John Reynolds in Regensburg

...hab's leider erst ziemlich spät mitgekriegt, dass John Reynolds ganz in meiner Nähe einen Vortrag und ein Wochenendseminar hält - doch für all die, die in der Gegend sind und grad nichts besseres zu tun haben ;-)



Dakinis: Das weibliche Prinzip im tibetischen Buddhismus
27. – 29. Oktober 2006


Freitag, 27.10.
Abendvortrag, Beginn 19.00 Uhr bis ca. 21.00 Uhr, 15 Euro

Samstag, 28.10. und Sonntag, 29.10.
Wochenendseminar, jeweils von 10.00 bis 13.00 Uhr und
von 15.00 bis 18.00 Uhr, je 40 Euro
Ort: Tanzstudio Krippner, Obermünsterstr. 9, 93047 Regensburg


Die „Dakini oder Khandroma (wörtlich: „die, die sich durch den Raum bewegt oder „die, die durch den Himmel geht“) ist eine Manifestation von Energie in weiblicher Form. Es gibt weltliche Dakinis, die menschliche Wesen sind (beispielsweise spirituelle Lehrerinnen oder andere weibliche Verwirklichte mit besonderen psychischen Kräften). Es gibt aber auch nichtmenschliche Dakinis wie beispielsweise Göttinnen und Naturgeister.

Weisheitsdakinis schließlich sind jenseits oder außerhalb von Samsara und stellen Manifestationen erleuchteten Gewahrseins in weiblicher Form dar. Hierunter fallen weibliche Buddhas wie Tara, weibliche Bodhisattvas wie Lakshmi und Saraswati oder auch weibliche Schützer wie Ekajati und Paldän Lhamo. Im tantrischen Buddhismus Tibets verkörpert die Dakini den Weisheitsaspekt eines vollkommenen erleuchteten Buddhas, weshalb sie als Gefährtin aller Buddhas bezeichnet wird. Allgemeiner gesagt repräsentiert die Dakini das weibliche Prinzip, das sich außerhalb der Kontrolle der patriarchalischen Gesellschaft und des männlichen Ego-Bewusstseins befindet. Aus diesem Grunde kann die Dakini als verlockend und bezaubernd aber auch als zornvoll und erschreckend dargestellt werden.

Dieser Kurs wird einen Überblick über das Prinzip der Dakini in den Höheren Tantras des tibetischen Buddhismus geben und in die rituelle und meditative Praxis die mit dem Dakini Yoga verbunden sind einführen. Wir werden insbesondere die Meditation und Praxis von Kurukulla (der Dakini der Verführung und Verzauberung, die alle Wesen unter ihre Kontrolle bringt die schwer zu unterwerfen sind) aber der zornvollen löwenköpfigen Dakini Simhamukha (die alle Hindernisse, Negativitäten und bösen Geister unterwirft und bezwingt) kennen lernen. Zu diesem Zweck werden wir uns auf die tiefgründigen Ausführungen von Jamgön Kongtrul und Jamyang Khyenste zu diesen beiden Weisheitsdakinis stützen.



www.vajranatha.com/schedule.htm


All about Chörtens....

Benalmadena Stupa, Malaga, Spain


What Are Stupas?

“Stupas (Tib. Chörten) began in pre-Buddhist India as hemispherical burial grounds that marked the remains of temporal rulers. At an early stage in the development of Buddhist art, they became symbols of the Buddha’s continuing immanence as well as representations of his Mind....” Robert Thurman/Denise Leidy “Mandala, The Architecture of Enlightenment”.

Because every element of a Buddha’s physical body is pervaded with the pure energy of Enlightened Mind, the teacher’s remains after cremation are considered sacred. One sign that a teacher is an Enlightened manifestation is that relics will be found in the ashes that resemble small, round pearls which can be white, red, or brown. These are often the relics that are put inside stupas being built today.


8 Great Deeds

Since Shakyamuni Buddha’s passing, the stupas that have been built are representations of his form and memorials of his 8 Great Deeds. The structures are constructed according to guidelines found in Buddhist scripture that he left for us. Many stupas today are built on these representations.




Stupa

SACRED SYMBOL OF ENLIGHTENMENT


The stupa has long been a potent Buddhist symbol, a pure manifestation of enlightenment. Constructed in accord with universal principles and empowered with the knowledge conveyed through the Buddhist lineages, stupas promote harmony and balance in the world. Magnified many times over by the relics sealed within, their ability to defuse the forces of chaos and negativity can ease the ills of body and mind, heighten awareness, and avert natural disasters. For those attuned to their significance, stupas can transmit the power of enlightenment.

Consecrated by the blessings of the enlightened lineages, the stupa transforms offerings into merit that opens the spiritual path and awakens the aspiration for realization. Providing no place for the ego to take hold, the stupa is a pure receptacle for devotion and prayer directed to peace and harmony among living beings. It promotes order in nature and in the wider cosmos, protecting from disasters and healing the disquiets of the human heart. Within its range of blessings suffering dissolves, and compassion begins to emerge. From compassion arises Bodhicitta, the heart of enlightenment.

The Swayambhupurana describes the arising of the primeval cosmic stupa and its appearance throughout the aeons in Buddhafield after Buddhafield, from the time of the Buddha Vipashyin to the time of the Buddha Shakyamuni. Although the Swayambhu of our time is located in Nepal, the text clearly refers to the stupa as Dharmadhatu, beyond all concepts of time and space. Emphasizing the stupa’s primeval nature, it locates the site of the stupa’s arising in the three times (past, present, and future), during which it bears four names: the Mountain of Lotuses; Mount Goshringa, the Bull-Horn Mountain (a place associated also with Khotan); the Vajra Range and the Bull’s Tail.

The Dharmadhatu, which literally means field of Dharma, is cosmic in scope; having no beginning or end, it encompasses all pure enlightened qualities. Transcending all modes of dualistic thought, Dharmadhatu accommodates the appearance of all Buddhas, who manifest out of compassion to demonstrate the way to enlightenment. The Dharmadhatu has no substance or form; ineffable and unchanging, it shines through the forms of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, embodiments of enlightenment. As the Swayambhu-purana relates, in aeons past the pure Dharmadhatu arose from a thousand-petalled lotus, and out of compassion for living beings, became visible in the form of a stupa.

Circumambulating Stupas

The sutras explain the benefits of circumambulating stupas, maintaining them, and beautifying them with offerings of gold, flowers, incense, and devotion. In so doing, one honors the precious seed of enlightenment inherent in self and others and enriches the soil in which it can grow.

Buddhists circumambulate Stupas clockwise (except for Vajrayogini practitioners), while Bönpos circumambulate them counterclockwise (which has to do with the emphasis of the female energie, rather than the male energy).

The verses that follow are a translation of the Caitya-pradaksina-gatha, preserved in the Kagyur, the section of the Tibetan Canon devoted to the direct teachings of the Buddha.




VERSES FOR CIRCUMAMBULATING A STUPA

Homage to the Three Jewels

After the Buddha, the One of Great Wisdom, had turned the Dharma Wheel in the world, the wise one Sariputra humbly asked, “What are the results that come from circumambulating a stupa? May the Guide of the supreme universe of this great kalpa please advise me.”

The perfect Buddha, supreme among two-legged beings, the Enlightened One, granted this reply: “I will indicate a few of the qualities gained from circumambulating stupas.”

“When you circumambulate a stupa you will be honored by gods, nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, and asuras, by garudas, kinnaras, and mahoragas.

“Once you gain the leisure, so vary rare, and circumambulate a stupa for even a very short time, the eight adverse states will be no more.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: mindfulness and clear perception; a radiant appearance and intelligence; and you will be honored everywhere.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: a very long life – a lifetime more like that of a god – in which you will obtain great renown.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: rebirth in Jambuling in a family of worthy line and virtuous mind.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will be pure as the snow; you will be good, radiant, and wise, and you will lead a happy life.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: wealth of every kind; freedom from greed; generosity and joy in giving.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will be a true delight, beautiful to behold, radiant, a joy to see, and endowed with vast enjoyment of life.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will see the whole process of perception as empty, and, bewilderment about the Dharma ended, you will quickly obtain the state of bliss.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will be reborn in an imperial line of kings with a circle of female attendants, and you will have great strength and perseverance.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will be reborn in the great Brahma’s lofty realm, where you will possess self-discipline, profound understanding, and knowledge of healing rituals.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will be reborn in Grihapatis’ lofty realm, provided with all sorts of riches and a wealth of grain and jewels.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will be reborn as a lord of Jambuling, with a domain extending to the ends of the earth, and you will be a Dharma king.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will be reborn as a cakravartin king, possessing the seven more precious supports for a king; accordingly, you will turn the Dharma wheel.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: After death you will pass to the higher realms; rejoicing in the Buddha’s doctrine, you will be a yogin and a miracle-worker.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will pass from the realm of the gods to be reborn in the human realm, and will enter the womb with clear intent.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will never be harmed by the contaminants that come from the conditions of the womb – you will be like the purest of gems.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will dwell happily in the womb, you will be born easily, and joyfully you will drink at the breast.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will have a father who will ensure you the finest care by many attendants and a nursemaid who is always attentive.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: Your relatives will adore you, loving you even more than your parents do. And as you grow, your pleasure will steadily increase.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: Flesh-eaters and other demonic beings will not harm you, and you will live a life of flawless enjoyment.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: For one hundred dalpas your body will be perfect; you will never be crippled or blind.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: Your eyes will become totally pure: oblong, sapphire-hued, and beautiful like the eyes of the gods.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: Both body and mind will be well-balanced, your determination unswerving, and your shoulders broad and dependable.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: Your body will be powerful and perfectly shaped, with wondrous characteristics.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will become Indra, Lord of the Thirty-three – the one with miraculous abilities, the great Lord of Gods.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will become the king of the gods of the heaven called Yama or Tusita or of the heaven Nirmanarati or Parinirmita-vasavartin.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will gain the power of Brahma himself in the world of Brahma, and you will be worshiped by many tens of millions of gods.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: For one thousand times ten million kalpas – and one hundred times one hundred billion more – you will be endowed with wisdom and always honored.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: For one thousand times ten million kalpas your body will be pure and your attire pristine as you practice the immaculate Dharma.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will gain strength and perfect vitality, and setting laziness aside, you will obtain the supreme accomplishments.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will become steadfast and dynamic; through immense ability, unstoppable, quickly achieving the highest aims.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will obtain a melodious voice with a pleasing pitch and dulcet tone. You will never be harmed and you will be free from disease.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will quickly reach the stage of Enlightened Teacher such as I myself, and you will obtain rebirth as a great sage.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will soon obtain th four foundations of mindfulness, the Four Immeasurables of Mind and the powers of the Bases of Miraculous Ability.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will achieve the Four Noble Truths, the powers and the strengths, and the fruit of the limbs of enlightenment.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will obtain the six superknowledges, unstained, having cast off all th emotional fetters, and you will become a wonder-working Arhat.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: Having cast off desire and hatred and having given up all your attendants, you will gain the enlightenment of a Pratyekabuddha.

“Circumambulating a stupa will have this result: You will be ornamented with the marks of the Tathagatas manifest in the world, and you will obtain a body of golden hue.

“Circumambulation is a physical act; circumambulation is an act of speech as well; circumambulation is an act of the mind; circumambulation instills the aspiration for enlightenment. By circumambulation, you achieve your sims in all the stages of bliss so hard to traverse.

“What then are the benefits of circumambulating the stupa of the Lord of the World? Although words are far too limited to express them well, out of mercy for sentient beings, and as requested by Sariputra, the Lord of the World will indicate the benefits of honoring the stupa.

“The value of one hundred horses, one hundred measures of gold, one hundred chariots drawn by mules, one hundred chariots drawn by mares and filled with precious jewels could not even begin to equal one sixteenth part of one step of one circumambulation.

“One hundred maidens of Kamboja wearing jeweled earrings with circlets of gold upon their arms and adorned with rings and necklaces of the finest gold; one hundred elephants, snowy white, robust and broad-backed, adorned with gold and jewels, carrying their great trunks curved over their heads like plowshares, could not even begin to equal one sixteenth part of the value of one step of one circumambulation.

“O wise one, the benefit of those who joyfully take one step around the Buddha’s stupa is unmatched by the benefit of gaining one hundred thousand measures of gold from the gold river of Jambu.

“O wise one, the benefit of those who joyfully offer a clay bowls to the Buddha’s stupa is unmatched by the benefit of those with one hundred thousand palaces made of gold from the gold river of Jambu.

“O wise one, the benefit of those who joyfully heap flowers before the Buddha’s stupa is unmatched by the benefit of having one hundred thousand vessels made of gold from the gold river of Jambu.

“O wise one, the benefit of those who joyfully bear flower garlands for the Buddha’s stupa is unmatched by the benefit of having twenty million bales.

“O wise one, the benefit of those who joyfully sprinkle perfumed water upon the Buddha’s stupa is unmatched by the benefit of having one thousand hillocks of gold made from the gold river of Jambu.

“O wise one, the benefit of those who joyfully offer butter lamps to the Buddha’s stupa is unmatched by the benefits of having one hundred thousand times ten million measures of gold from the gold river of Jambu.

“O wise one, the benefit of those who joyfully offer victory banners, pennants, and parasols to the Buddha’s stupa is unmatched by the benefit of those who possess one hundred thousand great mountains of gold.

“There is no difference between the merit of those who make offerings while I am here and those who make offerings after my nirvana, if their virtuous intentions are the same.

“Such is the inconceivable Buddha;
So also the inconceivable Buddhadharma;
for those with faith in the inconceivable,
inconceivable are the results”


This completes the verse on circumambulating a stupa, known in Sanskrit as the Caitya-pradaksina-gatha and in Tibetan as mChod-rten bskor-ba’i tshigs-su bcad-pa.

* * *




The Twenty-Four Elements of the Stupa

1. Tog top
2. Nyi-ma sun
3. Zla-ba moon
4. Char-khebs rain cover
5. Thugs-rje-mdo-gzungs symbol of compassion
6. Zar-tshag canopy
7. Pho-‘khor father cakra
8. Mo-‘khor mother cakra (space in between)
9. Chos-‘khor-bcu-gsun thirteen dharmacakras
10. Gdugs-‘degs-padma lotus parasol
11. Bre harmika
12. Bre-rten support of the harmika
13. Bre-rman foundation of the harmika
14. ‘Bum-pa vase
15. Sgo-khyim door of the vase
16. ‘Bum-gdan seat of the vase
17. Bang-rim steps
18. Dge-bcu the ten virtues
19. Bad-gam large lotuses (balcony)
20. Bad-chung small lotuses (small border)
21. Gsung-sne edging or hem
22. Gdong-chen face
23. Them-skas stairs
24. Sa-‘dzin foundation


SYMBOLISM OF THE STUPA

The foundation as dharmadhatu: the realm of Dharma, at once the foundation and the context of the whole.

The lion throne as the four fearlessnesses: The four fearlessnesses are the empowering throne or vehicle for the transmission of enlightenment. As a result of possessing the four fearlessnesses, Buddhas have the power to help others know all that is knowable, to enable others to abandon what must be abandoned, to teach what ought to be taught, and to help others attain the most pure and supreme enlightenment. The four fearlessnesses arise as the result of four knowledges:

1. Knowledge that all factors of existence are understood
2. Knowledge that the obstacles are correctly known and the way to stop them can be taught to others
3. Knowledge that the path of renunciation, through which all the virtuous qualities are obtained, has in fact been accomplished
4. Knowledge that all corruption has been brought to an end

The base as the ten righteous actions which generate the merit and virtue necessary to successfully follow the path. The first three apply to body, the next four apply to speech, and the last three apply to mind.

1. Refraining from destroying life
2. Refraining from taking what has not been given
3. Refraining from improper sexual practices
4. Refraining from telling falsehoods
5. Refraining from using abusive language
6. Refraining from slandering others
7. Refraining from indulging in irrelevant talk
8. Refraining from covetousness
9. Refraining from malice
10. Refraining from holding destructive views

The first terrace as the four foundations of mindfulness:

1. Mindfulness of body
2. Mindfulness of feeling
3. Mindfulness of mind
4. Mindfulness of mental events

The second terrace as the four genuine restraints:

1. Not to initiate nonvirtuous actions not yet generated
2. To give up nonvirtuous actions already generated
3. To bring about virtuous actions not yet generated
4. Not to allow virtuous actions already arisen to degenerate

The third terrace as the four bases of supernormal powers:

1. Meditative experience based on willingness
2. Meditative experience based on mind
3. Meditative experience based on effort
4. Meditative experience based on analysis

The fourth terrace as the five spiritual faculties:

1. Faith
2. Effort
3. Mindfulness
4. Meditative concentration
5. Wisdom

The base of the vase as the five spiritual strengths, the same as the five spiritual faculties, integrated and activated as strengths.

The vase as the seven limbs of enlightenment:

1. Mindfulness
2. Investigation of meanings and values
3. Sustained effort
4. Joy
5. Refinement and serenity
6. Meditative concentration
7. Equanimity

The foundation and support of the harmika as the eightfold path:

1. Genuinely pure view
2. Genuinely pure conceptualization
3. Genuinely pure speech
4. Genuinely pure conduct
5. Genuinely pure livelihood
6. Genuinely pure effort
7. Genuinely pure meditation
8. Genuinely pure concentration

The ten righteous actions generate merit and virtue, the basis for the spiritual path. The four foundations of mindfulness, four genuine restraints, four bases of supernormal powers, five faculties, five strengths, seven limbs of enlightenment, and the eightfold path are collectively known as the thirty-seven wings of enlightenment. Together with the ten righteous actions they form the cause of realization. The following are the result: the wisdoms and deliverances specific to a Bodhisattva and the ten Bodhisattva stages culminating in omniscience. With this attainment arise qualities specific to the supremely enlightened Buddhas: the three mindfulnesses, great compassion and non-differentiated Dharmadhatu.

The wood of life as the ten knowledges:

1. Knowledge of dharma
2. Knowledge of the thoughts of others
3. Knowledge of relations
4. Empirical knowledge
5. Knowledge of suffering
6. Knowledge of the cause of suffering
7. Knowledge of the cessation of suffering
8. Knowledge of the way to the cessation of suffering
9. Knowledge of things that lead to despair
10. Knowledge of the non-production of things

The harmika as the four enlightened wisdoms which enable Buddhas to activate the four deliverances: to help others know all that is knowable and abandon what must be abandoned; to teach what needs to be taught; and to help others attain the supreme enlightenment of a Buddha.

The thirteen wheels as the ten bodhisattva stages:

1. The joyous
2. The immaculate
3. The illuminating
4. The radiant
5. The difficult to conquer
6. The manifest
7. The far-reaching
8. The immovable
9. The excellent intelligence
10. The cloud of Dharma

and the three applications of mindfulness. These relate to profound equanimity in the three possible circumstances of teaching the Dharma:

11. All disciples may hear, accept, and practice the teachings
12. None may hear, accept, and practice the teachings
13. Some disciples may hear, accept, and practice the teachings, while others do not.

The parasol (raincover) as the protection of compassion: The great compassion of a Buddha arises from omniscience. Free from all vestige of self-interest, it applies itself evenly, turning its warmth upon all beings equally.

The top as the pristine Dharmadhatu, comprehended by the omniscience of the fully enlightened Buddhas, described as self-arisen primordial wisdom, nondual suchness, complete direct understanding of all aspects of reality.

The whole as the three aspects of enlightened being: Nirmanakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Dharmakaya.


STUPA CONSECRATED CONTENTS

The stupa is totally filled from the top to the bottom with a multitude of relics and other items to generate the power which transforms and defuses negativity in the world. The tsa-tsa’s and the mantras have been prepared during the past year, both in Denver and at OCD. All items have been empowered and consecrated for a month with regular tsoks which included repetition of all mantras rolled for the stupa.

This contents of this stupa are indicated below with their placement in the stupa.


BASE
The base of the stupa contains many weapons, many utilitarian items (cooking utensils, clocks, computers, TVs, and so forth), vases, the Kalpa Butter lamp, metal mandalas, and tsa-tsa’s.

Vases – Included in the stupa are approximately fifty General Wealth, Earth and Naga vases, all including their respective deity mantras plus the ingredients and relics necessary for their empowerment and blessing. In addition, others vases were prepared to reverse war, famine, disease and the elementals.

Reversing War 120
Reversing Famine 120
Reversing Disease 120
Reversing poverty and elementals 252

Total 609

Kalpa Butter Lamp – The Kalpa Butter Lamp removes ignorance. Approximately two feet tall, it is made of copper, engraved with the eight auspicious symbols, covered with gold, and filled with butter protected by a paraffin seal. On its base, appropriate mantras are written in gold. Included with this lamp are eleven vases prepared specifically for the lamp.

Mandalas – The three gold plated engraved mandalas, each 20 inches square, are the Masculine chakra, the Feminine cakra, and the Wealth God Ganapati.

Tsa Tsa’s – Around 8,000 small plaster images of Guru Rinpoche, Dorje Drollo, and the three Long Life Buddhas were painted red and each consecrated with their respective mantras, and body, speech and mind relics.


MIDDLE LEVEL
The middle level, just under the bumpa, is filled with religious objects and tsa tsas.


BUMPA
The bumpa includes a visible Shakyamuni statue – consecrated with mantras rolled at OCD and the appropriate special relics, offering bowls placed in front of the Shakyamuni statue, mantras, additional special and rare relics, and certain religious objects.

Mantras – All summer and part of the fall were spent rolling and wrapping mantras printed in Nepal. Over two kilograms of saffron were consumed. Included were many deity mantras and mantras specific for the different levels of the stupa.


SOG SHING
To provide the needed length, two central column Sog Shings run from the base of the bumpa to the tip of the sun and moon disk at the top. Each has a stupa carved at the top and a vajra at its base. They are inscribed with gold mantras and consecrated relics at the respective centers, then wrapped in silk and finished with the five-color threads.

The top includes a specific rare Buddha bone relic. At the base of the sog shing are the five precious gems, semi-precious gems, precious metals, and relics.


SUN AND MOON DISK
The canopy, sun and moon disk at the top of the stupa were constructed and gold plated in Nepal. They have been filled with the appropriate consecrated mandalas and relics.

www.tersar.org/stupa.html



The Stupa Information Page

Wiki Information about Chortens

Tibetan Nun Shot By Chinese Soldier

Climbers see Tibetans shot 'like rats'



An Australian mountaineer was among dozens of climbers at a Himalayan base camp who watched in horror as Chinese soldiers shot Tibetan refugees "like rats, dogs [and] rabbits", leaving at least one teenage nun lying dead in the snow.

The incident, witnessed by international climbers and Sherpas at a camp on Mount Cho Oyu - about 20 kilometres west of Mount Everest - occurred on September 30 as a group of refugees, including many children, made their way across the 5700-metre-high Nangpa La Pass from Tibet to Nepal and then on to Dharamsala in India - the home of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Detailed accounts of the attack are beginning to filter through despite what the British newspaper, The Independent, described as an attempt by Chinese authorities to silence the many Western climbers and Sherpas who witnessed the shooting.

A Tibetan monk who managed to reach Nepal was quoted in the paper as saying: "We started walking early through the Nangpa La Pass. Then the soldiers arrived. They started shooting and we ran; there were 15 children from eight to 10; only one escaped arrest.

"I just ran to save my life by praying to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I think the soldiers fired for 15 minutes."

"They were shouting, but I did not hear them ... I just heard gunshots passing my ears. I don't remember how many people were shot."

Another said: "When the Chinese started shooting, it was terrifying. We could only hear the gunfire and our friends screaming. We tried to take care of the seven-year-old girl with us."

Steve Lawes, a British police officer and mountaineer who was about 300 metres from the soldiers, told The Independent: "One person fell, got up, but then fell again."

An Australian climber, who did not give his name, told Reuters: "I looked through the telescope. I saw two objects - the first one looked like it was a backpack and the second one was definitely a body."

The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said a young Tibetan nun was confirmed dead while there were unconfirmed reports that a young refugee boy was killed.

The organisation said it also had fears for the safety of about 10 Tibetan refugee children who were arrested by the Chinese soldiers after fleeing from the gunshots. Mr. Lawes told The Independent that the children were marched single file through the base camp.

"The children were in single file, about six feet away from me. They didn't see us - they weren't looking around the way kids normally would, they were too frightened. By that time, advance base camp was crawling with soldiers. We were doing our best not to do anything that might spark off more violence."

An Australian mountaineer was among dozens of climbers at a Himalayan base camp who watched in horror as Chinese soldiers shot Tibetan refugees "like rats, dogs [and] rabbits", leaving at least one teenage nun lying dead in the snow.

The incident, witnessed by international climbers and Sherpas at a camp on Mount Cho Oyu - about 20 kilometres west of Mount Everest - occurred on September 30 as a group of refugees, including many children, made their way across the 5700-metre-high Nangpa La Pass from Tibet to Nepal and then on to Dharamsala in India - the home of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Detailed accounts of the attack are beginning to filter through despite what the British newspaper, The Independent, described as an attempt by Chinese authorities to silence the many Western climbers and Sherpas who witnessed the shooting.

A Tibetan monk who managed to reach Nepal was quoted in the paper as saying: "We started walking early through the Nangpa La Pass. Then the soldiers arrived. They started shooting and we ran; there were 15 children from eight to 10; only one escaped arrest.

"I just ran to save my life by praying to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I think the soldiers fired for 15 minutes."

"They were shouting, but I did not hear them ... I just heard gunshots passing my ears. I don't remember how many people were shot."

Another said: "When the Chinese started shooting, it was terrifying. We could only hear the gunfire and our friends screaming. We tried to take care of the seven-year-old girl with us."

Steve Lawes, a British police officer and mountaineer who was about 300 metres from the soldiers, told The Independent: "One person fell, got up, but then fell again."

An Australian climber, who did not give his name, told Reuters: "I looked through the telescope. I saw two objects - the first one looked like it was a backpack and the second one was definitely a body."

The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said a young Tibetan nun was confirmed dead while there were unconfirmed reports that a young refugee boy was killed.

The organisation said it also had fears for the safety of about 10 Tibetan refugee children who were arrested by the Chinese soldiers after fleeing from the gunshots.

Mr Lawes told The Independent that the children were marched single file through the base camp.

"The children were in single file, about six feet away from me. They didn't see us - they weren't looking around the way kids normally would, they were too frightened. By that time, advance base camp was crawling with soldiers. We were doing our best not to do anything that might spark off more violence."

[Article by Jano Gibson; www.smh.com.au]

See also:
news.bbc.co.uk
www.mounteverest.net


A Christian Buddha


The Story of Barlaam and Josaphat

There is a scene in the Merchant of Venice in which the suitors of Portia, a spirited young heiress, are shown three caskets, one of gold, one of silver, and one of lead. One of them contains Portia’s portrait, and according to her father’s will the suitor who chooses the right casket, the one containing the portrait, will be able to marry Portia. The Prince of Morocco chooses the gold casket, but on opening it he finds only a skeleton and some verses beginning All that glitters is not gold; Often have you heard that told.

Similarly the Prince of Aragon, on being shown the caskets, chooses the silver one and to his chagrin finds the portrait of a ‘blinking idiot’ and some sardonic verses. The third suitor is Bassanio, a young Venetian with whom Portia herself is secretly in love. He chooses the lead casket, where he finds Portia’s portrait and verses inviting him to claim the lady ‘with a loving kiss’. Few of those who have seen the play will have known that Shakespeare took the theme of the Three Caskets from the romance of Barlaam and Josaphat, a Christianized version of episodes from the life of the Buddha, which he found in The Golden Legend (1483), Caxton’s version of a French translation of the Legenda Aurea, a work compiled in Latin by the thirteenthcentury Dominican friar Jacobus de Voragine who became Archbishop of Geneva.

The story of the monk Barlaam and prince Josaphat underwent many changes before eventually passing from Voragine to Caxton and from Caxton to Shakespeare, but in Caxton’s English version, still very readable, incidents which are parts of the Buddha’s biography as handed down in Buddhist tradition can nevertheless still be discerned. The story begins in a legendary India, which is represented as being ‘full of Christians and of monks’. At this time there arose a powerful king named Avennir who persecuted the Christians, and especially the monks. Nonetheless, a friend of the king who was also his chief minister was inspired to leave the palace and become a monk. When the king heard of this he was beside himself with rage and ordered a search to be made for the monk, who was eventually found and brought before the king. On seeing his former minister ‘in a vile coat andmuch lean for hunger’ Avennir called him fool and madman and wanted to know why he had changed his honour into disgrace and made himself a mockery. If he was willing to listen to reason, the monk replied, then he should put from him his enemies. The king naturally wanted to know who his enemies were. They were anger and greed, the monk explained, for they obscured and hindered the mind, so that the truth might not be seen. ‘The fools despise the things that be’, the monk continued, ‘like as they were not, and he that hath not the taste of the things that be, he shall not use the sweetness of them, and may not learn the truth of them that be not.’

I was greatly struck by these words. Behind them, beneath all the layers of adaptation and modification, I could see an important teaching of the Buddha that must have come from one of the traditional Indian biographies. The spiritually immature despise the real because they see it as unreal; and he that has no experience of the real will not benefit from the happiness it brings, nor, since he sees the real as unreal, will he see the unreal as unreal. This is reminiscent of a verse in one of the best known Buddhist scriptures: ‘Those who, having known the real (sara) as the real, and the unreal (asara) as the unreal, they, moving in the sphere of right thought,will attain the real’ (Dhammapada 12). Whoeverwas originally responsible for this version of the story of Barlaam and Josaphat must have felt that the monk’s teaching to the king was not particularly Christian, as indeed it is not, for he credits the monk with having gone on to ‘show many things of mystery of the incarnation’, which is obviously out of place and very likely was added at some stage. Be that as it may, Avennir was not impressed by the monk’s teaching. Had he not promised to put away anger, he tells him, he would have burned him alive. Let him go now, lest he should do him some harm.

Meanwhile, it so happened that a son was born to the king, who hitherto had been childless. The boy was called Josaphat, which is not really a proper name but the form assumed by the Sanskrit word ‘bodhisattva’ after it had been transcribed from the alphabet of one language into that of another, and from that into yet another, thus becoming a little further removed from its original spelling and pronunciation each time. In the traditional biographies the term ‘Bodhisattva’ refers to the Buddha in the pre-Enlightenment phase of his career, the word meaning ‘Enlightenment-being’ or ‘one bent on Enlightenment’. On the birth of Josaphat ‘the king assembled a right great company of people for to sacrifice to his gods for the nativity of his son, and also assembled fifty-five astronomers, of whom he enquired what should befall of his son.’

In the Abhiniëkramaœa Sûtra or ‘Sûtra of the Great Renunciation’, one of the canonical biographies of the Buddha, the astrologers assembled by King Suddhodana, the Bodhisattva’s father, predicts that his son will become either a universal monarch or a Buddha, an Enlightened One. A sage who has arrived from the Himalayas, however, predicts that he will definitely become a Buddha. King Avennir’s astronomers tell him that Josaphat will be ‘great in power and in riches’; but one of them, wiser than the others, predicts that the child will be a Christian, a member of the religion that the king persecutes. Disturbed by the prediction, Avennir took measures to ensure that Josaphat does not hear about Jesus Christ. They are the same measures taken by Suddhodana, in the traditional biographies of the Buddha, to ensure that Siddhartha does not learn about the realities of human existence. In Caxton’s words:

And when the king heard that, he doubted much, and did do make without the city a right noble palace, and therein set he his son for to dwell and abide, and set there right fair younglings, and commanded them that they should not speak to him of death, ne of old age, ne of sickness, ne of poverty, ne of no thing that may give him cause of heaviness, but say to him all things that be joyous, so that his mind may be esprised with gladness, and that he think on nothing to come. And anon as any of his servants were sick the king commanded for to take them away, and set another, whole, in his stead, and commanded that no mention should be made to him of Jesus Christ.

Except for the reference to Jesus, the Buddhist will find himself on familiar ground here. He will also know what follows. But at this point the story of Barlaam and Josaphat, as translated by Caxton, is interrupted by a tale of palace intrigue, in which King Avennir tries to trick his chief noble into admitting that he was a Christian by telling him that he has decided to become a monk, and in which the noble tricks the king, and saves his own life, by becoming a monk in order, as he says, to accompany the king into the desert and serve him there. The story is then resumed, and the Buddhist again finds himself on familiar ground. When Josaphat grew up he wondered why his father had so enclosed him, and became greatly depressed that he could not go out. On hearing this the king made arrangements for ‘horses and joyful fellowship’ to accompany him, but in such a way that he should see no distressing sight.

And on a time thus as the king’s son went, he met a mesel (leper) and a blind man, and when he saw them he was abashed, and enquired what them ailed, and his servants said: These be passions (sufferings) that come to men. And he demanded if those passions come to all men, and they said: Nay. Then said he: Be they known which men shall suffer these passions without definition? And they answered: Who is he that may know the adventures of men? And he began to be much anguishous for the incustomable thing thereof. And another time he found a man much aged which had his cheer (face) frounced (wrinkled), his teeth fallen, and was all crooked for age.
Whereof he was abashed, and he desired to know the miracle of this vision. And when he knew that this was because he had lived many years, then he demanded what should be the end, and they said: Death; and he said: Is then death the end of all men or of some? And they said for certain that all men must die. And when he knew that all should die, he demanded them in how many years that should happen, and they said: In old age or four score years or a hundred, and after that age the death followeth. And this young man remembered oft in his heart these things, and was in great discomfort, but he showed him much glad tofore his father, and he desired much to be informed and taught in these things.

Josaphat has now seen the first two, and heard about the third, of the Four Sights that are described at length, and with a wealth of detail, in the traditional biographies of the Buddha; but he has yet to see the fourth sight, that of a monk. In the story of Barlaam and Josaphat it naturally is a Christian monk that he meets. The monk’s name is Barlaam. The derivation of the name is uncertain: it may be a corrupt form of the Sanskrit word bhagavan, meaning ‘lord’. Barlaam is described as ‘a monk of perfect life and good opinion that dwelled in the desert of the land of Senaar’. Coming to know about Josaphat by divine inspiration, he disguised himself as a merchant and gained access to him by telling ‘the greatest governor of the king’s son’ that he had a miraculous precious stone to sell and wished to offer it to the prince. The governor wanted to see the precious stone, but on hearing that it could be safely seen only by one who was wholly chaste he changed his mind and brought him to Josaphat, who received him honourably.

Barlaam told him he did well in taking no heed of his ‘littleness that appeareth withoutforth’. He was like the king whose barons were displeased with him for getting down from his chariot and humbly saluting to poor men, thus compromising his royal dignity. In order to teach them a lesson the king ordered four chests to be made. Two of the chests he covered with gold and jewels and filled and with dead men’s bones and filth. The other two he covered with pitch and filled with precious jewels and rich gems. Here we obviously have the originals of the Three Caskets in The Merchant of Venice, where despite his more romantic handling of the theme Shakespeare draws much the same moral as Barlaam, who continues:

And after this the king do call his great barons…and did do set these four chests tofore them, and demanded of them which were most precious, and they said that the two that were gilt were most of value. Then the king commanded that they should be opened, and anon a great stench issued out of them. And the king said: They are like them that be clothed with precious vestments and be full withinforth of ordure and of sin. And after he made open the other and there issued a marvellous sweet odour. And after, the king said: These be semblable to the poor men that I met and honoured, for though they be clad in foul vestments, yet shine they withinforth with good odour of good virtues, and ye take none heed but to that withoutforth, and consider not what is within.

Having related this apologue, Barlaam preached Josaphat a long sermon about the creation of the world, about the day of judgement, and about the reward of good and evil. This he followed up with a series of apologues, some of them quite amusing, on the foolishness of idol worship, the fallaciousness of worldly pleasure, the difference between true and false friendship, and the inevitability of death. Several of the apologues have, to me, a familiar, almost Buddhistic ring to them, especially the one on true and false friendship. There was a man who had three friends. He loved the first friend as much as himself, the second less than himself, the third little or naught. It so happened that this man was in danger of his life, and was summoned before the king. He ran for help to his first friend, reminding him how much he had always loved him. But the friend refused to help, saying he had to spend the day with other friends, and in any case he did not know him. The man went sadly to his second friend, who excused himself from accompanying him to the king, saying he had many responsibilities; but he would accompany him as far as the palace gate. At last the man went to his third friend. ‘I have no reason to speak to thee,’ he admitted, ‘ne I have not loved thee as I ought, but I am in tribulation and without friends, and pray thee that thou help me.’

The third friend readily agreed to the man’s request, saying, ‘I confess to be thy dear friend and have not forgotten the little benefit thou hast done to me, and I shall go right gladly with thee tofore the king, for to see what shall be demanded of thee, and I shall pray the king for thee.’ The first friend, Barlaam explained, was possession of riches, for the sake of which man puts himself in many dangers, and of which he can take with him, when death comes, only the winding sheet in which he will be buried. The second friend was his sons, his wife, and his kin, who can go with him only as far as his grave, after which they will return home and get on with their own lives. The third friend was faith, hope, and charity, and other good works we have done, which when we leave our bodies may go before us and pray for us to God, and may deliver us from our enemies the devils.

The first time I read this apologue, in Caxton’s English version, it at once put me in mind of the old morality play of Everyman which I saw at a London theatre during the War. This ballet moved me more deeply than had the play on which it was based, with which I was already familiar. On the drop curtain Blake’s ‘Ancient of Days’, enormously enlarged, bent over the Deep with his compasses creating the world. Then, out of the darkness, came a tremendous voice, declaring:

I behold here in my majesty How that all beings be to me unkind, Living without fear in worldly prosperity, On earthly treasure is all their mind.

God therefore sends a messenger to Everyman, requiring him to appear before him. The ‘mighty messenger’ is Death. On receiving the message Everyman runs in turn to his friends Fellowship, Kindred, Cousin, and Goods, but none is willing to go with him on his journey. At length he calls out to his Good Deeds, asking her where she is. But she is ‘called in ground’, his sins having bound her so tightly that she is unable to move. He releases her, and she goes with him on his journey, as does Knowledge, to whom the play’s unknown author gives the memorable lines:

Everyman, I will go with thee and be thy guide, In thy most need to go by thy side.

The play may be derived from a Dutch close counterpart, as one scholar believes; or, alternatively, it may be based on Barlaam’s apologue on true and false friendship, publication of The Golden Legend having preceded the composition of Everyman by about twenty-five years. In any case, the play is a work of something like genius and must have touched the hearts of the audience for which it was written, including as it does a universal truth – the truth that ‘you can’t take it with you’.

When he had been fully instructed by Barlaam, Josaphat wanted to leave his father and follow the monk. Barlaam approved his resolution, and to illustrate it he related another apologue; but he did not agree that Josaphat should follow him into the desert. Instead, he should wait until it was the right time for them to meet. He then baptized Josaphat and ‘returned into his cell’. Shortly afterwards Avennir heard that his son had become a Christian. On the advice of his friend Arachis he sought out an old pagan hermit who resembled Barlaam and instructed him to engage in public debate with the pagan masters. First he should defend the Christian faith, then allow himself to be defeated by the arguments of the pagans and revert to paganism. In this way Josaphat would lose faith in Christianity and follow suit. But Josaphat was not deceived. He told the false Barlaam, whose name was Nachor, that if he was defeated by the pagan masters he would, when he became king, tear out his tongue with his own hands for having dared to teach a king’s son a false religion. Judging that he had more to fear from the son than from the father, who had promised him immunity whatever the result of the debate, he attacked the gods of paganism with great vigour.

The Chaldees worshipped the elements, the Greeks worshipped gods and goddesses who were guilty of the grossest immorality, and the Egyptians worshipped animals, whereas Christians worshipped ‘the son of the right high king that descended from heaven and took nature human’. He then defended Christianity so clearly and convincingly that the pagan masters were discomfited and did not know what to say. Josaphat was overjoyed at the false Barlaam’s victory. He told him privately that he knew who he really was, converted him to Christianity, and sent him into the desert, where he was baptized and led the life of a hermit. On coming to hear of these things an enchanter named Theodosius approached the king and advised him to take away his son’s present attendants and replace them with beautiful, well-adorned women who should be instructed never to leave the prince, for ‘there is nothing that may so soon deceive the young man as the beauty of women’. He would then send to the prince an evil spirit who would inflame his mind with lust. The king did what the enchanter advised, but when Josaphat felt himself to be inwardly burning with lust he prayed to God for help, whereupon all temptation left him. The king then sent to him a beautiful young princess who was fatherless.

Josaphat preached to her and she promised to become a Christian if he would marry her. When he refused she promised that if he would lie with her for only that night shewould become a Christian in the morning, arguing that according to his own religion ‘the angels have more joy in heaven of one sinner doing penance than on many others’. Seeing how strongly the woman was assailing Josaphat the devils came to her aid, so that the prince’s fleshly craving incited him to sin at the same time that he desired the woman’s salvation. Weeping, he betook himself to prayer, fell asleep, and ‘saw by a vision that he was brought into a meadow arrayed with fair flowers, there where the leaves of the trees demened a sweet sound which came by a wind agreeable, and thereout issued a marvellous odour, and the fruit was right fair to see, and right delectable of taste, and there were seats of gold and silver and precious stones, and the beds were noble and preciously adorned, and right clear water ran thereby’.

He then entered into a city the walls of which were of fine gold, and where he saw in the air ‘some that sang a song that never ear of mortal man heard like’. This, he was told, was the abode of the blessed saints. He then was shown a horrible place full of filth and stench, and told this was the abode of the wicked. When Josaphat awoke, it seemed to him that ‘the beauty of the damosel was more foul and stinking than all other ordure’. Despairing of ever being able to persuade his son to abjure Christianity, King Avennir made over to him half his kingdom, though Josaphat desired with all his heart to go and live in the desert. For the sake of spreading his faith, however, he consented to rule for a while, and built churches, and raised crosses, and converted many people to Christianity, including his own father, who after leaving the whole kingdom to his son engaged in works of penance.

Josaphat himself, after ruling for much longer than he wanted, at last fled away into the desert, ‘and as he went in a desert he gave to a poor man his habit royal and abode in a right poor gown’, just as the Bodhisattva, in one of the traditional biographies of the Buddha, exchanges his princely robes for the saffron-coloured dress of a huntsman. What directly follows is reminiscent of the Bodhisattva’s defeat of Mãra, prior to his attaining Enlightenment, except that Josaphat prays to God whereas the Bodhisattva relies on his own inner resources.

And the devil made to him many assaults, for sometimes he ran upon him with a sword drawn and menaced to smite if he left not the desert; and another time he appeared to him in the form of a wild beast and foamed and ran on him as he would have devoured him, and then Josaphat said: Our Lord is mine helper. I doubt no thing that man may do to me.

Josaphat then spent two years wandering in the desert looking for Barlaam. At last he found a cave in the earth, knocked at the door, and said, ‘Father, bless me.’

And anon Barlaam heard the voice of him, and rose up and went out, and then each kissed other and embraced straitly and were glad of their assembling.

Afterwards Josaphat told Barlaam all that had happened to him since they parted. Barlaam died in the year 408 ad, the story goes on to relate. As for Josaphat, he left his kingdom in his twentyfifth year, and lived the life of a hermit for thirty-five years, and was buried by the body of Barlaam. On hearing of this, King Barachius, who it seems had been left in charge of the kingdom, removed the bodies of the two saints to his city, where their tomb was the scene of many miracles.

Just as Caxton translated the story of Barlaam and Josaphat from Voragine’s Latin version, via the French, Voragine himself drew his material from an earlier source, that drew from one still earlier, and so on through layer upon layer of different languages and cultures back to the Sanskrit text with which the whole process began. Scholars have not been able to identify this urtext, as it may be called, but it must have been related to such works as the Lalitavistara and the Buddhacarita. In any case, it was freely translated or adapted into Pehlevi in Central Asia under Manichean auspices, the prophet Mani, the third-century founder of Manicheism, having regarded the Buddha as God’s messenger to India, just as Zarathustra was his messenger to Persia, Jesus his messenger to the West, and Mani himself his messenger to Babylonia. This Pehlevi version, which appears to be no longer extant, was translated into Arabic probably in the eighth century by an unknown author and still survives. Under the title of The Book of Balawha and Budasf the Arabic version became popular in the Islamic world, and gave rise to numerous abridgements and adaptations in the same language. It also was the basis of the various Greek, Christianized versions of the story, the last and most highly embellished recension of which appeared in the ninth century and was later attributed to St John of Damascus, the last of the Greek Fathers. Versions of the Arabic work appeared not only in Greek but also in Hebrew, Persian, and Georgian.

So far as Western Europe is concerned, the most important of the versions deriving from The Book of Balawha and Budasf is the one attributed to St John of Damascus, for it was from this version that the Latin translations of the Middle Ages were all made. The first of the extant translations appears to have been made in the twelfth century. Other translations followed, including that of Jacobus de Voragine, which was the source not only of Caxton’s English version of the story of Barlaam and Josaphat but also of versions in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Icelandic, Irish, and a number of other languages. The abundance of these versions testifies to the popularity of the story through the Middle Ages and well into the Renaissance period.

Caxton’s version of the Legenda Aurea, of which the story of Barlaam and Josaphat forms a part, was his most popular publication. It was often reprinted, and a copy of the work must have fallen into Shakespeare’s hands before he came to write The Merchant of Venice, which was between 1596 and 1598. There were two main reasons for the widespread popularity of the romantic story of the young prince who, having lived a life of enforced seclusion, was suddenly confronted by the facts of human existence and became a monk.

In the first place, the story of Barlaam and Josaphat as it stands now is a good read. It has been described as ‘a strange mixture of parable and fable, of folklore and history, and romance, in which shrewd worldly wisdom is mingled with the highest and greatest religious truths in such a way that the perusal thereof will increase the piety of the godly, the wisdom of the wise, and the pleasure of those who seek amusement and instruction in the writings of teachers of olden times’. Secondly, the story was set in the distant, mysterious, almost mythical land of India, about whose geographical location most people in the Middle Ages had only the vaguest of ideas.

According to Christian tradition St Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, travelled to India not long after the death of Jesus and converted the whole country to Christianity. In the course of time it slipped back into paganism and it was Barlaam and Josaphat who, between them, reconverted the land to the true faith. For this pious work, as well as for the holiness of their lives, the two saints were greatly honoured by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Western Church, Barlaam and Josaphat being commemorated by the Roman Catholic Church on 27 November, while the Greek Church commemorates Josaphat by himself on 26 August and the Georgian Church Barlaam by himself on 19 May. In the Russian Church Barlaam and Josaphat, together with the latter’s father King Avennir, are all commemorated on 19 November, though this day properly belongs to St Barlaam of Antioch, an early Christian martyr.

To the best of my knowledge, no churches were dedicated to Barlaam and Josaphat, nor do they feature in the religious art of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, though it may well be that paintings illustrating their story are hidden away in remote churches and obscure provincial art galleries. Despite this apparent neglect, there are probably churches where their feast days are still celebrated, and where neither priest nor people realize that in venerating Barlaam and Josaphat they are in fact honouring the Buddha and the unknown Indian ascetic who, as the last of the Four Sights, had inspired the young Siddhartha to go forth from home in quest of Enlightenment.



taken from: "From Genesis to the Diamond Sutra - A Western Buddhist's
Encounters with Christianity" by Sangharakshita
http://www.sangharakshita.org/bookshelf/genesis-diamond-sutra.pdf

more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Josaphat
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext96/bioas10.txt


Medien-Foto des Jahres

Hier nun das Foto des Jahres....

Bin gerade auf der N-TV website auf einen Artikel getoßen der eigentlich gar nicht so besonders interessant ist - es geht um einen ziemlich heftigen Stomausfall in Pakistan. Das beigefügte Bild jedoch ist reif für einen Wurlitzer-Preis! In den Medien kursieren ja allerhand interessante Fotos - gefakte und authentische - dieses hier jedoch schlägt wirklich alles was ich in diesem Jahr bisher gesehen habe....




...übrigens: gestern ging ich nächtens spatzieren und entdeckte dabei das lange verschollen geglaubte Shambhala - hier nun exklusiv das allererste Foto:

Dakini Teachings




Seminar mit John Myrdhin Reynolds:
Dakinis: Das weibliche Prinzip im tibetischen Buddhismus

27. – 29. Oktober 2006

Freitag, 27.10.
Abendvortrag, Beginn 19.00 Uhr bis ca. 21.00 Uhr, 15 Euro
Samstag, 28.10. und Sonntag, 29.10.
Wochenendseminar, jeweils von 10.00 bis 13.00 Uhr und
von 15.00 bis 18.00 Uhr, je 40 Euro

Ort:
Tanzstudio Krippner, Obermünsterstr. 9, 93047 Regensburg
Kontakt und Anmeldung:
Tel: 0172 – 61 77 467, eMail: wolfi@grandtouring.de

Ein Bönpo-Dzogchen-Wochenende

Seit Montag abend bin ich nun wieder zurück - zurück von einem der schönsten Wochenenden die ich bisher erleben durfte. Vier Tage in der Gegenwart von einem der größten und eindrücklichsten Meistern des Dzogchen. Vier Tage angefüllt mit Belehrungen über die höchsten und wundervollsten Lehren des Bön - den Lehren des Zhang Zhung Nyan Gyud. Gemeinsam mit Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung und Geshe Samten erwies uns Yongdzin Rinpoche die außergewöhnliche Ehre seines ersten Besuches in der Schweiz, und gab uns die einmalige Gelegenheit Belehrungen mit dem Titel 'ltaba spyi gcod kyi mnyam bzhag sgom pa'i lag len' von ihm zu empfangen. Diese Belehrungen umfassen das erste Kapitel des Zhang Zhung Nyan Gyud, doch tatsächlich präsentierte uns Lopön in sehr kondensierter und komprimierter Form mehr oder weniger den gesamten Zyklus des Nyan Gyud in diesen vier Tagen, angefangen von den Ngöndro, über die besonderen vorbereitenden Übungen des Dzogchen, den inneren und äußeren Rüshen und den Semdzins, über die Traum und Nacht-Praxis, bis hin zu Trekchö, Thögal und der Dunkel-Praxis. So übertrug er den gesamten Lehr-Zyklus, mit Ausnahme der Bardo-Teachings. Lopön gab jeden Morgen mit großer Geduld und Nachsicht über einen Zeitraum von zwei bis drei Stunden die essenziellsten Unterweisungen des Nyan Gyüd, und Khenpo Yungdrung gab jeden Nachmittag ebenfalls zwei bis dreieinhalbstündige Vorträge in denen er vertiefende Belehrungen und Erläuterungen über die wichtigsten Punkte der Unterweisungen von Lopön gab.

Im Laufe der Zeit hatte ich nun bereits die Gelegenheit, von verschiedenen Lamas aus verschiedenen Traditionen Belehrungen zu empfangen, doch musste (oder durfte) ich bereits am ersten Tag dieses Seminares feststellen, dass Lopön selbst unter all den 'großen' Lamas noch eine ganz besondere Stellung einnimmt. Abgesehen von Falten und grauen Haaren ist Von seinem doch schon recht fortgeschrittenen Alter eigentlich gar nichts zu bemerken, im Gegenteil, zeitweise hatte man eher das Gefühl in der Gegenwart eines sehr sehr aufgeweckten kleinen Jungens zu sein, um nur Momente später spontan Gewissheit zu erlangen, zu den Füßen eines voll erleuchteten Buddhas zu sitzen. Selbst wenn er nur schweigend dagesessen wäre, ohne auch nur ein Wort zu lehren, wäre seine reine Anwesenheit, seine Ausstrahlung und seine enorme Präsenz ein einscheidendes und unvergessliches Erlebnis für wohl jeden von uns gewesen. Und das uns die Gnade zuteil wurde, in dieser kurzen Zeit so viele seiner kostbaren Unterweisungen zu empfangen, steigert diese Erfahrung ins schier ins Unermessliche. Lopön ist der lebende Beweis für die Wirkungsweise, die Macht und die Effizienz der Lehren der Buddhas. Jedes seiner Worte, jede seiner Handlungen, und sei es nur die kleinste Bewegung, widerspiegeln eine Kraft, die nicht in Worten beschreibbar ist, all seine Aktivitäten sind gekennzeichnet von einer unermesslichen Sanftheit, und doch gleichzeitig auch von unermesslicher Kraft und Energie. Hätte mir noch vor kurzem jemand in einem Satz gesagt, etwas sein kraftvoll und gleichzeitig sanft, so hätte ich dies als Widerspruch aufgefasst, doch nun habe ich persönlich erfahren dürfen, dass in einer solchen Beschreibung keinerlei Widerspruch zu finden ist. Die war meine erste Begegnung mit Lopön, und selbst wenn ich ihn in diesem Leben nicht mehr treffen sollte, wird diese eine Begegnung noch für sehr lange Zeit einen sehr starken Einfluß auf mich haben. In gewisser Hinsicht fühle ich mich wie ein schwer Kranker der nach langer Zeit des Leidens plötzlich auf wundersame Weise geheilt wurde - eine Erfahrung gleich einem kostbaren, unbezahlbaren Geschenk das Auswirklungen auf den ganzen Rest des Leben hat. Aber ich hoffe trotzdem sehr, Lopön noch in diesem Leben des öfteren begegnen zu können - vielleicht, wenn die karmischen Ursachen gegeben sind, schon nächstes Jahr im Pauenhof....

Aber auch Khenpo Yungdrung Rinpoche hat einen bleibenden Eindruck auf mich hinterlassen. Die Art und Weise in der er Belehrungen gibt ist ebenfalls einzigartig - so voller Frische und Witz dass er Stunden um Stunden erzählen und lehren kann ohne dass es auch nur für einen Moment langweilig wird. Selbst seine Belehrungen über die absoluten 'basics' wie Bodhichitta oder Zuflucht gestaltet er höchst interessant und immer gespickt und angereichert mit Dzogchen. So kann er in einem Satz über die Natur, Essenz und Energie sprechen, und gleichzeitig Ausführungen über Mitgefühl geben, und das ganz ohne dabei Verwirrung bei den Zuhörern zu stiften. Ich habe schon Belehrungen von anderen Lamas erhalten, die in einem Atemzug Unterweisungen über grundlegende Mahayana oder auch Hinayana teachings und über Dzogchen gaben, doch meistens verursachte ein solches Vorgehen nur mehr oder minder starke Irritationen, und manchmal schien es sogar so, als würde der jeweilige Lama das Wort Dzogchen nur deswegen von Zeit zu Zeit erwähnen, um die Zuhörer bei der Stange zu halten. Khenpo Yungdrung ist in dieser Hinsicht jedoch wirklich ganz speziell, denn er versteht es auf einzigartige Weise, Sutra, Tantra und Dzogchen Belehrungen in nur einem Vortrag so zu kombinieren, dass alle diese Lehren wie eine einzige Unterweisung erscheinen, ohne Widersprüche, Unterschiede oder Verwirrungen.

Ich könnte noch Seitenweise weiterschreiben und von diesem Wochenende weiterschwärmen, deshalb laß' ich's besser gleich hier bleiben und zeig euch lieber noch ein paar Schnappschüsse die ich gemacht habe ;-)



....der Halwiler See in Seengen....


Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche


Geshe Samten & Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung












Lopön & meine Wenigkeit :-)