Contemplation

Now two days after our meeting with the Karmarpa the energy created from our meeting still resonates around our little family and associates. Here are two (of the many!) quick impressions from me.

The Karmapa's facial expressions and body language are a sheer delight to experience. Before a word was spoken his solemness greeted my eyes. And throughout the audience his eyebrows, mouth, forehead, arms and legs, and torso all would shows degrees of wonderment, concentration, confusion, straight-forwardness, resignation and awkwardness and intensity. I am at a loss to describe the kaleidoscope of messages transmitted by his visual presence alone. India and Tibet no doubt are both lands where the human gesture is used to a high degree for communication! and just as easy as it is to totally understand or totally misinterpret body language in our own culture, so I figure we can make the same judgements in another culture. Hence, each of us during the session interpreted his actions in light of our prejudices and experiences and we had much fun in discussing our understanding of his holiness's actions during lunch.

As my little one's have described, the Karmapa's first words of wisdom concerned topic of what is most important. His answer was simple yet profound. He basically said everything is important, giving no qualification on what is most important. So chocolate featured as highly as family, as highly as friends, as highly as Lochy. Simple in the extent that it is inclusive of everything we experience, and profound in the sense that it obliges us with a responsibility to mark and consider everything with importance as we go about what we do. If Indians,Tibetans (and tourists for that matter) thought it important not to litter this wonderful country...what a difference that would make make. Simple. Profound. I have also thought more deeply on this introductory snippet of wisdom which has led my mind down many other tangential (dare I say meditative!) paths. It is fun. I recommend it to you. You may find that eating chocolate leads to enlightenment if you follow my lead!

For each of the Karmapa's words and expressions such a journey is possible. While I might be inconsistent in making the first step at times, I have since our meeting with his holiness been at times swept along in the joy and challenge of what he aptly calls the 'game'.

Behind all the trappings, mystique and ceremony of our meeting something sits with me strongly. The value and awe of contemplation. That is important.

Gerard