Or on a retreat somewhere in the mountains, just so long as you are happy. I have another collection I wish to share with you all, photos from the end of September actually, when we had a course here in Prague with Sabchu Rinpoche in NALA. For whatever reason, call it “new-baby-itis” or a prolonged sense of overwork in all other areas, I simply hadn’t had a chance to finish these. But rather that forget about them, I want to share them, as it was a wonderful time and I feel the photos accurately captured the tremendous amount of joy, humor, giggles, and togetherness that this small group enjoyed together. And seeing as it’s the Holidays, we could all use another share, laugh, or giggle ourselves don’t you think?
Rinpoche is a phenomenal teacher. Rarely do I see a traditional Tibetan Rinpoche, well versed in the ancient and old school ways, find such a unique voice that speaks so well to modern westerners. His English is perfect, he even knows all the movie references, social colloquialisms and innuendo that makes up our modern culture. He’s hilarious. He’s also genuine. When he speaks there is this pause beforehand, when you can see him really thinking about what he will say, weighing each word to make sure that they are worth saying, and will be understood by those he is speaking to. Honestly, in some way it reminds me of the way Karmapa talks, each word spoken with purpose and meaning. (I probably make Rinpoche uncomfortable in saying so, his modesty and reverence are other traits I find quite endearing too) The course was on Shine, and unlike other teachings I have seen, this was incredibly thorough, but in a modern way. Over the course of may days, Rinpoche used a whole collection of boards, all with colorful anecdotes and instructions to illustrate his teachings in a way I found refreshingly simple. Every point was painstakingly talked through, no matter how subtle. It was all very relatable, clear and concise. Also really funny too, as his English is so good even the translators had a hard time with some of his metaphors. He had everyone in stitches on multiple occasions, with his constant references to our mind being a “cow” tethered to a “stake”. He somehow turned a long intense course into a joyous occasion, with constant outbursts of laughter and giggles.
We brought our son to meet Rinpoche the day he arrived, and I’ll never forget as immediately upon arriving he walked right up to my wife and took Eliot in his arms. It was incredibly sweet. He held him for a few moments, inspecting him, looking him over, then touching his head to Eliot’s little head and holding it there for quite some time. Then he whispered in his ear, and handed him back to my wife. Maybe when he’s older he’ll tell me what Rinpoche said to him. He was only 2 months old then, wearing his fanciest Mickey Mouse shirt and that bald and patchy hairdo tiny babies have - it makes for quite the photo I think - and we’ll treasure them forever.
So, I was impressed to say the least. I wasn’t able to come for every session, for the aforementioned New Baby reasons, but I was very happy to have been there and to see how much Rinpoche has blossomed and grown into the mature, educated and genuine teacher that held everyone’s attention with such grace. Such a gift to have such teachings amidst the global pandemic shutting down all access, and all the more reason the photos should be shared. So here they are, and I hope you enjoy them. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday, and I will see you all next year!
-Tokpa
Nadační fond NALA Sabchu Rinpoché
