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Kalu Rinpoche

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Snow Lion Magazine

Lama Ngawang's letter to Bokar Rinpoche appears at Snow Lion.

Mirik Practice Schedule

Eric Triebelhorn provided the Mirik practice schedule during the 49 days following Rinpoche's death. READ MORE»

Offerings

Lama Michael Conklin provides information regarding offerings for Bokar Rinpoche. READ MORE»

Lama Namgyal

Lama Namgyal communicates news of Bokar Rinpoche's death in France. READ MORE»

Ponlop Rinpoche

Ponlop Rinpoche learned of Bokar Rinpoche's death during a retreat in Connecticut. READ MORE»



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Comments on Bokar Rinpoche's Passing

by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Open Retreat, Hartford, Connecticut
Aug 18, 2004

Yesterday, August 17, we learned that a great Kagyu lama of ours, a very precious lama, a lama of great experience and realization, Bokar Rinpoche, passed away. There are several very precious lamas of the older generation of Kagyu masters, and Bokar Rinpoche was one of these masters. He was one of the tutors to his Holiness the 17th Karmapa. I also had the great opportunity of receiving some dharma teachings from him. I received the reading transmission of the Mahamudra text, The Ocean of Definitive Meaning, and the transmission of Karma Pakshi from Bokar Rinpoche.

This event further reminds us of the importance of taking advantage of our precious human birth. When we have precious teachers such as Bokar Rinpoche alive in the world, we need to take advantage of the opportunity to receive teachings from them and practice their teachings. This is because impermanence is a law that governs all the world; even the nirmanakaya of the buddhas pass away into parinirvana, so what need is there to speak of us ordinary beings? When great beings, great bodhisattvas like this pass away, they are giving us a very important teaching. They are teaching us about impermanence. They are teaching us about the preciousness of this human birth. Since these masters are great bodhisattvas and great realized practitioners, they do not suffer from their own side through dying. Therefore, we should not suffer because of their dying; we should not feel badly thinking that they are suffering when they die. We can feel badly and suffer when ordinary beings pass away, but there is no need for us to feel badly when great bodhisattvas like this pass away. They are simply giving us another teaching.

However, we do now find ourselves in a somewhat unfortunate situation in that we can no longer take advantage of an opportunity to meet such a great being or receive teachings from him. So this becomes an unfortunate circumstance, a tragedy, for students of the Kagyu lineage and the lineage in general because such masters are extremely rare. However, we have many of the teachings of Bokar Rinpoche preserved, and it is important for us to continue these by studying them and by putting them into practice.

Since Bokar Rinpoche was a nirmanakaya, we can make supplications so that his nirmanakaya body will return to this world swiftly-so that a reincarnation will quickly arrive. We should make sincere supplications and offerings to this end. So perhaps tonight we can assemble for the purpose of making aspirations and supplications. Nevertheless, we should never forget the view that all phenomena are like dreams and illusions. Birth is like a dream and like an illusion; death is like a dream and an illusion. Therefore, we will now make the offering of an illusionlike and dreamlike song.

(Students sing "All These Forms".)