“Clear lights of Being” Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche in human form have graced me with their presence as my spiritual practice has matured. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche was a nomadic spiritual teacher who mastered a life of conscious non-attachment to an image of self. I recall casually glancing into his eyes years ago during a walking-and-chanting meditation retreat in Nepal. I experienced a profound reality of “emptiness as form and form as emptiness.” He was crystal clear that we show up in form, here in “ordinary reality,” to inspire and encourage each other to wake up to lives governed by our Shared Divinity. Looking into those eyes was like opening a clear mirror. And that we were already Home…
The experience of being in his presence was both impersonal and remarkably intimate. The essence of this remarkable being is the direct experience of our shared and innate stillness. I carry a picture of this divine being with me and affectionately refer to it as the face of “God.”
I had a pacemaker “installed” a few years ago, and the surgeon reported seeing a being of light in the room singing a song: “Om Mani Padme Hum” during the procedure. I showed him a photo of KTGR in the recovery room, and he said, “That’s the Guy, with the face of God.” I still get misty-eyed every time I see that photo – it shows me his Divine commitment to serve as a teacher and a student! I see Him as a clear picture of the God/Divine within all of us!! Namaste……..
Full of devotion to the welfare of others, “KTGR” sang inspirational songs of faith with simple joy. I cry whenever I chant, “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Please find time and space to sit in a “Sacred Circle” and “Chant.” Yes, when we are clear about our dual roles of holding the circle together, both inspiring and open to being inspired by others.
I celebrate and mourn that Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche dropped his human form on 6/22/24, after 90 years of wandering. A bound copy of his book on the “stages of emptiness” arrived in my mailbox (out of the blue). That, along with a veiled invitation to write a follow-up to his masterful work. He has been and continues to be a guiding light for me.
I am currently developing an intimate working relationship with him in “non-ordinary reality” to collaborate with my Shamanic and Zen students and me to explore the Emptiness of the five components of human existence. The Buddhist concept of the emptiness of form, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness exists only in relation to other causes and conditions that are also constantly changing. This understanding is key to overcoming suffering by seeing that the “self” we cling to is not a permanent entity but a composite of these impermanent skandhas! They are all empty due to the lack of inherent existence and Dependent Origination!!
This being was/is a simple reflection of the futility of holding onto a lie about self, and a knowing smile that reflects Truth, Respect, and Peace! – Together!!oday, in Tucson, it is 64 degrees F in the shade and 85 degrees in the Sun. Humidity is 20 percent, with a slight but steady breeze. I reference the word home as an ongoing invitation to recognize that sacred place is right here and now as a continuing invitation to wake up to Now.
Om Mani Padme Hum…
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