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- Mar 5, 1999
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Meet the newly appointed Himalayan Imports Chaplain, Lama Jigme Rinpoche.
Before anything else is said Chaplain Lama Jigme and Himalayan Imports welcome everybody -- Buddhist, Hindu, Moslem, Christian, Jew, agnostic, atheist -- it doesn't matter to him or us since we believe we are all brothers. His assistant will be Samten Lama, a man who studied five years in the monastery and graduated from what I call "Lama University" at the head of his class. Samten also works in shipping and receiving department.
Background:
Lama Jigme comes from a long line of what I call "Jungle Monks" and I hold them in the highest regard. These are monks who practice Tantric Buddhism and it falls upon them to do a considerable amount of solitary praying and meditation. In Jigme's case he spent nine years in a cave in the jungle doing just that. The experience changes your life and very being.
Jigme was born in the same village as the Dali Lama and is of the same caste. His family maintained a monastery for 800 years until the Chinese destroyed it and confiscated all valuable contents when Jigme was about 4 or 5 years old. In this 800 year old tradition it was and is the duty of the oldest son of each generation to maintain the monastery and offer food, shelter and spiritual assistance to anyone who came in need. This was Jigme's duty but it seemed inpossible with the destruction of the family monastery. Have I mentioned that "Jigme" means fearless? Read on.
At age 11 Jigme took up the study of Tantric Buddhist under the guidance of Lama Rinzin Jigme. At age 18 he went to the cave and prayed and meditated until he was 27.
After the completion of the nine year stint in the cave Jigme started his mission of rebuilding the family monastery. Finding this impossible to accomplish in Tibet Jigme escaped, crossed the Himalayans, and found his way to Dharmasala, India and to the Dali Lama.
Against impossible odds and I do mean impossible Jigme got a family monastery built in the jungle outside Dharmasala which is called the Padma Rigzinling Nyingmapa Monastery.
Today this monastery is the home of 15 Buddhist monks and Jigme's wife and two sons. It is the duty of this Tantric Monk to marry and have a son who can keep the 800 year old tradition alive.
But often as is the case with success comes unexpected problems. Jigme got the monastery built and populated but because it is in the jungle and off the beaten path not a lot of folks visit and a monastery needs visitors who pray and contribute to the welfare of the monastery and its monks.
Fearless and undeterred and armed with a letter of introduction and some instructions from the Dali Lama who knows about such things, Jigme came to the US to try to generate some cash for his monastery. Karma led him to Reno and to my door.
He is now Himalayan Imports Chaplain and serves as such for a token salary. With the help of a couple of translators (I'm trying to teach him survival English) he teaches classes and offers spiritual guidance to those who come to him and does odd jobs (exorcized a poltergeist from the home of a local somewhat wealthy family -- cured a dying cancer patient, etc.). But he doesn't get enough work and can use any help anybody can give.
He will be doing a special puja for everybody associated with Himalayan Imports on January 1. I'll get pix of his work and explain the puja but it's very far reaching -- from suppliers of steel, wood, charcoal back in Nepal, to kamis, Pala, everybody associated. Those who get the khukuris here. Our sales and shipping effort and those involved. And, most importantly to all who have and will buy and use our khukuris. Jigme, like the kamis, understands that the customers are the most important item on the list because without them there is nothing. He's going to do a puja for you called "Dorje Gute" and it's a powerful mantra but more about that when it happens.
So here he is, Lama Jigme Rinpoche, 52 years of age, "fearless", and one of the best monks I've run across. He sends his blessings and offers to do special puja for anybody who might need it. He loves God and he loves his neighbor as he does himself.
The pix I'm showing is at the grand opening of his monastery back in Dharmasala. The Dali Lama came to personally bless and help get the monastery on the air. If you don't recognize the Dali Lama he's the monk on the left and Jigme is the one on the right helping him down the path.
The crass note: If anybody wants to help Jigme's monks back at the camp you can send the donation to me and I'll get it to Jigme and he'll get it to his monks.
Before anything else is said Chaplain Lama Jigme and Himalayan Imports welcome everybody -- Buddhist, Hindu, Moslem, Christian, Jew, agnostic, atheist -- it doesn't matter to him or us since we believe we are all brothers. His assistant will be Samten Lama, a man who studied five years in the monastery and graduated from what I call "Lama University" at the head of his class. Samten also works in shipping and receiving department.
Background:
Lama Jigme comes from a long line of what I call "Jungle Monks" and I hold them in the highest regard. These are monks who practice Tantric Buddhism and it falls upon them to do a considerable amount of solitary praying and meditation. In Jigme's case he spent nine years in a cave in the jungle doing just that. The experience changes your life and very being.
Jigme was born in the same village as the Dali Lama and is of the same caste. His family maintained a monastery for 800 years until the Chinese destroyed it and confiscated all valuable contents when Jigme was about 4 or 5 years old. In this 800 year old tradition it was and is the duty of the oldest son of each generation to maintain the monastery and offer food, shelter and spiritual assistance to anyone who came in need. This was Jigme's duty but it seemed inpossible with the destruction of the family monastery. Have I mentioned that "Jigme" means fearless? Read on.
At age 11 Jigme took up the study of Tantric Buddhist under the guidance of Lama Rinzin Jigme. At age 18 he went to the cave and prayed and meditated until he was 27.
After the completion of the nine year stint in the cave Jigme started his mission of rebuilding the family monastery. Finding this impossible to accomplish in Tibet Jigme escaped, crossed the Himalayans, and found his way to Dharmasala, India and to the Dali Lama.
Against impossible odds and I do mean impossible Jigme got a family monastery built in the jungle outside Dharmasala which is called the Padma Rigzinling Nyingmapa Monastery.
Today this monastery is the home of 15 Buddhist monks and Jigme's wife and two sons. It is the duty of this Tantric Monk to marry and have a son who can keep the 800 year old tradition alive.
But often as is the case with success comes unexpected problems. Jigme got the monastery built and populated but because it is in the jungle and off the beaten path not a lot of folks visit and a monastery needs visitors who pray and contribute to the welfare of the monastery and its monks.
Fearless and undeterred and armed with a letter of introduction and some instructions from the Dali Lama who knows about such things, Jigme came to the US to try to generate some cash for his monastery. Karma led him to Reno and to my door.
He is now Himalayan Imports Chaplain and serves as such for a token salary. With the help of a couple of translators (I'm trying to teach him survival English) he teaches classes and offers spiritual guidance to those who come to him and does odd jobs (exorcized a poltergeist from the home of a local somewhat wealthy family -- cured a dying cancer patient, etc.). But he doesn't get enough work and can use any help anybody can give.
He will be doing a special puja for everybody associated with Himalayan Imports on January 1. I'll get pix of his work and explain the puja but it's very far reaching -- from suppliers of steel, wood, charcoal back in Nepal, to kamis, Pala, everybody associated. Those who get the khukuris here. Our sales and shipping effort and those involved. And, most importantly to all who have and will buy and use our khukuris. Jigme, like the kamis, understands that the customers are the most important item on the list because without them there is nothing. He's going to do a puja for you called "Dorje Gute" and it's a powerful mantra but more about that when it happens.
So here he is, Lama Jigme Rinpoche, 52 years of age, "fearless", and one of the best monks I've run across. He sends his blessings and offers to do special puja for anybody who might need it. He loves God and he loves his neighbor as he does himself.
The pix I'm showing is at the grand opening of his monastery back in Dharmasala. The Dali Lama came to personally bless and help get the monastery on the air. If you don't recognize the Dali Lama he's the monk on the left and Jigme is the one on the right helping him down the path.
The crass note: If anybody wants to help Jigme's monks back at the camp you can send the donation to me and I'll get it to Jigme and he'll get it to his monks.
