I myself, when I was 4 years old, I was recognised by His Holiness Dalai Lama, Kundun, I was recognised as a reincarnation of the previous Kalu Rinpoche. So I was recognised and His Holiness and other great masters have said “you have a great responsibility ahead”. I didn’t understand the definition of responsibility for many years other than knowing that I have to do something good, not harmful but something good and meaningful and positive. That basic understanding I had it.
So it was the time of the 3Y retreat when I went in, on the 2nd year, then I had kind of a deeper understanding the real purpose of the Dharma. Because when you are very much surrounded with all the Buddhist people and the monks and the monastery, it becomes a little bit like a cultural lifestyle rather than the great depth of understanding from the bottom of the heart. So it becomes like a cultural norm, right? So you see that you go on Sunday,or to the religious gathering every day, so that kind of a routine. Then you kind of think “Ah that’s part of the culture, that’s a way of life”, you are not really opening your heart. You know a lot of things but you are not really connecting to the bottom of the heart.
The only time that I connected from the bottom of my heart to the teachings of the Buddha was in the 2nd year of the 3Y retreat. The reason I say this is because when you have a sense of quietness in oneself then you have much more understanding and with a greater depth.
So the greatest insight for me that I had about the Dharma practice, the teachings of the Buddha, was the practice of compassion. That was the insight that I had when I was in the 3Y retreat.
Of course with the background of the Vajrayana you would expect this deity, that deity, that protector, that mandala. There are so many different kind of colourful appearance and you expect this kind of appearance of deities would connect with you more, because they seem more powerful and more magical and more impressive. Then thinking about “oh by reading this one line you will be enlightened the next day” and so on. That kind of impression you tend to get.
But that’s more of a great excitement rather than the great insight. So the excitement is great when you read such things like that, when you practice such things like that, it is great, nothing wrong with it. But the greatest insight that I had was when I had a reflection of the meaning of compassion.
So when I practice, when we practice the Avalokiteshvara in the daily basis in the 3Y retreat it is part of the routine and then when you are looking at the meaning of the compassion you are not thinking about self-pity, you are thinking about a pity to the people that you love and that you care. But you are looking at the larger picture wanting to develop a great wisdom, wanting to provide a solution that is a timeless but not a temporary solution but rather a timeless solution.
His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche in Riga, Latvia
How to understand and apply the Buddhist wisdom of emptiness in everyday life
Ganden Center – September 2024 (5′ 30”)
To be continued…
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