Folding paper tissues and enlightenment

The Nepalese journalist of Bodhi TV and DJKR esxplaining how to serve the guru

I was made aware of the video “Bodhi TV : An interview with Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche[1]” (11/04/2021) through a tweet by Rob Hogendoorn. It does indeed expose nicely DJKR’s mystifying strategy. DJKR is a reincarnated hierarch (tulku) of the Tibetan Nyingmapa sect. Together with other Tibetan Buddhists hierarchs, he came out definitively as a fundamentalist in the aftermath of the Sogyal/Rigpa scandal in the summer of 2017, where he made a tour defending “Vajrayāna” Buddhism and the master-disciple relationship (skt. guruvāda) associated with it. Although he is a Vajrayāna master himself, he will use the doctrines of other Buddhist “vehicles” (skt. yāna) if it is convenient. This is possible because of the triyāna and “Three sets of Vows” (tib. sdom gsum) approach of Vajrayāna Buddhism, that sees itself both as the highest vehicle of Buddhism, while integrating doctrines and practices of the lower ones. In this way DJKR can use ad hoc arguments of any of the three vehicles, to suit his needs. He is far from being the only TB lama to do so…

Since the esoteric Buddhism of Vajrayāna, and the “Gnostic” practices of Tibetan Dzogchen are the most difficult to defend to a rationalist, skeptic and materialistic Western audience, DJKR and other lamas will very often fall back to the arguments of the lower Buddhist vehicles to defend Buddhism as a whole. The “lower” Buddhist vehicles were tougher on “superstition” than esoteric Buddhism, that embraces it wholeheartedly (and ideally skilfully…), and have more arguments to present a more “rational” side of Buddhism to a Western audience. Anyone following Vajrayāna Buddhism, that may be considered as having a “Single vehicle” (skt. ekayāna) approach (see the Lotus Sūtra), may start with doctrines and practices of the “lower” vehicles, but will inevitably at some point end up with the “highest” practices of Vajrayāna Buddhism and/or Tibetan Dzogchen, of which DJKR is one of the best known teachers in the West.

This being said, let's have a look at the discussion between the Nepalese journalist Bhusita Vashista and DJKR.

For DJKR “modernization” is a threat to spiritual life, because “modernization” (“the so-called modern day”) “is basically a westernization” (09:18), and Western “intellectuals” bundled Buddhism “into this superstitious religion” (08:58). In order to prove that “Buddhism” is not a superstition, DJKR will go back to the “lowest” Buddhist vehicle to use its teachings on the certainty of death, impermanence and constant change, etc. in order to show how rational “Buddhism” is. If one realizes that “practically, not just intellectually” (10:36), then that’s “enlightenment”, or “satori”, or “nirvāṇa”, or in Tibetan “bden pa mthong ba”, “seeing the truth like it is”[2].

That simple. It may seem to the non-initiated that DJKR is “anti-West” (12:50), but he isn’t, he likes jazz and church music and many other things. But the Western way of thinking differs from the Himalayan approach. One can’t expect a bear (Himalayan) to behave like a monkey (Westerner) (13:50). E.g. when a Westerner asks a Tibetan lama what is the purpose in life, then he is asking a question from a Christian point of view (15:06), which is not at all relevant in a Himalayan context. Also, the Tibetan language doesn’t even have a word for “good” and “bad”... (14:23). Western translations of Buddhist terms hardly ever cover the load. “Compassion” is so different from “karuṇā” (skt) and “snying rje” (tib)... If one is blinded by those words and concepts, without seeing their “spirit”, one tends to become arrogant and righteous (17:16). That would be like looking at the finger pointing to the moon rather than at the moon itself.

Here, DJKR skips to Mahāyāna doctrine. All the richness of Buddhism with its “opinions”, [“superstitions”], disciplines, rituals, monks shaving their heads and begging, these are just “fingers” pointing at the moon. The moon is simply “seeing the truth” (18:22). All those “fingers” are like teddy-bears that are skillfully used to draw the attention of toddlers about to fall from a cliff and thus to save them. DJKR is referring to the Lotus Sūtra and its parable for the necessity to save all sentient beings (toddlers) from the burning house that is saṃsāra. This sounds very dramatic: all sentient beings are in danger, like toddlers on a cliff, and need to be saved by all means, even if that implies to trick them for their own best. But all it needs for these toddlers to be saved is for them to realize that life, things and themselves change and are impermanent, “seeing the truth”, as DJKR said himself, in hīnayāna mode, at the beginning of the interview.

“When you know this not only intellectually, but actually, you are freed from being brainwashed. What more do you want? Enlightenment to those of you, like a golden color, the things that we see, you know buddha, all that you know, the light, those are teddy bears. Those have functions, but everything we are discussing cannot be conceived and understood by everyone, so you need rattling toys to distract the babies, of which there are many. So we have temples, prayer wheels and gates, and music and all of that, which is fine, we just need to know that they are all fingers, they are not the moon.” (18:45)

Apparently, it is easier “to see the truth” (tib. bden pa mthong ba”) for the hoi polloi through all the “rattling toys” and “teddy bears” than through the simple experience that life, things and individuals change and are impermanent…

“I would say 99,99% of the Buddhist path is like this teddy bear” (07:40)

99,99% of “brainwashing”, “fingers” and toddler pedagogy, to try and make sentient beings understand that life, things and individuals change constantly and are impermanent, in other words “to liberate them”. Western and Eastern “rationalists” qualifying the “teddy bears” as superstition would make them partly responsible for the death of all the toddlers falling from the cliff...

For “compassion”, DJKR turns to the Mahāyāna Nālandā Buddhism of Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti : “the real compassion is when you see the truth” (15:46), this time termed "non-duality": “you know something is there, but at the same time is not there. Everything's like a rainbow and that is the truth” (15:57). “So-called compassion” like morality, ethics, generosity, will only make one more righteous, proud and dogmatic (17:13).

As for values like social justice, democracy, etc. they’re just equally bad and good as any other system (21:07). The Western civilization went through paganism, Christianity, Enlightenment, rationalism and stopped short there (22:53). But early on, the Buddhists (with śūnyatā) were already skeptical of rationalism and “so-called logic”, that doesn't go beyond opinion.

As for reducing Buddhism to the lower yāna method of śamatha and vipaśyanā, BTW nowadays “watered down to just sitting, breathing and relaxing”, to rid oneself of stress, which “is absolutely wrong in Buddhism” (25:12), it won’t help to “see the truth” (as defined above).

DJKR has expressed himself often about how Buddhism, Vajrayāna, can’t be changed, otherwise it wouldn’t work, but he makes an exception for Buddhist art (tib. sgyu rtsal), something fake that helps to get the truth across. The Buddha often said that to see his physical or formal body was not to see the Buddha. Those who do were said to have a “wrong view” (28:10). DJKR, also a movie director, recalls the aniconic representations of the Buddha in early Buddhism, “but you know, medium has to be changed”. Art, something fake and artificial just like 99,99% of Buddhism, helps to get a/the truth across. Only "intellectuals and scientists” don’t get that, and talk about “superstition” (33:07).

My take: Everybody knows what art and fiction are and what role they play. Yes, they can help to get “a truth” across, but “the truth” ? 

When asked, what “the truth” beyond art is and what exactly art is supposed to be pointing towards, like a “finger”, DJKR gets lost in mystification and refers to the mantra of the Heart Sūtra : “gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā”. The four times “gone” (gate), including the “forgone” and “gone beyond” (33:56). “Quatre petits tours… et puis s'en va”, the French would say. I suppose an English equivalent could be “Here we go 'round the mulberry bush”, or “Here we beat 'bout the mulberry bush”...

At the end of the interview, DJKR talks a bit about tantrism or vajrayāna, and the passions (skt. kleśa) being the footprints of wisdom (37:24). By just following these footprints, one finds peace. In his answer to the question (“are you enlightened?”, “do you know ‘the truth’”), the reincarnated hierarch DJKR says he knows “some”, which has saved him a lot. He then turns back again to the Buddhism of the lowest yāna. This truth is the truth DJKR mentioned in the beginning of the interview: death and impermanence. The fact that he thinks everyday about death makes him a more enlightened man than someone like e.g. Trump or Biden.

Bhusita Vashista asking her question

In her last question Bhusita Vashista wants to know whether there is a way out of “ignorance” without following a guru. The “guru business” is exclusively tantric explains DJKR, but when one speaks about “organized religion”, one is not really strictly speaking about tantrism (48:10). The fictional hagiography of Tailopa and Nāropa is once again called to the rescue to show what is supposed to happen in this tantric relationship. Although these masters were princes, accomplished pandits, abbots of Nālandā, they ended up being fed up with rationalism and logic etc., and had to get out of there to meet secretly with prostitutes, arrow makers and receive teachings from them.

When you talk about organized religion [...] you are not really talking about tantric Buddhism

DJKR gives an example of this privileged relationship. A guru like DJKR could suggest to his skeptical disciple to go to Bhaktapur (Nepal), fold a paper tissue there and come back again. Doing something meaningless ("bullshit job"?) like this during a week or so is supposed to teach one to do things without a purpose, without hope and fear, and provides the disciple with a sense of bliss… DJKR gives a very innocent example here, remaining silent on TB teachers asking students to do the things that they “dislike doing the most”.

For the greatest appeal to a Western audience, DJKR and others turn to basic Buddhist ideas: the first noble truth, death and impermanence, in order to develop detachment. For skepticism Nāgārjuna is called to the rescue, for “compassion” Mahāyāna Buddhism and the Lotus Sūtra. But apart from retelling the story of Tailopa and Nāropa, we haven’t learned much about the exact role tantrism and guruvāda play in learning "the truth", or “some of the truth” about and through death, impermanence and emptiness. Apart from doing meaningless things for the guru like folding paper tissues. If it’s not really about tantric Buddhism, or Buddhism for that matter, then what is this all about?

"Every outing, every task, every gesture must be prepared in advance by the dakinis. During these morning outings on the hill of Lerab Ling where [Sogyal Lakar”] "sits", or during walks in nature, the dakini must prepare his bags in advance following the instructions of a manual: the least outing requires 2 bags containing 6 handkerchiefs (Kleenex folded and presented in a certain way required by the master: they are useful for him to blow his nose and to wipe his sex after having urinated; If this is done in the wild, the dakini must wait behind him until he has finished, he wipes himself and hands the used Kleenex to the dakini so that she throws it in a plastic container provided for this purpose), his Tibetan medicines, his comb, his back-scratcher, his shoehorn, 1 mini-teapot, pens, 1 notepad 1 T-shirt and a change of underwear, 1 banana, cookies, 1 bottle of water, his "practice" CDs, 1 CD player, his 2 cell phones, Lerab Ling's landline phone, 1 shawl, Olbas Oil (nasal decongestant), 1 voice recorder, 1 iPod with his prayers, headphones, sunglasses, 1 umbrella. On the platform set up on his hill, he stays about ten minutes to meditate. To prepare this event, two people must run behind him to bring in time cushions, a bowl of soup, water, glasses, screen, install the audio equipment so that he can listen to his prayers, a notepad on his tablet ... Still according to Mimi, the master has a lot of trouble to remain still during his "sitting".”[3]

Translated (DeepL) extract from Les dévots du bouddhisme, by Marion Dapsance

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[1] For information on DJKR, I would recommend Matthew Remski’s blog “The Edgelord Lama Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche shitposts his way through #metoo” (06/07/2021).

[2] “So if we are talking about that level, that kind of satori, which is a Japanese word, or nirvāṇa, liberation, you know in tibetan we call it “bden pa mthong”. “bDen pa mthong” means seeing the truth it's like.” (11:41)

[3] « Chaque sortie, chaque tâche, chaque geste doit être préparé à l’avance par les dakinis. Lors de ces sorties matinales sur la colline de Lerab Ling où il « s’assoit », ou lors de promenades dans la nature, la dakini doit préparer ses sacs à l’avance en suivant les instructions d’un manuel : la moindre sortie nécessite 2 sacs contenant 6 mouchoirs (Kleenex pliés et présentés d’une certaine manière exigée par le maître : ils sont utiles pour qu’il se mouche et pour essuyer son sexe après avoir uriné ; si cela se fait dans la nature, la dakini doit attendre derrière lui qu’il ait terminé, il s’essuie lui-même et tend le Kleenex usagé à la dakini pour qu’elle le jette dans un plastique prévu à cet effet), ses médicaments tibétains, son peigne, son gratte-dos, son chausse-pied, 1 minithéière, des stylos, 1 blocnotes, 1 T-shirt et 1 slip de rechange, 1 banane, des biscuits, 1 bouteille d’eau, ses CD de « pratique », 1 lecteur CD, ses 2 téléphones portables, le téléphone fixe de Lerab Ling, 1 châle, de l’huile Olbas Oil (décongestionnant nasal), 1 enregistreur vocal, 1 Ipod comprenant ses prières, des écouteurs, des lunettes de soleil, 1 parapluie. Sur la plateforme aménagée sur sa colline, il reste dix minutes environ à méditer. Pour préparer cet événement, deux personnes doivent courir derrière lui pour amener à temps coussins, un bol de soupe, eau, lunettes, paravent, installer le matériel audio pour qu’il puisse écouter ses prières, un bloc-notes sur sa tablette… Toujours selon Mimi, le maître a beaucoup de mal à rester immobile pendant son « assise ». Les dévots du bouddhisme, by Marion Dapsance