Dreaming Of Danzan Ravjaa

'Mongol'?

Had a date last night. OK, it was with my mom. But we went to Brattleboro, Vermont's Latchis Theater to see the Russian-directed epic Mongol, about the early life of Chinghis Khan. There seems to have been much praise lavished on this film, mostly for the lush cinematography, and the feel of classic Hollywood epics. And...OK. True, I guess, but from an actual Mongol and/or authentically historical point of view? Part laughable, part downright maddening.

I remember reading an article in the English-language Mongol press back in November where the Mongolians were downright incensed after it was shown on television there. I don't blame them. The Secret History of the Mongols, the crucial document of the great Khan's life written two decades after he died, has been available in non-Mongolian languages (including English) for quite some time. Nonetheless, director Sergei Bodrov somehow mangles the story for something maybe he feels is more simple to tell, loses all the rich poetry and deep drama, and uses Japanese and Chinese actors to tell it. No actual Mongolians were involved in the production, it seems. The result, for anyone with any real connection to Mongolia, is a sour caricature. This L.A. Times review offers a quote at the end from a Mongolian critic that says, "It was as if a biopic of Abraham Lincoln had sported a Mexican and a Quebecker in the lead roles."

The Mongolians are justifiably hyper-sensitive about this. Under Soviet-controlled Communist rule, the mere mention of Chingghis Khan was forbidden, forget about any serious historical research, or cultural depiction. So for a Russian to make a film like this is a real slap to them. Out of respect to my homies, I can't recommend it.

Did you see it? What did you think?

Mongolia's Post-Election Violence -- UPDATED

Still bleary-eyed from an endless journey out of Beijing, and I'm waking to the distressing news that the parliamentary election results in my beloved Mongolia, indicating that the former Communist party has won a solid majority of seats, have provoked almost unprecedented violent protests. Michael Kohn's report for the AFP seems the most up-to-date in English since he's actually in-country, Olloo's English site has pix, while this Mongolian news site has more pix that are downright alarming.

 

Can my readers in Mongolia fill us in with details, eyewitness if you can, in the comments?

For the rest of us, please pray for a peaceful resolution to this.

UPDATE: Pray harder. It's getting worse. Per Allison in the comments, Jaspal's eyewitness account, with photos, here. Asian Gypsy's got more here and here. Though I'm ordinarily loath to link to right-wing evangelicals, Tom Terry's got more at his blog though, as always, it's more about him and his station than the situation itself. Some folks seem to feel that their non-stop live coverage during the protests made them worse. I'm agnostic on the point but welcome comments from inside Mongolia. My one thought is that, as with China in Tibet, the MPRP would do well not to create scapegoats, but rather to take a good honest look at their role in what has made people this frustrated and angry.

UPDATE 2: Mongolian government declares four-day state of emergency. I hope Sakyadhita's Buddhist Women's Conference can go forward. Probably so, it's outside of town and the curfew's only at night.

UPDATE 3: I'm shocked to learn that official statements list five dead in the unrest, as well as several hundred injured. The clampdown has restored calm, but you can be sure there's more simmering and it's going to take some real skill to bring this to a satisfactory conclusion.

Bloom is on the Tulip

Well, it’s election morning here in Mongolia, and I’m doing what any prudent citizen would do – skedaddling. Polls open in 15 minutes, and I head to the airport in two hours to jet off and have a summertime squiz at my American motherland. I know that doesn’t exactly get me out of the Lunatic Election Zone, but I will be on retreat for half my stay, so. In Mongolia, hundreds of candidates from maybe a dozen parties are vying to occupy the nation’s 76 parliamentary seats. I haven’t written about this because, frankly, I can’t make heads nor tails of it. I know one candidate personally, and I’m rooting for him, but that’s it. Michael Kohn dropped by last night and said he’d be on the scene and filing reports for BBC and Agence France Presse, so watch the wires tomorrow.

 

I leave feeling that we had a really productive spring – publishing Jetsunma’s Stabilizing the Mind book in Mongolian, conducting four meditation workshops based on its teachings, translating and giving transmission for the Palyul Monastery protector prayers, translating a chunk of our Dzogchen preliminary practices which we’ll teach in the fall, getting a Palyul dharma throne built, offering several classes on bodhicitta, helping visiting luminaries like Alak Zenkar Rinpoche in their activity, preparing to write grants for two very worthy projects, setting in motion a possible lama tour in October...hey, not bad!

 

Last night, we had a lovely tsog for Dakini Day, a perfect wrap-up. It’s not a large group, but it’s dedicated. Here is Enkhtsetseg, the main student of 104-year old Amaa, leading the group in Jetsunma’s dedication prayer:

 

“By this effort, may all sentient beings be free of suffering.

May their minds be filled with the nectar of virtue.

In this way, may all causes resulting in suffering be extinguished,

And only the light of compassion shine throughout all realms.”

 

 

 

 

Afterward, several of the students surprised me with a tremendously generous offering that, with a little added on, will be used to purchase 1000 copies of Jetsunma’s book to distribute for free at the opening ceremony of Sakyadhita’s International Conference of Buddhist Women. Several others presented letters and small gifts for Jetsunma with heartfelt requests that she come to Mongolia and teach them. I can't wait to deliver these in person. This gave me such hopefulness about the future of our project here, and it was symbolized for me by the following image. When I returned from Australia in early March, my friend Saraa gave me a Chinese Tulip plant for my new apartment. It had one full bloom which soon fell off. No other blossoms appeared until just a few days ago. This bud, just ready to burst open in glorious crimson beauty, sums up perfectly how I feel just now.

 

 

 

 

Of course there’s one more reason I’m excited to be returning home. That’s right, North American birding. Internet reports indicate I have a healthy shot at four lifers: Henslow’s, Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed, and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows, as well as my old nemesis, Mississippi Kite. Yowza!

 

More reports soon from the far side of the pond. I really should finish packing...

American Religious Landscape

OK, tipped off by Philip at the Tricycle blog, I just killed 45 minutes clicking around the cool graphs and comparative data from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life's big ol' U.S. Religious Landscape Survey that they released the other day. So can you. I won't tell your boss, promise.

Seems like Buddhists make up about 0.7% of the adult U.S. population, so there are maybe 2-3 million of us running around the States. Also, along with our Jewish brethren (there's a lot of crossover, resulting in two hilarious book titles: The Jew in the Lotus and That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist), I'm happy to report that we weigh in as the most liberal politically and most tolerant of other religious paths and lifestyles.

One bizarre bit stuck out for me. 67% of Buddhists reported they were "absolutely" or "somewhat certain" in their belief in God! Then I saw that the question read, "Do you believe in God or a universal spirit?" But still. With this and some of the others I felt the wording of the questions skewed toward a Christian and/or monotheistic religious perspective that I would have had trouble answering accurately if I had been surveyed. For example, the one the Jehovah's Witnesses ate up read like this: "IF RESPONDENT HAS A RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION, ASK:] Now, as I read a pair of statements, tell me whether the FIRST statement or the SECOND statement comes closer to your own views even if neither is exactly right. First/next: My religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life, OR: many religions can lead to eternal life." Well, no educated Buddhist would frame the goal of Buddhist practice as "eternal life." We would say "liberation from samsara" or "enlightenment." But then the Pew folks did note that some of the respondents might not have been too well educated in the actual theology of their respective traditions.

Anyway, we'd all be interested in your own observations in the comments.

Pale By Comparison

So I did have lunch today with Jungly John, aka John Bellezza, who, it turns out, is quite an interesting feller, having carved a completely unique archaeological niche for himself studying the pre-Buddhist culture of ridiculously remote northern Tibet (his latest offering: the monumental, 842-page Zhang Zhung: Foundations of Civilization in Tibet).

 

Joining us was Glenn Mullin, who curated and authored the catalogue for a new show up now through August 18 at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City, entitled “Buddha in Paradise” (link to review also has a cool slideshow).

 

Tomorrow, I’m going to try to connect him with Don Croner, who’s recently back from a horse trek into Khuvsgul Province’s Darkhad Depression (I know, sounds like a plea for quality medication) and beyond. And perhaps also Prof. Vesna Wallace, just in to boost her Mongolian language in preparation for her new gig occupying an endowed chair for the Numata Professorship of Buddhist Studies at Oxford University's Balliol College.

 

Vesna will almost certainly be attending Sakyadhita’s 10^th International Conference on Buddhist Women here in Ulaanbaatar, organized to a large extent by the dynamic Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo. On Saturday, I attended a lecture Lekshe gave at the local FPMT center on the History of Buddhist Women. Very nice, gently provocative lecture and I snapped a few pix:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Kelly’s also in-country (some Mongolia shots at the linked site), riding herd on a National Geographic crew producing a piece on the Mongolian horse. Hamid Sardar is dropping in tomorrow to set up his new high-end tourist adventure camp in a remote Khuvsgul Valley and begin shooting his new film. Also Michael Kohn, researching for the next edition of Lonely Planet's Trans-Siberian Railway Guide (he also kindly gave me a copy of his latest book, Dateline Mongolia: An American Journalist in Nomad's Land, which I thoroughly enjoyed). Who knows who else; the summer parade seems endless.

 

My neurotic conclusion from all this? Everyone’s doing something more interesting than me. Weird thinking, right? Or pathetic, if you prefer.

Oma Goodness

Elsewhere in the mail came my mother’s reaction to my new tattoo. Oh, you think you know the general gist of it? Think again:

 

“Just read your latest blog, and not only am I so deeply touched by your (our) connection with Amitabha and your beautiful explanations and comments, but am blown away by the new tattoo - can't wait to see it in person in about 2 weeks!”

Whoa. She goes on: “(of course the next tat will be "Mother" surrounded by a heart)”

 

Well, it oughta be. I mean, how many layers of cool is that? My own mother not only using the slang term ‘tat,’ but appreciating its beauty and the fact that it symbolically resonates with our common bond through Buddha Amitabha. That is to say, she met me once in New York City so we could both attend an Amitabha empowerment bestowed by HH Penor Rinpoche, and that’s deeply meaningful to both of us. Though one could say we had it anyway, that event really sealed our indestructible connection. In the unlikely event that I outlive her, I now feel confident she’ll greet me in Amitabha’s pure land of Dewachen with one of her big hugs, having already manifested a freezer filled with homemade turkey soup and calorie-free Ben & Jerry’s.

 

Oh, and did I mention my mother’s 81? (Sorry, Ma) Like, today. I feel it’s no accident her birthday’s on the summer solstice, the longest that the light dispels the darkness. A part of one of our common aspiration prayers says, “May we be born in good families.” Well, at least I nailed that one in a previous life. My mother (and it must be said, by extension, my two older sisters) have offered me such unstinting and consistent love and support through every improbable decision I’ve made and every kooky bend and twist my life has taken, it’s really just impossible to repay such kindness. The best I can do is live this life as purely as I’m able, and hope it makes them happy, and even sneaks a little something into their karmic accounts.

 

I’ll be on your doorstep before you know it, Ma. I love you, and happy, happy birthday.

 

(“Oma” in the title refers to the German name that her grandchildren call her. The helpless addiction to puns is genetic. See previous paeon.)

Mail Bag -- Updated

As you might imagine, there are pros and cons to maintaining a public presence such as this. But since I like to see the silver lining as half full, let’s look at one of the pros: cool mail.

Recently, one Jamie Hubbard, who occupies the Yehan Numata Chair in Buddhist Studies at Smith College (do click this, and run your cursor over the photo; it’s hilarious), sent an e-brick through my window saying he was in town and could he buy me lunch? He could, and did, and it was most enjoyable, not least of which for the following two reasons. The first was that he informed me a consortium of Massachusetts colleges was planning a spring 2009 conference on Buddhism in Mongolia. Very cool (especially if I can, you know, attend). And secondly, he received my recent declaration that my pals Sue and Erka were sharing the distinction of being declared my new co-Very Best Friends as a challenge. Not only did he send me three more bags of Dean’s Beans Ahab’s Revenge, but also a passel of quality t-shirts commemorating “The Many Flavors of the Dharma: Celebrating Buddhism in the Pioneer Valley.”

It’s hard to read here, but the graphic lists no fewer than 44 dharma groups. In north-central Massachusetts. Now, just let that sink in for a second. And Jamie? The theme music’s swelling; come on up and get your sash and tiara – you are, for the time being, my new Very Best Friend.

Another dispatch came from long-lost Lynne in Philly to steel me for the arrival of the near-mythic individual known to lurk around the Himalayan plateau named Jungly John. I may or may not have met him in Kathmandu in ’96. I hope Jungly jingles in so I can find out for sure. If not, who cares? I still get to say I met someone named Jungly John. The rest of the note was a bummer, though, as Lynne says she’s dropping in this summer just when I’m bailing out.

But the prize for outta the blue mind-bender clearly goes to Stevan Davies. He’s a Professor of Religious Studies at Misericordia University (Dallas, PA – I had to look it up, too) but that’s not hardly the weirdest part. He writes in to confess to me that he shares my peculiar obsession with the completely obscure Dharma Protectress Gungyi Lhamo, and to prove it, he attaches the following image of a Mongolian antique miniature he copped on Ebay (thanks, fellas, for selling off your country’s culture to the highest bidder):

 

In further correspondence, I knew we were deeply simpatico when he made me spit my Ahab’s Revenge over this line: “There is just something special about a nude bright blue wrathful goddess on a Bactrian camel. We don’t have those in Northeastern Pennsylvania .” Prof. Stevan, I know just how you feel.

I was originally going to title this post “I’m Gungyi, Dammit!” but the con part of blogging is that there are other eager correspondents who, strangely, don’t find my irreverence nearly as funny as I do.

 

Update: Christian, in the comments, asks if I've written about Gungyi Lhamo before. Yup, here.

Jetsunma Live

In the comments to the previous post, Sister Sangye perused Amitabha Buddha’s 48 Vows (scroll down, you'll find 'em), and issues an understandable harrumph at #35:

 

“If, when I attain Buddhahood, women in the immeasurable and inconceivable Buddha-lands of the ten quarters who, having heard my Name, rejoice in faith, awaken aspiration for Enlightenment and wish to renounce womanhood, should after death be reborn again as women, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.”

 

Now, my read on this is that in most historic cultures, and even today, it can be exceedingly difficult as a woman to extract oneself from heavy social pressures, onerous traditions, imbalanced laws, physical danger, etc., in order to pursue a renunciate spiritual life. In many cases, it might be an easier road to follow that path as a man, but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s the only road.

 

In fact, when we look into the legends of the female Buddha Arya Tara, we discover that when she was on the cusp of enlightenment, responding to the chauvinism of the male lamas of her time, she made the vow to always appear in female form, in order to debunk concepts of prejudice. I’m sure glad she did.

It was the very experience of hearing my female root teacher, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, teach live that made the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion so meaningful and irresistible to me. I went to hear her in August of 1990, not consciously looking for a teacher, or a spiritual path, at all. In fact, I’d spent most of my life actively hostile to such things. I didn’t even much like the atmosphere of my temple when I first walked in. But – and I still have trouble explaining this, except in terms of strong karmic seeds from previous lifetimes – within ten minutes of her beginning to teach, I was a total goner. Though I didn’t fully understand it, I knew what Jetsunma was saying was the truth, that she was speaking from a place of direct experience of that truth, and that I was about to radically transform my life to accommodate this new reality and this woman I knew would be my teacher for life.

 

It therefore pleases me no end to tell you that you too can have the experience of hearing and seeing Jetsunma teach live, no matter where you are, through the magic of digital technology. Starting this Thursday, June 19, Jetsunma will begin a teaching series called “Turning the Mind to Dharma,” designed especially for those new to Buddhism, or simply curious about it. The class will begin at 6:30pm US Eastern Standard Time (handy time zone converter here), and we will stream the live video at our website here. There’s no cost to watch, and if for some reason you can’t catch it, no worries. We’ll offer a podcast of the whole video very shortly thereafter. I’m gonna tune in. You?

Tat Three

Way back in September, 1990, I received my first Buddhist practice. Together with a small group, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo conferred the lung (lit. “wind” or reading) transmission for Tertön Migyur Dorje’s concise practice of Amitabha Buddha. I got a tape of the chanting melodies, studied HH Penor Rinpoche’s short commentary, and did it every day. To this day, in the center of my heart, I have a special love for Amitabha, and the one who connected me to him.

 

Why? Even among supremely compassionate beings, his compassion is off the charts. According to my teachers, his Dewachen (Great Bliss) is the one manifest pure realm – his “field of enlightenment” – that is accessible to schlubs like me, not just realized bodhisattvas. All that’s required is devotion, even for a moment, even just a few recitations of his name or mantra, to create the causes for rebirth in this realm.

 

Why is this important (and what’s the difference between this and the Christian aspiration to ascend to heaven)? Well, let’s say one has given birth to a bit of bodhicitta – the aspiration to achieve enlightenment so that one can then help all other beings do the same. Because of Amitabha's great power and blessing, Dewachen offers an environment that is completely conducive to this aspiration, with none of the nasty obstacles of this rotten world. All elements support Dharma practice and, once realization is achieved, it’s the ideal springboard for emanating into other realms to begin really benefiting others. And this is the difference from the Christian view. Buddhist pure lands are not designed for eternal bliss, but rather to afford the optimum conditions for rapid enlightenment so that one can re-enter samsara as a condition oneself for the liberation of others.

 

The Mahayana sutras are sublime in their descriptions (here and here). I mean, just dig Amitabha’s 48 vows (scroll about halfway down)!

 

From the Vajrayana point of view, Amitabha is the source from whom Padmasambhava, my lineage founder, emanated into this world. They are inseparable in their essence, and the Vajrayana includes a special practice called Phowa through which one can easily transfer one’s consciousness to Dewachen at the moment of death. My own teachers are deeply connected to this practice, and I’m personally banking on it because I’m not confident the conditions will come together for my enlightenment in this life.

 

Anyway, I’ve always harbored the wish to share Amitabha’s blessing with others, and on Friday I contrived the means in my own peculiar way – getting an especially gorgeous rendering of Amitabha’s mantra, Om Ami Dewa Hrih, tattooed on my left forearm. This is something I’ve wanted to do for years, but never found calligraphy that had the right combination of power and aesthetic grace. Then I found Brother Tashi Mannox.

 

Tashi is the artist behind London’s InkEssential, creating “Quintessential Designs for the Skin,” including several variations on Tibetan script. After Tashi popped up in an E-Sangha thread I created on Dharma tattoos, I emailed him to introduce myself and ask if he had ever done an Amitabha mantra. He said no, but was willing to do one for me, and considering that I was a monk, offer it for free. I was dumbstruck, but even more so when his artwork arrived in the mail. An absolute masterpiece and I vowed to find just the right day to honor it on my body. That day arrived last Friday, a full nine months after receiving his work, the 10^th day of the lunar month sacred to Padmasambhava.

 

I engaged the artist Tulgaa, who did my other two tats, and this time even made a house call. He’s so precise and has such a capacity for concentration that I knew it would be sublime. A little over two hours later, I was relieved to be proven right:

 

 

I’m so pleased with this one, and look forward to the opportunities it will create to talk about Amitabha with others. I’d say this was my last, but I have one more idea nagging at the back of my mind if I can summon the courage and find just the right image...

Enthronement

Right now, the main thing on my mind is bringing qualified Nyingma lamas to Mongolia. The three years of work we’ve done here so far has set the table: the texts are here, the foundational teachings on renunciation and bodhicitta have been given, networks are in place, local organizers are ready, and the appropriate requests to the teachers have been made repeatedly. There’s only one thing left. Well, one or two, but one main thing.

 

When I made my trip to America in November, I had occasion to speak with Jetsunma about coming to Mongolia. She expressed her strong wish to come, and the intention, barring “obstacles or shifts in merit” or something to that effect. I said, “Well, how can we increase the odds and remove obstacles?” She had only one instruction: build a teaching throne in the style of Palyul Monastery.

 

We received a generous donation in Australia for just this purpose, but strange difficulties prevented me from finding the right means to get it done in, until now. Through my friend Lama Purevbat, I will sign a contract today with the Ochir (Vajra) Company to build said throne. Later, Lama Purevbat’s students from the Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Arts will create the decorative details. The basic construction should be done before I return from America, and the detail work before August is over. It’ll look something like this at our Maryland temple:

 

 

Now, let’s head off some potential misunderstanding, shall we? Lamas don’t ask for thrones to be built so they can sit on thrones. What lama worth his or her salt would give a hoot about that? The purpose of a Dharma throne is to elevate the teaching to a place of deep respect, not the teacher. This hearkens back to a pithy lesson from Mipham Rinpoche called the Four Reliances (short commentary here):

 

“Rely on the message of the teacher, not on his personality;

Rely on the meaning, not just on the words;

Rely on the real meaning, not on the provisional one;

Rely on your wisdom mind, not on your ordinary, judgmental mind.”

 

In this case, building the throne creates the auspicious condition for the arrival of the Nyingma teachings generally, and the Palyul teachings specifically.

 

I would be remiss if I did not add that the total cost will be a wee bit more than what was offered by our Australian friend. If you would like to contribute to this meritorious project (or, shoot, any of our projects, we got plenty), click here to go to the MBRP home page and then click on the donation graphic at the bottom. We’ve switched over to PayPal (though you need not have a PayPal account) and I can’t get the dadblasted donation button on this page to work properly. Sorry for the extra click or two, but thank you from the bottom of my heart!