This little poem attached below came to me one morning sort of out of the blue. It has a prayer-like quality, but is just a song that celebrates the happiness & good fortune of having met a precious guru such as Lama Dawa, whom I like many others underestimated considerably, even though, of course, I loved him dearly and also practiced some (and am still practicing) according to his instructions. Yes, we were a bit in awe of him. But we also ignored a lot of what he said and pointed out in his unique ‘sign’ language, all of which would have been crucial to consider and follow. We saw him too much through our ordinary human eyes, and unfortunately more often than not judged him according to criteria that had no relevance with regard to what he wanted to point out through some of his more symbolic actions. In the end he resigned himself to just being friendly to everyone and giving some formal teachings rather than help us transcend obstacles through his direct intervention. All in all, and here I cannot make confessions on anyone else’s behalf, I was a lousy vajrayana student, at least according to the standards that Lama Dawa himself respected and lived up to in his own life.
In a way the poem has elements of prophecy (as I said it
wasn’t composed in the way a poem is normally composed). For one, it accentuates Lama’s
ever-presence and ever-availability, which he promised to us dharma friends
before he left the body. And I
believe him more than anyone or anything in this respect. He is here. He is everywhere.
Second, although there was a lot of disharmony among the group and many
promises and secret commitments were broken (thankfully without the dirty laundry
being washed in public) he insisted on the last days of his presence on the
earth plane that all samayas between dharma friends and him as guru are intact. At least in my case, this was his gift that he gave,
not a product of any meritorious action on my part.
Sort of a long-winded introduction to a short poem! But I felt it was required for
understanding context, and context is what we are mostly missing in the age of
social media that seem to instill the misguided belief in us that we can do
without.
Vows Indestructible
Today is the day when the buddhas
&
the dakinis too
are
bestowing their blessings:
dew
moistening the highlands
the
field of your all-enlightening action
gone
are your students’ stains
from
your precious being’s
the
true guru’s health,
the
most cherished life
the
mount of your miraculous deeds
evil
is not allowed
it
has been banished
the
protectors have spoken
all
demons must vanish
diamond
you are
diamond
you stay
forever
unsullied
rainbow
embodied
your
voice your gesture
every
sign that you give
every
sound that you utter:
itself
lion’s roar
transforming
these landscapes of passage
we
bow to you
as
your thunderbolt descends
banishing
existence to
any
backbone in ego
we
bow to you
as
your smile is blooming
in
the unborn face
timeless
evermore & free
no
fetters of birth
no
endings in death.
we
bow to you
&
we heed your words
heart
to heart
mind
to mind,
from
your delicate
&
most precious
rarified
human form
Moon-of-Dharma-Glory
Written down by Choyin Dorje at Sunrise
On the 25th day of the 7th month & the 1st
day of the 8th month
In the Year of the Iron
Rabbit,
Dedicated to
My Precious Teacher & Beloved Dharma Father
The Ever-Present
Acharya Dawa Chhodak Rinpoche
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