When Arnaud Desjardins met Kangyur Rinpoche

[dzogchungpa]

From Desjardins' "The Message of the Tibetans":

Regarding this meeting with sages, and the shock which one can receive from it, I ought at once to state what one may expect from this shock or influence, and what are its limits. The extraordinary, the superhuman impression which I so often felt in Hindu ashrams I felt again in the presence of most of the gurus to whom Sonam Kazi took me. I have already described Gyalwa Karmapa, and the ceremony in the course of which he assumed the black hat, the sign of his office. It is only an example, a memory among other memories. I think above all of my two meetings with Kangyur Rimpoche, a Nyingma-pa whose young son speaks good English, and who lived at that time in the tiny gompa of Chhata Gong, at Lebong, near Darjeeling. It was the morning of the day of my departure from Darjeeling at the end of my second stay there, and Sonam and I were due to return to Kalimpong, where Dudjom Rimpoche was awaiting us. 'There is still one great Rimpoche whom we have not seen. Would you like to meet him before we leave?' Naturally I said that I would, and we went to find him, though that was no easy matter, in spite of the fact that Sonam speaks so many different languages and dialects.

What happened that morning and the next day went beyond even what one would expect or hope from the mysterious and fascinating legend which has always surrounded Tibetan lamas. We came, by way of a little wooden balcony which ran round all sides of a very modest house, to a room which was almost in darkness, and there took our seats before the couch, covered with rugs, which is to be found in all Rimpoches' rooms. In the half-light I made out the shape of a man, sitting cross-legged, motionless, from whom came a kind of lucency, like an indefinable phosphorescence, and whose eyes appeared in the darkness to be luminous. I turned to Sonam, whose position near the little door on to the balcony illuminated him a little better. He was looking at the lama, but his eyes showed no particular brilliance. Then I turned again to Kangyur Rimpoche, and again I was aware of that same luminosity, and particularly of his eyes, which were as if lit up in the darkness. He was looking at me fixedly, and I was aware that an extraordinary and indescribable feeling was beginning to take hold of me. I was aware that Sonam was going out of the room, and after that it seemed to me that nothing existed in the world save that presence in the shadows and myself. The intensification and acceleration of the whole of my psychic existence, of all my thoughts and emotions, was beyond all description. All memories, mental images, possibilities, were present at once. I had ten, a hundred brains which were all working at the same time. Perhaps people who have believed they were drowning and afterwards claim to have re-lived their whole lives in a few seconds have a somewhat similar experience. I was able to follow ten lines of thought at once, at once live through ten remembered situations (remembered now, but at other times how totally forgotten!) Then all inward functioning came to a stop, but this was neither unconsciousness nor the blank associated with a fainting-fit. Indeed consciousness, wakefulness was absolute; this was to know the true silence 'beyond the mind', which Transcends thought and individuality, names and forms, time and space, and above all, duality.

Afterwards Sonam simply said, 'I saw you were in deep meditation with the guru and I left the room'; and pointed out that what he called 'meditation with the guru' lasted for nearly an hour. Wanting to confirm my opinion of Kangyur Rimpoche, I persuaded Sonam to put off our departure for a day. The next morning exactly the same thing happened, an experience as intense and of the same length, and one whose effect was to last for several days and leave me only gradually. To disappear completely? No; for the memory, the imprint of this experience (or others of the same order) are ineffaceable. But it is no less true that that exceptional state, that level of consciousness, does not last. Suddenly comes the thought, 'I am living at this moment through a sublime, a miraculous, experience', and at once all is lost.

[heart]

There is a video somewhere with a teaching by Matthieu Ricard talking about meeting his master Kangjur Rinpoche the first time and what happened after that. He had a similar experience.

/magnus

[Yeti]

There is a video somewhere with a teaching by Matthieu Ricard talking about meeting his master Kangjur Rinpoche the first time and what happened after that. He had a similar experience.

/magnus

Maybe you are referring to this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tlFw3fxt-8?

[heart]

There is a video somewhere with a teaching by Matthieu Ricard talking about meeting his master Kangjur Rinpoche the first time and what happened after that. He had a similar experience.

/magnus

Maybe you are referring to this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tlFw3fxt-8?

Yes, indeed.

/magnus

[Punya]

Great video. How amazing it would have been to be in the Darjeeling area in those days.

I had heard DKR was pretty tough on Matthieu. It not only provides an example of how the kindness of the teacher can be expressed but also how important the trust of the student is.

[tingdzin]

Where are such teachers today?

[Punya]

If you are talking about tough kindness, it could be so misconstrued in the west. (And end up as tomorrow's headline.) I guess we have to content ourselves with the rug being pulled occasionally.

[dzogchungpa]

I wonder if Desjardins had completed his ngondro before meeting KR?

[Yeti]

54 Gandhi Road - a documentary on Kangyur Rinpoche
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C65anaBQZo

Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche on Kangyur Rinpoche
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMiCTLabTs0

[dzogchungpa]

BTW, I happened to look through Ole Nydahl's "Entering The Diamond Way" last night and apparently he had similar experiences with KR:

... Kanjur Rinpoche was wonderful. He led us into the house and marched ahead in slippers and a long night shirt. His wife also had a very loving vibration, and it was impossible not to like them both. The Rinpoche sat down on his throne, asked a few questions, and then went into meditation. We meditated along with him as well as we could and, suddenly, that meant a lot better than usual. We were in the mind's essence, beyond thoughts, at the same time totally gone and totally clear. As we returned to daily consciousness with ideas and discrimination, we saw that several hours had passed, and as we got on the late bus back to Sonada, we still felt his blessing in us. On our next tour to the Himalayas, we visited him again and something similar happened. Sitting down on a chair in front of us, he started singing "OM AH HUNG BENZA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG," and suddenly the inner energies moved upwards so strongly that I shook all over, feeling countless dimensions open up. Full of joy and gratitude, I leaned my head against his knee.

[Ivo]

Where are such teachers today?

A few still exist. Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche - Kangyur Rinpoche's son - is one. He is 100% capable of what is described in this thread and he is doing it on occasions. He is very much like his father.

[Simon E.]

Where are such teachers today?

They exist. Sometimes in unexpected places.