Sharing the Timeless Joy, from the VOCL Archives

Rinpoche Shares a Memory of His Eminence Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche and Gives Some Heart Advice

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche shares a fond memory of Yongdzin Rinpoche and offers meaningful insights on how we approach the teachings. This excerpt is from teachings given in January, 2000 during the Millenium retreat in Nepal and was previously included in the October 2019 issue of VOCL.

This retreat is a wonderful opportunity for us to have His Eminence Yongdzin (Lopon) Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche here, especially for those of you who don't know him. Yongdzin Rinpoche is the principal teacher of the Bon Buddhist tradition, and for me, personally, he has been my root master and the person who cared for me when I was growing up. This morning I was making a little pancake for breakfast for him, and he said, Oh, this is what I used to make for you! When I was 10 years old I didn't know how to cook, so he made me that pancake a number of times. Now 30 years later, he could say, This is what you learned from me! [laughter] I have been very fortunate, and we all are so fortunate that I can now share my teacher like this with you.

There are so many different ways we can approach learning the dharma. When we approach the teachings in Lopon's scholarly way, very carefully going through all the details of the ancient texts, I know what must go through new people's minds! Please have patience. Understand as much as you can of the details. Try to get as much as possible. But as I said this morning, don't worry about what you don't get. Listen and try to understand, and what you don't understand, don't worry about it. This is the place to work with what you do understand, what you do connect with, what you do feel. And what you don't understand, don't work too much in that area.

Speaking a bit more on what Lopon said today, we are cultivating devotion, inspiration and connection, and if you didn't want to do that, you wouldn't be here. It is your wanting that brings you here - wanting to engage with the practice. Ultimately, hopefully, the wanting and wishing and desiring will be the basis of your illumination. Illumination comes from there. In the West sometimes people misunderstand this. Especially in the 60s and 70s, spiritual pursuits often seemed to be more about Don't worry, be happy, have no attachment, do whatever comes to mind. This is not what the teachings are saying. The teachings encourage us to be responsible. Whatever happens to you, the consequences are based on your actions.