Conflict:
Everyone is extremely upset with Rinpoche. Two monks and a nun have already
disrobed. Prominent laypeople threaten
to withdraw vital funds from the community.
Rinpoche continues to be adamant, though he remains in seclusion,
reportedly due to ill health. Fervent
devotees continue to perform long life prayers morning and night. Rinpoche points out that his life has been
long already. He says that soon he will
die and, when he comes back, he’s coming back as a lemur. A Greater Bamboo Lemur, specifically. Also known as the Broad-nosed Bamboo Lemur or
Prolemur simus. The very rarest lemur in the world.
Development:
In the shock following Rinpoche’s initial announcement, the
secretary, in tears, flees to Google.
“The Greater Bamboo Lemur is native only to Madagascar !” cries the secretary. “Its habitat is almost entirely destroyed.” Rinpoche says, “So you’ll know how to serve
me,” “Less than 300 exist!” wails the secretary. Rinpoche says, “Think of how easy I’ll be to
find.” Then quickly adds, “Once you do
find me, please leave me with the other lemurs.
If tagging is necessary, it’s got to be gentle. I don’t approve of tattoos and I don’t want
my ears notched or anything.”
Rinpoche brushes off Buddhist conservatives, who claim that
what he intends to do is unheard of. He
maintains it is now quite common for bodhisattvas to be reborn as members of
direly threatened species, or as the last living speakers of languages nearly
extinct. “All beings have Buddha
Nature,” insists Rinpoche. “It is in the
nature of compassion to improvise.”
A prominent Dzogchen master – he refuses to say whom – was
recently a coelacanth. Others
enlightened beings have taken rebirth to keep company with direly endangered
marsupials or tree frogs nearly wiped out by the epidemic of chytridiomycosis.
According to Rinpoche, the most prominent of these buddhas
was an emanation of Chenrezig who arrived in Washington in 1972 and spent
nearly 30 years proclaiming the dharma at the National Zoo, very far indeed
from her beloved bamboo forests.
Response and
conclusion:
In the beginning the community refuses to accept any of these
arguments. As time goes on, so, too,
does their opposition. Scholars continue
to argue that it is the human rebirth
which is precious, as the dharma is only available to those in human form.
“How could it be so?” says Rinpoche, appearing visibly
strained. “I promise you that the lemur
dharma maintains that a lemur rebirth is of paramount desirability.” The lemur rebirth, too, is precious. Certainly it is exceedingly rare.
Even on Rinpoche’s deathbed the monks continues to argue. Rinpoche is told that he must live forever,
that he must go on teaching the dharma, that there is no precedent, that he
must resume human form.
For many hours Rinpoche does not respond. As his devotees look down fearfully upon his
brown gray skin, on the whirls of white hair which sprout from his ears, it
seems that he has already begun to
resemble a Greater Bamboo Lemur.
Finally, deep in the night, as his disciples keep vigil around
his hospital bed, Rinpoche’s old and
enormous gnarled hard reaches out from beneath the sheets. Refusing to be stopped, he turns and reaches
down toward the floor beside the bed. As
he touches it, his voice booms out, as the Buddha’s did on the night of his
enlightenment, The Earth is my witness. Then he dies.
Grief-stricken, the Rinpoche’s followers arrange for the
vigil and cremation. The ashes are
barely cool before the devotees are on a plane to Madagascar .
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