Choden Rinpoche

Luggage update. No luggage, no update, so lets move on.

Tehor Khamsen, is next to where I am staying. It is the temple for the monks from the Kham region. There are many temples around the monastery as well as the massive central temple. Anyway, I woke the morning to the deep rumbling voice of the Ohmsey (sp?) chanting master booming out preliminary prayers before Ven. Choden Rinpoche continued his oral transmission of the entire works of Lama Tsankappa and his two desciples Kyejub Je and Gyelsub Je. This is a massive undertaking that will take several years to complete. For those of you who are not familiar, Rinpoche means "Precious One" and the title is given to Tulku's or those that have been recognised as as reincarnate Lama's. Buddhism is an oral tradition so receiving the oral transmission of these teaching is a very big deal. It is what keeps the teaching pure. Who is Lama Tsankappa? Once upon a time in Tibet the teachings were scattered and not very organised and then comes lama Tsankappa. He took all the teachings and made sense of them all in one neat little package. Ok this is oversimplified, but you will be hard pressed to find a more important figure in Tibetan Buddhism than Lama Tsankappa.

Laying in my bed in the dark, and hearing the prayers chanted with so many voices as one is transforming. It reaches and resonates to a place very deep within. How can something so foriegn as this feel so comfortable and familiar? Geshe la has said many times to me in the past "Maybe in a past life you and me were monks together". I can't tell you if this is so. I like to think it is.

The monks of house 2A are very busy this morning. Sweeping, fresh coats of paint for the designs on the walkways, clouds auspicous symbols and the like. Everything gets washed. Geshe Tsulga is arriving today and Geshe Pema Tsering will be here tomorrow. It is time for a celebration.

House #2A us a U shaped 3 story building. Kinda of like a little motel. The walk ways look down on a central courtyard with a massive coconut palm. The 3rd floor is entirely devoted to special occasions. There is a small gompa (temple) that has been decortate with colorful crepe paper and freshly hung thankas (paintings of Dieties). I was given the grand tour of the preparations and is was fun to watch the monks depating on which Thanka should be hung where.

The Indians and Tibetans have developed a symbiotic relationship. The Indians have prospered by the Tibetans being here. They have jobs around the monastery, building running around in autorickshaws and the like. Whats and autorickshaw you say?! It is a smelly little three wheeled vehicle that is used as a taxi. They remind of some of the rides I use to go on as a kid at the Point Pleasant boardwalk. They have a handle bar and throttle like a motorcycle and an annoying little horn that they sound consantly. I fit in these things about as well as I would fit in one of the kiddy rides now. When you see them tearing in and out of traffic, the driver hunched of the handle bars, willing his way through traffic you wonder if they don't all have a death wish. Then you watch for while and begin to realize that with all the craziness of it's appearances there is a rythm to the apparent madness and that somehow they make it work.

Geshe La should be here soon so I'm going to go for now. It also looks like it may rain so I'd better go and get my raincoat. Oh, that right. It's in my bag.

Je yung (see you)