For myself, I guess my first memory that has some kind of relationship with Rinpoche and my other teachers, is that when I was quite young, around 11 or 12 years old, and I remember looking at the world globe for the first time, and on the globe I noticed a country called Tibet.
I wish I could say that I connected with teaching for that reason though, that I met Rinpoche because I was looking for truth, because I was trying to find myself, because I wanted to be a better person. However, that view, somewhat opportunistic, is only partially true. The real reason why I met Rinpoche is because I wanted to leave suffering behind.
I was born Trapani, Sicily, which for me was not a nice place to stay, but it’s a very nice place to visit.”If we want everything to remain as it is, it will be necessary for everything to change,” said Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. It was not a good place for me. I was 18 years old when my family moved to Florence.
“You see Fabio, in life you do not need to renounce something, but should live everything with awareness.” Chögyal Namkhai Norbu
I think my exposure to Buddhism happened when I was about sixteen and still in High School. I had a friend who knew some other people and one of those people happened to be an owner of a bookstore. We were able to go there, and most if his books were on Buddhism.
UK Yantra Yoga instructor John Renshaw talks about the chain of events that brought him to meet Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in the early days of the Community
What struck me the most was when Rinpoche entered and everyone stood up and there was that silence, a show of respect and devotion. That impression that I had when I saw Rinpoche for the first time remained inside me indelibly in my whole being, body, voice and mind.
Meeting him was just to show me that I didn’t need to look for more, and to discover how it is enough. It seems that like all the teachings he ever gave were aimed at that. Nothing exists outside. You don’t need to look for more initiations or connections because he has given everything you need. And the rest is just to work on the inside.
There are so many aspects of the relationship between a Master and disciple. Eventually the example of the Master will manifest in the disciple. Then, that is what I feel, Teacher and student really meet.
Elia Bernadoni shares his memories of how he met Rinpoche and became the youngest Khaita instructor. “Every time that I dance Khaita I remember Rinpoche, and for every dance that we danced with him I have some memory. For each dance it is different.”
Mila Misek from Austria tells his unique story of meeting with Rinpoche.
Growing up in Germany in the industrial part of the Ruhr valley left me with very few options to live a creative and spiritually inspired life. Let’s just say I lacked opportunities to harvest a life style derived from visionary resources.
