Rangjung Yeshe Institute NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2016 Reflections Connections Context A Sanctuary for Teaching and Realization By Erik Pema Kunsang In this life, I have seen a lot of shrine halls, the Buddha’s teachings and to understand including the ancient Tibetan temples of their depth. In our time, the importance Jokhang, Samye, and Tramdruk, amazing of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling equals those places that are part of our priceless world legendary temples by giving all of us the heritage. With their wonderful statues and opportunity to receive and practice the architecture, they inspire us to connect with Buddha’s teachings. Continued on page 2... In This Issue: With Aspiring Translators In Mind: 10-11 The Dharmachakra Translation Reflections Connections Context 1-5 Committee Practicing Generosity on #GivingTuesday 6 Do You Want To Translate Written Texts? 12 Reconstructing Ka-Nying Shedrub 7 Mingling Study and Practice 13 Ling Monastery --The Ngakso Drubchen Convocation 2015 8 Resounding for the Benefit of All 14 RYI is Turning Twenty! 9 Gomde Update 15 Save The Date - Symposium 2017 9 Did You Know? 16 1 Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche personally super- as well as the mandala of the Lion of Speech, monastery, we arranged to meet the next Whenever I remember these things I think: vised the building of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling which is so auspicious for learning and for morning in front of the temple hall. I bicycled how easily I might just have cycled back to and all its artwork. Besides being a meditation teaching others. back to town, happy and excited to know that my guesthouse, never to return. Petty blind master of the highest caliber, he was also I had good reason to come back the next day. choices and merciless coincidence typically a fine calligrapher and excellent sculptor. The Ka-Nying shrine hall has been blessed decide the way things turn out. And at the On one occasion in 1975, I watched him by nearly all the greatest masters of our The morning came and another day of deep same time, I feel so terribly lucky that I was make a statue of the goddess Tseringma, time. Here I witnessed them give Dzogchen blue October skies began. I bicycled back to able to find my way. There is shock and riding a snow lion. This masterpiece, simply transmission and profound advice on spiritual Boudhanath and found my way to Ka-Nying exuberance, fear and joy–all in the same outstanding, is kept in a small annex-chapel practice. Thousands of meditators took the Shedrub Ling. The man from yesterday was moment. I’m not a saved soul, but I feel that I at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling. He built the figure bodhisattva vow and participated in the not there when I came, nor did he show up know what it means to be one… Perhaps you up from nothing, adding a bit of clay here and yearly grand assembly practices. In 1980, the while I waited. It was getting time for the know what I mean. there, as if he saw the goddess before him monastery hosted the first autumn seminar of lama’s teaching so I decided to just follow the in person, only needing to copy her. It was Rangjung Yeshe Institute. Since then, people others and climb the stairs. In his audience In any case, each of us has a story of this almost miraculous to see his hands conjure from all countries have gathered around room above the temple hall, Chökyi Nyima sort, and there are so many of us. So many this beautiful figure out of thin air. Every Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche was teaching the Jewel Ornament different lives, and yet we all found our way time I think of Tseringma, I remember his Rinpoche to gain a deeper understanding of of Liberation. I signed up for the seminar, to Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling. And so we keep gracefulness and gentle attention to detail. their lives and the nature of mind. and although I never asked that question finding that which one otherwise hardly to Rinpoche, a few days later I took refuge dares dream. Our monastery is a fountain of Years later, the yogi and expert painter For over forty years, my life has been closely connected to Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling. It is in the Three Jewels. I never saw the young goodness and fortune, and don’t they say the Gyangtse Lhadri was called upon to paint American man again.. But I often think of him– only way to keep good fortune is by sharing it? original frescoes on the walls in the main the residence of my true dharma family, my home and the place where I was given the the friendly, blond man who spoke Tibetan in So I tell myself: let’s build back even better. In hall. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche decided the that little bookshop on the Boudha Road, at body, speech, and mind. layout, making sure that all the buddhas and fortune to translate for thousands of people. Every atom in the temple hall is saturated with sunset on that day in October in 1988. What if deities of the most important practices were I had never met him? I feel like I owe him my included. I especially love the paintings of the the blessings of our lineage masters. A true sanctuary for teaching and realization, it has life. At times I even catch myself wondering twelve Dzogchen buddhas with their unusual whether he was human after all. retinues seated in rainbow clouds, and the inspired people to take the path to liberation depiction of the buddhafield Chokgyur Lingpa and enlightenment. I pray that this activity will spontaneously manifested after his passing, continue for thousands of years. Reflections Connections Context Reflections Connections Context Reflections by Khenpo Gyaltsen Reflections by Dr. Thomas Doctor When I came from my village to Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling, I was nine years old. I In October 1988, I came to Kathmandu for the Boudha Road, I decided to make a last stop remember a little bit about the journey to first time--basically to renew my Indian visa so at a bookshop that dealt in Tibetan Dharma Kathmandu; it was very, very difficult! In some that I could continue my Sanskrit and Vedanta books and also carried a couple of titles in places, you could not even walk, you would studies in India. While in Kathmandu, I English. Inside the little shop, I heard a young have to crawl along slowly and carefully and thought I should try to find out what Buddhists American man about my own age having there were no bridges across the rivers, only had to say about Vedanta, since by then I had a simple conversation in Tibetan with the two sticks to walk across! Most of the time heard a fair amount of criticism the other way. woman at the counter. “He might know,” I while we traveled, my father carried me on his So from my hotel off Durbar Square I bicycled thought, and so I asked him if he knew what, back to keep me safe from danger. out to Boudhanath, and during my visit to the if anything, might distinguish the approaches When we reached the lower hills, I remember great stupa, I asked my philosophy questions of Nāgārjuna and Śaṅkarācārya. “I have no I saw a car for the first time and I was really to everyone whom I thought looked potentially idea,” answered the young man, “But why scared of it. When we arrived at Ka-Nying knowledgeable and somewhat approachable don’t you come with me tomorrow. There is a Shedrub Ling, I became a monk; Chökyi in English. But nobody seemed to know what I monastery nearby where the abbot is teaching Nyima Rinpoche did the hair-cutting ceremony was talking about. a seminar on Buddhism. I go there every day. for me and my brother. At that time, there were A Young Khenpo Gyaltsen Why don’t you come along and ask the lama? six young boys from our village in Nubri. Now, The day went on and the sun began to sink; He will know.” “Excellent!” I thought, and after only me and my older brother are left. it was time to head back to Kathmandu. On the man had explained me how to get to the 2 3 statues, but my eyes have been spoiled by these statues at our gompa! I really feel there is something different and special about them. This must be since they were made by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and blessed by so many Nyingma, Sakya, and Kagyu lamas. I feel very sad now that the lhakhang is damaged. In the moment when the earthquake Ordained Sangha Group Photo, April 2015 International and Local Sangha, November 2014 came, my fear came up- Khenpo Gyaltsen teaching at RYI, 2015 -I never even remembered to go out of my room! I just held my altar and all of my At the time I first arrived, the lhakhang and books were falling on my head. My friends Reflections Connections Context the gompa looked the same as they do now, said later, “You are so stupid! Why didn’t Reflections by Heidi Koppl but there were no paintings on the walls. The you come outside?” It wasn’t until I heard painting and gold were added much later. One them calling me from downstairs that I Dear friends, this earthquake has, I’m sure, and Dharmachakra have offered us priceless very famous painter, a student of Dudjom remembered, and that’s when I went out of made us all reflect on the amazing kindness Dharma treasures in the English language.