The following was a spontaneous teaching offered by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
Jetsunma on Generosity in America, May 6, 2012
Jetsunma was speaking about His Holiness’ first trip to the United States in 1985
In the beginning when His Holiness came to America, he was angry that people charged for empowerments and for dharma teachings. He was particularly angry when we did, because we were one of his centers, and he didn’t like that. Then we explained to him, “Then we will have to close the doors, because we not only have a monthly mortgage but we are taking care of nuns, and doing all the things that KPC does, which costs at least $9,000 a month [in 1985]. There is no other way to make it. We don’t have any large gendoks. We are not like you who can get these large gendoks. We have no gendoks.” And he started thinking about it, and he said, “Well, I guess this is kaliyuga. And if you have to, you have to.”
So that is when we were permitted. There was no other way to keep the doors open. It was his first visit to the United States, and he really didn’t understand what we were up against, and how proud and opinionated people are here.
People take these things for granted and think that you should do it out of the thin air without supporters. Are you somehow supposed to magically sell a finger every so often so that you can pay for this? Those people never started a center. Those people never started a Temple. Those people don’t feed the ordained. Those people don’t feed poor people. They sit in the ivory tower and they get their special teachings and they don’t pay for them. They don’t make an offering. It’s sick. They make it all about themselves. What about the lama that conferred it? Sure you fed him. But what is he supposed to get home on? What’s he supposed to start his next event on?
We have to be generous, and in this country that’s the only way that you can, because there are no major donors or at least not for us. In some cases a gendok will pay for everything, because they understand the merit, and they understand what’s going to be in their next life. They understand that they are going to have Phowa done for them. They understand a lot more than we do, especially about merit. And so a lot of the really great gendoks who have lots of money, pay for everything. Can you imagine that merit?
I wish I could do that. I wish I could not only run this place, but pay for it too. Wow. But then I want to feed the poor and save all the animals. Save the whales and the planet. Japan. And that’s why I don’t have a nickel to my name. They hardly make nickels anymore. They don’t mean anything. Used to be you could buy a candy bar with them.
Oh well, it is what it is, and we will do what we can do to sally forth.
Listen to the teaching here: Challenges of Generosity in the West
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