On the 9th of January in 2021, we once again interviewed Lodro Nyima Rinpoche who resides at Thrangu monastery in Yushu, Qinghai province. Rinpoche swiftly appeared on screen after we secured the internet connection. He looked thinner than his appearance in our previous interview last August. Ani Jangchub, the director of Thrangu Dharmakara, paid formal respects and thanked Rinpoche for making time for our interview. Rinpoche smiled and humbly replied, “It’s alright, take your time. I am pretty free today.”

My goal in life is to practice

Although Rinpoche kindly reassured us, we are aware of the tight schedule he has had since he completed his retreat. He needs to oversee the rituals and ceremonies, grant audiences to the public, and take care of numerous tasks within the monastery. We asked if he feels overwhelmed.

Rinpoche replied, “Everyone believes that I have developed better qualities after completing a three-year-three-month retreat, so they approach me with higher expectations. Although it can be exhausting, I feel delighted to be able to help them and complete various projects.”

During last year’s interview, Rinpoche mentioned the importance of life planning. We were curious about Rinpoche’s plans for the future, now that he has achieved his goal of completing a retreat.

He replied without hesitation, “My goal for the future is to practice. This is something I have contemplated deeply upon during my retreat. However, due to my responsibilities, I can’t leave the monastery often to go on solitary retreats. People expect me to stay here, so I have decided to build a meditation center within Thrangu monastery.”

Benefitting sentient beings with the wisdom of meditation

Building a meditation center at the Thrangu monastery in Yushu has always been one of Rinpoche’s goals. His plans were postponed due to the previous Yushu earthquake, which made rebuilding the monastery the sole priority. Now that he has completed his retreat, Rinpoche can now continue the construction of the meditation center.

When discussing the reasons for building it, Rinpoche said, “I often see many people initially extremely enthusiastic about conducting a three-year-three-month retreat. They appear to have great devotion and confidence. However, after a period of time, they were unable to continue with the retreat. Various obstacles appear, and they had to end their retreat. Others encountered unpleasant experiences or did what they weren’t supposed to during the retreat.

It is actually a tremendous challenge for most people to enter a three-year retreat right away. A more gradual approach is better. If there is a meditation center, people can stay there and begin with short-term retreats like the four preliminary practices. At the same time, I can observe their character and the amount of devotion they have. It would be better if they entered the retreat center after fulfilling certain criteria.

Another reason is that more people are coming here to meet me after I finished my retreat. Unfortunately, the monastery has no accommodations, and the hotels nearby in Yushu are quite expensive. Some genuine practitioners who come here are not that well off, so it would be a shame to turn them away due to financial reasons. Nowadays, there are more people taking refuge in the Karmapa and the Kagyu masters, but they don’t have the opportunity to practice the Kagyu teachings, beginning with the foundations and leading up to the Six Yogas of Naropa or Mahamudra. If there is a meditation center, they can come and practice for longer durations, which I believe is extremely beneficial for our Kagyu followers. I want to help by sharing with them what I have learned in this life, along with the insight and experiences I have gathered from my retreat.”

◀The meditation center Rinpoche is building in Thrangu monastery, Yushu. It is a multi-functional building including a shrine hall for meditation, a restaurant, a kitchen, and residential rooms.

Construction is planned to be completed by the end of July 2021 and will be open to the public at the end of August or early September. Free to the public, it will provide Dharma teachings and meditation instructions. People will be able to learn and experience the precious teachings, helping them deal with their afflictions. Students are welcome to stay and practice here on a short-term basis or become long-term residents.

▼Please scan the QRCode and contact Lodro Nyima Rinpoche’s WeChat account for more details about the meditation center and ways you can contribute.

Have courage and devotion

After five years of rebuilding the monastery, Rinpoche is now beginning to build a 1,700 square meter meditation center. This is highly challenging in terms of manpower, resources, and finances. Since Rinpoche just completed a retreat and did not have sufficient time to look for funding, we wondered if he is under a lot of pressure.

Rinpoche replied, “I felt a sense of hopelessness when the monastery was devastated by the earthquake. Later on, I thought to myself, if I could get back on my feet and ask for the blessings of my guru and the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, I will definitely be able to rebuild the monastery. Thrangu monastery belongs not only to me, but it is an essential monastery to the Karma Kagyu lineage.

That was an unforgettable insight which I feel extremely delighted about. Ever since then, I believe that I should have the courage to do whatever deeds that would benefit sentient beings. I believe the lineage masters will bless me with strength and courage. Everything will turn out perfect eventually. We have to work hard at preserving the Karma Kagyu lineage.”

How to practice or conduct retreat at home

Thrangu monastery has an excellent location, environment, and climate. Building a meditation center will allow more aspiring practitioners to come and conduct meditation, which will be incredibly beneficial. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, many people are confined to practicing at home. We asked Rinpoche what are some of the important things to observe when practicing or conducting a retreat at home.

Rinpoche expressed that the foundation of practice is relying on a spiritual teacher, taking refuge, arousing Bodhicitta, and visualization. We can also do the four-armed Chenrezig practice at night. When we are unclear about our practice, we can also call our teachers or speak with someone experienced. In addition, reading the stories and biographies of the Kagyu lineage masters is also an excellent practice.

He emphasized that going on retreat is not something we can decide hastily. First, we must take care of all our worldly affairs at hand. In this way, we can focus on the practice without worrying about worldly concerns. Second, we must be strict with our practice. For example, if we go on a twenty-day retreat, no matter what challenges we encounter, even if our parents pass away, we must not end the retreat early. Twenty days is really short, so we need to be strict with ourselves in order for it to become a genuine retreat.