March 2001
In This Issue
THE WEALTH OF BEING NATURAL - Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheINTERVIEW
WITH NAMKHAI NYINGPO RINPOCHE
A WEEKEND WITH MATTHIEU RICARD AT SSRC
INTERVIEW
WITH VENERABLE TENZIN PALMO
NEWS OF THE PEACE VASE PROJECT
A WEEKEND WITH MATTHIEU RICARD AT SSRC
On a crisp, sunny afternoon in early November 2000, 35 people gathered at Sea to Sky Retreat Centre with great anticipation to welcome Matthieu Ricard, who was offering a weekend retreat on The Thirty-Seven-Fold Practice of A Bodhisattva. Matthieu-la is the author of Journey to Enlightenment, The Life and Teachings of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and co-author of The Monk and the Philosopher. He has studied and trained for over 30 years under some of the greatest masters, in particular His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
The stanzas of this text are, in a sense, concise renditions of Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva. Matthieu-la began with the inspiring life story of the author of the text, Togme Zangpo. He explained the notion of sukha, the great inner fulfilment that arises from a deep sense of understanding the true nature of things, beyond gain and loss, pleasure and pain, praise and blame, and fame and obscurity. Our tendency is to relate happiness with the pleasures of the five senses, and this ordinary happiness that depends on circumstances eventually leads to dukha or dissatisfaction. Sukha, this inner fulfilment, is unchanging and not dependent on circumstances; and this quality of realisation expresses itself as compassion. Togme Zangpo is a prime example of one who has realised sukha.
Over the days, as Matthieu-la read each verse, he illustrated points with humorous and poignant anecdotes of many past masters. There was laughter and even tears as these teachings touched our soft spots - direct reminders of what the path of a bodhisattva entails.
One of the many wonderful stories was the story of Tsangpa Gyare, a Drukpa Kagyu master, who said that to renounce the world, we need to keep 11 pledges. Among them were: "Not to feel distress even if the winds carry away all that is dear to you, not to have regret in this life and to continue to recite the mantra, 'I need nothing'". Matthieu-la commented, "This mantra, 'I need nothing', is so excellent. If you recite it three times, you find it works, and you will feel such relief! Such a nice feeling of freedom!" Patrul Rinpoche, well-known for his unending generosity, sometimes asked greedy persons to recite the words "I need nothing" one hundred times, before giving something away, as a form of mind training. This is something we can all practise.
At
the last session, Matthieu-la showed his slides and shared many remarkable
and vivid stories from his years of travel with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
to Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal. Through these stunning and breathtaking images,
we felt as if we were
entering the Buddha realm, the world of His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
Throughout the weekend, with great ease and confidence, Matthieu-la continually pointed out the quintessential view of the Buddhadharma. The setting, the people, Matthieu-la's gentle presence and the great teachings provided the right blend of circumstances for the immediacy and openness that pervaded the retreat. We felt in awe of Matthieu-la's humble appearance and were impressed with his brilliant intellect. But most of all, we were profoundly touched by his dedication to preserving the Dharma and his devotion to his guru. With gratitude and anticipation, we look forward to Matthieu-la's return to SSRC in 2002.
Melitis
Kwong/ Suyin Lee
