On the Passing of Great Beings

Of late, a number of the great Tibetan older guard of teachers has passed, among whom are a couple I’ve had the honor of meeting and studying under/attending their teachings. These passings are reminders of the impermanence of phenomena and at the same time, the lessons of non-self/anatman/annata/བདག་མེད་, in a couple of ways. 

One is that all phenomena is composite, each phenomenon the result of patternings of causes and conditions. No substantial self obtains from the impermanent, ever-shifting and metamorphosing of conditioned existence. Every Buddhist teacher I know - Tibetan and otherwise - stresses the transient,་insubstantial nature of the self.

That said, and this is a doctrine that falls under scrutiny for reasons of suggesting otherwise, there is posited and particularly emphasized in Tibetan Mahayana, persistently existing mindstreams. Now, any good madhyamika is going to say that even that mindstream is subject to impermanence and therefore, the positing of such is a doctrinal and/or logical fallacy. 

However, as a manifestation of MInd, which is all-pervasive, there is no metaphysical reason why any mindstream is not merely another phenomenon that persists for an indefinite period before being subsumed by, or returned to the ocean of primordial awareness or rigpa/རིག་པ. Of course, I recognize that “metaphysics”, particularly of this sort, or anathema to contemporary philosophy, but I’m not really interested in discussing that. The purpose in bring this to the fore is that my late teachers Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and now, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche have exemplified lives of selflessness rooted in not clinging to ego. Their respective passings into the Clear Light of Mahamudra were, one assumes, completely normal for them, they gracefully bid adieu to this realm and will continue their journeys, and if they adhere to tradition, will return in different forms but with recognizable traits to teach again.

Venerable Dhomang Gyatrul Rinpoche, who I regret not having studied with, passed into parinirvana in early April of this year at around the age of 98, and more recently, the great Drigung yogi His Eminence Choje Togden Rinpoche of Ladakh also departed this world. On the one hand, these are sad events for students. On the other, with the transition of each esteemed teacher, the onus is on us to continue to live what we have been taught within our capacities. The love, wisdom, compassion (and frankly, hard work) that each of these wonderful beings expressed has been passed along to us and each one would no doubt remind us that the Buddhadharma’s value is not tethered to impermanent bodies and personalities, however venerable and venerate, but in its lived experienced and expression in practice.

All of this said, we can certainly take time to mourn and honor the passing of the great worthies and transform those sentiments into awakening energy for the benefit for all sentient beings. May they return swiftly to ease the suffering of all beings and may we strive to put into practice all they have given us.