At the end of his year of service in the monastery, Lama Yonten Sangpo was ready to return to the Sakya college.
He loved studying.
He had been the Khenpo (abbot) right-hand man for a whole year. Now it was time to go back to study.
And then, Khenpo-la asked him to stay forever as his assistant. And help in building SunCave school.
A big task in a poor area.
Lama Yonten Sangpo was sixteen.
With his brilliant mind, he could have become a scholar. But great men never go for the easiest choice. Lama Yonten Sangpo accepted to stay.
From that moment on, he was stuck in Mustang, working working working.
He never had the chance to go back to his studies.
After three years, he also became the Khenpo-la translator when they went to give teaching overseas.
With his choice, we have lost the chance to have a brilliant scholar. But we have gained someone even rarer: a strong practitioner for difficult times.
Do you have a problem?
An impossible task?
You ask Lama Yonten Sangpo for help.
Do you need to shoe your horse?
He can do it.
Do you need to reach a place in the middle of nowhere? No decent road? Almost no road at all during the rainy season?
No problem, he can take you there with his powerful off-road motorbike.
Are you sad, with great sorrow that you are unable to face?
He will understand you, and he will help you.
You have the crows eating the flowers on the roof?
In half an hour, crows have no chance left to destroy. Lama Yonten will built a perfect defense out of scraps.
If you ask him, he will say: "It was just something that needed to be done".
He is the man you want in a crisis, as well as in daily life.
He is everywhere. Taking care of everybody. Always running, he never stops.
And he is always kind and gentle with everybody.
He can ride (horse or motorbike) like his nomad ancestors. Free and happy in the wild.
He can go around in a t-shirt and knee-length trousers because it’s easier for work.
But don’t get it wrong: he is a pure monk and his life is soaked with Dharma.
Strength and kindness. Speed and joy. Sharp mind and compassion. An uncommon combination.
Lama Yonten Sangpo is an unusual monk.
A monk who practices more with his life than with sadhanas. Like some yogis of the past. They knew what had to be done. And did it. Without caring about "what people say". They knew, as he knows, that there is only one important thing: the Dharma motivation.
We live in times of fast and dramatic changes. Lamas like Lama Yonten Sangpo are the answer. They are fast, intelligent, cool-minded, and compassionate. Ready to go all the way through to find the right solution. Showing you a way out according to the Dharma. Your Lama is your spiritual friend.
Lama Yongten Sangpo is the Lama you want right now!
