a modern-day yogini

8/12/2019 A Modern-day Yogini

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"hen I remar)ed, 'or intance, that it might be di''icult 'or her to do her daily &ractice

be'ore tranger during the three%day bu ourney on which he embar)ed immediately 'ollowing

thi inter$iew, he dimied the ubect wi'tly with the remar)= >/e, but a commitment i a

commitment, that- all0? he 'inality o' her tone wa a reminder o' how o'ten mot o' u let worldly

conideration ideline Dharma &ractice0

Your path has been highly unusual, especially for a Western practitioner Di! you recei"e any

religious training, #hristian or other, as a chil!$

y 'amily wan-t a''iliated with any religiou organiation at all0 In Arizona where I grew u& the

only e@&oure I had to religion wa through the e@ican &o&ulation and the ormon0 I thi I' thi i what meditation i about, who need it;? .onethele, I attended the month%

long coure in !o&an taught by ama Fo&a0 At the time my attitude wa that I wa trictly an


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attendee, I wa no way in$ol$ed a a &artici&ant0 Gor thi reaon, I wa low to tart &rotrating0 It

ut eemed to be one more tri& thee &eo&le were into0


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!agyu wangs0 I attended that with ama /ehe- bleing, and decided to be ordained by the

!arma&a in the !agyu tradition0

+o in one year*s ti%e you 'ent fro% not 'anting e"en to ta&e t'o "o's to being or!aine!

Was it !ifficult to %a&e so ra!ical a transition in so short a ti%e$

"e don-t )now where we ha$e come 'rom be'ore thi li'e, but I am ure many o' u ha$e $ery

trong


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here 'ere se"eral tragic e"ents in your fa%ily your father*s suici!e an! your brother*s

!eath in .ietna% Di! these ha"e any bearing on the life you ha"e chosen$

I don-t thin) that wa a determining 'actor0 6rdination wa omething that trancended thi

&articular li'etime0 /ou build a hut, and I will teach you0? So I wor)ed a a health aide at

"oodtoc) while doing my third .gndro, and the money I earned 'rom that, &lu contribution,

made it &oible 'or me to build a hut with the hel& o' $olunteer 'or ut a 'ew hundred dollar0 A

'ar a e@tending the time 'or twel$e year, there i a twel$e%year cycle in the ibetan calendar, and

ilare&a meditated in retreat 'or twel$e year0 I 'elt that, gi$en the o&&ortunity and !D-

)indne in u&&orting me, it would be a wonder'ul thing to do0 6n ome other le$el I-m ure it wa

in the game &lace long be'ore it ur'aced in my mind, becaue *i *oline eemed to ha$e the

ame thing in $iew0

During that ti%e !i! you e1perience any of the inner or outer obstacles %any yogis nor%ally

encounter in retreat$

In all honety, no0 I wa $ery 'ortunate becaue I wa ne$er really ill, which i unuual o$er a

twel$e%year &eriod0 Chyically I wa 'ine, and mentally e$erything went a well a I could ho&e

Lthi with a laughM0 6' coure, I could hear the onatery being built 'rom day one, but the noie

weren-t a &roblem becaue they become o 'amiliar0 I alo want to ay that anyone who, li)e

myel', ha !hen&o !arthar a a 4etreat ater i $ery 'ortunate, and need loo) no 'arther0 he


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man i about a &ure a anyone could &oibly be, and about a wie a anyone could ho&e to 'ind

in a teacher0

Along %ore general lines, you ha"e tol! %e things in!icating that you ha! an unusual turn of

%in! e"en before you 'ere in"ol"e! in (u!!his% 2 for instance, that you al'ays loo&e! on

the i!ea of a li%itless lifespan 'ith !istaste Was this "ie' brought on by e1periencing a great

!eal of personal suffering$

Death alway eemed li)e a great relie' to me0 6ld age wa ob$iouly not an a&&ealing ituation to

be in becaue the body 'ail0 And I-$e alway had the relationhi& with my body that when it 'ail

on me it- incredibly 'rutrating0 I admire &eo&le who ha$e lot leg or are Nuadri&legic, yet who

co&e0 I would 'ind that e@cruciating0 6n the other hand, taying young 'ore$er would alo be

boring, li)e ali'ornia weather0 .o eaon, all unhine0


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Actually, I-m im&reed with the Nualitie I ee in &eo&le who aren-t e$en


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i' you want to0? I )new I hould come out, though, becaue my elderly mother wanted to ee me,

and maybe ome other &eo&le would want to ha$e me around 'or whate$er reaon0 Alo, I am one

who baically li)e to e@&oe entient being to Dharma0 I' a 'ly land on my leg, I thin) it-

au&iciou 'or both o' u, and I ay, let- ma)e the mot o' thi ituation0

here will oon be a three%year retreat tarting at !D- new retreat centre, and it eem I-ll

be hel&ing in ome ca&acity0

During your retreat years you ha! a sign on the !oor of your hut rea!ing (u!!ha or (ust

Do you care to co%%ent on ho' far you*"e gone to'ar!s that goal$

hat- till the loganH I don-t by any mean &retend to be enlightened, but e$en intellectually you

)now what the goal i, you can ee that de$elo&ing0 I may be a 'ool, but at leat I ha$e enough

ene to )ee& &racticing0 /ou ne$er get to a tate where you ay, >I-m too im&ure to &ractice0?/ou-re not too ic) to ta)e medicineH "hen I met !yabe Sa)ya rizin, he aid, >/ou mut be

realied ince you did a twel$e%year retreat0? I re&lied, >I ut )ee& &racticing0?

Is there anything you 'oul! particularly li&e to say to people 'ho %ight rea! this an! other

practitioners$

6nly a a ort o' &e& tal) to all &eo&le &racticing all o$er the como who ometime 'eel remo$ed,

e&ecially women, who can 'eel a little etranged 'rom the

a modern-day yogini

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