The-Tibetan-Book-of-Living-and-Dying

THE PRACTICES FOR DYING 243
"'What a nice Lama you are,' he said. The dogs come in
and steal the food people offer you, and all you do is smile.
The wind blows out the lamps, and still you keep on smiling
... Anyway, I am going to walk all around the temple in
prayer, to show my respect. Would you mind looking after
my boots till I get back?' Taking off his dirty old boots, he
placed them on the altar in front of the statue, and left.
"While Ben was walking around the huge temple, the caretaker
returned and saw to his horror that someone had been
eating the offerings and had left a filthy pair of boots on the
altar. He was outraged, and furiously seized the boots to
throw them outside, when a voice came from the statue, saying:
'Stop! Put those boots back. I'm watching them for Ben of
Kongpo.'
"Soon Ben came back to collect his boots, and gazed up at
the face of the statue, still calmly smiling at him. 'You really
are what I'd call a good Lama. Why don't you come down to
our place next year? I will roast a pig and brew some beer ...'
The Jowo Rinpoche spoke for a second time, and promised he
would visit Ben.
"Ben went home to Kongpo, told his wife everything that
had happened, and instructed her to keep an eye open for the
Jowo Rinpoche, because he didn't know exactly when he was
coming. The year went by, and one day his wife came rushing
back to the house to tell him she had seen something glowing
like the sun, under the surface of the river. Ben told her to put
the water on for tea, and raced down to the river. He saw the
Jowo Rinpoche glittering in the water, and immediately
thought he must have fallen in and was drowning. He leapt
into the water, took hold of him, and carried him out.
"As they went back to Ben's house, chatting all the way,
they came to a huge rock face. The Jowo Rinpoche said:
'Well, actually I'm afraid I cannot come into the house,' and
with that he dissolved into the rock. To this day there are two
famous places of pilgrimage in Kongpo: one is the Rock Jowo,
the rock face where a form of Buddha can be seen, and the
other is the River Jowo, where the shape of Buddha can be
seen in the river. People say that the blessing and the healing
powers of these places are identical to the Jowo Rinpoche in
Lhasa. And it was all because of Ben's immense faith and
simple trust.
"I want you to have the same kind of pure trust as Ben. Let
your heart fill with devotion for Padmasambhava and Dilgo
Khyentse Rinpoche, and simply feel you are in his presence,