There is something about the charm of the Vajra Hotel that I simply love. Maggy finally arrived from being stranded in India while the rest of us did last minute shopping in Kathmandu. Jim Aplington was very helpful and introduced me to many of his friends who are merchants in Thamal. His art gallery, Lotus Art, became a home base for me as I learned to navigate around the streets of Thamel. Everywhere I went, I saw people from all over the world, and it was so much fun talking with them. Jim's good friend, Neel B. Thakura, owner of Rainbow Thangka Gallery, was delightful, and my friends from Bulgaria spent four hours looking at thangkas, purchasing over a dozen master quality thangkas. There is a Lama Dama who paints only two thangkas a year, and he does all of the work himself.
My task was to find a Medicine Buddha statue. Medicine Buddha has been one of my practices for several years now because of the healing work that I do. It is always amazing to hear stories of how physicians and other health care providers see miracles in their work after Medicine Buddha becomes their practice. Although I was thinking about one particular statute, I ended up purchasing one from the son of a Rinpoche from Tibet who made it---Tashi Tapi Lama. It is truly exquisite with unusual carvings on the back of a peacock, representing freedom; dragons, representing protection and elephants, representing love and peace. I should explain something about the use of statutes of Buddhas and tangka paintings of Buddhas for meditation purposes. It is not about looking at the form of the Buddha or worshiping it, but rather, capturing the aspect quality that it represents. To make an analogy, if you wanted to teach a child about honesty, rather than simply telling him to be honest, it would be helpful to put a picture of George Washington in his room because George Washington is a representation of honesty in the fact that he did not lie about chopping down the cherry tree. If you can see and feel that aspect quality in someone else, you can feel that quality within yourself—as if it becomes a mirror. Unlimited potential and joy already exist within us, referred to as our Buddha nature or nature of mind. I believe the Wizard of Oz had some insight into that fact when he said, “Oz never did give nothing to the tinman that the tinman didn’t already have.” Yes, it's already within you--waiting to be discovered. Again, it is not too effective to simply wish to develop compassion, but if you meditate on the face and image of one who emulates that quality, you feel it in the heart. For example, one manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig), depicts one thousand eyes and one thousand arms, seeing and reaching out to all the suffering of the world. Again, it is a method of practice—simple as that.
And what is so special about the historical Buddha, Buddha Shakyamuni? I have a unique perspective that comes from being a psychologist. Although Carl Jung is a hero of mine, the Buddha accomplished more than any great psychologist who has ever lived. He not only discovered 84,000 different disturbing emotions but also discovered how to transform them; fortunately, he didn’t keep that discovery to himself but rather, shared it in 45 years of teaching others, beginning with the Four Noble Truths and thus, turning the wheel of the dharma (the truth about the way things are). Interesting, the latest edition of National Geographic (December 2005) has an insightful perspective on Buddhism's growth in the west, found at:
It was at breakfast that morning that Birte informed me that Preben’s mother had just died in Denmark; thus, we shared some tears together. Preben was now trying to make arrangements to leave Kathmandu, which was very frustrating because there was no space available on the departing planes. Because I had purchased Tibetan singing bowls and a very old dorje and bell that were blessed by His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, I enjoyed getting people excited about singing bowls and sound healing at dinner that night. I was glad that Preben, whose laughter we had so often heard, could truly feel the healing vibration of the singing bowl I was playing because he actually wasn’t able to depart on a plane until the next day. I have heard Lama Ole talk about his mother’s death, and he reminded us not to grieve over the loss of our loved ones, but rather, “The best thing you can do for them is celebrate their life.” Preben’s mother insisted that he join this pilgrimage, which was the final, selfless gift that she gave to him and thus, to all of us.
I found myself wandering into stores in Thamal that sold music (sound) and books. I was thrilled to find Robert Dompnier’s book BHUTAN: KINGDOM OF THE DRAGON. I love the music in the east. After hanging out in the New Orleans Café for four hours in the morning in order to access their wireless Internet connectivity, I spend time in a CD shop listening to eastern music that was wonderfully meditative and healing. (By the way, I certainly learned the ins and outs of how to access the Internet during my travels, which was a necessity because I was teaching an online Educational Psychology class. Don’t plan on hotels having a working Internet, although most of the towns and airports have Internet cafes, and I now have a Boeing Internet account so I can have wireless connectivity during a flight.) People just do not realize what they are missing in the west when they listen to loud music, especially in restaurants when you have to literally shout in order to carry on a conversation with someone. We can be pro-active about noise pollution. When I lived in Virginia where smoking cigarettes was quite the norm, I often talked to restaurant owners and managers who had the smoking section in front of the restaurant, which also comprised ¾ of the restaurant; thus, in walking to the back of the restaurant to the non-smoking section, one would gag from smoke inhalation. Sometimes there wasn't even a table in the non-smoking section so non-smokers were forced to sit in the smoking section. I was the catalyst for some changes in Virginia, and my children will attest to this, although it did embarrass them at times. Every single one of us can make a difference in creating a healthy and healing environment for the benefit of everyone.
There was speculation about whether the funeral ceremonies for Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche were for westerners, and I heard that when some of us were at the monastery, it was asked who we were. The reply was, “Maggy brought them.” I can understand why it is important to them that we have an appreciation and a reverence for deeply held spiritual beliefs and traditions. I missed the lama dancing, however, because I needed to proceed to the airport for a very long flight from Kathmandu to Bangkok, Thailand to Incheon, Korea to Tokyo, Japan to Los Angeles and then to Salt Lake City.
Of course, I only mentioned some of the highlights of my pilgrimage but I wanted to share some of them with you. There is something about me having to share so it was amusing to me when an art gallery owner in Thamal, who happens to also be a palm reader, saw that very strikingly in my palm. In conclusion, I feel that I have been running on adrenalin with little sleep and arduous physical activity but this pilgrimage was the greatest experience of my life. I am certain that I will be processing it for quite some time and feeling the transformational effects from the many blessings that I received. Finally, I will be forever indebted to Maggy for organizing this journey and sharing Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche’s life with us. I left her a note at the hotel when I departed and told her that “the memories will always bring a smile to my face and laughter to my heart.”
Namaste, my dearest friends----
Copyright c 2006 by Carol A. Wilson
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