The Gyalwang Drukpa

I have a bit of time tonight. I will add up whatever I was telling you and share some photos about my simple life here. Everyday, the nuns, about 200 of them, wake up at 3am, do their meditation and personal practice. By 6am, we start our group prayers in the temple and then at about 10am, I will give some instructions and comments about Ngondro practice, that is the Four Foundations, which include 100 thousand prostrations, 100 thousand Vajrasattva, 100 thousand Mandala Offering and 100 thousand Guru Yoga.

Actually most of the nuns here have already completed minimum 3 to 4 sets of Ngondro, but since there are also new nuns, I thought of starting them with Ngondro and of course, hoping to help them develop the correct motivation, and also those nuns who have done before they can treat this as revision. I guess in that way, I am quite a stubborn and traditional master, it's really difficult for me to teach higher tantra if my students and friends haven't finished not even one set of Ngondro. Mostly, in such a degenerate time, gurus should be giving easier treatment to their students and friends, such as not necessarily to do Ngondro and etc, otherwise gurus will have no job because there will be no qualified followers. But so far I am proud to say that my nuns, some monks and of course some lay followers are fulfilling my wishes, so far so good!

Then in the afternoon, some nuns are learning English, some are learning rituals, some are learning Tibetans, evening we practise together and sometimes, I give some specific instructions to the senior nuns.

Today, we did an extensive Mitrupa pooja for the dead. As you know, we often receive offerings for prayers, especially for dead people. Personally, I am very cautious with offering money, especially for dead people, why? This is because offerings as such if not used for the benefit of the dead will lead to the problems of the dead getting lower rebirth and eventually will result in my own falling, I mentioned this in "My Crazy Tale" that this can be known as Black Offering, or Kor Nag. I feel uncomfortable to use this sort of offerings or any sort dedicated for benefits of beings for own use or for enjoyment of any sort. This is something my gurus have been cautioning me about and I am lucky that I have been able to follow.

Langna Rinpoche and Kunga Rinpoche are here with me. Langna Rinpoche is doing his Ngondro and a retreat, and Kunga Rinpoche is assisting me in all the poojas and ceremonies, and he is also helping to teach Vietnamese and Malaysian nuns basic Tibetan. I hope the nuns are doing fine. By the way, I want to tell you a bit about Kunga Rinpoche. Those of you who have been around me for quite some time should be knowing who he is. Before enthronement, he was known as Pema Namgyal and he was one of my attendants and monk disciples. Just about a year ago, as the time became appropriate, I enthroned him as Kunga Rinpoche. His previous life was a direct disciple of the great terton Drubwang Shakya Shri and he had a great following in Garsha. When he was old, he did not have to walk, he was always carried by two of his disciples, wherever he went. One of these two had a son shortly after the previous Kunga Rinpoche passed away. The child was recognised by both of my gurus, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche and Kyabje Thuksey Rinpoche, as reincarnation of Kunga Rinpoche. But due to some obstacles, the official recongition never happened. His father offered him to me when he was about 15 years old and only a year ago that I felt appropriate to formally enthrone him. I know due to his loving devotion towards me, it is very difficult for him to leave me for his monastery in Garsha, but one day, he will need to go back to his community and lead them. As people like us, believe it or not, are supposed to be living to benefit and guide others. I ask you, my friends and students, to give him all the encouragement you can, so that he would have no problems to help his community when the time comes.