5 

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Disappointment and Confusion

On the evening of August 1st, the search party went back to Lhasa. On their arrival, they found that Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche's monk, Phuntsok Tashi, who had arrived earlier to attend the new incarnation once he was found, had suddenly become very seriously ill and had been taken to the hospital.

The next morning, August 2nd, the party returned to Tsurphu monastery (see photo on right). They headed to see the late Ven. Drupon Dechen Rinpoche, who was very happy, but surprised that they had returned so quickly. He asked if they had good news and they replied otherwise. They related everything to him and he became extremely concerned.

Drupon Dechen Rinpoche was very old. He could not see well and was not able to walk. He asked Lama Nyima to bring him a khatak (white silk scarf), saying that he wished him to offer the khatak to the Karmapa, on his behalf. He asked Lama Nyima to tell the Karmapa that it was extremely important that he clearly reveal his qualities as the Karmapa now, as the search for the reincarnation had, so far, been unsuccessful. He wished to remind the Karmapa that it was crucial that he recognise the reincarnation of the Third Jamgon Rinpoche, something which he had been requesting him to do for a long time. Drupon Dechen Rinpoche also advised Tenzin Dorjee to go to see the Karmapa immediately. He told Tenzin Dorjee to ask the Karmapa whatever was necessary, because there was nothing else Tenzin Dorjee could do but to depend on him totally.

The party then went to see the Karmapa. On meeting them, the Karmapa said that when he heard their car heading toward the residence of Drupon Dechen Rinpoche upon their arrival at Tsurphu monastery, he knew that they had not been successful in finding the reincarnation. They told the Karmapa what had happened. The places they had visited in Chushur were unlike his description. Furthermore, they did not meet any child that resembled the description in his prophecy. The Karmapa listened very seriously at first, and then adopted a playful mood.

He asked Tenzin Dorjee to bring him the letter he had written describing the signs of Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche's rebirth. Almost as if he were playing, the Karmapa sat, as if in meditation, and said, "Let me see." He then, apparently, interrupted his meditation and said that he would need to eat some grapes first. He helped himself to the grapes that were before him. Then he sat again in meditation, but he did not seem serious at all. He did this several times. Suddenly, he took a piece of kusha grass, and waved it before Tenzin Dorjee's face, and pointed it towards the south of Tsurphu. He did that three times. Tenzin Dorjee was becoming more and more confused and agitated. He had suffered great disappointment and was extremely serious in consulting the Karmapa, once again, for his advice. He felt that the Karmapa was not taking his concerns seriously. He wondered if the Karmapa might be too young after all.