Looks Like Me – Ngadrama

Below was posted by Erik Pema Kunsang in the yahoo forum called “Tibetan Buddhist Group” near the time of publication of this amazing book, worth a read and many rereads: “Blazing Splendor”.

Quotes about termas and the Likeness Statue
Date: Thu Aug 4, 2005
By Yahoo ID: epk10008

“Termas are like crops that ripen in the autumn. Every year, there’s a new crop, and each season it is freshly harvested and enjoyed, since that is the crop for use at that time. Terma teachings were concealed to be revealed at particular periods later in history, and they appear in forms most appropriate to the particular time periods in which they are revealed.”
— Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro

about the picture you have of Padmasambhava, Tulku Urgyen says:

“As a newborn infant, I became severely ill with some unknown disease, and was at the brink of death. My parents took me to Samye monastery nearby. At the Castle of Samye was one of five sacred statues of Padmasambhava, which he had said looked exactly like him. (This ngadrama, or likeness, was a very small statue known as Guru Tsokye Dorje revealed by Nyang-Ral Nyima Özer as a terma treasure.) The statue was placed inside a vase from which people could receive water as a blessing. By then I had actually stopped breathing, so there was little my parents could do but place me in front of the statue and pray to the Lotus-Born. My parents prayed that their newborn baby would not die — and later they said that it was because of Padmasambhava’s blessings that I didn’t. As they prayed, I opened my eyes for the first time and started breathing again. After that, they brought me along to all the other pilgrimage places around Samye. Of course, I don’t remember any of this, but my father told me the whole story.”

Quotes from Blazing Splendor, the memoirs of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
Foreword by Sogyal Rinpoche

Just published last Friday.

Here are the links:

Blazing Splendor, the blog: http://blazing-splendor.blogspot.com

Blazing Splendor, the book on amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Blazing-Splendor-Memoirs-Urgyen-Rinpoche/dp/9627341568

Even more Losar pictures

When you stand up and take picture on “spur-of-the-moment” you don’t quite always know who will be there or if it will be clear. From left to right: Ngakma Irene, Khenpo Tenzin Norgey, Dorje Lopon Lama Sonam Wangchuk, Venerable Gonpo Tashi.

More Losar pictures

Here i was able to almost achieve goal of disappearing, in a blury kind of way hehe

Some of Losar katas in a pile

Some of morning pile of katas offered to image of Kyabje Renor Rinpoche

On “Last Words” of Terdak Lingpa – mindrolling.org

Following story can be read on mindrolling.org

Ancestry and Birth:
“Rigzin Terdag Lingpa was the speech emanation of the great translator Vairocana. At the request of the dakinis, the body of his pristine cognition assumed the form of Heruka and Terdag Lingpa, accompanied by rainbows and various wondrous omens, was born on Monday, March 26, 1646 (tenth day, second month, fire dog year).”

Parinirvana:
“On the morning of March 17, 1714 (the second day of the second lunar month), Chögyal Terdag Lingpa said, “I must take seven steps toward the East”. He then rose and after walking seven steps, sat down cross-legged and, as his Last Testament [’da ka’i zhal chams], said:

“Appearances, sounds and awareness are deities, mantras and the sphere of dharmakaya,
Spreading forth infinitely as display of kayas and primordial wisdom.
Within the practice of great, profound and secret yoga,
May these be indivisible and of one taste within the innermost essence of mind.”

He then said, “Now the dakinis have arrived to usher me on” and raised his hands in the gesture of playing the damaru and bell and with a contemplative gaze, sitting in meditation posture, passed into Parinirvana amidst many wondrous omens.”

On “Last Words” of Terdak Lingpa – Blazing Splendor

http://blazing-splendor.blogspot.com

-Very good blog, where one can read about news of discovery of incarnation of Tulku Urgyen.

Following is an excerpt from: Blazing Splendor: The Memoirs of the Dzogchen Yogi Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
As told to Erik Pema Kunsang and Marcia Binder Schmit, Rangjung Yeshe Publications 2005. Quoted without permission from the publisher.

Page 48-49:

Khyentse was a great siddha, incredibly realized. Yet probably because he held the position of “king of Dharma,” ruling over a vast domain of spiritual activity, he did not manifest a rainbow body upon his departure. [see note at the bottom]
Instead, here is how he passed away.
All his life, Old Kheyntse never sat idle; at the very least he would usualy have a rosary in his left hand, chanting various mantras. One day, he told his servant, “One’s final words should be like those of Terdak Lingpa, the great master of Mindrolling.”
“And what are they?” his attendant asked.

Sights, sounds, knowing–deva, mantra, dharmakaya–
Play of kayas, wisdoms, boundlessly they merge.
In this deep and secret practice of great yoga,
Be they of one taste, nondual sphere of mind!

While chanting the last line, Old Kheyntse rolled up his rosary, put it in its proper place, straightened his back and stopped breathing.”

From the Glossary, page 408-409:
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-92)–the first Khyentse; great master of the 19th century. He was the last of the Five Great Tertons and was regarded as the combined reincarnation of Vimalamitra and King Trisong Deutsen. he became the master and teacher of all the Buddhist schools of Tibet and founder of Rimey movement. There are ten volumes of his works in addition to his termas. Jamyang means ‘Manjushri, gentle melodiousness,’ Khyentse Wangpo means ‘Lord of loving wisdom.’ In this book he is referred as Old Khyentse or simply Khyentse.

Note[52] from Erik Pema Kunsang:
An extraordinary level of realization may result in the practitioner dissolving his or her body into rainbow light and departing from human realm in this form. This is not always possible for a master with many disciples.,

On “Last Words” of Terdak Lingpa

One day John Ward, one of senior American disciples of Penor Rinoche in NYC pointed out to me that in our prayer books exist two varying translations of Chögyal Terdag Lingpa (1646 – 1714) famous “Last Words” also known as “Prayer to Three Vajra States”. So I asked around and looked up some available resources, here is what I seen so far. The two translations:

One commonly seen:

Deity, mantra and Drarmakaya are the nature of appearance, sound and awareness,
The pervasive kaya and wisdom display of the Buddhas.
May practitioners of the profound and secret Great Perfection,
Remain inseparable from the innermost, one-state awareness of wisdom mind.

And again:

May appearance, sound and awareness in the state of deity, mantra and Dharmakaya
Merge boundlessly as the display of kayas and wisdoms,
In the profound and secret practice of Great Yoga,
And may they be of one taste, indivisible with the essence of wisdom mind.

A quote and small talk about: “Counsels from My Heart” by Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche

”   It is thanks to the blessings of the Lama that realization will dawn. Therefore pray to him, mingling your mind with his. If you do, there will come a moment when you will see that what is called the Buddha is not different from your own awareness, and that there is nothing to subdue or master other then your own thoughts. The sign that your meditation has hit the mark is that your devotion to the Lama will deepen and your compassion for beings will gain in strength. You will be your own witness and you will gain great confidence in the practice.
If you gain control over your mind, then even if you are at the point of death, you will understand that it is only because of a particular thought that there is an impression of dying-but that the nature of the mind is utterly beyond both birth and death. It would be excellent if you could gain this confidence.
So keep this little, essential, instruction in your hearts. This conviction and confidence is what we call Dharma-the inner qualities that you gain. If you vacillate and think of Dharma as something extraneous to you, thought up by somebody else, you will not benefit from it. Instead, do yourself a favor and get out of samsara! Be convinced that your mind must separate from samsara, with its karma and defilements, If you do, everything will be fine. Please practice. Pray constantly that you will have no obstacles on your path and that you might be able to capture, in this very life, the primordial citadel. And I will add my prayers to yours.”

Above quotation is from: Counsels from My Heart by Dudjom Rinpoche, translated by Padmakara Translation Group 2001, published by Shambhala 2003, quoted without permission from the publisher. Pages 24-25. It is a small pocket size book of only 122 pages.

It includes the following:
*Preface by Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche
*Translator’s Note
*Acknowledgments
[Following discourses by Dudjom Rinpoche:]
*The Buddhadharma
*The Essence of the Path
*The Long Oral Lineage of the Nyingmapas
*Practicing the without Sectarian Bias
*An Introduction to the Bardo
*Magical Nectar
*Heart Jewel of the Fortunate
*An Aspiration to the Great Perfection
*The Life story of Dudjom Rinpoche – As Told by Himself

This book proved to be inexhaustible treasure for contemplation for myself. I pray that one day I will know this advice not to be wasted on me. I recommend it to others whenever it feels right. Most people can easily find it on sites like http://www.abe.com be it 2nd hand copies or brand new for less then $10 inclusive of shipping charge. How marvelous!

Losar

Many practitioners offered katas and prostrations to the image of Kyabje Rinpoche.

Losar at NPDC in New York City

Starting at about 10:00AM we started welcoming New Year of Fire Dog with 3 recitations of 8 Noble Auspicious Ones and Guru Rinpoche Vajra Seven Line Prayer. Following with The Blessing Treasure, A Liturgy of the Buddha by Ju Mipham Rinpoche, Riwo Sangcho -the smoke offering. After which we all offered katas to the image of Kyabje Penor Rinpoche. Then in good cheer we had New Year’s tea and rice. After a short break we went on with Shower of Blessings a Tsog offering. Khenpo Tenzin Norgey and Lama Wangchuk lead all the ceremonies and chants.

Khenpo Norgey out of great kindness answered many questions all in very good spirits, encouraging us in our practice, without his presence we are unlikely to have had such a successful event as we did.

After completing all the ceremonies many people went to see a Thangka exhibit 2 blocks away and had a Tea break at a local Tea House on Mott Street.