This year His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche ordained Lama Padma Drimed Norbu (Wyn Fischel) and delegated to him many responsibilities, including transmission of the profound Great Perfection teachings. In the following edited transcript of an interview with him, Lama Drimed shares with us some of his background and experiences on the path.
When I first met Rinpoche I had the definite impression that he was a realized being who really knew the truth. Even though I couldn't quite access that knowledge or wisdom, I felt his immense compassion and was drawn to follow his teachings. My wife, Lisa. and I began our preliminary practices shortly after we met him and attended the next winter Dzogchen retreat. At that retreat I felt like I had found a long lost friend–actually it was more like having lost my father early in life and then finding him again. It flashed in my mind that I had been waiting all my life to reconnect with the path and with my teacher. I had truly been wandering in samsara. There is nothing you can do but wait it out if there is no karma to find a true path and a true teacher.
Before I met Rinpoche I had a career as a teacher and a sculptor. Although I wasn't pursuing any kind of formal spiritual practice, I took my art to be spiritual practice. When I taught children, we had a good time together and there seemed to be benefit. I tried to use my art to awaken my mind. I knew that I was asleep. I was a slave to my own patterns and I yearned for a way to free my mind. There were moments as I sculpted or painted when I would have what I'd call a spiritual experience, and I was very present in those situations. I used the art to try to heighten my awareness. But I could never really sustain it. It would never last very long.
When I was in my late twenties, my life began to dissolve, just as things do. I was standing in the middle of my studio one day painting and I realized that I could be painting like this for the next fifty years. It kind of surprised and shocked me at the same time. I wondered where my painting would really lead me. There were many things in my life that were coming to an end and I decided to take the opportunity to make a pilgrimage. Even though I did not want to admit to myself that I was in desperate need of a spiritual teacher, that's what was going on. So I made plans to go to Asia.
Just as I was about to leave I met Lisa, and so I postponed my trip for a while. We decided to travel around the United States and look for a teacher, a spiritual path that would work for us–something. That's when we met Rinpoche.
There are three ways to serve a teacher when you find one and make a connection. The best way is to practice, the next best is to help with the teacher's activity, and the third is to make some kind of offering as a gesture of gratitude. We immediately felt a strong urge to serve him in all three ways.
Lisa and I were the first ones to move to Rigdzin Ling to begin work on making this place happen. Over the years we have lived a life of practice, serving Rinpoche and trying to manifest his activity. As we have faced the changes in our lives that impermanence inevitably brings, we have maintained a joint commitment to the fulfillment of Rinpoche's vision to bring dharma to the West. The opportunity has always been there to practice and to serve and offer to the lama. I recognized that Rinpoche has established Rigdzin Ling so that people can honor their connection to the dharma. I recognized that to work here is to offer within his mandala of activity.
When times were difficult-and there were times when I felt like I wanted to leave, times when I felt like I didn't want to continue to work here anymore–I would read or remember the stories of Milarepa and others who had persevered under conditions and circumstances that were far worse than mine. Whenever there was difficulty I would think like that and keep going.
I began to notice that whenever I followed what Rinpoche wanted me to do, it helped me cut through my ego clinging, whatever trip I was on. My mind would feel lighter, and it would be easier to meditate. Whenever I allowed my mind to follow its ordinary course, I would end up suffering more.So I practiced taking the path of guru yoga, following the instructions and guidance of the lama, whatever they might be. As a result, my experience lightened up more and more.
As we built Rigdzin Ling, I was very happy to just keep meditating, pounding nails and building buildings. It was a very simple life. Then Rinpoche decided that it would be best if I started holding his activity here, particularly the administrative and spiritual aspects. That was a challenge that I had some resistance to. I felt that it would be better for me to just meditate. I told Rinpoche that I didn't want to be involved in the middle of all this activity, that I'd rather stay out of the whole thing. He laughed and said, "That's why you should be in the middle of it." I knew he was right and I had to laugh too. I recognized my attachment to formal practice and to certain aspects of my life. But I kept letting go, and slowly all of that settled out in the wake of the lama's blessings. This just showed me once again that wherever the lama directed me, that was really where the blessings were,and that if I took my ordinary mind's course, that would be my downfall.
I feel I've found a teacher who is truly worthy of being followed. I don't consider myself a very worthy student. I'm not very diligent and haven't practiced as much as one could. But I do have some faith, love, and devotion for my guru. I wish that all sentient beings could connect with a source of refuge so that they too could refine away their pain and suffering and come to recognize the nature of their mind.
At this point my only aspiration is to hold dearly all that Rinpoche has blessed me with so that it can benefit future generations. That's the way lineage happens. The dharma was carried from India to Tibet and now to America, but its essence has not changed since the time that the Buddha first taught. Lineage is held through faith and devotion–the way that a student is intended to follow, emulate, and in the end come to the same realization as the teacher–and none of this has changed since the Buddha first taught. We in the United States really have nothing more to do than uphold the dharma in exactly the same way it has been passed down for centuries. It doesn't have to do with the outer display. The outer display may or may not change a little, but the inner sense, the inner meaning of the dharma, never changes because wisdom never changes. The nature of mind never changes.
This year His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche ordained Lama Padma Drimed Norbu (Wyn Fischel) and delegated to him many responsibilities, including transmission of the profound Great Perfection teachings. In the following edited transcript of an interview with him, Lama Drimed shares with us some of his background and experiences on the path.
When I first met Rinpoche I had the definite impression that he was a realized being who really knew the truth. Even though I couldn't quite access that knowledge or wisdom, I felt his immense compassion and was drawn to follow his teachings. My wife, Lisa. and I began our preliminary practices shortly after we met him and attended the next winter Dzogchen retreat. At that retreat I felt like I had found a long lost friend–actually it was more like having lost my father early in life and then finding him again. It flashed in my mind that I had been waiting all my life to reconnect with the path and with my teacher. I had truly been wandering in samsara. There is nothing you can do but wait it out if there is no karma to find a true path and a true teacher.
Before I met Rinpoche I had a career as a teacher and a sculptor. Although I wasn't pursuing any kind of formal spiritual practice, I took my art to be spiritual practice. When I taught children, we had a good time together and there seemed to be benefit. I tried to use my art to awaken my mind. I knew that I was asleep. I was a slave to my own patterns and I yearned for a way to free my mind. There were moments as I sculpted or painted when I would have what I'd call a spiritual experience, and I was very present in those situations. I used the art to try to heighten my awareness. But I could never really sustain it. It would never last very long.
When I was in my late twenties, my life began to dissolve, just as things do. I was standing in the middle of my studio one day painting and I realized that I could be painting like this for the next fifty years. It kind of surprised and shocked me at the same time. I wondered where my painting would really lead me. There were many things in my life that were coming to an end and I decided to take the opportunity to make a pilgrimage. Even though I did not want to admit to myself that I was in desperate need of a spiritual teacher, that's what was going on. So I made plans to go to Asia.
Just as I was about to leave I met Lisa, and so I postponed my trip for a while. We decided to travel around the United States and look for a teacher, a spiritual path that would work for us–something. That's when we met Rinpoche.
There are three ways to serve a teacher when you find one and make a connection. The best way is to practice, the next best is to help with the teacher's activity, and the third is to make some kind of offering as a gesture of gratitude. We immediately felt a strong urge to serve him in all three ways.
Lisa and I were the first ones to move to Rigdzin Ling to begin work on making this place happen. Over the years we have lived a life of practice, serving Rinpoche and trying to manifest his activity. As we have faced the changes in our lives that impermanence inevitably brings, we have maintained a joint commitment to the fulfillment of Rinpoche's vision to bring dharma to the West. The opportunity has always been there to practice and to serve and offer to the lama. I recognized that Rinpoche has established Rigdzin Ling so that people can honor their connection to the dharma. I recognized that to work here is to offer within his mandala of activity.
When times were difficult-and there were times when I felt like I wanted to leave, times when I felt like I didn't want to continue to work here anymore–I would read or remember the stories of Milarepa and others who had persevered under conditions and circumstances that were far worse than mine. Whenever there was difficulty I would think like that and keep going.
I began to notice that whenever I followed what Rinpoche wanted me to do, it helped me cut through my ego clinging, whatever trip I was on. My mind would feel lighter, and it would be easier to meditate. Whenever I allowed my mind to follow its ordinary course, I would end up suffering more.So I practiced taking the path of guru yoga, following the instructions and guidance of the lama, whatever they might be. As a result, my experience lightened up more and more.
As we built Rigdzin Ling, I was very happy to just keep meditating, pounding nails and building buildings. It was a very simple life. Then Rinpoche decided that it would be best if I started holding his activity here, particularly the administrative and spiritual aspects. That was a challenge that I had some resistance to. I felt that it would be better for me to just meditate. I told Rinpoche that I didn't want to be involved in the middle of all this activity, that I'd rather stay out of the whole thing. He laughed and said, "That's why you should be in the middle of it." I knew he was right and I had to laugh too. I recognized my attachment to formal practice and to certain aspects of my life. But I kept letting go, and slowly all of that settled out in the wake of the lama's blessings. This just showed me once again that wherever the lama directed me, that was really where the blessings were,and that if I took my ordinary mind's course, that would be my downfall.
I feel I've found a teacher who is truly worthy of being followed. I don't consider myself a very worthy student. I'm not very diligent and haven't practiced as much as one could. But I do have some faith, love, and devotion for my guru. I wish that all sentient beings could connect with a source of refuge so that they too could refine away their pain and suffering and come to recognize the nature of their mind.
At this point my only aspiration is to hold dearly all that Rinpoche has blessed me with so that it can benefit future generations. That's the way lineage happens. The dharma was carried from India to Tibet and now to America, but its essence has not changed since the time that the Buddha first taught. Lineage is held through faith and devotion–the way that a student is intended to follow, emulate, and in the end come to the same realization as the teacher–and none of this has changed since the Buddha first taught. We in the United States really have nothing more to do than uphold the dharma in exactly the same way it has been passed down for centuries. It doesn't have to do with the outer display. The outer display may or may not change a little, but the inner sense, the inner meaning of the dharma, never changes because wisdom never changes. The nature of mind never changes.
This year His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche ordained Lama Padma Drimed Norbu (Wyn Fischel) and delegated to him many responsibilities, including transmission of the profound Great Perfection teachings. In the following edited transcript of an interview with him, Lama Drimed shares with us some of his background and experiences on the path.
When I first met Rinpoche I had the definite impression that he was a realized being who really knew the truth. Even though I couldn't quite access that knowledge or wisdom, I felt his immense compassion and was drawn to follow his teachings. My wife, Lisa. and I began our preliminary practices shortly after we met him and attended the next winter Dzogchen retreat. At that retreat I felt like I had found a long lost friend–actually it was more like having lost my father early in life and then finding him again. It flashed in my mind that I had been waiting all my life to reconnect with the path and with my teacher. I had truly been wandering in samsara. There is nothing you can do but wait it out if there is no karma to find a true path and a true teacher.
Before I met Rinpoche I had a career as a teacher and a sculptor. Although I wasn't pursuing any kind of formal spiritual practice, I took my art to be spiritual practice. When I taught children, we had a good time together and there seemed to be benefit. I tried to use my art to awaken my mind. I knew that I was asleep. I was a slave to my own patterns and I yearned for a way to free my mind. There were moments as I sculpted or painted when I would have what I'd call a spiritual experience, and I was very present in those situations. I used the art to try to heighten my awareness. But I could never really sustain it. It would never last very long.
When I was in my late twenties, my life began to dissolve, just as things do. I was standing in the middle of my studio one day painting and I realized that I could be painting like this for the next fifty years. It kind of surprised and shocked me at the same time. I wondered where my painting would really lead me. There were many things in my life that were coming to an end and I decided to take the opportunity to make a pilgrimage. Even though I did not want to admit to myself that I was in desperate need of a spiritual teacher, that's what was going on. So I made plans to go to Asia.
Just as I was about to leave I met Lisa, and so I postponed my trip for a while. We decided to travel around the United States and look for a teacher, a spiritual path that would work for us–something. That's when we met Rinpoche.
There are three ways to serve a teacher when you find one and make a connection. The best way is to practice, the next best is to help with the teacher's activity, and the third is to make some kind of offering as a gesture of gratitude. We immediately felt a strong urge to serve him in all three ways.
Lisa and I were the first ones to move to Rigdzin Ling to begin work on making this place happen. Over the years we have lived a life of practice, serving Rinpoche and trying to manifest his activity. As we have faced the changes in our lives that impermanence inevitably brings, we have maintained a joint commitment to the fulfillment of Rinpoche's vision to bring dharma to the West. The opportunity has always been there to practice and to serve and offer to the lama. I recognized that Rinpoche has established Rigdzin Ling so that people can honor their connection to the dharma. I recognized that to work here is to offer within his mandala of activity.
When times were difficult-and there were times when I felt like I wanted to leave, times when I felt like I didn't want to continue to work here anymore–I would read or remember the stories of Milarepa and others who had persevered under conditions and circumstances that were far worse than mine. Whenever there was difficulty I would think like that and keep going.
I began to notice that whenever I followed what Rinpoche wanted me to do, it helped me cut through my ego clinging, whatever trip I was on. My mind would feel lighter, and it would be easier to meditate. Whenever I allowed my mind to follow its ordinary course, I would end up suffering more.So I practiced taking the path of guru yoga, following the instructions and guidance of the lama, whatever they might be. As a result, my experience lightened up more and more.
As we built Rigdzin Ling, I was very happy to just keep meditating, pounding nails and building buildings. It was a very simple life. Then Rinpoche decided that it would be best if I started holding his activity here, particularly the administrative and spiritual aspects. That was a challenge that I had some resistance to. I felt that it would be better for me to just meditate. I told Rinpoche that I didn't want to be involved in the middle of all this activity, that I'd rather stay out of the whole thing. He laughed and said, "That's why you should be in the middle of it." I knew he was right and I had to laugh too. I recognized my attachment to formal practice and to certain aspects of my life. But I kept letting go, and slowly all of that settled out in the wake of the lama's blessings. This just showed me once again that wherever the lama directed me, that was really where the blessings were,and that if I took my ordinary mind's course, that would be my downfall.
I feel I've found a teacher who is truly worthy of being followed. I don't consider myself a very worthy student. I'm not very diligent and haven't practiced as much as one could. But I do have some faith, love, and devotion for my guru. I wish that all sentient beings could connect with a source of refuge so that they too could refine away their pain and suffering and come to recognize the nature of their mind.
At this point my only aspiration is to hold dearly all that Rinpoche has blessed me with so that it can benefit future generations. That's the way lineage happens. The dharma was carried from India to Tibet and now to America, but its essence has not changed since the time that the Buddha first taught. Lineage is held through faith and devotion–the way that a student is intended to follow, emulate, and in the end come to the same realization as the teacher–and none of this has changed since the Buddha first taught. We in the United States really have nothing more to do than uphold the dharma in exactly the same way it has been passed down for centuries. It doesn't have to do with the outer display. The outer display may or may not change a little, but the inner sense, the inner meaning of the dharma, never changes because wisdom never changes. The nature of mind never changes.
This year His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche ordained Lama Padma Drimed Norbu (Wyn Fischel) and delegated to him many responsibilities, including transmission of the profound Great Perfection teachings. In the following edited transcript of an interview with him, Lama Drimed shares with us some of his background and experiences on the path.
When I first met Rinpoche I had the definite impression that he was a realized being who really knew the truth. Even though I couldn't quite access that knowledge or wisdom, I felt his immense compassion and was drawn to follow his teachings. My wife, Lisa. and I began our preliminary practices shortly after we met him and attended the next winter Dzogchen retreat. At that retreat I felt like I had found a long lost friend–actually it was more like having lost my father early in life and then finding him again. It flashed in my mind that I had been waiting all my life to reconnect with the path and with my teacher. I had truly been wandering in samsara. There is nothing you can do but wait it out if there is no karma to find a true path and a true teacher.
Before I met Rinpoche I had a career as a teacher and a sculptor. Although I wasn't pursuing any kind of formal spiritual practice, I took my art to be spiritual practice. When I taught children, we had a good time together and there seemed to be benefit. I tried to use my art to awaken my mind. I knew that I was asleep. I was a slave to my own patterns and I yearned for a way to free my mind. There were moments as I sculpted or painted when I would have what I'd call a spiritual experience, and I was very present in those situations. I used the art to try to heighten my awareness. But I could never really sustain it. It would never last very long.
When I was in my late twenties, my life began to dissolve, just as things do. I was standing in the middle of my studio one day painting and I realized that I could be painting like this for the next fifty years. It kind of surprised and shocked me at the same time. I wondered where my painting would really lead me. There were many things in my life that were coming to an end and I decided to take the opportunity to make a pilgrimage. Even though I did not want to admit to myself that I was in desperate need of a spiritual teacher, that's what was going on. So I made plans to go to Asia.
Just as I was about to leave I met Lisa, and so I postponed my trip for a while. We decided to travel around the United States and look for a teacher, a spiritual path that would work for us–something. That's when we met Rinpoche.
There are three ways to serve a teacher when you find one and make a connection. The best way is to practice, the next best is to help with the teacher's activity, and the third is to make some kind of offering as a gesture of gratitude. We immediately felt a strong urge to serve him in all three ways.
Lisa and I were the first ones to move to Rigdzin Ling to begin work on making this place happen. Over the years we have lived a life of practice, serving Rinpoche and trying to manifest his activity. As we have faced the changes in our lives that impermanence inevitably brings, we have maintained a joint commitment to the fulfillment of Rinpoche's vision to bring dharma to the West. The opportunity has always been there to practice and to serve and offer to the lama. I recognized that Rinpoche has established Rigdzin Ling so that people can honor their connection to the dharma. I recognized that to work here is to offer within his mandala of activity.
When times were difficult-and there were times when I felt like I wanted to leave, times when I felt like I didn't want to continue to work here anymore–I would read or remember the stories of Milarepa and others who had persevered under conditions and circumstances that were far worse than mine. Whenever there was difficulty I would think like that and keep going.
I began to notice that whenever I followed what Rinpoche wanted me to do, it helped me cut through my ego clinging, whatever trip I was on. My mind would feel lighter, and it would be easier to meditate. Whenever I allowed my mind to follow its ordinary course, I would end up suffering more.So I practiced taking the path of guru yoga, following the instructions and guidance of the lama, whatever they might be. As a result, my experience lightened up more and more.
As we built Rigdzin Ling, I was very happy to just keep meditating, pounding nails and building buildings. It was a very simple life. Then Rinpoche decided that it would be best if I started holding his activity here, particularly the administrative and spiritual aspects. That was a challenge that I had some resistance to. I felt that it would be better for me to just meditate. I told Rinpoche that I didn't want to be involved in the middle of all this activity, that I'd rather stay out of the whole thing. He laughed and said, "That's why you should be in the middle of it." I knew he was right and I had to laugh too. I recognized my attachment to formal practice and to certain aspects of my life. But I kept letting go, and slowly all of that settled out in the wake of the lama's blessings. This just showed me once again that wherever the lama directed me, that was really where the blessings were,and that if I took my ordinary mind's course, that would be my downfall.
I feel I've found a teacher who is truly worthy of being followed. I don't consider myself a very worthy student. I'm not very diligent and haven't practiced as much as one could. But I do have some faith, love, and devotion for my guru. I wish that all sentient beings could connect with a source of refuge so that they too could refine away their pain and suffering and come to recognize the nature of their mind.
At this point my only aspiration is to hold dearly all that Rinpoche has blessed me with so that it can benefit future generations. That's the way lineage happens. The dharma was carried from India to Tibet and now to America, but its essence has not changed since the time that the Buddha first taught. Lineage is held through faith and devotion–the way that a student is intended to follow, emulate, and in the end come to the same realization as the teacher–and none of this has changed since the Buddha first taught. We in the United States really have nothing more to do than uphold the dharma in exactly the same way it has been passed down for centuries. It doesn't have to do with the outer display. The outer display may or may not change a little, but the inner sense, the inner meaning of the dharma, never changes because wisdom never changes. The nature of mind never changes.
This year His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche ordained Lama Padma Drimed Norbu (Wyn Fischel) and delegated to him many responsibilities, including transmission of the profound Great Perfection teachings. In the following edited transcript of an interview with him, Lama Drimed shares with us some of his background and experiences on the path.
When I first met Rinpoche I had the definite impression that he was a realized being who really knew the truth. Even though I couldn't quite access that knowledge or wisdom, I felt his immense compassion and was drawn to follow his teachings. My wife, Lisa. and I began our preliminary practices shortly after we met him and attended the next winter Dzogchen retreat. At that retreat I felt like I had found a long lost friend–actually it was more like having lost my father early in life and then finding him again. It flashed in my mind that I had been waiting all my life to reconnect with the path and with my teacher. I had truly been wandering in samsara. There is nothing you can do but wait it out if there is no karma to find a true path and a true teacher.
Before I met Rinpoche I had a career as a teacher and a sculptor. Although I wasn't pursuing any kind of formal spiritual practice, I took my art to be spiritual practice. When I taught children, we had a good time together and there seemed to be benefit. I tried to use my art to awaken my mind. I knew that I was asleep. I was a slave to my own patterns and I yearned for a way to free my mind. There were moments as I sculpted or painted when I would have what I'd call a spiritual experience, and I was very present in those situations. I used the art to try to heighten my awareness. But I could never really sustain it. It would never last very long.
When I was in my late twenties, my life began to dissolve, just as things do. I was standing in the middle of my studio one day painting and I realized that I could be painting like this for the next fifty years. It kind of surprised and shocked me at the same time. I wondered where my painting would really lead me. There were many things in my life that were coming to an end and I decided to take the opportunity to make a pilgrimage. Even though I did not want to admit to myself that I was in desperate need of a spiritual teacher, that's what was going on. So I made plans to go to Asia.
Just as I was about to leave I met Lisa, and so I postponed my trip for a while. We decided to travel around the United States and look for a teacher, a spiritual path that would work for us–something. That's when we met Rinpoche.
There are three ways to serve a teacher when you find one and make a connection. The best way is to practice, the next best is to help with the teacher's activity, and the third is to make some kind of offering as a gesture of gratitude. We immediately felt a strong urge to serve him in all three ways.
Lisa and I were the first ones to move to Rigdzin Ling to begin work on making this place happen. Over the years we have lived a life of practice, serving Rinpoche and trying to manifest his activity. As we have faced the changes in our lives that impermanence inevitably brings, we have maintained a joint commitment to the fulfillment of Rinpoche's vision to bring dharma to the West. The opportunity has always been there to practice and to serve and offer to the lama. I recognized that Rinpoche has established Rigdzin Ling so that people can honor their connection to the dharma. I recognized that to work here is to offer within his mandala of activity.
When times were difficult-and there were times when I felt like I wanted to leave, times when I felt like I didn't want to continue to work here anymore–I would read or remember the stories of Milarepa and others who had persevered under conditions and circumstances that were far worse than mine. Whenever there was difficulty I would think like that and keep going.
I began to notice that whenever I followed what Rinpoche wanted me to do, it helped me cut through my ego clinging, whatever trip I was on. My mind would feel lighter, and it would be easier to meditate. Whenever I allowed my mind to follow its ordinary course, I would end up suffering more.So I practiced taking the path of guru yoga, following the instructions and guidance of the lama, whatever they might be. As a result, my experience lightened up more and more.
As we built Rigdzin Ling, I was very happy to just keep meditating, pounding nails and building buildings. It was a very simple life. Then Rinpoche decided that it would be best if I started holding his activity here, particularly the administrative and spiritual aspects. That was a challenge that I had some resistance to. I felt that it would be better for me to just meditate. I told Rinpoche that I didn't want to be involved in the middle of all this activity, that I'd rather stay out of the whole thing. He laughed and said, "That's why you should be in the middle of it." I knew he was right and I had to laugh too. I recognized my attachment to formal practice and to certain aspects of my life. But I kept letting go, and slowly all of that settled out in the wake of the lama's blessings. This just showed me once again that wherever the lama directed me, that was really where the blessings were,and that if I took my ordinary mind's course, that would be my downfall.
I feel I've found a teacher who is truly worthy of being followed. I don't consider myself a very worthy student. I'm not very diligent and haven't practiced as much as one could. But I do have some faith, love, and devotion for my guru. I wish that all sentient beings could connect with a source of refuge so that they too could refine away their pain and suffering and come to recognize the nature of their mind.
At this point my only aspiration is to hold dearly all that Rinpoche has blessed me with so that it can benefit future generations. That's the way lineage happens. The dharma was carried from India to Tibet and now to America, but its essence has not changed since the time that the Buddha first taught. Lineage is held through faith and devotion–the way that a student is intended to follow, emulate, and in the end come to the same realization as the teacher–and none of this has changed since the Buddha first taught. We in the United States really have nothing more to do than uphold the dharma in exactly the same way it has been passed down for centuries. It doesn't have to do with the outer display. The outer display may or may not change a little, but the inner sense, the inner meaning of the dharma, never changes because wisdom never changes. The nature of mind never changes.
