Sitting With The Guru
Situ Rinpoche returned to Sherabling from Delhi a couple of days ago. Nancy had WhatsApp’ed Lama Tenam, Rinpoche’s long time right hand man, and someone she’s been connected with for over 40 years, about being able to see Rinpoche privately, before people (and more requests) arrive in early November. She heard back very quickly: we should come at 3 o’clock that day.
Some Background:
Situ Rinpoche is, traditionally and through multiple incarnations, one of the primary figures in the Karma Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. There are four major lineages. The Dalai Lama heads up the Gelugpa lineage, as well as being the former secular head of the Tibetan government, in exile since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 and his escape to India at that time.
His Holiness Karmapa is the top figure in the Kagyu lineage, but his current incarnation, the 17th Karmapa, has been in some kind of self imposed exile these last several years, for reasons not entirely understood by outsiders, like us and almost everyone else. This means, effectively, that Situ Rinpoche is right now the main holder of the lineage for all practical purposes (this is my interpretation of events; there are no doubt other ones).
Rinpoche has developed a following of students over the decades since his first visits to the West in the early 80’s, that now must number in the many scores of thousands, or maybe more. Who really knows? Many of these are Chinese from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China, who right now, due to remaining Covid travel restrictions, cannot travel and so cannot and will not be attending the November teachings here at Sherabling, when previously they might well have attended.
To the point: Nancy and a few other Westerners first came to Sherabling in 1979 (there may have been one or two a bit earlier than that), when it consisted of a single small building that housed perhaps 20 monks, a shrine room, and Rinpoche’s apartment above. (I had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with several of these people three years ago in 2019, at what turned out to be an unplanned 40 year reunion just prior to covid, and during Rinpoche’s last public teachings til now. Today, Palpong Sherabling Monastic Seat consists of many buildings spread over some 30 acres, 400 or 500 monks, a medical clinic, a monastic university, retreat houses, a few nuns residences, guest houses, The Institute, which can house 300 guests and provides space for Rinpoche’s teachings, dwellings, shops, multiple shrine rooms and administrative offices, etc. It’s a village unto itself.
Morning mountain snow
change of season with us now
challenge to stay warm
Rinpoche was learning English, growing up (he and Nancy are the same age, both about to turn 70, so he would have been 26 at that time), apparently sympathetically influenced by the peace and love movement of the 60’s and 70’s, and welcoming of sincere early seekers.
Nancy doesn’t like it when I say this, but it is clear to me, and I’ve seen demonstrations of this over the years, that that first early group of Western students still has a special place in Rinpoche’s heart, in spite of the world wide renown he has subsequently experienced, and the large numbers of people he has subsequently taught and influenced. As one example, when Nancy broke her arm here in 2018, and I was in Thailand, Rinpoche, thinking she was alone (well, she was, for a day; he didn’t know that I came over to Delhi to help her), sent his cousin, a lovely and charming Delhi-ite, and one of his assistants, to visit her at the Apollo Hospital, which, by the way, he had also told her to go to, and offer support.
While we were waiting in the anteroom to see Rinpoche, visiting with Tenam, a Tibetan lama and two Tibetan women were ushered in to see him. Tenam told us that Rinpoche wanted to spend some time with us, so these three were brought in for a short visit first. They might have been in with Rinpoche for 5 minutes. Then we were ushered in.
There he sat, on a low throne, 30 feet from the entrance, thankas behind him and around the room on the walls. We made three prostrations, presented our katas, and were directed to a large cushion to our left of the throne, to be more comfortable.
The visit began. About a half hour later, having listened to Rinpoche talk about various things of some mundane interest to him, including his loss of weight, his having a cold for a few days, the travel restrictions of his Chinese students, pointing out of his now attending lama whom Nancy had cared for when he was a child, during her 1979 time here, and various other matters of no particular importance……..Nancy will point out that he likes to just hang out when he has the opportunity, not teaching, or administering, or retreating, or attending to other official business, or………..the topic of conversation moved over to our concerns about our son and his wife and their marriage.
Over a half hour later, his willingness to listen to our concerns and to consider them in some casual yet meaningful way was somewhat surprising to both of us, not to mention the hour-plus time he took with us altogether. His prayers on others' behalf will no doubt be of significant effect, even though he made a point to say: “don’t expect too much, then everything is a bonus!”
Out of time sharing
golden blessings all around
tea with my guru
Just by the way, Rinpoche asked as we were leaving if we walk in the jungle. Yes, we do. Well, just be aware that he and others have seen a leopard, and a cub, on the monestary grounds, near, in fact, to where my morning walk takes me. Gulp.
