By Dorje Kirsten
Every spring I look forward to Lama Padma Dorje’s visit to Rigdzin Ling. He is always happy to come; he considers Rig- dzin Ling his home as well as a place of pilgrimage blessed by many great lamas and strong practitioners. Sitting on the car- pet, sharing tea with a small group of friends, he asks about the well-being and activities of the staff during the past year. With the inevitable news that some are having good experiences and are content, while others are purifying karma and working through suffering, he comments that yogis have seasons— seasons of suffering and of bliss. What is most important, he adds, is that the yogi continue to practice through all these seasons until stable realization dawns.
Lama Padma Dorje is a householder. He and his wife, Kunzang, have four children. His example encourages those of us with children to practice diligently— showing us that caring for a family is not an excuse to avoid practice, but rather is part of our practice. Every morning in his room he leads a handful of students in the Riwo Sangchöd puja. He emphasizes this practice as a powerful means for accumulating merit and wisdom, maintaining samaya, and benefiting the people and environment where we live. After the puja, and during his breaks from formal practice throughout the day, he tells stories of the great ngakpas of Tibet and India— how they skillfully tamed the minds of beings around them and benefited those with faith. He always speaks of their trials during practice, their tremendous realization, and their noble deaths. His capacity for telling stories seems endless. Each year he brings new ones, potent in their examples of correct conduct and proper view. He has also written many poems, songs, and offering prayers and, if asked, will sometimes share them.
Though he is humble and gentlemanly, his life has been one of great accomplishment. He was born in India while his parents were on pilgrimage there and spent his early years traveling with his family in H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche’s entourage. Lama Padma Dorje’s father was a highly respected chöd practitioner of the T’hröma Nagmo tradition. He was known for his ability to cure people through mantra and had completed many years of retreat on Mount Kailash. Lama Padma Dorje’s family was very poor; his only toys were stones and sticks. He told us that as a child he would pretend to be giving empowerment to his friends with a stone, as if it were a bumpa. He grew up in caves and retreat hermitages and completed his first ngondro before he was a teenager. In later years he was invited to accompany his father in retreats. He speaks of living “above the eagles” at a remote retreat center in Dolpo, Nepal, that his father founded at Dudjom Rinpoche’s request.
Lama Padma Dorje recalls that he has often felt happiest when he had nothing—as when he first arrived in India—because life was so simple. As a young man, he helped Chagdud Rinpoche in the Orissa refugee camp in India as an English teacher. During this time he studied closely with H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Lama Sherab Rinpoche. He learned t’hangka painting and began creating t’hangkas for many Nyingma monasteries and great Nyingma teachers.
With years of experience, he helps guide aspiring Rigdzin Ling artists in the methods of traditional Vajrayana art. When we recently repainted the Guru Rinpoche statue, he helped design the patterns and taught artists Rob, Rachel, and Karen how to proceed. Toward the end of his stay, he painted the statue’s face and eyes. Lama Padma Dorje is confident and precise about what is traditionally correct, and the moment our artwork strays from this, he shows us how to correct it. As a result of his guidance, the Guru Rinpoche statue now overwhelms viewers with splendor.
He is also well-learned in the Dudjom Treasure tradition, as well as many other traditions of mahayoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga. He has personally guided me in several practices. Always willing to give individual advice, he keeps his door open to anyone who needs help. He seems to prefer a one-on-one teaching style, responding directly to a student’s particular need. If a divination is called for, he will immediately perform it and come back with an answer. His advice is always simple, yet profound. He considers the following of utmost importance: “Have devotion for the objects of refuge, have compassion for sentient beings, and have pure view toward the sangha. Then no obstacles will arise and realization will come quickly.”
Before he left this summer, Lama Padma Dorje emphasized that harmony within the sangha is the most important factor contributing to the longevity of any lama. I still remember these words— and now, whenever I want to argue with one of my vajra siblings, I try to examine my own mind instead.
His life example and his teachings on the yogic tradition have transformed my life. Anyone who is able to spend time with this lama has great fortune, for he truly is a living treasure, acting always for the benefit of beings.
Lama Padma Dorje visits Rigdzin Ling in the spring and fall. To invite him to your center, contact Kim at Rigdzin Ling.
By Dorje Kirsten
Every spring I look forward to Lama Padma Dorje’s visit to Rigdzin Ling. He is always happy to come; he considers Rig- dzin Ling his home as well as a place of pilgrimage blessed by many great lamas and strong practitioners. Sitting on the car- pet, sharing tea with a small group of friends, he asks about the well-being and activities of the staff during the past year. With the inevitable news that some are having good experiences and are content, while others are purifying karma and working through suffering, he comments that yogis have seasons— seasons of suffering and of bliss. What is most important, he adds, is that the yogi continue to practice through all these seasons until stable realization dawns.
Lama Padma Dorje is a householder. He and his wife, Kunzang, have four children. His example encourages those of us with children to practice diligently— showing us that caring for a family is not an excuse to avoid practice, but rather is part of our practice. Every morning in his room he leads a handful of students in the Riwo Sangchöd puja. He emphasizes this practice as a powerful means for accumulating merit and wisdom, maintaining samaya, and benefiting the people and environment where we live. After the puja, and during his breaks from formal practice throughout the day, he tells stories of the great ngakpas of Tibet and India— how they skillfully tamed the minds of beings around them and benefited those with faith. He always speaks of their trials during practice, their tremendous realization, and their noble deaths. His capacity for telling stories seems endless. Each year he brings new ones, potent in their examples of correct conduct and proper view. He has also written many poems, songs, and offering prayers and, if asked, will sometimes share them.
Though he is humble and gentlemanly, his life has been one of great accomplishment. He was born in India while his parents were on pilgrimage there and spent his early years traveling with his family in H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche’s entourage. Lama Padma Dorje’s father was a highly respected chöd practitioner of the T’hröma Nagmo tradition. He was known for his ability to cure people through mantra and had completed many years of retreat on Mount Kailash. Lama Padma Dorje’s family was very poor; his only toys were stones and sticks. He told us that as a child he would pretend to be giving empowerment to his friends with a stone, as if it were a bumpa. He grew up in caves and retreat hermitages and completed his first ngondro before he was a teenager. In later years he was invited to accompany his father in retreats. He speaks of living “above the eagles” at a remote retreat center in Dolpo, Nepal, that his father founded at Dudjom Rinpoche’s request.
Lama Padma Dorje recalls that he has often felt happiest when he had nothing—as when he first arrived in India—because life was so simple. As a young man, he helped Chagdud Rinpoche in the Orissa refugee camp in India as an English teacher. During this time he studied closely with H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Lama Sherab Rinpoche. He learned t’hangka painting and began creating t’hangkas for many Nyingma monasteries and great Nyingma teachers.
With years of experience, he helps guide aspiring Rigdzin Ling artists in the methods of traditional Vajrayana art. When we recently repainted the Guru Rinpoche statue, he helped design the patterns and taught artists Rob, Rachel, and Karen how to proceed. Toward the end of his stay, he painted the statue’s face and eyes. Lama Padma Dorje is confident and precise about what is traditionally correct, and the moment our artwork strays from this, he shows us how to correct it. As a result of his guidance, the Guru Rinpoche statue now overwhelms viewers with splendor.
He is also well-learned in the Dudjom Treasure tradition, as well as many other traditions of mahayoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga. He has personally guided me in several practices. Always willing to give individual advice, he keeps his door open to anyone who needs help. He seems to prefer a one-on-one teaching style, responding directly to a student’s particular need. If a divination is called for, he will immediately perform it and come back with an answer. His advice is always simple, yet profound. He considers the following of utmost importance: “Have devotion for the objects of refuge, have compassion for sentient beings, and have pure view toward the sangha. Then no obstacles will arise and realization will come quickly.”
Before he left this summer, Lama Padma Dorje emphasized that harmony within the sangha is the most important factor contributing to the longevity of any lama. I still remember these words— and now, whenever I want to argue with one of my vajra siblings, I try to examine my own mind instead.
His life example and his teachings on the yogic tradition have transformed my life. Anyone who is able to spend time with this lama has great fortune, for he truly is a living treasure, acting always for the benefit of beings.
Lama Padma Dorje visits Rigdzin Ling in the spring and fall. To invite him to your center, contact Kim at Rigdzin Ling.
By Dorje Kirsten
Every spring I look forward to Lama Padma Dorje’s visit to Rigdzin Ling. He is always happy to come; he considers Rig- dzin Ling his home as well as a place of pilgrimage blessed by many great lamas and strong practitioners. Sitting on the car- pet, sharing tea with a small group of friends, he asks about the well-being and activities of the staff during the past year. With the inevitable news that some are having good experiences and are content, while others are purifying karma and working through suffering, he comments that yogis have seasons— seasons of suffering and of bliss. What is most important, he adds, is that the yogi continue to practice through all these seasons until stable realization dawns.
Lama Padma Dorje is a householder. He and his wife, Kunzang, have four children. His example encourages those of us with children to practice diligently— showing us that caring for a family is not an excuse to avoid practice, but rather is part of our practice. Every morning in his room he leads a handful of students in the Riwo Sangchöd puja. He emphasizes this practice as a powerful means for accumulating merit and wisdom, maintaining samaya, and benefiting the people and environment where we live. After the puja, and during his breaks from formal practice throughout the day, he tells stories of the great ngakpas of Tibet and India— how they skillfully tamed the minds of beings around them and benefited those with faith. He always speaks of their trials during practice, their tremendous realization, and their noble deaths. His capacity for telling stories seems endless. Each year he brings new ones, potent in their examples of correct conduct and proper view. He has also written many poems, songs, and offering prayers and, if asked, will sometimes share them.
Though he is humble and gentlemanly, his life has been one of great accomplishment. He was born in India while his parents were on pilgrimage there and spent his early years traveling with his family in H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche’s entourage. Lama Padma Dorje’s father was a highly respected chöd practitioner of the T’hröma Nagmo tradition. He was known for his ability to cure people through mantra and had completed many years of retreat on Mount Kailash. Lama Padma Dorje’s family was very poor; his only toys were stones and sticks. He told us that as a child he would pretend to be giving empowerment to his friends with a stone, as if it were a bumpa. He grew up in caves and retreat hermitages and completed his first ngondro before he was a teenager. In later years he was invited to accompany his father in retreats. He speaks of living “above the eagles” at a remote retreat center in Dolpo, Nepal, that his father founded at Dudjom Rinpoche’s request.
Lama Padma Dorje recalls that he has often felt happiest when he had nothing—as when he first arrived in India—because life was so simple. As a young man, he helped Chagdud Rinpoche in the Orissa refugee camp in India as an English teacher. During this time he studied closely with H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Lama Sherab Rinpoche. He learned t’hangka painting and began creating t’hangkas for many Nyingma monasteries and great Nyingma teachers.
With years of experience, he helps guide aspiring Rigdzin Ling artists in the methods of traditional Vajrayana art. When we recently repainted the Guru Rinpoche statue, he helped design the patterns and taught artists Rob, Rachel, and Karen how to proceed. Toward the end of his stay, he painted the statue’s face and eyes. Lama Padma Dorje is confident and precise about what is traditionally correct, and the moment our artwork strays from this, he shows us how to correct it. As a result of his guidance, the Guru Rinpoche statue now overwhelms viewers with splendor.
He is also well-learned in the Dudjom Treasure tradition, as well as many other traditions of mahayoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga. He has personally guided me in several practices. Always willing to give individual advice, he keeps his door open to anyone who needs help. He seems to prefer a one-on-one teaching style, responding directly to a student’s particular need. If a divination is called for, he will immediately perform it and come back with an answer. His advice is always simple, yet profound. He considers the following of utmost importance: “Have devotion for the objects of refuge, have compassion for sentient beings, and have pure view toward the sangha. Then no obstacles will arise and realization will come quickly.”
Before he left this summer, Lama Padma Dorje emphasized that harmony within the sangha is the most important factor contributing to the longevity of any lama. I still remember these words— and now, whenever I want to argue with one of my vajra siblings, I try to examine my own mind instead.
His life example and his teachings on the yogic tradition have transformed my life. Anyone who is able to spend time with this lama has great fortune, for he truly is a living treasure, acting always for the benefit of beings.
Lama Padma Dorje visits Rigdzin Ling in the spring and fall. To invite him to your center, contact Kim at Rigdzin Ling.
By Dorje Kirsten
Every spring I look forward to Lama Padma Dorje’s visit to Rigdzin Ling. He is always happy to come; he considers Rig- dzin Ling his home as well as a place of pilgrimage blessed by many great lamas and strong practitioners. Sitting on the car- pet, sharing tea with a small group of friends, he asks about the well-being and activities of the staff during the past year. With the inevitable news that some are having good experiences and are content, while others are purifying karma and working through suffering, he comments that yogis have seasons— seasons of suffering and of bliss. What is most important, he adds, is that the yogi continue to practice through all these seasons until stable realization dawns.
Lama Padma Dorje is a householder. He and his wife, Kunzang, have four children. His example encourages those of us with children to practice diligently— showing us that caring for a family is not an excuse to avoid practice, but rather is part of our practice. Every morning in his room he leads a handful of students in the Riwo Sangchöd puja. He emphasizes this practice as a powerful means for accumulating merit and wisdom, maintaining samaya, and benefiting the people and environment where we live. After the puja, and during his breaks from formal practice throughout the day, he tells stories of the great ngakpas of Tibet and India— how they skillfully tamed the minds of beings around them and benefited those with faith. He always speaks of their trials during practice, their tremendous realization, and their noble deaths. His capacity for telling stories seems endless. Each year he brings new ones, potent in their examples of correct conduct and proper view. He has also written many poems, songs, and offering prayers and, if asked, will sometimes share them.
Though he is humble and gentlemanly, his life has been one of great accomplishment. He was born in India while his parents were on pilgrimage there and spent his early years traveling with his family in H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche’s entourage. Lama Padma Dorje’s father was a highly respected chöd practitioner of the T’hröma Nagmo tradition. He was known for his ability to cure people through mantra and had completed many years of retreat on Mount Kailash. Lama Padma Dorje’s family was very poor; his only toys were stones and sticks. He told us that as a child he would pretend to be giving empowerment to his friends with a stone, as if it were a bumpa. He grew up in caves and retreat hermitages and completed his first ngondro before he was a teenager. In later years he was invited to accompany his father in retreats. He speaks of living “above the eagles” at a remote retreat center in Dolpo, Nepal, that his father founded at Dudjom Rinpoche’s request.
Lama Padma Dorje recalls that he has often felt happiest when he had nothing—as when he first arrived in India—because life was so simple. As a young man, he helped Chagdud Rinpoche in the Orissa refugee camp in India as an English teacher. During this time he studied closely with H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Lama Sherab Rinpoche. He learned t’hangka painting and began creating t’hangkas for many Nyingma monasteries and great Nyingma teachers.
With years of experience, he helps guide aspiring Rigdzin Ling artists in the methods of traditional Vajrayana art. When we recently repainted the Guru Rinpoche statue, he helped design the patterns and taught artists Rob, Rachel, and Karen how to proceed. Toward the end of his stay, he painted the statue’s face and eyes. Lama Padma Dorje is confident and precise about what is traditionally correct, and the moment our artwork strays from this, he shows us how to correct it. As a result of his guidance, the Guru Rinpoche statue now overwhelms viewers with splendor.
He is also well-learned in the Dudjom Treasure tradition, as well as many other traditions of mahayoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga. He has personally guided me in several practices. Always willing to give individual advice, he keeps his door open to anyone who needs help. He seems to prefer a one-on-one teaching style, responding directly to a student’s particular need. If a divination is called for, he will immediately perform it and come back with an answer. His advice is always simple, yet profound. He considers the following of utmost importance: “Have devotion for the objects of refuge, have compassion for sentient beings, and have pure view toward the sangha. Then no obstacles will arise and realization will come quickly.”
Before he left this summer, Lama Padma Dorje emphasized that harmony within the sangha is the most important factor contributing to the longevity of any lama. I still remember these words— and now, whenever I want to argue with one of my vajra siblings, I try to examine my own mind instead.
His life example and his teachings on the yogic tradition have transformed my life. Anyone who is able to spend time with this lama has great fortune, for he truly is a living treasure, acting always for the benefit of beings.
Lama Padma Dorje visits Rigdzin Ling in the spring and fall. To invite him to your center, contact Kim at Rigdzin Ling.
By Dorje Kirsten
Every spring I look forward to Lama Padma Dorje’s visit to Rigdzin Ling. He is always happy to come; he considers Rig- dzin Ling his home as well as a place of pilgrimage blessed by many great lamas and strong practitioners. Sitting on the car- pet, sharing tea with a small group of friends, he asks about the well-being and activities of the staff during the past year. With the inevitable news that some are having good experiences and are content, while others are purifying karma and working through suffering, he comments that yogis have seasons— seasons of suffering and of bliss. What is most important, he adds, is that the yogi continue to practice through all these seasons until stable realization dawns.
Lama Padma Dorje is a householder. He and his wife, Kunzang, have four children. His example encourages those of us with children to practice diligently— showing us that caring for a family is not an excuse to avoid practice, but rather is part of our practice. Every morning in his room he leads a handful of students in the Riwo Sangchöd puja. He emphasizes this practice as a powerful means for accumulating merit and wisdom, maintaining samaya, and benefiting the people and environment where we live. After the puja, and during his breaks from formal practice throughout the day, he tells stories of the great ngakpas of Tibet and India— how they skillfully tamed the minds of beings around them and benefited those with faith. He always speaks of their trials during practice, their tremendous realization, and their noble deaths. His capacity for telling stories seems endless. Each year he brings new ones, potent in their examples of correct conduct and proper view. He has also written many poems, songs, and offering prayers and, if asked, will sometimes share them.
Though he is humble and gentlemanly, his life has been one of great accomplishment. He was born in India while his parents were on pilgrimage there and spent his early years traveling with his family in H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche’s entourage. Lama Padma Dorje’s father was a highly respected chöd practitioner of the T’hröma Nagmo tradition. He was known for his ability to cure people through mantra and had completed many years of retreat on Mount Kailash. Lama Padma Dorje’s family was very poor; his only toys were stones and sticks. He told us that as a child he would pretend to be giving empowerment to his friends with a stone, as if it were a bumpa. He grew up in caves and retreat hermitages and completed his first ngondro before he was a teenager. In later years he was invited to accompany his father in retreats. He speaks of living “above the eagles” at a remote retreat center in Dolpo, Nepal, that his father founded at Dudjom Rinpoche’s request.
Lama Padma Dorje recalls that he has often felt happiest when he had nothing—as when he first arrived in India—because life was so simple. As a young man, he helped Chagdud Rinpoche in the Orissa refugee camp in India as an English teacher. During this time he studied closely with H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Lama Sherab Rinpoche. He learned t’hangka painting and began creating t’hangkas for many Nyingma monasteries and great Nyingma teachers.
With years of experience, he helps guide aspiring Rigdzin Ling artists in the methods of traditional Vajrayana art. When we recently repainted the Guru Rinpoche statue, he helped design the patterns and taught artists Rob, Rachel, and Karen how to proceed. Toward the end of his stay, he painted the statue’s face and eyes. Lama Padma Dorje is confident and precise about what is traditionally correct, and the moment our artwork strays from this, he shows us how to correct it. As a result of his guidance, the Guru Rinpoche statue now overwhelms viewers with splendor.
He is also well-learned in the Dudjom Treasure tradition, as well as many other traditions of mahayoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga. He has personally guided me in several practices. Always willing to give individual advice, he keeps his door open to anyone who needs help. He seems to prefer a one-on-one teaching style, responding directly to a student’s particular need. If a divination is called for, he will immediately perform it and come back with an answer. His advice is always simple, yet profound. He considers the following of utmost importance: “Have devotion for the objects of refuge, have compassion for sentient beings, and have pure view toward the sangha. Then no obstacles will arise and realization will come quickly.”
Before he left this summer, Lama Padma Dorje emphasized that harmony within the sangha is the most important factor contributing to the longevity of any lama. I still remember these words— and now, whenever I want to argue with one of my vajra siblings, I try to examine my own mind instead.
His life example and his teachings on the yogic tradition have transformed my life. Anyone who is able to spend time with this lama has great fortune, for he truly is a living treasure, acting always for the benefit of beings.
Lama Padma Dorje visits Rigdzin Ling in the spring and fall. To invite him to your center, contact Kim at Rigdzin Ling.
