Photo of the Day: Guru Rinpoche and Mandarava

1 thought on “Photo of the Day: Guru Rinpoche and Mandarava”

1. Beautiful.

   I remember this amazing chod practitioner I met just outside Vancouver, Canada. She was from Poland, in her 60s I think. Thrangu Rinpoche treated her with great respect and kept telling her not to rise when they came in the room, tried to stop her from prostrating to him. She would insist, though her health was poor and it was hard for her to stand. I helped her do what she wanted, acting as her walking stick. 😀 Pretty much all I was good for in those teachings, lol.

   She also ignored the lunchtime chatter, instead preferring to stay in the temple and gaze at the images of the Buddhas. I admired her devotion and ability to disregard distraction.

   At the end of the chod teachings, in a heart-to-heart, she told me that she had done the first three year retreat for westerners given by Kalu Rinpoche. She had this recognition of samsara that never left her, she said, even though got married, had kids. Samsara never hooked her again. She had seen how Hitler treated the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. In appreciation for my help, she taught me what she’d learned, and there is no doubt in my mind that she’s got some realization and her renunciation of samsara is complete.

   She abandoned her worldly life to practice chod in Canada at a retreat center. She’s practiced over 30 years. She had cataracts, bad teeth, no health care, and her daughter was worried about her, but she was happy.

   Whenever people say “Oh, Dharma’s not working in the west blah-blah,” I think of her. Her and everyone I’ve met whose teachers have said they’ve accomplished have all practiced for 30-35 years and done long retreats. They run Dharma centers and teach and translate and do for others. They’ve given up a lot for Dharma. The only people who think it doesn’t happen are the ones who want it in a day.

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