In Retreat with Khenchen Namdrol

After 2 days in Pharping, visiting the caves of Guru Rinpoche and performing an 8hr Guru Tsog with Ralo Rinpoche's monks, me trying to keep up reading only in Tibetan, ringing my bell and rolling my Dharmaru we decided we should got to HH Penor Rinpoche's Vajrakilaya retreat center and see if Khenchen Namdrol was in residence. Khenchen Namdrol is one of the three most senior and realized Khenpo's (scholar) of the Palyul tradition that we practice under HH Penor Rinpoche. Khenchen Namdrol is know for his mastery of the study and practice of Vajrakilaya and the foremost teacher of the Guhyagarbha tantra (the root tantra of Nyingma Mahayoga).
We arrived at the retreat center which is on the edge of town, down a winding walkway on the endge of a hill amidst fields of yellow flowers overlooking the Pharping valley. We entered the retreat center grounds and were met by Maya the Sherpa woman who maintains the temple and attends to Khen Rinpoche. She told us that Khen Rinpoche was in retreat and not available, we told her we were students of HH Penor Rinpoche and if possible we would like to meet with Khen Rinpoche. She spoke with him and we were asked to return the following morning between 9 and 10am.
We came back the following day and Maya asked us to wait in the temple for Khen Rinpoche. As soon as we entered the temple from the fornt door Khenchen Namdrol entered from the back door, we offered three prostations and a white Katak each. We had met him briefly before in 2005 when we visited Pharping and also last summer in Upstate New York at HH Penor Rinpoche's retreat center when he had come to visit HH. We reminded him who we were and we talked for some time. I then asked him if we would be able to receive some teachings from him while we were here in Nepal. He said the time was difficult now as he was doing retreat and also working on many projects. He is currently constructing the entire Shi Tro (100 peacfula and wrathful deity) Mandala in elaborate array of statues that will be housed in a new temple. He has 3 bhutanese men living in the retreat center making the statues from clay dug right out of the ground at the retreat center. We saw some of the statues in there early stages and they were amazing, how clay/dirt had transformed into these elaborate deities with all there various ornamenations was amazing.
I then showed him my text that I received in Dzogchen Monastery and he looked it over carefully, he told me it was a very profound Dzogchen text and written by one of the great masters of the Dzogchen lineage. I asked him if he would consider explaining this text to me. He thought it over and asked me how long I would be staying in Nepal. I said we were planning to attend the Rinchen Terzod in Mindroling Monastery in November. He said that was not enough time but that the Rinchen Terzod would not be translated and that it may not be that beneficial without clear understanding of the empowerments being given only in Tibetan. He said we should consider staying here longer and hinted that he would then possibly give me this teaching.
He then asked us to come and stay at the retreat center. He asked about the practices we had received from HH Penor Rinpoche and then offered us an invitation to a teaching he will be giving in California in May. He will be teaching on one of Longchenpa's seven treasures and this particular text goes into great detail on the Dzogchen practice of Thogal. He said this teaching is closed and only those with his expressed permission will attend but that he would like to invite us to attend free of charge and that he thought it would be very beneficial for us, he thought more beneficial than attending the Rinchen Terzod which surprised me. We accepted botht the invitation to stay at the retreat center and tentatively accepted the invitation to the teaching in may depending upon time, money and unforseen factors.
The following day we moved into the retreat center and it began to sink in just what we had stumbled upon. First our living situation is ideal, we are in a newly constructed guest house inside the retreat center compound that has some 20 rooms and it is completely empty, we are the only people to ever stay in this house other than the 30 westernerns who attend Rigpa Shedra for 4 months each year. They stayed here last year before it was completely built. It has recently been finished, freshly painted and now we were staying here. We have a beautiful room that overlooks the retreat center and off into the mountains, we have a balcony to relax on and the entire rooftop. The bathroom is western with hot showers, sink, toilet etc. The living situation is nothing compared to the ideal practice environment.
I have the rooftop, where no one can see to perform my morning and evening Dzogchen practices which Khenchen has authorized me to practice on the roof. I have an entire temple for just Jenn and I to practice in, it consists of a 20 or so foot statue of Guru Rinpoche consecrated by HH Penor Rinpoche over a 3 day Puja, wall murals depicting the life of the buddha, the 8 manifestations of the Guru, the 25 disciples, the 8 Herukas , the Lama Gongdu deities, the 16 offering goddesses and the painted mandala of the 100 peacfula and wrathful deities. Here we do bodhisattva vow, lineage prayers, Guru Yoga and Shine practices, it is an incredible space and we remain undisturbed in there.
Three stories up is a complete Vajrakilaya shrine room and I am the only one who uses it. Everymorning I do my Kilaya practice for about 1 and 1/2hrs. All the offerings are perfectly arranged and replenished each morning before I arrive. The entire mandala of vajrakilaya is painted on the walls according to the Ratna Lingpa Tradition that we practice. Each deity is clearly depicted and labeled, it has improved my visualization practice tremendously. Not to mention the blessings of HH Penor Rinpoche and Khenchen Namdrols own practice in this temple and the numerous Kilaya pujas that have been performed here. In addition the retreat center is a stone's throw form Yanleshod cave where Guru Rinpoche attained enlightenment and the Asura cave where he practiced Vajrakilaya to completion.
Our Mandala of players on the stage at the retreat center is exceedingly small. There is Khenchen Namdrol who awakes at 3am to perform his daily retreat practices and emerges at 10am to discuss various projects with Tsering the office secretary. He then enters back into retreat until 6pm when he comes to the courtyard in front of the temple and is available to answer our questions and offer his insights about the retreat center, his projects, etc. Hopefully this will be the time when we will receive some teachings from him. There is Maya who is the shrine keeper and Khenchen's attendant. There is the cook who cooks us three delicious fresh meals every day and two teatime chai and biscuits. There is Lopon who teaches the Shedra students when they come and has offered me copies on mp3 of all the Shedra classes so far. There is a Nepali man who tends the garden and there are 3 Bhutanese men working on the statues. There are 7 monks in there last 2 months of 3yr reteat who are never seen and never leave the retreat house and our old lama who turn the prayer wheel constantly day and night. Thats it, so practically speaking, durring our practice day there is no one around and we just practice and take meals without distraction will all the necessary supports for each of our individual practices readily available. Only by the Grace of HH Penor Rinpoche is this possible. It is easy to practice 8+ hours a day and still have time to read Dudjom Rinpoche' Fundamentals and History of Nyingma, relax and spend quality time with Jenn. It is a paradise.
Khenchen has offered that we stay here until Dec 15th when the Shedra students arrive and take over the place, we are still deciding between remaining here in retreat or heading to the Rinchen Terzod, I am waiting for some sort of sign, if Khenchen agrees to give us some teaching we will certainly stay. For now we will just relax in this effortless retreat that his Holiness has seen fit to place us and wait for the next move to make itself evident.