A message below from His Holiness Phakchok Rinpoche – who will be back in Thailand for a hectic 12 day tour in early January. His previous visits here were very well received; he is a great Dharma teacher, as well as great fun to be around.
Dear Dharma Brothers and Sisters,
I hope you’ve all been happy and healthy since our last meeting. I’m in Denmark at the moment giving teachings to the Gomde sangha. And so far all has been going very well. I’ve now been on the road for almost four and a half months starting with my trip in the middle of June in England where I was greeted with a warm “hello” which was later followed by “bonjour”, “guten tag”, “hi there”, “hola”, “bons dias”, “selamat dating”, “sawat dee”, and now “shalom” which will soon be followed by “howzitgaun”, “witaj”, “goedendag” and finally “namaste” when I arrive into Kathmandu on the 6th of December rounding off six months of travel. Phew!
The past few months have been crammed with multiple zigzagging around the globe flying different airlines, landing in different airports, jet lagging in different cities, being greeted by students with varied backgrounds, switching between multiple diets, and sleeping on different sized beds! Though the seasons change, and so do the landscapes, along with the faces of students greeting in their distinct tongues, one thing remains the same throughout, and that is the motivation of each and every student in wanting to learn more and to excel further in their dharma practice. And truly this is what motivates me to come and visit you all in your different cities traveling for months and being away from my family and taking time away from my personal retreat.
Upon my arrival into Kathmandu and after unpacking and unwinding for a week, I’ll be packing again for the week-long pilgrimage, Following the Footsteps of the Buddha, along with H.E. Chokling Rinpoche and some 60 students. We are very fortunate that Chokling Rinpoche and his blessings will be with us throughout the trip and at all the sacred sites. With the pilgrimage we’ll auspiciously close the Western 2010 calendar and greet the next with the Shravakayana Retreat in January, 2011 at the sacred cave of Asura where Guru Rinpoche gained realization through the practice of Vajrakilaya.
If any of you are taking part in these upcoming events, then I’ll see you soon again and if not, then I’ll look forward to seeing you in your respective cities next year! Closing this brief update with many warm greetings for the upcoming holidays,
With very warm wishes,
Phakchok Rinpoche
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Websites
Shedrub International Mandala – http://www.shedrub.org
Chokling Rinpoche’s site and Chokgyur Lingpa Foundation – http://www.cglf.org
Phakchok Rinpoche’s site – http://www.phakchokrinpoche.org
Gomde Cooperstown – http://www.gomdecooperstown.org
A Teaching by Phakchok Rinpoche – http://phakchokrinpoche.org/FallTeachingsSeminar2003.htm
Some Videos of Phakchok Rinpoche’s teachings –
http://www.youtube.com/user/PhakchokRinpocheorg#p/u
Riwoche.com – Phakchok Rinpoche’s Riwoche Tibetan Buddhist Temple is located in Toronto, Canada.