Yes, More!!!

Last night Keith reminded me that we had a copy of Nyoshul Khen's "Natural Great Perfection," which neither of us had ever read. So this morning I've been taking a look at it.

In "A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems," Nyoshul Khen does not include his autobigraphy. Instead, Sogyal Rinpoche tells a bit of his story in the Introduction. But in the beginning of, "Natural Great Perfection," Nyoshul Khen tells of his life. Can you believe that he memorized, "the entire 7 Treasures of Longchenpa, as well as both of Longchenpa's renowned trilogies, The Trilogy of Natural Ease and The Trilogy of the Inherent Freedom of Mind, and Jigme Lingpa' s revered Yonten Dzod, The Treasury of Enlightened Qualities"!!!!! He also says that he spent many years at Kathok Monastery in Tibet and that it was called Kathok Dorje Den "meaning Kathok Bodghaya or Kathok vajra-seat of enlightenment because 100,000 yogis achieved rainbow body there!

And to think that two years ago, Keith and I were in the office at Yongey Mingyur's Tergar Monastery in Bodhgaya when suddenly there was this adorable little monk asking over and over in Tibetan, "What's this?" and tugging on Keith's zen! "Have you met Nyoshul Khen?" a woman asked us...ANd then a few months later, Noelle, Minh and I were having lunch in Namdroling's guesthouse and there he was again, the little Nyoshul Khen eating lunch with us...

In his story of himself, Nyoshul Khen also spoke a bit about Khenpo Ngagka (who I mentioned in my previous post) who also goes by yet another name--Ngakgi Wangpo.
This is what Nyoshul Khen says of him:

"He once sat for three years on one meditation seat, without going anywhere. When this grand lama did a three-year meditation retreat, he was in a translucent state of rigpa throughout the entire period; nobody could see a shadow fall from his body for three years. This is absolutely true.

While Khenpo Ngakga was in this meditation, on auspicious days like the tenth of every month-Guru Rinpoche's lunar holiday, and the 15th--the day of the full moon, the 8 auspicious signs would appear on Ngakga's body, because his body was the actual nirmanakaya, the rupakaya, the manifestation on earth of the Buddha.

The Dzogchen tradition states that every one hundred years an enlightened Dzogchen master is emanated from the heart of Vimalamitra to fulfill the Buddha's intent in this world. In the 19th century it was Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, and in the last generation it was Khenpo Ngakga."

Although Holiness was also an emanation of Vimalamitra...

Excerpt

Keith says this blog is schizophrenic--and he's right. You never know what my mind is going to spew: recipes, lists of berries, videos, random sentences, pictures. And for this, I am sorry, but no too sorry. And so, for today's second installment of PaperPinwheel, I give you...

These days I'm tackling Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche's huge, "A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems." Within the pages of this unbelievable book I found a prayer which was written by Khenpo Ngakchung AKA Khenpo Ngawang Palzang AKA Khenpo Ngaga. The second Penor Rinpoche was one of his heart sons. Here are some excerpts:

While the Lord of Death hounds me from behind,
Days, months, years--time draws me onward from in front,
And in between, I'm seduced and enthralled by distraction.
There's a danger--that, without ever realizing it, I'll be completely deceived:
Longchenpa, father of mine, look on me with all your compassion!

All things in samsara and nirvana are devoid of any substance.
This body will not last and has no reality of its own.
Like the rainbow that arches across the sky,
It is taken as real, but fades into thin air:
Longchenpa, father of mine, look on me with all your compassion!

By marking even the smallest failing in others,
But failing ever to notice how rotten I am inside,
By constantly fooling and misleading people,
Aren't I just purchasing my own misery?
Longchenpa, father of mine, look on me with all your compassion!

Because of all this, I feel my heart breaking in sorrow,
And I pray now to all the buddhas,
For the beings of this degenerate age, and
Especially those like me, who just bear the likeness of practitioners:
Longchenpa, father of ours, look on us with all your compassion!