Thu, 28 May 2009
At the Lamas' Feet
First, a story Khenpo Tsultrim told Mondayat the Spring Retreat. He was asked if there were still mahasiddhas in India toady and he replied that he thought so. He told a story about a contemporary Indian man whose wife was sick. He met a yogi and asked him to cure his wife. The yogi cut some flesh from a corpse, wrapped it in a cloth and told the man not to open it until he was at his wife's bedside. When he arrived there, he opened the cloth and inside was a flower with a beautiful scent. The ssent cured his wife's disease.
And here are two thing Lama Phurbu Tashi said Tuesday that stuck in my mind. He said that when visualizing the deity, the visualization should have the qualities of clarity, stability, and purity. The first two qualities have their usual meanings, but purity refers to understanding the symbolic meaning of the form. That is, the four arms of Chenrezig represent the four immeasurables, the wish fulfulling gem represents bodhicitta, and so on.
He also told the story of his interview with Bokar Rinpche at the end of his three year retreat. Rinpoche asked which of the practices he had done was most meaningful and helpful. Lama replied that all the practices were wonderful, but he got the most benefit from the Seven Points of Mind Training and the practice of sending and taking. Accordingly, Lama plans to teach a class on the Seven Points of Mind Traing. Unfortunately, Lama's lostt the current location he's teaching at. It's really a wonderful thing to have such a qualified lama in Maryland. We're just going to have to figure out how he can continue teaching.
