The Gyalwang Drukpa

I always think and feel that we should never be conservative, even though we keep talking about preserving traditions and cultures. Traditions and cultures should be enriching one's life and not limiting the growth and potentials. If we choose to benefit others on the spiritual path and if we want to practise Live to Love, how can we do so if we have such a judging attitude, discriminating what we see, what we perceive? It is very easy to love pleasant people, pleasant situations, pleasant things. But the true test comes only when you are faced with the most unpleasant situation and people, whether you can take it or not, whether you can accept and embrace with love or not.

This time, I was also quite surprised to hear some of my very old friends and students telling me how happy they were to see no other languages on my current website and that the Live to Love should have English and no other language. I really didn't understand what was happening. But now that I have time to think about it again, I feel it is not advisable for anyone of us on the genuine spiritual path not to accept anything, and try only to accept things that are matching with our own liking. No one will suffer except yourself. We can modify and improve whatever logo we have right now, but reasons should not be personal or emotionally negative, it should be because of us wanting to help more people and more beings.

We only have one earth, we are all members of the earth, the languages are only means to communicate, no other reasons for languages to be there. Moreover, everyone deserves to be different, live a different life, like different things. So long as there is LOVE, LOVE will bring everyone together towards the path of TRUE HAPPINESS.

The main reason why I am promoting Live to Love is really for the sake of breaking down all the barriers in terms of nationality, religions, languages and so on so forth. Our own unhappiness and dissatisfaction are caused by ourselves, our own limitations and our ego. Love has no conditions, it is like sunrays shining on the earth. The sun will not discriminate what it shines on, it will not say that "Your house is very ugly, you are very bad person, you are very evil, so I don't shine on you." Whether or not you will get the light of the sun, depends on how open you are, how great your loving heart is.

My New Year message for 2008 is that I ask my friends and students to work together with me and with each another, forget about race, language, nationality and so on, be loving, forgiving and patient towards everyone, at least within the Drukpa family. Nothing is impossible if you have an open heart and the willingness to reach out, to listen, to share, to work together and to live in genuine and not superficial harmony and peace.

I hope and pray that with true harmony and open-minded acceptance, starting from now, we should be trying our best to LIVE TO LOVE or LIVE WITH LOVE, so that we will eventually be messengers of LOVE, PEACE, JOY, HARMONY and HAPPINESS.

By the way, my nuns at Druk Gawa Khilwa in Kathmandu also sent their New Year Greetings in very creative way. You can see that in their web: www.drukpa-nuns.org