Letter from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche upon Entering Retreat
Dear friends, students, and fellow meditators,
By the time you read this letter, I will have
begun the long retreat that I announced last year. As you may know, I
have felt a very strong connection with the tradition of retreat since I
was a young boy growing up in the Himalayas. Even though I didn't
really know how to meditate, I would often run away from home to a cave
nearby, where I would sit quietly and chant the mantra "om mani peme
hung" over and over again in my mind. My love of the mountains and the
simple life of a wandering meditator called to me even then.
It wasn't until I was in my early teens that I
got my first chance to do a formal retreat. Until that time, I lived at
Nagi Gompa, a small hermitage on the outskirts of Kathmandu. It was
there that my father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, first taught me how to
meditate. After training with him for a number of years, I heard that a
traditional three-year retreat was scheduled to begin at Sherab Ling,
Kenting Tai Situ Rinpoche's monastery in India.
Though I was still only eleven years old, I
begged my father to let me go. He was happy to see my enthusiasm, since
he himself had stayed in retreat for more than twenty years over the
course of his life. When we talked about the idea of me going into a
strict, traditional retreat, he told me about the great yogi Milarepa
and how important his example has been to generations of Tibetan
Buddhist meditators.
Milarepa's early life was filled with misery
and hardship. Despite all the bad karma he created as a young man, he
eventually overcame his dark past and attained complete enlightenment
while living in isolated caves deep in the mountains. Once he was
enlightened, Milarepa thought that there was no longer any need for him
to stay in the mountains. He made up his mind to go down to more
populated areas where he could directly help alleviate the suffering of
others. One night, not too long after he decided to depart, Milarepa had
a dream about his teacher Marpa. In the dream, Marpa encouraged him to
stay in retreat, telling him that through his example he would touch the
lives of countless people.
After telling me about Milarepa's remarkable
life, my father said, "Marpa's prophesy came to pass. Even though
Milarepa spent most of his life living in remote caves, millions of
people have been inspired by his example over the centuries. By
demonstrating the importance of practicing in retreat, he influenced the
entire tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Thousands and thousands of
meditators have manifested the qualities of enlightenment because of his
dedication."
A few years later, during my first three-year
retreat, I had the good fortune to study with another great master,
Saljey Rinpoche. In the middle of the third year, I and a few of my
fellow retreatants approached Rinpoche to ask his advice. We had derived
tremendous benefit from the retreat and asked him how we could help
uphold this precious lineage. "Practice!" Saljey Rinpoche responded,
"I've been in retreat almost half my life. This is a genuine way to help
others. If you want to preserve the lineage, transform your minds. You
won't find the true lineage anywhere else."
The teachings and example of both my father and
Saljey Rinpoche deeply inspired me. This inspiration, coupled with my
own natural desire to practice in retreat, has been a guiding light
throughout my life.
When my first formal retreat ended, Saljey
Rinpoche passed away and Tai Situ Rinpoche asked me to take his place as
retreat master. I accepted my new role and have now been leading
retreats and teaching meditation for twenty years. In particular, the
last ten years I have spent a great deal of time teaching around the
world. I've been to more than thirty countries, sharing my experience of
overcoming the panic attacks I experienced as a child and passing on
the teachings that my masters entrusted to me. Over the years, I've come
to see the truth of the words of my father and Saljey Rinpoche. As they
both taught me, the experience gained in retreat can be a powerful tool
in helping others.
In my early years, I trained in a number of
different ways. The time I spent with my father involved rigorous
meditation training, but I was not in strict retreat, in the sense that I
met other people and could come and go freely. My three-year retreat at
Sherab Ling Monastery, on the other hand, was held in complete
isolation. A small group of us lived in an enclosed compound and didn't
have any contact with the outside world until the retreat ended. These
are two forms of practice, but they are not the only ways. As
demonstrated by the great yogi Milarepa, there is also a tradition of
wandering from place to place, staying in remote caves and sacred sites
with no plans or fixed agenda, just an unswerving commitment to the path
of awakening. This is the type of retreat that I will be practicing
over the coming years.
This tradition isn't very common these days. My
third main teacher, the great Dzogchen yogi Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, was
one of the few recent masters to practice in this way. Khen Rinpoche
practiced in closed retreats when he was younger, but later he took up
the life of a wandering yogi. He completely dropped his normal life and
activities. Nobody knew where he was or what he was doing. He spent time
meditating in isolated caves and other places where the great masters
of times past, such as Milarepa and Longchenpa practiced, and at one
point he even lived among the Hindu sadhus of India. His story is a
perfect example of a modern, carefree yogi.
More recently, Tai Situ Rinpoche, the last of
my four main teachers, talked about meditating in mountain retreats
during a teaching he gave in 2009. Over four months, Rinpoche passed on
the lineage of an important meditation text called The Ocean of the
Definitive Meaning. This is one of the main instruction manuals used by
meditators in the Kagyu lineage. I mention my teachers here because
their wisdom and compassion has nurtured my desire to make retreat a
focal point of my life. My father and Saljey Rinpoche encouraged and
supported my first experiences in retreat, while Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
and Tai Situ Rinpoche inspired me to embark on the path of a wandering
yogi. Like a tiny firefly in the midst of the sun's radiance, I can
never hope to compare to my precious teachers, but without their example
and inspiration, I would not have followed this path.
You might think that while I'm on retreat we
won't be able to stay connected to each other. Of course, we won't be
able to see each other for a few years, but don't forget that our
connection is through the Dharma. It isn't simply seeing our teachers,
or even hearing them, that creates a spiritual bond. It's when we take
the teachings we've received and bring them into our own experience that
an unshakeable connection is formed. The more we practice, the stronger
the bond with our teacher becomes.
Three of my four teachers have long since
passed away. At times, I remember what it was like being with them and
hearing them teach. I remember how joyful and light they were, and how
they carried themselves with such dignity and freedom. These memories
make me a little sad, but when I remember what they taught me and let
their wisdom fill my being, I can feel their presence anywhere and
anytime. So while you and I may be apart physically over the next few
years, through our practice we will always be together.
I feel a great sense of warmth and love when I
think of all of you, like we're one big family. So don't worry, I'm not
having a mid-life crisis. I'm not going on retreat because I'm sick of
traveling, or sick of teaching students. In fact, it's just the
opposite. During this time our practice will bring us closer.
There are times in our lives when we focus on
learning and study, and others where we take what we've learned and
bring it deeply into our experience. These are processes that each of us
goes through individually, but having the support of a community can be
a great help as we follow the path. It has been wonderful to see how
many of you have come together in recent years to help form and shape
our growing community. Though I've helped support the community through
my teachings, the community itself is yours. It is there to support you
on the path of awakening, and it will be your commitment and support
that will allow for the flourishing of the community in years to come.
Receiving support and guidance from the community, and giving back in
whatever way we can, is an integral part of the journey.
To help you continue along the path, I've
prepared many teachings over the past few years that will be delivered
by my emanations. These emanations can appear magically almost anywhere
and will teach you just what you need to deepen your practice. What am I
talking about? Modern technology, of course! We recorded hundreds of
hours of teachings on a whole range of topics, and these teachings will
be made available over the coming years. Some will be used for online
courses and seminars, others will be shown at Tergar centers and groups,
and some will be freely available online. In some ways, my video
emanations are better than the real me. You won't have to feed them or
put them up in a hotel. They will wait patiently until you're ready for
them. And most importantly, they won't feel bad if you get bored and
turn them off!
Don't mistakenly think that your DVD player
will be your new root guru. Recorded teachings can never take the place
of a direct transmission from teacher to student. What I'm trying to say
is that there will still be plenty of opportunities to study and
practice, especially for those of you who are following the Joy of
Living and Path of Liberation programs. There are also other wonderful
lamas to study with, including His Holiness Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley
Dorje, and my teacher Tai Situ Rinpoche. My brother, Tsoknyi Rinpoche,
is also an excellent teacher and has agreed to guide the Tergar
community while I'm away. Finally, we have our own Tergar lamas and
instructors who will lead retreats and workshops all over the world. In
fact, there will be so much happening, you may not even notice I'm gone!
In parting, I would like to give you one small
piece of advice to keep in your heart. You may have heard me say this
before, but it is the key point of the entire path, so it bears
repeating: All that we are looking for in life — all the happiness,
contentment, and peace of mind — is right here in the present moment.
Our very own awareness is itself fundamentally pure and good. The only
problem is that we get so caught up in the ups and downs of life that we
don't take the time to pause and notice what we already have.
Don't forget to make space in your life to
recognize the richness of your basic nature, to see the purity of your
being and let its innate qualities of love, compassion, and wisdom
naturally emerge. Nurture this recognition as you would a small
seedling. Allow it to grow and flourish.
Many of you have generously asked how you can
help support my retreat. My answer is simple: Keep this teaching at the
heart of your practice. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing,
pause from time to time and relax your mind. You don't have to change
anything about your experience. You can let thoughts and feelings come
and go freely, and leave your senses wide open. Make friends with your
experience and see if you can notice the spacious awareness that is with
you all the time. Everything you ever wanted is right here in this
present moment of awareness.
I will keep you in my heart and in my prayers.
Yours in the Dharma,
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
