MAY 2003

A N E W S L E T T E R O F S I D D H A RT H A’ S I N T E N T
IN THIS ISSUE • THE VAST ATTITUDE OF BODHICITTA • PARINIRVANA OF CHAGDUD RINPOCHE • KHANDRO LHAMO • INTERVIEW WITH CHANGLING RINPOCHE
 THE VAST ATTITUDE
OF BODHICITTA
DZONGSAR KHYENTSE RINPOCHE
Photo Jerry Epps
Puja at Vajradhara Gonpa, March 2003
As I must have told you a hundred million times if you
are practising ngöndro, The Words of My Perfect Teacher
is the best accompanying text. Though I have read this
book so many times, I still find there are many things in
it to read. And it’s very easy to understand. That’s how
Patrul Rinpoche taught. He actually tried to write things
in a very simple language. He used common examples
relating to Tibetan culture such as nomads. And though,
at times, some of the examples can be quite obscure for
some of us, still, I haven’t seen a book that’s as far-
sighted as this one. It really deals with everything, and
remains really up to date. And the part where he is sort
of ruthlessly sarcastic about teachers is something very,
very timely.
This book alone should be like a guardian of Vajrayana
Buddhism. It exemplifies how to read a master, how to
judge a master and how to judge a practitioner. Of course,
every page is very important and, although you can’t
really leave anything out, in our minds we tend to divide
like that. We think, ‘This or that is more important.’ So
some of the more important and crucial instructions I will
extract.
2 - Gentle Voice
To use the analogy of bushland, many of us are not good
at having a really long walk in the bush. Then again, I
think there are some who, even without being familiar
with a particular bushland, know how to sort of get
around. It is like being an alchemist and having a certain
method that can turn iron into gold. It could be a very
simple method, like that of a practised mechanic, for
instance. Let’s say you have a problem with your car and
you try to fix it in all kinds of ways. But then along comes
this really experienced mechanic who has this certain
something that acts as a catalyst; perhaps with just one
wire they can fix your car and everything is alright.
Anyway, Patrul Rinpoche talks about two attitudes. It is
just incredible the way he presents things. It’s so simple
and so kind of ordinary that it almost gets lost in the
midst of these pages. But he has written about this
catalyst, the vast attitude of bodhicitta and the vast skilful
means, the attitude of the secret Mantrayana.
The vast attitude of bodhicitta is something he
emphasises right from the beginning. Generally, when
we look at the situation, we think that uprooting
ignorance - getting rid of this attachment to the self, of
these seemingly infinite emotions, habitual patterns,
inhibitions, and achieving so-called enlightenment,
becoming an omniscient being, becoming an omnipotent
being - these things seem beyond our reach. It’s almost
unachievable. Let’s forget about all the emotions, just one
emotion, one single habitual pattern or a single hang-up -
that alone takes years to get rid of!
Here we are talking about getting rid of thousands and
millions of infinite emotions and habitual patterns. Just
having one enlightened quality, how difficult is that? Or
simply having one good quality, just being a loving and
kind person, this really takes a long time to achieve. So
enlightenment within this life or enlightenment within
the next life, all this is like wishful thinking. There is the
whole common vehicle where the path invokes us to
renounce home, belongings and possessions and directs
us to try to get rid of attachment to all kinds of things,
but this is difficult to achieve.
It’s like you are a traveller, a bush-walker in this case, one
with no map and no experience. The only thing you have
is this urge to go from here to there and the only thing
that you want is to get out of this lost situation. That’s all
you have. But actually, even that is something that most
deluded beings don’t have. They almost give up. They
think, ‘I might as well make my home in the bush.’ But
for some of us, we sense that perhaps there is a path,
maybe there is a way out. But then we go around and
around and around. And when we go around too much,
we begin to lose our courage and our inspiration because
the path is too long; the path is too long-winded. There’s
so much hardship, and there are so many good, desirable
things to give up. For us enlightenment is only an idea at
the moment. At times, when we do intensive meditation,
as a post-meditation reaction we have some kind of
blissful situation, but that doesn’t last long.
So because of all this, what we need is a kind of catalyst,
something that these alchemists have. We need something
very simple that will make the path right, something that
will make the path easy, achievable, and something that
will bypass all these difficulties. And that is the vast
attitude of bodhicitta and the vast skilful means, the
attitude of the secret Mantrayana.
And this is something we usually lack. If you have this
vast attitude of bodhicitta, for example, then before doing
a so-called virtuous act like prostrations it is a matter of
having this attitude, ‘I will do this, not for myself, but for
the sake of all sentient beings.’ See, it takes care of it. Why
are you so frustrated on the path? It is because you are
doing it for yourself. In a strange way you are already
frustrated right from the beginning, but if you are doing
it for the sake of all sentient beings, there is no
frustration. You are doing it for all sentient beings, not for
yourself.
Loss of inspiration or loss of diligence has no room to
enter if you really, really do it for the sake of sentient
beings. In fact, if you really manage to have that within
you, diligence and inspiration grow and you will almost
feel quite responsible.
Not only actions such as prostrations or chanting
mantras, but even a mundane but probably good deed
such as sweeping the floor of a temple, cleaning the toilet
of a monastery, dharma centre, hospital or lunatic asylum,
or saving the environment - all the things that modern
people are kind of inspired to do these days - begin
everything with bodhicitta. (Like with saving the
environment, some of us even try to refuse this
polystyrene container, which they serve in McDonalds.)
You perhaps feel alone, trying to save the environment.
Millions and millions of people are not doing it. In this
sense, it is almost painful. But why are you in pain? You
are doing it without the bodhicitta attitude. You actually
believe in it in a very rigid way. Lacking this idea of
sentient beings, you are doing this in a very rigid way.
You believe in a certain philosophy, some kind of
ideology - that’s why you are doing it.
I’m not denigrating saving the environment. What I am
saying is, as we begin this action, whether it be refusing
to use polystyrene or whatever, this should be
accompanied by bodhicitta, ‘I will not go to McDonalds
for the sake of all sentient beings.’ And while you do this
- again this is so important - that action should be
accompanied by bodhicitta mind. What does that do? For
so many of the so-called environmentalists, vegetarians
and so forth, since they don’t do it with bodhicitta, they
have this pride. It becomes an idea for them. They are
fixated towards this. They look down on people who are
not doing it, and it actually becomes a painful process for
them.
Whereas when this action is accompanied by bodhicitta
while you are doing it, then not only does it bring relative
bodhicitta, but eventually it also leads to ultimate
bodhicitta. You realise that, after all, this is just your own
mind. This is only your idea. This is your mind. This is
your fixation. This is a certain path that you are inspired
by now. You can see this by judging your own life. From
when you were young until now, how many times have
you changed your ideology? These days, in your mind,
macrobiotic food may be the latest fashion, but how long
will that last? All it takes is someone whom you trust, on
a certain day and at a certain time. Should this person tell
you, ‘Actually you should eat egg because if you only eat
a macrobiotic diet, you might have hair growing from
your eyes or something.’ Overnight you will change that
attachment. This again shows a lack of bodhicitta.
At the end of the action, be it prostrations or cleaning the
toilet, whatever, if you have that bodhicitta again, that’s
the dedication. So what does this do? A person who has
bodhicitta is like an alchemist - every action is sprinkled
with this bodhicitta powder and everything becomes the
bodhisattva path. That is what Patrul Rinpoche is saying
and that is something really important not to miss.
Cover photo: Sonam Kinga as the monk in Travellers and
Magicians, in front of an image of Guru Rinpoche painted on a
rock face (photo by Rasa; copyright PFP 2003)
Gentle Voice - 3
 PA R I N I RVA N A O F
CHAGDUD
RINPOCHE
After Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s parinirvana in 1987,
Chagdud Rinpoche spoke to his sangha in Boulder,
Colorado. The following is a weaving together of
Chagdud Rinpoche’s teaching at that time (the italicised
paragraphs) and my own experience of his parinirvana
in the early morning hours of Sunday, 17 November
2002. There are many ways to write this story, with
various kinds of emphasis. My main wish here is to
encourage you as practitioners to treasure the details of
your lama’s living manifestation even as you aspire to
realise the essence of their wisdom.
Chagdud Khadro, Três Coroas, Brazil, April 2003
When the teacher passes away, it’s rather like the sun setting. It
seems that the sun has disappeared, but we’ve simply lost sight
of it from the perspective of where we stand on the earth. Just as
the sun passes from our view when the earth turns, when the
karma between a teacher and a student changes, we can no
longer see the teacher, even though he’s not really gone.
We - Chagdud Rinpoche’s old students who had
weathered so many health crises with him - expected to
have the classic dreams that forewarn of the death of a
high lama, like the sudden setting of the sun or the moon.
Such dreams had occurred before and we had rallied with
intense longevity practices to avert their portents. This
time dreams and signs surfaced, as well as symptoms that
his huge, compassionate old heart was faltering in its
4 - Gentle Voice
physical effort, but they remained opaque to us. We dared
not interpret the obvious.
Rinpoche himself was a consummate actor - a psychic
once commented to him, “You are having a fine time
acting like you are in that body” - and in the last week of
his life he brilliantly and spontaneously staged the final
scenes of his last act. On Tuesday he ended a retreat.
About the same time that his retreat ended, he
experienced acute difficulty in breathing and heart pain.
His attendant, Lama Sherab, who is a trained nurse,
pleaded with him to cancel a p’howa retreat scheduled for
the next weekend and to visit his cardiologist in São
Paulo instead. Rinpoche adamantly refused and so the
p’howa retreat, with its three hundred participants,
remained scheduled.
The students need to do what the teacher has asked. It won’t
work to simply pray repeatedly, “Please come back.” The
teacher couldn’t stop from coming back if each student’s
commitment was directly fulfilling his wishes. The fulfillment
of his intention and purpose would naturally cause the sun of
his existence to reflect on that body of water.
On Wednesday Rinpoche finished a statue of Amitabha
Buddha that he and one of his students had sculpted in
the room next door to his retreat quarters. Rinpoche
enjoyed sculpting tremendously, not the tedious
smoothing of clay or wax, but working in cement where a
certain degree of roughness gives power to the image.
When Dzongsar Khyentse visited Khadro Ling in 2001,
Rinpoche had shoved all the furniture in the living-room
aside and was working with a group of artists on a
fifteen-foot nimbus for a statue of Akshobhya Buddha. As
I started to apologise to Khyentse Rinpoche for the
hubbub and dust just outside his room, he turned to me
and smiled. “Rinpoche has always liked this kind of
thing.”
Chagdud Rinpoche was delighted to finish the Amitabha
statue, which will now be placed in the dharmakaya
mandala of a Padmasambhava Palace - a replica of Guru
Rinpoche’s celestial mansion on the Glorious Copper-
Coloured Mountain. Constructing the Palace was
Rinpoche’s last major project, one that we feared would
be impossible to carry through if he died, one that seems
impossible not to carry through now. Just as Trungpa
Rinpoche’s sangha inherited the noble aspiration to build
the Great Stupa, our sangha has inherited the Palace as
Rinpoche’s chosen field of merit and wisdom. The
Chagdud Gonpa lamas have been extremely supportive,
several of them re-prioritising their personal dharma
activities so that the Palace will happen well. It will house
sacred images of the nirmanakaya, sambhoghakaya and
dharmakaya deities, and a stupa that will contain
Rinpoche’s relics.
When our teachers are here with us, they give us practices.
They mean for us to use them. That’s the teacher’s blessing, the
teacher’s gift. When we approach that gift with faith, that faith
and the teacher’s blessings unite and realisation is
accomplished. Our faith always has the capacity to unite
inseparably with the lama’s blessings, which don’t disappear
when the teacher passes. Like a hook and ring, the hook of the
lama’s compassion is always there if one is able to make a ring
of themselves through receptivity, effort and faith.
On Thursday afternoon Rinpoche slowly made his way
up the stairs to my retreat quarters in the cupola of the
temple. I was one year and five months into a three-year
retreat. In the last year of his life, Rinpoche was quiet and
very spacious. He didn’t enjoy situations that involved
lots of concepts and talk. In the cupola he would look out
the window toward the south, a view of fifty kilometres
on a clear day. Sometimes I would relax and simply abide
in his presence, but more often I would try to engage his
attention with inconsequential chatter, probably being
rather tiresome. That day he talked more than usual,
about things at Khadro Ling and about the war looming
between the U.S. and Iraq. He also mentioned that this
time no signs of longevity accomplishment had arisen
during his retreat while previously they had always come
quickly. The meaning of this did not fully register with
me because he passed it on in a casual, bemused tone of
voice. But, when he left, descending the stairs so very
slowly, I noticed how fragile, how almost transparent his
appearance was. I closed the door and wept.
On Friday the p’howa retreat began. By now Lama Sherab,
thoroughly alarmed at Rinpoche’s symptoms, had
ordered a medical evacuation plane to stand by, ready to
fly him to São Paulo at a moment’s notice. But teaching
energised Rinpoche and he taught with even greater
vigour than usual, his condition hidden to all but his
closest disciples. Many people who attended those last
teachings were new to dharma and many found their
lives transformed. As always, he placed strong emphasis
on pure motivation. Often the main part of his teaching
would be about bodhicitta, no matter what the title of the
teaching had promised, but this time he shortened his
presentation, saying “We only two days time have.”
Whispering followed. He was informed that three days
were scheduled. But indeed there were only two.
There are two aspects to the teacher. The symbolic teacher is the
one that lives with us, helps and teaches us. The absolute
teacher is our own absolute nature. The symbolic teacher’s
wisdom nature and our own absolute nature are inseparable.
Now it appears to us that there’s a separation between us and
the teacher. Through faith and practice that fictitious boundary
dissolves and the truth of our nature, which is none other than
the lama, dawns in our own experience.
On Saturday Rinpoche’s symptoms were so pronounced
that he agreed to fly to São Paulo in the afternoon. But
again he postponed the trip, saying he would leave early
Sunday morning. People in distant places began to have
extraordinary experiences. His son, Jigme Tromge
Rinpoche, received a cell phone call while standing in a
huge discount store in California. The message he first
heard was, “Rinpoche says he is going to go.” Initially he
was shocked, but then he understood what actually had
been said, that Rinpoche would go to São Paulo the next
day. Other people had dreams and unusual meditation
experiences involving Rinpoche.
Up in the cupola, I could hear his voice, distant but
amplified. I was amazed at its power and resonance and
that he continued to teach until nine p.m. Later I would
hear that he was in wonderful spirits after the teaching,
watching BBC news in his bedroom while people packed
and prepared for the São Paulo trip, which required
leaving the house at five a.m.
Instead, shortly after four a.m, Rinpoche sat up in bed
and his physical heart failed him. But not his great heart-
mind, the seat of his meditation. For five days afterwards,
he remained in t’hug dam, a state of meditation in which
vital signs have ceased but the mind rests in the body.
There was no deterioration whatsoever, only a very
visible radiance. To witness this, to meditate with
Rinpoche during this time - whether in his direct physical
presence or in the presence of his pervasive blessings -
was truly to know the power and brilliance of a master’s
mind once it finds release from the shell of the body.
On the morning of the fifth day, because of pressure from
the Brazilian authorities, Jigme Rinpoche and the other
Tibetan lamas who had joined us at Khadro Ling
prepared to perform a ceremony asking Rinpoche to end
his meditation. Just before they entered his room, he
spontaneously left his body, which allowed us to deal
with authorities and to take his kudun (the honorific
Tibetan word for the corporeal remains of a master) to his
retreat centre in Parping, Nepal, where ceremonies were
performed for forty-nine days, as well as at Khadro Ling
and at Rigdzin Ling in northern California.
The ceremonies were not exactly for Rinpoche. They were
for us, to heal our sorrow and to create the auspicious
interdependence for his future incarnations and the
continuance of his activities. He once reminded us that he
had been a very naughty boy early in this life, and he
warned us that being a tulku was a lot of suffering, for
the tulku, for the parents and for everyone invested in the
tulku’s strict training. After such a fruitful life and such a
magnificent end-of-life transition, we offer our prayers
that he returns to this world just as he would choose,
finds all possible conditions that accord with his
enlightened intent and rejoins us with his physical
presence. But we also know he never left.
When a great master dies, there follows a period during which
blessings descend upon whoever prays with devotion. This is
the moment to pray for your highest aspirations to be realised.
Gentle Voice - 5
 Khandro Lhamo
Photo Béatrice Reuillard
Shechen Monastery
April, 2003
Khandro Lhamo, the wife of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche,
passed away on Sunday, 30 March at 7.20 p.m. in Nepal
after a brief illness. She was 90 years old. After passing
away, according the instructions of Kyabje Trülshik
Rinpoche, she was immediately brought back to her
residence at Shechen Monastery, where she remained in
what is regarded as continued meditation for some 64
hours, until noon Wednesday, 2 April. During this time
her heart remained warm and her body supple, with no
signs of decay. After the completion of this period, her
body was transferred to a wooden container where it will
remain until the cremation, scheduled for late June.
Prior to passing away she had asked the monastery to
conduct the sadhana of Khandro Sangdü, originally a
visionary teaching cycle established by the thirteenth
century dakini Jomo Menmo and later revived in the
nineteenth century by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. On
the morning of the sixth day of the practice, Sunday, there
were indications that she would pass away: within the
mandala of a group of five vases holding green sprigs on
the shrine, the sprigs in the vase in the west, symbolising
life, withered, and Khandro-la passed away that very
evening. After her passing, the monks of the monastery
continued the practice, and will continue for some days
yet. The monks of the monastery will be conducting the
sadhana of Vajrasattva for the following seven weeks.
6 - Gentle Voice
Her grandson Rabjam Rinpoche, other teachers, and her
daughter Chime Wangmo were with her when she died.
She clearly indicated her wishes and prepared herself
fully for death. The reincarnation of her late husband,
Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, was attending teachings with
Penor Rinpoche in southern India, but had called his own
parents and had insisted that his mother, Mayum Dechen-
la, go to the hospital to assist. Khandro-la had no
apprehension of death during her illness, and prior to her
passing Rabjam Rinpoche told her that now was the time
to apply her practice and merge with the guru’s wisdom.
She smiled, and turned to him, “I’m dying now, aren’t I?”
she said. One of the very close disciples of Khyentse
Rinpoche, Senge Trakpa Rinpoche, gave her the
instructions on how to die, and immediately after that she
passed on.
Fulfilling his teachers’ predictions, Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche married Khandro-la when she was a young girl.
She stayed in retreat with him for many years and
travelled with him throughout Tibet, receiving
empowerments and teachings. In the late fifties,
accompanied by their two daughters and a small group of
disciples, they escaped from Tibet to Bhutan.
Khandro Lhamo was a devout and highly attained
practitioner, a powerful presence, yet humble. She was an
accomplished doctor of Tibetan medicine, and helped
build and maintain Shechen Monastery in Nepal.
Khandro-la was a wonderful raconteur, witty and
straightforward, and would tell fascinating stories about
her life with Rinpoche.
After Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's passing in 1991, she
lived at the Shechen Orgyen Chözong Nunnery in
Bhutan, and worked with Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche on
expanding those facilities for women.
Her main practice during her lifetime was Kechari, an
aspect of Vajrayogini, and she prayed to be reborn in the
pure land of Sukhavati. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche would
extol the benefits of rebirth in the buddha field of Guru
Padmasambhava, and Rabjam Rinpoche recalls the mock
disputes between his grandparents about which of the
two buddha fields was preferable.
According to instructions from Trülshik Rinpoche, her
body will be preserved until the cremation in July. For the
next seven weeks, the monks of Shechen Monastery will
perform the sadhana of Vajrasattva. The cremation
ceremony will be presided over by Trülshik Rinpoche.
 NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT
SEA TO SKY RETREAT CENTRE
New retreat house at Sea to Sky Retreat Centre
From Sea to Sky Retreat Centre outside Vancouver, the
Building Committee reports on astonishing changes
made over recent months.
The planning and focus of the SSRC Master Development
Plan continued throughout 2001 and into the early
months of 2002. The tremendous amount of time and
effort that was put into this planning paid off, with the
Master Plan being accepted by the municipal planning
authorities in early March 2002.
Then the building quickly got under way, with the first
major project being the construction of the barn, which
was completed by mid-summer. This large structure now
houses the centre’s new pick-up truck, various vehicles
and other equipment. It also provides a safe, dry storage
place for building materials and supplies. There is a large
upstairs loft, running almost the full length of the
building, which can be used for overflow sleeping
accommodation, and was used for that purpose during
one programme last summer.
Upon completion of the barn, work commenced on the
construction of the four-bedroom retreat house. The
building was completely closed in before the arrival of
winter weather and the centre’s winter shutdown period.
The final interior finishing (flooring, painting, light
fixtures), kitchen cabinets, appliances, bathroom fixtures
and room furnishings will be completed this spring. It
will be open to retreatants hopefully by July 2003.
Photo Doug Rickson
Of course, with all these buildings being added, new
water, gas and electricity lines, sewage systems, and an
upgraded hydro system had to be put into place. This
work was done with the objective of centralising the
propane system and bringing all services for the entire
property up to code, while providing the new buildings
with the necessary utilities. The upgraded hydro system
has provided a substantial increase in power availability,
while utilising less water. This is quite an
accomplishment!
Obtaining site approval for the new construction of the
two isolated retreat cabins required the blasting of a large
overhanging rock that threatened the location from
uphill. This was an exciting event that was accomplished
without mishap in the fall of 2002. A new access road was
constructed to the site, and the cabins will be built this
coming summer.
Considering the magnitude of this ongoing project, things
have run very smoothly, and our heartfelt thanks go to a
very dedicated, hard-working group of people: the on-site
SSRC staff, the building committee and the many
volunteers.
We hope that many of you will accept our invitation to
come to SSRC in the near future to visit, attend teachings
and perhaps do retreat.
Gentle Voice - 7
I N T E RCHANGLING
V I RINPOCHE
E W
Rinpoche, firstly welcome to Australia. Could you tell us
a little bit about yourself because many of our readers
don’t know you yet.
I come from a Tibetan family from central Tibet. My
family belongs to the Sakya lineage. I was born in
Kalimpong in India, near the Himalayas. Until I was ten
years old I studied in an English school in India, called Dr
Graham’s Home. (Dr Graham was Scottish.) Then at the
age of ten, suddenly my parents got a letter from His
Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Penor Rinpoche
together, saying that their son had been recognised as the
tulku of Changchub Ling Monastery. My grandmother
was quite shocked. She looked into who was saying such
things and found out that it was a yogi called Lama
Takden, a student of the previous Changchub Lingpa and
even of His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche. He had gone to
see Khyentse Rinpoche who was at Mysore, at Penor
Rinpoche’s monastery, at that time. Khyentse Rinpoche
was giving some teachings there and he requested
Khyentse Rinpoche to recognise the tulku of Changchub
Lingpa. Khyentse Rinpoche and Penor Rinpoche did this
together. So when I was eleven I joined His Holiness’s
monastery, Shechen Monastery.
For one year I studied how to read and write. Then, when
I was twelve years old, His Holiness Khyentse Rinpoche
started the shedra or philosophical school. There were
many monks who wanted to join the shedra, so Khyentse
Rinpoche selected ten monks by doing mo or divination.
But when he saw my name, he said there was no need to
do a mo, just let him join!
Actually, most people join the shedra when they are
sixteen or seventeen; first they have to undertake
preliminary studies. But I didn’t do that; I went straight
into the shedra. Then, when I was fifteen, His Holiness
passed away. At sixteen I started giving teachings to other
monks. And at the age of eighteen Rabjam Rinpoche sent
me down to Penor Rinpoche’s shedra for one year to
complete studies on the Prajnaparamita or perfection of
wisdom. After that I returned to Shechen Monastery. We
have to study for nine years altogether, but we had to
stay an extra year because when His Holiness passed
away there was no study. So I finished the shedra when I
was twenty-one years old. At the age of twenty I took the
full monk’s ordination from Trülshik Rinpoche. By this
time I had received many transmissions and teachings
from His Holiness Khyentse Rinpoche, Penor Rinpoche,
Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche, Trülshik Rinpoche and Rabjam
Rinpoche.
8 - Gentle Voice
When I finished my studies at the shedra, I started to give
more teachings to monks. Now I’m twenty-five and Ani
Tenzin Wangmo has asked me to come here.
Could you tell us what your role is at Shechen Monastery
now?
I take care of a section of the monastery called dratsang,
which literally means ‘the collection of monks’. There I
give teachings on rituals and I take care of the ritual
tradition of Shechen. I also give teachings to the shedra,
especially on the tantra of the Nyingma tradition.
Rinpoche, you mentioned that you’re recognised as a
reincarnation of Changchub Lingpa. Does he have a monastery
in Tibet?
Yes, it’s in the Tsang region, near Shigatse. These days it’s
only a two-hour drive from Shigatse. The name of the
monastery is Changchub Ling.
Have you visited the monastery, Rinpoche?
No, not yet.
While teaching on combining tantra and sutra practices, you
spoke of the five stages of experience in shamatha meditation.
Could you please describe these five stages?
The five stages of experiences are a way, according to the
Nyingma or old translation school, of categorising the
gradual development of meditative experience. The first
of these is the experience of movement, which is
compared to a mountain cascade. When one begins to
train in the practice of shamatha, a lot of agitated thoughts
will arise. That’s why this is categorised as the experience
of movement. The second experience is referred to as the
experience of attainment. The simile here is that of the
water flowing in a gorge. Here there’s still the movement
of thought; however, these thoughts have been imbued
with the experience of shamatha. The third experience is
that of familiarisation and this is likened to a smoothly
flowing river. Here the coarse thoughts have almost
subsided. They’re not entirely gone, but they’re generally
pacified.
The fourth experience is known as the experience of
stability and is likened to the waves on an ocean. The
coarse thoughts have subsided at this point. There are still
thought movements, which are then like the waves of an
ocean. And if you look at an ocean from afar, it looks as if
there’s nothing moving; but if you come close of course

you see the waves on the ocean. The fifth experience is
the experience of perfection, which is like a mountain.
And here all the coarse and subtle thoughts have
subsided, that is, all those thoughts inherent to the realm
of desire. Here nothing whatsoever can disturb the mind
and it’s like an ocean, where there’s movement of
thought, but the bottom of the ocean is completely still.
And likewise, the mountain is completely undisturbed.
Having completed these five stages of experiences, then
one will remain in what is known as the one-pointed
abiding in the realm of desire. According to His Holiness
Khyentse Rinpoche, there are many ways of explaining
the gradual progression of shamatha practice, but the five
experiences encompass all possible meditative
experiences.
Could we talk briefly about the Northern Treasures,
Rinpoche? Namkhai Nyingpo Rinpoche has visited Australia
and told us something of these treasures. You’re also interested
in the Northern Treasures?
Actually, Changchub Ling lineage belongs to the tradition
of the Northern Treasures. So, at Changchub Ling
Monastery, the main practice is the Northern Treasures,
which is one of the main treasures of Guru Rinpoche. His
Holiness Dilgo Khyentse used to say that the Northern
Treasures is like a minister. A minister is someone who has
to relate to people at all levels; he has to be able to relate
to people at the highest level, such as a king, and he also
has to be able to relate to ordinary people. So the Northern
Treasures comprises teachings from the very highest, from
the peak of all the teachings, the Great Perfection, down
through all the lower philosophical vehicles or yanas.
And not only that, even down to ordinary activities such
as how to tend to farming, how to sow and how to tend
to the crops. As Guru Padmasambhava was about to
depart for the Copper-Coloured Mountain and was
residing at the Gungtang in Mangyaul, he miraculously
manifested and concealed a treasure near a place called
Photo Chime Leschly
Zang Zang Lhadrak. The Northern Treasures was one of the
main practices of King Trisong Detsen.
Later the Northern Treasures was revealed by the great
ridzin Gödemchen who established this teaching, which
later became the main practice of the great Fifth Dalai
Lama. The main seat of the Northern Treasures teaching
was the great monastery of Thubten Dorje Drak, one of
the six great Nyingma monasteries. There’s a quote from
Guru Rinpoche that says, ‘When this excellent teaching
degenerates, then Tibet in general will degenerate.’ All the
different teachers have said that the Northern Treasures
was particularly created as a means to preserve the
happiness and well-being of the people of Tibet. Since the
Northern Treasures has been established and practised in
Tibet, almost all Nyingma teachers have practised this
tradition. For example, The Prayer in Seven Chapters, as
well as The Prayer of Samantabhadra, belong to the Northern
Treasures.
Thank you, Rinpoche. Is there anything you’d like to say in
conclusion?
I hope that for all the people in this country who are
studying the Buddha’s teaching, whatever practices they
undertake may benefit and increase more and more. And
I pray that this will occur. I believe that the source of all
happiness and joy is the two-fold transmission of the
Buddha’s teaching, that of scripture and that of
realisation. Therefore, I think it’s very good when people
undertake the hearing of this teaching and reflecting on it
and also engaging in the practice. And even those who
don’t follow strictly the disciplines of hearing and
studying and reflecting on the teaching – even just
abiding by the general ethics of Buddhism – they will also
have great happiness, I believe. Even though such beings
may not practise, if they develop good ethics and have a
good heart, they will pacify unwanted circumstances and
bring joy to themselves and others.
Gentle Voice - 9
 Travellers
and
Magicians
In late 2002 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and a crew of
108 Bhutanese and westerners came together in Bhutan
for ten marvellous, arduous, sometimes monotonous
and sometimes wondrous weeks to make Travellers and
Magicians.
This Prayer Flag Pictures’ film weaves a magical tale into
a road movie with intersecting themes and two parallel
characters - Dendup and Tashi. Both of these boys are on
journeys, one sends himself, the other is sent unwillingly.
One is arrogant and selfish, the other is lazy and greedy.
One chases a dream at the risk of neglecting love. The
other chases love and gets caught in a dream.
Remote locations chosen by Rinpoche and rarely seen by
the public will be revealed on screen through these
characters’ lives. The sets provide exceptional
opportunities to showcase Bhutan’s stunning natural
beauty. The cast is all Bhutanese and the dialogue is in
ATTENTION
ALL OVERSEAS READERS!
Siddhartha's Intent now provides access to the Gentle Voice
newsletter via our website at www.siddharthasintent.org.
Readers can access each issue in its entirety and download
their own colour copy as soon as the issue is released. There
will be an update on the home page of our website to advise
you as each new issue is available.
It has been decided to move towards distributing the Gentle
Voice electronically. In the first stage of this change, from
September 2003 onwards, all overseas readers are requested
to access the newsletter via our website. Siddhartha's Intent
deeply appreciates the donations that have allowed us in
the past to print and mail copies all over the world. We
would like to thank you for your generosity and we hope
that you will enjoy this new swift and easy way of accessing
the newsletter. Australian readers will receive the newsletter
by post until advised.
10 - Gentle Voice
Photo by Rasa; copyright PFP 2003
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche directs actress Sonam Lhamo
during filming
Dzongkar, Bhutan’s official national language. Only
sixteen westerners worked on the film, as Rinpoche
wanted to use this chance to promote Bhutan’s own film
industry by training local film-makers.
Though Rinpoche wore robes during the entire shoot
(except for the occasional outing in disguise), he made
every attempt to underplay his position, roughing it like
the rest of the crew, living in leaky cabins, riding on top of
trucks, getting soaked in the rain. However, it didn’t stop
yak herders and tractor drivers, government officials,
trucks of monks, buses of Swiss tourists and other passing
traffic from recognising him and stopping cold in their
tracks!
Travellers and Magicians was edited in Australia in early
2003 and is expected to premiere in Bhutan in August
2003. It is the first feature-length 16mm film to be shot in
Bhutan.
GESAR PUJA
when someone said
they saw a ghost
i was getting dressed
to go into battle
with the enemy,
you know,
the one that always tells others
what to do.
it occurs
that if i were having a better time
i would be dead.
Pamela Croci
 DHARMA DATES
MANJUSHRI EMPOWERMENT AND TEACHING
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche will be giving an
empowerment and teaching on Manjushri during his visit
to Vancouver, Canada, from 12 to 16 June 2003. The
practice of Jamyang Marser or Orange Manjushri was
written by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the first Khyentse
(1821-1894), based on classical texts which invoke this
aspect of Manjushri. According to Vajrayana Buddhism,
Manjushri is the wisdom aspect of our mind’s inherent
clarity. For further enquiries phone 604-875-8552 or email
vancouver@siddharthasintent.org
MADHYAMIKAVATARA
Siddhartha’s Intent Western Door is pleased to announce
that Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche will give the first
instalment of the Madhyamikavatara, Chandrakirti’s
Entering the Middle Way, from 21 to 29 June 2003 in San
Francisco, USA. This work is one of the key
philosophical expositions of emptiness, and its study has
been an essential part of Buddhist training in Tibet for
many centuries. Though not very long, the text contains
complex and subtle arguments in a condensed form. Due
to the complexity of these teachings, there are certain
formalities to be followed. Please email Kathryn Meeske
at WesternDoor@siddharthasintent.org for an application
or phone/fax (213) 739-0246.
ON THE PATH - TIBET
On the Path – Tibet is a fund-raising project to benefit the
Khyentse Foundation and International White Lotus –
two of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s initiatives to
support the Buddha’s vision of wisdom and compassion
in the world. The Khyentse Foundation aims to support
the international community of dharma practitioners and
students, through sustaining Rinpoche’s monastic
colleges, publishing material to help students, providing
scholarships and eventually building a college for
Buddhist studies in the West. International White Lotus
helps provide the fundamental rights of education, health
services, shelter and security to children from
underprivileged families and communities. On the Path –
Tibet photobooks, with photos taken by renowned
cinematographer Alan Kozlowski, are available for a
donation of $Aus55 plus postage. To order one of these
books please contact Jill Robinson on 61 2 9489 0196 or
jillrobi@bigpond.com.
VAJRADHARA GONPA
Beru Khyentse Rinpoche will bestow the empowerment
of Konchok Chidu and give a commentary on this
profound treasure teaching from 1 to 14 October 2003 at
Vajradhara Gonpa. Please contact the gonpa on 61 2 6633
1382 or vajgonpa@nor.com.au for details. (Rinpoche will
also give teachings in Sydney the following week.
Contact Jill Robinson of Siddhartha’s Intent at
jillrobi@bigpond.com for further information.)
Vajradhara Gonpa is also very pleased to announce the
visit this year of Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche to give
Madhyamika teachings from 8 to 13 November 2003. Those
interested should contact the gonpa and check the
Siddhartha’s Intent website www.siddharthasintent.org
for more details.
A Tsasum Drildrup puja with tsog offerings is held at
Vajradhara Gonpa on the tenth and twenty-fifth days of
the lunar calendar. The regular Siddhartha’s School
children’s programme will commence on 16 June 2003
and will continue to take place on the second Saturday of
every month. Phone 61 2 6633 1382 or email
vajgonpa@nor.com.au for details.
SUPPORTING DHARMA IN AUSTRALIA
Siddhartha’s Intent Southern Door wishes to thank all
those students who have attended courses over the years
for their generosity, which has benefited so many beings.
Not only have students attending teachings hosted by
Siddhartha’s Intent gained benefit for their own practice
and understanding, but they have contributed towards
other dharma activities. While the cost of courses is
designed to meet expenses for facility hire and travel by
our teachers, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has directed
that any surplus funds be spent to support dharma in
Australia. For example, Siddhartha’s Intent has made
substantial contributions towards developing facilities at
Vajradhara Gonpa, supporting the construction of a
dormitory for up to 72 students, building individual
retreat huts at the gonpa, supporting students to attend
teachings when needed, and sponsoring retreatants as
directed by Rinpoche. So when you’re next attending a
teaching, remember you may also be benefiting other
students by doing so. Rinpoche often teaches the
importance of the Three Wholesomenesses – wishing to
benefit all sentient beings, remembering that ultimately
all things are illusory and dedicating the merit.
Gentle Voice - 11
 NSW 2012 • Australia
PO Box 1114 • Strawberry Hills

INTENT
O F S I D D H A RT H A’ S
A NEWSLETTER

THE WAY OF THE BODHISATTVA IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

Khandro Ling at Três Coroas in Brazil is delighted to
announce that Dzongar Khyentse Rinpoche will continue
his teaching on Shantideva’s Way of the Bodhisattva from
2 to 6 July 2003. Rinpoche started this teaching at Khadro
Ling in 2001. For further details please email
eventoscqb@terra.com.br
A Tsasum Drildrup tsog is held each month on Guru
Rinpoche day. Shamatha meditation is held on Monday
evening at 7.30 p.m. Please ring Pamela Croci on 02 4757
2339 for further information. And contact Kate Miller on
02 4787 8766 for details of the Longchen Nyingthik
ngöndro practice in the Blue Mountains.

NEW TAPES AVAILABLE AND IN NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES

Tapes are now available for three of Dzongsar Khyentse
Rinpoche’s recent public talks in Sydney - View,
Meditation, Action; The Wheel of Life; and The Twelve
Interdependent Links of Origination. Each of these talks
consists of one tape at $Aus12 plus (plus GST within
Australia) and $Aus5 postage. For enquiries please phone
or fax Carol Weaver on 61 2 9810 4591.
PRACTICE FOR SYDNEY-SIDERS
Longchen Nyingthik ngöndro practice is held at Suffolk
Park on the third Sunday of the month. Please contact
Christina Peebles on 02 6688 2055 about this. For details
of the weekly shamatha meditation practice on
Wednesday evening from 6 to 7 p.m. in Brunswick Heads,
contact Paula Raymond-Yacoub on 02 6685 1690. And for
further information about practices in Lismore ring
Kyogan O’Nihil on 02 6622 0091.

Shamatha meditation is held every Tuesday evening at

7.30 p.m. Phone Chris Conlon on 02 9360 1304 for details.
A Tsasum Drildrup tsog is held on the tenth day of the
lunar calendar. Please contact Shanti Steiner on 0416 103
314 for details.

PRACTICE IN ADELAIDE

Shamatha meditation and Longchen Nyingthik ngöndro

practices are held regularly in Adelaide. For information
about these and about the Tsasum Drildrup practice,
please phone Tineke Adolphus on 08 8362 7553.

PLEASE NOTE: Because of its sacred content, please

treat this newsletter with respect. Should you need to
dispose of it, please burn it, rather than throwing it
away.

12 - Gentle Voice