One of the first times I met Lama Sonam, I was leaving RiverHouse, no doubt feeling very serious about my dharma practice, when he kicked a soccer ball at me. I kicked it back more or less out of politeness, but he would not let me pass. He stood on the front porch, an impish grin on his face,and kicked it back again. There was no choice but to respond in kind. It occurred to me that it was somewhat silly that two grown men, one from Kansas and one from Tibet, were standing on the front porch of a house in Oregon,playing a game that was native to neither one of them, and at which neither was particularly adept. But Sonam was determined. I had to retreat kicking, but by the time I did so I was laughing, and whatever seriousness I'd been feeling about anything that day had been as gently dispelled as by a warm breeze.
Last summer, Sonam traveled to Alaska with Jeff Pearson, and worked the cannery circuit with him there. Some of us worried about the lama.How would this pixie from the highlands fare in the machismo world of heavy industrial fish packing?
As it happened, Sonam took the worst jobs; hosing out the machines, for example, which left him covered head to foot in fish guts. He did the work others escaped, if they could, but the people in the canneries were amazed by him. Sonam didn't try to escape anything. He'd walk out of the plant at the end of a long shift, looking as if he'd just been in the near vicinity of a horrendous act of ichthyo-terrorism, and he would be grinning. He rarely seemed fatigued. He won friends among his coworkers and foremen, and as a result he always had a steady supply of work, even when others were idled by slowdowns. When he returned to Oregon, he received a profit share bonus of several hundred dollars.
Sonam, who is 35, has known Chagdud Tulku since he was a child. Rinpoche first met him in Orissa, India, where they both settled for a time after fleeing the Chinese conquest of Tibet in 1959. Chagdud Rinpoche recognized Sonam' s fine qualities, and they have maintained contact throughout the ensuing years, even when living far apart.
Sonam has received extensive teachings and training frommany great lamas. He studied for eight years at the Nyingmapa Institute in Nepal. Chagdud Rinpoche has the highest opinion of him .
Anyone who has been lucky enough to spend time with Sonam knows his qualities of kindness and humor. He is currently traveling in Nepal and Tibet with Rinpoche and several members of the Oregon sangha, and plans to stay several months. We miss him, and await his safe return.
C.G.
One of the first times I met Lama Sonam, I was leaving RiverHouse, no doubt feeling very serious about my dharma practice, when he kicked a soccer ball at me. I kicked it back more or less out of politeness, but he would not let me pass. He stood on the front porch, an impish grin on his face,and kicked it back again. There was no choice but to respond in kind. It occurred to me that it was somewhat silly that two grown men, one from Kansas and one from Tibet, were standing on the front porch of a house in Oregon,playing a game that was native to neither one of them, and at which neither was particularly adept. But Sonam was determined. I had to retreat kicking, but by the time I did so I was laughing, and whatever seriousness I'd been feeling about anything that day had been as gently dispelled as by a warm breeze.
Last summer, Sonam traveled to Alaska with Jeff Pearson, and worked the cannery circuit with him there. Some of us worried about the lama.How would this pixie from the highlands fare in the machismo world of heavy industrial fish packing?
As it happened, Sonam took the worst jobs; hosing out the machines, for example, which left him covered head to foot in fish guts. He did the work others escaped, if they could, but the people in the canneries were amazed by him. Sonam didn't try to escape anything. He'd walk out of the plant at the end of a long shift, looking as if he'd just been in the near vicinity of a horrendous act of ichthyo-terrorism, and he would be grinning. He rarely seemed fatigued. He won friends among his coworkers and foremen, and as a result he always had a steady supply of work, even when others were idled by slowdowns. When he returned to Oregon, he received a profit share bonus of several hundred dollars.
Sonam, who is 35, has known Chagdud Tulku since he was a child. Rinpoche first met him in Orissa, India, where they both settled for a time after fleeing the Chinese conquest of Tibet in 1959. Chagdud Rinpoche recognized Sonam' s fine qualities, and they have maintained contact throughout the ensuing years, even when living far apart.
Sonam has received extensive teachings and training frommany great lamas. He studied for eight years at the Nyingmapa Institute in Nepal. Chagdud Rinpoche has the highest opinion of him .
Anyone who has been lucky enough to spend time with Sonam knows his qualities of kindness and humor. He is currently traveling in Nepal and Tibet with Rinpoche and several members of the Oregon sangha, and plans to stay several months. We miss him, and await his safe return.
C.G.
One of the first times I met Lama Sonam, I was leaving RiverHouse, no doubt feeling very serious about my dharma practice, when he kicked a soccer ball at me. I kicked it back more or less out of politeness, but he would not let me pass. He stood on the front porch, an impish grin on his face,and kicked it back again. There was no choice but to respond in kind. It occurred to me that it was somewhat silly that two grown men, one from Kansas and one from Tibet, were standing on the front porch of a house in Oregon,playing a game that was native to neither one of them, and at which neither was particularly adept. But Sonam was determined. I had to retreat kicking, but by the time I did so I was laughing, and whatever seriousness I'd been feeling about anything that day had been as gently dispelled as by a warm breeze.
Last summer, Sonam traveled to Alaska with Jeff Pearson, and worked the cannery circuit with him there. Some of us worried about the lama.How would this pixie from the highlands fare in the machismo world of heavy industrial fish packing?
As it happened, Sonam took the worst jobs; hosing out the machines, for example, which left him covered head to foot in fish guts. He did the work others escaped, if they could, but the people in the canneries were amazed by him. Sonam didn't try to escape anything. He'd walk out of the plant at the end of a long shift, looking as if he'd just been in the near vicinity of a horrendous act of ichthyo-terrorism, and he would be grinning. He rarely seemed fatigued. He won friends among his coworkers and foremen, and as a result he always had a steady supply of work, even when others were idled by slowdowns. When he returned to Oregon, he received a profit share bonus of several hundred dollars.
Sonam, who is 35, has known Chagdud Tulku since he was a child. Rinpoche first met him in Orissa, India, where they both settled for a time after fleeing the Chinese conquest of Tibet in 1959. Chagdud Rinpoche recognized Sonam' s fine qualities, and they have maintained contact throughout the ensuing years, even when living far apart.
Sonam has received extensive teachings and training frommany great lamas. He studied for eight years at the Nyingmapa Institute in Nepal. Chagdud Rinpoche has the highest opinion of him .
Anyone who has been lucky enough to spend time with Sonam knows his qualities of kindness and humor. He is currently traveling in Nepal and Tibet with Rinpoche and several members of the Oregon sangha, and plans to stay several months. We miss him, and await his safe return.
C.G.
One of the first times I met Lama Sonam, I was leaving RiverHouse, no doubt feeling very serious about my dharma practice, when he kicked a soccer ball at me. I kicked it back more or less out of politeness, but he would not let me pass. He stood on the front porch, an impish grin on his face,and kicked it back again. There was no choice but to respond in kind. It occurred to me that it was somewhat silly that two grown men, one from Kansas and one from Tibet, were standing on the front porch of a house in Oregon,playing a game that was native to neither one of them, and at which neither was particularly adept. But Sonam was determined. I had to retreat kicking, but by the time I did so I was laughing, and whatever seriousness I'd been feeling about anything that day had been as gently dispelled as by a warm breeze.
Last summer, Sonam traveled to Alaska with Jeff Pearson, and worked the cannery circuit with him there. Some of us worried about the lama.How would this pixie from the highlands fare in the machismo world of heavy industrial fish packing?
As it happened, Sonam took the worst jobs; hosing out the machines, for example, which left him covered head to foot in fish guts. He did the work others escaped, if they could, but the people in the canneries were amazed by him. Sonam didn't try to escape anything. He'd walk out of the plant at the end of a long shift, looking as if he'd just been in the near vicinity of a horrendous act of ichthyo-terrorism, and he would be grinning. He rarely seemed fatigued. He won friends among his coworkers and foremen, and as a result he always had a steady supply of work, even when others were idled by slowdowns. When he returned to Oregon, he received a profit share bonus of several hundred dollars.
Sonam, who is 35, has known Chagdud Tulku since he was a child. Rinpoche first met him in Orissa, India, where they both settled for a time after fleeing the Chinese conquest of Tibet in 1959. Chagdud Rinpoche recognized Sonam' s fine qualities, and they have maintained contact throughout the ensuing years, even when living far apart.
Sonam has received extensive teachings and training frommany great lamas. He studied for eight years at the Nyingmapa Institute in Nepal. Chagdud Rinpoche has the highest opinion of him .
Anyone who has been lucky enough to spend time with Sonam knows his qualities of kindness and humor. He is currently traveling in Nepal and Tibet with Rinpoche and several members of the Oregon sangha, and plans to stay several months. We miss him, and await his safe return.
C.G.
One of the first times I met Lama Sonam, I was leaving RiverHouse, no doubt feeling very serious about my dharma practice, when he kicked a soccer ball at me. I kicked it back more or less out of politeness, but he would not let me pass. He stood on the front porch, an impish grin on his face,and kicked it back again. There was no choice but to respond in kind. It occurred to me that it was somewhat silly that two grown men, one from Kansas and one from Tibet, were standing on the front porch of a house in Oregon,playing a game that was native to neither one of them, and at which neither was particularly adept. But Sonam was determined. I had to retreat kicking, but by the time I did so I was laughing, and whatever seriousness I'd been feeling about anything that day had been as gently dispelled as by a warm breeze.
Last summer, Sonam traveled to Alaska with Jeff Pearson, and worked the cannery circuit with him there. Some of us worried about the lama.How would this pixie from the highlands fare in the machismo world of heavy industrial fish packing?
As it happened, Sonam took the worst jobs; hosing out the machines, for example, which left him covered head to foot in fish guts. He did the work others escaped, if they could, but the people in the canneries were amazed by him. Sonam didn't try to escape anything. He'd walk out of the plant at the end of a long shift, looking as if he'd just been in the near vicinity of a horrendous act of ichthyo-terrorism, and he would be grinning. He rarely seemed fatigued. He won friends among his coworkers and foremen, and as a result he always had a steady supply of work, even when others were idled by slowdowns. When he returned to Oregon, he received a profit share bonus of several hundred dollars.
Sonam, who is 35, has known Chagdud Tulku since he was a child. Rinpoche first met him in Orissa, India, where they both settled for a time after fleeing the Chinese conquest of Tibet in 1959. Chagdud Rinpoche recognized Sonam' s fine qualities, and they have maintained contact throughout the ensuing years, even when living far apart.
Sonam has received extensive teachings and training frommany great lamas. He studied for eight years at the Nyingmapa Institute in Nepal. Chagdud Rinpoche has the highest opinion of him .
Anyone who has been lucky enough to spend time with Sonam knows his qualities of kindness and humor. He is currently traveling in Nepal and Tibet with Rinpoche and several members of the Oregon sangha, and plans to stay several months. We miss him, and await his safe return.
C.G.
