Looking back, take 1 (Mahakala Cave & tenzhuk)

Pictures: Mahakala cave entrance; N. Jugney & Pema Dorje @ Mahakala cave monastery (notice the monkey on the roof behind them); Charnel grounds

Our last few days in India were so full and fast that we did not have time to get to an internet cafe, so here in the Amsterdam airport, where we have an almost 5-hour layover, I will reflect back on those days.

On our last full day in Bodhgaya, we actually spent the morning on a "field trip" to Mahakala cave. It was here that Lord Buddha Shakyamuni reputedly spent 6 years meditating before he went to Bodhgaya and attained full enlightenment, so he was still Prince Siddhartha at the time. Here too, a famous meditator (I am unsure who as I sit here in the airport) meditated and saw Mahakala in the interior come to him. The cave is small and sits high on a cliff side. There is a small Tibetan monastery at the site that maintains it. The bus drove us to the foot of the cliff side and we took the steep path upwards - needing to stop and rest several times. At the foot of the path is another site important to tantric Buddhism - although it is not marked. One of the 8-great cemeteries was located here. This place was charnel grounds, where the bodies of the dead were left unburied to decay. It was where high level meditators (highest yoga tantra) went to meditate on impermanence and to develop fearlessness. Rinpoche had explained a bit of this process to me privately. What follows is a compilation of the private conversation and notes from her teaching at Mahakala cave.:

The very fast path to enlightenment is that of highest yoga tantra. Being very
quick, it is a bit like being in a high- energy pressure cooker. Under high
pressure, even the smallest defect will show clearly. In order to clear obscurations and return to purity, one must be fearless of this, enduring it in order to clarify quickly. When the yidam manifest in this form, they are not shown as peaceful (i.e., lovely features, smiling and dressed in jewels, etc); they are shown in wrathful form (fearsome appearance, typically holding what appear to be weapons and bones). It is indicative of their high energy, and fearlessness. The weapons are implements to cut the ego-centrism and all those obscurations that keep us bound fast to samsara and suffering. When Chenrezig (aka Avilokiteshvara and also Quan Yin), the Buddha of Compassion, appears in wrathful form, he is Mahakala - a fearsome sight. But the
wrathful form has as much compassion as the peaceful form. It is in our perception of the form that we have obscurations. How fearless are you in facing up to your impurities? Too much of our energy has been stolen from our actual being and come outside where it has become very dense - like molasses. This is the hardest energy to train. We need a process from which the denseness/confusion is removed. Much of our suffering is located in this denseness. During meditation (especially on the removal of obstacles) the wrathful buddha comes in order to remove obstacles.) Don't play with these practices (i.e., protector practices). It is wrong to spread the protector practices around the world. This is not Tibet under persecution. People may use these to seek power. It will not be beneficial to you to say, "Oh, now I am so
powerful." When we need it, the protector will come to us to remove this denseness & confusion.

Rinpoche said we had the fortunate karma to be able to stand on the outer site of one of the 8-great cemeteries of highest yoga tantra - and to always remember this.

Rinpoche soon sent Chonyi and John ahead of us with offerings of tea and other items, as well as rupees, to the monastery. When we arrived, the monk who is caretaker there met us. Rinpoche introduced herself and asked for tea for the group. As we waited for tea, we sat and Rinpoche gave a teaching. A western woman with dark hair came to Rinpoche and began to ask her questions. I did not follow the entire conversation, but at one point, Rinpoche asked the woman where she had seen her before. Had she come to see Rinpoche in NY? in Kalimpong? Did she recall? The woman reported nothing that I heard. If she knew, she was not saying. Rinpoche then said that it must have been somewhere, because the woman still carried Rinpoche's blessing on the inside and that she should do practice more diligently.

When tea came, it was Tibetan butter tea. I've had butter tea several times, and I must admit I was less than enthused. However, this butter tea was actually good. So for any butter tea aficionados out there, the butter tea at Mahakala cave is outstanding.

After tea, we went into the cave and offered katas. Then everyone squeezed in and as a group we read the Mahakala prayer 3 times; we circumnambulated the small stupa at the monastery and went back to sit again. The monk who had first met us came and sat and talked with Rinpoche. He had attended Drepung monastery, but had left before obtaining his geshe degree. Rinpoche joked with him about being a half-geshe - using the inside terminology that apparently those who have been through the Geluk monastery system know. He and Rinpoche laughed quite a bit over that. Rinpoche asked who his teacher was - his root guru. He told Rinpoche the name of the Rinpoche who was his root guru, and it was someone that our Rinpoche knew as a friend. Rinpoche seemed to light up on the inside at hearing the name. Rinpoche held her hand to her heart as she reported that he had been a dear friend. She then "checked" the monk more closely (typically Rinpoche does not check those who are not her students so closely. I think this is partly to respect their privacy and partly to conserve her own energy). Rinpoche told him that the blessing of his guru was still alive in him, and that his guru loved him (as was apparent to her when she saw the blessing alive in his interior). He became so enthused that he went and brought a kata that had been blessed by his root guru to show Rinpoche. Then Rinpoche pressed her palms together and requested on behalf of his root guru (who has passed away) that he honor and hold his monastic vows strongly. She asked him to share one special teaching that he recalls from his root guru; he mentioned something about meditation. The monk told Rinpoche that when she arrived at the monastery, he felt the same energy from her that he had felt with his root guru. It was a wonderful moment to witness. Deki took pictures of the monk, and perhaps she even has a video of the interaction. I am not sure. Her camera can do both. I posted pictures from this encounter on a subsequent posting.

Soon it was time to descend the hill. It was like running the gauntlet. Beggars lined the descent all asking for money. We had brought many small rupees, but most of us ran out before reaching the bottom of the hill. I noticed that as we descended, the children from higher up ran swiftly by a back path down the hill to line up again below and get more money. Changchub saw one infant with kwasiorkor, but mostly the beggars were well-fed. They have a steady supply of donations from the busloads of pilgrims who arrive to Mahakala cave every day.

As we left, Rinpoche commented on the children, who ran swiftly along the hills and seemed to appear and disappear like the wind. She said that those born near charnel grounds tend to return to the same types of places again and again - having an intense neediness, they return to similar circumstances. For some of them, Rinpoche had prayed that they do not return to this place again in future lives, but have lives of greater opportunity where they can make something of themselves. It reminded me that opportunity is in the mind, and if you do not think there is opportunity available to you - it won't manifest. What a blessing to have that karma changed for you by the buddhas and their sons & daughters - who reach out in great compassion to sentient beings.

When we returned, we had only a few hours to complete preparations for tenzhuk - which was done with great affection and reverence. After the ceremony, most of us stayed for some time in strong practice requesting health and long life for our precious teacher.

We invite all of Rinpoche's students to join us in strong prayers for her long life. May she remain long to benefit sentient beings. May the entire lineage support this work! and may there be a rain of dharma.