The 10th Anniversary of Mangala Shri Bhuti Japan
Roy Nemoto was one of Rinpoche’s earliest students and the first President of Mangala Shri Bhuti. A dear friend to Rinpoche and many of us, his passing in May 2007 left us deeply reflective about what he contributed to our sangha. Roy was from Japan, and for many years he requested Rinpoche to visit Japan in order to help reawaken the Vajrayana buddha dharma there and establish a
Oka-san's introduction
sangha. 2011 marks the 10th year anniversary of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche’s annual teaching in Japan, and during the last week of January Mangala Shri Bhuti Japan celebrated this milestone during Rinpoche’s visit to Kyoto. Roy would be very pleased, for, supported by empowerments, traditional teachings and personal guidance, there is indeed a well established small sangha who practice Vajrayana Buddhism, participating in the Longchen Nyingtik tsok practice twice a month along with their own daily ngondro, sadhana and nature of mind practices.
The samurai culture has always attracted Rinpoche with its sincere heart of courage, loyalty and selflessness. This interest coupled with the rich Buddhist history of Japan led Rinpoche to make pilgrimages to many temples in Japan over the years and along the way reinstate in his Japanese (and Western) students their traditional cultural values, which in these modern times are in danger of being lost. It is not unlike Rinpoche’s trips to Bhutan, India, Taiwan, or other parts of Asia where, though there is a history of ancient wisdom, the speed and drive of the modern standard of living have almost wiped out what was once so much a part of a daily ethos in these old Buddhist countries. Rinpoche has a particular passion to show modern day Asians how to integrate their newfound cultural influences with their own heritage.
Sitting among twenty one students and friends at the celebratory dinner of Mangala Shri
Dai-san recalls Rinpoche's kindness
Bhuti Japan’s first ten years, the sincerity, devotion and mutual appreciation between the Japanese sangha and Rinpoche expressed the essence of all that happened over these years. And all of us who study with Rinpoche through out the world, and most likely anyone who has studied committedly under a teacher, would immediately recognize and associate with the atmosphere that evening: This yearning that we share to be part of the teacher’s vision, life and mind, when we have followed it for some time, becomes part of you, rather than only something you reach for. You can see it expressed on someone’s face or in his or her manner. To witness this instant similarity in what we all are doing was very moving and joyful.
In his response to two wonderful toasts given by Dai-san and Oka-an, the first a retrospective on the ten years and the second an ‘inner’ history of the impact Rinpoche’s care and kindness has had, Rinpoche said humorously, “perhaps half of Oka-san’s grey hair comes from worrying about MSB Japan.” The stories told by the students and
Many toasts of appreciation
Rinpoche illustrated the work of building a sangha with its challenges, constant development, profound personal meaning, and joy.
Rinpoche reminded all present of what makes the biggest long term impact, from his point of view, and this is establishing the lineage. Here establishing the lineage and establishing the dharma go hand in hand. He felt that an understanding of the scriptural dharma was well under way, speaking of the greatest contribution to the students’ lives being an education in dharma, and noted the ways in which he has seen the students’ understanding, seriousness about study, and thought process change. He said he hoped that the realization aspect of the dharma would continue to deepen in the coming years, and together this would take the sangha further to fully establishing the lineage in Japan.
Oka-san, Dai-san and Maki-san have been pillars of the Japanese sangha from the beginning and Rinpoche recognized their commitment and pivotal role, from hosting sitting, tsoks, group discussion, and many devoted attempts to stream NSS or Words of My Perfect Teacher 13 hours later on Japanese time. Kelly Lee Lin and Frank Lin, who visited from Taiwan, recently generously offered their house in Kyoto for the sangha’s use, and during the weekend Uttaratantra Shastra teachings held there, Rinpoche gave the name Tashi Gachil - Auspicious Coil of Joy.
The house in Izu where Dai-san now lives is hoped to serve as a retreat center for the sangha. Rinpoche named this Tashi Choling – Auspicious Place of Dharma. Dai-san has been studying arduously at Guna Institute in Bir, now in the middle of its fourth year, translating texts from Tibetan into Japanese.
Many aspirations were made for the ‘next ten years’, and there’s little doubt that the commitment and dedication of the Japanese students, no different than our own, will continue to plant deeper roots of the lineage in the land of samurai spirit and ancient Buddhist culture.
Photographs from this year’s visit
