His humble and unassuming presence is only bettered by his incredibly sweet demeanor, his warmth and generosity, and his deep, deep knowledge of the Dharma.
For such a high Rinpoche he is shockingly available - always welcoming to anyone who wishes to speak with him, get advice, or just casually chat about the weather and your kids. I was always so impressed by how simply he does everything - he travels alone, no attendants or support needed. He is an amazing teacher, and an amazing listener too. You can really feel that you have his whole attention, and he gives great importance to his response. When he enters the room there is a sense of pervading joy that follows him, he is just such an incredible being it is hard to describe. Everything just seems so effortless, so easygoing for him. Like he glides around, the construct of physics not holding him down like the rest of us, just floating by with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye. If you don’t already know, Rinpoche really, really loves babies. I never see his eyes light up as much as when he sees a baby, taking them in his arms or on his knee, talking to them and just laughing together. His baby-holding smile could light up the world. It’s quite infectious really, the whole room starts to well up and explode with happy giggles. How could you not; pure joy and pure innocence together.
I have always treasured my time with Rinpoche, so I was thrilled when he was invited to Prague. He was invited by the Prague Bodhi Path center, who welcomed people to the Pyramid Hotel theatre for the weekend course. The room was dark and olden, my eyes taking a few moments to adjust to the din and shadowy surroundings. A black velvet backdrop, with a lone thangka floating in space, the stage covered in beautiful flower arrangements. It was a lovely setting, and perfect for Rinpoche’s teachings on meditation. His teaching style, as always, was relaxed, poignant and deceptively simple. There was a lot of joy in his voice, expounding on the Buddha’s teachings is clearly something Rinpoche enjoys, sharing stories and metaphors to seamlessly present complex topics. We all sat together in meditation a few times with Rinpoche, allowing everyone to try out the teachings and methods he had explained. In the last session Rinpoche gave refuge to those that wanted it, and a line queued up to go on stage and have their hair cut, and their refuge name given. At the end he blessed everyone’s sacred objects, and then before heading out the door, he turned back to the grateful crowd and gave everyone one last wave and a big smile.
For the end of his visit, Rinpoche graciously made time to visit the Nala center just outside of Prague. He came Sunday afternoon, on a swelteringly hot day with the sun baking everything. He toured the center, and was told all about Nala’s projects. He especially liked the Gompa. After looking at the shrine he stopped in front of the huge Mahakala thangka and the whole room fell silent. Rinpoche’s eyes closed and one could feel the energy explode out in the space, yet so still you could hear a pin drop. For what felt like forever nobody moved a muscle. It was very powerful; just reveling in the energy in the room, and the presence of such a great master. After a quick tea and cake break, with a few stories and laughter, Rinpoche had to get back on the road, a short but sweet visit that I know meant the world to the whole Nala family.
A weekend with Rinpoche, the best weekend I’ve had in a long time.
Bodhi Path Buddhist Centers BODHI PATH Praha Nadační fond NALA Lama Jigmé Rinpoché
