MEETING LAMA DOBOOM TULKU RINPOCHE
—Continued
One afternoon after a presentation, I was walking down the hotel hall where the conference was taking place, and where we were all staying. A very tall Tibetan Lama was standing at the end of the hallway, and as I passed him, he smiled, eyes twinkling, and said, in a kind of halting voice, “I don’t know how you do that!” and he twirled his right 2nd finger. I laughed, and he said, “Do you come to Delhi?” I answered, “yes,” and he responded, “When you are in Delhi, come to Tibet House and have tea with me.” Rinpoche was the Director of Tibet House for over three decades.
TEACHING THE TEACHER
Later that year, in the company of my friend, Lama Palden, from California, we had tea with Rinpoche. Clear as day, I remember the conversation: “What are you doing in Delhi?” “Teaching core-wellness exercises (that is what we called my TAKE A MINUTE® trademarked program at the time) to women and girls in the slum area around the Sufi tombs. He looked at me and said “I would like to become your student!” I had met other distinguished teachers and rinpoches and I knew they were always testing me, so I laughed and brushed his words aside, knowing he was a very well-known teacher. But his response was, “I am serious. I have Type 2 Diabetes and other illnesses, and the doctors told me it is important for me to exercise. I have tried yoga and tai chi and they are not working for me. Perhaps you can help me.”
And that was the beginning of our more than 10-year friendship, and for me, a lot of learning. I would go to Tibet House several times a week. We went upstairs into the hall lined with all of the Tibetan paintings, thangkas, and I would share my simple and profound exercises with Rinpoche. He not only liked it, but it worked for him.
COMPASSION PRACTICES
Since I’m not a graphic artist, the first iteration of the exercises was my stick-figure drawings on a small piece of paper that he carried around with him so he could remember. He was always introducing me to people, and sometimes showing them the paper, saying, “This is Zuleikha, she is a dancer and a healer.”
He loved my mask dance. After his time at Tibet House, he started The World Buddhist Culture Trust, and I was invited to do the first concert in Delhi. Later he convened a conference, and he asked me to perform, make a presentation and write a chapter for his book, a collection of the papers of all of the presenters. He especially always asked for the mask dance at many gatherings.
At his conference in Hyderabad, he had invited several venerable and very elder Lamas. He took them outside to a private place and asked me to teach them my exercises that would help their circulation and also help to relieve the tension in their shoulders, neck and back. It was awesome and we all had a lot of fun.
TRIBUTE TO A PURE HEART
Rinpoche and his very dear assistant, Chungkey, regularly kept in touch with me. When I was working in India, he often took me on programs with him, including to a poor village that his Culture Trust sponsored. I did fun and expansive movement outside with many of the school children, which brought laughter and joy.
Last year, 2023, Rinpoche invited me to his 82nd birthday, and requested that I give a performance, especially including the mask dance. Many other wonderful artists also made beautiful offerings.
This year, on 29 January, Rinpoche slipped away before I could see him, yet his very grand presence is with us all. I can always hear him laughing, “Did you bring the mask? Heh heh heh!”
Along with many others, I shall miss Rinpoche, and through our works, I aspire to share the inspiration of his gift, the pure heart.
With Love and Respect, Zuleikha
Photo Credit: © Swan Lake Publishing LLC
