Lama of Many Lifetimes (Book Two)

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cjdevries
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Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 8:06 pm

Lama of Many Lifetimes (Book Two)

Post by cjdevries »

Lama of Many LIfetimes chronicles Garchen Rinpoche's life from about age 21 to age 43, roughly the years he spent in a Chinese prison. His story is important, because it shows how he, an angry young man, concerned with taking revenge for his teacher's killing, transformed into a cool-headed master. It is a brilliantly crafted book; the pages seem to dance and glow with inspiring pictures and inspiring text. I don't want to spoil the plot, because it is so compelling, but I will share that it chronicles 4 distinct phases of his life: 1) when he was a warrior, fighting with weapons, dodging bullets and bombs from the Chinese 2) when he was imprisoned as an angry young man and hated prison 3) when he met his lama, who taught him how to transform his experience inside the prison 4) when he returned home as a changed man. What I didn't know but found out through reading the book is that at one point Rinpoche was determined to die in prison and even tried to get himself executed by committing an serious offense. He said what is so interesting is that here I am telling you to stay alive and let your karma finish, and yet I was one who also wanted to die. He said his karma would not let him die; his karma kept creating circumstances where he would be saved. Most importantly, the book tells of Rinpoche meeting his lama, who imparted simple yet profound instructions to him that helped him completely transform his mind.

"One day someone told me that Khenpo Munsel mentioned to him that "Garchen Rinpoche is a Bodhisattva." Well, I never heard Khenpo Rinpoche say that to me, but henceon, many other people kept telling me that Khenpo said so.

I should say that by then I no longer suffered at all - at all - in the prison."

"Please call me by my true names so I can wake up; so the door of my heart can be left open: the door of compassion." -Thich Nhat Hanh

"Ask: what's needed of you" -Akong Rinpoche

"Love never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents, never revenges itself." -Gandhi
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