The Goddess, ET and the “Angel”

The Stream of ConchUs-ness with Sunny Sun-Downer

Ahhhh…. We desert-dwellers are so fortunate. I realized this again last night sitting in the local public hot mineral water pool after a very long drive back down from Northern California. I’d gone up to Chico for a celebration of my sister Christina’s life on the 3rd anniversary of her transition to the “other side.” She left in 2007 within a couple of days of the anniversary of George Harrison’s transition. The “Cosmic Coincidence” (CC) of this is that back in 1971 she turned me onto George’s first album, ironically titled “All Things Must Pass,” giving me some “sweet refuge” as I would perform some of his songs for her family and friends back at the painful time of her departure. Also, in this “CC,” the album contained one of the first introductions of Eastern Mysticism to the popular cultures of the West- his classic song, “My Sweet Lord.”
This was so special to Chris and I, as we were brought up in a rare Orange County household that practiced Hindu meditation- so we were emboldened with this mass-indoctrination from an Ex-Beatle’s introduction of the cross-cultural “Hare Krishna, Hare Rama” and the plethora of other Hindu names of God musically interwoven with Western religion’s “Hallelujah… My Sweet Lord!”
So, fast-forwarding back to the “gift” of the “present,” I found myself at the famous (at least in Northern California circles) “Chico Goddess Temple” (www.thegoddesstemple.com) that my sister frequented, created by metal sculptor Robert Seales (who we used to call “Bobby” but I believe he grew tired of being confused w/the 60’s Radical of the same name, so now goes by “Robert”). This Ah-mazing solar and wind-powered 700-plus acre retreat was created for weddings, funerals, solstice/equinox celebrations, etc., so it was the perfect place to honor my sister, whose picture I placed under the 4 foot tall metal “Goddess” sculpture inside the hall (centered between two massive metal elephant sculptures) and proceeded to honor her spirit with candle and incense. Outside, the entrance to the temple is graced with a 30’ tall metal sculpture of the Goddess with a Yin-Yang symbol on her belly, whose open legs you walk under as you enter. This created the feeling of being born into this beautiful “Goddess Realm,” with statuesque flora and fauna, its wide range of winged-ones, its big pond with fish and ducks, not to mention dogs, cats and a free-roaming friendly hog named “Pig.” With song and dance, including dancing dogs, we honored my sister’s wonderful life as a mother and Northern California activist of many worthy causes (among so much else), whose spirit was glowing in our mind’s eye. (Her spirit also lives on in the 2007section of my blog mentioned at end).
It was on the next night that I would learn about another death in my family- my “spiritual family,” that is. To introduce this part of the story, I give you lyrics by the 60’s sitar-infused hit song, “Fat Angel”:
“He will bring happiness in a pipe, he'll ride away on his silver bike…
and apart from that, he'll be so kind in consenting to blow your mind…
he will bring orchids for my lady, the perfume will be an excellent kind
and apart from that he'll be so kind, in consenting to blow your mind…
Fly Trans-Love Airways, gets you there on time…
Fly Jefferson Airplane, gets you there on time…”
This song, written by Donovan in 1966, and made even more famous (in the 1st Hippie Era) after it was covered by Jefferson Airplane in ‘71, is about an early “Hipster” and drug broker in New York City’s Greenwich Village. One of the people he “turned on,” by consenting to “blow his mind” was my friend Eldon Taylor (ET). Unbeknownst to ET at the time of his association with the Fat Angel, who did more than “peddling” around the village on his silver bike, he was getting “turned on” to something beyond even the experience that occurred from the physical ingestion of an “allay” (entheogenic substances from ‘”acid” to “ ‘shrooms”): The Teachings of Tantric Tibetan Buddhism with the book that the “Fat Angel” gave him to read, “The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa.” The Tibetan yogi and poet-saint was more recently made famous in the 90’s when the Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch teamed up with Erin Potts, a Peace Corps volunteer who he met when he was trekking in Nepal and together formed “The Milarepa Foundation” to create large “Free Tibet” concerts to help Tibet and the Tibetan people whose culture is facing extinction after the Communist Chinese-forced takeover of their country some 6 decades ago.
In one of my recent Desert Valley Star articles, I mentioned during my “1960’s formative years” in Buena Park, a couple blocks away from the “then-free” Knott’s Berry Farm, I would frequent an all ages night club called “The White Room.” Years later, after meeting ET up in the beautiful mountain community of Idyllwild, where he would eventually end up helping to sponsor the construction of a Tibetan Temple (rinpoche.com), I was informed that he ran a billiard room next door to the White Room, making him my “homeboy,” although we were over a decade apart in age. Later still, I found out that he ran a “head shop” in Long Beach back in that Hippie Era as well.
If I may digress (or “pro-gress,” if you will) back to my No. Calif. story for a moment- On the return back south, I managed to stop to play percussion with some old friends who have a band called the Dharma Bums (www.dharmabums.org), a Reggae-Rock band from Woodstock NY, out here on their San Francisco Tibet Day Tour. Their final concert of the tour was held at a comfy café called “Java Beach” in the “Ocean Beach” segment of “The City,” and one of the final songs of the evening was an extended version of band-leader Phil Void’s Eastern-influenced “Infinite Mind.” In another “CC” coup, at the end of one of the most psychedelic versions of the song I’ve ever heard, I seized the moment to dedicate the song to ET, announcing that he had just entered the Bardo (Tibetan for “after death”) state that previous night and that his Long Beach, California Head Shop back in the 60’s was called “Infinite Mind!” I then beseeched everyone to send him loving thoughts to merge with the “Bright Light” as the “Bardo Terdol,” (“Tibetan Book of the Dead”) instructs, on his journey into “Eternal” Infinite Mind. It turned out that I wasn’t the only one there that knew ET, as singer-songwriter Phil and lead guitarist Joseph Liston both knew him from Idyllwild to New York to Nepal.
I had lamented not having a copy of the “Tibetan Book of the Dead” upon hearing of ET’s “departure,” or as the book calls it, “dissolution of the 5 elements back to their state of emptiness,” and wondered where it might be resting since the last time I used it. But lo’ and behold, in my final “CC” here, upon my return to the Desert Hot Springs “Vortex,” what gift was waiting in my mailbox but a gift from my Sis Chris’s Buena Park home-girl and best friend forever, Kathie Rodgers-Wilson of Oahu: The DVD of the Tibetan Book of the Dead narrated by Leonard Cohen! Insert, push a button… This “Ancient Technology” rocks!
Over the course of his life, ET received the blessings of many Tibetan and other holy teachers, such as HH Gyalwa Karmapa and HH Dalai Lama. Those of us in his spiritual family are very grateful to him, especially for his “Angel-ic Connection” and help in spreading the Buddha-Dharma to the West… Especially when I see him with his teacher, the recently “escaped-from-Communist-China-control” Karmapa, (who along with the Dalai Lama is one of four “Dharma Kings” of Tibet) I consent to their “blowing my mind” with the Jewel-like teachings of Awakened, “Infinite Mind.”
-Sunny Sun-Downer is the facilitator of the Desert Karmapa Meditation Center. Check out his blog at www.conchustimes.blogspot.com. His email is conchustimes@yahoo.com.

"Dalai Lama Renaissance" Films Stir Controversy

(Here is [the un-edited version, i.e. 'rough draft' of] the article for the Nov. 26, '09 gc issue of the Desert Valley Star. For the 'less-rough draft' please go to desertvalleystar.com & enjoy! -= :0: =-)

“Dalai Lama Renaissance” Films Stir Controversy with Chinese Government-
Director/Producer Darvich Comes to Palm Springs for Premier and to Share His Dalai Lama Experience!

By Sunny Sun-Downer
On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Foundation awarding their prestigious Peace Prize to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, the Director/Producer of the multi-award-winning film called “Dalai Lama Renaissance” and its sequel, “Dalai Lama Renaissance Volume 2: A Revolution of Ideas,” succeeded in “incurring the wrath” of the government of Communist China.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has, over time, successfully suppressed the release of films in Asia and even had an effect on a film’s extended release in the West, if it is perceived to threaten “Chinese Policy.” For example, films that starred such big names as Richard Gere and Sharon Stone were boycotted by China after the actors expressed support for a “Free Tibet.” All Disney films were banned for an indefinite period after the studio released “Kundun” (which translates as “Presence,” the name the Tibetan people address their leader with), Martin Scorsese’s 1997 film based on the life and writings of the Dalai Lama.
Now comes the CCP’s latest criticism of another in the series of films in recent history- “Dalai Lama Renaissance,” which has joined such “Pro-Dalai Lama” films as “Kundun”- “Seven Years in Tibet,” “Under the Vajra Sky,” “Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama,” among others, that have irked the communist regime. After it was released in theaters in Taiwan this last summer and received front page positive press in the Chinese language Taiwanese newspapers, the Chinese government, in its “The People’s Daily,” (the newspaper/media outlet of the “Central Committee” of the CCP) quickly and sharply criticized “Dalai Lama Renaissance.” The article, titled “Western Movies Build Grand and Perfect Image of Dalai Lama,” claims that “in recent years, a wave of ‘Dalai Lama fever’ has appeared in the Western movie industry… describing the Chinese government’s peaceful liberation of Tibet as ‘cruel oppression,’ and depicting the Dalai Lama’s life in India as difficult… Some movies even advocate the Dalai Lama’s concept of [Tibetan] ‘independence.’” Well, gosh, yeah, Chinese government, what’s “cruel” and “oppressive” about “peace-fully” imprisoning, torturing, raping, and killing over 1 million Tibetans over the last 5 plus decades for their political and religious beliefs, not to mention destroying countless monasteries while importing millions of Han Chinese into Tibet to complete the Tibetan genocide by out-numbering the Tibetans in their homeland? “Some movies even advocate… Tibetan ‘independence...’ ” Oh, the horror!
The Communist Party’s criticism after the sold-out premier in Taiwan is apparently a defensive reaction to the positive press that occurred there, to counteract any affect that it may have on readers in mainland China, who often have access to news from Taiwan. In a touch of irony, the CCP apparently felt threatened by the idea brought up in the film regarding economic sanctions against China from the West. In a scene from the movie, despite the near unanimous agreement on this by the Westerners who came to the Dalai Lama’s residence-in-exile to try and develop a new “Synergy,” he discouraged the proposal. The Taiwanese newspaper “The Liberty Times” points out that, in the film, “the Dalai Lama thinks that humanity is the most important thing in the world and economic sanctions might affect many Chinese citizens, thus he is hesitant whether such an approach is right.” But the CCP aparently can’t even stand to hear the Dalai Lama talk, or they might notice how far he is going to reconcile the situation with these oppressors who have forcibly taken over his homeland in a strategic move to not only have a greater political advantage over its neighboring countries to the west, but to (so far un-sustainably) exploit the resources of timber, water, uranium, etc. of the “Land of Snows,” as the Tibetans call their homeland. The People’s Daily also tries to discredit the producer-director of the film, Khashyar Darvich. In its article, the newspaper claims that the director is a “follower” of the Dalai Lama, and supports this assertion by referring to an interview where Darvich mentioned that he produced the film partly for the opportunity to spend time with the exiled Tibetan leader. Darvich responds, “It’s interesting that the Chinese Communist Party refers to me as a follower of the Dalai Lama. Although I respect the Dalai Lama as a man of peace, just as the Nobel Peace Prize Committee did by awarding him the Nobel Peace prize, and as do most governments around the world, I am not a Dalai Lama “groupie.” When I began the film, I was not very familiar with the Dalai Lama’s ideas. I think that his actions, and the respect that he garners around the world, speaks for itself.” Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to discredit the film, Darvich states that his production company, Wakan Films, has just signed an agreement to release Dalai Lama Renaissance unofficially into China itself, under the radar of the Chinese Government. I hope that announcing it here doesn’t ruin the “surprise!” “My hope,” says Darvich, “is that the film will open a dialog between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama, and that the average Chinese citizen will be able to see that the Dalai Lama is not such a bad guy and is interested in a solution to the Tibet issue that serves the highest good and benefits both the Chinese and Tibetans. I would be happy to attend a screening of the film in China and conduct a Q&A with Chinese audiences as a way to contribute to positive dialog.” In the meantime, valley residents have a chance to experience this amazing film and its sequel, and a rare opportunity to participate n a Q&A with Kashyar, when it premiers at Crystal Fantasy Enlightenment Center in downtown Palm Springs on the actual 20th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize, December 10th- also, by the way, the anniversary of the U.N.’s establishing of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights!” The “Enlightening” fun doesn’t stop there, as the sequel, “Dalai Lama Renaissance Vol. 2: A Revolution of Ideas,” premiers the following night, Friday December 11th. Both films will be shown after a short meditation beginning at 7p.m., to “settle the mind in preparation for the heart-opening experience” that I personally call “a combination of the movies ’10 Questions for the Dalai Lama’ and ‘What the Bleep Do We Know?’ ” Coincidently, Dalai Lama Renaissance, which is narrated by Harrison Ford, features many of the same “radical thinkers of our time” as are featured in those two revolutionary movies. The Question and Answer Session with Producer-Director Darvich immediately follows the film showing and promises to make this a most memorable night in the history of Freedom-Loving Desert Dwellers. This is also a benefit for the Himalayan Children’s Fund (www.rinpoche.com) and “The Well in the Desert” (Please bring surplus canned or packaged food in this time of need!) Crystal Fantasy is located at 268 N. Palm Canyon Dr. in downtown Palm Springs, 92262. For More info on Dalai Lama Renaissance, go to www.dalailamafilm.com. Tickets are available at an advance discount price by going to www.crystalfantasy.com or www.conchustimes.org/theconch. Also, more info is available by contacting Crystal Fantasy at 760-322-7799 or ConchUs Times at 760-673-7580. This is a joint production of Crystal Fantasy, Desert Karmapa Center and ConchUs Times Productions.
-Sunny Sun-Downer’s blog is www.conchustimes.blogspot.com and he can be contacted at conchustimes@yahoo.com