Not only have I had the time to catch up on all the work that has lain by the wayside, projects more than worthy of attention that due to travel and craziness haven’t been addressed or finished, I have also spent my time reflecting deeply on these past few months, in what could only be called Karmapa’s house, surrounded by his precious mandala and powerful dharma foundation.
The place is utterly magnificent. A monolith structure that has always felt like coming home, while always pushing my mind to extremes, it has a way to recall all that I need to work on, from both inside and out, in a way that only KIBI can. I find myself struggling every time I am here, as each and every obstacle that I had previously thought to be passed on and successfully graduated from comes back in a whirlwind of cleansing and purification that holds a level of epic fanfare worthy of a spot in the history books. Physical and mental blocks, frustration and loneliness, intense emotion and rampant wild imaginations all rolled into one. These are of course normal human characteristics, characteristics that, given time and space give way to freedom only if you can let it all go, let life be as it is, and just enjoy this glorious yet sometimes painful present moment. These are the natural ups and downs of life as we know it. An open meditator’s mind would say, “what a blessing and a chance to work on this”, and despite my initial preemptive rejection of the idea, of course, they would be right. So in observance of this, with everything coming to a close and the next project starting just days away, I am reflecting on all that has happened as the gift that it truly is and was. A precious chance to work on myself aside from the hustle and bustle that is normal and sometimes mediocre life. What better place could one come to work, study, learn, suffer and grow, than here? What better surroundings could be placed before us to allow the doors of liberation to be seen or grasped, and then allow them to melt away into the impermanent true nature and samsara that is this precious human life. I think there is no better place than here, and no better time than now.
I wish to thank everyone here for their amazing hospitality, their love and care, their patience with a wayward and oftentimes extreme artist taking root in their private community for this short period of time. It has been such a gift to be here, to spend this time amongst those who have dedicated so much of themselves in the pursuit of Dharma knowledge and practice. The group that call KIBI home are simply amazing people, brilliant and devoted, and I feel honored to have shared this time and space with them. To Karmapa, for creating such a wondrous place such as this, for the powerful mandala that has the entire space surrounded and enveloped in his powerful blessings is something that we can all treasure as one of life’s rarest and emotionally exotic environments. I have been inspired, deeply inspired - as I always am whenever I am graced with the opportunity to be here. With two major movie projects now finished, a huge and cumbersome weight has been lifted from my shoulders as I finally feel ready and free for what comes next. In two days I venture back to Kathmandu for the opening of the Nala Monastery, something I have been looking forward to all summer, as its celebration has been shuffled, moved and rescheduled continuously, now the time is finally at hand. I return back to where my summer began, the great trip that seems to have spanned decades, lifetimes, more has changed in and out of me than could possibly be explained. I leave you all with my final unreleased collection from Ladakh, from Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje’s visit to the Rigjung Public School, a wonderful day spent under the sun with all our friends, and incredible smiles, hearts, colors and lights all around us. This last summer has been my greatest privilege to experience and share, from the many ups and downs of samsara, these have been without a doubt the most incredible moments of my life.
When you lose your mind, simply come back. Come back to this place, come back to yourself, back to the breath, for this present moment is not to be missed, regardless of what happens. Reflecting on time well spent, so precious is this time that we will not see again. Reflecting on this glorious time of now. Right now. Back to the breath again. In this magical, mystical and wondrously real and bitterly raw time of now - I couldn’t imagine time better spent than this.
Karma Dupgyud Choeling Monastery KIBI - Karmapa International Buddhist Institute
