So when my wife and children went to Dharmsala for the first time on a train with our friend, Geshe Lobsang Gyatso, a Tibetan Lama, we met Thubten, Geshela's student whose monk robes Geshela held for him while he supported his parents until they passed away. This was in January 1986.
At this time Thubten and I became friends and he told me many Drukpa Kunley stories which are crazy wisdom joke enlightenment stories. He said that some of them were impolite and only for the ears of men but enjoyed telling me these stories. Sometimes I laughed until I thought I was going to cry or wet my pants they were all so funny.
So today I Googled Drukpa Kunley and found out he was a real person in Bhutan. Here is a quote from the Wikipedia article on him?
Drukpa Kunley
[show] Part of a series on Tibetan Buddhism |
|---|
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Biography
He was born into the branch of the noble Gya (rgya) clan of Ralung in the Tsang region of western Tibet, which descended from Lhabum (lha 'bum) the second eldest brother of Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje. His father was nang so rin chen bzang po. He was the nephew of Gyalwang Kunga Paljor. Father of Ngawang Tenzin and Zhingkyong Drukdra. Established Khime Lhakhang (khyii med lha khang), near Punakha (spung thang) in 1499.He was known for his crazy methods of enlightening other beings, mostly women, which earned him the title "The Saint of 5,000 Women". He taught in exchange for chhaang (barley beer).
There is one book in English about him which tells of his strong magic and his immediate and complete charm over women. Women would seek his blessing in the form of sex. His existence in Tibetan Buddhism elucidates the role of sexual union in some paths to enlightenment.[citation needed] However, the female consort had/has an important (albeit secret) role in many monasteries in the East. Thanka paintings illustrate sexual positions and some of the rituals that must accompany the actions; they are available in English in various books. See also the text of the Kalachakra teachings.
Visitors to Drukpa Kunley's monastery in Bhutan are welcome, but the visit requires a long uphill walk from the road. The monastery is very modest, only one smallish building, but it contains a wood-and-ivory lingam through which one can obtain blessings from the monk in residence. end quote.
This is an amazing discovery for me to find that Drukpa Kunley today is a real and enlightened Tibetan Being. (Drukpa means revered Dragon Father) or something close to that. I know for sure that Druk means "Dragon" and pa usually refers to someone like a Gonpa (the head of a monastery) and a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery is a Gonpo. However, I don't know what Kunley means.
Also, Lingam and Yoni are the male and female aspects and I think originally were or Hindi or Hindu sacred words.
In Drukpa Kunley is the essence of raw Tibetan Buddhist Crazy Wisdom at its most intense and powerful and at the same time funny. There is this "Zen" aspect to the way many Tibetan Buddhists practice that one can only laugh and forget for a time one's sorrows and pain for a moment or series of moments. Tibetan Buddhists in Asia are often laughing about their lives in some Zen like way. Since Americans often laugh at their plight especially during hard times our cultures have a lot in common in being able to laugh our troubles away.
A book that I bought also has more on Drukpa Kunley if you are interested. Here is Keith Dowman's website button who wrote "The Divine Madman".
No comments:
Post a Comment