Meeting Kalu Rimpoche Again (for Linda and Egyirba)

[Guest guest]

Although I had an initiation with Kalu Rimpoche in 1971, I never

learned his name and since he seemed so ancient, I assumed that I would

never see him again. He went back to India. I thought he would not

live much longer.

 

Early one morning in the beginning of 1990, just as I was coming out of

a deep sleep, I heard a voice say “I am Kalu. Go to the Kagyu Droden

Kunchab (KDK) in San Francisco and keep Lama Lodru company until I

return.” My roommate at the time told me later that I flew out of the

house so fast that I left skid marks on the carpet. I had received a

newsletter from the KDK a couple of weeks earlier because I had signed

up to be on their mailing list at a street fair. I found the center on

Fell Street with ease. I climbed the steps to the second floor,

following the sound of Tibetan chanting. I was overwhelmed to find a

likeness that was very similar to the lama who had initiated me almost

twenty years earlier.

 

As soon as the puja was over, I asked one of the students who the

statue represented. He said “Kalu Rimpoche”. I asked if he might have

given an empowerment in Vancouver, BC in the fall of 1971. He thought

for a moment and then said “Yes, that was his first trip to North

America.” I asked if he was still alive. He said that his parinirvana

was May 10, 1989. First of all I couldn’t believe that I had just

missed him. Then it hit me that he had continued to teach for 18 years

after I was with him and I had never thought to try to find him.

 

I became a student of Lama Lodru who was himself a close student of

Kalu Rimpoche. For two years I took every opportunity to chant with

him, learning the Chenrezig, Green Tara and Mahakala pujas. In early

1992 he invited me to go to India with him, his wife and seven other

students. Right before we were to leave, he told me that it was

believed that Kalu Rimpoche had returned and we would be able to meet

the new incarnation. I was stunned. I never thought I would be so

blessed as to meet him in two incarnations.

 

My meetings with this 20 month old child in April-May 1992 were

remarkable. The first time I saw him, his attendant was lifting him

into a small toy car. I saw golden light above his body, like it

couldn’t all fit inside. Whenever I saw him around the monastery, I

couldn’t take my eyes off him. He was so perfectly beautiful. Once he

was blessing the people who came up to him. I closed my eyes and tried

to show my devotion. When I opened my eyes, he had his fist in front

of my face like he was going to punch me in the face. What a wake-up

call!

 

One of the many remarkable things about Kalu was his perseverance. For

a child less than two years old, he was a diligent student. I watched

him spend 40 minutes of concentrated attention trying to play the

temple horns. Even though he did not succeed in producing any sound, he

kept trying, with no evidence of impatience. He also showed a deep

interest in all temple ritual.

 

The last day that we were at his monastery, we were allowed to offer

kata (silk scarves) to his precious KuDung (the remains of his previous

incarnation), the Sharmapa, Bokar Rimpoche, Khenpo Lodru Donyu, the

Vajra Master, the Meditation Master and the new Kalu Rimpoche and to

receive their blessings. There was a long rectangular area between the

KuDung on one end and the new Kalu on the other. I could feel the

connection between the KuDung and the new incarnation. I could even

see waves of energy going back and forth between them. It seemed as

though I was standing in the Ocean of Milk and the lamas surrounding it

were silhouettes of mountains, completely still and completely pure.

 

There is a very holy pilgrimage place in Siliguri, India. The stupa

there was the previous Kalu Rimpoche’s last project. It was built in a

place at a crossroads where travelers bound for Bhutan, Nepal,

Darjeeling, Assam and Sikkim meet. It is also the favorite residence

of the new Kalu Rimpoche.

 

One day I was meditating in front of a murti of the previous Kalu and I

heard a friend say “Ardis, look who’s behind you.” There was the new

Kalu. So I was in a Kalu sandwich, the murti in front and the baby

behind.

 

I had been watching his mother, Drolkar. I was very impressed by her

attentiveness and her equanimity. One day I told her “I am very glad

that Rimpoche came to you, that you are his mother.” She gave me a big

smile and a flash of light. She doesn’t get a lot of support or

appreciation. She was the previous Kalu’s personal secretary and not

very well liked because of the way she protected him. And of course

the monks think that only they are capable of raising a rimpoche. If

they could figure out a way to forego the birth process, they would

eliminate women altogether.

 

My lama, his wife and our group of students were invited to an audience

with little Kalu. It was dusk and we were sitting in semi-darkness

enjoying the coolness after the hot Indian day. Little Kalu was

toddling around, offering prasad to everyone. I found myself telling

his father, the head of the monastery, that there were instructions

from the previous Kalu which had not been carried out. He had

requested that the nuns be treated on an equal basis with the monks;

taught to read and write so that they could read the scriptures and

puja texts and even become self-sufficient in the world. I had noticed

that all the nuns sat in the back of the shrine room and all they had

were prayer wheels, no puja texts. Then I found that the nuns did not

even live on the monastery grounds. They had to live quite a distance

down the road even though many of them were elderly. They had a hard

time finding a room to stay in since they had no money and had to

depend on the charity of the faithful.

 

Kalu’s father kept on giving explanation after explanation as to why

they had not been able to comply with Rimpoche’s instructions. I

didn’t say anything; I just heard him out. Suddenly he offered to

donate a house he owned adjacent to the monastery for the nuns’

residence.

 

Little Kalu had gone off to a side room. Now he returned. He stood in

front of me with his arms stretched out and showed himself to me as a

Cross of Light. There was no physical body - just Light. I put my

arms out to show that I wanted him to come sit in my lap. He turned

around and I went into samadhi just knowing that he was going to sit in

my lap. When he sat down, we went into a deep samadhi together. Then

as I started to come back, I heard my own voice at great distance

saying “Oh, Rimpoche. Oh, Rimpoche” with a combination of tenderness

and ecstasy that one can hardly imagine. It sounded like I was talking

to my Beloved. Then Rimpoche got up and returned to the side room. A

short while later he came out, stood in front of me, showed himself to

me as a Cross of Light, turned his back to me, sat in my lap, we both

went into samadhi, I heard myself saying “Oh, Rimpoche. Oh, Rimpoche”.

It was an exact repeat of the first time. He returned to the side

room once again. A little later he repeated the whole experience for

the third time in exactly the same way. When I opened my eyes and

looked at Rimpoche’s father, I was surprised to see that he had tears

streaming down his face and looked extremely moved. I felt totally

blessed. It proved to me that we are not the body, that our true self

is beyond the body.

 

I’ve only seen Kalu once since then. He came to San Francisco when he

was six and he was already giving the Chenrezig empowerment. I feel at

peace about not seeing him. He has a truly marvelous mother. He is

being taught by monks who adore and respect him and will pass on the

teachings of the Kagyu lineages. What a Light he is to the world!

Attachment: (text/enriched) [not stored]

[Guest guest]

Beloved Pahari Maa...

i am so overwhelmed at all that you have shared, that i am weeping,

and am totally stunned...i feel that your recollection is so vivid

and deeply spiritual in your telling, that i have been privileged [in

a way] to have had His Holiness Kalu Rinpoche's Darshan. You are an

amazing woman, dear sister, and it is such a privilige to know you...

Jai to the Goddess in all Her many forms!

your sister beyond forever,

muktimaa

 

 

 

 

 

 

, Ardis Jackson <ardis1@v...> wrote:

> Although I had an initiation with Kalu Rimpoche in 1971, I never

> learned his name and since he seemed so ancient, I assumed that I

would

> never see him again. He went back to India. I thought he would

not

> live much longer.

>

> Early one morning in the beginning of 1990, just as I was coming

out of

> a deep sleep, I heard a voice say "I am Kalu. Go to the Kagyu

Droden

> Kunchab (KDK) in San Francisco and keep Lama Lodru company until I

> return." My roommate at the time told me later that I flew out

of

the

> house so fast that I left skid marks on the carpet. I had received

a

> newsletter from the KDK a couple of weeks earlier because I had

signed

> up to be on their mailing list at a street fair. I found the

center on

> Fell Street with ease. I climbed the steps to the second floor,

> following the sound of Tibetan chanting. I was overwhelmed to find

a

> likeness that was very similar to the lama who had initiated me

almost

> twenty years earlier.

>

> As soon as the puja was over, I asked one of the students who the

> statue represented. He said "Kalu Rimpoche". I asked if

he might

have

> given an empowerment in Vancouver, BC in the fall of 1971. He

thought

> for a moment and then said "Yes, that was his first trip to

North

> America." I asked if he was still alive. He said that his

parinirvana

> was May 10, 1989. First of all I couldn't believe that I had

just

> missed him. Then it hit me that he had continued to teach for 18

years

> after I was with him and I had never thought to try to find him.

>

> I became a student of Lama Lodru who was himself a close student of

> Kalu Rimpoche. For two years I took every opportunity to chant

with

> him, learning the Chenrezig, Green Tara and Mahakala pujas. In

early

> 1992 he invited me to go to India with him, his wife and seven

other

> students. Right before we were to leave, he told me that it was

> believed that Kalu Rimpoche had returned and we would be able to

meet

> the new incarnation. I was stunned. I never thought I would be so

> blessed as to meet him in two incarnations.

>

> My meetings with this 20 month old child in April-May 1992 were

> remarkable. The first time I saw him, his attendant was lifting

him

> into a small toy car. I saw golden light above his body, like it

> couldn't all fit inside. Whenever I saw him around the

monastery,

I

> couldn't take my eyes off him. He was so perfectly beautiful.

Once he

> was blessing the people who came up to him. I closed my eyes and

tried

> to show my devotion. When I opened my eyes, he had his fist in

front

> of my face like he was going to punch me in the face. What a wake-

up

> call!

>

> One of the many remarkable things about Kalu was his perseverance.

For

> a child less than two years old, he was a diligent student. I

watched

> him spend 40 minutes of concentrated attention trying to play the

> temple horns. Even though he did not succeed in producing any

sound, he

> kept trying, with no evidence of impatience. He also showed a deep

> interest in all temple ritual.

>

> The last day that we were at his monastery, we were allowed to

offer

> kata (silk scarves) to his precious KuDung (the remains of his

previous

> incarnation), the Sharmapa, Bokar Rimpoche, Khenpo Lodru Donyu, the

> Vajra Master, the Meditation Master and the new Kalu Rimpoche and

to

> receive their blessings. There was a long rectangular area between

the

> KuDung on one end and the new Kalu on the other. I could feel the

> connection between the KuDung and the new incarnation. I could

even

> see waves of energy going back and forth between them. It seemed

as

> though I was standing in the Ocean of Milk and the lamas

surrounding it

> were silhouettes of mountains, completely still and completely pure.

>

> There is a very holy pilgrimage place in Siliguri, India. The

stupa

> there was the previous Kalu Rimpoche's last project. It was

built

in a

> place at a crossroads where travelers bound for Bhutan, Nepal,

> Darjeeling, Assam and Sikkim meet. It is also the favorite

residence

> of the new Kalu Rimpoche.

>

> One day I was meditating in front of a murti of the previous Kalu

and I

> heard a friend say "Ardis, look who's behind you."

There was the

new

> Kalu. So I was in a Kalu sandwich, the murti in front and the baby

> behind.

>

> I had been watching his mother, Drolkar. I was very impressed by

her

> attentiveness and her equanimity. One day I told her "I am

very

glad

> that Rimpoche came to you, that you are his mother." She gave

me a

big

> smile and a flash of light. She doesn't get a lot of support

or

> appreciation. She was the previous Kalu's personal secretary

and

not

> very well liked because of the way she protected him. And of

course

> the monks think that only they are capable of raising a rimpoche.

If

> they could figure out a way to forego the birth process, they would

> eliminate women altogether.

>

> My lama, his wife and our group of students were invited to an

audience

> with little Kalu. It was dusk and we were sitting in semi-darkness

> enjoying the coolness after the hot Indian day. Little Kalu was

> toddling around, offering prasad to everyone. I found myself

telling

> his father, the head of the monastery, that there were instructions

> from the previous Kalu which had not been carried out. He had

> requested that the nuns be treated on an equal basis with the

monks;

> taught to read and write so that they could read the scriptures and

> puja texts and even become self-sufficient in the world. I had

noticed

> that all the nuns sat in the back of the shrine room and all they

had

> were prayer wheels, no puja texts. Then I found that the nuns did

not

> even live on the monastery grounds. They had to live quite a

distance

> down the road even though many of them were elderly. They had a

hard

> time finding a room to stay in since they had no money and had to

> depend on the charity of the faithful.

>

> Kalu's father kept on giving explanation after explanation as

to

why

> they had not been able to comply with Rimpoche's instructions.

I

> didn't say anything; I just heard him out. Suddenly he offered

to

> donate a house he owned adjacent to the monastery for the nuns'

> residence.

>

> Little Kalu had gone off to a side room. Now he returned. He

stood in

> front of me with his arms stretched out and showed himself to me as

a

> Cross of Light. There was no physical body - just Light. I put my

> arms out to show that I wanted him to come sit in my lap. He

turned

> around and I went into samadhi just knowing that he was going to

sit in

> my lap. When he sat down, we went into a deep samadhi together.

Then

> as I started to come back, I heard my own voice at great distance

> saying "Oh, Rimpoche. Oh, Rimpoche" with a combination of

tenderness

> and ecstasy that one can hardly imagine. It sounded like I was

talking

> to my Beloved. Then Rimpoche got up and returned to the side

room. A

> short while later he came out, stood in front of me, showed himself

to

> me as a Cross of Light, turned his back to me, sat in my lap, we

both

> went into samadhi, I heard myself saying "Oh, Rimpoche. Oh,

Rimpoche".

> It was an exact repeat of the first time. He returned to the

side

> room once again. A little later he repeated the whole experience

for

> the third time in exactly the same way. When I opened my eyes and

> looked at Rimpoche's father, I was surprised to see that he had

tears

> streaming down his face and looked extremely moved. I felt totally

> blessed. It proved to me that we are not the body, that our true

self

> is beyond the body.

>

> I've only seen Kalu once since then. He came to San Francisco

when

he

> was six and he was already giving the Chenrezig empowerment. I

feel at

> peace about not seeing him. He has a truly marvelous mother. He

is

> being taught by monks who adore and respect him and will pass on

the

> teachings of the Kagyu lineages. What a Light he is to the world!

[Guest guest]

I wish you could have seen the little Kalu. He had golden skin like

the sun, eyes that were like crescents and a smile with perfect little

teeth. He even had the long lobes on his ears. He looked just like a

Buddha. Everything about him was perfect. He literally glowed.

 

My stay at his monastery and then at his stupa was the high point of my

trip to India, Nepal and Sikkim.

 

I am so blessed.

 

Pahari Maa

 

 

On Apr 20, 2005, at 3:30 PM, muktimaa wrote:

>

>

> Beloved Pahari Maa...

> i am so overwhelmed at all that you have shared, that i am weeping,

> and am totally stunned...i feel that your recollection is so vivid

> and deeply spiritual in your telling, that i have been privileged [in

> a way] to have had His Holiness Kalu Rinpoche's Darshan. You are an

> amazing woman, dear sister, and it is such a privilige to know you...

> Jai to the Goddess in all Her many forms!

>                   your sister beyond forever,

>                         muktimaa

, Ardis Jackson <ardis1@v...> wrote:

> > Although I had an initiation with Kalu Rimpoche in 1971, I never

> > learned his name and since he seemed so ancient, I assumed that I

> would

> > never see him again.  He went back to India.  I thought he would

> not

> > live much longer.

> >

> > Early one morning in the beginning of 1990, just as I was coming

> out of

> > a deep sleep, I heard a voice say "I am Kalu.  Go to the Kagyu

> Droden

> > Kunchab (KDK) in San Francisco and keep Lama Lodru company until I

> > return."  My roommate at the time told me later that I flew out

> of

> the

> > house so fast that I left skid marks on the carpet.  I had received

> a

> > newsletter from the KDK a couple of weeks earlier because I had

> signed

> > up to be on their mailing list at a street fair.  I found the

> center on

> > Fell Street with ease.  I climbed the steps to the second floor,

> > following the sound of Tibetan chanting.  I was overwhelmed to find

> a

> > likeness that was very similar to the lama who had initiated me

> almost

> > twenty years earlier.

> >

> > As soon as the puja was over, I asked one of the students who the

> > statue represented.  He said "Kalu Rimpoche".  I asked if

> he might

> have

> > given an empowerment in Vancouver, BC in the fall of 1971.  He

> thought

> > for a moment and then said "Yes, that was his first trip to

> North

> > America."  I asked if he was still alive.  He said that his

> parinirvana

> > was May 10, 1989.  First of all I couldn't believe that I had

> just

> > missed him.  Then it hit me that he had continued to teach for 18

> years

> > after I was with him and I had never thought to try to find him.

> >

> > I became a student of Lama Lodru who was himself a close student of

> > Kalu Rimpoche.  For two years I took every opportunity to chant

> with

> > him, learning the Chenrezig, Green Tara and Mahakala pujas.  In

> early

> > 1992 he invited me to go to India with him, his wife and seven

> other

> > students.  Right before we were to leave, he told me that it was

> > believed that Kalu Rimpoche had returned and we would be able to

> meet

> > the new incarnation.  I was stunned.  I never thought I would be so

> > blessed as to meet him in two incarnations.

> >

> > My meetings with this 20 month old child in April-May 1992 were

> > remarkable.  The first time I saw him, his attendant was lifting

> him

> > into a small toy car.  I saw golden light above his body, like it

> > couldn't all fit inside.  Whenever I saw him around the

> monastery,

> I

> > couldn't take my eyes off him.  He was so perfectly beautiful. 

> Once he

> > was blessing the people who came up to him.  I closed my eyes and

> tried

> > to show my devotion.  When I opened my eyes, he had his fist in

> front

> > of my face like he was going to punch me in the face.  What a wake-

> up

> > call!

> >

> > One of the many remarkable things about Kalu was his perseverance. 

> For

> > a child less than two years old, he was a diligent student. I

> watched

> > him spend 40 minutes of concentrated attention trying to play the

> > temple horns. Even though he did not succeed in producing any

> sound, he

> > kept trying, with no evidence of impatience. He also showed a deep

> > interest in all temple ritual.

> >

> > The last day that we were at his monastery, we were allowed to

> offer

> > kata (silk scarves) to his precious KuDung (the remains of his

> previous

> > incarnation), the Sharmapa, Bokar Rimpoche, Khenpo Lodru Donyu, the

> > Vajra Master, the Meditation Master and the new Kalu Rimpoche and

> to

> > receive their blessings.  There was a long rectangular area between

> the

> > KuDung on one end and the new Kalu on the other.  I could feel the

> > connection between the KuDung and the new incarnation.  I could

> even

> > see waves of energy going back and forth between them.  It seemed

> as

> > though I was standing in the Ocean of Milk and the lamas

> surrounding it

> > were silhouettes of mountains, completely still and completely pure.

> >

> > There is a very holy pilgrimage place in Siliguri, India.  The

> stupa

> > there was the previous Kalu Rimpoche's last project.  It was

> built

> in a

> > place at a crossroads where travelers bound for Bhutan, Nepal,

> > Darjeeling, Assam and Sikkim meet.  It is also the favorite

> residence

> > of the new Kalu Rimpoche.

> >

> > One day I was meditating in front of a murti of the previous Kalu

> and I

> > heard a friend say  "Ardis, look who's behind you."

> There was the

> new

> > Kalu.  So I was in a Kalu sandwich, the murti in front and the baby

> > behind.

> >

> > I had been watching his mother, Drolkar.  I was very impressed by

> her

> > attentiveness and her equanimity.  One day I told her "I am

> very

> glad

> > that Rimpoche came to you, that you are his mother."  She gave

> me a

> big

> > smile and a flash of light.  She doesn't get a lot of support

> or

> > appreciation.  She was the previous Kalu's personal secretary

> and

> not

> > very well liked because of the way she protected him.  And of

> course

> > the monks think that only they are capable of raising a rimpoche. 

> If

> > they could figure out a way to forego the birth process, they would

> > eliminate women altogether.

> >

> > My lama, his wife and our group of students were invited to an

> audience

> > with little Kalu.  It was dusk and we were sitting in semi-darkness

> > enjoying the coolness after the hot Indian day.  Little Kalu was

> > toddling around, offering prasad to everyone.  I found myself

> telling

> > his father, the head of the monastery, that there were instructions

> > from the previous Kalu which had not been carried out.  He had

> > requested that the nuns be treated on an equal basis with the

> monks;

> > taught to read and write so that they could read the scriptures and

> > puja texts and even become self-sufficient in the world.  I had

> noticed

> > that all the nuns sat in the back of the shrine room and all they

> had

> > were prayer wheels, no puja texts.  Then I found that the nuns did

> not

> > even live on the monastery grounds.  They had to live quite a

> distance

> > down the road even though many of them were elderly.  They had a

> hard

> > time finding a room to stay in since they had no money and had to

> > depend on the charity of the faithful.

> >

> > Kalu's father kept on giving explanation after explanation as

> to

> why

> > they had not been able to comply with Rimpoche's instructions.

> I

> > didn't say anything; I just heard him out.  Suddenly he offered

> to

> > donate a house he owned adjacent to the monastery for the nuns'

> > residence.

> >

> > Little Kalu had gone off to a side room.  Now he returned.  He

> stood in

> > front of me with his arms stretched out and showed himself to me as

> a

> > Cross of Light.  There was no physical body - just Light.  I put my

> > arms out to show that I wanted him to come sit in my lap.  He

> turned

> > around and I went into samadhi just knowing that he was going to

> sit in

> > my lap.  When he sat down, we went into a deep samadhi together. 

> Then

> > as I started to come back,  I heard my own voice at great distance

> > saying "Oh, Rimpoche.  Oh, Rimpoche" with a combination of

> tenderness

> > and ecstasy that one can hardly imagine.  It sounded like I was

> talking

> > to my Beloved.  Then Rimpoche got up and returned to the side

> room.  A 

> > short while later he came out, stood in front of me, showed himself

> to

> > me as a Cross of Light, turned his back to me, sat in my lap, we

> both

> > went into samadhi, I heard myself saying "Oh, Rimpoche.  Oh,

> Rimpoche".

> >   It was an exact repeat of the first time.  He returned to the

> side

> > room once again.  A little later he repeated the whole experience

> for

> > the third time in exactly the same way.  When I opened my eyes and

> > looked at Rimpoche's father, I was surprised to see that he had

> tears

> > streaming down his face and looked extremely moved.  I felt totally

> > blessed.  It proved to me that we are not the body, that our true

> self

> > is beyond the body.

> >

> > I've only seen Kalu once since then.  He came to San Francisco

> when

> he

> > was six and he was already giving the Chenrezig empowerment.  I

> feel at

> > peace about not seeing him.  He has a truly marvelous mother.  He

> is

> > being taught by monks who adore and respect him and will pass on

> the

> > teachings of the Kagyu lineages.  What a Light he is to the world!

>

>

>

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Attachment: (text/enriched) [not stored]

[Guest guest]

wow, sis!  what experiences you have had! 

blessings abound i n your life!

egyirba

Ardis Jackson wrote:

Although I had an initiation with

Kalu Rimpoche in 1971, I never learned his name and since he seemed so

ancient, I assumed that I would never see him again. He went back to

India. I thought he would not live much longer.

-- Be Love,

Berijoy

http://www.egyirba.net

[Guest guest]

You are soooooo right. Blessings abound in my life. Always.

 

 

On Apr 20, 2005, at 7:53 PM, Berijoy wrote:

> wow, sis!  what experiences you have had!  blessings abound i n your

> life!

>

>

> egyirba

>

> Ardis Jackson wrote:

>

> Although I had an initiation with Kalu Rimpoche in 1971, I never

> learned his name and since he seemed so ancient, I assumed that I

> would never see him again. He went back to India. I thought he would

> not live much longer.

>

>

> --

> Be Love,

> Berijoy

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