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On Kalachakra, A personal account from Thubten
Nyingpo:
Hi, A couple of interesting (perhaps) points (in addition to the ones already made)....... I attended the Kalachakra given by His Holiness in Siliguri in December 1996 (actually it was the three days over Xmas). That was (reputedly) the largest gathering for the Kalachakra in history. There were over 250,000 people attending (I certainly believe this), but, ironically, very few non-Tibetans (because it was not advertised anywhere. I only learned of it because I have a friend who worked in Tibet House in New York). Anyway, Siliguri is very near to Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet itself so it was relatively easily accessible to such a huge number of indigenous people. During the introductory discourse (after having taught the 37 Practices of All Bodhisattvas, by Togmay Zanpo for 5 days) His Holiness told a story about the history of the Kalachakra practice I had never heard before or since. He said that after the Kalachakra had been taught by the Buddha in India it eventually moved "northwest" (from Bodhgaya) and, due to politics and war, eventually completely disappeared from the Sub-Continent (of India) for many years. However, it was very strongly practiced by those in the "northwest" even though it no longer existed India at all. (A quick aside here is that I have visited a place near to Tholing in far southwestern Tibet where it is said that the Kalachakra was practiced strongly for hundreds of years. This area is so close to far northwestern India [India still asserts that this is India and not China] that it is a very restricted and even Tibetans are restricted from there unless they are native to the area. In any case, it is quite a place and it takes no imagination at all to be convinced that the area was incredibly blessed by many generations of an entire society of yogis and yoginis. The place fairly "oozes" tantra and devotion and this is reflected in the caves, stupas and architecture in the area. Tholing itself [not far away] reflects the same "Indo-Nepali" style in art and architecture. The place is positively magic. Also, in 1970 I was in Bamian (long before the Taliban blew up the Buddhas there - but that is a whole other story) in Afghanistan and went all the way northeast into what was known as Bactria in the days of the Silk Route. The incredibly strong influence of Buddhist culture [likely from the influence of Ashoka is everywhere. However, also the strong influence of the Greeks, especially in sculpture [likely from the influence of Alexander] is very apparent as well. Though Ashoka and Alexander were not exact contemporaries, they did live within 50 or 60 years of each other. There are some Buddhist historians [one that I know personally] who feel that the Kalachakra tantra was even preserved in Babylon and Alexandria, but that is just speculation. As yet, there is no real evidence of this. So back to the story told by His Holiness..........The Kalachakra was not practiced in India for hundreds of years until eventually, again because of politics and war the practice "re-migrated" from the northwest and back to the Sub-Continent. Because it was unknown by the luminaries of the time (His Holiness did not say who they were) there was debate as to whether Kalachakra was even a Buddhist practice or not. His Holiness said that 5 adept yogis (again His Holiness did not say who they were) met together to discuss the situation. They decided that they would study the Kalachakra together until they all felt that they had a comprehensive understanding of the practice (both generation and completion stages of it). They then made a pact. They would each go to a place far away from each other and practice the Kalachakra separately for an extended, but mutually agreed upon period of time, (His Holiness did not say how long) after which they would reconvene and discuss their experiences. His Holiness said that during that time they all attained perfect Buddhahood so that when they reconvened it was unanimous. They all agreed that the Kalachakra, indeed was a Buddhist practice! Then His Holiness burst out laughing. During those days in Siliguri I was fortunate enough to get a press pass so I was able to attend a small press conference with His Holiness. Most of the Indian press were adamant about asking His Holiness political questions, which he refused to answer. When he saw my hand go up he looked relieved and pointed right at me. "Yes" What is your question?" "Your Holiness, I first attended the Kalachakra empowerment given by you in Bodhgaya in January of 1974. At that time it was rumored among the new Western Buddhists that it was important for us to receive this empowerment because the Dalai Lama only imparts this empowerment 3 times in one lifetime. This is the 25th time you given given the Kalachakra since leaving Tibet. Would Your Holiness please comment on this?" His Holiness then checked with his translator, Geshe Thubten Jinpa, to make certain he understood my question, then he looked directly at me and said, "There is no tradition at all that says the Dalai Lama should only give this empowerment 3 times in one lifetime. That was just a rumor. " Then with a mischievous smile he went on. "There ARE some teachings that are only given one time by one teacher to one student only one time in one lifetime, but the Kalachakra is not one of them." Then he continued, "Of course, the Kalachakra was rarely given in Tibet. That is because of its isolation. It was very difficult to accumulate all of the substances, for example for the sand mandala and so forth, for the empowerment. So the empowerment with the sand mandala was rare in Tibet. However, that is no longer the case. I am the Dalai Lama so I should make this practice as available as I can. "Now to your question as to why I give it so often." Again, he smiled, "It is my trick. It is like bait. If it is announced that the Dalai Lama will give teachings on some philosophical or meditational text then not many people will gather. But when word travels that the Dalai Lama will give the complete Kalachakra empowerment then people will come from everywhere. Now they are in my trap and I use the opportunity to teach them Dharma." Laughter. "Also, when there is such a large concentration of people all directing their hearts and prayers to a singe purpose, there is some special power in that. Lastly, there is an economical reason." Another grin. "I send some of my 'spies' around in the great gathering of people and I asked them to find out for me how much money people spend at an event like this. They told me that is seems that probably spend around 1000 rupees a day (then about 20 dollars U.S), which includes their travel, accommodation, food, business and so forth. So even if half that much is exchanged by 250,000 people then I think that is very good for the local economy." More laughter. On a more serious note, what Namdrol, along with his other points, said about rebirth in Shambala is important. The lore is that when people's mind stream is imprinted with this empowerment it creates the cause to gather in Shambala as the "times" get darker and darker. Certainly, it is not the same but the thought is interestingly analogous to the Ghost Dance of the Piute Indians that was outlawed by the Congress of the United States in the latter part of the 19th Century. ----- Original Message -----
From: lupidus108
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 3:24 PM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Send the Dalai Lama a 70th birthday
greeting > on 6/16/05 2:29 PM, lupidus108 at [EMAIL PROTECTED]... wrote: > > > --- In [email protected], Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]...> wrote: > >> Send the Dalai Lama a 70th birthday greeting > >> > >> Dear Friend of the Dalai Lama, > >> On July 6th, 2005, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, will > >> turn 70. > >> > >> Here is a unique opportunity to wish the Dalai Lama a happy birthday. > > > > Why ? He is definately a nice fellow, but "just a politician" (MMY). > > Why the fuss about a politicians birthday ? > > A polite one anyway. The Dalai Lama, if he had chosen to stoop to M's level, > could have retorted that M was "just a businessman." Was ? Maharishi answered a question to the status of the Dalai Lama, to which he had to state the obvious to all but the NewAge/Bhuddist/peaceloving- dreamers: "Just a politician." Not unlike when he lectured in a school in India asscociated with their particular famous Yogi and stated that he was "very weak", instantly causing havoc. But at a second, objective thought, Maharishi was spot on as always. The Dalai Lama might be clever at such, and polite as you stress, but nevertheless just another clever and good politician - he didn't receive the Nobel Peace Price just out of the blue. It is obvious to everyone from this comment that Rick Archer have no clue whatsoever as to the status of MMY. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links
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