a has had some fascinating experiences 3 Oshoe-Product Designer, Illustrator (Continued on page 16) and Order Fulfillment. [Continued on page 5) WINDHORSE [Excerpts from an article about the when people pointed at something "There were tons and tons of movie by David Maurer, published in behind us and started yelling, 'Oh my things that happened during the The Daily Progress of Charlottesville, god, oh my god, look at that!'" project that we laugh about, cry 4? }£i VA] What they saw was a spiraling vor- about, can't believe and still shake Film maker Paul Wagner knows all tex of wind seize the scraps of col- our heads at. It was an incredible too well, when it comes to making ored paper and funnel them up into adventure." independent movies, a little celestial the sky, creating a swirling kaleido- Windhorse opened its national intervention can go a long way. scope effect. As their name implies, theatrical run in Charlottesville on The Oscar-winning director's most the windhorses were riding the air November 6. recent film, Windhorse, required both currents up toward the heavens. Windhorse tells the story.of three luck and answered prayers. Fortu- "The camera was still rolling, so young Tibetans who have to struggle nately, providence seemed to take a we just swung it around and every- with personal and political problems special interest in the making of the body jumped out of the way," said that result from the communist take- dramatic film that tells the story of Wagner, who directed and produced over. three young Tibetan living under the the film. "The cameraman improvised In order to capture the true emo- Chinese communist regime in con- beautifully and slowly tilted down tions and color of the country, much T3 M temporary Tibet. until he came to rest framing a Hima- of the film was shot clandestinely on JO in g "We were filming close-ups of two layan peak. location in Tibet and Nepal. Ever- '"O T) C of the main characters in the film "That final shot of all the wind- vigilant Chinese communist secret P> O W fc3 ^ JO throwing windhorses into the air," horses against the blue sky begins police made this a risky endeavor. ° ^ > Wagner said. "Windhorses are little and ends the film. I can't tell you how "From the very beginning, we CO pieces of paper with prayers written many times I got tears in my eyes talked about taking a camera into on them that Tibetan people throw into during the editing process when I Tibet. Luckily, the technological cut- the wind as offerings to their gods. would see that scene and remember ting edge was just at the right place, "We were just finishing that shot that moment. (Continued on page 9) FOUNDATIONS OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM The Gem Ornament of Manifold Oral Instructions Mahamudra lightly; we must not ig- that mind exists is to fall into one er- nore any of these three aspects of the ror; to deny the existence of anything FOUNDATIONS OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM Mahamudra approach. at all is to fall into another error. This Foundation Mahamudra implies a gave rise to the concept of what is Table of Contents deep appreciation and understanding called the Middle Way or Madhyanika. Editor's Preface ix of the nature of mind. When we say Finding a balance between these two Acknowledgements that this is the correct view, we do beliefs, where there is simultaneous xi not use that phrase in a casual sense. truth to both, is the correct view, ac- Foreword xiii Very often, we say, "Well, in my view, cording to the Buddha's description I. The Three Yanas 1 such and such is the case," but this of the nature of mind. II. Ordinary Preliminary Practices 21 does not necessarily mean that we When we hear a guru make the III. Ngondro: Refuge and Prostrations 39 have understood it at all. We may say, statement, "Mind does not exist; mind IV. Ngondro: Dorje Sempa Meditation 49 "I believe in previous existences," or, does not not exist; but it is at the same V. Ngondro: Mandala Practice 57 by His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche "I don't believe in future existences," time existent and nonexistent, and VI. Ngondro: Guru Yoga Practice and Guru-Disciple 205 pp., ISBN 1-55939-117-0 but very often our talk is not based this is the middle view," we may say, Relationship 67 #FOTIBU $16.95 on experience and appreciation, but "Fine, I can accept that," but that is VII. Lay Vows 85 merely on an idea to which we give not enough. It is an idea that may ap- VIII. The Bodhisattva Vow 101 Foundations of Tibetan Bud- lip service. What is meant in founda- peal to us, a concept with which we LX. Vairayana Commitment and the Fourteen Root Downfalls 113 dhism contains the fundamental tion Mahamudra is a thorough appre- are comfortable, but that kind of un- X. Shamatha: Object Meditation 129 practices of Tibetan Buddhism. After ciation of the nature of mind itself, derstanding lacks any real spirit or XI. Shamatha: Objectless Meditation 147 an explanation of the major paths that the mind with which we are working, depth. It is like a patch you put on Buddhists follow, Kalu Rinpoche de- and the mind which we are attempt- your clothes to hide a hole. One day XII. Four Causes of Rebirth in Dewachen 161 tails the correct manner in which to ing to discover. the patch will fall off. Intellectual XIII. Mahamudra 169 practice the taking of refuge, prostra- To get a deeper understanding of knowledge is rather patchy in that XIV. Concluding Remarks 179 tions, Dorje Sempa purification medi- the nature of mind itself, we can quote way. It will suffice for the present but Glossary 197 tation, mandala practice, guru yoga the authority of enlightened masters it is not ultimately beneficial. This is Bibliography 203 and the guru-disciple relationship. of the lineage as a guide. The third not to say that intellectual knowledge Dedication 204 Then he discusses the vows of the lay Karma, Rangjung Dorje (Rang.byung. is unimportant. It is crucial because person, the bodhisattva and the Rdo.rje), wrote a prayer of aspiration it is that which gives us the ability to tantric practitioner.