8/2/2019 80710615 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Swift Return Prayer

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8/2/2019 80710615 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Swift Return Prayer

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Thank you for your sympathy and best wishes at this time.

We live in a world of our own making, a world built by our own unique perceptions which we believe in fully,every year, every day, every hour and every moment of our lives.

Even though in reality this life is fleeting and lasts no longer than the time it takes for a spark of fire to shootout, it is experienced by some as dragging on interminably for aeons and aeons. Yet for others, although inreality the span of this worlds existence is infinite, their experience of it lasts no longer than the blink of aneye.

For some, this world is no bigger than a worm hole, yet they feel insignificant and isolated, lost in a vast andinfinite void. Others perceive the world to be smallas small as an entire universesand to them it feelsuncomfortably confined and claustrophobic.

Most of us, myself included, have been conditioned to live and die in a world created by our own perceptions,and continue to create conditions that will ensure we repeat this same game over and over again.

Amongst myriad possible perceptions, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche is seen variously as an ordinary person, a father,a teacher and a perfect beinga diversity of perception that is the result of each perceivers individual merit, orlack of it.

For people like me, whose limitations lead me to see him merely as my father, your condolences will beaccepted as emotional support.

For those of you with superior qualitiesor who aspire to develop such qualitiesand are able to see ThinleyNorbu as a perfect being, this is yet another opportunity to shrug off impure perception and generate pureperception, so that eventually you will go beyond perception altogether.

Awareness is the quintessential teaching of the Buddhafrom the awareness of cool air as you breath in andthen out, to the profound awareness of natural perfection. And with boundless compassion and courage, thesole purpose and activity of all the buddhas it is to ring the alarm bell that brings us to this awareness.

With enough merit, the passing of this great being can be interpreted as the ringing of that alarm bell, and atimely reminder of all the teachings, from the simple truth of impermanence, all the way up to the realizationof unobstructed compassion. In this way, as much as this deluded mind of ours appreciated and valued hisappearance in this world, it should also appreciate and value his disappearance.

Touching as it is to hear from those who are offering various prayers, recitations, butter lamps and many otherwholesome activities at this time, allow me to remind myself and all those who are interested, that none of thepractices we are currently engaging in are for him, but for ourselves.However brilliantly the moon appears in the sky, if the pond is muddy, the moon will not be reflected in itswaters. In the same way, it is through the purification of defilements and accumulation of merit within our ownminds that will enable us, in time, to perceive a reflection of the Buddha, fully intact and never to depart.

So, rather than congratulating ourselves with the thought that we have accomplished all these practices duringthis special time, bear in mind that we should already have been doing themand for that matter, we shouldcontinue doing them throughout this and all our future lives. But to imagine that our practise is something likeproviding this great being with the last rites is definitely not the best way to go.

I have also been asked which specific practices should be done. Again, I will repeat that mindfulness, in otherwords awareness, is our practice. We are ignorant beings, and as such require constant reminders about theimportance of making the effort to land in this awareness. Therefore all our gurus activitiesfrom when heyawns or coughs, to when he appears or disappearsare his way of reminding us to come back, again andagain, to mindfulness.

And as long as we are mindful and aware, no one practice is better than another.

Written and dedicated to the enlightenment of all sentient beings in the presence of the rupakaya of Thinley

Norbu.New York City

(30. December 2011)