p. 93 free - north americanorthamerica.siddharthasintent.org/.../yangsi-ssrc-pique-3sep2010.pdf ·...
TRANSCRIPT
Summer
of Funny
the not
unfunnyThe best of
World viewP. 54
Whistler royaltyP. 93
Dirty and LIVEP. 94
FREELAUGH TRACK
17
.35
September 2, 2010 | WHISTLER’S WEEKLY NEWSMAGAZINE | www.piquenewsmagazine.com
4 | September 2, 2010 | www.piquenewsmagazine.com
Pique Newsmagazine is an independently owned and operated
weekly newspaper serving Whistler. 16,500 copies are distributed to over 130 locations in Whistler and to over 200 locations from Vancouver to D’arcy.
The entire contents of Pique Newsmagazine are copyright 2010 by Pique Publishing Inc. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the Publisher.
In no event shall unsolicited material subject this publication to any claim or fees. Copyright in letters and other (unsolicited) materials submitted and accepted for publication remains with the author but the publisher and its licensees may freely reproduce them in print, electronic or other forms.
Letters to the Editor must contain the author’s name, address and daytime telephone number. Maximum length is 250 words. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject any contribution. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer and not that of Pique Newsmagazine.
ISSN #1206-2022
Subscriptions: $45/yr. within Canada,$125/yr. to USA,$75/yr. first class mail within Canada.GST included. GST Reg. #R139517908.Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #0744662.
#103 -1390 ALPHA LAKE RD., FUNCTION JUNCTION,
WHISTLER, B.C. V0N 1B1.
PH: (604) 938-0202 FAX: (604) 938-0201
www.piquenewsmagazine.com
Founding PublisherKATHY BARNETT
Publisher/EditorBOB BARNETT - [email protected]
Chief Operating Offi cerDARREN ROBERTS - [email protected]
Assistant EditorANDREW MITCHELL - [email protected]
Sales Team Leader MARC KESTER - [email protected]
Advertising RepresentativesMARC KESTER - [email protected]
COLLIN NEAL - [email protected]
HOLLY JANENKO - [email protected]
LAINEY MULLINS - traffi [email protected]
Vancouver SalesCOLLIN NEAL - [email protected]
ProductionJON PARRIS - [email protected]
ANJA WERNER - [email protected]
LINDSEY ATAYA
BELLE DONALD
TARA TOROSSIAN
Arts and EntertainmentHOLLY FRAUGHTON - [email protected]
ReportersANDREW MITCHELL - [email protected]
CLARE OGILVIE - [email protected]
ALISON TAYLOR - [email protected]
HOLLY FRAUGHTON - [email protected]
CLAIRE PIECH - [email protected]
JESSE FERRERAS - [email protected] SMYSNUIK - [email protected]
Reception/Classifi eds ANGELA MCINTOSH - [email protected]
Circulation & Promotions Coordinator KATIE MARSH - offi [email protected]
Accounting GRACE BLOK - [email protected]
WebmasterCHRIS ARMSTRONG
ContributorsG.D. MAXWELL, JACK CHRISTIE, MICHEL BEAUDRY,
COAST MOUNTAIN PHOTOGRAPHY, GLENDA BARTOSH,
LISA RICHARDSON, JACK SOUTHER, MICHAEL ALLEN,
FEET BANKS, LESLIE ANTHONY, MIKE CRANE, LYNN
MARTEL, ANTHONY GISMONDI, ALISON APPELBE 54
94
Letters
News
Community listings
Travel
Sports
Food
Arts
Music
Classifi eds
12 CONTRADICTING OPINIONS Whislter under “no
obligation” to rezone property to legalize asphalt plant.
54 WORLD VIEW Seventeen-year-old Tibetan Buddhist lama visits
Sea to Sky Retreat Centre.
78 TOUGH IRONMAN Cool, wet weather slowed some
competitors at annual Penticton race.
88 EXPLORING THE ELEMENTS Photographer Paul Bride
opens a new show at his Squamish gallery.
94 SO-CAL SOUND The Dirty Heads, one of the best new bands of
2010, take the main stage at LIVE At Squamish.
Summer of FunnyThe best of the not unfunny. Nothing is more subjective than humour... - By Various readers
and writers
COVER: People have told me I’m funny, some of them even laugh. Frankly all I do is take what other
people have said, written or performed, repeat it and make it my own. Kind of like on that tv show,
Canadian Idol. - Jon Parrots
CO
VE
R S
TO
RY
WE
EK
LY
FE
AT
UR
ES
88
8
12
60
76
78
86
88
94
100
THISWeek IN PIQUE
68
54 | September 2, 2010 | www.piquenewsmagazine.com
54 DispatchesO
UT
OF
RA
NG
E
LESSONS ON ZEN The
Yangsi (left) with his mentor
Rabjam Rinpoche at the
main house of the Sea to Sky
Retreat Centre.
PHOTO BY KEVIN MCCLANE
Roughly 80 people stood waiting
on the hillside just above Daisy
Lake on Monday, Aug. 23, some
time after noon. They lined either side of
the road leading up to Sea to Sky Retreat
Centre, each holding a kata, a traditional,
long white silk scarf. Some spoke to those
nearest them in line; some stood quietly.
Many wore their best clothes — blue
blazers, dresses — because they were
awaiting the arrival of Ugyen Tenzin Jigme
Lhundrup, or the Yangsi. An incarnate of
one of the highest lamas in the Tibetan
Buddhist tradition, he is 17 years old and
making his fi rst tour of the Western world.
The tour has taken him through Europe
and America and will continue on to
Mexico and Asia, but for the moment he
was just south of Whistler, making a day
trip to Sea to Sky Retreat Centre.
It might have seemed an out-of-the-
way place to visit. Sea to Sky comprises
12 structures — a main lodge, a pavilion,
a variety of retreat accommodations —
and functions entirely off-the-grid, with
a staff of fi ve. While it is a comfortable,
pleasing modern environment, it does
not outwardly appear to be the sort of
place that a traveler would include on a
12-country, 10-month world tour.
On the retreat centre’s rocky road,
drawn in fi eld chalk, were the auspicious
symbols — a conch, a parasol, a lotus,
and the fi ve others of the traditional set
of eight. The centre’s cook, Blaire, had
drawn each the day before. A beautiful
20-something with long blond hair and
clear blue eyes, she has a modest demeanor.
Asked if she was an artist, she said, “I’m a
housekeeper.” She’s one of just a few
live-in staff members at the retreat centre,
which operates under the directorship of
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, a high lama
in the Rime, or non-sectarian, Tibetan
Buddhist tradition.
“How long did it take you to do this?” I
asked Blaire, pointing to the symbols; they
were about eight feet in circumference and
drawn with precision.
“About an hour each symbol.”
“Had you ever done it before?”
“No, but we had a book with the
outlines. I think they’re the kind of
drawing where you can get it wrong and it
still looks good.” I searched her drawings
for imperfections and shook my head. She
said, “I had done fi ve of them on Saturday,
but then it rained and washed them away,
so I had to do them again.”
It was close to 2 p.m. when a small
fl oatplane landed on Daisy Lake. The
guests, having stood on the roadside for a
little under an hour, had sort of begun to
think the Yangsi might never arrive, and
so when he appeared at the bottom of
the road, many of them didn’t notice and
continued to speak to each other. It was
only when the Yangsi’s mentor, Rabjam
Rinpoche, came chugging up the hillside,
mock-winded, that everyone turned.
Rabjam Rinpoche, a tall and handsome
lama just turned 40, the abbot of Shechen
monastery in Nepal, pretended to be out
of breath. He made sort of a comic portrait
of exhaustion, panting something like a
TinTin character, and said to the Yangsi,
“You’re young!” Together, the two began
to make their way up the road, followed by
their small party, which included author
and photographer Matthieu Ricard and
Buddhist scholar Changling Rinpoche.
They were led to the main house,
to a large-windowed, spacious living
room overlooking the lake, furnished
invitingly with broad couches, well-tended
houseplants, cut lilies and bookshelves
lined with books on philosophy, history,
photography, and Buddhism. In the
kitchen, divided from the main room by
screens, several people prepared trays of
quinoa and sautéed vegetables for the
guests. After the trays were served the
retreat centre’s manager, Michiko, and her
husband Ron, took seats and conversed
with their honoured guests.
They talked about the local wildlife;
they talked about nutrition. Rabjam
Rinpoche told a story of a Buddhist
painting being torn off a wall by a bear.
The painting, marked by handprints of the
Yangsi’s predecessor, was also marked by
the bear, who pressed its paws below the
master’s.
“Whose prints were bigger?” Ron asked.
A world view at Daisy LakeAN INCARNATE OF ONE OF THE HIGHEST LAMAS IN TIBETAN BUDDHISM VISITS THE SEA TO SKY RETREAT CENTRE
by Amie Barrodale
59 ALTA STATES Writing down the future of Whistler
60 THE SOURCE Community Listings
67 PIQUE’N’YER INTEREST Letting go of the tech addiction
TH
IS
SE
CT
IO
N
__________________________________________________________SEE NEXT PAGE >
“Supposedly I was recognized as
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, but I
don’t possess any of his qualities.”
–UGYEN TENZIN JIGME LHUNDRUP
www.piquenewsmagazine.com | September 2, 2010 | 55
Dispatches OUT OF RANGE
for only $119
* Special cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. Some restrictions / blackout dates may apply. Must mention at time of booking, Subject to taxes & gratuity. Valid until Nov 30th, 2010.
$119
$119
$119
Peach Paraffi n Pedicure & Your choice of: Peach Paraffi n Manicure or Half Leg Wax or 20 minute Head & Neck Massage Relax in Avello Spa’s luxurious Pedicure Lounge – reg $185
Dead Sea Salt Body Scrub & Your choice of: Avello Facial or Peach Paraffi n Pedicure or 50 minute MassageFeel hydrated & revitalized from head to toe – reg $185
Avello Facial & Eye and Lip Hydration TreatmentSmooth out the appearance of fi ne lines& wrinkles with a Thermoplastic Hydration Eye & Lip Mask – reg $150
Get to know your skin type with a Complimentary Skin analysis Let our skin care professionals get you started on an easy skincare regime for your active lifestyle.
for only $119
Avello SpaBe seductive for summer
604.935.3444 w h i s t l e r s p a . c o m
suzanne johnstonstudio art gallery • One of a kind Canadian art
inside the Westin
Resort & Spabehind the Whistler Village Gondola
www.suzannejohnston.com
bearfoot bistro
4121 village green
604 932 3433
bearfootbistro.com
open daily from 11am
new summer menu
on the terrace enjoy lunch
open friday through
sunday from 11am
BROOMFIELD, Colo. – Vail Resorts
this winter will introduce a new
technology called EpicMix for use at all
of the 89 chairlifts at its four resorts in
Colorado and also Heavenly, at Lake
Tahoe.
The technology allows skiers and
riders to monitor their lift rides, vertical
feet skied and number of ski days with
chips embedded in their season passes
and lift tickets. This information will be
collected with radio-frequency scanners
at each of the 89 lifts at the company’s
fi ve resorts.
The Denver Post explains that
skiers, using smartphones or personal
computers, can track their runs — sharing
their information on Facebook and
Twitter, if they want.
The technology also will alert skiers
if their Facebook friends are skiing and
show their location on the mountain.
“Talking about the day becomes a
big part of the ski vacation and the ski
experience,” Rob Katz, chief executive
offi cer of Vail Resorts, told the Vail Daily.
“We’ve been trying to fi nd ways to let
people engage in that dialogue, but not
interfere with the experience.”
He presents EpicMix as a way to
extend the ski experience beyond the ski
day, but also beyond the ski vacation.
“People will be able to look at the runs
they did weeks later, just like looking at
photographs.
DURANGO’S EXCEPTIONS STAND OUTDURANGO, Colo. – Numbers remain
squishy, but all evidence points toward
an increasingly diverse population in
Durango and its hinterlands. Four-fi fths
of people are white non-Hispanics,
which may not seem all that terribly
diverse. After all, Durango was once part
of Mexico and even now sits relatively
close to both the Ute and Navajo tribal
lands.
Still, the evidence turned up by the
Durango Telegraph suggests a greater
melting pot — or at least a stew. Many
of those who would count as being
minorities in Durango stand out in that
crowd, but they don’t seem to object.
Consider Kathy Huntsinger, a native
of the Dominican Republic, who arrived
The Yangsi’s predecessor, Dilgo
Khyentse Rinpoche, is often affectionately
remembered by those who met him for
his extraordinary size. He was seven feet
tall. His current incarnation, at something
under 5 foot 6, has said, “Supposedly I was
recognized as Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche,
but I don’t possess any of his qualities. This
is not something I’m saying to impress you
guys; it is just the truth. He was a giant, and
I am very short. He was good looking, and
I — well, you can just forget about it.”
Actually, the Yangsi is quite good-
looking, with the face and demeanor of
an old-world Chinese emperor, broad
shoulders, and an uncommonly open and
curious gaze.
When the group had fi nished their
lunch, the guests of the retreat centre
entered and offered katas to the Yangsi
one by one. They then turned to Rabjam.
To each, he offered his right hand. The
guests wore nametags, and Rabjam looked
at each, saying the name aloud. At one
point, he turned to someone behind him
and said, “Six billion people in the world?”
“Yes, Rinpoche.”
“Six billion different faces.”
After lunch, Rabjam got into the
centre’s side-by-side ATV and drove the
Yangsi up the hill to the house of Dzongsar
Khyentse Rinpoche.
Khyentse, the centre’s director and a
world-renowned fi lmmaker, is a student
of the Yangsi’s predecessor and the head
of Khyentse Foundation, a charity that
recently endowed a chair of Buddhist
studies at Berkeley. Although Khyentse
was away in Europe, he had encouraged
this visit to Sea to Sky Retreat Centre.
The Yangsi and Rabjam toured the small
Japanese-style house, said some brief
aspirations and then they rejoined their
small party for the walk back down the
forest path to the dock.
On the plane, the Yangsi sat in the back.
The hatch was open, and he attempted to
close it from within.
“Watch your fi ngers,” a woman called.
He withdrew his hand and then,
perhaps impishly, put it out again, fi ngers
splayed.
The aircraft’s pilot emerged from the
forest. He latched the hatch from without,
got in, and steered the plane slowly down
the lake, almost out of sight.
“Is he going to take off that way?” I
asked.
Then the engine roared, and the plane
turned into the wind and took fl ight to
the south. We stood and watched it until
it was just a dot crossing the white face of
the Tantalus. !
Buddhist visit< FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Mountain News: Vail Resorts has social media option
__________________________________________________________SEE NEXT PAGE >