is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

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ojo
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is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by ojo »

I happened to be in Bodha Gaya in January 1996 and bumped into several thousand Nyingmapa lamas who showed up for some reason. Do they convene periodically in Bodha Gaya or was this something unusual ?
Punya
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Re: is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by Punya »

I don't know what Kumbh Mela means but yes, for the Nyingma Monlam Chenmo.

http://www.bodhicitta.org/events/the-nyingma-monlam/
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ojo
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Re: is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by ojo »

ah.. thanks. the kumbh mela reference was in jest (it's the biggest religious gathering on earth)

I felt blessed to be around all those Nyingma lamas in '96 but didn't talk to them. One afternoon I was drinking chai with some Europeans and got a tap on my shoulder from behind. I turned around looking up into the face of a grizzled old lama against the blue sky and my mind stopped, like there had never existed anything except that exact moment, that face, that sky. It seemed timeless until my mind began moving ... "what do you want, why did you tap me on the shoulder" - at which point he tried to speak my language failing totally like he never actually intended to talk. After a few tries I figured out he was asking me if I was Japanese which was strange because I'm a Caucasian from N.America! :-)

I read once Kalu Rimpoche used to do things like tap the glass of fish tanks to get the creature's attention and influence their mind stream. Maybe that lama was doing something similar? Jesus said we are "worth many sparrows" so why not a fish or two as well !
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Re: is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by Punya »

I turned around looking up into the face of a grizzled old lama against the blue sky and my mind stopped, like there had never existed anything except that exact moment, that face, that sky. It seemed timeless until my mind began moving ...
This isn't an uncommon experience around wisdom masters. I had a similar experience when I was a teenager, while bushwalking (or as the New Zealanders say "tramping"). I think it's what you do with that experience that matters though. If it propels you into seeking out the dharma, to study and to practice, then it becomes really meaningful.
We abide nowhere. We possess nothing.
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ojo
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Re: is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by ojo »

yes very true, thanks :coffee:
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kirtu
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Re: is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by kirtu »

Interestingly there did used to be Buddhist participation in the Kumbh Melas.

Kirt
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Re: is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by tingdzin »

kirtu wrote:Interestingly there did used to be Buddhist participation in the Kumbh Melas.
More info on this?
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Re: is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by kirtu »

tingdzin wrote:
kirtu wrote:Interestingly there did used to be Buddhist participation in the Kumbh Melas.
More info on this?
Apparently all the reports are from Xuanzang's visit. Huston Smith has this in his book "And Live Rejoicing", page 73:
Xuanzang Kumbh Mela report
Xuanzang Kumbh Mela report
Xuanzang-kumbh-mela.png (87.33 KiB) Viewed 2311 times
Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
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kirtu
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Re: is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by kirtu »

There is also the Drukpa Naropa Festival held every 12 years at Hemis Monastery in Lhadak The last one was just last year.

Naropa Festival 2016
Naropa Festival, Kumbh Mela of the Himalayas
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
tingdzin
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Re: is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by tingdzin »

Thanks, Kirtu, I wasn't aware of this. I'll have to get out my Travels of Hsuan Tsang again and look for it.
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Re: is there a Nyingmapa "Kumbh Mela" ?

Post by antbird »

Closest to Kumbh Mela I can think of this Dzogchen Gompa yearly happening in october. A lot of yogis/ngakpas/monks. Maybe more than 10 000. Well interesting to visit. No permission required.
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