At the beginning of 2022, a deeply auspicious and joyful reconnection unfolded during what seemed like a random event. I was invited to attend an online teaching by Lopon Barbara DuBois. Initially, I hesitated, but soon found myself captivated by her radiant Dharma wisdom and remarkable sense of humor. Up until that point, I had never heard of Lopon Barbara DuBois, but from the moment we met, I didn’t want to leave her luminous presence. During the two-hour teaching, I laughed and smiled like a child holding a secret, feeling as if I had always known her, as though we were never truly apart.
Since that retreat, we’ve formed a close student-teacher bond, grounded in the ultimate vow of a Bodhisattva—bodhichitta. I affectionately call her “Haha Lama” because she’s witty, sharp, and fiercely loving. With her, there are no masks, no games, and no dramas—just a direct pointing to our true nature, clear awareness, through the doorway of bodhichitta. She has written a precious book called Brave, Generous & Undefended: Heart Teachings on the 37 Bodhisattva Practices, which has been fully endorsed by her teacher, Garchen Rinpoche. In the introduction, Garchen Rinpoche beautifully expresses that his mind and her mind are inseparable.
To my beloved teacher, I am eternally grateful for your boundless love. You make me feel at ease and in safe hands. During a recent visit, as we said goodbye, she looked at me sweetly and said, “We have never met or parted; we have always been together.” In that moment, all illusions of time and space dissolved into the ever-present Now. That gift of remembrance is what I carry with me daily in my heart. Haha Lama, I can never repay your kindness.
