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The Hermitage: Visiting Lamas, Dharma Teachers and Monastics

Ven. Bardok Chusang Rinpoche and Lama Kunzang Palden Rinpoche

The deep spiritual connection and love that exists between the most Venerable Bardok Chusang Rinpoche who lives in Nepal, and our resident Lama, Rodney Devenish, is palpable. They have known each other for more than thirty years. We are fortunate to have visits from these two Spiritual Teachers at the Hermitage with us.

The elder Bardok Chusang Rinpoche is a Mahamudra-master, and a highly venerated yogi of tantric practice. He is a renowned expert on Pema Karpo's Six Yogas of Naropa and Mahamudra Meditation, with the recognized ability to impart "pointing out instruction" in a clear, precise manner, to those ready and sufficiently mature to receive direct realization.

Chusang Rinpoche lives in Boudhanath, Nepal and has managed to visit The Hermitage at least once a year to oversee progress. He hopes to come more often in the future. In his younger days, Chusang Rinpoche—who is of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition—spent more than six years in isolated retreat in the wilderness region north of Mount Everest. He became a great meditation master and yogi, before having to leave Tibet in 1959. Since then he has lived a family life in Nepal, where he is today greatly renowned amongst the Tibetan community for his great wisdom and saintliness. It was Chusang Rinpoche who initially blessed the land and gave the name Kunzang Samten Yangtse to the Hermitage, which means "the Pinnacle of All-Beneficent Meditation".

The two main elder Tibetan Lamas of the Hermitage, who visit from time to time, are the very venerable Bardok Chusang Rinpoche who comes from Dingri, north of Mount Everest, and the most venerable Karma Gyurme Rinpoche of Dza-chu-ka, in far eastern Tibet. It is thanks to Lama Bardok Chusang Rinpoche that the future "temple site" at the Hermitage has been consecrated – this he did some six years ago, when the Hermitage property was first purchased. See, for further information, the history and purpose of the Dharma Fellowship.

The Western Lama Lodroe Rabsal Rinpoche (Sidney McQueen-Smith) is one of our main Spiritual Teachers and a head Lama at the Hermitage. He has been a Dharma practitioner for over 40 years, both in the world and as an ordained monk. For many years he worked as a medical doctor serving communities in the Canadian north. His principal teachers include His Holiness the 16th and 17th Karmapa, His Eminance Situ Rinpoche, and first and foremost, the great Canadian master, Karma Namgyal Rinpoche. He is a recognized lineage holder of the latter. His expertise includes a profound knowledge of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, meditation for the Dying and the Dead, a knowledge of the deep metaphysics of the Prajnaparamita, and in particular an understanding through personal experience of the path and method of Awakening for those living in the world. Lama Lodroe Rabsal has a unique way of making the age-old teachings come alive. He speaks from a first hand, experiential sense based on his own deep insight. His talks on these subjects at the Hermitage have been deeply appreciated by all and we feel very fortunate that he has agreed to teach on a regular basis at our centre. Lama Lodroe Rabsal Rinpoche will be giving a series of tantric Empowerments at the Hermitage from the Namgyal Kagyu tradition over the next few years.

A guide for a great many of the meditation retreats held at the Hermitage is the recognized Western Lama Karma Kunzang Rinpoche, better known simply as 'Lama Rodney,' a lineage holder of the late Venerable Namgyal Rinpoche. Lama Rodney Devenish is the co-founder along with his wife, Elizabeth Swiatopolk-Mirski, of the Hermitage and also over the last six years a major Spritual Teacher at the centre. His speciality is the Kagyu teaching of Mahamudra, which he received chiefly from his root master Namgyal Rinpoche, but also from Trungpa Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche and a number of other Lamas. Having completed both the Kagyu and Nyingma preliminary practices, he received the full empowerment of the Guhyagarbha from Penor Rinpoche, late head of the Nyingmapa school, Dzogchen instruction from Khenpo Palden Sherab Rinpoche, and instruction in Vajrakilaya from Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche (1933-2004). He received the Chöd practice of Jigme Lingpa from Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche. During a ten year period as a celibate Buddhist monk, Lama Rodney spent four months of lonely isolation winter after winter in meditation retreat in the snowy wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, where he endured unbelievably ascetic conditions and succeeded in completing all the Kagyu practices given him by his teacher Namgyal Rinpoche, with particular focus on the Six Yogas of Naropa and Mahamudra. He has likewise accomplished innumerable other practices over the last forty-five years as an adept of Buddhist yoga and meditation. He is particularly known for his quite exceptional ability to impart the direct pointing out instruction of Mahamudra, based on his personal experience of the intrinsic nature of mind; a transmission he has performed with insight and extraordinary skill on various occasions throughout his long career as a meditation instructor and spiritual councilor. Due to the varied interests and guidance of his own teacher Namgyal Rinpoche, and his English background, he has further studied a number of disciplines, including an education in art, Jungian analytical psychology, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and classical metaphysics. His style of teaching is ecumenical and universalist in nature: while being classically founded in the Kagyu tradition, he takes a non-dogmatic approach, well integrated with science, psychology, art and nature, displaying a wondrous sense of enquiry into life itself.

The Hermitage constantly receives visits from a number of Lamas and spiritual elders. Last year, we had visits and teachings from the great Nyingmapa Lama Lingtrul Rinpoche, a teacher from far eastern Tibet. Lingtrul Rinpoche is the head of several monasteries in Tibet. We expect Lingtrul Rinpoche to be a frequent visitor to the centre.

We also receive annual visits from the very wise and beloved Lama, Nagkpa Kalzang Dorje, who has taught at the Hermitage during the last few years. Lama Kalzang Dorje is Head Lama of Thubten Choling in Duncan, BC and is a teacher in the Nyingmapa school. He is a yogi and Ngakpa-Lama from Rekong in Amdo, far eastern Tibet. He grew up studying Buddhist philosophy, psychology and meditation under the guidance of many wonderful practitioners, and became the chosen disciple of a number of very famous Lamas, one of whom included the great Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. In 1992 he entered Shedrup Dojo Ling monastery in Nepal where he was the student of the Very Venerable Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche. Last year, Lama Kalzang taught basic Dzogchen Ngondro and a set of Chod techniques, along with several sessions of meditation practice. This is an ongoing study and he will be giving more teachings on Chöd in the coming years. Besides Chöd practice, Lama is an expert in the complete 'secret mantra tradition' of the Nyingma and a fully trained practitioner at all levels of Dzogchen. We look forward to more and more visits by Lama to The Hermitage over the coming years.

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