An Exchange of Poems

To Lady Diana Mukpo on the Occasion of Receiving the Abhisheka of Vajrayogini

Why so?
Cheerful birthday once again.
You are my only eyes, heart and life as well as my breath.
Nonetheless, we haven’t been together for a while.
Thinking of you is like a sudden flash of lightning in a cloudy nighttime.
Remembering your smile and your face relieves my pain
Now and in our previous lives, we have been bound together by the chain of karma.
This letter was written with a combination of sadness and joy.

The reason why we are together in this lifetime is only due to the buddhadharma and the guru.
The little I have been able to help others is because of meeting the only authentic guru.
It is by the blessings of the guru that I am not insane.
However, these days, many people are insane.
Two world wars and nuclear weapons and other chaotic situations have occurred.
Your practicing the dharma is not just for me, in the same way that taking of medicine is not for the doctor.
It is in order to cheer up others and blossom their lives.
The vajrayana teaching is the highest of all.
It is the greatest magic that Buddha has ever taught.
Just as you need a mother to begin with as an infant, Vajrayogini practice is very necessary.
If one realizes the importance of that, one would understand all the vajrayana teachings.
It is necessary to develop eyes in order to see the brilliance of various flowers.
Then one can develop an understanding of both spiritual and temporal ways.
This is not just thought up by somebody.
It is 2,500 years of wisdom.
I am presenting the ghanta, dorje, and damaru [bell, scepter and hand drum] as a birthday gift.
They are like a horse and saddlery.

One might say: “Is this the one and only way?  But we have become civilized and no longer act as cavemen.”
Obviously, everyone would agree that the sky is blue.
One might ask: “Aren’t there other truths, other ways?”
There might be, but mathematics must begin with zero.
One might say: “I don’t want to buy any (one) else’s viewpoint.”
In this case, one is not buying others’ viewpoint, but trees have to grow up from the ground.
They never take root in the air upside down.
But in any case, one is not buying somebody’s view.
The Communists might say: “Lenin’s view is the only way.”
There are things with view and opinions.
There are also other things without view and opinion, which, as we know, is shunyata [emptiness] and is free from opinion and concept.
Vajrayogini herself represents non-thought.
There are ways to experience that free from skandhas [ego] and fixed opinions and so obtain universal freedom.
That is why we have the story of the arhats [Buddha’s disciples] who died of heart attacks when for the first time Buddha proclaimed the teachings of shunyata.
Once Nagarjuna said: “I have no axioms; therefore, what I present is without dichotomy.”
I would like to invite you into this enlightened world.
Once more, I would like to express that you remain as my greatest inspiration and companion.

With profound love and thanks,
From your best friend,
Chogyam

Chogyie to the Rescue

Your kindness and brilliance go beyond conceptual mind.
Your generosity has transformed my life.
I was lost in the clutches of confusion
Searching for sanity and reference point
And along came Chogyie,
The first genuine person I’d ever met.
You demonstrated that the phenomenal world is merely a playground
To be captured with kindness and skillful means.
Your heart is unsurpassable.
You have taught me to believe in myself.
Your awakened mind is the source of my loyalty to you.
You nurture your students with loving kindness and include them in our Mukpo family.

I’m so glad I met you.
Please prolong your life for the benefit of others
I love you.
Your devoted wife and student, Diana.