112 BUDDHADHARMA: THE PRACTITIONER’S QUARTERLY
of the mind where treasures are said to be
hidden.” The letters unfold with an erotic
dance of courtship through sexual imagery
of tantric union: “sip the elixir together,”
“the delight of the daki’s body,” “inciting
complete blissful joy through great pas-
sion.” In another early letter, Tare Lhamo
depicts herself as a tigress (her birth year)
circling a monkey (his birth year) in seduc-
tive dance. This is a woman with power,
desire, accomplishment, and prowess.
Intriguingly, Gayley asserts that the
couple strives for a love that is ferocious
yet without attachment, a seeming con-
tradiction for those mired in samsara. For
example, in another early letter, Tare Lhamo
sets the record straight, telling Namtrul
Rinpoche that in her quest for their union,
she “rejects self-centered motivations, such
as the need for material support, feelings of
loneliness, attachment to worldly concerns
and activities, or the confusion of negative
emotions,” and is instead bound by a pure
prophecy of Padmasambhava. At the same
time, passion is not rejected, as a celibate
monastic would do, but embraced in pur-
suit of the “four joys,” which are “condu-
cive to realization and also, for those duly
appointed Tibetan visionaries, [to] treasure
revelation.” Like ordinary couples deeply
in love, Tare Lhamo longs for her beloved
a hundred times a day. Yet this union is
meant to reveal treasures for the benefit of
all beings:
One hundred times a day,
I recall the spiritual support;
My congenial friend comes to mind.
The sketch of past lives becomes clearer;
Mind yearning, my fondness increases.
“Separation” is like the heart being
ripped out.Ah! It is just so. But there is no need
to be sad.
Hold in your heart the oath of the
mother dakinis.
We must respect the Lord Padma’s
command.
May the sublime three jewels and
guardians bless the congenial friend so
that our wishes may be fulfilled.Here, readers can see how it is that
Gayley reads passion and longing in these
letters, as well as spiritually oriented
union in the couple’s relationship.
The union is also seen as a protection
of the dharma in a dangerous time. As
Namtrul Rinpoche writes:E ma! The profound extract
Of the lord of victors, Padmakara,
Is the sublime heart essence of dakinis,
The wish-fulfilling jewel that heals
Damage to the teachings and beings.Despite the great difficulty in traveling
across province borders, the notion of
“damage to the teachings” (from the Cul-
tural Revolution) is immediately evoked as
great motivation for their joint efforts as
tertons.
Readers will no doubt delight in this liv-
ing treasure of love, liberation, and protec-
tion. Whereas many stories of great teachers
and their revelations come from afar—both
geographically and temporally—Insepar-
able Across Lifetimes has a feeling of deep
closeness. Perhaps it’s because Namtrul
Rinpoche and Tare Lhamo were alive dur-
ing our own lifetime, or perhaps because
we have all loved, and indeed, live for love.
There is a decided feeling of closeness, care,
and devotion in this wondrous tale—a taste
of bliss.