It's mind over marathon

That it was his first marathon didn't bother Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Nor did it trouble him that it had only been a year since he had kicked off his long-distance running career. On that Sunday in October of 2003, the problem was his new sock. The blister that seemed certain to develop on his right foot eventually did and it burst during the race, leaving Rinpoche's foot covered in blood. He never panicked, focusing instead on blocking out the pain and visualizing the rest of the marathon. He finished the race in 3 hours 24 minutes 19 seconds.

The 42-year-old Rinpoche, who will run his first Boston Marathon today, believes proper breathing and meditation can help the mind fend off the body's physical ailments. Rinpoche is a Tibetan lama -- his followers believe he is the first lama to run Boston -- who is a spiritual leader to thousands and the head of Shambhala International, an organization of Buddhist meditation centers around the world that includes the Boston Shambhala Center in Brookline Village, home to approximately 150 members.

"The mind is the king and queen and directs where you want to go," Rinpoche said. "If you think negatively, all your actions are going to produce that. The mind is very powerful that way."

Rinpoche was born in India in 1962, 12 years after the Chinese first invaded Tibet, prompting an exodus of Tibetans to their neighboring country. He studied in England and the United States, living in Boulder, Colo., and in 1995, he was acknowledged by Pema Norbu Rinpoche, a Tibetan spiritual master, as the incarnation of 19th century scholar Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche. He spends much of his time traveling to Shambhala centers around the world -- he arrived in Boston last week from a visit to Singapore -- teaching followers his primary lesson: Every human being is born with basic goodness, a quality inherent even in unpleasant individuals.

"An example is the sky," he said. "It's always blue but there can be clouds. Sometimes you think you're a cloud, but in reality, you're the sky. Through meditation, you can stabilize the mind and not be so carried away by your thoughts. What you do in life allows you to bring that basic goodness out."

In 2002, Rinpoche's busy schedule of travel and teaching led a friend to suggest that he take up running. It was a pastime Rinpoche had never considered, especially because the image of a sweaty and out-of-breath lama was one many of his followers, especially in India, would find jarring. Rinpoche (the name means "precious jewel," while Sakyong means "earth protector"), however, took to running quickly, completing marathons in Toronto, Edmonton, and California's Big Sur, and training 55 to 60 miles per week in between races.

In retrospect, the 5-foot-7-inch, 135-pound Rinpoche, who also plays golf and rides horses, isn't surprised that he fell into running. He pointed to high numbers of diabetics among Tibetans living in India, those who have not adjusted to lower altitudes and diets that are richer in sugar. Rinpoche hopes his followers will follow his lead and make exercise a priority because he believes there is an important balance between spiritual and physical activity. He sees running as the equivalent of meditation -- an activity that strengthens the body just as contemplation strengthens the mind.

"You train the mind just like you train the body," said Rinpoche. "Everybody understands the body needs to be trained. If you don't train, you can't perform. Meditation is like that, training for the mind. You develop it, strengthen it, and make it more flexible. Mental training is good, but the mind has to be in tune with the body. The body has to have a level of harmony, peace, and strength, and that comes through physical exercise."

Rinpoche sees a connection between the runner's high that many of today's competitors will experience and the feelings of calmness brought on by meditation. He points to the proper techniques of breathing as one of the reasons runners and those who meditate share a sense of clarity.

"Breath and the mind have a symbiotic relationship," said Rinpoche. "If your breathing is scattered, the mind is very scattered. When your breathing is in tune and the body is relaxed, air flows about your whole body, your mind settles down, and you develop peace."

Rinpoche, who did not see the route until yesterday, will run with four of his followers to raise money for the Konchok Foundation, a movement to build a monastery and school in the district of Surmang in eastern Tibet. Before the Chinese invasion, Rinpoche said, there were 8,000 monasteries in Tibet; there are only seven left today. His goal is to raise $108,000 (108 is one of the most significant numbers in Buddhism) as well as to finish with a time under three hours, which he hopes to accomplish by hanging back at the start of the race and picking up his pace later on.

"We want to preserve the culture and also move toward the future, so we're integrating schools so children can get an education," Rinpoche said. "We've been doing other things to support it, but this is one way to do it."