LEARNING WITH MICHAELA

That year Michaela had come with Lama Ole for the Phowa and she stayed after he left. We had a Ngnondro  retreat in San Bartolo. That was very important because we had a lot of new people and they were not taking things seriously. Some persons thought Buddhism was a nice thing to do once a week: to “relax” with meditation. Those were “Buddhism Consumers” according to Michaela. To be a “producer” you have to be a serious practitioner, do Ngnondro  and meditate on a daily basis, Michaela said. It is true that some people have the inner need and some don’t, but if you practice you will find you have “surplus”, extra energy to work for the sangha. With time you can have a better understanding of the teachings because merit enhances comprehension.

Michaela’s teachings sank in and many people started Ngnondro. Javier was one of the most enthusiastic. He had become blind in his late fifties, so if you explained the visualization well to him he could do the practice. He had an excellent memory for the mantras and the rest of the text. Carmen, Violeta , Rosa and Carlos also joined “the producers”. Soon we had a large group of practitioners. It was thanks to Michaela’s visit and retreat that people started Ngnondro in Lima. Lama Ole had given a Ngnondro retreat many years before, but people were not ready at that time.

 

We had been lucky enough to borrow a seaside apartment down at the beach, so we had nice evening reunions and early morning dips in the ocean. Javier from then on referred to Michaela as his Buddhism “Madrina”(godmother) and had a special feeling for her.

 

The new Millenium brought changes. Some young people would soon come. We would soon have a place of our own. Michaela had told us it would be nice if we had a live in center. We looked forward to it and soon the right circumstances would come. Meanwhile we started practicing seriously.

THE NEW MILLENIUM

We celebrated the coming of the New year in Carlos’ apartment. We were a small group, but we would soon meet more friends. Carmen Salas and Violeta were already coming.

There were some new members who had not yet met Lama Ole since he did not come in 1999. They would have to wait until year 2,000, and they made instant connection with him when they finally met him. A young German girl called Valerie came to Lima in order to make a research and made contact with us. Her then boyfriend was Buddhist. We would get together in Javier’s Internet place to read Diamond Way web page and find out more about Karmapa. We also met to study “Things as they are.”

A lady called Rosa Rivas came over one day. She was friend of Carmen. She had a school in San Borja, called  “Maria Reiche”. She offered the premises whenever we needed a larger place for a conference. I remember Eduardo Herrera gave a lecture there. We also started meeting for meditation in the school on Mondays. We kept meeting on Thursdays in Carlos’ apartment. That was in San Isidro, another neighborhood.

In November of year 2,000, my daughter Stefanie got married and all my sangha friends attended the ceremony. Some days previous to the wedding, Javier had rented a house in San Bartolo, a seaside town 49 kilometers south of Lima. He would have the first Internet place in the beaches of the south. That meant business went well that summer (January, February, March)     of 2001.

We also started using Javier’s house in San Bartolo as a place for lectures and retreats (renting the local stadium). It became officially a Diamond Way Center when Hannah told him he had the blessing. In his office, Javier had a thangka I had given him, a picture of Mahakala and a small Buddah blessed by Lopong Tsechu. It was fun for all of us to go south, have teachings, eat seafood; and later have a walk and a dip in the ocean. Many Dharma teachers went there.

In year 2002 we had Phowa and that changed many lives. It was a difficult Phowa because Lama Ole always advises not to take drugs if you want to take Phowa. He says if you do take drugs not to go. That time a lot of young people came and they were taking drugs. I was translating for Lama Ole and I could see he was troubled. It took an extra effort of Lama’s extraordinary energy to drive us all to the final goal. But it was not in vain, because after that Phowa several young people approached our sangha and many stayed until today.

….AND THE PIGEONS CAME TO DIE

The other day when Peter Gomez was visiting the center in Lima, we had a conversation with Ricardo La Serna. We were remembering those days when Lopong Tsechu along with Lama Kalsang and Maggie had stayed in his house in Miraflores, the same place where Lama Ole, Hannah, Pedro Gomez and friends has arrived in 1990 for the first time.

Ricardo was talking of 1996 after Lopong Tsechu left. ”After he left the energy of the place had changed” he said, ”I think it was because in his room he had pasted on the wall the images of two Yidams. And he talked to those Yidams on the wall. Maggie and Lama Kalsang had never seen him do this anywhere else.”

Sometime after they left the first pigeon came to die in Ricardo’s house. It flew in through the window and was found dead on the dining room floor.

The house had access to the roof and for the next few months Ricardo kept finding dead pigeons. If he left windows open they would come, fly in and die inside. There were no dead pigeons in the neighboring houses.

Ricardo had two brothers who had migrated to the US and were now citizens. They obtained American residency for Ricardo and he was planning to go to California soon to live and work there. Since he was leaving Peru for several years Ricardo was planning to rent his house.

One morning he found a dead cat on his doorstep. The cat had come to die there. One day he found an image pasted on his front door. It was that of a monk, but the head had been cut off. That person had also thrown some rice inside the house through a window. She was a very small black lady who was followed everywhere by five little dogs all mongrels. She came over to Ricardo’s house and left under the door a card with the image of Saint Martin of Porres, a black 16^th century Catholic saint who loved animals. Somehow all seers and witches had sensed a source of power in Ricardo’s house which altered the energy of the neighborhood.

One day a dead dog appeared on the doorstep. That was the last straw. Ricardo peeled off the Yidams and painted the walls. Slowly things went back to normal. Ricardo left for the United States and rented the house. He would live in California for many years. It would be there that he met Lopong Tsechu for the last time. He probably made him laugh. Ricardo always made Lopong Tsechu laugh.

THE POWER OF MANTRAS (EL PODER DE LOS MANTRAS)

It was the beginning of April 1999 and Michaela was giving a lecture in Carlos’ apartment. She had first come several years before. There were some thirty people and I was translating.

A couple arrived and stood listening for a long time. Then they took a seat. He was tall, in his middle fifties, with balding grey hair and he wore glasses. I later learned he only wore them to protect his eyes because he was blind. He had become blind a few years before due to Glaucoma. He was an expert in computers (he had a column in a newspaper) and he had an Internet place around block forty of Benavides Avenue in Surco. His name was Javier and before becoming blind he had produced and directed TV commercials for many years.

He liked the lecture from the start and he wouldbecome part of the Sangha or group of buddhist practitoners. Javier had been  anavid reader  all his life  and he was eager to learn all he could about Buddhism. I read to him Lama Ole’s books. We got together in his office to read.

One day we read a very moving story. It was about some lamas who lived in a monastery in a faraway mountain. A thief arrived with the intention of robbing them and tied them up. They could not defend themselves; but one of the monks who was more realized began to recite the mantra of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion.

The thief chose what he wanted to take, but he had to stay the night  because  he was far. He dined and fell asleep. The lama said the mantra all night. The thief started dreaming about all the harm he had caused; but the victims int his dream were not strangers but they had the face of his mother. All night the lama recited the mantra until the next morning the thief woke up crying. He set the lamas free and apologized to them. With time he also became a monk.

We thought it was a very inspiring story of another time and place. Javier said that he had always been Buddhist, but that he didn´t know it. Then every time he learned something he agreed one hundred per cent. Little by little he became a practitioner learning mantras and practices very quickly. A Buddhist practitioner is not a saint, but he makes an effort to have a meaningful  life and relate to others with compassion. He tries to have equanimity, since attachment and aversion are obstacles to growth. It is us who give positive or negative meaning to people and things. It is Ego.

It was Wednesday at eleven in the morning. Javier was in his office,next to the internet room in the prettiest Internet Place in all Surco. Suddenly he heard a voice close to him. He understood by the tone of the voice that it was a robbery and realized they were pointing a gun to his face. He knew it when he felt the cold of metal on his forehead.

They made him stand up and took him to a corner near the door of his office. They made him lie down and tied his arms and legs behind with a rope. Javier realized that what the robbers wanted to take were the eight computers besides the little money he had. Javier started to recite “OM MANI PADME HUM”.

I was in the Internet at a computer that morning, and had my handbag next to me. Suddenly I heard the doorbell, and a boy who was there too, stood up and opened the door. Javier’s Internet place was on a second floor and you had to go up a flight of stairs to get there. A tall man of strong build entered. He was probably an ex-policeman. Another man who was in a booth close to me stood up and both took out their guns. One of them talked to Cathy, the secretary who ran the office. They took us all to the kitchen and made us lie down on the floor. One man watched us. We were two ladies,one ten year old boy, a gentleman, Maria the cook and Cathy. The other man was probably with Javier, tying him up.

The doorbell started ringing and to echo on all telephones.There were four telephones ringing. Since nobody answered they rand and rang. That annoyed the thieves who didn’t know what  to do. It made them nervous. They talked to each other. They wanted to take the computers, but that would take some time: to take them apart, tie them up and take them away.

The doorbell rang for a long time. The person ringing was Jose Andres, the son of Anita, who was bringing a casette of the Coors. Since it was office hours and the office was open, he kept ringing since he didn’t want his trip to be in vain. After so much noise, the thieves thought it was some kind of alarm and decided to flee. Before leaving they took what they could get from the hostages. They took our rings and bracelets, looked into the ladies’ handbags, the wallets . They took our glasses, keys and what money there was in the office and ran off. We waited for a while on the floor. Then a child stood up and went to see. ”They are gone”, he said.

We slowly walked out of the kitchen. It was true, they were gone.I saw Javier on the floor tied hands and feet. I went to untie the ropes. On feeling the contact, as he could not see he asked “Who is it?” i told him it was I and that the robbers were gone. After letting him free we counted our losses: a passport, so much money, they hadn’t taken the computers. We had to change all thelocks on the doors because they had taken the keys.

After we returned from the police office Javier told me how he had behaved like a practitioner: he had felt sorry for the thieves: he could sense their fear and felt compassion. From there sprung the mantra of Chenrezig which he recited incessantly until we set him free. It may have been a coincidence, but if that kid hadn’t come and rang the doorbell so insistently the robbers would have taken the computers.

What matters is that  Javier took refuge in the Buddah of Compassion and that gave him equanimity during the robbery. One must also think that the Buddhas protect us and that Buddhists also have miracles.

Era abril de 1999 y yo estaba traduciendo una conferencia de Michaela Fritzges, Dharma Teacher de Ole Nydahl. De pronto llegó una pareja y estuvieron escuchando largo rato de pie. El era alto, de unos cincuentaitantos años, algo pelado, con el pelo gris y anteojos. Después me enteré que los anteojos los usaba para protección de los ojos porque era ciego, pero no le servían para ver. Había quedado ciego hacía pocos años por una glaucoma; y siendo un experto en computación tenía una cabina de internet por la cuadra cuarenta de la avenida Benavides. Se llamaba Javier y antes de quedar ciego había sido publicista y se había dedicado a dirigir y a editar comerciales de televisión.

Desde el principio le gustó la charla  y pasaría a ser parte de la Sangha o grupo de practicantes de Budismo. Javier había sido un ávido lector y quería aprender todo lo que pudiera  sobre budismo. Le leíamos algunos libros. Nos reuníamos a leer en su oficina.

Un día leímos una historia conmovedora. Era sobre unos lamas en un monasterio en lo alto de una montaña. Llegó un ladrón con intención de robarles y los amarró. Ellos no podían defenderse, pero uno de ellos, el más realizado, empezó a recitar el mantra del Buda de la compasión, Chenrezig.

El rufián escogió lo que quería llevarse, pero debía pernoctar por tratarse de un lugar tan alejado. Cenó y se dispuso a dormir. El lama recitó el mantra toda la noche. El ladrón empezó a soñar con todo el daño que había hecho, pero las víctimas en su sueño no eran desconocidos sino que tenían el rostro de su madre. Toda la noche el lama recitó el mantra hasta que  al amanecer el ladrón se despertó llorando. Desató a los lamas y les pidió disculpas, y con el tiempo se unió a ellos e hizo votos de monje. Nos pareció una historia muy inspiradora, pero de otro tiempo y lugar.

Javier decía que siempre había sido budista, pero que no lo sabía. Ahora cada vez que aprendía algo era para estar cien por ciento de acuerdo. Poco a poco se fue convirtiendo en un practicante, aprendiéndose los mantras y las plegarias en tibetano con mucha rapidez. Un practicante no es un santo, pero trata de tener una vida significativa y mirar a los demás con compasión. Trata de ser ecuánime, ya que la aversión y el apego son obstáculos. Somos nosotros los que cargamos a las personas y a las cosas con significado.

Era un miércoles a las once de la mañana. Javier estaba en su oficina, al costado de la sala de internet de la cabina más linda de Miraflores. De pronto escuchó una voz cerca de él. Por el tono entendió que se trataba de un asalto y se dio cuenta que  le habían estado apuntando a la cara. Lo supo cuando sintió lo frío del metal de una pistola en la sien.

Lo hicieron pararse y lo llevaron a una esquina cerca de la puerta de su oficina. Lo hicieron echarse en el suelo y le amarraron los brazos y pies por detrás con una soga. Javier se dio cuenta que lo que querían los ladrones era llevarse las ocho máquinas aparte del poco dinero de la caja. Javier se puso a recitar OM MANI PADME HUM.

Yo estaba en una máquina escribiendo en internet. Tenía mi cartera a mi costado. De pronto escuché sonar el timbre de arriba, no el de la puerta de calle, y un niño que estaba en una máquina abrió la puerta. La cabina quedaba en un segundo piso y para llegar había que  subir un tramo de escalera.  El que entró era un hombre de porte marcial, probablemente expulsado de las fuerzas armadas. Otro hombre que estaba cerca de mí se paró y los dos sacaron armas. Uno de ellos le decía algo a Caty la secretaria que administraba la cabina. Nos metieron a todos a la cocina y nos echaron al piso. Uno nos vigilaba mientras el otro probablemente ataba a Javier.

El timbre de la calle empezó a sonar  y a repetirse en todos los teléfonos ya que había una mini central telefónica. Sonaba y sonaba porque nadie respondía. Eso aturdía a los ladrones que no sabían qué hacer con ese ruido. Los ponía nerviosos. Hablaban entre ellos. Querían llevarse las máquinas, pero eso iba a tomar tiempo: desarmarlas, atarlas y transportarlas. Siguió el ruido del timbre bastante tiempo. El que tocaba era Jose Andrés, el hijo de una amiga que portaba un casete de The Coors que nos enviaba. Como eran horas de trabajo  y la cabina estaba abierta él insistía ya que no quería que su viaje fuera en vano.

Ante tanto ruido los ladrones pensaron que se trataba de una alarma y decidieron huir. Antes de irse, para que no fuera en vano su asalto decidieron robarnos a los rehenes. Nos quitaron anillos, revisaron las carteras de las señoras, las billeteras. Nos quitaron anteojos, llaves y pulseras y se dieron a la fuga. Nos quedamos un rato en el suelo. Luego un niño se paró y fue a ver. "Ya se fueron”, dijo.

Lentamente caminamos fuera de la cocina. Era verdad. Se habían ido. Yo vi a Javier tendido en el suelo atado de manos y pies. Me acerqué a desatarlo. Ante el contacto y como no podía vernos preguntó “Quién es” Le dije quién era y que los ladrones  se habían ido. Después de desatarlo hicimos un recuento de las pérdidas: ninguna máquina, un pasaporte, tanto dinero etc. Las pérdidas no eran muchas. Tuvimos que cambiar las llaves de todas las puertas porque se habían llevado los llaveros.

Ya después de hacer la denuncia en la comisaría y de tomar algo, Javier me contó cómo se había conducido como un practicante: le había tenido lástima a los ladrones. Sentía su  miedo y su nerviosismo y los compadecía. De allí surgió el mantra de la compasión de Chenrezig  que recitó incesantemente hasta que lo desatamos. Puede ser solo una coincidencia, pero si no viene el chico y toca el timbre los ladrones se hubieran llevado todas las máquinas.

Lo que importa es que Javier se refugió en el Buda de la Compasión y eso lo hizo estar ecuánime durante el asalto. Hay que pensar  que los Budas  protegen y que los budistas también tienen sus milagros. 

THE YEAR THE LAMA DIDN’T COME (EL AÑO QUE EL LAMA NO VINO)

By the end of year 97 Teté was still in charge. Carlos was going to Europe for Christmas holidays and would spend New Year’s Eve with Lama Ole and Hannah.By then there was somebody new in the Sangha: Carlos shared an office with a lady called Judith. Sha is very short and plump and has a big smile.

Lama Ole said he would come at the end of Januanry the following year. Since Carlos was not going to be in Lima to do all that involves Lama’s coming (spread the word, call people, find a suitable auditorioum etc.), he asked Judith to do so. In December she got a job and was really busy and she didn’t ask for help. Those were the times before the Internet when you had to phone people to invite them to lectures. She should have printed posters or brochures but she didn’t. When Carlos came back to Lima two days before lama was coming only very few people knew.

Judith had asked her brother whos is a doctor, to lend us the auditorium he has in his clinic.the problem was that it is located in a place that is very hard to find. Though I drive in Lima, it took me and a friend a long time driving around to find the place. The streets are not straight but winding and it was well hidden.

When we got there, Lama Ole was already there with Hannah, Tomek and Michaela. Only six people came (including me). The Lama waited twenty minutes, and since nobody else came, he decided we should go to the movies. Then and there he decided we weren’t ripe enough and he did not come in year 99. Javier and other newcomers had to wait another year to meet him.

In year 99 there was a Phowa in Colombia and Carlos, Judith, Cesar and two other ladies went to see Lama Ole. By then Carlos was the director of our Sangha. Lama Ole sensed things had improved and announced he would come in year 2,000. Carlos cried with joy.

When lama Ole came the following year we had a public lecture in Sheraton Hotel downtown Lima,And we had more that 800 people attending. Ever since then Lama Ole has never stopped coming every year except when Hannah was sick before she passed away, and Lama Ole sent some travelling teachers instead. For more that twenty years he has had the patience and the generosityof coming every year. The result is a big Sangha and Dharma groups in Piura, in Arequipa and in Iquitos in the Peruvian Jungle. We are looking forward to Phowa in Peru again next year.

Al final del año 97 Teté todavía estaba a cargo. Carlos iba a Europa para las fiestas de fin de año , e iba a pasar el año nuevo con lama Ole y Hannah. Por ese entonces había alguien nuevo en la sangha: Carlos compartía una oficina con una señora llamada Judith. Ella es bien bajita, llenita y tiene una enorme sonrisa.

Lama Ole había dicho que iba a regresar a fines de enero del año siguiente. Como Carlos no iba a estar en Lima para hacer todo lo que trae la venida del lama (pasar la voz, telefonear a la gente, encontrar un auditorio apropiado etc.) el le pidió a Judith que se encargara. Ella consiguió un trabajo en diciembre, estuvo muy ocupada y no pidió ayuda. Esos eran los tiempos antes del internet cuando tenías que telefonear a la gente para invitarlos a una charla. Tenía que haber impreso afiches y trípticos, pero no lo hizo. Cuando Carlos regresó a Lima dos días antes de la venida del lama muy poca gente sabía.

Judith le había pedido a su hermano que es médico, que le prestara el auditorio de su clínica. El problema es que está situada en un lugar muy difícil de encontrar. Aunque manejo en Lima, nos tomó a mí y a una amiga mucho tiempo de dar vueltas hasta encontrar el lugar. Las calles no eran rectas sino sinuosas y el lugar estaba muy escondido.

Cuando llegamos allí, lama Ole ya estaba allí con Hannah, Tomek y Michaela. Solo asistieron seis personas (incluyéndome a mí). El lama esperó por veinte minutos y como nadie más vino, decidió que nos fuéramos al cine. En ese momento pensó que no estábamos listos y no regresó en el año 99. Javier y otros nuevos practicantes tuvieron que esperar un año para conocerlo.

En el año 99 hubo un Phowa en Colombia y Carlos, Judith, César y dos otras damas fueron a ver a lama Ole. Ya para ese entonces Carlos dirigía la sangha. Lama ole comprendió que las cosas habían mejorado y anunció que vendría en el año 2,000. Carlos lloró de felicidad.

Cuando lama Ole vino el año siguiente tuvimos una charla en el hotel Sheraton, en el centro de Lima y tuvimos una asistencia de más de ochocientas personas. Desde entonces lama Ole no ha dejado de venir cada año excepto cuando Hannah se enfermó antes de morir y lama Ole envió unos maestro viajeros en vez. Por más de veinte años el ha tenido la paciencia y la generosidad de venir cada año. El resultado es una sangha grande  y grupos de Dharma en Piura, Arequipa, e Iquitos (en la selva peruana). Estamos esperando la venida del lama el próximo año que se cumplen veinticinco años de su primera visita.

HIS FIRST CONNECTION (SU PRIMERA CONEXIÓN)

Kenpho Karma Gnedon arrived in Lima in 1999. Eduardo Herrera, a Mexican student from KIBI came as his translator. He came to give teachings on the “Jewel Ornament of Liberation” of Gampopa. We gathered a group of some forty people.

As Eduardo translated we could hear “Ané, ané…” Javier told me maybe it was an important word.

Finally we asked and it meant “…and then.”

Kenpho wanted to go to the movies to watch “Star Wars” and Teté and I took him to Larcomar, a Mall overlooking the ocean, where there was a movie theatre. As we were going down the stairs all eyes were on Kenpho because of his clothing. A famous Venezuelan singer was also going down opposite us and nobody noticed him!

Carlos’ brother also had a beach house and we took Kenpho and Eduardo there for lunch one day.

Along with us came my daughter Stefanie with my grandson Jose Alfredo, who was less than one year old at the time. He was a holy terror and we had to chase him all over the place. Finally he was tired and started crying. His mother held him but he wouldn’t stop. Finally Kenpho came and held his little hand. The baby became quiet and fell fast asleep. We took a picture of this and called it “his first connection”.

Eduardo, Kenpho and others played football in a field nearby. They were young fellows and enjoyed it. We took some pictures. Later after they had left we used Photoshop in a picture of Kenpho. In it his arms were raised and it looked as if he was flying. We labeled it “Super Kenpho” and we sent it to him.

Javier went to Karma Guen in 2004, and he met Kenpho Karma Gnedon again. Later he wrote to him. Kenpho was in Kham visiting his parents, and he answered back. This is something about Dharma: you make friends and friendship holds no matter how far they are or how many years go by.

Kenpho Karma Gnedon llegó a Lima en 1999. Eduardo Herrera, un estudiante mexicano de KIBI (Karmapa Institute) vino como su traductor. El venía a dar enseñanzas de “La Joya Ornamental de la Liberación” de Gampopa. Reunimos un grupo de unas cuarenta personas.

Mientras Eduardo traducía podíamos escuchar “ané…ané”. Javier me dijo que quizás era una palabra importante. Finalmente preguntamos y quería decir “..y entonces”.

Kenpho quiso ir al cine a ver “La Guerra de las Galaxias” y Teté y yo lo llevamos a Larcomar, un Mall con vista al mar donde también hay cines. Mientras bajábamos las escaleras todos miraban a Kenpho por su vestimenta. Un famoso cantante venezolano también bajaba opuesto a nosotros,  pero ¡nadie reparó en el!

El hermano de Carlos también tiene una casa en la playa y allí llevamos a Kenpho y a Eduardo a almorzar un día. Con nosotros vino mi hija Stefanie con mi nieto José Alfredo, el cual tenía es ese entonces menos de un año. Estaba en una etapa terrible y lo teníamos que corretear por todo el lugar. Finalmente se cansó y comenzó a llorar. Su mamá lo cargaba, pero no paraba el llanto. Finalmente Kenpho vino y le tomó la manito. El bebe se quedó tranquilo y se durmió profundamente. Tomamos una foto de esto y la llamamos “su primera conexión”.

Eduardo, Kenhpo y otros jugaron fútbol en un campo cercano. Eran jóvenes y lo disfrutaron. Tomamos algunas fotos. Después que hubieron partido, usamos Photoshop en una foto de Kenpho. Tenía los brazos alzados y parecía que volaba. La estiquetamos “Súper Kenpho” y se la enviamos.

Javier fue a Karma Guen en el año 2004 y se encontró con Kenpho de nuevo. Después de retorno a Lima le escribió. Kenpho estaba en Kham visitando a sus padres y le respondió. Eso tiene el Dharma: haces amigos y la amistad dura no importa cuán lejos estén o cuántos años pasen.

TWO BLESSINGS OF THE LAMA (LAS DOS BENDICIONES)

I met Juan Carlos and Cynthia at the Lima Phowa in 2002 with Lama Ole at El Remanso in Chosica. They were a young couple, both dentists, who had made contact with Lama Ole when they attended a lecture on “Conscious Dying” in year 2,000. I am a friend of Ana , the mother of Juan Carlos , and she later told me they had left Peru to go live in the United States. After getting married here in a Buddhist ceremony, they went there to work.

As any young couple, they had many things they wanted to do: travel, go to Buddhist courses, develop professionally, and at the very end stood the possibility of having children. They wanted to, but they grew enthusiastic and then lost interest. In June 2005, Lama Ole went to Connecticut where they lived. They approached him and told him they wanted to have a child, and asked him for a blessing. He hugged them as he always did and placed his Gau on Cynthia’s belly while he blessed them both for a period longer than usual. Later they decided to postpone having a baby and forgot about the matter. They thought “…it will be better after this trip” or “…better after my birthday” and time went by. 

The next year they traveled to Lima for Phowa in January 2006. They had again decided it was the right time for having a baby and they would start trying on their return to U.S.A. They asked Lama Ole again for a blessing and he lovingly gave it. Some time later they got discouraged and forgot about having children.

In May 2007 Cynthia got sick. She had Flu symptoms: joint and muscular pain and slight fever. They ran her some tests including pregnancy (both blood and urine) and all came our negative. They told her it was probably a virus. After like three weeks of feeling sick they ran some other tests. Juan Carlos told Cynthia that it was clear to him, and he did not remember whether he had dreamt it or thought about it, but he had the feeling she was pregnant. As soon as Cynthia came back from work she made a test she had bought in the pharmacy on her way home. It came out positive.

The next day her lab results were ready and they congratulated her; but they had found high levels in her blood of a hormone which appear when the embryo does not adhere correctly to the placenta (and miscarries) or when there was a multiple pregnancy. These were too many different emotions for Cynthia: first she was told it was a virus, then that she was pregnant and finally that she could miscarry!She was sad and Juan Carlos tried to cheer her up telling her he was sure they were twins. While they they ran the test both watched the monitor.They had notions of radiology and they could see there were two embryo.Then the doctor told them with a smile: this is baby A and this is baby B.Both were stunned but thrilled.

In November when Cynthia was seven months pregnant, both went to San Francisco to a course with Lama Ole. As soon as they saw him they greeted him and Cynthia complained in jest that it was his fault they were having two babies because he had blessed them twice: once in Connecticut and the other in Lima. Lama Ole laughed heartily and told them if this was true one baby would be white and the other darker skinned. Emma and Brisa Salazar were born on January 14th 2008. 

As soon as they were born it was clear they were not identical twins not only because of their features, but because of the color of their skin. Emma, who doctors say was conceived first is fair skinned, and Brisa is rather tan. They are two beautiful little girls who one day will know they are the result of two blessings of Lama Ole.

They say one must think well before asking for something because we might obtain it. The same happens if you ask twice: you might get double what you asked.

Conocí a Juan Carlos y a Cynthia en el Phowa  en Lima del 2002 de Lama Ole en el Remanso, en Chosica. Eran una joven pareja, ambos dentistas, que habían tomado contacto con las enseñanzas cuando asistieron a una charla de Lama Ole sobre “La muerte Consciente” en el año 2,000. Yo tenía amistad con Ana, la madre de Juan Carlos, y por ella me enteré que partieron a vivir a Estados Unidos. Luego de casarse en una ceremonia Budista en Lima se fueron a trabajar allá.

    

Como toda pareja joven tenían muchas cosas que querían hacer: viajar, ir a cursos de Budismo, desarrollarse en su trabajo y muy al final estaba la posibilidad de tener hijos. Querían tenerlos, pero se animaban y se desanimaban. En junio de 2005 Lama Ole fue a Connecticut donde ellos residían. Ellos se acercaron y le contaron que querían tener un hijo y le pidieron una bendición para ello. El los abrazó como siempre lo hacía y colocó su Gau (relicario) en el vientre de Cynthia mientras los bendecía a ambos por un período más largo de lo usual. Después de eso decidieron posponer lo del hijo y se olvidaron del tema. Pensaban: “mejor después de este viaje”, o “después de mi cumpleaños” y pasó el tiempo.

Al año siguiente fueron a Lima para el Phowa en enero del 2006. Nuevamente habían decidido que ya era el momento de tener un hijo y que empezarían a intentarlo a su regreso a U.S.A. Nuevamente le pidieron una bendición y Lama Ole se las dio. Poco después se volvieron a arrepentir y se olvidaron de los hijos.

En mayo del 2007 Cynthia se enfermó. Tenía síntomas de gripe: dolor muscular y de articulaciones y fiebre leve. Le hicieron varias pruebas incluyendo la de embarazo (de orina y de sangre) y todo salió negativo.

Le dijeron que posiblemente era un virus. Después de como tres semanas de no mejorar le hicieron otras pruebas. Juan Carlos le dijo a Cynthia que para él todo estaba muy claro y que no recordaba si lo había pensado o soñado, pero que sentía que ella estaba embarazada. Cynthia ni bien llegó a casa después del trabajo se hizo uno de esos tests que se compran en la farmacia y le salió positivo. Al día siguiente salieron los resultados de los análisis y le dijeron “felicitaciones”, pero que había una hormona que estaba volando y que había que hacerle un ultrasonido de emergencia al día siguiente. Era una hormona que mostraba niveles altos cuando el embrión no se adhería a la placenta (y se perdía), o cuando había embarazo múltiple.

 

Eran muchas emociones para Cynthia: primero le dijeron que era un virus, luego que estaba embarazada y finalmente que  podía perder el bebé.

Ella estaba triste y Juan Carlos la consolaba diciéndole que seguro que eran dos. Mientras le hacían el ultrasonido ambos observaron el monitor. Ellos entendían algo de radiología y allí había dos sacos. La técnico-radióloga no dijo nada y se fue a llamar al doctor. El doctor vino y les dijo sonriente: “este es el bebé A, y este es el bebé B...”. Ambos estaban atónitos pero encantados.

En noviembre cuando Cynthia tenía siete meses de embarazo fueron a San Francisco a un curso con Lama Ole. Ni bien el entró al auditorio lo saludaron y Cynthia le reclamó en tono de broma  que era por su culpa que tendrían dos bebés, porque él los había bendecido dos veces: una en Connecticut y otra en Lima. Lama Ole soltó una carcajada y con el mismo humor contestó que si eso era cierto entonces una sería muy blanca y la otra morenita.

Emma y Brisa nacieron el 14 de enero del 2008. Desde que nacieron fue obvio que no eran idénticas, no solo por los rasgos faciales, sino por el color de la piel. Emma, quien dicen los doctores que fue concebida primero, es de piel muy blanca, y Brisa es más bien morenita. Son dos lindas niñas que algún día sabrán que son el fruto de las dos bendiciones de Lama Ole.

Dicen que hay que pensar bien antes de pedir algo porque podemos obtenerlo. También sucede lo mismo si se pide dos veces.