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1、My Cousin,An Eminent MonkChapter VOn the afternoon of the third day after my arrival， I came to say goodbye to Konchog Chogyal Sangpo. I was leaving the next day and knew this might very well be our last meeting. Too ill to talk， he was sitting uptight with his eyes half-closed. I looked around this
2、 run-down room： besides several Buddha statues， there were books， old patchedup monk robes， a wooden bowl which appeared shiny after over 50 years of wear， and a threadbare sheepskin cushion on the bed. All of his possessions put together would not be worth RMB 1，000 yuan. As if seeing through my mi
3、nd， his student and personal assistant Yonten brought out a stack of thick account books whose pages were filled with closely-written Tibetan letters about the donations made by the believers. I leafed through them. From as much as 50，000 to as little as one or two yuan， every item with the names an
4、d wishes of the donors， and the amount of their donation was carefully documented.Yonten told me that over the last 30 years Konchog Chogyal Sangpo had received about 6 to 7 millions in donation， but had never spent a cent on himself. Usually he stuck to a principle of not touching the money， which
5、was all handled by his students. He often told them， “Alms given by the believers are not for us monks， but to the Buddha； the donation for the funeral services are not us monks， but to the Buddha too； the donation to the monastery are not for us either， all the money should be used to build and ren
6、ovate the monastery.” Konchog Chogyal Sangpo also took out a significant amount to help the disabled and families with financial difficulties. He often said that “the worship of Buddha is not for the successes in politics and business， but for the cultivation of respect and faith； merit gained by do
7、nating to the poor， the weak， the disabled， and the childless far exceeds that of off erings to Buddha， Dharma， and Sangha. Remember， those people might have been your parents in your previous lives.” He supported over 30 elderly people living alone by providing them with food and clothing. The Budd
8、ha statue he built in the center of the great sutra hall is two storeys high， sitting on a big eightfold lotus throne lifted by 3 lions， inlaid with sparkling Mani beads， and covered with mat of lotus， sun， and moon patterns. The Buddha sits cross-legged holding the wheel of the dharma in his right
9、hand symbolizing the continuous turning of the wheel and the dharma bells in his left hand standing for mercy， testimonies， and teachings. The statue looks both dignifi ed and warm. Tibetans Buddhists believe that Vairocana Buddha is the highest Buddha of Tibetan esotericism. His light of wisdom shi
10、nes upon all in the world， day and night， everywhere， to draw out the innate Buddhahood in both sentient and non-sentient beings. “The Buddhas light illuminates all the dharma-realm to give play to the roots of goodness in all sentient beings so they would do more good deeds in the world.” Perhaps t
11、his was also the original intention of Konchog Chogyal Sangpo when he had the statue built. The huge Thangka “Buddhas of the three times” （over 3 meters tall） painted by him is hung between two thick pillars in the great sutra hall. Its hardwood roller is as thick as an arm， its yellow silk cover da
12、zzlingly bright， and two red silk ribbons fl ow elegantly over it. Under the cover there are images painted with pigment of natural minerals： the Medicine Buddha of the eastern pure land， Amitabha Buddha of the western pure land， and Shakyamuni Buddha of the world. The vivid and lively images evoke
13、admiration from everyone. Why did he paint “Buddhas of the three times”？ My guess is that it is connected to the fact that Medicine Buddha once made a vow to heal beings born with deformities， illness or other physical suff erings， to help relieve the destitute and the sick， and to help the oppresse
14、d be free from suff ering. Those believers with illness and distresses would have monks come over to chant Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha， light the seven-layered rotating lamp， and hang the fi ve-colored longevity banner in the hopes that their illness will be cured. Shakyamuni once vowed
15、 to relieve all sentient beings of suff erings and save all of them with a merciful and fearless heart. Amitabha stands for wisdom. He teaches people to tap into their unlimited potential to eliminate the hindrances of karma caused in previous lives and the hindrances of partial knowledge to obtain
16、joy and wisdom. Whether ones prayers were answered， one might have different opinions and interpretations. However， here， when you saw a solitary elderly monk pray for all beings with a heart as lofty as gold， as pure as white conchs， and as transparent as clear water， you could not help but be touched.The gold lamp made of one kilogram of gold commissioned by Konchog Chogyal Sangpo is placed on the off ering table. A monk is responsible for adding oil to the lamp， making it an ever
