A sacred space for everyone
Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo 
The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
“Calling the Tsewei Lama from afar” does not mean asking for gifts and wishes fulfilled. It’s about devotion and faith. I mostly get requests for favors. Of course I will try to fulfill anyone’s wish. But Buddhists should also practice and learn so they can help themselves. That’s the point, as there may not always be a Lama to call on.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved
The following is a short section of heart advice from His Holiness Penor Rinpoche at New York Retreat in Upstate New York:
At night before you go to sleep, visualize that Guru Padmasambhava, non-dual with the root teacher, melts into your central channel, and abides in your heart. Then from the Guru’s body light radiates and your whole body is filled with light. Have devotion, faith and confidence. Concentrate one’s mind on that. And then go to sleep. And in that way, you can carry on this practice.
The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Tools to Deepen in Your Practice”
We see ourselves in a dualistic way. We have very concrete roles as to how that dualism plays out: in the way that we procreate, in the way that we die, in the way that we’re born. We have very exacting ways in which it plays out because of our belief systems, because of the system of duality. And we’ve had a long time to work out the kinks. So, when we believe in physical reality as being essentially real, we can find all kinds of facts and information and people who will agree with us.
And if you wish to avoid awakening to the primordial state, you’ll have lots of friends, because most everyone is locked into that confusion of the five senses. Like a dream. We know how it is when we’re in a dream. We may on some level understand it’s a dreamlike state, but the emotions are so strong. It just pulls us into it. A dream can be very sensual. It can be very alluring. It can be very stimulating in that you’ve had dreams with interesting things that happen and interesting colors, or something. But we’ve had all kinds of dreams. We’ve had all kinds of phenomena as well.
That’s a terrible obstacle. That’s a mean one, oh boy! Because when you are getting ready to generate the deity, you cannot even allow the deity to arise naturally, as it does, from the from the wisdom that is emptiness because your brain has a better idea. That’s unfortunate, because it is that wisdom that we need.
Here in Tantric practice, particularly with the Nyingma tradition, we are considered the ‘ancient’ ones, the oldest. They say, “How many Nyingmas does it take to change a light bulb? Well, none. We all meditate in the dark.” (much laughter). So we are the ancient ones and we like to meditate in the dark.
So in Vajrayana, what is the most precious capacity is that capacity to simply let go the thoughts, the conceptualization, the products of the five senses—you know, all the conceptual proliferations that we’ve built around what we sensed. It is letting go of that. It is opening the senses to allow the view. That is the wisdom that we really work on that becomes the very foundation for any accomplishment that we have on the Path. That’s the foundation for it.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved
The following is an excerpt from a public talk given by His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok:
As we begin here this afternoon, I would like to mention a little bit about the great deeds of our sole guide and protector, Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, who before he became the Buddha initially gave rise to the awakened mind, the Bodhicitta, after which he worked for countless aeons to accumulate merit, finally culminating in his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, India. Then 49 days later, for the benefit of all those gods and human beings and many others who would benefit indefinitely in future times as well, he turned the Wheel of the Dharma for the first time to bring the precious and holy Dharma into the world. Now, in fact, this is the auspicious day which commemorates the first turning of the Wheel of the Dharma, and because of that I feel that all of the outer, inner and secret omens have come together to make this a most auspicious occasion.
Also at this time, on this fully endowed occasion, in this world the greatest country that exists, the most sublime, the most exalted country in terms of fame and freedom and glory which is unequalled by any other, is the United States of America. Today for the first time I find myself in the capital city of this great land teaching the Dharma, and I am filled with joy. Furthermore there are three reasons why I am filled with joy. I feel that the leaders of this great land, who are actually the leaders of the world, are men and women who are concerned with bringing peace to this world and establishing the beings of this world in bliss and happiness. Towards this pursuit, they work effortlessly because they have the noble qualities and the abilities and the intelligence to actually make this come about. So I feel that they are here close to us, and this is the first reason why I feel a sense of joy: knowing that leaders such as this are in this vicinity.
The second reason I am filled with joy is because the general population of the human beings who live here in the United States of America are people who are endowed with a great amount of power and a great amount of material wealth. Just by the fact that they live in this country they also have freedom—freedom of choice and human rights. The condition is fully endowed. And when I think about all the people of this country having such auspicious and wondrous conditions, it is a great marvel to me, which makes me very glad.
Thirdly, the environment of this place, the particular endowment of the external environment, is that it is quite beautiful. There are beautiful rolling hills and forests, and although it is of cyclic existence, it seems to be somewhat like a celestial realm, a god’s realm, rather than an ordinary city. To see such a beautiful place as it is, I also feel great joy.
I had heard about this place before in Asia where I live, and it’s not until today that I actually come here. Now that I’ve really come and I am able to see for myself just how fully endowed it really is, that all the things that I heard are actually true and inconceivable, truly, then I feel even more joyful.
Now, we are Tibetan Buddhists, and in Tibet there are many traditions of Buddhism. Amongst them is the great Palyul tradition, the founder of which was the Vidyadhara Kunzang Sherab. Kunzang Sherab’s sister was the great dakini, Ahkön Lhamo, and she was very important in helping to establish and uphold the Palyul tradition at the time when it was first initiated in the land of Tibet. The great omniscient mind of primordial wisdom, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, is the one who recognized her, who lives here in this land , in this incarnation, , I am especially happy to find her so well, in good health and so happy. To meet her here at this time gives me a great amount of joy.
As for all of the rest of you, the assembly of disciples, it is clear to me that you have very strong faith in the Buddhadharma, and this is also something that is very wonderful. You see, in Tibet there are many thousands of students who have been training in Dharma for many years, so it is not difficult for them to have faith and devotion, but here it is something quite extraordinary because this is not a Buddhist country. It is clear to me because of the kindness of Ahkön Lhamo who has brought many of you to the path of Dharma that this is why you have made this connection and this is why your faith is so strong at this time. I am very happy to see how this connection has been made and to see how the Dharma is flourishing here due to her kindness.
Especially too, here in the United States of America, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the leader, many other great lamas have come to this land, have stayed here for long periods of time and have given the Dharma teachings extensively. I visited some of those places at this time, however, the Dharma center of Ahkön Lhamo is different. I haven’t seen or felt any other place like it. That is because in Ahkön Lhamo’s center there are many ordained Sangha members. To see the robes of the ordained is something that brings me tremendous joy—to see how the Sangha, or the ordained community, has been established in the center. So, in particular, due to having seen the Sangha community flourishing in this way, I am extremely happy.
Generally speaking, in whatever country the Dharma may become established, it is very important for there to be a combination of the fully ordained, the partially ordained and the lay householders as a gathering of what we call the community of the Sangha. If you have just only the lay community and no fully or partially ordained community, it is incomplete, and vice versa. To have all of the different categories of holders of the Pratimoksha precepts together maintaining the Sangha community, it is considered to be fully endowed and complete, and that is what I see here in this center.
In particular, the category of ordination known as getsul, or novice, which of course includes the fully ordained, means those who have renounced the ordinary life of a lay person and who have taken on the life of an ordained practitioner. Now this status is something extremely important for the survival of Buddhism in any country at any time. This is something quite different from those who are called ngakpa, or mantra precept holders, who have no ordination according to the Pratimoksha per se. It is different because the doctrine can completely decline and vanish, and has over the course of time completely declined and vanished in places where there are only those holding the mantra precepts. In order for the survival of Buddhism to be assured anywhere in the world at any time so that it will always be flourishing, it is totally dependent upon the survival of the ordained Sangha.
Also as well in terms of the survival and the propagation of the Doctrine following this point of the survival of those who hold the Pratimoksha precepts, particularly that of full ordination, there is a prophecy from Lord Buddha which states that for 500 years occurring in ten successive stages of time, the Doctrine will increase and be propagated in the regions of the world. Now there are other prophecies that have to do with the land of Tibet and the Doctrine spreading to the north and surviving only in the north and then later going to the west and surviving in the western countries. According to this prophecy about the survival in the north, this refers to Tibet, which is the northern Snow Land of Tibet, the northern region of the world, and so there, of course, the lineage of ordination has propagated and survived. Then also according to the prophecy that it would spread into the west, that seems to indicate the western world, not necessarily western Asia. So when we look at the world in general and see now how in fact the lineages of ordination are moving into the western lands, then we can see how this prophecy is actually coming to pass. This is also something to rejoice about.
Henceforth, in general, because of Ahkön Lhamo’s efforts, the Doctrine is being established in this place, and also the lineage of ordination, which I will also pray, I do pray now and I will continue to pray to be ever increasing, to always be fully endowed, and that due to this there may always be peace and happiness for all the people of this place.
The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Tools to Deepen Your Practice”
Today I would like to discuss the depth at which one practices. That is to say, how to avoid practicing in a superficial way where there is no mental or emotional investment. That’s really not the ideal kind of practice. It’s a little bit like watching TV, or listening to the radio, or something like that where you do it with half-a-mind, you know, and the rest of the time, of course, the mind is involved with other things. And so, we’ve all heard that we don’t want that to happen, that we want the mind to be gentled and stilled but yet we have a hard time understanding that really the key to that is the depth, the level, and the absorption with which we practice. That depth or that absorption is called the Dakini’s breath. That is actually what makes one’s practice relevant, delicious and sweet, meaningful and nourishing. Without that depth and that level of absorption, it’s very difficult to practice in any way that is more profound than say, recitation by rote. So that’s the effort that we want to make. In order to do that, I would like to explain things a little differently, perhaps a little more deeply than you may be used to.
One of the things that I would like to mention is that in Tantrayana, or the path of Vajrayana (which is the same thing), which is where we are now, you could say that the Path has two eyes or two legs, two supports. Another way to say it would be that the Path can be distilled to its essential nature in two words: wisdom and compassion. In fact one sees in many of the thangkas, the traditional paintings that are all around, pictures of a female and male in union, two lamas as consorts in union. And of course having ordinary minds and being used to billboards and stuff like that, we think “Oh, what is this?” But we shouldn’t look at those pictures with an ordinary mind because they have a profound meaning. The meaning of the union between lama and consort is the union of wisdom and compassion, the union of emptiness and method. The union of emptiness and method is the perfect balance, the perfect ship by which to cross the ocean of suffering. It’s the perfect vehicle. And of course, first we should understand what it means. Wisdom and compassion or emptiness and method. . . What does it really mean?
Well the meaning is this. First of all, wisdom is something that you cannot arrive at by accumulating facts, because facts are phenomenal. They are believed to be self-existing. They are part of samsara, even if they are very smart facts. Even if they are PhD-style facts! Even if they’re MD-style! No matter how many facts you know, you can never accumulate wisdom through the accumulation of facts, or what we would call the accumulation of knowledge. It’s not to say that the accumulation of knowledge is not necessary. If that were the case, then none of us would need training. We would simply sit and do our best at meditating.
Of course facts are necessary. It is necessary for us in our practice to understand how it is that the preceding lamas and excellent practitioners accumulated merit and how they accumulated tremendous achievement. It’s tremendously helpful to know facts, for instance, about the great lamas and the great saints and the Buddhas that have come in this time, and in other times, in order to understand with our ordinary minds what it is about them, how they come to be. In fact, to some degree, our ordinary minds do require satisfaction. And that’s where Vajrayana is ideal, because Vajrayana gives us ‘mental food.’ We have visualization. We have mantra recitation. We have the absorption in emptiness and then the springing from emptiness as the deity; and then the vajra confidence and the vajra pride. It’s busy work! Sometimes when people who are used to just sitting quietly and doing whatever it is they do, you know, when they have that habit of just sitting quietly, and there is a part of Vajrayana Buddhism in which you do sitting meditation; but if students only have that experience, they come here and they say, “Well, my mind is not calm. I’m reciting all this stuff and I’m really stressed because I can hardly pronounce it. And the tunes—forget about it. And so there!” And of course the response to that is, “Well really in Vajrayana the task is not to calm the mind. The task is to awaken to the emptiness of all nature,to awaken to emptiness, that is, to perceive emptiness.”
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved
The following is respectfully quoted from “Perfect Conduct” with commentary by Dudjom Rinpoche:
4.b.3(b.4) Abandoning love:
The fourth is wishing that any sentient being should be separated from happiness and losing heartfelt love for them.
To wish any sentient being should be separated from happiness and to stop feeling heartfelt love for them is the fourth root downfall. The object can be one sentient being or many. To wish for them to be separated from happiness and to meet with suffering or misfortune, thus forsaking them and giving up any love for them at all, constitutes this downfall.
The following is respectfully quoted from “Treasury of Precious Qualities” by Longchen Yeshe Dorje and Jigme Lingpa as translated by Padmakara Translation Group:
Spiritual masters have already accomplished their own aim. It is now their task to labor for the sake of others. It is important to understand that their various activities are displayed as appropriate to the inclinations and feelings of different beings and are the inconceivable operation of enlightened activities. Bearing this in mind, one should refrain from misinterpreting them. The siddhas of India like Saraha appeared for the most part as social outcasts. They adopted the way of life that was conventionally disreputable and lived without concern for purity or impurity, getting their livelihood as menials of the lowest caste or as “sinful” hunters and fishermen–living in the humblest way possible. But since their minds were undeluded, their actions were never wrong. We, by contrast, are as deluded as if we were under the power of hallucinogenic drugs. If we have not gained freedom through the three doors of perfect liberation, and have not realized the infinite purity of all phenomena, ascribe defects to our teacher, we commit an immeasurable fault. Bhikshu Sunakshatra committed to memory the entire twelve collections of the teachings, but, overpowered by his wrong views, he regarded as perfidious and underhand the actions of Buddha Shakyamuni himself, who was utterly without fault and possessed of every excellence. We should take all this to mind and confess and repair the slightest fluctuation in our faith.
The following is respectfully quoted from “Dakini Teachings” by Padmasambhava as translated by Erik Pema Kunsang:
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: If a master himself has not been conferred empowerments and he gives them to others, will they receive empowerments or not?
The master replied: Although you may be appointed by a charlatan to the rank of minister thus entrusted with power, you will only meet with misfortune. Likewise, although you may have an empowerment conferred upon you by a master who himself has not received it, your mind will be ruined. Moreover you will destroy the minds of others and go to the lower realms like cattle yoked together falling into an abyss. Carried away within an iron box with no exits, you will be sent to the bottom of hell.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: Isn’t the offering of a gift when receiving empowerment just something you yourself have invented?
The master replied: All the teachings and tantras explain that at this present time when you have obtained the fortune of a human body after being on errant paths for innumerable aeons, you should, free from the three spheres of concepts, offer your body, life, and spouse to the master who shows the path of unexcelled enlightenment.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: How severe is the misdeed of breaking the master’s command?
The master replied: The misdeeds of the three levels of existence do not match even a fraction of the evil of breaking the command of your master. Through this you will take rebirth in the Unceasing Vajra Hell and find no liberation.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: How should we regard the master possessing the oral instructions from whom we request teachings?
The master replied in verse:
You should know that the master is more important
Than the buddhas of a hundred thousand aeons,
Because all the buddhas of the aeons
Appeared through following masters.
There will never be any buddhas
Who have not followed a master.
The master is the Buddha, the master is the Dharma.
Likewise the master is also the Sangha.
He is the embodiment of all buddhas.
He is the nature of Vajradhara.
He is the root of the Three Jewels.
Keep the command of your vajra master
Without breaking even a fraction of his words.
If you break the command of your vajra master,
You will fall into Unceasing Vajra Hell
From which there will be no chance for liberation.
By serving your master you will receive the blessings.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: Which is more important, the master or the yidam deity?
The master replied: Do not regard the master and the yidam as different, because it is the master who introduces the yidam to you. By always venerating the master at the crown of your head you will be blessed and your obstacles will be cleared away. If you regard the master and yidam as being different in quality or importance you are holding misconceptions.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: Why is it important to practice the yidam deity?
The master replied: It is essential to practice a yidam deity because through that you will attain siddhis, your obstacles will be removed, you will obtain powers, receive blessings, and give rise to realization. Since all qualities result from practicing the yidam deity, then without the yidam deity you will just be an ordinary person. By practicing the yidam deity you attain the siddhis, so the yidam deity is essential.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: When practicing a yidam deity, how should we meditate and practice in order to attain accomplishment?
The master replied: Since means and knowledge are to practice the spontaneously present body, speech and mind through the method of yoga sadhana, they will be accomplished no matter how you carry out the sadhana aspects endowed with body, speech, and mind. They will be accomplished when the sadhana and the recitation are practiced in a sufficient amount.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: How should we approach the sugata yidam deity?
The master replied: Realize that you and the yidam deity are not two and that there is no yidam deity apart from yourself. You approach the yidam deity when you realize that your nature is the state of nonarising dharmakaya.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: Which yidam deity is better to practice, a peaceful or wrathful one?
The master replied: Since means and knowledge are practicing the spontaneously present body, speech, and mind through the method of yoga sadhana, all the countless sugatas, peaceful and wrathful, chief figures and retinues, manifest in accordance with those to be tamed in whatever way is necessary–as peaceful and wrathful, chief figures and retinues. But as they are all one taste in the state of dharmakaya, each person can practice whichever yidam he feels inclined toward.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: If we practice one yidam deity, will that be the same as practicing all sugatas?
The master replied: The body, speech, and mind of all deities are manifested by the three mayas in accordance with the perception of those to be tamed. In fact, no matter how they appear, if you practice one you will be practicing them all. If you accomplish one you will have accomplished them all.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: Is there any fault in practicing one yidam deity and then practicing another?
The master replied: Although the sugatas manifest as various kinds of families and forms, out of skillful means to tame beings, they are in actuality inseparable, the state of equality. If you were able to practice all the buddhas with this realization of their inseparability, your merit would be most eminent. But if you were to do so while regarding the yidam deities as having different qualities which should be either accepted or rejected, you would be immeasurably obscured. It is inappropriate to regard the yidams as good or bad, and to accept or reject them. If you do not regard them like that, it will be excellent no matter how you practice.
Lady Tsogyal asked the master: Through performing the approach to one tathagata, will we accomplish the mind of all sugatas?
The master replied: By practicing with a vast view and remaining in the nature, you will attain stability in a yidam deity. When you complete the recitation, you will accomplish the activities of all the victorious ones without exception by simply commencing them.
Lady Tsogyal asked the Master: If one’s view is high, is it permissible to dispense with the yidam deity?
The master replied: If you attain confidence in the correct view then that itself is the yidam deity. Do not regard the yidam deity as a form body. Once you realize the nature of dharmakaya you will have accomplished the yidam deity.
The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo offered at Palyul Ling Retreat in New York 2012:
We have a great opportunity here. When I come here, I don’t take advantage because I am shy and I don’t like to come out, but I still practice and I still do what I can to benefit sentient beings. For instance, I think about ordinary things, and I think about how I can bring benefit to people who have ordinary lives and ordinary situations. One thing that I did was to start a food bank, so that we can feed the people in our neighborhood and in our community who have nothing. It is not a rich area. Those who have nothing can have food. They can come and get food for their families. There is no expense or anything like that. We do ask that if you take something, then bring something. If you take some beans and bread and that sort of thing, bring something, even if it is just a tiny something to make that exchange, to make that connection. There are a lot of people in my community that are eating very well because of our efforts. And I don’t feel like that is separate from Dharma. There’s practical Dharma and there is ultimate Dharma, and I feel that both are essential. And all are supported by the great bodhicitta.
Another thing that we have done is to create an animal sanctuary for rare and exotic parrots. Before these parrots came to us, they were abused. Many of them lived all their lives in cages that were too small for them to spread their wings. Many of them had never seen the sky. Many of them were fed graham crackers, and stupid things like that, that they should never eat. There was so much cruelty in the exotic bird community, so we decided to see if we could do anything. And we did. And now my son runs that exotic bird sanctuary, and all the birds get to go outside. We have a huge area for them, and they can actually fly, which they never could do before. It’s beautiful to see.
As you remember, His Holiness loved animals; he especially loved birds. In India he used to keep birds. When His Holiness saw the birds in the aviary, he was so happy about that. His Holiness saw them and loved them. He felt that that was Dharma in action. Activity Dharma.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. All rights reserved
The following is an excerpt from a teaching given by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo at Palyul Ling Retreat in the summer of 2012:
I am very pleased by all the effort that you’ve put forth to make this place grow and shine as it has, keeping it going even in great adversity, for instance the passing of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. We all suffered and now we’re doing what we can to bring about the causes that he can return to us.
I remember back in the beginning when I first met His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. It was on his first visit to the United States. He wanted to see me. Back in those days dharma was kind of confusing. We didn’t understand each other when the lamas first came to America. It took awhile for us to come to that point, where we really understood each other. Mostly it was our lack of understanding as Westerners that made the problems.
You all have beautiful, nice, and condensed practice books. I want to show you what we were working with. We mostly had loose-leaf sheets of paper, pictures, and books stuck together. [Shows an old practice binder] There are things here that I don’t even recognize anymore. We all made our own books. We were all new and we did our very best. I wanted to show you this because I thought, ‘What a mess.’ I thought you’d get a kick out of it. Those were my first practice books. And it was a long time ago.
Personal reflections on His Holiness Penor Rinpoche
I had the happiness of knowing His Holiness for a long time, and had many wonderful experiences with him. I don’t mind sharing them with you if you’d like to hear some of them. I’d like to tell you about one time when I was in India and we were traveling around looking for statues. It was so unbearably hot. We were staying in this hotel and it was about 104 degrees Fahrenheit or more. His Holiness was used to heat but he made sure to put me in a hotel with an air conditioner, which I stuck to, and that was very nice. While at the hotel, I met the woman who cleaned my room, and she told me about her husband. He was sick, had cancer and was dying. She said, “Would you come and give a blessing to my husband before he dies?” And I said, “Oh, it’s worthless if I give him a blessing, but if His Holiness gives him a blessing, that’s something. That’s definitely worthwhile.” And so she said, “Oh! Would he do that?” And I said, “I don’t know. I’ll ask.”
They were Hindu. When I asked His Holiness, he said, “I don’t think Hindus like Tibetans very much. We eat meat.” And I said, “With due respect, Holiness, I think in this case it doesn’t matter. These people so want to see you. They so want the blessing. These people are going through misery. They live in a tin box on top of the roof, and she has to raise children by herself.” His Holiness was very wrathful with me. He said, “I had to leave Tibet and come to America. I watched my own people die. And now I am supposed to think that this is important?” He was very wrathful. But I know what he was doing. He was creating the merit, and clearing the obstacles for this event to happen. But as you know, His Holiness was very kind. So finally he stomped his foot and he said, “Ok. I’ll go.”
We climbed up to the roof, and it was hellish really. His Holiness’ knees were bad then too. I was so sorry and embarrassed that I had put His Holiness through that, but then I was so happy for the people that would receive the blessing.
When he came to the door of the tin shack they were living in on top of the building, it must have been 115 degrees inside. It was so horrible. We said, “His Holiness is here to give the blessing. And the woman got down on the floor, and put her head to his feet and then she prostrated again at his feet. She couldn’t stop. She just kept doing it. It was heart breaking to see the devotion that she felt for someone who would not abandon her in this terrible time; who would provide comfort and some help. And His Holiness did that.
He spoke to her in Hindi. And he asked her, “What is the problem? How long has he been sick?” She could hardly speak. They were both so grateful and happy to have his blessing, and that he would think of them, because they were lowly people according to the caste system in India. They were lowly people and poor beyond belief. They said that some days he didn’t even eat, because there was no food. And so His Holiness was told the condition of this man, and you could see in his face that he had great compassion. The man had cancer of the mouth. You could see that something was terribly wrong, but he had no medicine. The agony that he was experiencing was hard to understand.
Here’s the kicker. His Holiness said, “Open your mouth.” When he said this, I tried to peak, and what I saw in there was horrible. His Holiness said, “Open your mouth wide.” He started pounding out mantras. Nothing I recognized. He really pounded out the mantras. And as he did that, he was blowing, blowing, blowing in the man’s mouth. Holiness pounded out more mantras, and blew in the man’s mouth. He kept doing this for quite a long time.
The couple was so thankful. They offered Holiness food and drink, which of course he didn’t take. They offered him food and drink. He was working his heart out for them. As we were leaving, they were bowing and bowing, and bowing. It was so beautiful. When we got down towards the room, I said to him, “Holiness is he going to live now?” And he said, “No, there’s no chance. The merit is gone. There’s no chance for him to live now,” he said, “But he will have no pain.”
Already the man’s mouth was chewed up with cancer, and yet His Holiness said he would have no pain, and I know that’s true, because I met the woman again on the next day of our travels. She said he had no pain that day. I was so happy that happened. I was just thrilled.
I left the my room door open so I could see where His Holiness was, and he could see where I was, and when he went passed by room, I just went down to him and I said, “Holiness, I know that was difficult, but thank you. On behalf of them, thank you so much. I don’t know how to express my gratitude.” And he said, “No, I thank you.”
I will never forget that story. He was grateful that I had insisted that he take this opportunity to help them. He saw the value of it. He saw that these people were helped and that they were just regular, innocent people. His Holiness helped them so much that to my knowledge the man never had pain. The woman and I wrote back and forth for a little while after that, and she said that he never had pain. To me that am the most moving story about His Holiness that I know. And I find it impossible to have seen that and not understand that he was Buddha, that he is Buddha. No one but a Buddha would or could do something like that. I miss him so much. I know that you do too.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. All rights reserved