Roger Cantu Meets Lama Ole and Takes Refuge
Houston, TX
November 19, 1999
It was a Friday night at the Bookstop. A small crowd was gathering for the
book signing of the book “Entering the Diamond Way” by Lama Ole Nydahl.
Lama Ole is one of the very few Westerners who is fully qualified as a Lama
and meditation teacher in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In December 1969 he
and his wife, Hannah became the first western students of His Holiness the XVI
Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpai Dorje, one of the greatest yogis of this
century and the head of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. His Holiness
had a profound influence on their lives. He asked Hannah and Ole to bring
Buddhism to the West. For the last 26 years they have been traveling non-stop,
teaching and setting up meditation centers around the world.
Roger’s Encounter with the Lama
I was sitting on the front row of the small conference area on the second
floor, when suddenly I felt a strong shift in the energy around the room. Lama
Ole had just walked into the room. With strong character and determination,
Lama Ole introduced himself. He started talking about the importance of
keeping the tradition and cultural values of Tibet alive. He spoke about how
different cultures have completely disappeared from the face of the earth, and
that it was his job to bring the essence of Tibetan Buddhism to independent
western minds and encourage his students to recognize that joy, fearlessness,
and active compassion are the most important qualities in today's times.
His short introduction was very interesting and it was
followed by a question and answer session. At that point, I told him that I
had taken refuge with the Dalai Lama during the Mind of Enlightenment
Initiation, but that ceremony was only a general refuge into Buddhism without
being part of any particular lineage. I asked him what would entail to take
refuge with him and his lineage.
Lama Ole told me that tonight he would be presenting a
lecture on the Mahamudra and then offering refuge and entrance into his
lineage. He said that in the Karma Kagyu lineage one takes refuge on the Lama,
the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. From there you can read different
books related to the lineage and attend center meetings.
Then, I asked him how his lineage was related to the
teachings of Guru Padmasambhava. He said that his lineage was the direct
connection to the teachings of Padmasambhava. He explained that Karma Kagyu is
one of the major Buddhist schools of Tibet. As a lineage of direct oral
transmission, it especially treasures meditation and can, through interaction
with a qualified teacher, bring about the full direct experience of the nature
of the mind. The Karma Kagyu methods were taught by the historical Buddha
Shakyamuni to his closest students. They were later passed on through the
Indian Mahasiddhas: Guru Padmasambhava, Tilopa, Naropa and Maitripa and the
famous Tibetan Yogis Marpa and Milarepa. In the 12th century, the monk Gampopa
gave the teachings to the first Gyalwa Karmapa whose successive incarnations
have kept them powerful and vibrant over the centuries. Today, great Tibetan
and Bhutanese lamas such as Kunzig Shamarpa and Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche transmit
this unbroken tradition when visiting the many Karma Kagyu centers around the
world.
All through the lecture he kept on making eye contact and
winking at me, which I found rather amusing. At the end of the lecture and I
came up him, and told him that I had been teaching and studying meditation for
many years, and I gave him a copy of my upcoming book “Powerful Mental
Development.” He blessed my book and told me to come to the lecture that
night.
The lecture on the Mahamudra was fascinating. Lama Ole
explained that the Mahamudra is the "Great Seal" of reality. The
Mahamudra is the Buddha's promise that this is the ultimate teaching. It is
mainly taught in the Kagyu tradition and brings about the direct experience of
mind. Mahamudra includes basis, way and goal, and is the quintessence of all
Buddhist teachings.
After the lecture, we had a question and answer session.
I asked him what he thought about the Kalachakra teachings and if he ever
performed the Kalachakra empowerment. He explained that the Kalachakra Tantra
is regarded as the essence and heart of Vajrayana. The first king of Shambala,
Sucandra, an emanation of Vajrapani, requested Buddha Sakyamuni to give
teachings about Kalachakra. On the full-moon day of the third month, at the
stupa of Dhanyakataka in the south of India, before an assembly of innumerable
Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Dakas, Dakinis, gods, nagas and yakshas, the Buddha
manifested in the form of Kalachakra, transmitted the complete empowerment and
gave teachings on this Tantra, which belongs to the most profound and highest
class of Tantras. When back in Shambala, King Sucandra built up a three
dimensional mandala of Kalachakra, absorbed himself in the practice and gave
the transmission of the whole cycle to all inhabitants of the kingdom of
Shambala. The royal lineage kept the transmission unbroken, then, from
Shambala it spread out to India and later to Tibet.
Kalachakra means “Wheel of Time.” The outer meaning
deals with the universe and all traditional sciences such as astronomy,
astrology, mathematics, medicine. The inner meaning relates to the human body,
its internal structure and subtle energies, to be developed through yogas and
tantras. The secret meaning refers to the complete cycle of study and practice
of the Tantric meditation on the Kalachakra deity and its Mandala.
The Buddha prophesized that all who received the
Kalachakra empowerment would take rebirth in its mandala. The Kalachakra
empowerment pacifies conflicts, develops peace and welfare, reduces suffering
and increases love, kindness, compassion, joy and happiness. Lama Ole also
said that he was one of the few westerns who were qualified to perform the
Kalachakra initiation.
During the break, Lama Ole started blessing several
people and I decided to get in line. As soon as I approached the stage, my
third eye started vibrating at a very high rate. Lama Ole told me that I was
very much like Padmasambhava, and that he had started reading my book between
the book signing and the lecture. He really liked it and wished me well. He
also told me that I was a very good person and had a big heart.
After the break, Lama Ole guided us through the Clear
Light meditation. This meditation was one of the most powerful experiences I
ever had. Meditating with him was as powerful as the night in which I went
through a Buddhist initiation with my spiritual teacher Rama. When he started
meditating, I was completely lost into nothingness. I was completely gone! No
self, no nothing.
At the end of the meditation, Lama Ole asked who wanted
to take refuge and get a dharma name. I was the first one in line. My new
dharma name is Karma Changchub Dorje. It means “Diamond of Enlightenment.”
After the lecture, I went over to the Houston center to
have dinner with the members of the center. After a while Lama Ole came into
the kitchen, rubbed my belly and said; “Ah, there’s my old friend.” I
really felt a connection with him that night.
That night, I experienced a very peculiar dream. Lama Ole
was standing in front of a white room surrounded by a few students. He was
speaking very fast, and I could not understand a word he was saying.
I said, “I don’t understand.” Lama Ole looked at me
with kindness in his eyes and said, “It’s okay. At least you are here now.
You are one of us.”
The following morning I woke up feeling highly energized,
and ready to start a new spiritual adventure upon the pathway of the Karma
Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
About Lama Ole Nydahl
Lama Ole did his graduate work in Philosophy in Denmark
and wrote his thesis on Aldous Huxley's “Doors of Perception.” He is the
author of several books translated into many languages. Lama Ole and his wife
Hannah have founded over 200 Buddhist centers in Germany, Poland, Russia,
South America, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United States, among other
countries. There are 14 centers in the U.S. mostly on the west coast.
Lama Ole is bringing the essence of Tibetan Buddhism
without all the cultural trappings to independent western minds and encourages
his students to recognize that joy, fearlessness, and active compassion are
the most important qualities in today's times.
"My recipe is simple: tell people the necessity of
finding something which can carry them through sickness, aging and death, and
don't be afraid to give them a glimpse of the joy of life. Tell people that
the mind is like space: open, clear and limitless, and talk about both way and
the goal."
-- Lama Ole Nydahl
For more information please visit the following websites:
Diamond Way Buddhism
Diamond Way Buddhist Centers
Information on Lama Ole Nydahl
