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New Member
Hi all! I just joined the group and wanted to greet everyone.
My name is Palzang, and I'm a gelong (bhikkshu) monk in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. I've been a monk for 12 years and a Buddhist for over 30 years. I began in Zen and then moved on to Vajrayana. So perhaps I can answer any questions anyone just coming to Buddhism might have. I don't consider myself either a teacher or an expert, but I'm happy to share my experience with you.
I'm presently in Mongolia at the request of the Mongolians to help them with their efforts to reestablish Buddhism here after many years of repression in Socialist times. It's been a very rewarding experience, and I have lots to do here to keep busy! My teacher, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, is coming to Mongolia next month for a 3 week visit, so I and the other monk who is here have lots to do, but I promise to check in as often as I can.
My "home" base is Kunzang Palyul Choling in Sedona, Arizona, a far cry from Mongolia, though the Gobi is a lot like Arizona.
Hope to meet you all online very soon!
My name is Palzang, and I'm a gelong (bhikkshu) monk in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. I've been a monk for 12 years and a Buddhist for over 30 years. I began in Zen and then moved on to Vajrayana. So perhaps I can answer any questions anyone just coming to Buddhism might have. I don't consider myself either a teacher or an expert, but I'm happy to share my experience with you.
I'm presently in Mongolia at the request of the Mongolians to help them with their efforts to reestablish Buddhism here after many years of repression in Socialist times. It's been a very rewarding experience, and I have lots to do here to keep busy! My teacher, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, is coming to Mongolia next month for a 3 week visit, so I and the other monk who is here have lots to do, but I promise to check in as often as I can.
My "home" base is Kunzang Palyul Choling in Sedona, Arizona, a far cry from Mongolia, though the Gobi is a lot like Arizona.
Hope to meet you all online very soon!
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Comments
Just Kidding :rocker:
And Comic, stop stealing my animated gifs!
Michael
How good to hear that, once again, the ancient links between Tibet and Mongolis persist.
Hello Palzang,
My name is Adiana and I am a Nichiren Buddhist. I have only been practicing since May of 2005. I want to say welcome and I look forward to getting to know you.
Adiana :smilec: :smilec:
Simon, it is exciting to see the renaissance of Buddhism here in Mongolia. Actually I have discovered that there was a lot more going on here in Communist days than is generally known. A lot of people continued to practice, but in secret, and that included a number of high ranking Party officials! A lot of the pressure to repress religion came from Stalin, so once he and his "soulmate" Choibalsan were gone, things gradually began to relax. So a lot of traditions thought to be lost in Mongolia are still around, though in greatly reduced form, of course. The main problem here now is that the monastic tradition was pretty well either destroyed or corrupted. Many of those who call themselves monks now have no idea what the Vinaya says and have many misconceptions about what behavior is acceptable and what is not. This leads to things like some "lamas" (as they call them) having wives and children, which was understandable during Communist times because they were forced to marry and have children. But even now many people think it's OK to be a monk and be able to have a wife and children! You also see monks drinking alcohol, doing practices for pay, etc. Some "monasteries" have menus with prices for different pujas that you can choose from. Of course, it's not OK to sell the Dharma, but that knowledge has been lost, for the most part. There are some pure monastic traditions here, but they're few and far between. Of course, it will take generations for things to return to normal. That's why the main thrust of what we and others are doing to help the Mongolians is to send young monks to India to be educated there in pure traditions so that they can return to Mongolia and reinstitute those traditions here. Penor Rinpoche, the retired head of the Nyingma school, said just this when a delegation of Mongolians went to see him earlier this year. Our temple in America is sponsoring four young monks from a very special monastery in the Gobi, Khamar Monastery, to go to India this year, and we will continue to do so every year.
Khamar Monastery was founded by an exceptional Mongolian lama named Danzan Ravjaa in the 19th Century. He was a master of all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and wrote extensive commentaries in all of them. He was also a famous playwright, opera librettist, poet and so forth. They still sing his songs in Mongolia. He also opened the first theatre in Mongolia. Fortunately not all of his writings were lost in the purges. There is a hereditary line of caretakers who hid as much of his writings as possible from the Communists, and now they are returning these to the world. A real treasure trove. They have also begun to rebuild the monastery. I have visited there several times, and it is a special place. The people who live there are also special, completely unspoiled and open, unlike the hardened people you meet here in the capital. So it's an interesting experience working with them and giving them assistance as we are able. We consider them our sister monastery now, as do they, so it's a useful relationship, it seems.
Palzang
Yeah, well Jason smells funny.
It looks quite wonderful. Having been invited to a Cheyenne wedding in the States, I am attempting to obtain a visa to travel to the US - although I am far from having a spotless past, particularly politically - I hope that I shall be able to visit.
http://www.kpc-sedona.org/
http://stupas.org/Temple_Development/temple_development.html
Sounds juicy....
Welcome to the site! It's nice to have you here! I am so jealous that you live in Sedona, Arizona. My husband and I got married right under Cathedral Rock, right next to the river. I have beautiful pictures! We lived in Phoenix for a while and always drove up to Sedona on the weekends. I think it is the most beautiful place on earth!!
And he looks like a Sleestak.
LOl.. That is quite a mixture. But I know you will love the wedding, Let me know if you are able to make it.
I pity the Fool that don't like Land of the Lost.