When a very highly realized Lama such as Venerable Geshe Gyeltsen leaves his physical form it is very important to conduct the proper rituals and cremation ceremony. These are very technical and require much training as well as the proper facilities to do them. We realized that we were not equipped to do this here in the United States so the decision was made to return Venerable Geshe Gyeltsen’s holy body back to Gaden Shartse Monastery in India. This was to become an epic journey filled with miracles all along the way.

In our tradition of Buddhism when a highly realized being passes away (their human form stops functioning) their mind (consciousness) remains in what we call a “clear light meditation.” Even though the body is dead, the Lama’s mind is still present in deep state of meditation. This state is called thukdam. The period of time that a Lama remains in thukdam varies and is dependent upon the Lama. It could be one or two days, or as long as months. The general rule of thumb is the shorter the Thukdam, the quicker the Lama will reincarnate in human form. So a few days typically means he/she will return quickly and a month means a very long time, possibly choosing to go to a pure land. Throughout the stage of thukdam the body remains fresh with a good smell and no signs of decay.

Venerable Geshe Gyelsten’s physical body stopped on February 13, 2009. He then entered the clear light meditation for a little over 3 days, ending his meditation on February 16, 2009. This made all of us happy because it is a possible indication of a fast reincarnation. At the time he ended his meditation an amazing double rainbow appeared that could be seen throughout the city of Long Beach. It was so large that a picture of it appeared in the Los Angeles Times the next day. This is a very auspicious sign and we believe one that Geshe-la left to inspire his students. Students at the center were able to take some photos and I have posted some of them in a previous post.

After ending his meditation, we had his holy body moved to a local mortuary. The monks from Gaden Shartse visited everyday doing special prayers until a viewing could be arranged for all his students (February 19^th). Then came the task of sending his holy body to India. Even under normal circumstances this requires a lot of preparation, money, and paperwork. Our case was much more complicated because we needed to keep his holy body preserved without embalming. Almost every airline requires embalming and the rules for sending human remains to India definitely requires embalming. Despite this, in one day (Thursday, the 20^th), we were able to obtain all the proper documentation from the Indian consulate and secure tickets for travel on the next day. This was just one more auspicious or, from my side, miraculous event.

Now for the journey we needed to have people escort Geshe-la’s holy body, flying on the same planes and reciting prayers non-stop throughout the flights. We had a wound up with 9 of us (including me) so we could take turns sleeping while others said prayers. Because we were limited in our choice of airlines the travel time from the take off at Los Angeles International Airport to our final destination of Gaden Shartse Monastery in India would take a total 70 hours. This included a 12 layover in Atlanta and a 26 hour layover in Paris, France. We were able to pack his holy body with enough dry ice to last about 40 hours and there was refrigeration at the 2 layovers. The last section of the journey was a 10 drive through the Indian heat from Bangalore to Gaden without any refrigeration. So all and all it was dicey but the best we could do under the circumstances. As it turned when we finally arrived, though we were all worse for the wear, Geshe-la’s holy body was in great shape.

When our caravan arrived at Gaden over a thousand people (monks, nuns, and laypeople) were lined up with offerings on both sides of the street to welcome Geshe-la’s holy body. His holy body was placed in a special altar room for the monks to prepare him for the cremation. All of the monks were amazed at the condition of his holy body, reporting that it did not have any sign of a bad smell or decay. They also reported that his holy body had shrunk in size. This is of special interest because it is also a sign of very high spiritual attainment. The monks formed his holy body in the proper sitting position of a yogi, dressed him in elaborate clothing, and placed him upon a throne in a specially prepared altar room. Special blessings were conducted by His Eminence Lati Rinpoche and His Eminence Zong Rinpoche. Then monks, students, laypeople, and even students of a blind school that Geshe-la sponsored came in and offered their respect. All the time over a 100 monks were just around the corner reciting prayers.

At approximately 5:00pm on February 24^th (India time), Venerable Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen’s holy body was carried (lead by Zong Rinpoche) in a procession to the cremation site. His holy body was placed in a specially prepared cremation hearth which was then sealed up and decorated with auspicious signs and symbols. Then katas (offering scarves) were offered and the cremation ceremony began. The ceremony and fire puja was lead by His Eminence Zong Rinpoche and attended by many other high lamas. Everything went perfectly and Geshe-la’s holy body was cremated on the last day of the Tibetan calendar year – 10 days after his human form stopped functioning. How amazing that everything could fall into place to allow for such timing!

The cremation hearth remained sealed for the next three days. Every morning we went and made a 1000 water bowl offerings and Zong Rinpoche lead special pujas at the cremation site. In the evenings monks would recite prayers with us at the cremation site. On the forth day the hearth was opened and the holy remains were collected and inspected for signs. The first amazing discovery was that despite the great heat of the fire, Geshe-la’s heart was found intact on the center grate. Upon close inspection it was discovered that it was actually his eye, tongue, and heart (representing his pure body, speech and mind respectively) emerged together. This was an incredible display of his high attainment. At the bottom of the hearth there is a metal cover that was placed over a sand mandala. This is where high lamas often leave special signs. When the cover was removed a small footprint about 3 inches long was found pointing northwest. Finding a footprint is a sign that the Lama will return. The smaller the footprint, the quicker the return. So this was also another sign that Geshe-la will return quickly. The fact that it pointed northwest is a sign that his reincarnation will be born in that direction. The very first smoke from the cremation also went to the northwest reinforcing this. Since we are in South India there is now a possibility, based upon the signs, that Geshe-la could be reborn soon in the USA. Of course there are a lot of other places northwest of Gaden Monastery too.

Well that about covers this part of this very special journey. I still can’t believe that I was able to be a part of this very rare and precious experience. I must have done something real good in another lifetime =). Now all the others have left the monastery carrying with them Geshe-la’s holy remains. Some of them will be sprinkled on the mountains above Dharmasala and maybe some will make it to the mountains of Geshe-la’s home in Tibet. Most are returning to the USA and his relatives and students will decide how they are used. Possibly they will build some stupas or a statue for them. It is now March 13, 2009 and I am remaining here at Gaden Shartse hopefully till June, at which time I promised my students in Long Beach that I would attend their graduation. While I am here I am hoping to truly experience life at the monastery and learn some Tibetan. As time and the limited internet accessibility permits I will try to post updates on life here at Gaden. Till then, wishing much peace, happiness, and many blessings.

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