THE BRILLIANT SUNSHINE OF KINDNESS



I am thankful for the splendor and magnificence of His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa. His manifestation and existence are so fortunate and powerful for us in this dark age. The propagation of the Kagyu dharma, the lineage to which I belong, is always within his empire. The brilliant sunshine of His Holiness’s kindness, as well as that of Khyentse Rinpoche and Dudjom Rinpoche, [two other lineage holders with whom Chögyam Trungpa had a strong connection], has encouraged me in continuing my teaching in the Western world. Through their kindness they have acknowledged my transformation from a pebble to gold, and they have given me further responsibility as a lineage holder, vajracarya and vidyadhara, in the modern world, so that I can teach continuously and further the dharma of the Practice Lineages….With the blessings of the lineage, and because of my unyielding vow, there is obviously no choice.

— From “Foreword” in THE RAIN OF WISDOM: The Essence of the Ocean of True Meaning, page xii.