This is a lovely video of Lama Gangchen Rinpoche in Tibet this August. There are people from 10 different countries who joined this pilgrimage. How fantastic. I love the Tibetan scenes in this video. It's so nice to see Lama Gangchen Rinpoche with Geshe Wangchuk.
Lama Michel translated Lama Gangchen Rinpoche's teachings very eloquently and gave a wonderful and humorous explanation of the benefits of making pilgrimages and making offerings. It's wonderful to be able to understand the teachings in English! He explained the three ways of getting blessings.
1. when a person can bless another person, we can get blessings from holy beings, like high lamas.
2. when a person can bless a land. For example, if a place has had great practitioners practice there, the land is blessed.
3. when a land can bless a person. When an enlightened being comes to that land, they leave their energy there so when other people come to this land, they can receive that energy or that blessings from that land.
I liked very much when Lama Michel relates that so many people made offerings of 15,000 Euros to Lama Gangchen over the four days Lama Gangchen was there in that region, which Lama Gangchen offered up to the monasteries there. Lama Michel says that money is energy - it is the result of something that we have done. When you give to others, you gain yourself. And making offerings of money is the accumulation of merit.
Lama Gangchen Rinpoche used to be very poor and he was called the Lama of the Poor. He would go and do healings and pujas for the poor. Lama Gangchen Rinpoche would take some money from those who had a little bit more and give to those who had none.
I also liked the story about Lama Gangchen Rinpoche planting trees in Tibet 11 years ago. Apparently everyone thought he was crazy then because trees would not grow. But with great effort, he did, and the trees grew. And now other people have been inspired to plant trees too. It sounds like planting Dharma in places where there is no Dharma. It takes much effort to be a pioneer but the Dharma will grow and people will follow your example after they see the fruits of your efforts.
If you haven't seen this video before, please do. It's really a lovely teaching. Which is your favourite parts?
http://vimeo.com/user8349047/review/29493636/2414aa3644
