Kyabje Zong Rinpoche: Birth, Death & Bardo

Jul 7, 2011 | Views: 5,939

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(By Tsem Rinpoche)

This article was sent to me by a Dharma friend. When I read through it, I thought it is VERY PRECIOUS. Any teachings by His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche would be invaluable. I decided to have it available here to share with everyone. So everyone can benefit.

Someone like Kyabje Zong Rinpoche needs not much of an introduction. His speech, mind and body are totally one with Heruka Cakrasamvara long ago. May you be blessed by Kyabje Zong Rinpoche’s speech and image here. May you gain complete Buddhahood as Kyabje Zong Rinpoche has.

Much Care and much Dharma to you,
Tsem Rinpoche

 


 

Translators Introduction

This small teaching was given by Kyabje Zong Rinpoche at the request of a few westerners who were puzzled about descriptions given by people who had “come back from the dead” after cardiac massage and the like. Reports about such people having visions of divine beings embodied in spheres of light are not uncommon. Some people therefore have turned to the Tibetan teachings on death and rebirth. However, most of us have read translations of the so-called “Tibetan Book of the Dead”, while being ignorant of the oral tradition that also has been handed down with this work and the many similar books of the other sects.

The version that is known in the West is of the Khargyu sect. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche has made a great study of the Gelugpa tradition of this genre, and is a lineage holder of many practices associated with this. Thus he is extremely well qualified to comment on such reports from the West, and his answer is not only completely authentic but is also backed up by an enourmous amount of practical experience.

There are many Westerners who believe that the bardo (or “intermediate state between death and rebirth”) follows the fixed pattern outlined in the “Book of the Dead”. As Rinpoche shows in the following, this is far from the case, for the book only deals with the typical example of people dying of sickness and old age. Also covered are such topics as spirits and mediums, which will also be of interest to many.

This article covers a vast range of subjects in a small space. It includes such important Mahayana Buddhist teachings as the three types of motivation to follow the practices. There are many other aspects of the Path to Enlightenment that are also implicitly covered in this teaching, which if pursued will lead the reader closer to the final goal of all beings, Full Enlightenment.

Thus, this teaching will not only answer many questions that one might have about death from the Tibetan and Buddhist point of view, but will also, to the intelligent reader show a way to lead a useful life for others.

 

A Short Biography of Kyabje Zong Rinpoche

Venerable Kyabje Zong Rinpoche Losang Tsundu Thupten Gyaltsen was born in 1905 in the village of Songo, in the Nang-Sang District of Do-To Kham, Eastern Tibet, into the Nyen Nang-pa Family, near the place where his two previous births, as Tenpa Thuntsok and Phuntsok Chopel, had taken place. His father’s name was Jampa and his mother’s name was Sonam Yangzom.

Near the house of his birth stood a fruit tree which was seen to bear fruit when Rinpoche’s incarnations were alive, but would not bear when he was not on earth.

From birth Rinpoche showed many extraordinary signs. Unlike the other children, his efforts at learning, writing and at memorization required very little effort, and he understood the texts simultaneously to reading them. Thus he studied many texts in the monastery of Nang Sang, near his place of birth.

In 1916 he left his birthplace for Lhasa, Central Tibet. This journey took about three months. Here he entered Ganden Shartse Monastery, one of the three great Lhasa Monastic Colleges. Under many of the greatest living Tibetan masters he studied Tsema (Reason), Parchin (Perfection of Wisdom), Uma (Voidness), Dzö (Metaphysics), and Dùlwa (Discipline). Thus through memorization, recitation and debate he became extremely renowned.

In 1928 Rinpoche appeared before His Holiness the Thirteenth Dalai Lama for his examinations and in 1929 was honoured with the degree of Lharampa Geshe, a sign of total spiritual proficiency in the Sutrayana Methods.

Thereafter, Rinpoche entered the glorious Upper Tantric Monastery where he studied the entire field of Tantras. In this way he became a perfect master of all the teachings of Sutra and Tantra.

In 1937 at the wish and advice of Radrang Rinpoche, Rinpoche accepted the abbotship of Ganden Shartse College, a position at which he served until 1947. During his term he built a new debate stage, reconstructed the old residences of the monks and maintained the monastic discipline perfectly. In 1947 on the occasion of Sangphu Yarchö (an occasion of prayer) he made great offerings to 10,000 monks

From 1947 until 1950 he went to Phagri where there was a monastery called Richung Poto. There he benefitted many sentient beings through his profound teaching. In 1950 he visited Tsari in Southern Tibet. At that time many auspicious signs were manifested. Then he went back to Lhasa. In 1951 he visited Do-To Kham Cha Tring and also his birthplace Nang Sang and other places, where he fulfilled the wish of all people by giving teachings of Lam Rim (Stages on the Path to Enlightenment), Lo Jong (Thought Transformation) and by giving tantric initiations, and by helping them further by performing rituals to eliminate their mental and physical problems.

Then Rinpoche returned to Lhasa where the Red Chinese were very active in suppressing Tibetan culture in the area. This escalated and then culminated in 1959 when the Chinese forces out and out attacked and overthrew the government of free Tibet. Rinpoche left with other Tibetans for India, where he has been residing as a refugee ever since.

In India Rinpoche first stayed at Buxa with many other self-exiled monks of the three great monasteries – Ganden, Sera and Drepung. There he gave teachings, oral transmissions, initiations and so forth.

In 1965, in accordance with the wishes of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, he was appointed as the master of a large group of chosen scholars representing all four sects of Tibetan Buddhism, who convened at Mussoorie to work out patterns of cultural survival for the Tibetan Refugees in India. In 1967 Rinpoche became the first Principal of the Central Institute of High Tibetan Studies at Varanasi’s Sanskrit University.

In 1970 Rinpoche stepped down from this position so as to move to Mundgod in the South of India. From here, Rinpoche travels throughout the different Tibetan refugee settlements and benefits many sentient beings by his teachings and initiations.

Rendered into English by Losang Norbu Tsonawa

 

BIRTH, DEATH AND BARDO

BY KYABJE ZONG RINPOCHE

Birth, death and bardo: what are these three things? How do people die? You have asked me about this and of course I have to give a meaningful answer. We have to understand what we mean by birth, death and bardo in general. We must know how the bardo is entered. We die, go into bardo, take birth, again die going yet again into bardo. There is an unending cycle of the three; no end to it at all. It is useful to develop aversion to Samsara (or Cyclic Existence) and very good for practice to know this.

Though this is how things are, you have raised the question today of people coming back again into the same body after death. These people say they see a white light but we cannot say with certainty where it is really there or not.

Usually when people die of some sickness or other, and the consciousness is about to leave the body, there is a feeling of being pressed under a huge mound of earth and a feeling of suffocation. They ask the nurse to help them stand up saying “Give me your hand”. This is the time of the loss of one’s vital energy. After some time the dying cannot even make a sound. All of the water element in them starts to dry up: the lips dry and the nose becomes pinched. Later they cannot see nor hear properly. The ability of all the sense organs to function weakens.

When people feel this pressing downwards they are only having in fact a mental experience, just like the seeing of a mirage even down to the flowing of water. It is only a thing of the mind for it is not really seen.

After this someone dying senses something, like blue-ish smoke which too is also experienced just by the mind. Around the smoke flickers a fire like burning straw thrown into darkness. These things fade slowly. A lamp-like still fire is seen, and after that something white, like colour of the rays of the moon. Out of the latter something else glows red-ish or crimson, like the rising sun.

Suddenly all is pitch dark. He becomes unconscious; no memory at all remains. This unconscious state finishes and the subtle mind crystallizes and becomes clear. Everything is insubstantial to this mind, like the colour of a clear sky before an autumn dawn. During this period of insubstantiality, the consciousness of the person stays in the body for two days in such a state, while realized beings can stay as long as twenty one days if they wish.

The state of bardo is established the moment after the consciousness, which has accompanied us since beginningless time, leaves the body. The person is completely dead.

Now, there are reasons for the above appearance– the smoky vision and the revolving fire, the still lamp, the whitish and red-ish luminescence, and the dawn-like darkness. Why we see them is because of the energy nodes and channels that we have in the body. How does energy flow through these? It would take too much space.

We shall talk now about what there is after death when the consciousness leaves the body. If this is to be reborn as a human being, then the bardopa (that is the consciousness in the bardo state) has human form. If instead it is to be born a deva (or god), then it is of a deva forms; if an animal, then of an animal form. This bardo body has all the normal sense or cognitive powers and it goes wherever the consciousness wants to without stumbling, and reaches whatever he wants instantaneously. When he goes back home and talks to the family, he does everything that he used to do. We, who are alive, remain silent because we cannot see him. He thinks that we are snubbing him and so feels sad. When he walks over muddy ground, his feet remain clean without any dirt, nor are there any footprints in the mud. His body cannot be seen. He does not discriminate between sunlight or moonlight for his body does not have the two Boddhi minds, the white and the red. His body is that of a mind body only.

In the process of conception in a mother’s womb again, all suddenly becomes dark. He experiences heat and cold as he now has the bodily senses. The three delusions of existence, namely attachment, hatred and ignorance, can individually activate in his mind some memory or other. While he is in the mother’s womb for, say in the case of a human being, he can neither see nor hear. His body increase in size slowly under the influence of the wind element. There is pain and suffering. There is cold and heat. If the mother remains hungry he feels hanging in the air. If she eats a lot, then he feels squashed. If she jumps, he feels as if falling into a chasm. If she drinks hot or cold fluids, then he feels hot or cold.

When the nine months are over and if a boy, his head would be to the right of the womb with his head facing the mother’s back. If this consciousness happens to be a girl, then the head is to the left and faces the front. The reasons for this are due to effects when the bardopa enters the womb.

It sometimes happens that, when a mother is giving birth to twins with one sitting higher in the womb than the other, the lower one comes out first, the higher later. At the time of conception, however, the higher one is conceived before the lower one, and in addition there is a slight size difference between the two.

About to be born, he stays upside down in the mother’s womb for seven days. Now there is great suffering. In coming out, he experiences great pain. When he finally emerges he can see, hear, taste and smell. While he is staying inside the womb he cannot eat food through the mouth but instead his food is given through the mother’s umbilical cord which is attached to the placenta. So this is how birth takes place.

Some say there are people who come back into the dead body and some of these see light. If you were to read a certain Bardo Töthul (or Tibetan Book of the Dead) text in one volume, you would see revealed there quite vividly how Bardo is established. Sometimes one will find there exaggerated comments which arouse one’s suspicion, though the rest is perfectly consistent.

The Bardopas who are to be born as devas or humans in happy births have crimson coloured bodies. They see white paths before them as if someone had laid out a white strip of cloth. Other bardopas are for example black and travel dark paths with some going upright, some crawling, and some even upside down and there are also differences between the various bardopas’ way of walking.

After the bardo state some of the bardopas come back to the dead body and they are called “daelog” in Tibetan. We have these daelog in Kham or Eastern Tibet. Once a consciousness is in the form of a daelog he can come and go almost as he pleases. This happens many times and since the bardopas can travel everywhere very quickly they have many stories to tell when they come back. If the body is not taken out of the room within seven days there is a possibility that he may come back.

But there is more than this, for if we were to meditate on the practice called Powa Drung Jug we would be able to leave our bodies and enter into another corpse. It is mentioned in the biography of Gyalsae Drindon Dawa that he entered into a corpse of a pigeon and so went across the river.

Jetzun Tara Natha entered the body of a dead child and stayed there for three years while he benefitted many disciples by giving teachings and so fulfilled the true purpose of many sentient beings by leading them further along the path to liberation. For three years he kept his own body incorruptible and stored safely away. The blessed body of the dead child was returned after he reentered his own body. He did this no less than six times. If one has achieved Powa Drung Jug, then this is possible.

Ordinary beings can enter their own dead bodies during the bardo but they cannot prevent decomposition, and can enter only if their body is safe and intact. For example, if the head is cut off then the bardopa cannot reenter the body. There are other cases where the bardopa cannot enter an intact body because his own karma, relating to that particular body, is exhausted. He would not even like to come near to it as he would find it repulsive, dirty and reeking of a foul stench. This is rare. No doctor could make him come back by either medicine or ritual. Thus by the force of their karma it would be possible that one or two people might be able to come back from death.

The above is how the bardo state is generally established.

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If someone meets a violent death such as being shot, beheaded or drowned, then he will not experience the smoke mirage with the revolving fire and so on because such a death stops him from recognizing these phenomena, and prior to the bardo the other signs of death do not appear clearly. It only happens to those who die of illness that such signs appear.

If one has so much bad karma that one is to be born in the hell realms, then one is tormented by the final illness. One cannot pray to the three Jewels of Refuge (i.e. the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) and cannot even remember one’s daily prayers. Such are the disadvantages of the person with little virtue. At such a time one should really try to be calm. However, the person of little virtue sees, just before falling down into the hells, fire activated by his own karma. This creates enormous fear in him.

Once, during Khardampa period, a disciple of Geshe Niu Zurpa cast aspersions on the guru because of lack of faith, and so the guru-disciple relationship was severed. The disciple refused to approach the guru, even though the guru tried to see the disciple by offering many gifts and by calling him to come back. When near death, the disciple could see the guru’s dwelling on the other side of the river.

He would cry in pain: “I can see a fire on that side of the river bank and whenever I see it I feel uneasy. Now the fire is coming nearer and nearer, getting bigger and bigger. And it’s coming to me! The fire is right next to me!” and then stopped breathing. The fire he was seeing was the fire of the hell.

Another example of one with very few virtues was a certain butcher of Golog who killed sheep all the time. Just before he died he could see a hallucination of sheep and all that he could say aloud was “Baa, baa”.

Those with good karma are happy when they die. They are not tormented by sickness for the pain is slight. They can pray to the Three Jewels and their own guru or lama. A person dying this way will take a happy rebirth.

King Bimbisara, the Elder, who built and offered to the Buddha the Garden of Aramikagama, heard on his passing music of the devas and was born after his death in the deva realm. While he was dying he could only hear transcendental music, despite his servants’ playing of different types of instruments, for before the music of his musicians could reach his ear, the music of the deva drowned it out. He was born in the deva realm of Chandvara Maharajikas.

The young King Bimbisara was imprisoned and starved by his own son Ajatasatru. When the king was about to die, he could see the Buddha who was walking with his disciples, for this the city of Drawasti, through the window of his cell. All he could do was generate intense faith in the Buddha, for he was otherwise helpless. The pretender, Ajatasatru, asked after the King to find out what he was up to. The jailor replied that the King was looking through his window. So the window was bricked up. With no window to look through, the King felt very lonely and very near to death.

The Buddha urged Mahakasshyepa to think of the King Bimbisara. Mahakasshyepa at once gained entry into the prison and once inside gave the message of the Buddha.

“The Buddha says that it’s your accumulated karma that has caused this to happen to you and it must be experienced. You must come to terms with your karma.”

Through this small teaching, the king realized that he was suffering because of his karma. He died with strong faith in the Buddha and could also hear the music of the Chadvara Maharajikas. He was born of the deva Kubera; while today he is the son of another such deva and among the many gods of wealth. When we say such prayers as Kangso, we are saying them to Bimbisara the Younger. Such types of happy deaths are in fact many. On the other hand, with the accumulation of black karma, there are many who fall straight down to hell.

In ancient times, King Videha killed as many as 60,000 Shakyas, through the trick of summoning them all together. He sent out one of his man to listen to general rumour, afraid that the Buddha would feel anger and even curse him (for the Buddha was a Prince of the Shakyas). The man heard the Buddha as saying that for killing 60,000 Shakyas the King would die in seven days, consumed by the fires of hell.

When the servant gave this message, the King said, “We shall come to no harm for we shall go to a place where there could possibly be no fire. Then we shall prove Him a liar” This proves that he had no faith at all in the powers of the Buddha in seeing the future.

He had a great barge made and lived in it along with his Queen. Six days passed by. But the Queen had a number of precious stones in her crown and one of them was the Precious Gem of Fire. At the day-break of the seventh day, the rays of the sun made it catch fire. The fire grew and the royal couple started trying to escape, but the fire followed their every move. There was not enough room for escape. All they could shout was “Tshiko, tshiko – burning, burning!” When the King, Queen and barged were engulfed by the flames, they could not even shout this for they fell to hell with their own human bodies. Of course, they would have taken the bodies of hell-beings on reaching there. These things do happen.

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Before our Teacher attained Enlightenment, He had been born as a Monkey Boddhisattva. A man, no doubt a hunter, found himself completely lost in the middle of a forest. He was starving. He found some fruit on the branch of a tree. When he tried to reach for these, the branch broke and he fell into a deep pool surrounded by sheer rock. He reached the surface and looked about for any path up. For some of the time he lived on fruit while shouting for help all the while. He was heard by a monkey. This monkey was a previous life of Buddha Shakyamuni who was still on the path of a Boddhisattva. The Boddhisattva Monkey pondered on the reason for the cries: it must have been someone and so the Monkey peered over the edge and asked what had happened to him.

“I fell into it. There’s no way out and I shall die.”

“Don’t fear, I’ll do all I can.”

The Monkey brought the man fruit and would carry a stone while clambering up again, doing this until He could carry a stone equal in weight to the man. It was then that He said, “Don’t worry, for now I can carry you.” While the man had become very light from living on fruit, the Monkey had been developing his strength. Thus, one day, He carried the man up, and the man was rescued.

The Monkey said on reaching the forest, “How good it is that you are out of danger. The purpose of my undergoing hardship has been fulfilled. In fact I had much difficulty in carrying the stones. Now I can happily fall asleep. You shall watch for the approach of any enemies.” He fell asleep on the man’s lap.

A thought came into the man’s mind while the Monkey slept soundly. He looked himself over and found that there was not much flesh left on his body. “Without food,” he though, “I cannot reach town. To do that, I feel I must kill and eat the monkey.”

Slowly he lifted the Monkey’s Head off his lap, picked up a rock and tried to strike the Monkey’s Head; the Head of his Rescuer. However the man was so weak that he could not aim the stone properly, for he was trembling. Instead he hit the Monkey on the side. The Monkey awoke and, looking about, asked what had happened. The man was burning with shame, and stood as still as a statue. The Monkey saw the big rock near to Himself and guessed what had happened. The man had tried to hit Him on the Head.

“Now come with me. I’ll see you’ll get back,” He said.

He led the man by a path to where he could see the village. The Monkey warned, “Today you have committed an evil action – the bad karma of Ingratitude. You would do well to purify it.”

With this advice, He sent him down to the village. When the man was far enough away from the monkey he could hardly see Him, the man fell into a pit. He greatly suffered from large boils that covered his body and that itched badly.

The king of that time, while hunting, heard someone shrieking. The King could see the man, but could not tell whether it was a man or an animal because of the many boils on the man’s body. The king asked who he was. The man told his story and said, “Since I’m a person of such evil actions I have now the bad karma of these. This is why I suffer so much.”

Just then, the man fell through a crack in the earth that opened right under him. He fell through it straight to the hell realms. There are some who die like this too.

Even if we practice a little of the Dharma, it can be of immense benefit. When the Lord Buddha was living in Sravasti, He did not go to the country of King Saekhya, to give him his Tibetan name. This king had a minister called, also in Tibetan, Damchen. The account is long though interesting. Originally the minister had been a farmer who would frequently go to the king’s palace. The king was expert in assessing people’s character. After the farmer had once gone back home, the king said, “here we have someone who has lots of gold. I know it from his tone of voice.”

The other ministers retorted, “If he has so much gold, why did he come on foot? He has neither house nor child. He goes to his farm and works there. We don’t think that he has much in the way of gold!”

However, the king said, “Just the same, he has.”

So the farmer was sent for and asked if he had much gold.

Again he was asked, “If you have so much gold, why do you toil away on your farm? You could have ridden here on a horse or you can even ride an elephant when you go here and there.”

“All the farmers,” he replied, “travel on foot and work very hard. It doesn’t seem right to me that I should go on horseback or by elephant.”

This answer pleased the king a great deal, and the king believed him. The king, in fact, demanded that he become one of his ministers.

A long story follows the appointment of Damchen, though I can not tell it all here.

Minister Damchen advised the king to practice generosity, saying, “It’s useless if you don’t practice it while you have wealth.” The king gave away much of his wealth to beggars in the street for a month or so. Even those who only stayed there for the month were given food. So it happened that many people traveled there from the south.

One group had 500 travelers. They were all Tirthikas or non-Buddhists. In coming through the Southern parts they had been stricken with thirst, as they could not get water on the way. They had nearly died. In desperation they went to a nearby tree, the sort of tree that granted all one’s wishes, and cried out for all to hear, “Oh owner of this tree! Be you deva, naga, spirit or nonhuman, please give us water. We shall be dead from this thirst!”

From the top of the tree came a ladle filled with water, and this was poured into a very good pitcher. The Tirthikas drank and so quenched their thirst. Then they went away.

But they had not gone far before one of them said, “Who could it be? Who gave us the water? We forgot to ask!” So, back they came and asked, “Who are you? You have been so kind to us that you have saved our lives. Are you a deva, naga or spirit?”

The being on the top of the tree replied, “I’m a deva. My name is Beautiful Hand. Here’s why I’m a deva. In my previous live I lived in Sravasti. There I was very poor and had nothing to give away. The Noble Householder Anāthapindika was at the time giving away much of his possessions. This made him popular and many people came to him after hearing of it. So my family was on its way to his house. I would sit by the side of the road and show other people the way. I would say ‘This way, this way!’ Because I showed those people the way with a good mind, the merit I so gained meant that I was born in the deva realm. I have the best hand of all the devas, and that is the reason for my name.”

The Tirthikas moved on, but at one of the next places they could not find any food and almost died of hunger. They found another such tree and again shouted at it, saying “Give us some food!”

From the top of the tree came a voice. “Go a little further towards that wall. You will find a pitcher full of food buried beneath a stone. It will be enough for all.”

They went and removed the stone and found the pitcher and ate from it with relish. There was more than enough for all. They filled their own containers with the remaining food. Again they asked who it was that had saved their lives.

“I am a deva,” again was the reply. “In my previous life in Sravasti I took One Day Mahayana Precepts in five parts from the House-holder Anāthapindika. Actually I was at the time a Tirthika who dabbled in Buddhist practices. I went home that night and when I got there, my wife offered me food. I told her that just for today I would not eat any of it, as I had taken Precepts.”

“My wife mocked me saying ‘Your father was a damned meat eater. What on earth made you take these vows anyway? It’s too much for me to take a non-Buddhist following Gautama’s Dharma! I won’t be angry with you any more if you take some food. If you don’t, I’ll tell some of the other non-Buddhists here and they’ll give you a real rough time!”

So, he broke his Precepts though it was not his fault. He was born in that deva realm where the sun and moon are to be found. If he had kept his precepts pure, he might have been born in the highest of the god realms, the 33rd quadrant. It was merely through the eating of food that night that he was not born that high.

The Tirthikas conferred amongst themselves and reach, with difficulty the conclusion that while practicing their own religion they had not one single result in this life, while those who practice the Buddha’s Dharma, even if it were only a one day vow and that broken to boot, were born in the deva realms. Amazed by this, they wanted to see whether they could get these precepts or not. They discuss this all of the time while they were going through the South.

At last they reached the place where the king and his ministers were giving away their possessions. While they rested they were asked about any news of distant disturbances. They told their story and said that they were going to Sravasti to see Anāthapindika, and that they wanted to take these precepts from him. Another told them to wait two or three months till autumn, and then go there. They did this, and when they got to Sravasti they found Anāthapindika, told him their story and requested for One Day Precepts.

Anāthapindika asked them, “Do you want to take these from me or the Guru who gave them to me?” They replied that they would know which would be best. He took them to the Buddha. All 500 took vows and also had the Refuge Vows conferred upon them. They were taught of Sunyata, despite their being Tirthikas, and became Aryas for they saw the truth of the mode of existence of all things. They also attained that place, Nirvana, of those who have gone beyond all cyclic existence.

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Even if one breaks one’s Precepts, one takes birth in the deva realms. One will die peacefully if one accumulates enough good karma. If one had this accumulation and can pray at the time of death, then one will die without the immense torture of illness. If one has enough faith at the time of death to remember one’s guru and the Triple Gem, even though one has really little good karma, one will not go to the lower realms. First of all, one will go to a happy rebirth through the sheer power of this remembrance. Thus when we talk about the bardo, the most important thing to remember is to do something beneficial at the time of death. To talk of people seeing white or black rays of light when they die or that people have risen from the dead is only idle talk; it is not beneficial practice. Though only gossip, it may indeed be true that some people have seen white light and that people do come back from the bardo state.

Your main doubt is about the working of the bardo process and in particular how a man can return in such a way. On the other hand, there are many cases of non-human beings entering the body after a person’s death.

There are some who die and they remain unconscious for years on end, only to wake in the Hell of Frequent Recovery. The nature of this place is such that the beings in it die and they revive one hundred times a day. The consciousnesses of these hell beings do not leave the do not leave the bodies but remain unconscious for a period of time only to awake again. This is a way that these beings suffer.

In the case of men, there are many daelog who return into the body after death, especially in Kham, for we know that the consciousness can leave the body before the breath stops and then later come back into it again.

The Oracle for the Dromo Dung Gar Monastery, which is in India beyond Sikkim, and who was in fact oracle for the dharmapala (or Protective Deity for the Doctrine) Shungten, left this position and later came to Tibet, becoming later the Oracle of Tshecholing Monastery. At Dung Far was a Bön monastery on a nearby hill, and the Bönpos killed the Oracle with their magic. Word soon got out that the Oracle was dead and people mourned for him.

The Bönpos were elated so blew on trumpets and beat drums. They held rituals in honour of their god and said “Our god has triumphed!” But the deity Shungten entered the dead body and requested people to keep the corpse clean and not to touch it. The body was then not touched nor moved for three days.

When the sun rose from the top of the hill on the third day, the Oracle revived: he had come back. The Dung Gar Monastery burned incense, played instruments and hoisted up prayer flags, saying in turn that their dharmapala had triumphed.

After his recovery, he stayed on for many years acting as the Oracle, though later he discarded his robes and became a layman. So the Monastery looked for a fully ordained monk to act as the medium for the deity. He came to Tibet and stayed at Tshecholing where he received many teachings and practiced the Dharma very well there.

In Kham there is a great deity called Paotrobar who can enter the body of a man. His abode was Logdrama Gutse and he reputed to be the protector of those Khampas who once practiced animal sacrifices. Logdrama Gutse is a high rocky hill that slopes straight into a body of water. From the water you look right up the face of the hill.

The going up the hill is somewhat rough. There are people who go up to burn incense and to ask for money. Someone doing this would take up a set of scaled and would say aloud “Lend me Money!” After receiving it, he would weigh the money, then take it home with the promise of returning it in one or two months. This promise would be made by offering prostrations. If he did not return the money, he would suffer from sickness. Again he would have to burn incense on returning the money. He had to say “I’ve brought the money.” He would have to weigh it again. As the lender is a deity, one would have been able to short change the lender while the money was being weighed on the redemption of the promise. This was done by remarking how great was the weight of the money. The man would not be sick and suffer for what he was doing since the deity would have to believe what the man says.

In the local town, people would make sacrifices and kill many goats. It quite often happens that people recover from sickness when this sacrifice is performed and it was for this reason that it flourished in Kham.

While blood sacrifice prevailed in the country, it happened that an old monk fell very sick and was on the point of death. On dying, his consciousness led him away. He heard somebody saying “Follow me”, and he found himself being lead to Logdrama Gutse. He discovered that the hill was really a big palace having many courtyards with gardens of many flowers surrounded by beautiful groves. As he approached the palace, he could tell that it was a highly complicated building. He found his way to the entrance to the top floor and saw that it was the threshold of the deity’s residence. He began peeping through the curtain of the doorway and was later called in.

The deity had a hare-lip, and was sitting just like a deity should be sitting. After the monk had been called in, the god waves his rosary in the air and then put it down. The deity asked, “Who are you?”

The monk replied, “I have been called and so here I am.”

The god said, “though I didn’t call for you, you may have been brought in by one of my retinue. Let’s leave it be, for I have something to ask of you. Do this one thing and you won’t die. You will recover. You will be able to go back.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Look at my rosary,” continued the god. “It was given to me by Padmasambhava, and it is made of iron. If I recite Vajra Guru, which is the mantra of Padmasambhava, and were out the rosary completely, I shall go to the deva realm Sangdong Peri. Some time ago, the beads had almost worn away to nothing because of the local people’s killing of many goats to propitiate me, even though I do not like sacrificial rituals, I have had to take on all the non-virtues done in my name which have made the rosary get newer. Now I find the beads difficult to wear out. Therefore, you must give the message not to make sacrifice any more. I do not like killing and I myself abstain from doing it. If they still keep up the practice, I shall harm them instead of helping them.”

“Also you must tell them this. When these people practice blood offerings, my slaves get something to eat. Thus they help these people a little but it is not in their powers to help them forever. These are the messages that you must take back with you.”

This monk also noticed that the deity had a statue of Padmasambhava beside his couch.

“Now is the time for you to go back,” the god then said. “You will recover and no harm shall come to you. But you must give the message properly.”

Indeed the monk did go back and recover. While he was reviving he could remember what he had been told. He later gave the message faithfully and was finally able to wipe out this vicious practice in the country.

So we see that there are some people who can come back after death and are led by spirit. There are others who come back by the force of their own karma.

When we die, sometimes it is through the exhaustion of the lifespan and sometimes through the exhaustion of one’s merits collected in previous lifetimes. If one’s lifespan and merits have been depleted then nothing can save one from death; neither prayers nor ritual. All people must die, though if there is a remaining residue of good karma and lifespan, then prayers can do some good. If there is a residue of good karma and the lifespan is exhausted, then the lifespan can do some extent be easily restored. People having such residues can be brought back to life, even if they die of sickness.

Thus it can happen that many people or daelogs come back provided that they have been dead for four or five days and their bodies have been kept clean. They have many anecdotes to tell about different people and about what they have become in future lives, such as so-and-so was born here and so on. Such daelogs are considered holy in my country.

Nevertheless, there is really no certainty about the true identity of the consciousness that returns to the body and starts telling about its actions in the past life. We cannot tell for certain whether it is the genuine consciousness of the dead person or that of some other spirit.

When the dead body comes back to life it behaves very much like the dead person himself. There is a story of when the Precious Minister Padmasambhava was in Tibet. One of the ministers of King Trison Detsaen had died and one of the Bön rituals had been done.

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Now there are actually three types of Bön systems: these are called Gyurbön, Khyarbön and Dùbön. The Gyurbön system is a translation of an Indian system combining both Buddhist and non-Buddhist elements by Pandit Shamdag Nagpo (meaning the Wearer of the Black Skirt or Kilt). Khyarbön was established by some non-Buddhists who were able to fly in the air and who settled on the border of Tibet when their monastery was destroyed by a thunderbolt. (The name means those Bönpos who were stranded.) Dúbön was the Bön system established in Tibet. They are expert in making ritual and are effective in dealing with the sick. When the Bön rite Tenpa Sherab is done the dead person is said to come back again. This has been done on those dead person is said to come back again. This has been done on those dead for many days and even as much as a year. The Bönpos shout at the top of their voices while ringing a bell called the shang. After some time, the dead person is supposed to come back. He would be asked whether he had enjoyed what had happened to him while among the dead or whether he had suffered a great deal. He would begin to tell them every story of what he did when he was alive. He would partake of tea, ch’ang and food. By way of offering him a big treat, he would be given a greeting scarf before being exorcised. In fact, all of this was the game of spirits who wanted free food and drink.

However, everyone took all of this on face value only and had faith in this type of ritual, an example of the method of the Bönpos. People reported all of this to the great master Padmasambhava, saying that the Bön system must be very good for there is no such thing in the Buddha’s Dharma. The Bönpos could even call back a dead man and ask him questions about his previous life and he would give the correct answers. Not only would he get something to eat but also he could meet his relatives again. “There is no such thing in the Buddhist Teachings, is there?” they said.

“It could not be the dead person himself,” was the reply.

“It is the dead one; he comes back and you can see it being done for yourself.”

The Bön rite was performed according to the order of the King. After some time, the dead minister of the King came back to life and acted just like the real minister of the King came back to life and acted just like the real minister did in every mannerism and turn of phrase. There was not even the minutest inconsistency that would have indicated that this was not the real ministers alive again. If asked about what he had done at such and such a time, his answer would be absolutely correct. He could tell about all of his actions as a minster.

“When I gave an initiation,” Padmasambhava then said, “I gave you a secre­t name. What was this name I gave you?”

The body replied, “I cannot know this. When the Precious Guru gave the initiation, I could not attend because I was thrown out before it started.”

This showed that the consciousness was nothing but a spirit that had followed the minister for much of his life. He had been thrown out of the initiation by virtue of some rituals performed as preliminaries, and because of this he was not able to find out what the name was.

After this admission, the body stood up and ran away. Later it became a wolf and even later still vanished into thin air.

At the time of the unmasking of this fraudulent spirit, Padmasambhava declared, “This is the way that we can tell that this was not the real person at all.” When asked what it really was, the Master said it was a spirit who took birth at the same time as the minister had done. This was why he had entered the dead body. In fact all of those people who had come back to life because of the Bönpos ritual were similar cases to this one. Some were these simultaneously born spirits while others were devas. Yet more others were nöjin and drize.

“This is nothing but the tricks of these non-human spirits,” he continued, “for it is quite impossible for the consciousness of the dead person to come back after such a long time. This is because each of them would have had to have taken rebirth according to their individual karma.”

He was then asked about the true rebirth of the minister. Through his special powers of clairvoyance, he was able to tell them that the minister had been reborn as a worm under a cow pat which was to be found near Lhasa. The ministers asked Padmasambhava to show them the worm so as to lend greater credence to his explanation, and took him with them. The great Spiritual Master made the worm remember its previous life, when it was that very minister, by blessing it. He then called it by that secret name and the worm wiggled to him and by so doing answered to the name.

The minister could not help becoming a worm because of the power of ripening karma. Even the Three Jewels were unable to save him for their power and that of the maturing karma of sentient beings are equally powerful. Even if Padmasambhava were to have performed some very powerful pujas on the worm’s behalf, he would not have been able right away to have transported the worm to a Pure Land. There are other such accounts of Padmasambhava.

However, we ordinary beings cannot tell whether a consciousness re-entering a dead body is the real consciousness of that person or not. For example, there are some such spirits who enter bodies and related everything about the activities of the dead person in just the same fashion as he himself would tell it if he were alive. Nevertheless, they would insert lies here and there, such as the seeing of these white, black or red lights. We cannot be sure exactly who it is that has entered the body. Nothing of this sort is to be found in the Teachings of the Buddha.

Such “consciousnesses of the dead person” have been known to enter the body of the local village oracle. Where I come from, we had a woman for the local oracle and the local protective deity a deva, entered into her body. Also she doubled for the oracle of Dhamchen. These two deities would speak truly, just the same. Once the voice of the oracle became very hoarse, so that she quite often made the sound “urr, urr”, she said, “I have eaten many chickens and because of this the head of one is now stuck in my throat.” The consciousness of an old woman who had just died had said this through her. “You should all do prayers for me because I do not have much good karma at all.”

Another dead person’s consciousness entered her and said, “Whenever I recited “Om mani padme hun’, I left out the ‘Om’, could you recite some “Om’s” for me to go with my “Mani’s”?

Our neighbours in the district were the Shangli Family who lives below the path near the river. The father and the rest of the family called themselves together for a meeting. It was at dusk. The father got angry and stormed out. Below their house was the big river. He got to the river and took off his ch’uba, hat and shoes, leaving them on the river bank, then he crossed the river with only his trousers on. He had not returned by the next night and so the family started a search for him. On finding his clothes lying on the river bank, they immediately thought the worst-he had thrown himself into the river. In their pity for him they all swore out aloud.

They invited round some lamas and others proficient in the doctrine, asking them to perform Phowa. The fact that there was no corpse had been forgotten by the family. Instead they went to an oracle who was asked to find the so-called dead father’s body.

To no one’s surprise, the dead father entered the oracle, and with exactly the right voice said, “They insulted me – me, the head of the family. They dared to answer me back after I had worked hard to support them all of their lives. I said one thing and they just would have to say another.”

All of this was having just the right effect.

“I made myself scarce, went to the river and jumped right in. Now I’m so cold!” After this tale of woe, he left, leaving the whole family in tears. All they could think was that he had done himself in and as a result been born a spirit.

After the lapse of four or five days’ stay in the rocks, the father came back. This story is not unique and shows just how difficult it is to distinguish exactly who it is who “speaks from the grave” to use a Western expression.

There is nothing of the bardo state in the Teachings of the Buddha, Knower of all phenomena, whether belonging to Samsara or Nirvana, whether manifest or non-manifest, or whether belonging to any of the Three Times – Past, Present or Future – and who knows exactly the true mode of existence of all.

Many scientists today do useful experiments. However, if they cannot see anything, it does not exist for them. In this they resemble the Carvacas of old, for they have nothing to say about the next lives, nor do they know anything about devas, spirits and such as these things cannot normally be seen. On the other hand, if something can be seen, they deem it worthy of experimentation. These are mainly useful and accurate, and the conclusion they draw are sound.

So to return to the main subject, this is what the texts have to say on the subject. To tell the truth, there are many others well versed in the Dharma who also know as much as I do in such things. Their scholarship is every bit as good mine except in the fact that I am very old and have picked up some stories here and there. So you would do well to ask them about this subject.

 

BIRTH, DEATH AND THE BARDO: PART TWO

BY KYABJE ZONG RINPOCHE

 
Question: (by one of the listeners to the teaching given in the last issue): Would it be helpful to recite the Tibetan Book of the Dead (*Bardo T’ oedrol) to someone who has just died?

Answer: When you recite the Tibetan Book of the Dead, if the deceased’s consciousness happens to be nearby he will hear it. If you recite it in Tibetan and he did not understand Tibetan in his last life, he would not be able to understand it, in most cases. If he does understand the language in the Bardo state, who is to say that he will stay to hear it through to the end? You can never know where he might be because he moves to and fro like the breeze. He also may not be paying attention even if he is present. And even further, how long is he going to remain in the Bardo? That is another question altogether, for until he is reborn he remains in the Bardo.

If he has heard then it would be useful, but whether or not he way paying attention to it cannot be known. We are often inattentive when we listen to the teachings while we are alive. How much more would this be so for mere consciousness!

I won’t say that reciting the Tibetan Book of the Dead would be useless. That is not the case. Superficially, its subject matter appears to be about the Bardo, but this is not the whole story. It also says such things as the being in the Bardo should not remain attached to his relatives and parents of this life now that he finds himself in the Bardo. Also he should call to the three Jewels with sincerity. There is such talk about a white light appearing and how he should not be afraid of it as it is the radiance of the Five Dhyani Buddhas or the Five Wisdoms and so forth. I myself have no idea whether these things will appear to one or not. If they are not understood by people when they are alive, it is very hard to expect a Bardo being to understand it.

If holy mantra were to be recited, or the appropriate rituals done properly with the merit so generated being dedicated to the good of the dead person, it would be of more substantial benefit. Moreover, you could do these according to the Tantra, if the Tantra is flourishing in the area. For example, if the body is still available, and you wish to have a purification ritual performed, then set up the corpse and get the Purification of the Three Lower Realms done, which is a method which uses the deity Gun-Rig.

First, the old consciousness is enticed back into the corpse by reciting the Words of the Truth of the Three Jewels. Then, impediments to his achieving Enlightenment or otherwise to his liberation from cyclic existence are removed and the method employed is either wrathful or peaceful. White sesame and white sand are blessed through fifteen mantra. It is beneficial to throw these on the dead body. If these were to be scattered in such places as cemeteries, whatever consciousness that belonged to whichever bones touched by these would be born into the god realms amidst falling clusters of flowers, even if that consciousness had been reborn in the hells. At least this is what is said in the tantra itself. In fact these will be beneficial and one can completely rely on these techniques as they relate to those teachings which deal with activities. The disputes as to the classifications of interpretive or definitive teachings relates only to those statements of the Buddha about the view of emptiness. However, those that concern activities are said to be definitive. If done with conviction and faith, they will work.

If you were to write these very effective mantra on pieces of paper, you should place them into the ears of the corpse, or bury them in the coffin, or even tuck them into the winding sheet.

Qualified lamas leave white sesame close at hand and bless them with mantra when they recite their prayers. They also jot down the names of the dead whenever anyone requests prayers to be said on their behalf. At the end of any lunar month they do a purification. They draw the deceased’s’ consciousnesses onto the top of these seed and the purification is then performed. Afterwards, the seeds are thrown away. This too is of benefit.

There are also washing ceremonies. For example, the Three Jewels are reflected in a mirror and this is then washed. When the water is thrown out, such things as “This water is the perfection of generosity in the form of water”, are said. Whatever ritual you perform of Gun Rig, insert the dead person’s name so that it will benefit him. You may say such things as, “May his negative actions collected from beginningless time and especially those related to miserliness be cleansed; may he attain Enlightenment quickly.” Even the throwing out of the water is useful to him, as is the cleansing of his ignorance by saying the powerful words of truth about emptiness. In addition there are fifteen verses which also should be recited about the major deeds of Buddha Shakyamuni and how he achieved the great qualities of body, speech and mind, the destruction of the four Maras and the turning of the Wheel of Dharma. You should hope that these will all prove auspicious for the deceased. There are three further verses of auspicious songs to the Three Jewels. While these are recited, the best things to do would be to throw flowers on the body and think that it purifies his ignorance. If you want to go into even more detail, you can recite more verse which show the stages of the paths to high spiritual states such as the give paths to liberation. Then he can be allowed to enter a mandala to receive initiations. After all of this, through the force of contemplation, his consciousness should be forcefully transferred to Sukhavati Pure Land. The mantra are now burnt. This type of purification includes all seven types of purification and so must be of some use to him. You should give alms to the poor on his behalf, or make offerings to the Three Jewels or to the Sangha in particular. (In fact in Tibetan communities you quite often hear the monk responsible for the upholding of the monastic discipline reading the list of requests for prayers to be said.) Any virtue done in his name will be of some help to him. However the most helpful thing of all would be if he had done something virtuous for himself while still alive. That is very direct and anything else done later is indirect.

If all of the above have not been done effectively, they are merely mumblings. Take the example of one born into the hells. If the purifications are not effective he may not regain anything like a human rebirth again. At the very least he may gain a little relief, such as feeling a cool breeze when the intolerable heat of hell is at its worst. If you want the ritual to be done seriously, you should request the purification from a properly qualified practitioner, as Tantric practices are supreme methods in their power to purify.

There are some people who hold wakes for the dead, invite their friends and kill goats and chickens for a big feast. As all those negative actions are done in the name of the dead person, they could completely reverse any good actions done for him and could be disastrous.

Gun Rig practices are done especially when people die and they are highly valued by Tibetans, but instead you can request for Ghuyasamaja, Yamantaka or Heruka practices to be done. In these cases, one just blesses white sand and sesame, sprinkling these on the body if available. If this is not possible, one of his bones, a fingernail, hair or some unwashed clothes will also do. This is why, when purification is request, people give the unwashed clothes with that person’s name on them. This is so that the purification can be performed on the clothes, not so that they can be sold for some spare cash! If the body has been disposed of, the family offers cloth and will not accept it back, for that is the tradition. If you have the bones and offer them instead, there is no need to offer cloth, particularly as this is not in accordance with the ritual. To offer cloth on top of the other is merely being greedy.

You needn’t feel afraid if the dead person revives. The body heat re-gathers first, and later he begins to breathe. After that, he recovers much like a sick person. However, if the corpse becomes a rolang (literally, “a risen corpse”) it is generally due to so-called evil spirits. The corpse begins to swell when these spirits enter the body. Rolangs are of different types and some even talk like humans. Others also eat and tell lies. If the body is becoming a rolang, it is usual for the head to slowly move. The body takes a peek to see if anyone is watching. Then it opens both eyes and stands up. After this, it cannot bend any more. Now it harms people. People die instantly when it says “Ha!”. If it cannot kill, then it tries to damage. It hits people or breathes on them, and they may die. There are certain signs which indicate interferences to the dead body before a rolang occurs. One is that on lighting a butter lamp, it does not glow but gives off “blackish” light. Another is that whenever you look at the dead body, it seems to you that it is going to stand up. If you throw the blessed white sesame on the head of the corpse, it will be prevented from standing up.

I seem to remember an old man with a large gold earring who died. It was the custom to hold a big wake with plenty of feasting and lots of beer. They say that when the food and drink were served, he sat up once, drank a cup of beer and then lay back again. It was seen by many, in point of fact. Later he was examined and was found to have been harmed by a spirit king who favoured another family. The two families had been involved for years in a law suit. The spirit had been more or less teasing the corpse.

There was one lama of Derge who went to o P’owa (see the previous article) on a body. Usually the body does not stand when this is done. While performing the ritual, he sensed that things were somehow not quite right. He met his disciple on the road when he returned. He asked the disciple if he was going to the same house for further rituals. The disciple said he was. The lama said, “If there are any interferences to the body, make strong prayers to your principal guru. It would be more helpful.”

The lama had not been alone in sensing bad omens. When the disciple sat down beside the body, the family sneaked out of the room and silently bolted the door.

Now it was usual for this disciple to shut his eyes whenever he said any prayers. During a short break in the ritual, he opened them and saw that the head of the body had raised itself a little. He took no notice of this, shut his eyes and continued. The next time he opened his eyes, he found that the head was raised even more. Frightened now he tried to open the door, but it was locked. Next he tried to get out by the window but it was too small. He did not notice that he had cut his ear on the window frame and that his ear was bleeding badly. Now he felt helpless. He pressed down on the head of the body and managed to get it to go down a little bit.

I heard this story from the disciple himself. He told me, “I pressed down very hard and began to do things like reciting mantra”.

As the fight continued, he became bolder. Suddenly the lama’s advice to him flashed into mind. He placed his vajra (an implement of the Tantra) on the head of the body and said loudly, “May my lama hear me, may he transfigure me!” At last the body collapsed and the vajra fell to the ground.

This was by no means unique in my country.

The prayer master of a small monastery near Ganden (one of the three great monasteries in Lhasa) died. The charnal ground where the corpse were fed to the birds was on top of the hill. His body was carried up there by four others. They left the body and went a little way off to have some tea. Dead bodies rend their shrowds when they revive, and so this one had started breaking open the stitches of the cloth and was now trying to get up. However, he had been left at the edge of a steep slope, so instead of getting up, he rolled down the mountain. In fact the corpse never did get round to standing up for it was smashed to pieces below.

There was an old man called Gompo, whom I knew very well and with whom I had spent a lot of time. One day, he and another called Trinlay were climbing the mountain that leads to the Ganden charnal field. They had a body on a stretcher. When they were approaching the place the body started to break open the stitches as we described before. This frightened Gompo so much that he immediately ran away. Trinlay started spitting to one side as well as hitting the body with a rock to break the bones. If you spit before a rolang can breathe on you, then it cannot harm you.

I could tell you many other stories about rolang. There was even once a place where everyone who died became a rolang. Before anyone died, they would ask a lama to come and do whatever ritual deemed necessary. They would then dig a trench, bury the body as quickly as they could and then run away. The legs of the body had been broken beforehand. Once a nomad woman died there. The other nomads broke her legs and buried her as before and then moved their herds and tents elsewhere. However, it seems that they had not made the trenches deep enough, for the corpse rose up later out of it. It dragged itself along the ground moaning all the while. Nearby, there were five monks getting water and food. They were stopping over on their way to the large monasteries in Central Tibet. One of them noticed what looked like some black hair that once in a while seemed to raise itself from the ground. When he looked again, it started to hide behind something. It was now on the other side of the stable courtyard where they were staying. He now saw that the legs had been broken and there were axe marks on it. It was that which told him that it was a dead body. They poured the water they had boiled for tea on it and ran away.

There was one family where a person died and they tied the body to a heavy pack and fled. A mail carrier came by with his horse. The pasture all around seemed to be very good. This is hardly surprising as the other family had run away in a hurry. He loosened his belt, and lay down for a sleep. He was awakened by his horse getting restless. He thought that there must be some wild animals around, but as he couldn’t see any, he went back to sleep. His horse woke him up again. This time, when he got up to check, he saw the pack, and recognised what was tied to it. He tied up his belt and started running in the opposite direction. The rolang broke loose and started chasing him. The carrier started yelling to all the nomads when he got to their camp, “Getup! Get up! There’s a rolang coming!” After they could make out what he was saying, they all got up and got rid of the thing. I imagine that all of this is fairly picturesque!

A man died in a family in Mar K’am. His three other relatives pitched a separate tent for him, lit butter lamps and cried for him a good deal. At midnight a woman was woken up by some whistling. It was quite unusual for some to whistle over a dead body. When they looked into the tent early next day, the body had gone. Some sheep were also found missing from the pen. That night it had snowed and they were able to follow its track. A little way ahead they saw the tracks of a dremong (which is an animal about the size of a bear). They came to a cave where they pitched camp in the summer. That dremong was inside killing sheep while the rolang- relative was blocking the door.

Rolangs do these sort of things. I am telling you these things to keep you amused, as well as to show that this body of ours which we cherish so much can come under the control of others after we die. It is our excessive craving that gave us a body in the first place, yet this body had no real loyalty to us in return.

Translated by Losang Gyaltsen and revised by Michael Richards

 


 

Yes, I am standing next to His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche here in this picture…. I was in Yucca Valley with Zong Rinpoche at the time. We were on retreat with a large group and I was one of his assistants in the USA at this time. It was blissful to serve Zong Rinpoche and receive many teachings

Myself meeting Kyabje Zong Rinpoche’s incarnation for the first time here in this picture. I saved up for months and offered a Lord Manjushri statue to Zong Rinpoche. I didn’t want to meet my teacher’s golden incarnation empty handed. I wanted to create the merits and affinity to meet Zong Rinpoche in every lifetime no matter where we incarnate….There will be a bond between myself and Zong Rinpoche via Manjushri….So I wanted to offer something very auspicious and special although I didn’t have much money… Whenever we go see our guru, we should have a sincere offering in order to generate merits for the realization of our practices. Especially meeting our guru for the first time or requesting for a teaching or activity, we should make offerings. Our gurus doesn’t need an offering, but we need to generate the merit. It creates the merits when offered sincerely to create the causes for our requests to fruition.

I was told he was very pleased with the statue and insisted on keeping it next to him on the side table of his bedroom. I was so excited in this picture meeting my root guru’s incarnation again. I had no doubts his incarnation would return perfectly and he did.

Tsem Rinpoche

Tibetan ‘Ah’ syllable found on the inside of the skull of the 2nd Zong Rinpoche, Zongtrul Tenpa Chopel (1836-1899 AD) after his cremation ceremony

 


 
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I was 18 years old when this was taken back in 1983 in Los Angeles, California. Here I am in this photo with my most precious root guru, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. He has profoundly changed my life for the better forever. Not a day goes by I don’t think about him, love him, miss him and yearn for his presence and teachings.

I meditate on him in my heart every single day. He was everything that a high Tibetan lama is said to be and more. From the moment I heard his name before meeting him from a friend who had met him already, faith instantly arose in me. Instantly faith arose in me. I did 100 prostrations to his picture everyday until I met him. I wanted to make a spiritual karmic connection with him so that when I met him, I can receive many teachings and that is why I made the prostrations.

No other spiritual teacher although all of them were great has this sort of meteoric impact on me. It’s unexplainable. 30 plus years down the line, my faith, respect and trust in Kyabje Zong Rinpoche is unshakable. I will always follow and practice what he has taught me and given me. I will never abandon my teacher or any practice he has given me no matter what obstacles come my way.

No matter if my life is threatened, or I am disliked or segregated for following his instructions, I will never abandon any of his teachings. No other teacher will ever have me change my practice I have received from Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. May I meet Kyabje Zong Rinpoche in all my future lives too and come under his care. I forever bow to him and place the crown of my unworthy head to his feet. I will follow, meditate, trust and believe in my guru always.

Humbly,
Tsem Rinpoche

 
这是我与我的至宝根本上师,至尊嘉杰宋仁波切于1983年在加利福尼亚洛杉矶拍下的合照。当年我18岁。他深刻地改变了我的生命,永恒地使我的生命变得更美好。没有那么一天,我不想起他,不珍爱他,不思念他,或是不切盼他的出现与教诲。

每一天,我都在心中忆念嘉杰宋仁波切。他拥有人们眼中一个西藏高僧该具备的一切条件,甚至拥有更多。我从一个曾拜见嘉杰宋仁波切的朋友口中听见宋仁波切的殊胜名字,自那一刻起,我虽未见过仁波切一面,但信心即刻油然而生。在见到仁波切之前的每一天,我都向着他的法照顶礼一百遍,我想跟他结下法缘,那么等到见到他的时候,我能接受到大量的教诲。这是我每日顶礼的原因。

其他所有上师固然殊胜,但没有一个像嘉杰宋仁波切那样对我造成犹如陨星撞击般的影响。这种感受无从解释。我对嘉杰宋仁波切的信心、敬重和信任,三十余载从未动摇。他教过我的,给过我的,我都会一直跟从并且实修。

我永远不会背弃我的上师,或是背弃他赐予我的任何修行,不管我眼前出现什么阻难。即使我因为遵从他的指示而面对生命威胁,或遭受厌弃或排挤,我仍然不会背弃他的任何一个教诲。没有任何一位上师能够动摇嘉杰宋仁波切赐予我的修行。祈愿我生生世世都能遇见嘉杰宋仁波切并得到他的引导。我永世顶礼于嘉杰宋仁波切足下。我将永远遵从上师的教诲,忆念他,信任他,相信他。

谦卑的詹杜固仁波切

 

སྤྱི་ལོ་༡༩༨༣ ལོར་ལོས་ཨེན་ཇེ་ལེ་ས་ཀལ་ལི་ཕོ་ནི་ཡ་(Los Angeles, California.) ནང་ང་ལོ་ ༡༨ ཡིན་པའི་སྐབས་ཀྱི་འདྲ་པར་རེད། འདྲ་པར་འདི་ནང་ང་དང་བདག་གི་རྩ་བའི་བླ་མ་༧སྐྱབས་རྗེ་ཟོང་རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང་ལྷན་དུ་ཡོད། སྐུ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་གཏིང་ཚུགས་པའི་སྒོ་ནས་བདག་གི་མི་ཚེ་གཏན་དུ་བསྒྱུར་བར་འཕྲིན་ལས་བརྩོལ་ཡོད་པས། བདག་གིས་སོ་སོའི་རྩ་བའི་བླ་མར་དགའ་བ་མ་སྒོམ་པ་དང་། མི་དྲན་པ། ཁོང་གི་སྐོར་མ་བསམ་པ། ཁོང་གི་མདུན་ནས་སློབ་ཁྲིད་སོགས་ཞུ་འདོད་མེད་པ་ཉིན་གཅིག་ཀྱང་མེད།

ཉིན་ལྟར་བདག་གིས་ཁོང་ཡིད་ལ་སྒོམ་གྱི་ཡོད། ཁོང་ནི་བོད་པའི་བླ་མ་མཁས་པ་ཞིག་ལ་ཚང་དགོས་པའི་ཡོན་ཏན་བླ་ན་མེད་པ་དང་ལྡན། བདག་གིས་ཁོང་མ་མཇལ་གོང་དུ་བདག་གི་གྲོགས་པོས་ཁོང་མཇལ་ཡོད་པས་ངའི་གྲོགས་པོའི་རྒྱུད་ནས་ཁོང་གི་མཚན་ཐོས་པ་ད་སྐབས་བདག་གི་སེམས་ནང་ལམ་སང་དད་པ་སྐྱེས། ཁོང་མ་མཇལ་བར་བདག་གིས་ཁོང་གི་སྐུ་པར་ལ་ཉིན་ལྟར་ཕྱག་ཚར་༡༠༠ འཚལ་གྱི་ཡོད། གང་ཡིན་ཟེར་ན། ཁོང་དང་ཆོས་ཀྱི་འབྲེལ་བ་ཡོང་བ་དང་ཁོང་མཇལ་ནས་ཆོས་མང་པོ་ཞུས་ཐུབ་པའི་ཕྱིར་ངས་ཕྱག་འཚལ་དགོས་དོན་དེ་འདྲ་ཡིན།

བདག་གི་དགེ་བའི་བཤེས་གཉེན་རྣམས་ཁྱད་པར་དུ་འཕགས་པ་ཡིན་ཡང་བདག་ལ་༧སྐྱབས་རྗེ་ཟོང་རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང་ནི་ཤིན་ཏུ་བཀའ་དྲིན་ཆེ། འདི་གསལ་བཤད་བྱེད་མི་ཐུབ། ལོ་ ༣༠ རྗེས་ལའང་༧སྐྱབས་རྗེ་ཟོང་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་ལ་ངས་དད་པ། རྩི་བཀུར། ཡིད་ཆེས་སོགས་གཡོ་བ་མེད་པ་རེད། ཁོང་གི་གནང་པའི་མཉམ་ལེན་དང་སྦྱོང་བརྡར་སོགས་བདག་གིས་དུས་རྟག་ཏུ་ཉམས་ལེན་བགྱིད། བདག་གི་ཆོས་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ལམ་དུ་བར་ཆད་ཆེ་ཆུང་གང་འདྲ་འཕྲད་ཀྱང་བདག་གི་དགེ་བའི་བཤེས་གཉེན་ཀྱིས་གནང་པའི་མཉམ་ལེན་དེ་དག་དུས་ནམ་ཡང་འདོར་གྱི་མིན།

བདག་གི་མི་ཚེར་ཉེན་ཚབས་བཟོ་ནའང་། བདག་ལ་མ་དགའ་བ་བྱེད་ནའང་། ཡང་ན་བདག་གི་བླ་མའི་བཀའ་སྒྲུབ་པའི་ཕྱིར་བདག་དང་འབྲེལ་ཐག་གཅོད་ནའང་ཁྱད་མེད་བཞིན་བདག་གིས་བླ་མའི་བཀའ་དུས་ནམ་ཡང་མི་འདོར། ༧སྐྱབས་རྗེ་ཟོང་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྐུ་མདུན་ནས་ཐོབ་པའི་མཉམ་ལེན་དང་བདག་གི་དད་པ་དམ་ཚིག་བླ་མ་གཞན་སུའང་ཞིག་གིས་འགྱུར་མི་ཐུབ། བདག་གི་ཚེ་ཕྱི་མར་ཡང་༧སྐྱབས་རྗེ་ཟོང་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཇལ་བ་དང་ཁོང་སྐུ་མདུན་ནས་བྱམས་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཐོབ་པའི་རེ་སྨོན་ཡོད། ཁོང་གི་ཞབས་ཀྱི་པད་མོར་ཐུག་ཏེ་དུས་རྟག་ཏུ་གུས་ཕྱག་འཚལ། བདག་གིས་སོ་སོའི་བླ་མ་རྗེས་སུ་བཟུང་ཞིང་། ཡིད་ལ་སྒོམ་ཞིང་། རྒྱུན་དུ་དད་པ་དང་ཡིད་ཆེས་བགྱིད།

གུས་པས་ཚེམས་སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་ནས།།

 


 

Precious Footage of His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche

A master of sutra and tantra, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche performed countless holy deeds and gave thousands of Dharma teachings during his lifetime, some of which were filmed for the benefit of sentient beings in the future. Thanks to those recordings, we are able to present you with some very precious footage of Kyabje Zong Rinpoche’s activities. Be blessed as you listen to the holy voice of the Buddha that is Zong Rinpoche.

Admin

Disclaimer: This footage is presented for strictly educational, non-commercial purposes only. No profit is being made from the display of the footage.

 

Venerable Lama Yeshe’s Cremation

This video shows the integral role that His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche played in the funeral of his close student, Venerable Lama Yeshe. A highly accomplished tantric master and lifelong Dorje Shugden practitioner, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche led and advised Lama Yeshe’s students on the proper funerary and cremation rites befitting a practitioner of Lama Yeshe’s qualities and attainments.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/LamaYesheCremation.mp4

 

The Basis of the Spiritual Path

In this teaching translated by Venerable Geshe Namgyal Gangchen of Drepung Monastery, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche gives a teaching on the nature of cyclic existence, the first of the Four Noble Truths as taught by Buddha Shakyamuni, as well as the six realms of suffering.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/BasisSpiritualPath.mp4

 

The Principles of the Spiritual Path (Part 1 of 2)

In this teaching translated by Venerable Geshe Namgyal Gangchen of Drepung Monastery, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche gives a clear explanation on the Three Principal Aspects of the Path: renunciation, bodhicitta and the right view of emptiness.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/PrincipleSpiritualPath1.mp4

 

The Principles of the Spiritual Path (Part 2 of 2)

In this teaching translated by Venerable Geshe Namgyal Gangchen of Drepung Monastery, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche gives a clear explanation on the Three Principal Aspects of the Path: renunciation, bodhicitta and the right view of emptiness.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/PrincipleSpiritualPath2.mp4

 

Melodies of the Ensa Ear-Whispered Chod Lineage

At the request of Venerable Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen in 1983 at Thubten Dhargye Ling in Los Angeles, USA, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche recited and taught the Ensa Ear-Whispered Chod practice from memory. These melodies are chanted according to prayers known as: Cutting through Self-grasping; Dedicating the Illusory Body as Ganachakra; and the Ganachakra Offering according to Chod practice. Zong Rinpoche chose to present the melodies of certain verses of these prayers and remarked that there may come a time when Chod melodies are taught according to this recording.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/ZongRinpocheRecitesChod.mp4

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28 Responses to Kyabje Zong Rinpoche: Birth, Death & Bardo

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  1. Samfoonheei on Sep 3, 2020 at 11:03 am

    Reading this long article , have us a wake up call which we should not take for granted. We must somehow collect more merits while we still can. Good and well explained details all about at the moment of our death. Sound scary though yet its exactly what happened. At least after reading this blog we can expect during the process of dying. Very useful teachings , learning ,practicing Dharma is the best choice we have made. I am glad coming to dharma, learning from nothing to something all the knowledge from Rinpoche’s blog with no regrets. I am still learning and will read this post again and again, from time to time to understand more. There is no time to waste in our life. We only live once, but if we do it right, once is enough, collecting more merits all the way . Benefiting others , doing more deeds then.
    Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this precious teachings.

  2. Pastor Shin Tan on Feb 21, 2019 at 4:21 am

    Be loyal to your guru. Be close to your guru. Be honest with your guru. Never give your guru excuses but always accomplish your assignments that your guru has given you. Be loving, devoted and sincere with your guru. If you conduct yourself in this way, you will see positive transformations in your mind. ~ Tsem Rinpoche

  3. Valentina Suhendra on Sep 20, 2018 at 5:34 am

    Be blessed with these rare videos featuring explanation and advice about Dorje Shugden practice by His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche in his own voice. The teaching was requested by Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, one of the earliest masters who taught Tibetan Buddhism in the West.

    Video 1: H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche Explains Dorje Shugden Initiation and Benefits (With English Subtitles)

    Kyabje Zong Rinpoche was an erudite scholar, ritual master and practitioner of the highest degree from Tibet. At the request of Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, one of the pioneers who taught Tibetan Buddhism in America, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche gives clear explanation and advice about the life-entrustment initiation of Dorje Shugden and how to go about the practice and get the maximum benefits in this video.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzFMvlxAqtc&feature=youtu.be

    Video 2: H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche speaks on the History and Lineage of Dorje Shugden (With English Subtitles)

    In this video, an erudite scholar, ritual master and practitioner of the highest degree from Tibet, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche talks about the incarnation lineage of Dorje Shugden and how the practice arose, with examples of Dorje Shugden’s previous lives that reveal his powerful spiritual attainments and contributions. This very rare teaching was given at the request of Kyabje Zong Rinpoche’s student, Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, one of the pioneers who taught Buddhism in the West to many disciples since the 1970s.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIzKSJgK618&feature=youtu.be

    For more information: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/kyabje-zong-rinpoches-advice-on-dorje-shugdens-practice.html

  4. Pastor Shin Tan on Jul 10, 2018 at 12:51 pm

    Beautiful picture of His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. It is amazing I was able to meet him and learn from him. It was such an amazing opportunity. Tsem Rinpoche

  5. Samfoonheei on Mar 22, 2018 at 4:07 pm

    Interesting read ….. from Kyabje Zong Rinpoche very useful and informative teaching for us to ponder on Death, Bardo and Rebirth. With these teachings its encourage us the awareness that we could die at any moment. This helps us to maintain awareness of the preciousness of life and encourages us to be prepared . Learning ,practicing and doing more virtuous dharma work for ourselves while we are still alive even it’s a little of the Dharma, it can be of immense benefits.
    Thank you Rinpoche for sharing these powerful and profound teachings from our Great Master.

  6. Valentina Suhendra on Oct 20, 2017 at 12:20 am

    H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche is very devoted to his root guru, H.H. Zong Rinpoche.

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  7. Pastor Shin on Oct 19, 2017 at 10:16 pm

    Do watch this short video of H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche ?

    https://video.tsemtulku.com/chat-videos/chat-1508414004.mp4


  8. Valentina Suhendra on Sep 19, 2017 at 12:38 am

    Lama Yeshe was a very devoted student of His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. Lama Yeshe very much loved and respected Kyabje Zong Rinpoche and was the first lama to invite Kyabje Zong Rinpoche to the west. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche gave vast amount of empowerments, oral transmissions, teachings and sogtae of Dorje Shugden to many of Lama Yeshe’s senior students. Towards the end of Lama Yeshe’s fruitful life, he was in the hospital and physically shutting down. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche was giving teachings in Switzerland and was requested to fly in which Kyabje Zong Rinpoche most graciously did. Here in this picture is Kyabje Zong Rinpoche doing special prayers for his student Lama Yeshe. Lama Yeshe was already partially paralyzed, but true to a meditation master, his mind was extremely clear and bright. You can see Lama Yeshe leaning towards Kyabje Zong Rinpoche in deep respect and devotion. Lama Yeshe practiced all the lineages, yidams, protectors such as Dorje Shugden given to him till the end of his life. He never gave up on any of his practices as he has great devotion to Kyabje Zong Rinpoche and his other lamas. Lama Yeshe’s samaya with Kyabje Zong Rinpoche was so pure, intact and perfect till the end. A great inspiration.~Tsem Rinpoche

    耶喜喇嘛是至尊嘉杰宋仁波切的忠诚弟子。耶喜喇嘛十分敬爱嘉杰宋仁波切,他是第一位把宋仁波切邀请到西方弘法的上师。嘉杰宋仁波切曾为耶喜喇嘛的许多资深弟子传授灌顶、口传、教诲和多杰雄登托命灌顶。在耶喜喇嘛即将走完丰富人生旅程之际,他躺在医院病床上,身体已经逐渐衰败。当时正在瑞士弘法的嘉杰宋仁波切被邀请前去探望他,宋仁波切欣然答应了。这张照片显示嘉杰宋仁波切正为弟子耶喜喇嘛进行特殊的法会。耶喜喇嘛那时已经处于半瘫痪状态,但作为一位禅修大师,他的心识却极度清醒。在这张照片中,可见耶喜喇嘛以无限的敬意和依止心,把身体倾向宋仁波切。耶喜喇嘛终其一生都修持上师所传授的传承、本尊、护法修持如多杰雄登法门等。他从不放弃任何上师所传授的教法,因为他对嘉杰宋仁波切和其他上师均拥有极大的依止心。耶喜喇嘛由始至终都对嘉杰宋仁波切保持清净、完整和完美的三昧耶。这真是一个启发人心的典范。~詹杜固仁波切

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  9. Valentina Suhendra on Sep 18, 2017 at 8:46 pm

    I was 18 years old when this was taken back in 1983 in Los Angeles, California. Here I am in this photo with my most precious root guru, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. He has profoundly changed my life for the better forever. Not a day goes by I don’t think about him, love him, miss him and yearn for his presence and teachings. I meditate on him in my heart every single day.

    He was everything that a high Tibetan lama is said to be and more. From the moment I heard his name before meeting him from a friend who had met him already, faith instantly arose in me. Instantly faith arose in me. I did 100 prostrations to his picture everyday until I met him. I wanted to make a spiritual karmic connection with him so that when I met him, I can receive many teachings and that is why I made the prostrations. No other spiritual teacher although all of them were great has this sort of meteoric impact on me. It’s unexplainable.

    30 plus years down the line, my faith, respect and trust in Kyabje Zong Rinpoche is unshakable. I will always follow and practice what he has taught me and given me. I will never abandon my teacher or any practice he has given me no matter what obstacles come my way. No matter if my life is threatened, or I am disliked or segregated for following his instructions, I will never abandon any of his teachings. No other teacher will ever have me change my practice I have received from Kyabje Zong Rinpoche.

    May I meet Kyabje Zong Rinpoche in all my future lives too and come under his care. I forever bow to him and place the crown of my unworthy head to his feet. I will follow, meditate, trust and believe in my guru always.

    Humbly,
    Tsem Rinpoche

    这是我与我的至宝根本上师,至尊嘉杰宋仁波切于1983年在加利福尼亚洛杉矶拍下的合照。当年我18岁。他深刻地改变了我的生命,永恒地使我的生命变得更美好。没有那么一天,我不想起他,不珍爱他,不思念他,或是不切盼他的出现与教诲。每一天,我都在心中忆念嘉杰宋仁波切。他拥有人们眼中一个西藏高僧该具备的一切条件,甚至拥有更多。我从一个曾拜见嘉杰宋仁波切的朋友口中听见宋仁波切的殊胜名字,自那一刻起,我虽未见过仁波切一面,但信心即刻油然而生。在见到仁波切之前的每一天,我都向着他的法照顶礼一百遍,我想跟他结下法缘,那么等到见到他的时候,我能接受到大量的教诲。这是我每日顶礼的原因。其他所有上师固然殊胜,但没有一个像嘉杰宋仁波切那样对我造成犹如陨星撞击般的影响。这种感受无从解释。我对嘉杰宋仁波切的信心、敬重和信任,三十余载从未动摇。他教过我的,给过我的,我都会一直跟从并且实修。我永远不会背弃我的上师,或是背弃他赐予我的任何修行,不管我眼前出现什么阻难。即使我因为遵从他的指示而面对生命威胁,或遭受厌弃或排挤,我仍然不会背弃他的任何一个教诲。没有任何一位上师能够动摇嘉杰宋仁波切赐予我的修行。祈愿我生生世世都能遇见嘉杰宋仁波切并得到他的引导。我永世顶礼于嘉杰宋仁波切足下。我将永远遵从上师的教诲,忆念他,信任他,相信他。
    谦卑的詹杜固仁波切

    སྤྱི་ལོ་༡༩༨༣ ལོར་ལོས་ཨེན་ཇེ་ལེ་ས་ཀལ་ལི་ཕོ་ནི་ཡ་(Los Angeles, California.) ནང་ང་ལོ་ ༡༨ ཡིན་པའི་སྐབས་ཀྱི་འདྲ་པར་རེད། འདྲ་པར་འདི་ནང་ང་དང་བདག་གི་རྩ་བའི་བླ་མ་༧སྐྱབས་རྗེ་ཟོང་རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང་ལྷན་དུ་ཡོད། སྐུ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་གཏིང་ཚུགས་པའི་སྒོ་ནས་བདག་གི་མི་ཚེ་གཏན་དུ་བསྒྱུར་བར་འཕྲིན་ལས་བརྩོལ་ཡོད་པས། བདག་གིས་སོ་སོའི་རྩ་བའི་བླ་མར་དགའ་བ་མ་སྒོམ་པ་དང་། མི་དྲན་པ། ཁོང་གི་སྐོར་མ་བསམ་པ། ཁོང་གི་མདུན་ནས་སློབ་ཁྲིད་སོགས་ཞུ་འདོད་མེད་པ་ཉིན་གཅིག་ཀྱང་མེད།

    ཉིན་ལྟར་བདག་གིས་ཁོང་ཡིད་ལ་སྒོམ་གྱི་ཡོད། ཁོང་ནི་བོད་པའི་བླ་མ་མཁས་པ་ཞིག་ལ་ཚང་དགོས་པའི་ཡོན་ཏན་བླ་ན་མེད་པ་དང་ལྡན། བདག་གིས་ཁོང་མ་མཇལ་གོང་དུ་བདག་གི་གྲོགས་པོས་ཁོང་མཇལ་ཡོད་པས་ངའི་གྲོགས་པོའི་རྒྱུད་ནས་ཁོང་གི་མཚན་ཐོས་པ་ད་སྐབས་བདག་གི་སེམས་ནང་ལམ་སང་དད་པ་སྐྱེས། ཁོང་མ་མཇལ་བར་བདག་གིས་ཁོང་གི་སྐུ་པར་ལ་ཉིན་ལྟར་ཕྱག་ཚར་༡༠༠ འཚལ་གྱི་ཡོད། གང་ཡིན་ཟེར་ན། ཁོང་དང་ཆོས་ཀྱི་འབྲེལ་བ་ཡོང་བ་དང་ཁོང་མཇལ་ནས་ཆོས་མང་པོ་ཞུས་ཐུབ་པའི་ཕྱིར་ངས་ཕྱག་འཚལ་དགོས་དོན་དེ་འདྲ་ཡིན།

    བདག་གི་དགེ་བའི་བཤེས་གཉེན་རྣམས་ཁྱད་པར་དུ་འཕགས་པ་ཡིན་ཡང་བདག་ལ་༧སྐྱབས་རྗེ་ཟོང་རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང་ནི་ཤིན་ཏུ་བཀའ་དྲིན་ཆེ། འདི་གསལ་བཤད་བྱེད་མི་ཐུབ། ལོ་ ༣༠ རྗེས་ལའང་༧སྐྱབས་རྗེ་ཟོང་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་ལ་ངས་དད་པ། རྩི་བཀུར། ཡིད་ཆེས་སོགས་གཡོ་བ་མེད་པ་རེད། ཁོང་གི་གནང་པའི་མཉམ་ལེན་དང་སྦྱོང་བརྡར་སོགས་བདག་གིས་དུས་རྟག་ཏུ་ཉམས་ལེན་བགྱིད། བདག་གི་ཆོས་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ལམ་དུ་བར་ཆད་ཆེ་ཆུང་གང་འདྲ་འཕྲད་ཀྱང་བདག་གི་དགེ་བའི་བཤེས་གཉེན་ཀྱིས་གནང་པའི་མཉམ་ལེན་དེ་དག་དུས་ནམ་ཡང་འདོར་གྱི་མིན།

    བདག་གི་མི་ཚེར་ཉེན་ཚབས་བཟོ་ནའང་། བདག་ལ་མ་དགའ་བ་བྱེད་ནའང་། ཡང་ན་བདག་གི་བླ་མའི་བཀའ་སྒྲུབ་པའི་ཕྱིར་བདག་དང་འབྲེལ་ཐག་གཅོད་ནའང་ཁྱད་མེད་བཞིན་བདག་གིས་བླ་མའི་བཀའ་དུས་ནམ་ཡང་མི་འདོར། ༧སྐྱབས་རྗེ་ཟོང་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྐུ་མདུན་ནས་ཐོབ་པའི་མཉམ་ལེན་དང་བདག་གི་དད་པ་དམ་ཚིག་བླ་མ་གཞན་སུའང་ཞིག་གིས་འགྱུར་མི་ཐུབ། བདག་གི་ཚེ་ཕྱི་མར་ཡང་༧སྐྱབས་རྗེ་ཟོང་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཇལ་བ་དང་ཁོང་སྐུ་མདུན་ནས་བྱམས་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཐོབ་པའི་རེ་སྨོན་ཡོད། ཁོང་གི་ཞབས་ཀྱི་པད་མོར་ཐུག་ཏེ་དུས་རྟག་ཏུ་གུས་ཕྱག་འཚལ། བདག་གིས་སོ་སོའི་བླ་མ་རྗེས་སུ་བཟུང་ཞིང་། ཡིད་ལ་སྒོམ་ཞིང་། རྒྱུན་དུ་དད་པ་དང་ཡིད་ཆེས་བགྱིད།

    གུས་པས་ཚེམས་སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་ནས།།

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  10. Huey on Sep 2, 2017 at 11:15 am

    Tashi delek
    Reading this article made me more mindful of the importance of thoughts, speech and action as I relate the bardo

  11. Choong on Apr 4, 2017 at 7:15 pm

    Kyabje Zong Rinpoche’s point or theme is that we should make use of this very fortunate rebirth to purify and gain merits for we do not know when we may die, how we may die, what really happens to us after we die, and do not know how we will be reborn after we die. Make use of this fortunate rebirth productively now and transform your mind to liberating paths.

  12. Joy on Sep 18, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    Learnt a lot from reading this very detailed post of the process of dying and how important it is to collect as much merits as possible for oneself while we are still alive. As advice here by Kyabje Zong Rinpoche that “the most helpful thing of all would be if he had done something virtuous for himself while still alive. That is very direct and anything else done later is indirect.” Hence the reason why Rinpoche is always finding ways to encourage. motivate, even scold us to do Dharma and to get our assignments done. I am very fortunate to have Rinpoche who still find ways to give Dharma to me while I am still alive. By making me, us read this, we have more knowledge on knowing how to properly “HELP” ourselves when we die and to NOT end up in lower realms. Thank you!

  13. Steven Koh Wing Gok on Jun 26, 2014 at 10:07 am

    Dear Rinpoche,
    The word Sincerely is above everything.
    Steven

  14. joey wong on Nov 7, 2012 at 8:31 pm

    wow. this is a really mindblowing read from Zong Rinpoche!! he is indeed an incredibly erudite master and he knows so much! And it makes me feel so lucky that I am a student of Rinpoche because it would mean that Rinpoche would also have the same capabilities as Zong Rinpoche! My mind is blown again and again and also been reminded on how important Guru devotion is.

  15. freon on Nov 4, 2011 at 5:51 pm

    So scary….

  16. Jean Paul on Aug 3, 2011 at 5:20 am

    The words you speak on your blog are very precious to me. They are a source of inspiration and meditation always thorough. Thanks to you Rinpoche!

    Jean Paul

  17. henry ooi on Aug 1, 2011 at 10:05 pm

    A descriptive and informative teaching that benefits others and me. I do not and cannot shun death because of its inevitability but its uncertainty of when. This is very useful for death contemplation.

    Thank you very much, Rinpoche.

  18. Lim Han Nee on Jul 13, 2011 at 9:15 am

    Dear Rinpoche,

    Thank you for sharing this teaching of Zong Rinpoche on Death, Bardo and Rebirth.Through the use of interesting and captivating anecdotes and stories, Zong Rinpoche has driven home the point (which is firmly etched in my memory) that nothing matters to us at death but a strong Dharma practice, firm Guru Devotion and deep faith and trust in the Three Jewels.

    Zong Rinpoche has also given us a very clear picture of the stages we go through in dying until the consciousness leaves the body. He has also lucidly described the suffering of a being from the moment of conception until they leave their mother’s womb at birth.These are very powerful objects for contemplation and meditation to make us realize that ultimately samsara is nothing but suffering and for us to develop a yearning to be free of cyclic existence which brings with it this endless suffering.

  19. Janice Kwok on Jul 11, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    Thankyou Rinpoche for sharing this teaching. i feel so blessed as i know understand what the death process will be like and hopefully learn to accept it and be less afraid. It also reminds me of the chinese ghost movies i have seen – the vampires jumping up and down (rolangs), the white light like tunnel (bardo state), hehehe. So the movies were based on the Buddhist teachings, no doubt about it. The most scary part is that for sudden deaths, there is very little recourse for us if we have not been practicing. The Buddha is so full of compassion, that even if we have just practiced some parts and not the full part, we have a chance at a good rebirth.

  20. Hui Keng on Jul 10, 2011 at 9:14 am

    Thank you Rinpoche la for sharing with us about Zong Rinpoche. He is so precious to you as you are so precious to us.

  21. Sonam yangden on Jul 9, 2011 at 8:47 am

    Rinpoche la;
    Thank u so much (words arent enough)
    love n prayers..always! _/\_

  22. tenzin llhamo on Jul 8, 2011 at 5:39 pm

    Dearest Rinpoche, Thank you for the wonderful and interesting blog. I love reading about the stories that Zong Rinpoche told. It was like visualizing some Zombie movies. Scary…
    I will read it again from time to time to understand more. Thank Buddha for Dharma!

  23. KH Ng on Jul 7, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    It is such an interesting teaching with very scary and funny stories! Basically the best is that we need to create as much merits as possible before we die and the best way to do that is to practice Dharma. After we die, they is little that others can do. Last bet is that our Guru forcefully transfer our consciousness to Sukhavati Pure Land. But we still need to have very good samaya with the Guru. So, practice Dharma to benefit others and have pure guru devotion!

  24. Elsie Toy on Jul 7, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    Dearest Rinpoche

    Thank you very much for sharing this precious teaching with us I am most grateful to read this today I have not finish it but will read it again it comes so timely as today is my late son’s birthday and it seems to me a coincidence that I get to read it. I still think of my late son and misses him very much. Thank you very much,

  25. grace on Jul 7, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    Rinpoche,

    Thanks for sharing this with us. Everyone MUST die yet no one tells us how it will be like or what we have to do. Thus, this teaching being very easy to understand is very useful.

    For those who will be doing phowa at point of death, when exactly should we do it? Eg if death by illness, should we start doing it when we see blue smoke?

    grace

  26. Valentina Suhendra on Jul 7, 2011 at 10:50 am

    My dear Lama

    Thank you for sharing this precious teaching. I will translate this into Indonesian for lamatsongkhapa.com. I learned better while translating as well

    With much love and care

    Valentina

  27. tsemtulku on Jul 7, 2011 at 5:04 am

    The one thing I did correctly in my silly life was to follow Kyabje Zong Rinpoche faithfully. I miss him everyday and always… Tsem Rinpoche

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Blog Chat

BLOG CHAT

Dear blog friends,

I’ve created this section for all of you to share your opinions, thoughts and feelings about whatever interests you.

Everyone has a different perspective, so this section is for you.

Tsem Rinpoche


SCHEDULED CHAT SESSIONS / 聊天室时间表

(除了每个月的第一个星期五)
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8 - 9PM (GMT +8)
4 - 5AM (PST)

UPCOMING TOPICS FOR MARCH / 三月份讨论主题

Please come and join in the chat for a fun time and support. See you all there.


Blog Chat Etiquette

These are some simple guidelines to make the blog chat room a positive, enjoyable and enlightening experience for everyone. Please note that as this is a chat room, we chat! Do not flood the chat room, or post without interacting with others.

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Remember that these are real people you are chatting with. They may have different opinions to you and come from different cultures. Treat them as you would face to face, and respect their opinions, and they will treat you the same.

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Give the room a chance to answer you. Patience is a virtue. And if after awhile, people don't respond, perhaps they don't know the answer or they did not see your question. Do ask again or address someone directly. Do not be offended if people do not or are unable to respond to you.

Be Relevant

This is the blog of H.E. Tsem Rinpoche. Please respect this space. We request that all participants here are respectful of H.E. Tsem Rinpoche and his organisation, Kechara.

Be polite

Avoid the use of language or attitudes which may be offensive to others. If someone is disrespectful to you, ignore them instead of arguing with them.

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Please let this be a conducive space for discussions, both light and profound.

KECHARA FOREST RETREAT PROGRESS UPDATES

Here is the latest news and pictorial updates, as it happens, of our upcoming forest retreat project.

The Kechara Forest Retreat is a unique holistic retreat centre focused on the total wellness of body, mind and spirit. This is a place where families and individuals will find peace, nourishment and inspiration in a natural forest environment. At Kechara Forest Retreat, we are committed to give back to society through instilling the next generation with universal positive values such as kindness and compassion.

For more information, please read here (english), here (chinese), or the official site: retreat.kechara.com.

Noticeboard

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  • Samfoonheei
    Friday, Mar 15. 2024 07:31 PM
    Venerable Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition. Well respected and loved as a man of great wisdom, he was also instrumental in establishing Theravada Buddhism in the West. Interesting life story, how he chose to leave the settled monastic life and became a wandering ascetic. Walking across Thailand, lived in forests, caves and cremation grounds while learning from the meditation monks of the Forest of various monasteries. He wandered through the countryside in quest of quiet and secluded places for developing meditation. He even lived in tiger and cobra infested jungles, using reflections on death to penetrate to the true meaning of life. After years of wandering, Venerable Ajahn Chah established a monastery where he taught simple, practice-based form of meditation, and attracted a numerous of students including western foreigners. He was one of the greatest Dhamma teachers of the modern era. His wise teachings have continued to guide thousands of people along the path of Dharma. Venerable Ajahn Chah’s teachings of the Thai Forest Tradition gradually spread across all over the world. Several of Ajahn Chah’s Western students have since established monasteries throughout the world. Just in Thailand itself, there are more than 300 branch monasteries in Ajahn Chah’s tradition. Ven erable Ajahn Chah used his ill health as a teaching point, emphasizing that it was a living example of the impermanence of all things and reminded people to endeavour to find a true refuge within themselves. The legacy of Venerable Ajahn Chah’s teachings and legacy continues into the modern age.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this great sharing.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/venerable-ajahn-chah-the-forest-monk.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Friday, Mar 15. 2024 07:30 PM
    Wonderful blog written on the practice of Kalarupa for us to understand better. As an emanation of Manjushri, Kalarupa’s practice helps us to destroy ignorance and to develop wisdom overcoming our anger and suffering . Awesome Kalarupa manifested in multiple forms to help sentient beings who personifies enlightenment by the conquest of anger. Kalarupa also regard as one of the three main Dharma protectors of the Gelugpa is extremely fierce and ugly, and tames all kinds of spiritual ugliness. The fierceness of his iconography teaches us to remind ourselves that all the causes and effects of anger arising from ignorance are dreadful and distorted.
    Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor Antionette for this detailed sharing,

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/kalarupa.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Friday, Mar 15. 2024 07:27 PM
    Nepal is a very spiritual country, having a huge Dorje Shugden mural in Kathmandu, is indeed a big achievement for Kechara. Located on Charkhal Road in Dilli Bazaar, the mural can be found midway between our two Dorje Shugden chapels which are in Putalisadak and Chabahil. It is also very close to one of Kathmandu’s largest shopping malls. Many locals , tourist will be able to connect them to a powerful deity that is so closely associated with their culture. Well the mural not only beautiful but also full of symbolism and everyone merely by seeing it is blessed. Thanks to those talented artists and generous sponsors making it a success.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/travel/spectacular-dorje-shugden-mural-in-kathmandu-nepal.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Friday, Mar 15. 2024 07:24 PM
    All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. Letting go helps us to live in a more peaceful state of mind and helps restore our balance. A reminder for us all to go of attachment and meditating on impermanence and emptiness. We are to relinquish the domination of our ego and its habits to transform ourselves. A great reminder not to waste our previous life.
    Quoted Ceasing to do evil, Cultivating the good, Purifying the heart .
    Thank you Rinpoche for sharing such a meaningful teachings with folded hands.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/pointing-the-staff-at-the-old-man.html
  • james belich
    Friday, Mar 8. 2024 09:43 PM
    Winning the lottery was part of my dreams, I tried so hard to win big but all to no avail, until I came across Dr Lucas online who made my dreams come through and made me win 10 million dollars. I was a logistics manager who lives in Lancaster, S.C. and works about an hour’s drive away, in Charlotte, N.C., I stopped at a store to buy a scratch-off lottery ticket during my lunch break, because Dr Lucas gave me all the assurance that the numbers are not going to fail after I did all he asked me to do. Dr lucas is a powerful Dr that is on a mission to eradicate poverty from people’s lives and i have confirmed that by winning $10 million with the numbers he provided for me, it is my promise to tell the world about my experience with Dr Lucas and that’s what I’m doing now, you can win the lottery fast with the help of Dr Lucas he is tested and trusted Email: Drlucasspelltemple@gmail. com or WhatsApp +234 904 794 3567 he will help you.
  • james belich
    Friday, Mar 8. 2024 09:42 PM
    Winning the lottery was part of my dreams, I tried so hard to win big but all to no avail, until I came across Dr Lucas online who made my dreams come through and made me win 10 million dollars. I was a logistics manager who lives in Lancaster, S.C. and works about an hour’s drive away, in Charlotte, N.C., I stopped at a store to buy a scratch-off lottery ticket during my lunch break, because Dr Lucas gave me all the assurance that the numbers are not going to fail after I did all he asked me to do. Dr lucas is a powerful Dr that is on a mission to eradicate poverty from people’s lives and i have confirmed that by winning $10 million with the numbers he provided for me, it is my promise to tell the world about my experience with Dr Lucas and that’s what I’m doing now, you can win the lottery fast with the help of Dr Lucas he is tested and trusted Email: Drlucasspelltemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp +234 904 794 3567 he will help you.
  • lee
    Thursday, Mar 7. 2024 07:06 PM
    We are members of the Buddhist Temple in Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur and we have been issued membership by the president (DATUK YIP KUM FOOK), we are very sad because we are the foundation of this Temple

    Now we can know who is always messing with people, and he always cheats money and women, he even uses Buddhism to find money.

    Also, need to be careful with his brother-in-law (Simon Low Kok Meng) because he is a spy (CID) for DATUK YIP KUM FOOK and we will write some letters to AGONG SULTAN IBRAHIM IBN ALMARHUM SULTAN ISKANDAR as soon as possible.

    From Jesmond Yap, Kepong Baru…Kuala Lumpur
  • Phoenix the Shaman Elder
    Thursday, Mar 7. 2024 01:40 AM
    The matriarchal cultures of the grandmothers have specific symbolism of animism shamanism, such as the horse, especially the blue horse, and the deer. These are two main symbols of a shaman woman and you can find them in many cultural folk lore, especially the Russian, Slavic, Siberian, Nordic, Finland, and Norway. It’s nice to see the Matriarchal Shaman Animism diety represented in Chinese.
  • Samfoonheei
    Monday, Mar 4. 2024 06:59 PM
    An inspiring act of a selfless Lama feeding strays whether its night or day. Truly an example for us all to feed those lonely strays . Yes I do agree compassion starts with feeding strays. Reading this blog again to refresh myself to do more. Strays animals generally lead a life of poor welfare on the street. Feeding strays is a compassionate act.
    Thank you Rinpoche and Anila for this sharing.


    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/rinpoche-through-my-eyes-compassion-starts-with-feeding-strays
  • Samfoonheei
    Monday, Mar 4. 2024 06:56 PM
    nteresting revisit this blog again as truly inspiring reading over and over again . There’s so many inspiring nuns and female practitioner coming from different back ground, leading a more spiritual life. They are practitioners dedicated their life to religious observance and their path is illuminated by the light of compassion. Going against all odds to become one. Their devotion radiates like a thousand stars in the night sky. Here at Kechara Forest Retreat, Bentong Pahang we too have inspiring practitioners .
    Thank you Rinpoche for this great sharing.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/inspiring-nuns-and-female-practitioners.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Monday, Mar 4. 2024 06:55 PM
    H E Tsem Rinpoche’s Sungbum project aim to preserve the teachings and practices that have been passed from teacher to disciple in an unbroken line beginning with Lama Tsongkhapa himself . History has taught us the importance of preserving Buddha’s stainless teachings. Its important to preserve and safeguard the Buddhist tradition for future generations.
    Tsem Rinpoche is a clear and effective teacher where his stories and teachings are endlessly entertaining and inspiring. The preservation is very much needed. We are so fortunate given a chance to be involved in such a meritorious project .
    Thank you.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/current-affairs/the-tsem-rinpoche-sungbum-project.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Monday, Mar 4. 2024 06:55 PM
    Demons are disembodied spirits, supernatural being or spirit and unseen beings. We know they do exist and I believe they do. They have no physical form to them whatsoever. Demons do definitely exist. They are intelligent beings who are evil malicious spirits and are all dangerous entities. Valak is not to be summoned capriciously by anyone as they are dangerous beings when we invoke them having to face a heavy consequence. There are spiritual practices that we can ask for help a ritual of the wrathful Manjushri in the form of Trakze. Having a doing the practice daily without fail, consistently, as this Trakze practice has been proven to be efficacious to break the hold the Valak and other spirits. All thanks to our Guru bringing this practice to Kechara Forest Retreat, Bentong Malaysia.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing for us to understand better.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/science-mysteries/valak-the-conjuring-2-demon.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Monday, Mar 4. 2024 06:53 PM
    Wow ,reading all these powerful quotes had me realised much better of giving even I have little. May H E Tsem Rinpoche’s sincere advice to reach the far shore of liberation to everyone reading this blog. The most truly generous people are those who give silently without asking any in return. There is no exercise better than reaching and lifting people up. A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal. Well creating and lighting for others we naturally light our own way. Helping others especially those unfortunate ones, make us feel more positive about our own circumstances.
    Thank you Rinpoche for sharing all these powerful quotes.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/inspiration-worthy-words/the-power-of-giving-18-quotes-from-tsem-rinpoche.html
  • Aarati Bhatt
    Wednesday, Feb 28. 2024 12:47 AM
    I have tried mine and my friend’s horoscope and it results same in both of our case, and not just that I have tried this on various friends and this horoscope is showing same for maximum date of birth, I think this is a bug.
  • Samfoonheei
    Thursday, Jan 4. 2024 04:11 PM
    Lama Tsongkhapa was an influential Tibetan Buddhist monk, philosopher and tantric yogi, whose activities led to the formation of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism . Lama Tsongkhapa was hailed as the second Buddha by contemporary Buddhist masters of his time. Famous for reviving Buddhism in Tibet and revered for elevating the Dharma to all its present glory. Hence having a 12 ft Lama Tsongkhapa Statue at new Kechara Gompa (Prayer Hall) is indeed a blessing. Its truly beautiful. Merely by looking at it is a blessing .
    Thank you Rinpoche and team effort making it possible.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/kechara-13-depts/10-ft-tsongkapa-here.html

1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · »

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I must thank my dharma blog team who are great assets to me, Kechara and growth of dharma in this wonderful region. I am honoured and thrilled to work with them. I really am. Maybe I don't say it enough to them, but I am saying it now. I APPRECIATE THESE GUYS VERY MUCH!

Tsem Rinpoche

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The Unknown

The Known and unknown are both feared,
Known is being comfortable and stagnant,
The unknown may be growth and opportunities,
One shall never know if one fears the unknown more than the known.
Who says the unknown would be worse than the known?
But then again, the unknown is sometimes worse than the known. In the end nothing is known unless we endeavour,
So go pursue all the way with the unknown,
because all unknown with familiarity becomes the known.
~Tsem Rinpoche

Photos On The Go

Click on the images to view the bigger version. And scroll down and click on "View All Photos" to view more images.
According to legend, Shambhala is a place where wisdom and love reign, and there is no crime. Doesn\'t this sound like the kind of place all of us would love to live in? https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=204874
4 years ago
According to legend, Shambhala is a place where wisdom and love reign, and there is no crime. Doesn't this sound like the kind of place all of us would love to live in? https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=204874
108 candles and sang (incense) offered at our Wish-Fulfilling Grotto, invoking Dorje Shugden\'s blessings for friends, sponsors and supporters, wonderful!
4 years ago
108 candles and sang (incense) offered at our Wish-Fulfilling Grotto, invoking Dorje Shugden's blessings for friends, sponsors and supporters, wonderful!
Dharmapalas are not exclusive to Tibetan culture and their practice is widespread throughout the Buddhist world - https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=193645
4 years ago
Dharmapalas are not exclusive to Tibetan culture and their practice is widespread throughout the Buddhist world - https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=193645
One of our adorable Kechara Forest Retreat\'s doggies, Tara, happy and safe, and enjoying herself in front of Wisdom Hall which has been decorated for Chinese New Year
4 years ago
One of our adorable Kechara Forest Retreat's doggies, Tara, happy and safe, and enjoying herself in front of Wisdom Hall which has been decorated for Chinese New Year
Fragrant organic Thai basil harvested from our very own Kechara Forest Retreat farm!
4 years ago
Fragrant organic Thai basil harvested from our very own Kechara Forest Retreat farm!
On behalf of our Puja House team, Pastor Tat Ming receives food and drinks from Rinpoche. Rinpoche wanted to make sure the hardworking Puja House team are always taken care of.
4 years ago
On behalf of our Puja House team, Pastor Tat Ming receives food and drinks from Rinpoche. Rinpoche wanted to make sure the hardworking Puja House team are always taken care of.
By the time I heard about Luang Phor Thong, he was already very old, in his late 80s. When I heard about him, I immediately wanted to go and pay my respects to him. - http://bit.ly/LuangPhorThong
4 years ago
By the time I heard about Luang Phor Thong, he was already very old, in his late 80s. When I heard about him, I immediately wanted to go and pay my respects to him. - http://bit.ly/LuangPhorThong
It\'s very nice to see volunteers helping maintain holy sites in Kechara Forest Retreat, it\'s very good for them. Cleaning Buddha statues is a very powerful and effective way of purifying body karma.
4 years ago
It's very nice to see volunteers helping maintain holy sites in Kechara Forest Retreat, it's very good for them. Cleaning Buddha statues is a very powerful and effective way of purifying body karma.
Kechara Forest Retreat is preparing for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations. This is our holy Vajra Yogini stupa which is now surrounded by beautiful lanterns organised by our students.
4 years ago
Kechara Forest Retreat is preparing for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations. This is our holy Vajra Yogini stupa which is now surrounded by beautiful lanterns organised by our students.
One of the most recent harvests from our Kechara Forest Retreat land. It was grown free of chemicals and pesticides, wonderful!
4 years ago
One of the most recent harvests from our Kechara Forest Retreat land. It was grown free of chemicals and pesticides, wonderful!
Third picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal.
Height: 33ft (10m)
5 years ago
Third picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal. Height: 33ft (10m)
Second picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal.
Height: 33ft (10m)
5 years ago
Second picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal. Height: 33ft (10m)
First picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal.
Height: 33ft (10m)
5 years ago
First picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal. Height: 33ft (10m)
The first title published by Kechara Comics is Karuna Finds A Way. It tells the tale of high-school sweethearts Karuna and Adam who had what some would call the dream life. Everything was going great for them until one day when reality came knocking on their door. Caught in a surprise swindle, this loving family who never harmed anyone found themselves out of luck and down on their fortune. Determined to save her family, Karuna goes all out to find a solution. See what she does- https://bit.ly/2LSKuWo
5 years ago
The first title published by Kechara Comics is Karuna Finds A Way. It tells the tale of high-school sweethearts Karuna and Adam who had what some would call the dream life. Everything was going great for them until one day when reality came knocking on their door. Caught in a surprise swindle, this loving family who never harmed anyone found themselves out of luck and down on their fortune. Determined to save her family, Karuna goes all out to find a solution. See what she does- https://bit.ly/2LSKuWo
Very powerful story! Tibetan Resistance group Chushi Gangdruk reveals how Dalai Lama escaped in 1959- https://bit.ly/2S9VMGX
5 years ago
Very powerful story! Tibetan Resistance group Chushi Gangdruk reveals how Dalai Lama escaped in 1959- https://bit.ly/2S9VMGX
At Kechara Forest Retreat land we have nice fresh spinach growing free of chemicals and pesticides. Yes!
5 years ago
At Kechara Forest Retreat land we have nice fresh spinach growing free of chemicals and pesticides. Yes!
See beautiful pictures of Manjushri Guest House here- https://bit.ly/2WGo0ti
5 years ago
See beautiful pictures of Manjushri Guest House here- https://bit.ly/2WGo0ti
Beginner’s Introduction to Dorje Shugden~Very good overview https://bit.ly/2QQNfYv
5 years ago
Beginner’s Introduction to Dorje Shugden~Very good overview https://bit.ly/2QQNfYv
Fresh eggplants grown on Kechara Forest Retreat\'s land here in Malaysia
5 years ago
Fresh eggplants grown on Kechara Forest Retreat's land here in Malaysia
Most Venerable Uppalavanna – The Chief Female Disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni - She exhibited many supernatural abilities gained from meditation and proved to the world females and males are equal in spirituality- https://bit.ly/31d9Rat
5 years ago
Most Venerable Uppalavanna – The Chief Female Disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni - She exhibited many supernatural abilities gained from meditation and proved to the world females and males are equal in spirituality- https://bit.ly/31d9Rat
Thailand’s ‘Renegade’ Yet Powerful Buddhist Nuns~ https://bit.ly/2Z1C02m
5 years ago
Thailand’s ‘Renegade’ Yet Powerful Buddhist Nuns~ https://bit.ly/2Z1C02m
Mahapajapati Gotami – the first Buddhist nun ordained by Lord Buddha- https://bit.ly/2IjD8ru
5 years ago
Mahapajapati Gotami – the first Buddhist nun ordained by Lord Buddha- https://bit.ly/2IjD8ru
The Largest Buddha Shakyamuni in Russia | 俄罗斯最大的释迦牟尼佛画像- https://bit.ly/2Wpclni
5 years ago
The Largest Buddha Shakyamuni in Russia | 俄罗斯最大的释迦牟尼佛画像- https://bit.ly/2Wpclni
Sacred Vajra Yogini
5 years ago
Sacred Vajra Yogini
Dorje Shugden works & archives - a labour of commitment - https://bit.ly/30Tp2p8
5 years ago
Dorje Shugden works & archives - a labour of commitment - https://bit.ly/30Tp2p8
Mahapajapati Gotami, who was the first nun ordained by Lord Buddha.
5 years ago
Mahapajapati Gotami, who was the first nun ordained by Lord Buddha.
Mahapajapati Gotami, who was the first nun ordained by Lord Buddha. She was his step-mother and aunt. Buddha\'s mother had passed away at his birth so he was raised by Gotami.
5 years ago
Mahapajapati Gotami, who was the first nun ordained by Lord Buddha. She was his step-mother and aunt. Buddha's mother had passed away at his birth so he was raised by Gotami.
Another nun disciple of Lord Buddha\'s. She had achieved great spiritual abilities and high attainments. She would be a proper object of refuge. This image of the eminent bhikkhuni (nun) disciple of the Buddha, Uppalavanna Theri.
5 years ago
Another nun disciple of Lord Buddha's. She had achieved great spiritual abilities and high attainments. She would be a proper object of refuge. This image of the eminent bhikkhuni (nun) disciple of the Buddha, Uppalavanna Theri.
Wandering Ascetic Painting by Nirdesha Munasinghe
5 years ago
Wandering Ascetic Painting by Nirdesha Munasinghe
High Sri Lankan monks visit Kechara to bless our land, temple, Buddha and Dorje Shugden images. They were very kind-see pictures- https://bit.ly/2HQie2M
5 years ago
High Sri Lankan monks visit Kechara to bless our land, temple, Buddha and Dorje Shugden images. They were very kind-see pictures- https://bit.ly/2HQie2M
This is pretty amazing!

First Sri Lankan Buddhist temple opened in Dubai!!!
5 years ago
This is pretty amazing! First Sri Lankan Buddhist temple opened in Dubai!!!
My Dharma boy (left) and Oser girl loves to laze around on the veranda in the mornings. They enjoy all the trees, grass and relaxing under the hot sun. Sunbathing is a favorite daily activity. I care about these two doggies of mine very much and I enjoy seeing them happy. They are with me always. Tsem Rinpoche

Always be kind to animals and eat vegetarian- https://bit.ly/2Psp8h2
5 years ago
My Dharma boy (left) and Oser girl loves to laze around on the veranda in the mornings. They enjoy all the trees, grass and relaxing under the hot sun. Sunbathing is a favorite daily activity. I care about these two doggies of mine very much and I enjoy seeing them happy. They are with me always. Tsem Rinpoche Always be kind to animals and eat vegetarian- https://bit.ly/2Psp8h2
After you left me Mumu, I was alone. I have no family or kin. You were my family. I can\'t stop thinking of you and I can\'t forget you. My bond and connection with you is so strong. I wish you were by my side. Tsem Rinpoche
5 years ago
After you left me Mumu, I was alone. I have no family or kin. You were my family. I can't stop thinking of you and I can't forget you. My bond and connection with you is so strong. I wish you were by my side. Tsem Rinpoche
This story is a life-changer. Learn about the incredible Forest Man of India | 印度“森林之子”- https://bit.ly/2Eh4vRS
5 years ago
This story is a life-changer. Learn about the incredible Forest Man of India | 印度“森林之子”- https://bit.ly/2Eh4vRS
Part 2-Beautiful billboard in Malaysia of a powerful Tibetan hero whose life serves as a great inspiration- https://bit.ly/2UltNE4
5 years ago
Part 2-Beautiful billboard in Malaysia of a powerful Tibetan hero whose life serves as a great inspiration- https://bit.ly/2UltNE4
Part 1-Beautiful billboard in Malaysia of a powerful Tibetan hero whose life serves as a great inspiration- https://bit.ly/2UltNE4
5 years ago
Part 1-Beautiful billboard in Malaysia of a powerful Tibetan hero whose life serves as a great inspiration- https://bit.ly/2UltNE4
The great Protector Manjushri Dorje Shugden depicted in the beautiful Mongolian style. To download a high resolution file: https://bit.ly/2Nt3FHz
5 years ago
The great Protector Manjushri Dorje Shugden depicted in the beautiful Mongolian style. To download a high resolution file: https://bit.ly/2Nt3FHz
The Mystical land of Shambhala is finally ready for everyone to feast their eyes and be blessed. A beautiful post with information, art work, history, spirituality and a beautiful book composed by His Holiness the 6th Panchen Rinpoche. ~ https://bit.ly/309MHBi
5 years ago
The Mystical land of Shambhala is finally ready for everyone to feast their eyes and be blessed. A beautiful post with information, art work, history, spirituality and a beautiful book composed by His Holiness the 6th Panchen Rinpoche. ~ https://bit.ly/309MHBi
Beautiful pictures of the huge Buddha in Longkou Nanshan- https://bit.ly/2LsBxVb
5 years ago
Beautiful pictures of the huge Buddha in Longkou Nanshan- https://bit.ly/2LsBxVb
The reason-Very interesting thought- https://bit.ly/2V7VT5r
5 years ago
The reason-Very interesting thought- https://bit.ly/2V7VT5r
NEW Bigfoot cafe in Malaysia! Food is delicious!- https://bit.ly/2VxdGau
5 years ago
NEW Bigfoot cafe in Malaysia! Food is delicious!- https://bit.ly/2VxdGau
DON\'T MISS THIS!~How brave Bonnie survived by living with a herd of deer~ https://bit.ly/2Lre2eY
5 years ago
DON'T MISS THIS!~How brave Bonnie survived by living with a herd of deer~ https://bit.ly/2Lre2eY
Global Superpower China Will Cut Meat Consumption by 50%! Very interesting, find out more- https://bit.ly/2V1sJFh
5 years ago
Global Superpower China Will Cut Meat Consumption by 50%! Very interesting, find out more- https://bit.ly/2V1sJFh
You can download this beautiful Egyptian style Dorje Shugden Free- https://bit.ly/2Nt3FHz
5 years ago
You can download this beautiful Egyptian style Dorje Shugden Free- https://bit.ly/2Nt3FHz
Beautiful high file for print of Lord Manjushri. May you be blessed- https://bit.ly/2V8mwZe
5 years ago
Beautiful high file for print of Lord Manjushri. May you be blessed- https://bit.ly/2V8mwZe
Mongolian (Oymiakon) Shaman in Siberia, Russia. That is his real outfit he wears. Very unique. TR
5 years ago
Mongolian (Oymiakon) Shaman in Siberia, Russia. That is his real outfit he wears. Very unique. TR
Find one of the most beautiful temples in the world in Nara, Japan. It is the 1,267 year old Todai-ji temple that houses a 15 meter Buddha Vairocana statue who is a cosmic and timeless Buddha. Emperor Shomu who sponsored this beautiful temple eventually abdicated and ordained as a Buddhist monk. Very interesting history and story. One of the places everyone should visit- https://bit.ly/2VgsHhK
5 years ago
Find one of the most beautiful temples in the world in Nara, Japan. It is the 1,267 year old Todai-ji temple that houses a 15 meter Buddha Vairocana statue who is a cosmic and timeless Buddha. Emperor Shomu who sponsored this beautiful temple eventually abdicated and ordained as a Buddhist monk. Very interesting history and story. One of the places everyone should visit- https://bit.ly/2VgsHhK
Manjusri Kumara (bodhisattva of wisdom), India, Pala dynesty, 9th century, stone, Honolulu Academy of Arts
5 years ago
Manjusri Kumara (bodhisattva of wisdom), India, Pala dynesty, 9th century, stone, Honolulu Academy of Arts
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CHAT PICTURES

And here's Mr Wong of KSK Ipoh who dropped by to pray and offered some donation to the Chapel. Kechara Penang Study Group. Pic by Siew Hong & uploaded by Jacinta.
2 days ago
And here's Mr Wong of KSK Ipoh who dropped by to pray and offered some donation to the Chapel. Kechara Penang Study Group. Pic by Siew Hong & uploaded by Jacinta.
Today's puja (16/3/2024) ended around 420pm, Jacinta was the umze of the day. Pic by Siew Hong. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
2 days ago
Today's puja (16/3/2024) ended around 420pm, Jacinta was the umze of the day. Pic by Siew Hong. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
Group photo taken after the last session, sealed with King of Prayers. Come and join us next time! Sayonara - 9-10th March 2024 - Kechara Penang DS Retreat by Jacinta.
6 days ago
Group photo taken after the last session, sealed with King of Prayers. Come and join us next time! Sayonara - 9-10th March 2024 - Kechara Penang DS Retreat by Jacinta.
Abundance altar! Fruits, flowers, Mee Koo (traditional Penang buns), Bee Hoon, sourdoughs and snacks are some of the offerings to Rinpoche, Buddhas & Bodhisattvas. Kechara Penang Dorje Shugden Retreat 9-10th March, 2024 by Jacinta.
7 days ago
Abundance altar! Fruits, flowers, Mee Koo (traditional Penang buns), Bee Hoon, sourdoughs and snacks are some of the offerings to Rinpoche, Buddhas & Bodhisattvas. Kechara Penang Dorje Shugden Retreat 9-10th March, 2024 by Jacinta.
Siew Hong, one of retreatants and an active member of Kechara Penang group proudly presented her torma to be used during the Kalarupa puja. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
7 days ago
Siew Hong, one of retreatants and an active member of Kechara Penang group proudly presented her torma to be used during the Kalarupa puja. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
Torma making was taught by Pastor Seng Piow and held one day before the retreat. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
7 days ago
Torma making was taught by Pastor Seng Piow and held one day before the retreat. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
Penang Dorje Shugden Retreat cum Puja, 9-10th March 2024 led by Pastor Seng Piow with 12 retreatants. Uploaded by Jacinta
7 days ago
Penang Dorje Shugden Retreat cum Puja, 9-10th March 2024 led by Pastor Seng Piow with 12 retreatants. Uploaded by Jacinta
The celebration ended with a Dorje Shugden puja, dedicated to all the sponsors, our loved ones and as well as for the happiness & good health for all sentient beings. May Rinpoche return swiftly too and taking this opportunity wishing all Happy Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai from all of us, Kechara Penang Study Group. Uploaded by Jacinta.
1 month ago
The celebration ended with a Dorje Shugden puja, dedicated to all the sponsors, our loved ones and as well as for the happiness & good health for all sentient beings. May Rinpoche return swiftly too and taking this opportunity wishing all Happy Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai from all of us, Kechara Penang Study Group. Uploaded by Jacinta.
Seen here, Pastor Seng Piow set off firecrackers - welcoming of the upcoming year with enthusiasm and positive energy. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
1 month ago
Seen here, Pastor Seng Piow set off firecrackers - welcoming of the upcoming year with enthusiasm and positive energy. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
In this pic, Pastor Seng Piow is sharing Dharma with newbies ~ Sharyn's friends. It's always good to make light offerings at the beginning of new year. By making light offerings, you are able to dispel the darkness of ignorance and achieve wisdom. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
1 month ago
In this pic, Pastor Seng Piow is sharing Dharma with newbies ~ Sharyn's friends. It's always good to make light offerings at the beginning of new year. By making light offerings, you are able to dispel the darkness of ignorance and achieve wisdom. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
One the day of Losar (new lunar year), it is always beneficial for Buddhist practitioners to get together in making abundant offerings to Buddhas on the altar to usher in goodness, prosperity and well-being of our loved ones. It's more auspicious this year as Losar and the Chinese New Year begin on the same date, 10th Feb, 2024. Back in Penang, our Kechara members came together to decorate the altar with abundance offerings for Dorje Shugden puja @3pm. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
1 month ago
One the day of Losar (new lunar year), it is always beneficial for Buddhist practitioners to get together in making abundant offerings to Buddhas on the altar to usher in goodness, prosperity and well-being of our loved ones. It's more auspicious this year as Losar and the Chinese New Year begin on the same date, 10th Feb, 2024. Back in Penang, our Kechara members came together to decorate the altar with abundance offerings for Dorje Shugden puja @3pm. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
Mr. Dared Lim was offering water bowls on behalf of Kechara Ipoh Study Group. (Kin Hoe)
1 month ago
Mr. Dared Lim was offering water bowls on behalf of Kechara Ipoh Study Group. (Kin Hoe)
Jun from Ipoh was offering mandarin oranges to Mother Tara and The Three Jewels. (Kin Hoe)
1 month ago
Jun from Ipoh was offering mandarin oranges to Mother Tara and The Three Jewels. (Kin Hoe)
Prior to our puja in Ipoh, Mr. & Mrs. Cheah Fook Wan were preparing for the offerings to the Buddhas. (Kin Hoe)
1 month ago
Prior to our puja in Ipoh, Mr. & Mrs. Cheah Fook Wan were preparing for the offerings to the Buddhas. (Kin Hoe)
On Sunday afternoon, Kechara Ipoh Study Group has carried out Mother Tara prayer recitations in Ipoh. (Kin Hoe)
1 month ago
On Sunday afternoon, Kechara Ipoh Study Group has carried out Mother Tara prayer recitations in Ipoh. (Kin Hoe)
Some of the best shots taken during Thaipusam in Penang. Swee Bee, Huey, Tang KS, Nathan, Choong SH and Jacinta volunteered. Wai Meng came all the way from KL to help out. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
2 months ago
Some of the best shots taken during Thaipusam in Penang. Swee Bee, Huey, Tang KS, Nathan, Choong SH and Jacinta volunteered. Wai Meng came all the way from KL to help out. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
Simple yet powerful ally ~ Bhagawan Dorje Shuden. Kechara Penang Study Group consists of Chien Seong, Hue, Choong SH, Tang KS, Swee Bee and Jacinta. Wai Meng came all the way from KL to help out. Uploaded by Jacinta.
2 months ago
Simple yet powerful ally ~ Bhagawan Dorje Shuden. Kechara Penang Study Group consists of Chien Seong, Hue, Choong SH, Tang KS, Swee Bee and Jacinta. Wai Meng came all the way from KL to help out. Uploaded by Jacinta.
Thaipusam in Penang. Some of the best shots. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
2 months ago
Thaipusam in Penang. Some of the best shots. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
Nothing beats having a sacred audience with our lineage lamas. It's not selfie or wefie, but we have the best 'groufie'!!! 20th Jan 2024, Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
2 months ago
Nothing beats having a sacred audience with our lineage lamas. It's not selfie or wefie, but we have the best 'groufie'!!! 20th Jan 2024, Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
Welcoming our lineage Gurus to our Penang Chapel today! Pastor Seng Piow explained the significance of having Guru Tree and introduced to us our lineage lamas, Buddhas, deities, protectors and etc.
2 months ago
Welcoming our lineage Gurus to our Penang Chapel today! Pastor Seng Piow explained the significance of having Guru Tree and introduced to us our lineage lamas, Buddhas, deities, protectors and etc.
Umze for the day was Siew Hong. She's just been with us for slightly more than a year now but she's proven her capability in leading the puja. Our Penang group members are so proud of her and her commitment in attending the weekly puja. Despite being eloquence and smart, she has beautiful chant as well. When she leads, make sure you are there to hear her chant for yourself! Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
2 months ago
Umze for the day was Siew Hong. She's just been with us for slightly more than a year now but she's proven her capability in leading the puja. Our Penang group members are so proud of her and her commitment in attending the weekly puja. Despite being eloquence and smart, she has beautiful chant as well. When she leads, make sure you are there to hear her chant for yourself! Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
Umze for the day was Siew Hong. She's just been with us for slightly more than a year now but she's proven her capability in leading the puja. Our Penang group members are so proud of her and her commitment in attending the weekly puja. Despite being eloquence and smart, she has beautiful chant as well. When she leads, make sure you are there to hear her chant for yourself! Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
2 months ago
Umze for the day was Siew Hong. She's just been with us for slightly more than a year now but she's proven her capability in leading the puja. Our Penang group members are so proud of her and her commitment in attending the weekly puja. Despite being eloquence and smart, she has beautiful chant as well. When she leads, make sure you are there to hear her chant for yourself! Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
Tara Recitation is on now at KISG - Wai Meng
3 months ago
Tara Recitation is on now at KISG - Wai Meng
Photo from Wan Wai Meng
3 months ago
Photo from Wan Wai Meng
A sea of yellow ~usually in Tibetan Buddhism yellow represents growth. We prayed that our Penang group will grow in terms of people, wealth and attainments too. _/\_ Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
3 months ago
A sea of yellow ~usually in Tibetan Buddhism yellow represents growth. We prayed that our Penang group will grow in terms of people, wealth and attainments too. _/_ Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
After Dorje Shugden puja @3pm, we had Rinpoche's Swift Return puja too. We laughed as Sis Swee Bee was commenting that Tang should smile ~ here's the reason why we laughed.  Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta Goh
3 months ago
After Dorje Shugden puja @3pm, we had Rinpoche's Swift Return puja too. We laughed as Sis Swee Bee was commenting that Tang should smile ~ here's the reason why we laughed. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta Goh
3 months ago
Today's (9/12/2023)Dorje Shugden puja led by Gordon. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
3 months ago
Today's (9/12/2023)Dorje Shugden puja led by Gordon. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
3 months ago
3 months ago
Dharma sharing by Hue before we proceeded with DS puja & Rinpoche Swift Return puja. Hue is one of the long time Kechara Penang members and he comes to puja regularly. He shared that he truly believes that Dorje Shugden and Rinpoche always there guiding him. He shared how sometimes DS will give him hints to avert troubles ahead or to alert him when he 'misbehaved'. Hope many will come to know more about this powerful Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden aka DS. Having Dorje Shugden is like having a powerful ally that will protect us day and night. Just trust Him and have faith. Kechara Penang Study Group, 25/11/2023 by Jacinta.
4 months ago
Dharma sharing by Hue before we proceeded with DS puja & Rinpoche Swift Return puja. Hue is one of the long time Kechara Penang members and he comes to puja regularly. He shared that he truly believes that Dorje Shugden and Rinpoche always there guiding him. He shared how sometimes DS will give him hints to avert troubles ahead or to alert him when he 'misbehaved'. Hope many will come to know more about this powerful Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden aka DS. Having Dorje Shugden is like having a powerful ally that will protect us day and night. Just trust Him and have faith. Kechara Penang Study Group, 25/11/2023 by Jacinta.
Kechara Penang Study Group had our weekly DS puja , led by our beloved sis Swee Bee and serkym by Mr. Lee. After that, we completed Swift Return puja also. 18th Nov 2023. By Jacinta
4 months ago
Kechara Penang Study Group had our weekly DS puja , led by our beloved sis Swee Bee and serkym by Mr. Lee. After that, we completed Swift Return puja also. 18th Nov 2023. By Jacinta
#Back2back 11th Nov 2023 Dorje Shugden puja & Rinpoche's Swift Return puja @Penang Chapel, 49 Jalan Seang Tek, Georgetown, Pulau Pinang. Every Saturday @3pm/5pm. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
4 months ago
#Back2back 11th Nov 2023 Dorje Shugden puja & Rinpoche's Swift Return puja @Penang Chapel, 49 Jalan Seang Tek, Georgetown, Pulau Pinang. Every Saturday @3pm/5pm. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
Pic: Rinpoche Swift Return puja ~ 21/10/23 Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
5 months ago
Pic: Rinpoche Swift Return puja ~ 21/10/23 Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
#Backtoback A few months back, Kechara Penang Study Group started to have two pujas consecutively on Saturday. Dorje Shugden puja @3pm and thereafter Rinpoche Swift Return puja. This can only be achieved due to the committed members from Penang. A big round of applause...... Pic : DS puja on 21/10/2023 Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
5 months ago
#Backtoback A few months back, Kechara Penang Study Group started to have two pujas consecutively on Saturday. Dorje Shugden puja @3pm and thereafter Rinpoche Swift Return puja. This can only be achieved due to the committed members from Penang. A big round of applause...... Pic : DS puja on 21/10/2023 Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
More pictures of the day! Kechara Penang Chapel & public blessings 3rd Oct 2023 by Jacinta.
5 months ago
More pictures of the day! Kechara Penang Chapel & public blessings 3rd Oct 2023 by Jacinta.
Some pictures of the public blessings taken right after the puja was completed by the monks. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta. 3rd Oct 2023.
5 months ago
Some pictures of the public blessings taken right after the puja was completed by the monks. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta. 3rd Oct 2023.
3rd Oct 2023, Tibetan monks came to Kechara Penang for chapel & public blessing, in conjunction with the arrival of H. E Tsem Rinpoche's holy statue. Thanks to Pastor Henry & Pastor Seng Piow, who guided us throughout the event. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
5 months ago
3rd Oct 2023, Tibetan monks came to Kechara Penang for chapel & public blessing, in conjunction with the arrival of H. E Tsem Rinpoche's holy statue. Thanks to Pastor Henry & Pastor Seng Piow, who guided us throughout the event. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
Tsem Rinpoche's holy statue is here! 3rd Oct 2023. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
5 months ago
Tsem Rinpoche's holy statue is here! 3rd Oct 2023. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
29th Sept 2023. Kechara Penang Dorje Shugden puja adjourned at 4.30pm with 9 attendees. Thereafter, a Rinpoche Swift Return puja was completed too. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
5 months ago
29th Sept 2023. Kechara Penang Dorje Shugden puja adjourned at 4.30pm with 9 attendees. Thereafter, a Rinpoche Swift Return puja was completed too. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
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Nepal 913,387
Bhutan 864,803
Canada 797,322
Australia 619,377
Philippines 555,278
Indonesia 451,828
Germany 370,298
France 312,722
Brazil 251,023
Vietnam 226,545
Thailand 217,772
Taiwan 206,933
Italy 175,641
Spain 160,953
Netherlands 156,804
Mongolia 147,273
Portugal 138,190
South Africa 138,017
Türkiye 132,302
Sri Lanka 128,762
United Arab Emirates 121,726
Japan 119,012
Russia 114,691
Hong Kong 114,218
China 107,718
Romania 104,740
Mexico 97,736
New Zealand 93,880
Switzerland 88,746
Myanmar (Burma) 88,535
Pakistan 82,184
Sweden 78,121
South Korea 75,124
Cambodia 70,770
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Dorje Shugden
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