My life would be very different without Rinpoche and Kechara.
If you read my post the day before this, you will have some definite ideas.
And yet there are just some people would not understand or even appreciate, because no one could see the inner turmoil in the past and the inner calmness that is embodying me now.
Here, I am referring to those ‘disbelievers’ and those who choose to see all this Dharma and spirituality as hocus pocus, or simply, losing oneself or worse, becoming a fanatic. Like a Tailban Buddhist.
When they see us devoting ourselves to Rinpoche, they immediately would say, “Oh, how can you entrust your whole life into the hands of one man?! You have no self-control or a mind of your own?”
They look at me, and they think I am pathetic or they think that I have totally lost it.
Or I would get this kind of comment - “Gawd, what happened to you? I always thought that you were smarter than that?”
In this post, I am not going to mince my words. I am going to be very direct.
So, you have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.
Yes, if it was allowed and I would not be incurring any bad karma by doing it – I would love to take out one of my whips and just whack the living daylights out of these people! Yes, I so would!
Oh I am well aware what is the very thing that they are afraid of.
It is, the truth.
1) They have already entrusted their whole lives into their own hands, and look where are they at?
They may dress in the finest of clothes and look somewhat altogether but inside? And here, we do not even have to delve too deep. They are a mess, a wreck and are in shambles. So, how are they doing a good job so far? Let’s be honest, shall we? We all suck at managing our lives but we like to ‘project’ that we are doing so fabulously well. (liars, liars, pants on fire – at least, some of us have the guts to admit and get help) Sadly, when we refuse to acknowledge, when we cannot or won't even give ourselves the real help we so desperately need, then we would have wasted our whole lives, living in a sham and in pain.
2) Who at this day and age – I mean, the average folks out there, has a real self-control?
Bloody hell, when the first sale comes, we all rush to it. Women can’t even stop themselves from buying the next great pair of shoes or that new dress or handbag. Men can’t get control their own urges. And most people are chasing after paper money and worshipping it like its their brand new God. So, that is self-control? When you are strung up like a puppet and all the strings are tied to your desires, ego, self-serving needs and wants – that’s in total control? Right.
3) Honey, if you were so smart – you’d start getting some help too instead of depriving yourself from what truly frees you.
Ok sorry, may be, you are much smarter – because you have come up with such ingenious ways to avoid doing what is truly good for you so that you can continue indulging in all that you desire. And why do you even need to create such grand justifications in the first place? Because you have already given yourself over to your desires. So, what fricking self-control are we talking about here? The self control to perpetually self-serve and self-indulge? Truth to be told, this is your new God. That’s you idol worshipping in today’s context, and your idols are named: money, branded goods, sex, drugs, alcohol, etc.
THIS IS ADDICTION OF THE HIGHEST DEGREE, DARLING.
Yes, I can say this because I have walked down those paths, worshipped those very same idols and then some!
I WAS ONE OF THOSE, ONE OF YOU.
I have convinced myself over and over again that this is what culminates enjoying the best of life, and achieving one’s life goals. And I did all that just so I could CONTINUE doing it all, and not feel guilty about it. And the more people I gathered around me, like an every expanding Club, the less we feel it is bad and we can all start to make this as the acceptable STANDARD of living and label it as true QUALITY of life.
And yet when we each go back home – we cry ourselves to sleep, or we feel the emptiness within and we wonder why. Still, instead of dealing with it and facing it, we distract ourselves even more with higher dosage of what we have been accustomed to, or have become addicted to. Oh yes, we will find ourselves, always wanting more and more. There is no such thing as enough. It is like we keep stuffing our faces, but we always end up hungry and craving for more.
This is the real situation here, ok. Let’s not kid ourselves anymore. Stop for a second. Step back and take a good look at yourself and your life. Seriously evaluate.
Do we really want to wait until the day we lay on our death bed, and then we regret? By then, it is way too late.
AS THEY SEAL OUR COFFINS, OUR KARMA IS ALSO SEALED.
There, I have said it! Yes, I had to say it because I am so fed up of hearing these statements over and over again. How many more lies do we want to keep telling ourselves?!
DO YOU KNOW WHY I LOVE RINPOCHE AND WOULD GLADLY SURRENDER TO HIM – five times a day, if I have to?
Because in teaching me to submit to HIM, I learnt HUMILITY.
I learnt how to put someone else ahead of me, above me and hold this person in the highest regard like a precious jewel. Because this is and should be the very same way I treat those I love, and people around me.
Rinpoche pushes all my buttons, un-earth all my ugliness and scars so that I do not just bury them and forget about them. None of them will go away just because I chose to ignore them. But when I face them, with Rinpoche's guidance, and deal with them, I grow from there.
As Rinpoche heals me, HE teaches me the ability to heal myself and others too.
From just ONE MAN, I have not only regained myself – I regained my life’s purpose and I can too become a source of joy, comfort and benefit to others. Especially, to people I love.
Yes, from just ONE MAN, I gained freedom from my self-serving ways and broke down all barriers within.
This same ONE MAN taught me the courage to believe in a better me, and in the process, brought out the best of me.
I am no longer afraid to do more, to care more and to give more.
Now, I know how to love myself in the right way and start caring for others in the right way as well.
THIS IS THE MAN who gave me a new lease in life – one that I can carry forward into my next, and so forth.
And guess what? I am not the only one.
HE does the same for everyone - to every student and friend.
This is the great compassion in action of H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche.
What has any of your desires, cravings, addiction and self-serving ways done for you?
Where have they all taken you?
Better yet, have you even done anything for someone else lately?
I learnt that the courage to give more is not because one has more to give. It is because one understands the real meaning of giving and losing.
WHY would anyone – from the day he was born to his whole adult life – be spent on just thinking about others, how to help others and making it easy and convenient for others to get help?
Rinpoche does this, from the minute he opens his eyes to the time he closes his eyes to sleep. And he does not even sleep much.
You know what – Rinpoche understands us more than we think. He has seen, counselled and met so many thousands and thousands of people in the course of his work.
The good, the bad, the ugly, the confused, the lost, the hopeless, the rebel, the whatevers, you name it – he has met them all.
The truth is, Rinpoche relates to us very well (more than we can relate to him) and that enables him to guide us to relate to our own spirituality. More importantly, how it becomes part of our daily life, in today’s context – without compromising our so-called ‘lifestyle’, ‘quality of life’ and ‘standards of living’.
You find yourself still retaining yourself – but it is a much better you and definitely, a happier one.
And why I love Kechara so much – because it is a place whereby all of the same like-minded individuals, guided by the same search or motivation, and love for all beings come together, to help one another, in order to become better people. As we are all healing ourselves, we are also healing others.
It is like a Country Club of love, healing, joy and spirituality.
Rinpoche designed Kechara in such a way, with the various departments, specialising in different fields or activities, because they provide the gateway for anyone to enter to find themselves.
Be it arts, crafts, feeding the homeless, or media and publications or animal care – whatever your interests or skills and talents lie – you can become the best of you by starting from where you are, with your own interests, skills and talents. This is spirituality tailored to the individual, made easy and convenient because we want such comforts and ease.
So, this is Kecharian Spirituality, attained by just being you, because spirituality is very personal. Therefore, it becomes our personal journey.
No, I ain’t making a sales pitch.
I am taking the time and trouble to explain what it is all about.
May be you should spend some time and trouble finding out what you are all about too.
Aren't you worth it?
Here, is my DAY FORTY-NINE :-
Weight: 52kg
No. Of Prostrations: 10
Daily Sadhanas: Check and Done with Death Meditation and Dzambala Mantra.
Physical Exercise: 0
Daily Reflection from "IF NOT NOW, WHEN?" – Here we go. I close my eyes and I picked out page 025.
Quote from Page 025 for Day Forty-Nine:
“Universally, whatever country, race or religion, the thought of taking pain and suffering for others onto ourselves, quietly and secretly, is true spirituality.
Holiness is not a state of you having a halo. Holiness is you trying harder.”
Personal Thoughts and Feelings:
And if we don’t try harder for ourselves, who should?
Liberation lies in the palm of our own hands.
It is not just a pretty phrase.
It is truth.
This is a very precious blog...:)
ReplyDelete