Leavin' On A Jet Plane

This is a late announcement, because I wasn’t exactly sure until yesterday how the flow of things was going to...flow. But about this time tomorrow I’ll be clambering aboard a plane heading west. Way west. After enduring whatever karma has me sitting for a seven-hour layover in purgatory Beijing’s lovely airport system, a MIAT jet will (in shah Allah) deposit me back in Mother Mongolia, there to pass the mild winter.

There’s lots to do. After re-bonding over the weekend with Mooj and Nita, my beloved kitties, we’ll knuckle down to the following:

• Gather the Ulaanbaatar study/practice group and see what direction they want to go in. Before I left in June, we had completed the first part of translating the Nam Cho ngondro practice (the five preliminary exercises of our highest teaching system called dzogchen) into Mongolian. Hopefully, they’ll want to stay warm this winter by accumulating prostrations. Lord knows I could use the exercise after a summer in the Land of Ben & Jerry.
• See about getting the rest of ngondro translated, including phowa, cultivating the ability to skillfully transfer one's consciousness at the time of death.
• Finish the decorative elements of the Palyul teaching throne.
• Work with Lama Erdenebat to complete and print the Mongolian version of The Words of my Perfect Teacher.
• Work with Lama Purevbat (bat means “strong” in Mongolian – lots of men’s names have it) to polish the bits translated into English in his new, three-volume omnibus about the details inherent in the creation of Mongolian Buddhist art.
• Initiate the framework for potential lama visits next year.
• Start the process of raising funds for various re-building projects next construction season.
• Assemble and edit a book of Jetsunma’s teachings on compassion.
• Other stuff that comes up.

Whew! Thinking about a nap just typing that.

Now, I don’t often bring this up but there’s no getting around it. The ongoing health of these projects needs a steady dose of Vitamin C – cash. And being the savvy non-profit fundraiser that I am, I feel sure that there is no better time to ask than during the complete meltdown of the US financial system. Seriously, if you’re so moved, please click the “donate” button at left to throw a couple coins in the secure, online can, or email me to get info about mailing a check. If you’re a U.S. citizen, it’s tax-deductible; no matter where you live, it’s good karma! We're also not above bribery incentives. If you include your ground address, you'll get something cool from Mongolia.

So. Next dispatch from the heart of Asia! In the meantime, you can amuse yourself with this wonderful story just posted at earlytibet.com that I had never heard before, about Khubilai Khan’s imperial sponsorship of a winner-take-all debate between the Tibetan Buddhists and Chinese Daoists. And I mean the stakes were high. The losing side had to submit all their scriptures to be burned in a pile and then convert! And with Phagpa Rinpoche on our side, guess who won...

Comments

[Sarah]

Oh, Br'er K, if there was ever a time that I'd wanna hitch a ride on yer robe-tails and hide out in the steppes, it's right about now when 'Merica has clearly gone off the rails. They got horses, they got red meat, what more can a girl ask?