More Blessings

Blessings at Namdroling

Tea?

Ani Tsewang on tea duty in Bodhgaya.

Daily list

Everyday I try to:

• meditate
  
• study for shedra
• exercise
• practice handwriting (because it matters on our exams, doh!)
• read academic books and articles
• memorize root text
• tidy my room

Things I do which sometimes hinder me in accomplishing all of the above:

• read Harry Potter fan fiction
• watch television serials on DVD
• Facebook
• eat irresponsibly (which messes up my blood sugar and turns me into a zombie)

If I were all-powerful I would:

• Add more hours to the day so I could do everything on both lists (except maybe the zombie thing)

Penor Rinpoche with Yangthang Rinpoche

In November 2008, Yangthang Rinpoche came to Namdroling to lead pujas for His Holiness Penor Rinpoche's long life. This picture was taken at a picnic held to celebrate the completion of the pujas.  

Memorization

With another school year comes another 15 pages of root text I have to memorize.  A page means one two-sided Tibetan pecha page.  If the root text is in stanzas, which it usually is, that means 8 to 10 stanzas per page.

Most teachers do not require us to give all 15 pages in one go.  I usually give 4 or 5 pages at a time then start memorizing the next section. There is a deadline for providing proof of our memorization, the last day of the rainy season retreat (this year September 17th).  If a student fails to complete the memorization test by that time, she has to give 25 pages before classes end two months later.   For some people the deadline is no problem because they can somehow memorize hundreds of pages with ease.  Anyone who memorizes over one hundred pages receives present. 

Occasionally teachers insist that the student recites every stanza of the pages she is claiming to have memorized.  More often the teacher will get the student to start at the beginning of the text, then after a few stanzas the teacher will read the first line of a stanza part way through the text.  The student then continues reciting from that point until the teacher is satisfied.  This may be repeated a few times depending on how many pages are being given.

I'm not a great memorizer, but for the last four years I've managed to get through the memorization tests.  I remind myself that at other monasteries students must memorize every word of every root text on their curriculum. The truth is, the meaning always shines forth so much brighter when I am taught the commentary to text I have memorized.  I've told myself that someday I will memorize the Way of the Bodhisattva in English.  I think that would be a wonderful text to have written in my heart.   For now I'll have to start on Abhisamayalankara and the Seventy Points.

Memories of Sikkim

In February I was meditating at Norbugang in Yuksum, Sikkim and these little friends came to see what was going on.

Back to school

I've challenged myself to post on this blog everyday for a week. To that end…

We began shedra classes last Monday.  I'm in sixth year now.  We've started the year with Paltrul Rinpoche's general commentary on the Ornament of Realization (Abhisamayalankara).  The root text itself is a commentary on the Perfection of Wisdom.   This is a famously difficult subject.  So far we are just on the third page, so I'll have to let you know how it goes.  I have yet to meet a Tibetan text that wasn't difficult to understand.

Khenchen Pema Sherab and Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso were both quite enthusiastic about this text, as though they were excited I was getting the chance to study it.  People often say that if you do well on Abhidharmakosa (in fourth year) you will do well on Abhisamayalankara.  I had a great teacher for Abhidharma, Dolpo Tulku Rinpoche.  He really put in a lot of energy and joy.  He helped keep us keen on day after day of enumerations and definitions. All the same, I was glad to say goodbye to dear old Abhidharma.  

Sixth year is the last year we focus primarily on sutra traditions.  For the final three years of our program we mainly study tantra.    So I am aspiring to be diligent and give the Perfection of Wisdom the attention it deserves and to go for a more complete understanding of the Mahayana than I currently possess.