After attending the Discovering the Buddha Within I: Inner Peace course with HE 9th Chungpo Gyalton Rinpoche in Hanoi, Vietnam (see report here), as well as other teachings and empowerments Rinpoche then gave in Taiwan and Berlin this year, I decided to attend the second Buddha Within (a course devised by the 12th Tai Situpa) course in Prague, Europe, held at Tibet Open House between .
While I was in Berlin, during a sightseeing walk with Rinpoche and a small group, I told Rinpoche I planned to attend it, and he did not raise any objection or told me not to do so. However, unbeknown to me at the time, the course organisers had recently changed the rules for Prague so that only those who had a year between the courses could attend it. So, I requested one of the organisers to consult with Rinpoche (because all the other DBW courses do not have that “special new rule”) and because I had already booked my travel and accommodation for the course, as it had originally been advertised without that new rule. Thankfully, after speaking with Rinpoche, the organisers agreed it would be unfair as Rinpoche had pointed out to them that others may also have registered without seeing the “recent new rule” and I was allowed to attend.
The four-day course cost 140/180 Euros (compulsory payment to join) but it was worth every penny, and I was very happy I was able to do so (thanks to two sponsors in particular, who funded my trip and stay there). To be able to experience the “inner voice” of the great-bliss-within daily with a qualified guru, and several times, in the Vajrayana context is priceless and I dedicate the merits to the sponsors and all sentient beings!
The teachings and meditations led by Gyalton Rinpoche for year 2 of the Buddha Within focused on the Mahayana view of emptiness of no-self, appearances being like dreams and illusions and how our minds create reality with habitual imprints and impulses via the twelve interdependent stages. The Buddhist view of reality and its emptiness quality, is a subject I have spent years studying and writing about, including my postgraduate thesis that culminated in a translation and analysis of Je Taranatha’s Word for Word Commentary on the Heart Sutra (later published as a book by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives).
Music? Breathing Out Love and Compassion (Tonglen Meditation) by Adele Tomlin/Dakini Songs, Songbird by Fleetwood Mac, Only Have Eyes for You by Peggy Lee, He’s the Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge for Rinpoche’s stunning vajra dancing, and for that “bliss-emptiness feeling of union perfection” Kiss Me by Marilyn Monroe (rudely interrupted by a rather jealous, angry and resentful “heavy-handed” energy! ha ha).
Dedicated to the long-life, health and activities of 9th Gyalton Rinpoche and his root guru, He 12th Khenting Tai Situpa and the Palpung lineage and legacy.
The Venue: Prague and Tibet Open House
The four day teachings event was itself was held in Prague, one of my favourite cities in Europe, which I had not visited for years pre-COVID. When I arrived it was sunny and the stunning architecture and art galleries, street art, nature, river sights and bridges, automatically lead one into a blissful state of mind. The bliss state we are all seeking which is our very nature.
The venue for the teaching was Tibet Open House, a small Gelugpa oriented Dharma centre, which I have not visited before. There is no stupa there and a small outside space to sit. The walls of the main teaching room, have photos of Kalacakra sand mandala constructions.
Above the teaching throne for the event, a photo of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso was placed but no photos of 12th Tai Situpa or the Karma Kagyu lineage head, 17th Gyalwang Karmapa for the teaching given by the 9th Gyalton Rinpoche (a Karma Kagyu lineage teacher). This struck me as a bit odd, and I asked Jampa the monk about their absence who told me that at the Paris Monlam, the 17th Karmapa had personally requested them not to put his photo on a throne as a procession, as an act of humility. The 17th Karmapa has also taught before about the importance of not placing his image or images of human teachers on shrines with images of the Buddhas and deities, see here. Nonetheless it seemed a noticeable absence, even though it was a Gelugpa-oriented centre.
In any case, the venue was lovely and had enough seats and space for everyone who registered, unlike other recent events I have attended! However, unlike in Asia, the course had a compulsory registration fee of 140/180 Euros. Not particularly cheap but not super expensive either! In any case, it was worth every penny and more, and created precious imprints will remember forever! [2]
For some sights and sounds of Prague and Tibet Open House, see short video reel I made here.
The course: DBW2 focusing on the lack of solid identities of self and appearances and the empty, impermanent, illusory “nature of wisdom and bliss”
The second year of the Discovering Buddha Within course, moves from shamatha meditation focusing on the breath and meditation focusing the mind, onto the idea of emptiness, and the notion of selflessness and clinging to appearances and ideas of “I’ as me and mine and other.
Rinpoche again shared some delightful and funny stories about his time as a young child tulku before he left the monastery aged seven to go to an ordinary layschool and how he was often prevented from playing with other children or playful things as a young child because he was “deemed to be special’. It was hard not to feel sorry for him as a child, but he assured people he did not consider it abuse and in hindsight he was grateful for the care he was given. He also shared how he went to Univeristy as a layperson, and then a lama knocked on his door and asked him what he was doing and if he would consider returning to the monastery and fulfil his role as a tulku. Rinpoche took monastic vows as a 22 year old voluntarily and not forced on him as a young boy, and seems to have had a “normal” upbringing from age 7 onwards, which explains why he has a healthier attitude to women, laypeople and so on. However, it was interesting to know he has lived a layperson’s life.
He also shared advice on our (often habitually false) assumptions about people, incidents, and situations, and how the mind creates imprints through the twelve interdependent links of arising. Giving the example of a stolen apple, Rinpoche shared that stealing an apply might look bad externally but if the motivation is a good one, for example the apple is poisoned/rotten, then it would be a good action.
Another highlight for me of his teachings, which again were very “experiential” on the secret Vajrayana level too, particularly when listening to the “inner voice”. There was a moment when Rinpoche did a meditation and led everyone to ask “What do I really want?” where the joy of the central channel was just bubbling up and I could hardly contain a huge cackle of laughter. I knew at this point I might be kicked off the course, if I let it rip, so did my best to stifle it. So there was the experiential answer, spontaneous inner joy and bliss!
On several occasions, the inner sounds of AH and great bliss arising from the “secret space” bliss-emptiness union up the central channel (in the presence and vision of the guru, gave some people the visual and aural impression I was having a full-blown orgasm (from an impure and worldly perspective). However, as it happened in a Vajrayana setting with a qualified Vajra master present (and I am not publicly doing such things outside that context), it was clearly a wisdom teaching by the Guru for myself (and others) and other people present were either oblivious to it, as they were focusing on their own meditation and minds. Or they gracefully allowed it to happen without impure judgements and perception. Needless to say, despite the slight obstacles blocking the wisdom arising, it was “an amazing time” and the inseparable union of the deity-bliss emptiness full of heat, lust, wrath, wisdom and the cooling bodhicitta power that holds the bodhicitta at the top of the central channel was a naturally spontaneous experience of the natural state created by the vajra master-guru.
Rinpoche also gave a profound and wise more “tantric/Vajrayana” teaching on the non-dual wisdom nature of our afflictions, such as where there is ignorance, there is non-conceptual discriminating awareness, where there is anger/aversion there is clarity. Such as where there are clouds one can see the light, and where there is truth one can know what is false; shade illuminates the light and so on.
Visual Memories: the magnificence of Prague during the day, sunrise, and sunset
Here are some photos below I took of gorgeous Prague too (and a few of the Tibetan Buddhist centre itself). As I wanted to attend the event low-key (due to my “hater” fans as I call them, who stalk and read everything I write and say online in order to try and sabotage activities and connections), I requested no photos to be taken of me or put on social media, which they agreed to do so. Thankfully, after some prior discussion with one of the organisers about the photography, there were no constant photos being taken nor people running around taking photos left, right and centre either, during meditations and empowerments. So that was less invasive and “protective” too.
Prague Castle Daytime, Evening and Sunset
Prague castle is one of the oldest castles in Europe and is spectacular indeed, seen up close, or from afar.
Sunsets on the river
The gorgeous “artistic” sillhouette and appearance of Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral and sunset hues. Who needs art when nature creates such natural beauties!
As the sunsets on one side of the magnificent St Vitus Cathedral, it becomes golden like the sun, as these photos show below:
John Lennon Wall art: an artistic expression of freedom
The Lennon Wall (Czech: Lennonova zeď) or John Lennon Wall (Czech: Zeď Johna Lennona), located at Malá Strana, is a historic legal graffiti wall in Prague. After the 1980 murder of John Lennon a mural of Lennon was painted by an unknown artist onto the wall and as more people expanded upon it, the wall slowly became a place for free expression of then commu
Prague Astronomical Clock Tower
The Prague astronomical clock or Prague Orloj (Czech: Pražský orloj [praʃskiː orloj]) is a medieval astronomical clock attached to the Old Town Hall. The clock mechanism has three main components – the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details.
At 11pm, the clock strikes and there is a lovely little display of revolving figures there, which delighted myself and others watching, here is a short video I took of it here:
The trdelník “chimney cake”
I also tried one of the renowned Prague “chimney cakes” as they call them in English. One of the historical consequences of the 1989 Velvet Revolution according to one travel writer, is “the return of the age-old “trdelník” (a chimney or “spit” cake) to the streets of Prague. Suppressed by the Nazis during the German occupation as “too Czech” and later banned by the Communists as “too bourgeois,” the trdelník (pronounced: turd-del’-neek) has staged a remarkable comeback. And the trdelník-mongers haven’t just resurrected the standard-variety spit cake, topped with sugar or cinnamon. They’ve brought back even older versions, featuring ice cream, chocolate and brownies.”
I tried one with strawberries and ice-cream, not really my cup of tea to be honest, big and very sweet, but worth a try, if you can get your mouth round it! Children will love it for sure ha ha.
Endnotes
[1] Physical assault caused by false and impure assumptions and perceptions. When I tried to leave the centre on the last but final day, I left the centre immediately after Rinpoche did, and told a woman (whose name I will not reveal to protect her privacy), whom I had never met or spoken to before who gestured to me she wanted to speak to me, that I could not and had to leave politely.
As I was then walking away from her and behind Rinpoche and his attendant, I then heard a woman running behind me and a woman who physically slammed her hands on my shoulders and told me I had to stay and speak to her. When I again told her to take her hands off me, and tried to leave via the gate, she then physically barred me from going through the door and pushed me against a wall, so I had no other option but to push her out the way twice while telling her to take her hands off me, as I was leaving the centre peacefully and she was not a policewoman etc.
Thankfully, I was then able to get out of the door and leave. Later, the woman and others who were initially supporting her heavy-handed (and I might add, unlawful) actions told me they thought I had been “chasing after Rinpoche” who was walking in front of me. A faulty and impure assumption if ever there was one! Yet they were accusing me of impure conduct, funny eh? Not. I was actually trying to avoid a scene there and take an important phone call from a close family member who was waiting for me to call.
Ironically, the only person who had been chasing anyone was the woman herself, first chasing after me and slamming her hands on my shoulders and then pushing me against a wall, and then secondly chasing after Rinpoche and his attendant, when she mistakenly thought I had gone after them. Watching her run across the road thinking I had gone in their direction was like watching some slapstick comedy vintage film, and it was hard not to laugh out loud, although admittedly I was shaken by her rather drastic, physical and unnecessary actions. If they had wanted to speak to me about something urgent, we could have arranged a time and place in a calm and collected manner.
In any case, even though the police should have been called for a physical assault, as no one had been physically hurt at least, and we all agreed (with the help of a much calmer mediator from Tergar Czech centre and the lack of any complaint by Rinpoche himself when approached to discuss the matter) that it was based on some misunderstanding (and not really applying the teachings). I also requested an in person audience with Rinpoche but was told that he would approach me directly for contact if necessary. Rinpoche did not approach me in person about it, but (without revealing any secrets) we certainly met again on the “secret level”, let’s say!
The woman then kindly apologised afterwards for making me uncomfortable, and I agreed to try and make the “great bliss arising” central channel opening more discreet, and we decided to let it go and continue the final day without any further emotional drama.
This is not the first time I have been falsely accused of such impure conduct in the presence of a Vajrayana guru, and for me it shows how many people at these events are not practising pure perception or conduct in the presence of the Guru and do not understand the purpose of Vajrayana practice itself. They told me that Rinpoche had not complained about my conduct and had not insisted I leave either the following day. So my question to them was if Rinpoche has not complained about it, why are you? In any case, it was hard not to laugh out loud at the surreal comedy aspect of it all, with one particular episode where a male monastic mentioned quite loudly in the shrine room (not once but twice in front of others’ hearing) that I had had a full-blown orgasm, and everyone heard it. There was something about the way he said the word orgasm with a French accent, that was blissful and rather funny in itself but I tried not to laugh out loud, as some people were taking it all rather too seriously. Yet people are very quick to lecture me about “pure perception” of gurus and their actions….pure perception is not one-way only. What happened to practising the teachings of the guru on appearances being faulty, impure, like a dream and karmically interdependent though?
[2] I had wanted to attend a Vajrakilaya empowerment hosted by Rinpoche at the Halscheid Retreat Centre in germany (after Berlin) but they were asking for 300 Euros for two days (including basic shared room accommodation and meals), which is a lot of money for most ordinary, working people and over-priced in terms of accommodation and food too.