Last weekend with the visit by Phagyab Rinpoche I realized – along with many of you – that we were graced by a truly amazing Lama. I feel that when we are fortunate enough to experience a truly realized human being like that - that it serves as an inspiration to us, of what is truly possible. That it is, in fact, possible to develop universal compassion, universal altruism for all people without distinction. And you also see how these beings have developed their mind to the point of being balanced, stable and centered all the time. Not just part of the time – like most of us who are bouncing around from joy to despair – much like a ship tossed in a storm at sea. And how do we know this? We know this because we see it with our own eyes – we experience their sense of calm and balance – and we can actually feel their compassion. 
 
When I took Phagyab Rinpoche to the prison last weekend he described to the inmates his own experience of being in prison. He told the inmates about being tortured and how he had only compassion for his torturers because he knew they were doing this as a job only out of ignorance. He actually wept as he related this to the inmates, but his translator explained that his tears were not because of his experience, his torture or any kind of PTSD, but because of genuine concern and compassion for his torturers because they were going to have to suffer the results of the negative karma they had generated. He felt personally responsible for being the cause of his torturers negative karma that they are generated. 
 
Some of you also saw Rinpoche shed a few tears when he was dedicating the merit at the end of the teachings. He was thinking all of the beings suffering in all of the realms of existence – and this amount of suffering was just overwhelming. 
 
I believe this is why in the Tibetan Buddhist teachings they place such emphasis upon having a teacher. I remember one of my root teachers telling me that to practice Buddhism without having a teacher is like trying to fly and airplane without a pilot – you are very likely going to crash. I think Westerners often misunderstand this importance on having a teacher. They wrongly see it as blindly following someone, or turning over your sense of self or power – as we have often seen in cults. This is not what is meant by having a teacher in the Buddhist sense. Having a Buddhist teacher doesn’t mean blindly following some charismatic individual. But it means to watch and observe someone who you admire – and to see with your own eyes if they are practicing bodhitchitta – that is compassion for all beings and to see if they have a stable and centered mind. (I can’t say I have developed this – but like many of you, I continue to try to practice it as best I can, but at times I know I fall short.) 
 
Mary and I have been fortunate enough to have first experience with many of our root teachers who visit the Rime Center, because we usually host them in our home. We have the opportunity to spend time with them one-on-one and we see with our own eyes their incredible compassion and stability of mind.  
 
A few years ago Lama Lodu Rinpoche was here giving teachings. A week after he was scheduled to leave H.H. Dalai Lama was hosting a conference in Garrison, NY for the heads of all of the Tibetan Buddhist Centers in North & South America. Mary and I were fortunate enough to be invited, as was Lama Lodu. Lama Lodu asked if he could stay with us for that week (rather than return back to San Francisco – only to leave again) and then we could all travel together to the conference. So we spent an entire week (as well as the time at the conference) with Lama Lodu. We saw his incredible compassion and stability of mind. One evening he related to us the following story. He said that he had several precious ritual objects given to him by his root teachers – the great Kalu Rinpoche and the renowned 16th Karmapa. He left these on his puja table at his Center in San Francisco. One day he noticed they were missing – and he knew someone had taken them. Very calmly he said he was pretty sure he knew which sangha member had taken them. His calm demeanor amazed me. I thought how I would feel if this had happened to me – and I am embarrassed to tell you that I would have been very angry and upset. But Lama Lodu related this story without even a raise in his voice. He went on to say that about a year later he was giving some teachings at a Center in Santa Fe New Mexico and at the end of the teachings this woman approach him with a book. He recognized this as the woman from his Center who he suspected had taken the precious ritual objects. She handed him a book and said she had borrowed this from his Center and wanted to give it to him so it could be returned to his Center’s lending library. Lama Lodu told me he said to her, “No, I don’t want the book back until you return ALL of the things you took.” He said she became very red in the face and kind of slunk away with the book. He said about 2 or 3 months later there was a knock on the door at his Center. When he opened the door it was this woman with the book and one of the objects. He told her “No, you must return ALL of the objects.” So she went to her car and brought one more ritual object. Again, he repeated his first request – that she must return ALL of the objects. After several more trips to her car, she eventually returned everything. I asked him what he finally said to her. Did he scold her? Or did he tell her she would burn in vajra hell – as I probably would have said? He said, “No, I didn’t say anything. I simply thanked her and that was it.” Once again I was amazed at his equanimity and the stable and balanced mind he had developed. 
 
Mary and I have also been fortunate enough or had the good karma to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama on a number of occasions. I don’t have to tell you what an incredible teacher and bodhisattva he is. Simply to be in his presence you can feel his compassion, and his mind being fully present. When you talk to him, there is no doubt that he is completely and fully present. You realize that his mind is nowhere other than with you in this present moment. And of course his advocating the use of non-violence to affect change in the world is why he won the Noble Peace Prize.  
 
I believe we can lean from all of these great teachers. We can observe and see with our own eyes how they have developed such great and deep compassion – and we can see how centered and stable their minds are.  
 
We all know how the Buddha went on a spiritual search and through his own efforts attain enlightenment. We can read about this and we may believe it, but it may be difficult to imagine this is actually possible. However, when we encounter it ourselves, and see with our own eyes, then we know it is true.  
 
We are so fortunate, here at the Rime Center, to have some really wonderful Dharma teachers who visit the Rime Center regularly. In November Lama Lobsang Palden Rinpoche will be back. In January we have a weekend retreat scheduled with a wonderful Tibetan Geshe. In February, Bruce Newman, author of “Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism” will lead a weekend retreat. Then in March Alan Wallace will be back leading a retreat and sharing his wonderful teachings. In April we have the very well known Vipassana Dharma teacher Matthew Flickstein. And finally in May the Drepung Gomang monks will be back.  
 
What does this mean to us? Why is this important to us? First, we of course receive their precious teachings. But more importantly it means that that we can learn from their example. We can see with our eyes the universal compassion and stability of mind they have developed. And if they can do it – (develop their minds in this way) then so can we. If shows us what is possible. And that is why encountering great Dharma teachers can be a true source of inspiration to us.