My dear friend, Christopher Neely from the Monterey Weekly came by the Manjushri Dharma Center spoke with me; afterwards he published this article in the Monterey Weekly:
Thank you so much Chris, this is a really beautiful and well-written article. The release of this article also coincides closely with Wednesday, 7/13, which is the 49th day of Karma Shawa’s bardo, which is very important for Tibetan Buddhists. Tomorrow evening is also a full moon. I will hold an Boddhisattva who embodies the Compassion of all Buddhas Avalokiteshvara / Chenrezig Practice and we will pray for all those who have passed, including Karma Shawa. Wednesday, is His Holiness’s Day, or Lhakar ‘White Wednesday’; HH is considered an emanation of Avalokiteshvara by the Tibetan Buddhists. Some of my friends may think that I am too attached to this baby deer, and some have said that I am overdoing it a bit, but this is my love and compassion for him. I can say that I feel that he was a very special animal. He passed away at the beginning of Saga Dawa, which is the holiest month in Buddhism in which we commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni. After he died, many of my friends, family, Lamas, and monks, I believe thousands of people across the world from places such as Nepal, Tibet, and Thailand prayed for the spirit of Karma Shawa. I cannot express in words the auspiciousness of the synchronicities of these events or my personal feeling and connection to him. Here is a prayer which I wrote for Karma Shawa:
Prayer for Karma Shawa
OM SVASTI
Protector Amitabha of Sukhavati,
Supreme Deity of Infinite Light, closest to our lives,
As you hear my bereaved, yearning request,
Quickly come, unimpeded, to the space before me!
During this time when images of Dharma can still be seen,
Though our bodies were different, me, a human being,
And you, a dear little animal, we came together
In this place, here, like a father and his son.
Separated in the briefest moment, the nature of impermanent things,
Yet, by power of our profound connection during this short time,
And the positive potential of your good instincts for compassion,
Through forceful methods, may you take birth in Sukhavati!
Even if you are not reborn in Sukhavati,
May you take ordination, meet a Virtuous Spiritual Guide,
Train your mind in successive hearing, contemplation, and meditation,
And finally become irreversible on the path.
Supreme Deity, Amitabha, Lord of hundreds of Buddha families,
Through blessings of your compassion, coming close from afar,
Please calm all frightening visions of the fawn’s intermediate state
and swiftly guide the departed Karma Shawa to Sukhavati!
For your parents who are left behind
May our sorrow for you be consoled
May we enjoy health, peace and happiness,
And never part from Dharma for a moment of the day or night.
