Palyul Times (PT): Tashi delek Khen Rinpoche! We, the members of Ngagyur Rigzod Editorial Committee, have been publishing an annual English magazine called Palyul Times and this will be the ninth issue. In this magazine we publish articles about Buddhism and its sacred sites, life stories of great masters, the throneholders of the Palyul lineage, and events at Namdroling, as well as articles and spiritual advice related to Buddhist teachings. We also include interviews with rinpoches and senior khenpos. This year we would like to take the opportunity to interview you, Venerable Khenpo, and request you to kindly share your experiences for the benefit of faithful students and devotees.
(PT): Khen Rinpoche, please briefly introduce yourself.
Khenpo Jamyang Tsering (KJT): As for myself, I joined the monastic community when I was about ten years old. Since then, I have had the opportunity to receive many oral transmissions and empowerments of the profound teachings of kama and terma from Their Holinesses Dudjom Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dodrub Rinpoche, Jadral Rinpoche, Drubwang Penor Rinpoche, Minling Trichen Rinpoche, Polu Khenpo, and so on. At the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute in Mysore, I had the opportunity to study the Buddhist literature of sutra and tantra under the spiritual guidance of masters to whom I am grateful, such as the noble Khenchen Tsondue, since I was fourteen years old. Gradually, right after completing my course, His Holiness [Penor Rinpoche] sent me to Gangteng Monastery in Bhutan where I taught sutra and tantra according to my ability. Later, in 1988, His Holiness awarded me and my colleagues the title of Khenpo; we were the first such group. Since then, I have been serving the institute by teaching and giving oral transmissions.
As per H.H. Jadral Rinpoche’s instructions, I went to Sikkim and there I taught Yonten Dzod (The Treasury of Knowledge) to the prince and thirty other practitioners at Taktse retreat centre. Likewise, I taught Tibetan grammar to H.E. Situ Rinpoche [Kathog Situ] in Yangleshod, Nepal. Also, as instructed by H.H. Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche, I went to Dorje Drag Institute and served wholeheartedly, teaching the seventh, eighth and ninth year students. Similarly, I had the opportunity to serve Namkha Rinpoche’s monastery in Orissa, India, and Lhodrag Kharchu Monastery in Bumthang, Bhutan, as well as other monasteries in Nepal, through teaching and giving oral transmissions of sutra and tantra. Even now, I spend my time organising annual great accomplishment rituals, giving teachings to devotees, and so forth, serving sincerely the buddhadharma as a whole.
(PT): Generally, to be a genuine Buddhist, what criteria must we fulfil? Particularly, how do you define a 21st century Buddhist? How should a Buddhist practitioner manage with in modern society?
(KJT): To be a genuine Buddhist, one should understand the tenets of Buddhism; if not, one must at least know the principles of taking refuge in the Three Jewels. It is possible that there might be a few who engage in the practises of listening, contemplation and meditation, but they cannot face difficulties like Milarepa, Longchen Rabjam, and so on, did in the olden days. Those Buddhist practitioners, however, should physically act according to the customs of their society without controversy, as it is said in the Vinaya tradition that we should behave in accordance with the time and place. However, to accord completely with the world will lead you to fall into the eight worldly attachments which are contrary to the Dharma. This is mentioned time and again in the Bodhisattvacharyavatara by Shantideva.
(PT): Khen Rinpoche, you have been teaching the Dharma to people for many years. What method is best for introducing Buddhism to modern-day people? Please share your experience with us.
(KJT): In this modern era, acharyas, teachers and scholars should cause the Dharma to flourish through introducing it with authentic reasoning in the broader society. I think the teaching will improve depending on how much they could teach with the pure motivation of benefiting others, for example like Khenpo Tsultrim Lodroe and Khenpo Sodargyey of Larung Gar.
(PT): These days, there are Buddhists who don’t find time to practise the Dharma because of their numerous worldly activities. What appropriate method should they follow to accomplish the practise in a short period of time?
(KJT): If one practices Dzogchen, the highest teaching of sutra and tantra, correctly, then it is certain that one will become liberated in a short period. This is the most concise method to accomplish one’s practice.
(PT): These days, many noble beings are passing into nirvana because of people’s diminished fortune. What should the students and devotees do to sustain and propagate the buddhadharma those noble beings left behind?
(KJT): These days, even if the holy lamas of the Ngagyur Nyingma pass away, there is nothing more to accomplish of their visions except for the ones who are living to take the utmost responsibility for causing the teachings to flourish in the following ways: First, perfectly understand the literature of ‘So Zur Nub Sum’,1 ‘Dam Tsang Jam Sum’2 and ‘Rong Long Nam Nyi’3 through listening and contemplating in Buddhist institutions to develop pure faith and confidence in the views and tenets of your own tradition; second, taking to heart the act of receiving empowerments, oral transmissions of the root texts and their commentaries, and practicing through meditation and accomplishment; and lastly, hold, maintain and propagate the activities and accomplishments of the kama and terma traditions, the pure doctrine of their predecessors, without diminishment.
As it is said, harmony within the sangha is happiness, and so all the Nyingmapas, like the children of same parents, are same in practising the unstained tradition of Guru Padmasambhava. Therefore, leaving behind the attachment, aversion and partiality of saying ‘you’ and ‘me’ by grasping at one’s rank, place and monastery, all should unite and benefit one another through mutual support. If it is done in this way, certainly the Nyingma tradition will flourish further and for longer, as prophesied by Dodrub Kunzang Zhenphen: If the Dharma-holders of Kathog, Dzogchen and Palyul are united and support one another, the doctrine of the Ngagyur Nyingma will continually and authentically grow ever greater, and it will serve as the backbone of the buddhadharma. In this way, it will increase and flourish just as noble master said:
The Dharma of sutra and tantra is complete and without error,
A tradition that is a lineage of scholars, siddhas and vidyadharas.
May the teachings of the Ancient Transmission, the essence of the Buddha’s teachings,
Increase and flourish, to pervade throughout the world!
(PT): Khenpo, from your point of view, what changes do you see in buddhadharma, and especially the Nyingma doctrine, among various societies?
(KJT): These days, the Nyingma doctrine is flourishing in Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, India and in foreign countries more broadly than before because of the noble deeds and aspirations of His Holiness Drubwang [Penor] Rinpoche and other Nyingma masters, which is well known to all.
(PT): These days many people talk about attaining peace through meditation. Is this truly meaningful? Is mere meditation enough to attain peace? Tell us briefly the ways to meditate on peacefulness.
(KJT): Meditation is important because any common or uncommon excellence may be achieved through it. It is not only the method to attain a peaceful mind, but also to acquire magnificent physical qualities such as suppleness, and so on, as said in sutra and tantra. A tantra states as follows:
After taming one’s mind, which is like
A mad elephant, through meditation,
If one relies on mantra and mudra,
The blessing will be wonderful.
So, the main cause to accomplish any achievement and blessing is meditation.
Mipham Rinpoche also stated that it is because of the absence of meditation that certain minor tantric activities are not accomplished accordingly; therefore those who wish for blessing and accomplishment should persevere in meditation. So, I think the need to put effort into it, without remaining with just listening and contemplation, is described repeatedly, as we all know, by the noble masters.
Meditation alone, the method to attain a peaceful mind, is enough for a Buddhist practitioner. Let me give a brief way of meditating on inner peace. First, visualize the Buddha in the sky above, and then focus on his major and minor marks one by one. Concentrate on the hair ringlet between his eye brows if drowsiness ensues, or, if discursive thoughts arise, on his crossed legs, or if neither of these is present, on his heart. Gradually, as a sign of accomplishing the attainment of stability, the state in which there is no mental attachment to sense objects, one will acquire the quality of special insight, worldly higher perception, and so on.
(PT): What special feature does Buddhism have that is equivalent to the reality of existence?
(KJT): For example, the belief that there is a creator of the world in other religious traditions is not only against the reality of existence but also out of accord with ordinary common perception. In the case of Buddhism, if we examine the view and tenet of the concept of microscopic particles, even famous scientific specialists accept the fact that the Buddhist concept matches the reality of existence. Therefore, just from this point alone we can deduce the authenticity of Buddhism.
(PT): We would like to thank you, Khen Rinpoche, for sharing your experience. As a final word, please give the committee some beneficial advice regarding editorial.
(KJT): As for the committee, I want to say that just like what all of you are doing now, continue spreading the views connected to the experience of the scholars of the Ngagyur Nyingma, spoken in response to the questions put forward by the committee. If you could do that, then, I think it will certainly become a means for propagating Buddhism in the near future. Tashi Delek!
By Rigzod Editors
