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Report from Taggie's caregiver, Erin Christie
April, 2009
The NYC trip was fantastic. Tenga Rinpoche had a wonderful time.
We spent most of Saturday at the New York Shambhala Center, where Tenga received many compliments on how well he looked. We heard Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche speak, followed by Ashoka Mukpo leading a Mahamudra meditation. Tenga moved among three different seating options, his favorite being a cushioned bench in the back with a picture of his father hanging off to one side. Near the end of our time there, he walked to the front of the room, smiled at all the meditators, and then went over to where the Sakyong sat. I could tell he was attempting to connect and when Rinpoche greeted him, Tenga seemed very pleased, making a response and then making his exit.
That evening we joined Ashoka and some Shambhalians for dinner at a Tibetan restaurant. During dinner Tenga seemed to be taking everything in. I could tell he liked the decor of the restaurant; it was done similar to a monastery. The staff at the Tibetan restaurant was friendly and accommodating, seeming to enjoy their interaction with him. He went to the kitchen entrance and opened the curtain up to watch the cooks in action, which he seemed to love, humming, tapping his chest, and saying "Want some momos please." Indeed he did: he ate so many that when Mitchell took us out for dim sum the next day he barely ate any, saying "No momos, not hungry."
Another notable event during that dinner was when Tenga turned to me and said a mantra with his hands together in prayer. Ashoka remarked on this, interesting everyone sitting around the table, and then requested Tenga do it with him as well.
On a personal note, I’ve noticed that when you are gentle and give Tenga space, his essence shines through, coming out in subtle ways. If you aren't present, you might miss it, but when you are present it is really quite beautiful and heart warming to experience. After dinner he was both energized and exhausted. The next day we had lunch with Ashoka, Mitchell, and a friend in a mall in Chinatown. Tenga was in heaven, completely entertained and interested in all the excitement surrounding us. Mitchell noted that he could discern a difference in Tenga and was pleased to see him in such a good space. After lunch Tenga wanted to walk around the mall so we did a tour going up and down the escalators,a bonus and highlight.
Tenga seemed to fit right into NYC. He liked the cab rides, looking out the window at all the people, although he did do some yelling in the taxi on the way to the Chinese restaurant, being grumpy from not having fully awakened yet; his mood quic kly turned around. After lunch, since it was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the mid-sixties, we decided to go to the zoo in Central Park. It took him a little while to transition, but once he embraced what was happening he was ready. He didn’t want to go to the zoo, so we skipped it and followed his lead walking all over the park. I took pictures of the brothers, Ashoka and Tenga , so you can see for yourself how it went. Ashoka was a wonderful host, very thoughtful and understanding, and it was a good opportunity for the brothers to see each other and connect. That night we went out to dinner in Little Italy.
Monday morning it was time to head home and Tenga gave me a hard time about leaving, refusing to get out of bed. "No, home, stay here," he hollered. I took this as a good sign.
*A side note on calling him Tenga ~ A lot of people have asked me why I call him Tenga instead of Taggie. It’s very simple I noticed him introducing himself as Tenga Rinpoc he so one day I asked him which he would prefer for me to call him Tenga or Taggie with a big smile and booming voice he said Tenga.