You, Sleeping in Class?

“Everyone’s Teacher”.   Khensur Lama Lhundrup Rigsel.  Kopan Monastery.  

Sera Je Lharma Geshe.  Master Debater.  Father.  Walks around holy campus.  

Talks to every new student.   Mischief manages our turbulent emotions.  Emotionally regulates things.   Says,   “Be kind.  Patient.  Courageous.  Oh yeah.”

Happy Saka Dawa – Day 13 + the awakening of a funny-happy-old memory.

Kopan Monastery – September 2007.   Two weeks remaining to cram-study for our Basic Program Year 1 “Big Final Exam,” Our Highly-demanding + German Venerable Course Teacher had decided all his students would also write a graduation essay on a lam-rim topic we would each randomly select from folded slips of paper inside a Tibetan singing bowl.  

He said, “600-word essay, please.”

That 2895-word Dharma Research Paper

Venerable Course Teacher.  Brilliant Scholar.  Geshe-in-training.  Good teacher.  Does translations.  Happy Monks Publication .   Buddha’s Sales Rep.  Very German Traditional.   Workaholic.  Button Pusher.   Middle-Aged Moody.   

Happy Saka Dawa – Day 12 + the awakening of a funny old memory.


When you wrote that 2895-word research paper:  “Relying on the Spiritual Teacher” , two monks appeared on the path to give you special attention.  

Draft-Paper Stage:  Khensur Lama Lhundrup.   Paper-Submission:  Course Teacher.   

Who do you choose?  The Perfect Teacher to rely on?

First Basic Program at Kopan 2007 - 2011

FPMT Basic Program – Year 1 at Kopan Monastery – July to October 2007 (3 months)

Focus:  “Lam rim – the Graded Path to Enlightenment – 3 Scopes”

Graduation Day.  Basic Program Class of 2007 with our precious course teachers = Late Great Abbot Khensur Lama Lhudrup Rigsel + Venerable Fedor Stracke, Kopan Monastery .

Lama Tsong Khapa:  Middle Length Lam-Rim.  Additional Outlines by Trijang Rinpcoche.  Translated by Philip Quarcoo.

•   Outline:  Up to the Calm Abiding Section of the Great Scope (February 2006)

•   Up to the Calm Abiding Section of the Great Scope (February 2006

•   Calm Abiding Section (FPMT March 2007)

•   Special Insight and Concluding Sections (FPMT April 2007)

Projections

A glass of water is offered:

Buddhas see healing nectar of compassionate wisdom;

Humans see refreshing water to quench their thirst;

Pretas see revolting blood and pus.

Five emails are offered:

CC sees salt on his wound; she sees a girl,

Kicking his ass with compassion carefully held by wisdom.

“He studies rocks.  I save lives.  You can’t marry him.”

Are you asking me to marry you?  When will that happen?

“Don’t know.  7 years, 10, 15.   Maybe.  Don’t know.”

We met at 10 pm, talked until 4 am, you walked me to my door.

MBA: My Battle with Afflictions

The ground shook beneath me, I lost my balance:  

Demon Mara appeared to challenge me.

He wounded me, but I wounded him back:  

Blood on my trainee Manjushri light sabre.

‘I may have severed a few limbs of afflictions,

Yet, the Demon is alive, regenerating 

New limbs for his next attack.  I shall destroy

This Demon of Self-Cherishing:  he will not live!’

Demon Mara laughed like the mockingbird,  

‘You thought you could terminate her, 

The Girl Who Loved Too Much,

It was only a flesh wound, you know.’

Bloody and torn, trembling she laid, 

Her Manjushri light sabre beyond her reach.

She cried: ‘Lama, my Lama! Why?’  

The sun fired the desert sand like gold.