Dear Friends-Students @ CASonline of Thousand-Arm Chenrezig,   bb is dispatching to you Part One of the spiritual adventures of beings @ Dharamsala 2006 --   Part Two is in the pipeline and the pictures will be out soon too, where we will share with you our relatively long audience and heart-to-heart talk with the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, His Teacher, Tenga Tulku and of course, holiest Tso Pema --   In the meantime, enjoy Part One: our little adventure at the indian airport and our precious time with the 100th Ganden Trisur Rinpoche --   "Tashi Delek !!" "Amitofuo !!"   bb and all frens @ CAS of Thousand-Arm Chenrezig   p/s; See all at the Great Drikung Phowa with Khenpo Rangdol next week !!   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________     CAS of T_A Chenrezig @ Dharamsala -- 2006     Seven fuzzled beings @ CAS of Thousand-Arm Chenrezig dropped off Singapore International Airline's gleaming S747 into the steaming above 40 degree toast of Mother India's capital city.   We have been slightly overwhelmed with the more than a hundred movies and sound tracks onboard and the "Singapore Girls", the ardent attentiveness of which "even other airlines talk about" !!   Always hoarding the cheapest fares possible so as to save the last dollar and cent for Chenrezig who owns CAS and our Tibetan friends, this is the very first time the beings travelled with Singapore Airlines, as their prices this time compared lowest to Thai Airways, Indian Airlines and all !!   Even though travelling Economy Class, Singapore's national carrier has not really failed to impress with its wide selection of more than ten versions of vegetarian fare onboard despite its very very familiar Singapore-typicality, right down to the pilots' welcoming extract -- endearing Singlish !!    Last year, in fact, after fervent discussions, the beings painstakingly decided to forgo visiting our precious, holy Teacher and to instead offer collected costs of the air-tickets for the supposed trip to CAS's "Khensur Dorje Tashi Animal Liberation Fund" to salvage thousands upon thousands of mother sentient beings from the hungry chopping board and the merciless blades, into the cooling bathing pool which Lord Buddha blessed Himself with His holy body at Bodhigaya with help of monks from HH the Dalai Lama's personal monastery,     Inside the airport at Delhi, bb, Rikzin and Ms LSF were shoved aside where they were questioned in-depth by 5 different officers, both uniformed and plain-clothed, and ordered to strip the cardboard boxes bare, revealing the 320 pairs of battery-not-needed torches, meant for our holy retreat monks high up in the Himalayas.   Scrutinizing the letter from CAS's President stating the non-commercial and all-good humanistic-spiritual nature of the torches, the officers further ordered all luggages pried opened with our nervous fingers, not providing scissors even for undoing stubborn, sticky tapes around some luggages, and proceeded to ensure the beings were not hiding more torches, undeclared, between strips of tissue papers, prayer texts, underwears, katags and all.   Soaring into the heavens our silent prayers to bring whatever little lights we can give to the bodhisattva-practitioners in the high mountains and our beloved, dear Tibetan Sangha in the holy monasteries, holy, powerful Chenrezig must have decided to intervene when after so long questioning, waiting, uncertainty and sadness even, one of the officers returned, clasped his palms in the traditional Indian-Buddhist gesture, returned us our letter, gave us his assent and guided us out of the airport, no rupees demanded. We stepped out of the airport, intact with the 320 torches and so much trust and assurance in the light within all beings, of course, including the divine officer and his colleagues.   The pristine crystal lamps for the Dalai Lama, wounded a few hundred rounds with the best quality cotton-towels, in a deep-sky-blue coloured bag, were rolled out of the airport first, unseen and untouched by one angelic being @ CAS however and were subsequently offered to His Holiness at Dharamsala, where they still stand in front of His Holiness, dripping nectars of infinite love and devotion from its crystal leaves.       Greeted by Administrators and assistants of Gyuto -- the Tantric College of Upper Lhasa, the beings were taken away to Majnukatilla -- the Tibetan camp at Delhi -- to spend a night at the newly-constructed Sakya Ngorpa Guesthouse. After a fitful night where we were so baked and tortured, we lose no time and zoomed off towards the foothills of the Himalayas, across the entire Punjab state and into the Himachal Pradesh, at the very first rays of the sun, shooting so early during summer at 5 am in the morning.     The 100th Ganden Trisur -- Official Head Emeritus of the largest school in Tibetan Buddhism   Ganden Trisur Rinpoche, our precious, holy Root Teacher, is the very reason for the beings of CAS of Thousand-Arm Chenrezig's visit to far-flung Dharamsala.   Trisur Rinpoche is also the one, powerful cause for success of all activities of CAS: the retreat monks, the animals liberated, the monks in the large camps in south India, our students in the medical colleges, our students in the secular schools, our many broke-backing Dharma programmes in Singapore, within and without the Gelugpa school of which He is the Supreme Head Emeritus. In the Tibetan traditional form of explicating matters, Rinpoche is our supreme crown ornament, the source of all attainments and blessings, our Spiritual Guide for this and all future lives, before and even after Enlightenment is reached, the Lord of Supreme Kindness and our Supreme Lord of Dharma at whose holy feet we pray always.          Trisur Rinpoche, at HH the Dalai Lama?¡¥s advice, has resided within the Dalai Lama?¡¥s personal compound, known as the ?¡ãPhodrang?¡À or ?¡ãPalace?¡À at Dharamsala for the past 2 to 3 years, where He is attended to by the Dalai Lama?¡¥s personal physicians as well as privileged, selected monks from His Holiness?¡¥s personal monastery and Rinpoche?¡¥s own monks from Drepung Loseling. Not to our surprise anymore, all visitors into the Phodrang were meticulously searched. Over and above the searches, there was the unmistaken sense of mutual understanding and recognition.   Altogether we visited Rinpoche twice, once on the holiest day of Saka Dawa, where Lord Buddha Shakyamuni manifested Enlightenment and the Great Nirvana.   Trisur Rinpoche showered us with His blessings and His nectar-like advice which we shall hold forever in our hearts. Rinpoche commented that the students in CASonline, in normal circumstances, practice well and satisfactorily. However, He hopes that all the students in online will exert even more and to practice even more.   We have extracted from amongst the many holy teachings from Trisur Rinpoche below:   ?¡ãAll the infinite Dharma practices come down to this point. This point is to subdue and transform our heart.?¡À   ?¡ãOver and above everything, the one critical point is to possess a good heart.?¡À   ?¡ãAll the students in Singapore have met with and studied with many holy, sublime Masters. Now that they know about the Dharma, this is the time to practice the Dharma.?¡À   ?¡ãIf the mind improves after many years of Dharma practices, then the Dharma has been practiced correctly. If the mind has not improved even after years of practice, then the way in which Dharma has been practiced is wrong.?¡À   Trisur Rinpoche expressed happiness that CASonline has more than 1,200 friends in its circulation list and that all friends have been receiving news ( albeit somewhat irregularly !! ) related to the Dharma and Tibet and that CAS has been organizing as much beneficial programmes for all friends within and without CASonline. However, Trisur Rinpoche reiterated that it is not as important that CAS has many members. The most important point is that all the friends and members in CAS or CASonline need to practice the Dharma.       In front of Trisur Rinpoche, in the haloed grounds of the Dalai Lama?¡¥s personal residence, bb and the beings again and again prayed to Trisur Rinpoche to take under His care, guidance and protection, until Enlightenment is reached, CAS of Thousand-Arm Chenrezig and all students and friends associated with CAS. Trisur Rinpoche gazed with supreme compassion at the wretched, tearing beings crotched in front of Him. He nodded affirmatively and gave His affirmation that He will indeed guide all friends and students @ CAS of Thousand-Arm Chenrezig until Enlightenment.   We told Rinpoche that all the world with its gods and men take Him as their Refuge and Field of Merit, the Buddha Himself having commented in many sutras, the precious Sangha and the Realised Arahants and Bodhisattvas as such.   We reminded Rinpoche too the several occasions where the State of Oracle and Great Protector of Tibet, Nechung Dorje Drakden, bowed again and again, amidst His wrathful trance, to Trisur Rinpoche and offered His commitment to serve and protect Rinpoche. Moreover, having met ourselves the other great protectress such as the great Yudronma who was no less enthusiastic and zealous in requesting Rinpoche to live-long, we reminded Rinpoche to please live-long for good of all, out of compassion for the world and for preservation of the Buddha?¡¥s holy teachings, even though the merit of His disciples from the human realm are depleting.   During our second visit to Rinpoche, Rinpoche enquired if it is hot at Gyuto - the Tantric College of Upper Lhasa as it is further down from Dharamsala and since it is also summer time. Indeed, although it is still relatively cooling outside the guesthouse, the guesthouse is mysteriously hot within !! We asked Rinpoche if we should stay at Gyuto for Denma Locho Rinpoche?¡¥s teachings as Gyuto was then hosting Locho Rinpoche for a series of important transmissions. Alternatively, we were contemplating making a pilgrimage to Tso Pema, one of the holiest sites of Guru Padmasambhava. Trisur Rinpoche replied that Teachers such as Denma Locho is very rare these days and that the teachings are extremely precious. However, it is also very good to make the pilgrimage even though the weather is not predictable and that there could be rainfall although it will be fine. We should nevertheless decide ourselves as both are fine.   In the end, we went to Tso Pema and did as much good as we could. With the exception at Khampagar where there was some torrents, on the way to Tso Pema, at Tso Pema itself, Sherab Ling, Dzongsar and all, rainfalls are but slight drizzles but all are auspicious and well just like Rinpoche said.   After our visit, the beings at Gyuto, suddenly needs to drab on sweaters and blankets even though just one day before, it was so warm and hot even with the fan on at full-blast !!    We asked our monk friends at Gyuto and they told us summer seemed to end too early this year !! It could have meant that the Global Warming is taking a toll even at Dharamsala or that the power of Enlightenment overcomes all phenomenal conditioned existence, even oppressive heat !!   An important matter also was a request from our friend to consult Trisur Rinpoche with regard to his spiritual journey. Trisur Rinpoche advised our friend who was preliminarily ordained on the advice of Trulshig Rinpoche, one of the Nyingma Teachers of the Dalai Lama, to just listen to Trulshig Rinpoche. Trulshig Rinpoche had in fact hosted Ganden Trisur?¡¥s teachings at His own monastery in Nepal a few years ago and last year paid a visit to Ganden Trisur Rinpoche at Dharamsala as well.    We told Trisur Rinpoche that it was not easy to contact Trulshig Rinpoche including our friend who was not staying with Trulshig Ripnoche.   Rinpoche calmly replied that Trulshig Rinpoche would be informed and would decide and that our friend should follow exactly but should Trulshig Rinpoche not be contactable, He would then decide although He is confident things will be settled by Trulshig Rinpoche.   Once more, things were to unfold truly unexpectedly but exactly as Trisur Rinpoche said, as we discoverdd when we returned to Singapore one week later.   During Trisur Rinpoche?¡¥s trip to Myanmar, Thailand with the beings @ CAS as well as during His collected period of more than 6 months of stay over 5 years in Singapore, we have not talked as much as during our two visits of about 25 minutes each with Rinpoche this time in Dharamsala !!   The reason being that Rinpoche has always stayed within his residence in Singapore in perpetual informal retreat. In fact, regardless of where Rinpoche is, unless Rinpoche is teaching, He will be doing His practices.     We have inquired about His daily practices when in Singapore and Rinpoche has replied that He has no fixed practices but that He will do whatever practices is possible in a day. His attendant has then told us that Trisur Rinpoche in fact does the three great integrated Yidam Practices daily: the Guhyasamaja, the Heruka Chakrasamvara and the Yamantakaa Vajrabhairava. In addition, Rinpoche also does the Solitary Hero Vajrabhairava, the Kalachakra and several important Nyingma practices including the Most Secret Hayagriva and the Vajrakilaya, these practices of which He has devised and implemented in Namgyal Monastery when serving as Grand Abbot of the Dalai Lama?¡¥s personal monastery. All these are of course on top of any Protector Practices and the great Philosophical Treatises that Trisur Rinpoche is expected to demonstrate and offer perfect elucidation and comprehension and a supreme authority within the heavily dialectical Gelugpa School of which He is the Head Emeritus !!   Truly, we prostrate flat upon the earthen ground in complete homage against the sheer majesty of Trisur Rinpoche?¡¥s practices and His manifestation as a perfectly hidden yogi, at the same time, the pan-ultimate humble fully-ordained monk, a senior abbot in Lord Buddha?¡¥s Sangha, the great holder of the Vinaya and co-ordinate Ordination Master together with the Dalai Lama for easily more than fifty thousand monks throughout His illustrious career.        Trisur Rinpoche?¡¥s holy relics   During Trisur Rinpoche?¡¥s last visit to Singapore in 2003, Rinpoche manifested slight illness. Rinpoche threw up a bit of His lunch onto the valuable, Persian carpet in His personal room. The attendants and bb and friends undertake a fanatical cleaning and the carpet was subsequently scrubbed, washed and dried. Rinpoche returned to India a few days later. The carpet was then rolled up and kept in Rinpoche?¡¥s cupboard in His room in Singapore until 2005 December when it was taken out to prepare for Rinpoche?¡¥s supposed impending visit again. To everyone?¡¥s shock and shock again, more than 40 shiny relics were found on the carpet !!   Not wanting to misrepresent anything, we phoned Rinpoche?¡¥s attendant through whom Rinpoche replied that He is just an ordinary person and that any relics is due to faith and devotion of the students themselves. Not wishing to leave matters at that, one relic was offered through a Senior Teacher of the Dalai Lama?¡¥s personal monastery to His Holiness and this time, the beings smuggled two of the relics to be shone to Trisur Rinpoche Himself as well as to Denma Locho, the senior most Master of the Gelugpa school, and also one of the teachers who has passed some teachings to Trisur Rinpoche Himself.   Denma Locho Rinpoche affirmed that these were authentic relics representing the culmination and apex of Spiritual Attainment and of its utmost preciousness. He exhorted the beings to truly treasure the relics.   As for Rinpoche Himself when we showed Him His holy relic in the Dalai Lama?¡¥s personal residence this time at Dharamsala, He told us the famous story we have all heard thousands of time: A devoted old lady prayed to a dog?¡¥s tooth, thinking that it belongs to one great disciple of Lord Buddha. Holy relics and light manifested from the supposed dog?¡¥s tooth, it having transformed into a truly holy object.   What else of course do we expect our precious Teacher to say than this ??              At Dharamsala, too, Rinpoche?¡¥s attendants told us that HH the Dalai Lama visited Trisur Rinpoche relatively frequently and on a few visits, explicitly requested Trisur Rinpoche to live-long for the good of the world and the Buddha?¡¥s holy Teachings, but that if Trisur Rinpoche truly wants to show Nirvana, He should come back again soon. Trisur Rinpoche has always kept silent on these occasions, not daring to make any bold replies to His Holiness whom He take as one of His main Teachers.     The Long-Life Prayer of His Holiness the 100th Ganden Trisur Rinpoche ¡§C Supreme Head Emeritus of the Gelugpa Tradition Composed by HH the 14th Dalai Lama   Om Swasti   May Tzongkhapa, the Sustainer of Life Embodiment of the Three Lineages, the Union of Body and Mind, The Liberator that arose as the Counterforce of the Lord of Death, Bring down upon us, great blessings of streams of Nectar of Immortality   I Request the Incomparable Lord Venerable Teacher, Who dispels all the pains of those-possessing-mind, Through illumination of the light that radiates billions of sunlight, Of the noble Teachings of the Good Scriptures of the Conqueror from Your Mind Treasure.   I request You to remain long for aeons without fluctuation, As the One who further clarified and did not allow to degenerate, The meaning of the complete and unmistaken profound scriptures Of the Buddha in general and Tzongkhapa in particular.   May Damchen Gyaltso, with Your fully-grown powers and capabilities, also Well dispel all obstructive factors to the Venerable Teacher, And spontaneously fulfill His noble deeds for the Teachings and sentient beings, And may Your Four Sublime Activities never get swayed.