Reflections on January's events with His Holiness - January 2008

I had never even heard of Gyalwang Drukpa until a card dropped through my letterbox. Dubious, I checked him out with a couple of Buddhist mates,who gave him the "all clear". Since he appeared to be a lineage holder and that dated to before Magna Carta,I reckoned he might just be worth £15 and a couple of hours of my time to see what he was made of,whether he could cut the spiritual mustard,deliver the divine goods.A very tall order indeed! I had no intention of taking notes,but after about 15 minutes, I realised that the speech was utterly brilliant genius and scribbled down all I could on scraps of paper.A very wise decision.All I have shown it to agree:brilliant,a masterpiece of wisdom that a child could understand.I have read many of the great speeches of history,but none tops His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa's.

I was gobsmacked---in the best possible way! I was elevated and had actually learned a vital and fundamental lesson about love, life and living. Well! What could possibly be better than that? Nothing! Well,thats what I thought until the next day when I was forced to go to the Green Tara Initiation and Empowerment; whatever that might be! The minor miracles started almost as soon as I left my house and continued all day and every day for the last month.I now realise that such is the awesome and completely incomprehensible power of His Holiness and the Green Tara practice that He blessed us with on that great and glorious day.No more Christmas or Birthdays for me now; the only memorable date in my calendar is now 24 January 2008, when His Holiness gave me a spiritual sledgehammering that I will never ever forget!!! All in the nicest possible way and the best possible taste,of course! The venue was filled with "nice people" and "good vibes".Sun shining.Clear blue sky.Even the samsaric sludge of the Evening Standard carried the happy headline "London Child Slaves Freed"!(Have you ever heard a better headline?) There was a good atmosphere to the day. Auspicious omens appeared to sanction the gathering. Anyway I tried to keep my cool, keep an open mind and remain objective.Those laughable follies and pathetic delusions did not even reach midday! Shot down by a spiritual tsunami, a force 10 blast on the richter scale, I'm delighted to say my ego didn't stand a chance.It was ruthlessly blasted into some black hole and right out of this particular universe.Good riddance! Sometimes, death is good! But Buddha's Better!!!

What happened in that hall is almost completely impossible to describe or explain or even comprehend. But I will have a go. The GREEN TARA initiation, given by HIS HOLINESS THE 12th GYALWANG DRUKPA,was, one of the most important experiences of my entire life. This Darshan, this mind-transmission, this grace-blessing, this empowerment, this miracle that occurred, is extremely and uniquely personal to every individual that was present. No one person can fully or adequately describe or encompass the magnitude of the experience, its full power and glory,its magic and miraculous magnificence. It is above and beyond the power of words to describe or convey. Mere words can only give a tiny inadequate and inaccurate glimpse of the flavour and taste of the experience. Think "Peace". Think "Love". Think"enlightenment". Think "not thinking". Think "No-Mind". Think Be Here Now. "BE-ING". Right View. Rigpa. The Ultimate Culmination of all the Yogas. GOD. Cosmic Consciousness. The Void. Zero. Infinity. Well,words fail me! Words fail!!! Words are not the experience. There were no angels in the sky trumpeting, no cosmic fireworks, no waves of orgasmic ectasy overwhelmed me, no victors crown of laurel adorned me: because His Holiness was giving out a better deal: clear unfettered BEING. The most ordinary and normal condition of existance, so subtle and fundamental that we can't normally see it! Its nothing really: the nothing that is everything.Zero being the same as infinity,if you know what I mean . The universe comes into existance out of nothing: The Ultimate Paradox. "Cosmic consciousness" comes out of "emptiness" of mind. This sort of experience cannot be learned or read out of a book, (believe me, I've been trying for years!). Only the Divine and Immortal Masters can give us a taste of that greatest of all possible experiences. Therefore they are indispensable and essential to any serious spiritual aspirant. Worthy of all our love, respect, worship etc.etc.etc. It quickly became apparant to me that His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa was in full possession of all the siddhis and powers and qualities that we are told a Great Master should have. Not just book learning to perfection,but the human embodiment of the the Truth, the Scriptures and the Mind of Enlightenment,or Buddha Mind. To me, His veracity was sealed by his "atmosphere",His vibe,His enormous and obvious spiritual power. Full on-to the max! He is the Buddha:not called "His Holiness" and the "Holder of the Ultimate Lineage", etc., for nothing! Needless to say,I feel extremely honoured and humbled to have even been in the same room as His Holiness---let alone receive His Green Tara initiation and empowerment. It was a privelige beyond price or praise. It was the spiritual jackpot,the perfect "win-win" situation,the pearl of great price, the philosophers stone, the fountain of youth,the magic wand, Freedom, Liberation, Salvation, Elevation to the Ultimate (etc.),the full redemption of Gods Covenant with Man, infinite Love and Wisdom, etc. In short, the Green Tara practice has become the central focus of my whole life, which now revolves around Her and the three jewels: everything else is secondary and subordinate. Finally, I must mention some of the many consequences of this most auspicious and benific encounter with His Holiness and Tara. I have been sleeping less and my dreams have become more tranquil and "Dharmic". Following His Holiness's comment that human beings were the real terrorists,against creatures,Nature and the planet,I have become a vegan. Other people have told me that I look good/better/younger. There has been an increase in my general energy and activity level.The arrangement of my time and schedules has changed too, so that the efficiency of my life and work has been greatly improved. Even long established habits like handwriting style and driving technique,have changed for the better. Driving in London has turned into an almost constant stream of minor miracles and the impossibly good appears to be happening on a regular basis.To anyone unfamiliar with the relentless hell of London driving,it is impossible to over-emphasise the truly amazing nature of this phenomenon alone! The Builders whom I have engaged to refurbish and extend a property, are proving to be Britains best. A charming,intelligent and fair British boss, whose workforce are all Romanian. They are unbelievably hardworking, efficient, skilled, polite, considerate, reliable and not a rip-off. Some might call this a miracle. I certainly do! It almost goes without saying that all my relationships have improved noticeably; from my ex-wife to the shop assistant. The power of my one overt enemy has been destroyed and I have been able to offer some invaluable help and support to several people I know. By being "in the flow of the Tao" through His Holiness and Tara, stresses, obstacles and problems are often effortlessly brushed aside, circumstances conspire to improve of their own accord and life runs much more smoothly and effortlessly. I tend to find myself in the right place at the right time,previously unknown opportunities, discoveries and experiences present themselves in front of me and so, life is something of a minor magic mandala of miracles. To me this is all utterly gobsmacking and defies all the known laws of science and samsara. Frankly, I really don't care and could not give a hoot for naive materialistic opinions and judgements. They are completely irrelevant in the Holy Mandala of the three precious jewels, His Holiness and Tara. Anyway, as a result of all these overwhelming blessings and boons, my feelings towards them defies description and is intensely personal. Adoration and worship and gratitude are the ballpark here.I can only pray that you, dear reader, can experience the same or better and live in the Infinite Love of His Holiness, Tara and the three precious jewels. From a chela in the heights of Hackney. 10/3/2008 OM MANI PADME HUNG