Monday, November 21, 2005

Heart Shrine Relic Tour

In Blazing Splendor, you often read about ringsel, relic-pills left behind in the ashes of great masters. Now some of these relics are touring the world and you can pay respect to them at various places.
PS. Lama Zopa Rinpoche is also a good friend of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche.

The Maitreya Project Heart Shrine relics have been donated to and collected by Lama Zopa Rinpoche specifically for placing in the Heart Shrine of the 500ft/152m Maitreya Buddha statue. The statue will be the focus of Maitreya Project's vision of creating spiritual, social and economic benefit during the next millennium.The relics will travel the world until approximately 2010 when they will be placed in the completed 500ft/152m Maitreya Buddha statue. Until then, it is Rinpoche's wish that as many people as possible will have the opportunity of viewing these relics in their local communities.
In March 2001, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of Maitreya Project, released this rare and precious collection of Buddhist relics for worldwide exhibition. Since then, these sacred relics have been displayed at temples, meditation centres, and other public locations all over the world.
The collection is truly extraordinary. There are many relics of Shakyamuni Buddha and of the Buddha's well-known disciples - Maudgalyayana, Ananda and Sariputra -as well as relics of many other saints and spiritual masters from the Chinese, Indian and Tibetan traditions.
Many living Buddhist masters from a number of traditions and countries, including Burma, Indonesia, Thailand, Tibet and Taiwan, have donated relics to be placed in the Heart Shrine of the Maitreya Project statue, including relics of Shakyamuni Buddha which were offered by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The relics are mainly pearl-like 'beads' collected from the ashes of spiritual masters after their cremation. There are also Buddhist artifacts in the collection.
Some of the relics were salvaged from statues in Tibet where they had been enshrined for thousands of years before the Communist occupation in 1959, other relics were donated by museums and monasteries. Lama Zopa Rinpoche has checked very carefully that the relics are genuine before displaying them.
The Heart Shrine Relic Tour exhibitions are open to the public and are free, giving everyone the rare opportunity to be in the presence of such priceless holy objects.
If you are interested in your community sharing in the precious opportunity to view this collection of relics, then please contact us for more details.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week711/feature.html

7 comments:

pensum said...

several friends of mine, non-buddhist mind you, went and saw the relics when they were in Toronto and were quite blown away and moved, you might say spontaneous devotion arose in even their hardened hearts, so it seems this really is something worth seeing.

Anonymous said...

I've looked at the web site schedule and it seems that this has already been going on for long time (it is currently on the East Coast of the U.S.). Are there any plans for it to come to the West Coast U.S. - or has it already been there?

Anonymous said...

Erik,

Hi to you from the high-browed snob. Everything you say about me is true. I admit it and agree with your little note about kissing the ground and pride.

However, another point of view is this ...

Before I began my journey, I already had a pure view. However, I entered into heavy conceptuality as I studied Buddhism, and at the "end" of my study I am back right where I started, with the same view I had 10 years ago. Before I encountered Dzogchen "outside" I already had all of it "inside". I've been explaining and discussing it forever, only to one day discover that 'lo, there are other people who talk and think like me. No joke.

It's good to meet my family -- I felt lonely for a long time, but I knew I wasn't alone. Still, this is not the big reunion just yet, not in this mindstream yet.

There is a very nice Kabalist story, it goes like this, paraphrased: once upon the time there was a rabi who studied very very hard in a retreat. Finally he comes away from his retreat and explains his profound insight. But his students go, "Oh, but of course! We understand this, and what's more..." and proceed to beautifully elaborate and expound his own insight even better than he could ever explain. So the rabi becomes very upset and indignant and prays to god, "Oh man... I studied so hard and sweated so much with so much effort...what is the point? As soon as I talk to my students, turns out they understood this all along even better than I can explain." God answers, "Nonsense. Your study in retreat has opened channels of understanding for all the people connected to you. It is BECAUSE you worked so hard, that people understand and are able to expound these insights. Rest easy -- no effort is wasted."

So, when people can expound the peerless view, it is because of all my great and thankless effort. I rejoice. I work very hard, but no one knows who I am, and yet everyone benefits. That's how it works. It is selfless. It does all the work, but no one even knows its name or address and is unable to thank it. :)

Anyway, I'm just having a bit of fun, and hope no one takes it too seriously. Hope you find this day peaceful and funny.

Anonymous said...

You know, you can imagine how I feel when people go around telling everyone my secrets. It is absurd. It's as if someone stole my shoes and then tried to sell it back to me. At least lately people have had more decency to offer it for free (or low cost), the same as I do to all people, even when no one can recognize it. :)

I want all beings who are even remotely capable of even just approaching this, to know this view. I'd never consciously hide it or keep it secret.

Anonymous said...

Hey, somebody is both explaining and discussing Dzogchen! Didn't know that was possible... I'll be looking for the flying pigs on my way to work! ;-)

Anonymous said...

I'm a pig (especially after a large lunch) and I flew once or twice. Does that count? :)

Of course no one is discussing it. We can all relax. Not even Vajrasattva exists as something we can point to and say "here it is". Not even Buddha exists as something like that. But on the other hand, all phenomena are like this. I can point at a tea pot and say "Hi Vajrasattva". My example doesn't need to use something like a teapot. I can even call a moment of confusion "Vajrasattva." What am I discussing now?

When I read some Dzogchen Tantra, this "yessss" feeling arises. Why is that? How do I know it's "yes" and not "no"? How do I know what my nose feels like? How can I be sure it's my nose and not my toe? How do I know who I am? Do I know myself at all? What am I discussing now?

I hope ppl can laugh at this and enjoy peace. We have enough "serious" practitioners already, no?

The real question that is on my mind is -- why do I not allow experience to unfold in a slightly more mysterious way? The old excuse was fear. But what about now? This is where having a good spiritual friend would help. A friend...I will keep dreaming about a friend. I dreamed and dreamed about a perfect woman, and now I can without hesitation say -- my wife is that woman, in every way (I've also learned to stop dreaming about perfection...).

I only have the highest appreciation for all the yogis (yup, even the ones who don't have much realization, I don't care). Does disagreement mean lack of appreciation? Does laughter mean insult or happiness? Can I share my ugly feelings without being called "ugly"? I only want to breathe wind into everyone's sail, but all I see most of the time, no joke, is people who want to cut me down and put a limit on me. I tell all the people, "you are without limits". But not only do they not appreciate what I mean, but instead they try to put a limit on me. People adore limits. Is this bad? I don't know. You say you're not surprised? But why not? Are you that jaded and cynical? Because I AM surprised, every, every, every time I am surprised. I feel pain every time and will continue to feel it. I don't want to stop feeling pain because I don't want to be insensate. I want to be aware. To be aware I must smell the shit too. Some of this shit is me. Some of it is not me. I will have to crush some parts of me. But I do not set out to destroy myself -- that is not my purpose.

Why are we like this where two people can't open their souls to each other anymore? All the innermost feelings are taboo? Is this normal? I say not.

I am ugly inside. And beautiful. I can't help it. If I show you who I am, you have to embrace all of me and not just the parts you prefer. And I will do the same for you. Deal? :)

Anonymous said...

:)