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Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA — September 14, 2010
From Ven. Roger:
How long can you spend in Whole Foods (the health food/organic supermarket)? If you’re with Rinpoche it can be a long time.
We are on the second day of the Light of the Path retreat in North Carolina. A little over 200 people are attending and the venue in the Black Mountains is great and very comfortable. There are even more bears than last year.
Rinpoche started teaching last night and our video tech team is doing a great job. You can watch from anywhere out there in the world on HD video. Rinpoche gave an introduction of the whole path last night and started the lung on the text. I think the commentary on the actual text will start today.
Rinpoche blessing Kurukulla Centers' new Kalachakra Stupa. Photo courtesy of Nick Ribush.
Last week Rinpoche led a three day retreat on Milarepa at Milarepa Center in Vermont, then we drove down to Boston. Rinpoche blessed the new amazing Kalachakra Stupa at Kurukulla Center and stayed at the new house of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. It was just a one day visit and then we drove to Washington, D.C. to apply for visas for China.
On the way we stopped at a hospital to visit the elderly mother of a student. We got there around midnight and left the hospital around 2:30 am. We drove the rest of the way to D.C. and arrived at the hotel just after 4 am. We caught a few hours rest and then visited the Chinese Embassy (for the third time that day) but were declined visas.
That afternoon we had to drive to Raleigh, North Carolina for a one day visit to Kadampa Center. Then we drove on to Asheville in the Black Mountains for the retreat. This road trip: Madison, Wisconsin; Barnet,Vermont; Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C., Raleigh and Asheville, North Carolina; has been a relaxed 2,000 miles (3,200 km). Every gas station we stop at Rinpoche does a little shopping for gifts. You would be surprised at what gifts you can find on the road.
Rinpoche selecting his Whole Foods lunch items.
At the beginning of this entry I mentioned Whole Foods. Well, in D.C. we had a late lunch at Whole Foods. Rinpoche thought it was the greatest display of ready to eat wholesome food he had ever seen in one place! He took many photos of the food displayed, from close up and far back. Rinpoche often takes time to compose shots and uses strange angles. You can imagine the attention he was getting from the local shoppers. A Tibetan Lama taking photos in an American supermarket…and of the food no less!
Then we sat down to eat in the supermarket. A number shoppers came up, asking questions.
Ven. Roger and Rinpoche with their Whole Foods' lunches.
One woman said to Rinpoche, “I have eight children. What advice can you give me?” In essence Rinpoche said, “Ordinary education is important but more important is the education for a good heart.” She seemed to understand and continued her shopping.
While driving, at times Rinpoche will start chanting Lama Chöpa out loud. Sometimes there are telephone calls being made and received from all over the world, so it is still active…but relaxed.