噶千仁波切講第一世奇美多傑
上師故事系列第二集 · 2021-10-16 直播 · 完整口譯稿中譯
影片：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws8FNm3Onjc&t=2241s —— 本篇為 37:21 起至影片結束的逐字稿 口譯 Ina Bieler
名相依本計劃既有用法統一。英文原稿請切換到 English。
初遇
到了某個時候，我必須前往並進入寺院。那是我遇見大成就者奇美多傑的時候。 第一次見到他，我非常喜歡他，甚至想立刻抱住他。他對我說：「看來你很喜歡我。」
他又說：「我非常喜歡你，你是我的上師。」我當時大概就已經認出並明白： 「這就是我的上師。」
他其實沒有給我很多教導，話並不多。他交代的是：你必須背誦《恆河大手印》 —— 而《恆河大手印》的口傳，他也只給過一次。之後就沒有多說什麼。
他的話真的很少，偶爾才說上幾句；而且大多數時候他並不常住寺院，只是偶爾來。
現在，我要講奇美多傑的生平故事。
他主要給我的是《恆河大手印》。他一再重複的一句話是：「心如虛空。」 我聽他這麼說的時候，也想起父親的話，心想：「這正是我父親說過的。」
所以雖然當時我話不多、也不完全懂那些詞句，但我確實看見：這跟父親所教的完全一致。
在噶爾寺
他是前一世噶千仁波切的弟子。在前一世噶千仁波切的時代，他是噶爾寺的僧人， 在寺裡擔任過不同的執事 —— 他當過糾察師，也當過領誦師，而且他是以生命在護持這座寺院。
前一世噶千仁波切與奇美多傑，兩人一起閉關十三年。
閉關的地方在噶爾寺尼眾院後面，一個叫尼拉瑪洞的洞窟。
那也是前一世秋吉尼瑪閉關的洞 —— 他在那裡做了十三年的勝樂金剛閉關， 大概累積了數億遍勝樂金剛心咒。據說十三年閉關結束時，他已能飛行於空中， 關於這件事也有許多故事。
總之，前一世噶千仁波切與奇美多傑兩人在那裡共修了十三年。
閉關結束後，奇美多傑回到寺院，在寺裡繼續閉關。
那仍然是前一世噶千仁波切的時代。前一世噶千仁波切住在寺院上方的位置， 奇美多傑住在下方 —— 兩處很近，彼此看得見。
(說得精確一點：這裡的上下不是指上寺與下寺，兩人都在下寺； 但下寺裡也有較高與較低的地方。奇美多傑住的是下寺佛殿所在的那一區偏上處， 而他的關房在那後方偏下。總之兩人看得見彼此，距離很近。)
石上的足印
有一段時間 —— 平常噶千仁波切待他非常好， 但有一天，突然之間，他開始責罵他、對他大吼、羞辱他。 他來到關房前說：「你不會修行，你不會持咒，你沒有任何禪修經驗。
你到別的地方去，不要留在寺院。」就這樣要他離開。
奇美多傑非常難過、心碎，不明白上師為什麼要這樣對他。
在此之前上師一直極為慈愛地照顧他 —— 上師甚至說過：「你是登巴的轉世」、「我向你皈依」等等，一向對他非常推崇。
(噶千仁波切並沒有當著奇美多傑的面說「你是登巴的轉世」, 而是對其他僧人、其他人這麼說的 —— 說他真的是噶爾的登巴。他對他有極大的敬重。)
然後突然就這樣被責罵，他非常傷心，不明白發生了什麼事。
上師罵完就走，一邊走一邊繼續罵，直到他聽不見為止。
上師回到自己住的上方，還在罵；那時奇美多傑只看得見他的頭，其餘都看不見了。
只看得見一顆頭，還聽得見他說「你有多糟糕」這一類貶低的話。
最後連上師的臉都看不見了，只剩下罵他的聲音。
但因為他對上師懷有極大的虔敬，心想：「我還聽得見他的聲音，我還想見他一面。」 為了再看上師一眼，他走到院子外面。那裡有一塊巨大的岩石，大約一張橋牌桌那麼大； 他爬上這塊石頭，心想爬上去就還能看見上師。
於是他在石頭上把身體伸長，想望向上師 —— 就在那一刻， 他的雙腳陷進了石頭裡，在巨石上留下兩個腳印。
從石頭上下來時，他看見那兩個巨大的足印，心想： 「這下要是被上師看到，他又要罵我了。」
(關於這些足印：後來有日本人前來鑑定其真實性，他們表示這確實是真正的人類足印。 足印至今仍在噶爾寺，我們也有照片。)
總之，他在石上留下了足印，發現之後很擔心上師或別人看到會不高興， 於是把那塊巨石翻了過來，讓上師看不見。
後來上師又來了，還是在罵。他很擔心，心想希望上師別看見那塊石頭 —— 但應該不會看見，因為我把它翻過去了。
結果上師走進來，一邊罵，一邊就把那塊石頭撿起來翻了回去， 看見了那些足印。他什麼也沒說，只發出一聲「哈」，拍了拍手，然後就走了。 那時他沒有再說別的。
奇美多傑心想：現在上師看見足印了 —— 但也許，他也就這樣給了我加持。
於是他因極大的虔敬而落淚。
之所以要提這些足印，是因為它們是真實的，至今仍在噶爾寺； 我們也做了照片流傳給別人。兩隻腳的足印都在，並排在一起。
這是奇美多傑的其中一個故事。
業果的口訣
我也從他那裡領受了《佛子行三十七頌》 —— 那是他在各個寺院普遍傳給所有僧人的。他也傳給了我，並要我把三十七頌背下來。
所以我從他那裡領受的主要是《佛子行三十七頌》與《恆河大手印》;
他也做了一些簡略的講解，並給了灌頂與口傳。
那時我很小，其實不太喜歡去聽這些教授與口傳，只想在外面玩。
有一次，他當時住在前一世的寢室，他叫我過去， 給了我一點糖果和一些甜的糖蜜，然後把門鎖了起來 —— 我本來想走，但他要給我教授與口傳，而門也鎖了。
於是他給了我這些教授與口傳，還給了我一句話：
「業與因果，是自心剎那剎那念頭的自然顯現。」
他說：這一句就夠了，你必須真正理解它。
身為修行人，你必須理解這一點。那時我其實還無法很理解，也不太有興趣聽， 但他就是這樣告訴了我 —— 他把我引介到業果上。
他說：你如果身為喇嘛，就必須理解業。不理解業，你不會成為修行人。
理解了業，你就懂法；不理解業，你就不真的懂法 —— 也許你能談法，但你不會真正理解它的意義。
因為那句關於業的話，我後來一再地思惟它。
比方說，當我看見一隻小動物，我會想：我們的心是同一個。
這樣我漸漸對各種動物生起了慈愛，也因此沒有去殺牠們 —— 否則我大概會打死蒼蠅之類的昆蟲，但透過這樣的思惟，我終究沒有殺。
走到哪裡就修到哪裡
他到過不同的村莊與寺院。不論住在哪裡，他從不住房子，總是住帳篷，或說犛牛毛的帳篷。 各地的人對他都非常虔信；而他所做的是：走到哪裡，就在哪裡舉辦一億遍瑪尼的累積閉關, 就住在那些毛帳篷裡。所有人都把他看作極為珍貴的上師。
有一次他去了瑪霍，那是很遠的地方，在果洛一帶，那裡有一座朝聖的聖山， 在安多。人們會去那裡繞山。
奇美多傑騎馬前往，後面跟著數百人，因為很多人對他有極大的虔敬。
每當有人向他頂禮致敬，那匹馬也會朝著那些人低下頭來。 只要人們一頂禮，馬也照做。
然後在繞山的途中，某一處那匹馬忽然躍起又落下，在那裡的岩石上也留下了蹄印。
數百人親眼看見，那蹄印大概至今仍在，也因此相當有名。
遠距開光
瑪霍那一帶也有一位喇嘛，人稱瑪霍蔣貢，他在那裡開創了一處閉關區， 並且把奇美多傑看得極為珍貴。兩人相見時，奇美多傑說：「您是我的上師」, 蔣貢仁波切也說：「您是我的上師」—— 彼此互相推崇。
後來蔣貢仁波切在那裡建了寺院與閉關村落。完工之後， 奇美多傑已經回到囊謙，那離安多那一帶相當遠。
蔣貢仁波切邀他前來為新的閉關村落開光。但路途實在太遠 —— 那時如果騎馬前往，大概要走十五天左右。
當時奇美多傑住在竹托寺，在玉樹一帶(現在竹千仁波切駐錫的那座寺院), 距離安多非常遠。所以他無法前往， 但他對他的僧人說：「我會在那個特定的時間，從遠處為那裡開光。」
蔣貢對奇美多傑有極大的虔信，於是把當地所有人聚集起來，說： 「依照星算，在某一天，奇美多傑會從他所在的地方進行開光。」
他號召大家在那天到剛完工的閉關區集合，約定了那個日子。
那天，奇美多傑在竹托寺，對他的僧人(我也知道他的名字，叫慈成)說： 「今天我們要上山，為安多那邊的蔣貢舉行開光，因為我沒辦法去那裡。」
兩人上到高山，帶著各種染成白、黃、藍、紅、綠等顏色的穀物。 早上舉行開光時，他們把那些彩色穀物撒了出去。
就在同一時刻，安多蔣貢那處閉關地的人們也依約集合，知道他正在舉行開光。 儘管相距極遠，就在奇美多傑撒下彩色穀物的那一刻， 那處閉關地的天空中，像下雨一樣落下了完全相同的物質、完全相同的顏色， 在場所有人都看見了。 這件事後來相當有名。
佛像剛好嵌進那個空位
後來他有幾年沒有回噶爾寺。有一天他要回來了， 那時我們安排了一尊很大的佛像要迎請安置 —— 大得像一間房子，像整面牆那麼大。
首先要考慮的是為它新建一個結構或殿堂 —— 而在噶爾寺蓋東西並不容易。所以大家不知道該怎麼辦、要放在哪裡。
前一世噶千仁波切住的那座小佛殿裡，已經安置了各種佛像， 而其中剛好自然留著一塊空位。
有些老僧人說：也許他就是想把佛像正好放在那裡，因為那裡剛好空著。
但佛像是從很遠的地方訂製的，尺寸早就定好了，裝在箱子裡運來 —— 結果送到的時候，它剛剛好嵌進前一世噶千仁波切小佛殿旁的那塊空位。
於是就安置在那裡，所有人都非常驚嘆。
這正是奇美多傑所看見的 —— 他知道前一世噶千仁波切已經安置了那些佛像、 而且還留著那塊空位，所以送來的佛像才會剛好合上。
這被視為上師與弟子之間關係極為緊密的清楚吉兆，也成了相當有名的故事。
回到噶爾寺之後
這尊佛像是奇美多傑回噶爾寺時供養的。回到噶爾寺之後， 他也為僧眾主持了受戒儀軌 —— 沙彌與比丘戒。
他還開辦了為期一個半月的夏安居；為此他供養了一百頭母犛牛 —— 不是為了別的，那是夏安居的基金：因為安居期間僧人不能吃肉， 只能飲乳、食酥油，所以供養一百頭母犛牛，好讓大家在安居期間有奶可擠。
八大嘿嚕嘎的傳承
後來寺院愈來愈興盛，他又開始了八大嘿嚕嘎的竹千(大成就法會), 他認為這個法極為珍貴。
他說他要傳授八大嘿嚕嘎的大灌頂 —— 連同竹千與閉關，整整需要一個月才能圓滿。
那是因為他真的把八大嘿嚕嘎的傳承看得極珍貴。
他也說：未來你們必須守住這個傳承，它必須在世間弘傳，不可以中斷。
這是直貢噶舉的八大嘿嚕嘎竹千傳承，比寧瑪的八大嘿嚕嘎更為廣大： 寧瑪傳統修八大嘿嚕嘎大成就約需一週，而直貢噶舉則需要一個月才能圓滿。
這個傳規源自覺巴吉天頌恭、仁欽彭措與哲多，出自他們的淨相； 從那淨相中也出現了八大嘿嚕嘎的金剛舞，連同金剛舞一起，需要一個月才能圓滿。
在西藏很古老的時代、五世達賴喇嘛在世時，原本並不允許演出各種金剛舞； 但五世達賴喇嘛確實接受了源自仁欽彭措的八大嘿嚕嘎傳承與金剛舞。
他當時住在拉薩，說這是可以的 —— 他認可了仁欽彭措八大嘿嚕嘎金剛舞的演出。
到了奇美多傑的時代，他開啟了直貢噶舉的這個法……
他傳授了八大嘿嚕嘎全部本尊的大灌頂 —— 總共七百二十五尊。
一般而言，授灌頂需要有本尊的像或造像作為所依， 但這七百二十五尊並沒有造像。於是他的做法是：每一尊都有一幅唐卡， 他捧著唐卡一位一位走過去，把每一幅唐卡碰觸每位僧人的頭頂，以此授予灌頂。 八大嘿嚕嘎的大灌頂就是這樣傳授的 —— 而他也說，這個傳承未來不可中斷。
他為什麼不逃
當然還有很多故事，今天不一定有時間講。總之簡單說， 光看他的事業，他就被所有人公認為大成就者。
後來西藏爆發動亂，那時我們都還住在山裡的寺院。
所有人都準備逃走、躲避共產黨，而他說：「不要走。因為你無法真正逃離業。
如果你有那個業要經歷困難，你就會經歷，你逃不掉。」
於是他確實留了下來，沒有逃走。他被逮捕，後來在昌都的監獄中圓寂。
獄中
關於他在獄中的那段時間也有一些故事。有一次，他們給他上了手銬與腳鐐， 而他不知怎麼地，總能在半夜或清晨奇蹟般地自行解開， 並且奇蹟般地離開上鎖的囚室，在外面待上一會兒。 然後警察又把他抓回去、再鎖上 —— 這樣的事發生了好幾次。
他們一再給他上鐐銬，他一再自行解開。
於是獄方官員認為：「顯然我們關不住他，鐐銬拴不住他，那要怎麼拴住他？」
於是他們想到用繩子，把繩子綁得極緊 —— 緊緊捆住他的手腕和雙腿， 緊到手腕流出血來。而他就是這樣圓寂的。
繩上的舍利
當時有一位獄方看守，是藏人，他把奇美多傑看作非常珍貴的上師。
在他圓寂之後，那條繩子留了下來，上面滿是血跡。
剪斷繩子的時候，這位看守偷偷留下了一段沾血的繩子 —— 他把它藏起來， 因為他認為這位喇嘛真的非常珍貴。
他一直保存著那段繩子。後來他前往本塘 —— 這位看守到了本塘，後來也成為那一帶本塘監獄的負責人。
在那裡他遇見了一位熟人，名叫多仁丹增 —— 多仁丹增正是最早製作仁千日布(珍寶丸)的人。
多仁丹增與興嘉是朋友，而興嘉是我的朋友。
於是這位看守告訴多仁丹增：有一位在獄中圓寂的大喇嘛， 他保留了那條沾著他血跡的繩子；而後來，從繩上的那些血跡中， 出現了舍利 —— 一顆顆的舍利子。 他自己對此非常驚異，便把這件事告訴了朋友多仁丹增，多仁丹增也非常驚異。
後來，興嘉是我的朋友……1979 年我獲釋、要去見我母親的時候， 我和興嘉同行(他中文也很好)。
就是在那時，興嘉把這個故事告訴了我 —— 這位獄方看守如何遇見多仁丹增，以及奇美多傑那條帶血的繩子如何化現出舍利。
也就是在那時，我才知道奇美多傑已經在獄中圓寂。
一百一十三處閉關地
他的主寺是噶爾寺。他走到哪裡，就在哪裡舉辦瑪尼閉關。 而且不論到哪裡，若當地有女子，他會為她們剃度出家，並為她們建立閉關的地方。
他所到的各個地區可能屬於不同的傳承 —— 如果那個地區主要是薩迦，他就讓她們維持薩迦，只是在那裡蓋一處閉關地， 並囑咐她們依循自己的傳統；是噶舉就噶舉，以此類推。
他總共建立了一百一十三處閉關地 —— 這些是給尼眾的。
(1979 年我獲釋去見母親時，就是從朋友那裡聽到多仁丹增與那位看守的故事的。
那位看守我其實也認識，因為我還得向他取得一份文件才能過境 —— 是他發給我一種通行許可的信函，我才能去見我母親。)
結語
當我們聽到上師的故事，從外表看，上師和我們一樣是人，但內在截然不同。 上師的事業與意圖、他的覺悟意趣與知識、他的智慧，真的不一樣。
正因如此，每當我想起上師的故事，我的虔敬與清淨觀就會增長，這對我的修行真的有幫助。 每當你對更高的存在(例如你的上師)生起清淨的見，你的心就得到淨化 —— 這就是它為什麼對修行如此有益。
當虔敬生起，心就被淨化。而心中真正需要淨化的，是二元的感知 —— 那才是要淨化的。
若我們對更高的存在培養虔敬，同時對一切有情培養慈悲， 這種二元的思惟就會被淨化，障礙也就在那時清淨。
障礙不會因為用水去洗而清淨，不管你洗多少次 —— 雖然水其實也就是本尊。
但我們這裡講的是內心的障礙，它們唯有在我們培養虔敬與慈悲時，才能得到淨化。
就我自己而言，我真的把我的上師們看作真實的佛。
例如當我看見奇美多傑的成就徵象 —— 他在石上留下的那些足印，至今仍看得見。
一般來說，留下岩石印記的上師故事很多， 但這一處是經過科學鑑定的：日本的學者前來仔細檢驗， 確認那真的是真實的人類足印。 它至今仍在噶爾寺，我們也把許多照片分享給別人。
所以，我的朋友們，這些上師的故事 —— 當我想起這些上師時，真的對我的修行大有助益。
如果我理解了一位上師的本質，如果我知道其中一位上師是這樣， 那麼我也能明白所有的上師都是如此。 他們其實是同一個；他們所說的是聖法。
因此，他們的身是僧，他們的語是聖法，他們的意是佛。 事實上在心的層面，佛與眾生是一，他們有同一個基。
但這些上師的心之所以獨特，在於他們對一切眾生具有菩提心、具有無量的愛 —— 這就是為什麼那個心在一切意義上真的就是佛。
所以，上師是從給你皈依戒的那一位，一直到所有給你灌頂、口傳與口訣的那些上師。
我們稱之為三恩德：上師具足三種恩德 —— 賜予灌頂之恩、口傳之恩、竅訣之恩。
我的朋友們，你們也應該這樣看待自己的上師 —— 從你領受皈依戒的那一位，到給你各種灌頂的那些上師。
如果你把那位上師看作真實的佛，那麼在未來的一切生世中、在今生與一切生世中， 這位上師就是你真正的依怙 —— 再沒有比這更大的依怙了。
總之，今天我又向各位講了我一位上師的故事。
到這裡，我上師奇美多傑生平的簡要記述就完成了。
當然還有太多可以講的，關於他的事業、他的神通、他的成就徵象與各種神變， 實在是無量無邊，講不完的。我不想佔用各位的時間， 所以只做了他偉大事業的簡略摘要 —— 請各位現在好好休息吧。
線上所有的朋友，札西德勒，我們明天見。
Garchen Rinpoche on Siddha Chime Dorje
Guru Stories Series, Episode 2 · livestreamed 16 October 2021 · full interpretation transcript
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws8FNm3Onjc&t=2241s — this is the transcript from 37:21 to the end Oral interpretation by Ina Bieler
Meeting him
And so at some point there was a time where I had to then go and enter the monastery, that was the time when I met the siddha Chime Dorje, and when I saw him first, I liked him very much and I wanted to hug him right away. And he said to me, "So it seems you like me," and he says, "I like you so much, you are my lama," and that is probably recognized and knew at that time, "This is going to be—this is my lama."
And no, he actually didn't give me a lot of instructions, he didn't say so much. What he did say is that you have to memorize the Ganges Mahamudra, and he also gave the reading transmission of the Ganges Mahamudra just one time, and then he didn't really say much. His words were really few, and sometimes he would say a few words, and also for the most part, he didn't always stay at the monastery, so he would just come to the monastery sometimes.
And anyways, I'm now going to share the story, the life story of Chime Dorje.
So mainly he gave me the Ganges Mahamudra, and one thing he repeatedly said is, "The mind is like space." I mean, I heard him say that and I also remembered my father's words and I thought, "This is what my father said." So even though I didn't say much and didn't understand all these words, but I did see that this is exactly what my father said.
At Gar monastery
I was a disciple of the previous Garchen Rumbashem [Garchen Rinpoche], and so that time at the time of the previous Garchen Rumbashem, he was a monk at Gar monastery, and he kind of had different positions at Gar monastery. He was a disciplinarian, and he also was the chant master and so on, and he really protected the monastery with his life.
And so in the previous life, the previous Garchen Rumbashem and Chime Dorje—the previous Garchen Rumbashem actually spent 13 years doing retreats together for 13 years, and the place of their retreat was behind the nunnery of Gar monastery, at a cave called Nila-ma Cave. And that was the cave where the previous Chugi Nima [Garchen Rinpoche's previous incarnation] did retreat, and he did 13 years of Chakrasamvara retreat, and probably accumulated hundreds of millions of Chakrasamvara mantras there. And at the end of his retreat, of Chugi Nima's retreat, after 13 years, it is said that he was able to fly in the sky, and there are many stories about that too.
And anyways, so the previous Garchen Rumbashem and Chime Dorje, the two of them together, spent 13 years in retreat in that place. And then after the retreat was over, then Chime Dorje went back to the monastery, and then also he did retreat at the monastery.
So then he did some retreat at the monastery, and so that was still at the time of the previous Garchen Rumbashem. And so the previous Garchen Rumbashem stayed at the upper monastery, at the higher part of the monastery, and then Chime Dorje stayed at the lower part of the monastery, but they were quite close, so they could see each other.
So sorry, upper and lower here is not the upper and lower monastery, but it's both at the lower monastery, but at the lower monastery there's an upper place and a lower place. So Chime Dorje stayed in the kind of upper part where there is the temple of the lower monastery, and then Chime Dorje's retreat cabin was below that—behind and below, also below and behind. So anyways, they could just see each other, it's very close.
The footprints in the rock
So there was this time when... normally the Garchen Rinpoche would treat him really nicely, but then all of a sudden, one day, he started to scold him and yell at him and insult him. So he came to his cabin and he said that, "You don't know how to practice, you don't know how to recite mantra, you have no experience in meditation, you go somewhere else, you don't stay at the monastery." So he asked him to leave.
And then Chime Dorje was wondering, was very heartbroken and was wondering why the lama is treating him this way. Until now he had cared for him with so much kindness, for example, and he got the Garchen emanation—and actually, of course, it was Garchen, but he had so much regard for him that he said, "You are the Dingba emanation [reincarnation]," and he said, "I take refuge in you and so on," so he always was so... like, had much admiration for him.
So Garchen Rinpoche didn't say that "You are the Dingba emanation" to Chime Dorje directly, but he told that to the other monks or to the other people, that he really is the Garchen Dingba. And so he had a great veneration for him.
And so then all of a sudden he scolded him, and he was really very sad about that, and he was wondering what had happened. And so then the lama came and he scolded him, and then he left, and as he was walking away he could just keep scolding him until he couldn't hear him. He kept scolding him, and then the lama arrived back on his kind of upper area where he stayed, and still was scolding him, and he could just basically see just his head and the rest he couldn't see anymore. So you could just see his head and you still heard him say, "How terrible you are," and just putting him down.
And then eventually he couldn't see the lama's face anymore, he just could hear his voice scolding him. But because he had so much devotion to the lama and he felt that "I still hear his voice, I still want to see him," and because he wanted to see him, so he went outside into his courtyard. And there is this huge rock which is like the size of a bridge's table or so, like this huge rock, and he kind of climbed up this rock, thinking that if he goes up there he can still see the guru.
And so then he kind of stretched himself on this rock to see the guru, and while he was doing that, his feet sank into the rock and left two footprints on the rock!
And so then when he came down from the rock, he saw those two huge footprints, and now he thought that now if the lama sees that, he's gonna scold me again. And actually speaking about those footprints, later on, some Japanese people came to examine the authenticity of these prints, and they actually said that these are definitely true human footprints, which actually now are still at the monastery, and we have images of that.
In any case, he left these footprints on the rock, and then when he realized that he did that, he was worried that the lama or somebody will see that and then the lama will be upset. So he turned that huge rock around so the lama couldn't see that.
And so then later the lama got to—Garchen Rinpoche came back again, scolding him, and so he was really worried, thinking that hopefully he doesn't see the rock, but he won't see it because I turned it around.
And so then the lama came in, scolding him, and then he just then picked up that rock and just turned it around like that, and then he saw the footprints there and he didn't say anything. He just said "Ha" and he clapped his hands and then he left. He didn't say anything else at that time.
And so anyways, he was thinking that now he saw the footprints, but maybe also now he gave me his blessing, and he cried out of great devotion.
So the reason for mentioning those footprints is also because they are really authentic and they are still there from the Gar monastery, and we also have pictures made of that to pass around to others, and so there are both of these footprints, both of his feet together. And so that is one of the stories of Chime Dorje.
The instruction on karma
And I also received from him the 37 Bodhisattva Practices, which is something that he really distributed in various monasteries to all the monks. It's also he and he gave it to me and I had to memorize the 37 practices.
So basically I received from him the 37 practices and the Ganges Mahamudra, and he also gave a little explanation, some teachings on those, and he gave empowerment and transmission.
And at that time when I was very young, I didn't really like to go for these teachings and transmissions. I really just wanted to play outside.
So then one time, at that time he was also staying in the previous chambers, and so he asked me to come, and then he gave me a little bit of some candies and some sweet molasses. And then he locked the door—actually I wanted to go, but he wanted to give me teachings and transmission, but then the door also was locked.
So then he gave me these teachings and transmissions, and then he also gave me one quote where it says: "Karma, cause and effect, is the natural manifestation of one's momentary thoughts and moment-to-moment thoughts." And he said that this is all you need, you need to really understand.
And so as a practitioner, you have to understand that. Then anyways at that time I wasn't really able to understand them so much and didn't wasn't so interested in listening, and so he just really told me that, and he introduced me to karma.
And he said that if you're as a lama, you have to understand karma. If you don't understand karma, you won't become a practitioner. If you understand karma, then you know the dharma. If you don't understand karma, then you don't really know the dharma, then you maybe can speak about dharma, but you don't really understand its true meaning.
And so because of that quote on karma, I always thought about it again and again. For example, when I saw a little animal, I thought that our mind is one and the same, and in this way I was able to develop some love for different animals, and which kept me from killing them, because otherwise I would maybe kill the flies and so on, the insects, but through this reflection I ended up not killing them.
Wherever he went, he held the mani retreats
Different villages and monasteries, and wherever he stayed, he never stayed in a house, he always stayed in a tent or like a yak hair tent. And different villagers, the people had much devotion to him, and what he practiced is, he held the 100 million mani accumulation retreats wherever he went, just staying in these hair tents, so everybody saw him as a very, very precious lama.
So one time he traveled to Mahog, which is a place where far away is it in Golok area, and there is again like a holy pilgrimage mountain that a mountain in Amdo. And so people would go there for a kora, for circumambulating the mountain.
And so Chime Dorje went there on his horse, and then there were hundreds of people following them, because many people had a great devotion to him. And whenever people would like and bow down to him in devotion, then the horse actually would also lower its head toward them on the people. Whenever they would do that, the horse would also do that.
And so then on the circumambulation around that mountain, then at some point the horse just kind of jumped up and then down and left footprints on the rock there too. And actually hundreds of people saw that, and it's probably still there today, and it became quite famous for leaving a footprint there.
The consecration from afar
So anyways, there was also a llama in this area, in the Mahog area, called the Mahog Jamgon, and he also started like a retreat area there, and he regarded Chime Dorje as extremely precious. And when they met, Chime Dorje said, "You're my lama," and Jamgon Rinpoche said, "You're my lama," so they kind of admired each other.
And so then Jamgon Rinpoche started a monastery there and a retreat village there. And so after that was completed, Chime Dorje had already arrived back in Nangchen, which is quite far away from that area in Amdo.
And then Jamgon Rinpoche invited him to come for the consecration of the new retreat village. And so it was very far away, if you would have to go on a horseback at that time it would take you like 15 days or so to get there.
And so at that time Chime Dorje was staying at the Drupto monastery, which is in the Yushu area, which is now the monastery where Drupchen Rinpoche stays, and that's really very far away from Amdo. And so Chime Dorje wasn't able to go there, but he did say to his monk that "I am going to perform a consecration from afar at that particular time."
And so Jamgon had great devotion for Chime Dorje, and so he gathered all of the people in the area and he said, "Then on this particular day, looking at the astrology, at that particular day, Chime Dorje is going to perform a consecration from where he's at."
And so he gathered all the people to come here at that time, too, you know, the retreat area that Jamgon just completed, and so on. They made kind of a time for a certain day where Chime Dorje would perform the consecration.
And so at that time he was staying in Drupto monastery, and so on that day, Chime Dorje had a monk—I also know his name, it's Tshultrim, right?—and so he said, "So today we are going up to the mountain to perform this consecration ceremony for Jamgon over in Amdo, because I can't go there."
So the two of them went up high on the mountain, and so they had different grains which were also colored in all the colors—like white and yellow, blue, red, green, and so on, as in all the colors.
And so then when they performed the consecrations there in the morning, they would cast those colored grains, and at the very same time the people in, you know, Amdo, Jamgon's retreat place, had all assembled exactly at that time, knowing that now he is performing the consecration ceremony.
And even though, as you have said, it's extremely far away, at the very same time, at the very time when Chime Dorje was casting those colored grains, from the sky in that retreat place, just like rain falling down, the same kind of substances and all the colors fell down and everyone saw it! So that became a quite famous story.
The statue that fitted the empty place
So then he didn't come to Gar monastery for a few years, and so one day he was about to come back, and so at that time we arranged for a large Buddha statue to be arranged and to be like set up, which is like the size of a house, a really huge, like a whole, you know, like a wall of a house.
And so then there was this place, so first of all, so we had to think about constructing a new kind of a house or structure for it, yeah, and to build a structure at Gar monastery is not an easy task. So you're wondering what to do and where to put it and so on.
And at the small temple where the previous Garchen Rumbashem stayed, and so at that small temple there were all kinds of different statues arranged, and then there was some empty spot that just happened to be naturally an empty spot there.
And now some of the old monks used to say, and so so maybe it's possible that he wants to put the statue exactly there because there's some empty spot. But then, of course, the statue was ordered from far away and already kind of had its pre-determined measurements and so on, and it came in this box, but then the way it arrived was it exactly kind of fit in, was exactly made for this empty spot next to the previous Garchen Rumbashem's small temple.
So that is where it was then arranged, and so everybody was really quite amazed by that. And it's really what Chime Dorje saw, he knew that the previous Garchen Rumbashem now had all of these statues arranged and that there was this empty spot, and so the way it was basically the way it arrived was that it exactly fit in that spot. And so that really was seen as a kind of a clear auspicious sign due to a very close relationship between the guru and disciple, and that also became a quite famous story.
Ordinations and the summer retreat
So then, so this was the statue like offered by Chime Dorje when he returned to Gar monastery. And when he then returned to Gar monastery, he also performed the ordination ceremonies for them, like the getsul and the gelong monks.
And then he also started the summer retreat which they held for a month and a half, and for that he offered a hundred female yaks—not because, for the kind of, it's like an endowment for a kind of after the fund, the fund for the summer retreat, because in the summer retreat the monks are only allowed to eat and not to eat any meat, but they're only drinking milk and eating butter and so on.
So then he offered the 100 female yaks so they could milk the yaks also during the summer retreat.
The Eight Herukas lineage
So then the monastery had improved more and more, more things were happening at the monastery, so then he also started the Drupchen retreat of the Eight Herukas, which he considered to be extremely precious.
And as he gave all the empowerments and transmissions and held—he said he would give the great empowerment of the Eight Herukas, and that would take an entire month to complete together with the Drupchen and the retreat, the great accomplishment.
And that is because he really considered the lineage of the Eight Herukas as very precious, and he also said that in the future you have to uphold this lineage and it has to spread in the world and it must not be interrupted.
So this is the Drigung Kagyu Drupchen Eight Herukas lineage, which is actually much more extensive than the Nyingma Heruka. In the Nyingma tradition, when the Eight Heruka accomplishment great accomplishment is practiced, it takes about a week, but in the Drigung Kagyu it takes—it took about a month to complete.
And so this particular tradition comes from Jigten Sumgon Rinchen Puntsok and also Tredok, and it comes from their meditative vision. And from that meditative vision also then appeared the cham dancing to the Eight Herukas, and so together with that cham that would take a month to complete.
And actually in the very old days of tibet during the time of the fifth Dalai Lama, actually it was not really allowed to perform all kinds of cham dances, but then the fifth Dalai Lama, he really accepted that the transmission of the Eight Herukas and cham dancing that came from Rinchen Puntsok. And while he was staying in Lhasa at that time, the Dalai Lama he said that it is actually okay to—he kind of approved the performance of this cham of Rinchen Puntsok of the Eight Herukas.
And so anyways, so at that time then at the time of Chime Dorje, when he started the Drigung Kagyu...
And so he gave the great empowerment of all the Eight Herukas deities, which is actually a total of 725 deities!
And actually normally when you confer empowerment you need an image, a statue, that is the image of the deity, but there is no statue, no image, of those 725 deities. And so the way he conferred the empowerment is that he had a thangka painting of each of these deities, and he would go around holding this thangka and give each of the monks the empowerment by holding each of those thangkas onto their heads. And this is how he conferred the empowerment, the great empowerment of the Eight Herukas, and so he also said that this lineage must not be interrupted in the future.
Why he did not flee
So there are of course many more stories for which we might not have the time today, but so he really in brief was accepted as a great mahasiddha, a great accomplished master by everyone, just looking at his enlightened activities.
And so then later on, during the—when then the turmoil broke out in Tibet, so sooner troubles arose in Tibet, and at that time we were still all staying in the mountains in the monastery. And he said—everyone was about to run away to escape from the communists, and he said, "Don't go, because you can't really run away from karma. If you have the karma to experience difficulty, you will experience it, you can't run away from it." So he actually stayed and he didn't escape, and he was arrested and he later passed away in the Chamdo prison.
In prison
There's also some stories about that time when he was in prison, for example, there was a time in prison where they put him in shackles and handcuffed him and put shackles on his ankles, and somehow he miraculously released himself from the shackles sometimes in the middle of the night or the early morning, and then he miraculously left his locked house, the cabin, and he just stayed outside for a little bit. And then the police caught him again and they brought him back inside, and they locked him in again, and so this actually happened several times!
So they kept putting him into these shackles and these cuffs, and he was always able to release himself. And so then a prison official considered that, "Obviously we cannot keep him, we can't restrain him with shackles, so how can we restrain him?"
So then they came up with a rope, and we tied them—they bound the rope really tight on his wrists and legs, so tightly that blood came from his wrists! And so, anyways, this is actually how he passed away.
The relics from the rope
And so there was a caretaker, an official, one of the prison guards who was actually a Tibetan, and he considered Chime Dorje as a really very precious lama. And so after, you know, he had passed away, and so there was this rope that was still left behind that had all the stains of blood on it, and so when they cut off that rope, he secretly kept a piece of that rope that had the blood on it, and he was hiding it because he considered this lama was really very precious.
So he held on to this piece of the rope, and then later when he traveled to Bumthang...
So this prison guard went to Bumthang, where he then later also was the kind of the leader of the Bumthang prison in that area. And so anyways, he met there with one of his acquaintances whose name was Doring Tenzin, and Doring Tenzin was actually the one who had produced first the Rinchenrilbu, or the precious pills, and so he was friends with Doring Tenzin, and Doring Tenzin was friends with Shingjam, who was my friend.
And so he told Doring Tenzin—this prison guard, right?—he told Doring Tenzin about this great lama who passed away in prison and how he had kept his rope with parts of his blood on it, and it happened that from this blood that was in the rope, relics, actually some relic pearls, appeared! And so he was quite amazed by that, and so he shared this story with his friend Doring Tenzin, who was also very amazed by that.
And so then later, Shingjam, he was friends with my friend... and so later when I had a release from prison and I was going to meet my mother, I was traveling with Shingjam, with my friend, and he knew also he knew Chinese really well. And so Shingjam then told me about that story about how this prison guard met with Doring Tenzin and how the relics had appeared from the bloody rope that came from Chime Dorje. And so that also is when I heard that Chime Dorje had passed away in the prison.
The 113 retreat places
And so his main monastery was Gar monastery, and so really wherever he went he held the mani retreats in whichever area he went. And also wherever he went, if there were some girls he would make them monks [nuns] and would start like a retreat place for them. And in the different areas in that he visited, each area might have a different lineage, so if that area was mainly Sakya then he would just let them be Sakya, he would just build a retreat place also there, but advise them to follow their own tradition, or if Kagyu then Kagyu, and so on. He constructed 113 retreat places—so this is for the anis [nuns].
So in 1979 when I had a release to meet my mother, that's when I heard from my friend the story of Doring Tenzin and that prison guard, whom I actually also knew because also I had to get some another kind of a letter from him to go to...
Yeah, so he was the one who issued a medium kind of a permission or kind of a letter of permission to cross border so I could meet my mother.
Conclusion — why these stories matter
And so when we hear the stories of a guru, outwardly seen the guru is a human being just like us, but inside there is a difference. The guru's activities and his intent, his enlightened intent and knowledge, his wisdom, is really different.
And so that is why when I think about my guru's story, then my devotion and my pure perception increases, and that really helps my practice. And so it is the more every time you feel like a pure view toward a higher being, like your guru and so on, your mind becomes purified, and that's why it is so beneficial for the practice.
When devotion arises, the mind becomes purified. And what needs to be purified really in a mind is the dualistic perception—that needs to be purified. And this dualistic thinking becomes purified if we cultivate devotion to the higher beings, and also when we cultivate compassion for sentient beings, that is when the obscurations become purified.
The obscurations will not become purified if we try to wash them with water, no matter how much you wash them—although actually water also is actually the deity. But here we're speaking about the inner obscurations of the mind, and they can only become purified when we cultivate devotion and also compassion.
And for myself, I've really seen these—my gurus as the actual Buddha. For example, when I saw Chime Dorje's sign of accomplishment when he put—he left those footprints on the rock, which still can be seen today. And actually generally there are many who have left many stories of masters who have left rock prints, but this is really has been like confirmed by scientists, for example, Japanese scientists came and they really examined it and really said that this is really an authentic human footprint. And so it still is present at Gar monastery, and we have shared many pictures of these footprints with others.
And so, so my friends, these stories of the guru have really—the gurus, when I think about them, it really has benefited my practice. If I understand the nature of one guru, if I know that one guru is like that, then I can also understand that all gurus are just like that. They are really one and the same; what they speak is the holy dharma.
And so therefore their body is the Sangha, their speech is the holy dharma, and their mind is the Buddha. Actually, on the mind level, Buddhas and sentient beings are one, they have a single basis, but the unique mind of those gurus is that they possess bodhichitta for all beings, they possess immeasurable love, and so that is why the mind really is some Buddha in every sense.
So the gurus are all those starting from the one who gives the refuge vow up until all those gurus who gave me empowerments, transmissions, and instructions. Now we refer to that as a threefold kindness: a guru is endowed with threefold kindness, the kindness of bestowing the empowerment, the transmissions, and the essential instructions.
Also for yourself, my friends, this is how you should see your own gurus, starting from the one from whom you received the refuge vow up until the one who gave you various empowerments and so on. And then if you see that guru as the actual Buddha, then in all future lifetimes and in this and all lifetimes this guru is your true protection, and there is no greater protection than that.
So anyways, now I've offered you another story of one of my gurus. So this is a—this completes the brief account of my guru Chime Dorje's life story.
And of course there is so much more to be said, there are so many countless stories about his activities, because his activities and his clairvoyance and signs of accomplishments and different miracles are really actually unlimited, so there is no end to telling stories about that. And I don't want to waste time, your time now, my friends, and so therefore I just gave a brief summary of his great activities, so please take a rest now.
Everyone on the live stream, Tashi Delek, and see you tomorrow.