. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gesar Mukpo
Don’t be afraid to show who you are
Edited extracts from a talk given at the London Shambhala Meditation Centre on Wednesday October, 27 2005.

The heart of Shambhala is a tradition where we work with ourselves.  That’s why we come here. The most powerful way that we can work with the situation of the human condition is through community, by coming together, seeing other people that share the same feelings, the same hopes. The strength of community is incredibly influential.  Community teaches us how to treat each other. Community helps us to share the message that we want to work with ourselves.

In the world today I see, especially among young people, that it is very important how you look and how you are seen. You put out the appearance of being emotionally stable. But if you look at anyone you see it’s not that way. We all have our problems. We have our own emotions, our own heartbreak. We each have our difficulties, our own battles that we’re fighting.  But by being in a community, we can we remind each other that there is something within us that we can work with. That is the benefit of community. On the most basic level that is what this tradition can offer…

I ask you to share this. Because even more important that what you are doing for yourself is what you are doing for other people. It’s not a matter of people needing help; it’s a matter of offering something. There are other people out there that need something like this in their lives. The best thing we can do is offer them a situation where they can work with themselves with no judgment, without pushing. Simply to provide a space, a roof and a cushion, where someone can walk in, meditate and work with themselves if they want to. That’s what you can do… 

One of the things I’m doing is promoting Running for Shambhala. The Sakyong is going to run the New York marathon for Shambhala, to keep the organization running. During my travels I’ve realised that we tend to think of what happens in Shambhala in terms of its different parts. But the whole thing is one. There’s the organization, there’s the lineage, there’s the tradition. I ask you to support it in whatever way you can. If not financially, then through volunteering, through helping or simply through offering a space in some way for your friends.

In my life I’ve seen this organization go from being thought of as an extremist cult to where many of the things we do are recognized by scientists today. We’ve come a long way.  It’s no longer an odd thing to be studying eastern traditions. It’s accepted. That’s a really great thing. Now it’s much easier for someone to see what’s going on here without being ridiculed by their friends, by the people they see in everyday life.

We are not trying to convert people. We are trying to offer them something. We are trying to welcome them into our community and honour their natural brilliance. It’s a good message. It’s something I believe in. I don’t think it’s better than anything else, but I’ve thought about this a lot.  I asked myself: “What can I do with my myself?  What could I possibly do if everything were to go perfectly?  What would be the pinnacle of the difference I could make in the world?” I honestly didn’t think there was anything I could do that was beyond what is offered in this community.

We have a chance to have a huge impact on the world, on people… The most important thing you can do to change the world is to create a situation where people are sane. Then all the other changes could happen like that (snaps his fingers).

What were trying to do is awaken ourselves. If we can offer that to the general public, there is a basis for anything. At the heart of what we are doing is the wisdom of an incredible human being, the Vidydhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He was a brilliant person, but he was just one person. Just like the Buddha, a simple human being. But if you look around the world you see images of the Buddha everywhere. That’s what spirituality does. It creates interest in someone who was awakened. We shouldn’t forget that within some of our lifetimes this man walked the earth. He had an incredibly huge heart. That’s why he did what he did.  He wasn’t superhuman. He couldn’t fly, that I ever saw (laughter). The Vidyadhara went through an amazing struggle to bring the dharma to the West.  He escaped on foot from Tibet, over the Himalayas with the Chinese pursuing him. He saw hundreds of people killed. He persevered and he believed in what he was doing completely. He had a lot of compassion for people and he touched a lot of people’s hearts. As a result of that the wisdom goes on. Through Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche the tradition has continued. Through all of us the tradition has continued. Through providing a roof and cushions the tradition has continued. I must admit that I have a personal ambition:  I want to see my father’s vision go on. I don’t want to see it die out in a generation or two.

One of the things that really struck me from spending time with my brother, the Sakyong, is his incredible commitment to what he’s doing.  I think a lot of us lack true commitment towards doing something positive, because we’re in a constant state of doubt.  We’re not sure if we can make a difference. One of the things I’ve learned from my brother is that to go ahead anyway. You believe in yourself. You stay committed to what you’re trying to do. Doubt and negative feelings are very easy to create. Belief in yourself is much more difficult. I am really so happy to see his commitment to what he’s doing. I’d like to raise that in myself.

We have become a worldwide community now. We need to strengthen that. We need to learn how to work together to make the job easier. What’s going on is that ten percent of the people are doing ninety percent of the work. Ten percent of the people are giving ninety percent of the money. It’s been good for me on my travels to be reminded of that and to see that we need to change this. We need to create a situation where centres can be run without this extreme hardship. What’s important is to be engaged in the act of putting others before yourself. Please help by doing something: volunteering, giving money, giving your time. No one should be forced to give. The idea is that when you decide that you have something to offer, you are giving a lot more than your money, you are giving a lot more than your time. You are giving your belief, your belief in human beings.

What’s going on right now is that we are connecting up our global community. There have been the Shambhala Congresses. The voices of the members are being heard. There are a lot of things that need to be changed, like providing resources for the children, providing a global ability to get the teachings out there, trying to change things like accessibility and diversity. Our community should reflect society. We need to recognize our shortcomings and try to present something better than that.  I’m not talking down.  I’m just saying there are a lot of members of this community who see things that don’t reflect what we should be doing. Now their voices are being heard and changes are being made.  It can seem superficial on one level. But I’ve come to realise that it’s like a signpost. You create a situation where you say we are aware of this issue, we’re not sure what to do, but we’re working towards it. From that point on, change starts to happen, just by saying that change is important to us. There are so many members of this community that really want to make the situation better, through simple things like having a wheel chair ramp. No one should be unable to go into a centre because of their physical situation. So now we’re tying to eliminate all of these factors that are hindering our growth, our ability to connect with people.

What I’m saying is this: you can make any change you want. If you have a vision for this community, it can happen. It’s a matter of what you are going to do and what you are motivated to do. We’re not a gated community. We’re an open community.

It really warms my heart just to see you here, to know that there are people working with themselves. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the whole world were like that -- people genuinely trying to make a difference though the way they present themselves? It’s happening. It’s happening right now. The way I see it, the world is crying out for help. There’s a lot of ways we can help. There’s a lot we can do.  It doesn’t have to be though sacrifice, but through engagement, through Ruling Your World (laughter…) I don’t feel bad saying we need to do more for other people. The question is what. That’s what you are going to find out for yourself. But if you have the attitude of empowering society and believing in the magic that is in every person then you can create a situation for this tradition to go on.

A lot of the time we see religion at the heart of war, as the reason for war. We’re not like that. I really believe that, and that’s one of the things that really draws me to Shambhala and the Buddhist teachings. They expound a message of peace. So we need to work with ourselves in whatever way we choose. Try to be the type of person who is open to your friends.  My cousin, Karme Senge Rinpoche was teaching in Berkeley some years ago. He asked people, “Are you a Buddhist? Can people tell?” I really thought about that. I thought, oh probably people can’t tell. We study all of this wisdom. How does it manifest? We need to remember that, so that we can be a mirror for other people, so they can see there is a workable situation.

I would like to see all our Shambhala medition centers continue to thrive. I would like to see all the members of our community benefit in the highest way possible. It’s so encouraging for me personally to see that on a Wednesday night, you are willing to come here. It really honours the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. It honours Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. It honours the Buddha. It honours the universal wisdom that has been pooled within this community. So I want to thank you all for doing this. I want to remind you of the impact you have on the world, the impact you have on your friends. Don’t be afraid to show who you are. Share. Don’t keep it.

Thank you.