Inspirational Westerner Practitioners

[MrDistracted]

Yes, you are right. Actually I always meant practitioners from cultures which Buddhism has recently spread to, I guess the easiest thing to say was 'western'.
That's no excuse for my sloppiness.
I apologise to anyone I have offended by the title of this thread. This thread was only ever meant to be a positive contribution to this forum, somewhere to post a few inspirational stories.
I am sorry if it has turned out otherwise.
Please feel free to change the name/lock it

[Dechen Norbu]

There's nothing wrong with you topic.
Those who find fault in it should be at least as careful about their own.

It's a nice thread especially because it carries the idea that in fact there are westerners reaping the fruits of Dharma practice, something that some people wouldn't believe 50 years ago. So it's great, I think.

[Dechen Norbu]

If we were in a thread called Inspirational Practitioners alone, it would be hard to find a western name. It's still a little hard to compare the achievements of westerners to, let's say, Longchenpa!
So we would end up with a list of names that we already know quite well of famous masters of the past and present, from different traditions. Your topic is justified, MrDistracted. It deserves its own space.
Jikan wasn't against it, at least IMO. It seems you may have interpreted him that way...
Some others, however, made a big fuss about it, but it's completely unjustified.

[Anders]

Seems only vajrayanis have chimed in, so thought I'd add some other names too:

Luangpor Sumedho - one of the driving forces behind establishing Theravada in the west. And a truly profound man to meet in person. The Ven Hsuan Hua even cited Luangpor as a role model that his own monastic disciples should look to as the ideal of a monastic to emulate.

Ven Heng Sure - The dharma heir of Hsuan Hua. In the 70s, he and ven Heng Chau made a 2½ year pilgrimage across the US, covering 800 miles. That might seem like a short distance for such a long time, but the manner of it was 3 steps and one bow (full prostration), similar to the 3 year pilgrimage ven Hsu Yun made from Mount Putuo to Mount Wutai to repay the kindness of his parents, also 3 steps and one bow all the way.

[Silent Bob]

[quote="Anders Honore"
Ven Heng Sure - The dharma heir of Hsuan Hua. In the 70s, he and ven Heng Chau made a 2½ year pilgrimage across the US, covering 800 miles. That might seem like a short distance for such a long time, but the manner of it was 3 steps and one bow (full prostration), similar to the 3 year pilgrimage ven Hsu Yun made from Mount Putuo to Mount Wutai to repay the kindness of his parents, also 3 steps and one bow all the way.[/quote]

Heng Sure's "Three Steps, One Bow" is an amazing book. Here are the first three chapters excerpted: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma7/oneheart1.html
Slight correction to your note--they traveled 800 miles up the coast of California, not across the US. I believe that the second leg of the pilgrimage took them the rest of the way to Seattle, so the entire 1100 mile trip was divided over two years.

Chris

[Silent Bob]

Two Western practitioners whom I've found very inspiring are the Argentinian Gerardo Abboud, who is Tsoknyi Rinpoche's principal translator, and Susan Chapman of Vancouver, who served as the druppon (leader) of several of the three-year retreats at Gampo Abbey.

Chris

[Paul]

Two Western practitioners whom I've found very inspiring are the Argentinian Gerardo Abboud, who is Tsoknyi Rinpoche's principal translator

Gerrado is not only a great translator, he's a very, very good teacher. He's got a very good way of explaining Dzogchen to people with great clarity.

He is also a very nice guy!

[pemachophel]

A few more Western females who are/should be an inspiration:

Ani Lodro Palmo
Ani Jinpa Palmo
Ani Dominique

[conebeckham]

Lama Yeshe Gyamtso and Matthieu Ricard, pardon my spelling if it's wrong. Both of these guys are doing inspirational things.

[catmoon]

Yay for Matthieu Ricard! If there was any justice in the world, he'd be next in line for the position of Dalai Lama.

[JinpaRangdrol]

And recently I heard about David Petit (husband of Lama Tsultrim Allione), who died last year and Tulku Sangngag was keen that his realisation was publicised as an inspiration for others, saying he was certain David had acheived liberation in the bardo of Dharmata:

http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=4883 ... 58098f3c7b

I was very close to Dave. His death was remarkable. We handled the entire affair at Tara Mandala, from the wrapping and cremation of his body to the consecration of a tsakhang for him this past august. Dave was an accomplished Togal practitioner, and the only recipient of Togal teachings from Tsoknyi Rinpoche. After his death, many incredible light phenomena occurred, including a night rainbow. There were countless other signs, as well. Both Tulku Sang Ngag Rinpoche and Adzom Rinpoche (a remarkable mahasiddha) asserted that he attained Dharmakaya Enlightenment in the Bardo of the Dharmata.
We miss and love you, Dave.

Jinpa Rangdrol

[Adamantine]

And recently I heard about David Petit (husband of Lama Tsultrim Allione), who died last year and Tulku Sangngag was keen that his realisation was publicised as an inspiration for others, saying he was certain David had acheived liberation in the bardo of Dharmata:

http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=4883 ... 58098f3c7b

I was very close to Dave. His death was remarkable. We handled the entire affair at Tara Mandala, from the wrapping and cremation of his body to the consecration of a tsakhang for him this past august. Dave was an accomplished Togal practitioner, and the only recipient of Togal teachings from Tsoknyi Rinpoche. After his death, many incredible light phenomena occurred, including a night rainbow. There were countless other signs, as well. Both Tulku Sang Ngag Rinpoche and Adzom Rinpoche (a remarkable mahasiddha) asserted that he attained Dharmakaya Enlightenment in the Bardo of the Dharmata.
We miss and love you, Dave.

Jinpa Rangdrol

Thanks for the account!

[MrDistracted]

Yes, thankyou Jinpa
I was inspired when I first read of it on the Tara Mandala site.
Now I'm moved to hear of it more personally, as it were.
Thankyou for posting that.

Do you live up there?....it seems a very special place.

[Paul]

I just found this video on David Petit's life:

http://vimeo.com/15205060

[JinpaRangdrol]

Yes the Vimeo video is fantastic. I'd definitely suggest watching it. I've been visiting since 2004 and have lived there on and off for about 3 years, in between stints at college and working at home in Durango (about an hour away). Tara Mandala is definitely my true home, though.

[Heruka]

About Namdrol: I also remember this on esangha (which is now defunct). KDL authorized him to impart Dzogchen teachings, you'd have to get the details straight from Malcolm.

Also Chagdud Tulkus's student, Lama Drimed Norbu is a westerner who is fully authorized to teach Dzogchen, including Togal.

s.

reputations are still intact, no need for worry, namdrol is class act forsure.

[Will]

Slight correction to your note--they traveled 800 miles up the coast of California, not across the US. I believe that the second leg of the pilgrimage took them the rest of the way to Seattle, so the entire 1100 mile trip was divided over two years.

Chris

No "second leg". There were two sets of Master Hua's bowing monks; in 1973 Heng Ju & Heng Yo bowed from Gold Mountain in SF to Seattle. Then a few years later Heng Sure & Heng Chau did their pilgrimage from LA to 10000 Buddhas city.

Another inspirational Western disciple of Master Hua is Dharmamitra or Ven. Heng Shou, translator of the Kalavinka series (with more to come) and one of the first five Western monastics that Master Hua ordained.

[Silent Bob]

Slight correction to your note--they traveled 800 miles up the coast of California, not across the US. I believe that the second leg of the pilgrimage took them the rest of the way to Seattle, so the entire 1100 mile trip was divided over two years.

Chris

No "second leg". There were two sets of Master Hua's bowing monks; in 1973 Heng Ju & Heng Yo bowed from Gold Mountain in SF to Seattle. Then a few years later Heng Sure & Heng Chau did their pilgrimage from LA to 10000 Buddhas city.

Something like that...It's been over 30 years since I read the book. Anyway, it was a remarkable achievement--the section of highway they traveled on through the Redwood country is narrow and winding and they must have had special protection not to have been squashed beneath the wheels of a speeding log truck.

Chris

[Will]

Three Steps One Bow is the first pilgrimage by Heng Yo & Heng Ju.

With One Heart Bowing is the second one and is multivolume.

Both published by BTTS.

[LGSoMi]

I find in Lama Ole and Hannah Nydahl a constant source of inspiration. Useful tools for western lay practicioners and the chance to be around them at least once a year.