“A Room Without a Roof…”Published on March 4, 2015
I’ve been trying to get ready for seeing his Holiness,
making arrangements, packing video equipment, getting tickets, spending money, etc. Seeing His Holiness is money well-spent. We will also get to see our own teacher of 30+ years, so what a double-treat! Being in the presence of His Holiness is indescribable and, of course -- priceless.
I first met the 17th Karmapa when he was twelve years old at Tsurphu Monastery, his ancestral home high in the mountains of Tibet at some 15,000 feet. Margaret and I had brought most of kids with us. We spent three days with the young Karmapa. However, the effect of His Holiness on me was the same when I met him again in America in 2008 and also in 2011. In other words, he is ageless in some sense.
For me, just being in his presence is life-changing. It has happened to me more than once now, so I am getting my things in order and preparing for a change. I’m ready. As I get older, it seems my options are getting more limited, by time for sure. However, a change in view is always possible, at any age. Physically I become more limited, but mentally and spiritually, I seem to have, as the recent pop song “Happy” sings, “a room without a roof.”
[Photo taken today.]