Tag Archives: dharamsala

August 6, 2010 · 5:56 am

Moments of Gold

A moment with Guru Rinpoche statue at Namgyal Temple, Dharamsala, India, current home of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

“ You must be guided by an authentic spiritual mentor.“ ―The Ninth Gyalwang Karmapa

‘…Avoid teachers who talk about their own accomplishments―because that kind of talk or boasting is a sure sign that they have not achieved realization at all. Teachers who have had some experience never speak about their own accomplishments, but tend, instead, to speak about the qualities of their own teachers. And yet you can sense their own qualities through the aura of authority that envelopes them, like the light reflecting from a nugget of gold. You don’t see the gold itself, but only the brilliance of golden light.’

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References – The Ninth Gyalwang Karmapa, Mahamudra, The Ocean of Definitive Meaning, translated by Elizabeth M. Callahan, also quoted from The Joy of Living, Moving On, Chapter 18, Finding A Teacher; Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Three Rivers Press

Wish It, Post-it

An original message… beautiful!

There are many prayers and preparations being made at Namgyal Temple in Dharamsala today.

Tomorrow is the great Buddhist celebration of Chökhor Düchen, the first turning of the Wheel of Dharma; the day of Buddha first teaching, The Four Noble Truths, given at Deer Park in Sarnath, India.

Along with the recitation of mantras, the making of prayer flags and the serving of tea, there is a place at the temple where any visitor can leave a message of good wishes and continued birthday sentiments for His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama. Yellow Post-its are gathering in number for Dalai Lama to enjoy. They are written in Tibetan, English, French, German, and many languages; possibly as many languages as there are visitors here.

It is said that all good wishes and actions, positive and negative, are multiplied 10 million times during this time. So, write on a Post-it in your heart, wish-it with along with us… join us on this special day!

A sampling of messages found at Namgyal Temple today.

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Chökhor Düchen is one of the Four Great Festivals (düchen), during the Tibetan calendar year of 2010-2011, Iron Tiger Year 2137, 4^th Tibetan day of the month (western calendar date of July 15, 2010)

Wish You Were Here

Green Tara perched in a nook along the stone wall.

Today I have a wish for you!

I wish I could share part of my day after an early morning, misty monsoon rain in Dharamsala, India. The birds all make their sweet noises as they flit about the moistened plants and rocks, and the sharp hawks fly over-head. Tibetans young and old, ordained and lay, make their way around the small hill that has on it’s uppermost parts the residence of His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama.

The view that extends over Kangra Valley is vast and fair and for some moments a person might feel content to focus on the pleasantness of just this time, this day.

On the final part of the clockwise round there is a road, to one’s left the forest below, to the right a stone wall. It becomes increasingly green, lush with moss and plants as monsoon progresses and the Mani Stones placed there brighten as their colors are soaked with the damp. It becomes a gallery of mantra and prayer, each stone placed in faith, an offering to all.

Please come with me and take a look at what is here, so you might enjoy it there wherever you are.

Om Mani Padme Hum!