The visit
As I woke up in the middle of the night,
Moonlight lit through the window,
My wistfulness and melancholy,
Oh, my Dolma, my soul mate, my Kinnara,
Remembering our rendezvous in the Saffron field,
The wind whirls with your dance,
The sun dims as you smile.
A happy man I was, a joyful man I was
Because of Norbu, with eyes shines like the stars
Because of Dorje, with smiles bright as the midday sun
All those days are gone to dust
I suffer permanently because of impermanence
Oh, thy compassion one, thy charitable one
Thy venerable Bodhisattva Chenrezig,
May I have your wisdom to dagger my pain
May I have your bravery to slay my fear
May I have your perseverance to demolish my desolation
I took a walk outside
I am numb to the coldness surrounding me
Snowflakes danced their ballet
Lightly flung by my face
I want to ride on the wind onto the sky
Out onto the space, to galaxies and galaxies away
To the pure land, to listen to Amitabh’s teaching
To drink that water with seven jewels
To shower in the blessing of Mangareva flowers
To hear the singing of the rare and
To talk to his holiness Chenrezig
Have his mercy to ease my pain with his Mannan Aquarius
Have his wisdom and compassion to achieve Prajnaparamita (Wisdom to the other side of the river)
I want a heart of Vajracchedikā (Diamond)
Free from ignorance, greed and anger
Free from Samsara and eternal suffering
Thus, I sing Om mani padme hum
Om, I shall practice generosity
To purify my pride and ego
To find enlightenment with a humble heart
Ma, I shall practice ethics
To eliminate jealousy and lust
To reach to the other side without burden
Ni, I shall practice patience
To vanish desire
To seek Dharma with a peace of mind
Pad, I shall practice my diligence
To exile my ignorance
To explore the truth with a heart full of light
Me, I shall practice Renunciation
To demolish my greed
Always know that greed leads to more suffering
Hum, I shall practice wisdom
To my aggression
Always have a soft heart towards myself in practice
The next day, Pema hopped home like a rabbit
“Father, the lama decided to come and visit us”
Oh, what a good news
Like a blessing to my ear
So many questions I have
So much concern I withhold
“Quick, daughter, let’s help preparing”
I then go take out the saffron paint powders I prepared, gently break them into smaller pieces, and ask Pema to send them to the artists. She is good at drawing, so she can help the artists also. Then I heard a knock.
It is K, he is wearing a black cape and has a bone staff in his hand. I ask him to take a seat inside, and offered him a Cha Suma (butter tea). He takes a sip, and said “Tashi, I had known you for almost three years now. I am old now, and someone needs to take over the position of chief.”
I was shocked, he has always been cold and arrogant. I don’t know why he suddenly decided to retire.
“I don’t have many students, you are one of the most promising ones. Anyways, the next full moon, we are performing a death ritual. Please be there” K then walked away. I could not guess what he is trying to do, but I had never done a death ritual. It is really gory, and can be really brutal. I am not sure if I want to go. I go back to preparing for the lama’s visit.
I ask Dorje to join me to pick more saffron from the field. The weather is good, the sun is just right, and the sky looks like a blue sapphire. Dorje looks really happy, he dances around the saffrons and keep talking to Ah Bu (My yak). We pick saffrons that blossomed for at least a week, put it in a basket, and dump them in the sack we attached to Ah Bu. After that, I pick some dried up opium flower for K, he needs it for his ritual.
What a busy day, I am looking forward to the lama’s visit.
1. Reference of Amitabha sutra from: http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/amitabha.htm
2. Translation of Om mani padme hum from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om_mani_padme_hum
