E-MAHO Dzogchen Center Newsletter Updated 09 Apr 2002

CONTENTS

Welcome to Emaho
Dedication
Dzogchen Center
Would you like to help? Please do!
From Lama Surya
Lama John's Investiture
Retreat Beat
Hey! It's Happening!
What in Creation
A Word on Submissions

FROM LAMA SURYA:

TASHIDELEK! AND WARMEST CONGRATULATIONS...

Congratulations to John Makransky, upon his investiture as lama, in the glorious Dzogchen lineage of Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche!

Lama Surya Das, Khenpo Rinpoche's foremost American lineage-holder, confirmed and authorized John as Lama Jamyang Dorje, in a simple, beautiful ceremony held after our summer retreat. John Makransky, professor of Buddhism and comparative religion at Boston College, now carries the name of the teacher most of us knew simply as Nyoshul Khenpo. John was a longtime student of his, as well as being also a student of Lama Surya Das.

Through practice, we draw ever closer and closer to the towering figures whose names we chant daily, the men and women whose practice made our practice possible. "And I pray a lot," Lama John comments, "to our lineages — especially the lineage of Nyoshul Khenpo and Lama Surya — to be made by it into what it would want."

As all stood waiting in anticipation, John and Lama Surya entered the shrine hall in a dignified manner. Candles flickered in pools of light, while outside, crickets sang to the cloudless, deep blue twilight sky. Don't imagine, however, that only solemnity prevailed! For, in typical Tibetan fashion, the lighthearted and the awesome emerged together as one, inseparable.

Actually, there had been a small conspiracy. In John's words, "I was a bit in shock, because the whole ceremony was a complete surprise!" He had not actually been told that all this was going to happen right here right now. Paul Crafts, acting as master of ceremonies, and Lama Surya had secretly arranged for John's wife and children to be present at the event. Other guests happily clustered around them, to hide them from view. So when John walked into the shrine room with Lama Surya, his two sons, eight-year-old Jonathan and five-year-old David, who had been concealed behind fellow conspirators, suddenly popped out and shouted: "Daddy! Surprise, surprise!"

When order was restored—but with joy undiminished—the ceremony proceeded.

After preliminary remarks about John's relation to him, and his close connection to Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche and to the lineage, Surya then formally installed John as a lama in the Dzogchen lineage. Seating John on the platform next to him, Lama Surya offered him several ritual implements of his own: bell and dorje, damaru (ritual drum), and mala. Paul Crafts read a traditional document Lama Surya had prepared, similar to one which Nyoshul Khenpo had composed for Lama Surya years ago. The document is a Certificate of Dharma Transmission and Authorization. It is long, for a newsletter, but because it is so important, we include it for those who would like to read the entire text:

"To all wise students wishing to enter the door of Dharma: the American lama and yogi Jamyang Dorje (John Makransky) is well known to me. For over 23 years, he has been studying the treatises of Tibetan Buddhism according to both Sutra and Tantra. He especially has trained in the special instructions of the Gelugpa and Nyingma traditions. He has studied with His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet as well as with many other excellent and revered Lamas. These include Geshe Lhundrup Sopa, Geshe Losang Namgyal, Lama Thubten Yeshe, and Thubten Zopa Rinpoche of the Gelugpa order. Others include Khenpo Sonam Togyal Rinpoche and Tulku Thondup of the Nyingma, and many other important Lamas. From myself and Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche he has received continuing extensive instruction and has practiced diligently the path of Dzogchen, from the preliminaries up through the ultimate practices, mainly according to the Terma treasures of Terton Dudjom Lingpa and Kyabjay Dudjom Rinpoche, and also of the Longchen Nyingthig. Jamyang Dorje has received many sublime Vajrayana empowerments and transmissions; from myself, Lama Surya Das (Kunzang Tenzin), he has on several occasions received one-to-one the renowned Great Oral Pith-Instruction Lineage of Dzogchen.

In addition to receiving all the empowerments, instructions and lineage transmissions necessary for Dzogchen Practice, Lama Jamyang Dorje has attained the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (equivalent of Geshe in the West). He serves as a professor of Buddhism at a respected American institution of higher learning and has gained substantial recognition for his scholarly activities.He has undertaken pilgrimage to important holy sites and centers of learning in Tibet and other places and has gained excellent knowledge of both the language of Tibet and the iconography of Tibetan Buddhism. In summary, Jamyang Dorje is a thoroughly qualified Lama. Those students relying upon him and those interested in Dharma may have complete confidence in him.

This is written as a letter of authorization by Lama Surya Das (Kunzang Tenzin) of the lineage of Shechen Monastery, and declared publicly to the many practitioners gathered here."

Lama Surya Das (Kunzang Tenzin)

After the reading of the "Transmission and Authorization", on behalf of the sangha and on behalf of the Dzogchen Center respectively, Julie Forsythe and Christopher Coriat came forward to present to Lama Jamyang Dorje the beautiful white silk scarfs, katas, as the traditional offering to a revered teacher.

Refuge and bodhisattva vows were offered, and then with everyone chanting the Benzar (Vajra) Guru mantra, sangha members came forward to be blessed—first by Lama Surya, with the precious relics of Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche, and then by Lama Jamyang, with the bell and dorje Lama Surya had just entrusted into his keeping.

And then everybody was smiling and shedding a tear here and there, and it was time to celebrate! There was a great party, with two huge cakes; on the top of one was written: "Congratulations, John Makransky" and on the other: "Tashidelek, Lama Jamyang Dorje." Of course, Jonathan and David were thrilled to see two large cakes (one of them chocolate!) just waiting for them!

E-maho asked Lama John if he would share his own feelings with us all, and tell us how it was to be there doing that. This is what he said:

"When Lama Surya spoke of our relationship, and our connection to Nyoshul Khenpo, the devotion we all had for the lineage, and that he was installing me now formally as a lama of that lineage, I was a bit weepy.

"Mainly I felt intense gratitude to all my own lamas, especially to Lama Surya and Nyoshul Khenpo, for reconnecting me, in this life, to our lineage, from which the very purpose of this human life could unfold.  It also felt like a moment beyond space and time... something familiar from the past, and an auspicious seal upon the future, in this life and beyond. It also felt like a huge responsibility—to uphold the lineage properly, to not dishonor it with my own agendas.

"And then I felt further gratitude to Lama Surya, for having patiently prepared me, so that in a sense, this moment felt not all that different from other moments. Not such a big deal. More like a natural outflow from all our practice together.

"Meanwhile, the power of the good will and deep well-wishes of the community of practitioners in that hall was so strong, it just about blew me off my seat! It felt almost like a physical force—or like the sun! So again, much further gratitude, to so many there, and to others not present, as a great force behind all that was happening. Enabling it all to happen. In some sense, making it all happen.

"Finally, when everyone gathered afterward for coffee, cake, and juice, my children had a wonderful time visiting and playing, and my wife Barbara loved connecting with both old and many new dharma friends. And that made me very happy."

See further details on the Teachings page at dzogchen.org

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