Khenpo

In the fall of 1999 I was fortunate enough, through my friend Karen, to have an extraordinary experience: A renowned Tibetan Buddhist monk, Khenpo Choga, that she knew when living in Nepal was on a world teaching tour, and when he came to Portland he fell ill and was diagnosed with a thyroid tumor. While the tumor was benign, he needed to stay for three months for treatment. I had room, so he stayed with me for three months.

I am fortunate to have gotten to know Khenpo both as a Buddhist teacher as well as as a man. I've always been inquisitive about eastern religions, primarily because they seem to make so much sense, and also because - unlike other religions - nobody ever died in a Buddhist-led war. While not truly a convert, I learned many things from Khenpo and count him as one of my life's friends.

Here's an interesting story: One day while Karen and I were driving with Khenpo he suddenly said that he "had to go to a mountain top" - that day. Driving on 205, the freeway that skirts the eastern side of Portland, I saw Mt. Tabor (the only dormant volcano within a city limits in the U.S.) and suggested he go there. So he did. While walking towards the top - and this is really amazing - he met another monk from Nepal, a lama, who coincidentally was in Portland for the week. Neither knew the other was in Portland.

This was early on in Khenpo's treatment, and it was arranged that Lama Wangdu would lead a "puja" - a Buddhist prayer ceremony for "long-life", for Khenpo's benefit. So they set up a prayer altar in my house, and some of Karen's friends came over, and this fascinating ritual occurred right in my living room.

Afterwards I took some photos in my back yard. These and the pictures of the puja can be viewed by clicking on the thumbnails below.

You can learn more about Khenpo Choga and his teachings at: http://www.dzogchenlineage.org/