Transcript
00:20
Narrator: For the last five years, Khentrul Rinpoche Jamphel Lodro has been touring the world teaching the ancient wisdom of the Kalachakra Tantra. To understand what motivates Rinpoche to dedicate his life in this way, we asked him to speak about his personal connection to Kalachakra, and its source; the sublime realm of Shambhala.
Towards a Golden Age: The Life of Khentrul Rinpoche
00:36
Khentrul Rinpoche: When I look back my life, it seems like from a very young age I working for toward to the Shambhala quality. I could say working toward practice Kalachakra Tantra, even I didn’t know that time. For example, from before five, kind of like more children, but after six, age of six and seven, and then all my entertainment, all the inspirations - nowadays people have, children have so many toys and so many internet and iPad, and video player, and TV and so forth - is all everything about bodhisattva stories. Even my mother is illiterate, and she can’t read or write, but she loves the stories, and she begs everybody read the bodhisattva stories. So many wonderful stories, we hear them and I inspire them, really, really inspire them. And so is like that.
And then also we has very good opportunities, very, very genuine, great, great lamas, access with us. If they are now, if they are alive, is not…cannot be accessed because they are so precious and so many people demands. But that time, you know, they are secret and pretend lamas, so they are still herders and like that, and we have called Aku Gopo, a very precious tulku. And the we have Tulku Kadak, and then we have Khenpo Sangten. Those our neighbours, you know. Fortunately, my mother and my father incredibly great Dharma practitioners. So they really, really respect these lamas and so we always had secret teachings, even at that time not allowed any religious activities, but we already had the secret for us.
And then after maybe age…age eleven, twelve, up to nineteen, I was not monk, but is practice, practice every day. Because there was no other distractions, so I only herded the yaks on the mountain by myself, so I have all day have mantras. So accumulate so much mantras, you know. Billions and billions mantras accumulated, and with motivation of that inspiration of those bodhisattva stories. So at that time, I don’t know about Kalachakra, I don’t know about Shambhala, but just the principles I practiced.
When I was nineteen, my father passed away so this makes me even better. One way, unfortunately I lost my father so young, and I still miss my father, and I still wish he has great opportunities more. But on the other hand, for me, is this I can sacrifice all teenager’s distractions, afflictions, or whatever normal teenagers has, everything. I didn’t have it a lot, but whatever I had, I can sacrifice. So then I officially be monk and then 24/7, I can focus Dharma practice.
So, first I practiced Nyingma, many different traditions of Nyingma. Even I had this kind of lung [ngondro] 500,000 practices, three traditions like Gonsar, and then Nyingtik, and then Namchu. Like that. And then also I explored Gelugpa tradition, and then I explored Kagyu, Sakya. I met some great lamas and I studied and practice, really, really focused 24/7. There was no other distractions.
Until late twenties, and so…and after that I had some feeling, strong feelings, intuitions and visions, so I then… I… heard Kalachakra, so I didn’t know where I learned Kalachakra, I didn’t know. So, then I seek for and then I met one monk; he had already done all the practices. He was very humble and he don’t act any important, but I beg him to give me some transmissions. And he kindly gave me transmissions, just oral transmissions; lung, and then I practiced the five preliminaries together. He helped me practice and we practiced together.
And then after that I tried to find a qualified Kalachakra master. So then I, so fortunately, I found my master, Lama Lobsang Trinle. Short name called Lama Lutrin. I have so many teachers before, they’re all wonderful, but you know like, for the first time I really get that sense of a real Buddha. That kind of sense of pure perception to Lama Lutrin. So then, I fortunately received all the Kalachakra practice instructions from him. And then also he gave me very high duty; two groups I have to lead them, and I have to instruct them after receive from him. So this make me very extensive work for three year retreat.
So then I done the three year retreat practice, Kalachakra, with the group, and I lead them. And then after I finished, I practiced, solitude practice. I had an intention to practice in solitude many, many years, but always didn’t come, meet my inspiration. Sometimes I have to do other commitments. But regardless of that… like 100 days solitary practice, or sometimes three months, like that kind of. Many Kalachakra practices I did myself because since then, I really find the Kalachakra is complete. And then slowly, slowly, I realized that Kalachakra is incredible and also I realized more the Shambhala mystery, you know. Slowly, slowly, I realized the Shambhala mystery is demystified for me. And then I see the such important connection we have; we means in this human, this humanity on this earth. We have such important connection with Shambhala. And then I realized that the Kalachakra Tantra is more completed than any Dharma because of, reason is because comes from Shambhala.
You know Shambhala is all the tenth level bodhisattvas there, and they, how do you say? They refined Dharma. Because usually people think that Kalachakra is very complicated and that’s why not many people practicing. So many people received Kalachakra empowerments. You really receive empowerment or not, but so many people attend these ceremonies, but not many people practicing very well because everybody thinks it’s too high and too complicated. But I realize that Kalachakra tantra is you can practice with your limitations. It is not only complicated for everybody. It is you can practice with our limitation and so any degree of capacity you can practice. And the most practical actually, and that's I find.
Towards a Golden Age: Challenges to Overcome
11:43:09
What is missing, if I think in general, that people are missing the genuineness, and the closeness of the teacher and the disciple student. Is everything is kind of like more ego playing. So that is unfortunate. And also, if some people really genuine, but they don’t understand because it is kind of like foreign for them. The Buddhism is foreign for them. And the other one, is presenting, who's presenting is more too traditional. So they expect two different cultures and two different expectations, not very meeting. Not very meeting and then becomes a little bit fake. With intention or without intention, it becomes a little bit fake. That’s the problem.
The other problem is the traditional people, Buddhist traditional people without structure, without curriculum they can practice. Not everybody, but the great practitioners, they can do it. But for foreign people this is difficult because you don’t really know exactly what will happen. So therefore, so many people I think, the majority of practitioners, they don’t have realization, only just believing, “oh maybe I do this, is maybe good one day”. Or otherwise, “oh I do this feel better”. That kind of spiritual path, I think is missing.
And especially compared with Kalachakra tantra, then is the other doctrines go higher and higher teachings and then more hidden, hidden and unclear, unclear. That kind of. So this is Kalachakra tantra makes more clear and therefore, only Kalachakra Tantra can go with science and with other religions. Like you can cooperate with other religions and science and non-believers and you know. And you offer extra than any other systems. So therefore, is Kalachakra tantra is really we need Kalachakra tantra, really this humanity needs That’s I feel.
Also the structure and the curriculum in Western education way, Western education similar way. If we have a path, exactly we have the goal. Goal, one goal is not enough spiritual path. You need a maximum goal and minimum goal and between these, what you can achieve, everything make very, very clear.
And also what is missing is the Jonang tradition, nobody knows, not many people knows. So the Kalachakra tantra, the pure lineage, complete lineage held in the Jonang tradition. But not many people know that, and so this is missing. Many people have to aware the Jonang tradition. Also the great, great practitioners, they are are in remote areas in the mountains, and remote monasteries, and they can’t speak any foreign languages. They don’t have travel documents to travel and this is a big gap. I want to make the bridge and you know, make the practice available so you can connect with other lamas. This is my vision.
Towards the Golden Age: A Vision for the Future
16:53:11
My real vision is in the future, we don’t have any more spiritual confusion, and we don’t have any more spiritual instability. And we know exactly what is goal, and we know exactly, and so we always inspired. And then we transform our community, you know like you are one person, you transformed all your circle. And then your circle can transform the community. Your community transforms your state and your region, you know, state, and then country. And so nowadays, everything living in internet, so the world is very close. So if really we can make good examples then very easy to transform others, you know, influence others. And of course then, gradually transform, not suddenly transform. So then in the future, we don’t have normal samsaric world like today, you know like everybody depressed, too many disease, too many natural disasters, and that kind of, and too many violence. All of them gone.
To do this, two things my vision. Is one is spiritual people should not confused. And they can influence communities. But also, we need fundamental education. We need some influence our education system. This I have… this maybe take longer convince the whole world education system, but this is my longer vision. And first we have to influence the practitioners and the most intelligent people. And then, so we have more capacity to transform the whole world through the education system So this is my vision.
Towards the Golden Age: Manifesting Shambhala
19:32:11
This year we set up Dzokden community, Dzokden Foundation. So Dzokden means completion Dharma; which means Shambhala Dharma. So this is not a new word. This is 13th, 14th century that Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen, he made this word more explode. It is of course exist before, but it was more explode. So which means it is completion Dharma. So any other than Kalachakra, all Dharmas, all spiritual systems, have some limitations. But Kalachakra tantra does not have limitation; it is completion. Therefore, we can think this is like universal spiritual path. So this I want to make alive.
So if we set up this Dzokden community, and then this Dzokden website, and through this international, and then we have every continent, we have big retreat centre, and we have big sanghas to influence the local people. And we slowly, slowly we’re able to, our education system we can change and we can influence. And so then this real Golden Age will be alive. So this is my vision and this is the real reason to set up the Dzokden Foundation. If we enough inspire, if we enough to understanding this depth, and this complete Dharma, if inspired, then it will be the Golden Sangha and Golden Age finally.
And so, then the Shambhala and semi-Shambhala world very close. And then we know more and more, so the Six Yogas achieving yogis everywhere. This is my vision. All those people, I think I visited twenty-four countries. From the twenty-four countries Dharma practitioners who hear Dharma from me, and who received some initiation, empowerment, transmission, anything received from me or even whoever a little respect for me, and a little connection with me, please, can we make alive this Golden Age through Dzokden Sangha. So, can we inspire, we will transform this world as Golden Age, very soon have, rather than we waiting for a few hundred years. So this is I request everybody, please inspire.
