VIDEO: “(Re)visiting an Extraordinary Life: The Tsem Rinpoche Biography Group in the USA”
November 19, 2010
With Chinese subtitles
May 25, 2012
A team from Kechara went to the USA to interview my friends and family about myself. Asked them what they remembered about me growing up in New Jersey and Los Angeles.
This is a condensed video of all the interviews they did with my:
- Sister Lidshma
- Cousin Sara
- Childhood friend Marc Reed
- Childhood friend Dawn Giordano
- Cousin Debbie
- Cousin Darlene
- Cousin Diana
- Childhood friend Nina
- Aunt Matza
- Aunt Meda
- Dharma friends Anila Thupten (Carmen)
- Ven Gen Tenzin
- Cousin Susie
- Cousin Lizzie
- Anila Lobsang Dolma
There are short little snippets of my relatives and friends sharing about myself growing up with me. It’s a very well-made video by Kechara and it explains their thoughts of myself as a child. What we did together. I will put up the full length videos another time of each of their interviews and a book will come out as a result of the research. For now enjoy some snippets. These are people from my childhood.
Some pictures hold very strong memories. For example when I see seeing Rashi Gempil Ling Temple (Buddhist Church) and how the layout hasn’t changed at all!..I frequented Rashi Gempil Ling as my first teacher Ken Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin Rinpoche lived there and I often went for teachings. I love the teachings.
Most of the people in these interviews I did not meet for over 30 years now. It is really nice to see them again in this video. It is very nice to see and hear their voices.
I thank my friends and relatives for their candid thoughts about growing up with me with our Kechara Bio Team. I miss all of them and they are in my thoughts always.
I like to share this with all of you here and around the world. It is very touching for me to see all these beautiful people from my past. From my childhood. From a time long ago yet I remember all of them like it was yesterday.
Tsem Rinpoche
Hehee…this is a picture of myself with a wig on when I was much younger and my cousins Naran and Sara holding me to force me take a photo..LOL. We had fun!!
My cousins Lizzie (left) and Susie. Susie use to babysit me…I was very mischievous as a kid Susie said…hehe. Notice Susie is wearing the beautiful pendant of Buddha from Kechara I designed. I wanted Susie to be safe.
Myself around 7 or 8 years old. That was back in 1972-73. My beautiful cousin Susie on the left and her friend (red shirt) on the right..I loved when Susie came over to babysit me. She was fun, generous, giving and she has a heart of gold. I use to play alot of pranks and tricks on her and she never gets angry. She would take the time to take me out to the boardwalk, arcade, rollerskating rink, eat, shop or just for a nice drive. She was so fun..I have so many good memories of Susie..
Myself in the centre with my wonderful childhood friends Nina (left) and her fun sister on the right..this was taken at their home. I loved going over their house to play. They were very good friends of mine. We had lots of fun with monoply..hehehe.
My birthday party with all my friends, cousins, neighbourhood kids..You can see Dawn Giordano, Nancy Nelson, Kim Albataew, Nina Noronov, Lisa Albataew, Butchy Sochorow, Shawn Nelson, Sara Andreyev, Kaminksy Andreyev, etc and my older cousins Susie and Lizzie watching over us. I am in the yellow and blue shirt in the centre….
Left in red is my cousin Sonia, centre my cousin Sara and me in the white. This was in Los Angeles, California. The girls flew out to meet me. I was so happy to meet them. I was working and living on my own in Los Angeles. Behind me is the Dharma centre Thubten Dhargye Ling I lived at. My two cousins and myself would ride around in my Volkswagon bug car. I drove them all over the city as it was there first time here. We all were young and didn’t have much money, but we made the dollar stretch and had plenty of fun. I remember the time fondly. I grew up with these cousins. Sonia lived in Philadelphia but she would be back in Howell, New Jersey couple times a year for holidays, family events, visits and all. I liked when she visited. Sara lived just couple a minutes away from where I lived in Howell. Sara has kept in contact with me for the last two decades. She always kept in contact. Sara with her m0m (Aunt Matza) visited Malaysia too. I was real happy to see them.. Those were the fun days in the 1980’s with my cousins in Los Angeles…
This is the house I grew up in Howell, New Jersey. This is what it looks like today. It is owned by other people now. But it looks basically the same as when I was living there. We have a big yard in the front and back.
Paris and our bio research team standing in front of my family home two years back. Our Kechara Team flew to the US to interview my friends and relatives for my bio book. Brings back alot of memories to see this picture. I have not been back for over 25 years….
This is Rashi Gempil Ling Temple (Buddhist Church) which is 10 mins from my childhood home in Howell, New Jersey. I have a spectacular teacher here Most Ven. Ken Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin Rinpoche who has passed away now. I use to ride my bike to this temple as a kid to receive the holy dharma in this temple from this great master…. I love this place. I love my teacher so much.
Here our Kechara Bio Team from Malaysia visits the temple together with my childhood friend Ani Thupten (centre). She is a wonderful nun and person ( Anila’s interview here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=19028 ). I am happy the bio team were able to visit my childhood home and interview many of my friends and relatives.
I have posted just a few pictures here, I will post many more in the future..
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1984 Los Angeles-Left to right: Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, monk assistant to Zong Rinpoche and the 18-year-old Tsem Rinpoche prior to ordination. Read more- https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/me
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A poem inspired by seeing a picture of my teacher, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche…
In the sport of correct views,
all that is correct is just a view,
without permanence or substance.
As long as we hold onto views,
our sufferings are gathered
to be experienced without end.
Without the strong methods of emptiness
and compassion, bereft of merit,
we sink deeper without respite.
To arise from this samsara is but
a dreamscape on the deluded mind.
Therefore seek the guru, who confers the yidam,
hold your vows and fixate on liberation
free of new creations. Free of new experiences as
there are none.
~ Tsem Rinpoche
Composed in Tsem Ladrang, Kuala Lumpur on July 7, 2014
I was walking past a second hand shop on Western Ave selling old things. They had a Japanese-style clay Buddha which was beige in colour on the floor, holding the door open. I thought the shopkeeper would collect a lot of negative karma without knowing if he kept such a holy item on the floor as a doorstop. So I went in to talk to him, but he didn’t look like he wanted to talk or that he even cared. So I asked him the price and he said US$5. I purchased it so he did not collect more negative karma. I was 17 years old and that was in 1982.
I escorted my new Buddha home and washed it lightly and wiped it. I placed it on my altar and was happy with the Buddha. I would do my meditations, prayers, sadhanas, mantras and prostrations in front of this shrine daily. When I left for India in 1987, I could not bring this Buddha along and gave it to a friend. It was a nice size and I made offerings to this Buddha for many years in Los Angeles. In front of the Buddha I placed His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s photo. I remember I was so relieved that the price was affordable. But US$5 that time was still expensive for me but worth it I thought. But I was happy to have brought the Buddha home. Tsem Rinpoche
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com
Tsem Rinpoche at Kechara Forest Retreat, Bentong, Malaysia
H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche is very devoted to his root guru, H.H. Zong Rinpoche.
Thank you Bio team for doing the video on Rinpoche Biography and thank you Rinpoche for sharing his life story in USA.
It is really amazing to see a young child who has such a strong imprint in dharma. No matter how much challenges and obstacles he face from family rejection on him practicing dharma, Rinpoche did not give up and still live a very happy person.
Rinpoche’s determination in learning dharma is very inspiring. Thank you again for sharing the life story of Rinpoche.
Hi Rinpoche!
I am practicing Buddhism since 1998 and became a student of Lama Zopa in 2006, but my main adviser was Lama Lhundrup. Oh how I miss him! It is hard to continue on the path when the counsellor, the best one I could find available just left this world. But I am grateful that he really put me on the path when every time we met he gave me “dharma work” to do… and I did. The last practice he gave me to do, in december before he died, was The Guru Yoga of Jay Tsong Khapa. I found it hard to start and had to discover it all by myself without any further indication, but since the moment he told me “Now, you will practice Jay Tsong Khapa Guru Yoga” I can say tha my life has been moving fast.
Ups and downs, faith and doubts, leading week-end meditation retreats and so often doubting I could help with it (although the few people I have accompanied came out transformed and happy.. and still are). Looking forward for growing, blooming, I frequently pray that all I need to quickly reach enlightenment be granted to me for the benefit of others.
This august, for the 9th time I am returning to Ladakh, where I went for the first time in 2001. This land, Likir Gompa especially, is a land I know in my cells. There, the first time I visited Likir Monastery, when I sat in the main temple with the monks, I cried, having the strong undeniable feelings of knowing that place, its smell, the sounds, the pictures of the previous Panchen Lama, etc. everything was soooo familiar although I had never been there. Every time I returned since, I always sit and become “kind of” emotionally upside down. It’s and unusual story around me and I rarely told it!
Reading your blog and story and viewing some of your documentaries, I felt a strong need to tell you that I was touch. I felt I could also give you glimpses of my “secret” relation with Ladakh. You know wath: I have adopted a family (or have been adopted by them :-), in Hemis Shukpachan, where the children have given me a name “Thundup” and to honour it, when I took refuge with Lama Zopa, I asked him… begged him… to give me that name and after a few joking like : “Who gave you this name? The birds? The trees? The mountains?”, he asked the monk beside him to write in down in a refuge booklet and gave it to me with a mala. Two years before an old Ladakhi (83), ex monk with Bakula Rinpoche in his teenage, told me “You will be reborn here in your next life and if you pray the Dalaï-Lama every day in this present life, you will be reborn as a good monk”. Later, in 2010, in my little himalayan Ladalhi village, working in “my family” garden, an old amchi stopped his peaceful walk to talk with me, inviting me to come to have diner at his house. That night I was there. After a long moment of sharing, he became silent, looked in my eyes and said “we met before. We met in another life, that is why I talked so easily to you this morning”.
I don’t know how all these glimpses work or will work on me. All I know is that I have to work, work, work, although I am so un-perfect, although some days I have hard time to deal with my inner weakness.
I have sponsored the kids of my ladakhi family with the help of many people here, in Montreal, so that they can get the best education as possible, and they repay me zoo much in the words they send me through Faecebook. I have been with a disable boyfriend for 27 years now, taking care of him with the best I could give, so imperfectly sometimes, but still give him all I can and he repay me with so much kindness and love when I want to travel to the Himalayas, India and Nepal, every second year, for visiting my friends and retreating at Tushita, Namgyal monastery, and Root Institute. Again I will have the good fortune to be in Kopan to receive Lama Zopa’s teachings and also in Ranjung Yeshe Institute to receive some teaching from Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche (I am dubbing Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche in french on his Tara Triple Excellence online course). All this happen in my life and I am soooo grateful!
I know, my post is long! I apologize! Just needed toi share and fought you were a wonderful human being I could share with!
May you be healthy, happy, peaceful and live long!
I hope I will ever have the chance to meet with you!
Respect and gratitude for being just what you are,
R.P. Thubten Thundup
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Wonderful, not only a celebration of Rinpoche, but of the Kalymk community, the family, friends, students, and of course the teachers and the sangha. Truly wonderful, moving. That is really what a biography of a great and humble spiritual master is, isn’t it? Selfless tribute and gratitude to all the beings. My first time to Rinpoche’s website. Thank you, Rinpoche and all of you, for the wonderful teaching.
No one knows what’s happening to Rinpoche when the party ended, when all the guests went home. No one knows how Rinpoche has been abused after the cousins and friends had left. Rinpoche never complain nor telling any one about what His foster mother did to him. Despite of all the hardship, Rinpoche always bring laugher and happiness to others since very young age.
Thanks so much to the BIO team that we got to know so much more about the life story of Rinpoche.
Rinpoche has been very consistent and persistent in his Dharma practice. Rinpoche has been compassion and kind throughout his life to the people around him despite all the abuse and difficulties that he has been through. Besides, the determination and strong faith that Rinpoche has towards Dharma is unbelievable. I could not imagine if I am him, would i run away so far for the sake of learning Dharma.
Rinpoche is also the living example of Guru devotions, serves his Gurus without any questions and doubt, just followed his Guru instructions like what is shared by Anila Lobsang Dolma. I have so much more to learn from Rinpoche.
Thank you so much Rinpoche for giving us the great lessons of your life.
This video really touching me and inspiring me.
Also we can know more about how Rinpoche grew up in childhood.
Really appreciate it and thank you Rinpoche for sharing to us.
There was a really fantastic team who headed over to US to do the bio. Thank you for bringing back so much information and knowledge back to the world and all over the internet.
What impressed me the most is, even though Rinpoche has gone through so much hardships, He is still a cheerful and loving person. Even when Rinpoche was still a kid and life was very tough, He was never a burden to someone.
And today, Rinpoche is the Guru who guides, loves and cares for thousands of people for so many years. Rinpoche shows us the real Dharma.
Tsem Tulku Rinpoche has very strong karmic link with Mongolians.
I was very fortunate to be part of the BIO team who visited in 2010. I sat down and listened to the intreviews conducted by the writers ie Paris & Sharon. Some, you really laughed out loud cause it is so Tsem Rinpoche with Rinpoche teasing and pranks. But most of it, you are so touched and it brings tears to your eyes as the suffering Rinpoche had to endeavoured during his child/teenage “hood” even during his monkhood.
I do put myself sometimes at Rinpoche shoes and I always wonder what will I do. Will I submit to my parents’ demand/expectation or do I choose to go the same path as Rinpoche. Well, I will probably choose the “easy” short term path as I am spoiled.
Well, that is the question US as a student should to ASK ourselves.WHY?
Then we will appreciate our Guru more. WE DID NOT “give up” 47 years of our life like Rinpoche did and whatever he “gave up” was the results of what Kechara is today.
Thank you very much to Kechara Bio Team that traveled so many different places, interviewed so many people and produced such a meaningful video for everyone of us.
Very touching production. Really amazed by Rinpoche’s very strong faith, mind, hardwork, commitment and determination to learn Dharma despite countless obstacles from time to time.
We are really blessed students who so fortunate to have such a compassionate and knowledgeable Guru in this life time. I don’t know what I had done in my previous life to have enough merits to meet you now. I’m truly grateful! _/\_ Om Mani Pedme Hung.
Thank you very much, Rinpoche.
Take good care.
With love,
VP
This shows that Rinpoche is always kind, fun, happy, loving, caring and compassionate. It is not something that someone spoke and promoted it with no experience of feeling it. Even as a growing child, Rinpoche already showed so many signs of the above. Although Rinpoche’s cousins have no blood relations but they treated Rinpoche with love and care always. The ending part of the video brought tears to my eyes because all those people are happy, proud and remember all the fond memories that Rinpoche brought them. Thank you Bio Team for the hard work. The interviews let us know how much Rinpoche went through growing up.
Though Rinpoche has to go through the hardships and abuse in the family for years, he would always display the fun, caring, loving and giving side of him consistently even till todate. Something that many of us have to check ourselves and to assimilate these qualities consistently into our mindstream to be a better person for others.
The little snippets certainly provide refreshing memories and lovely thoughts of Rinpoche’s early life, but a full video cum a book of complete results of the Research will be more ideal and complete. Like the saying goes, “A picture speaks more louder than a thousand words”. Perhaps like some people remarked, “This should be made into a movie to bring people through enlightenment of Rinpoche’s life. Part of whatever captured in the snippets of Rinpoche with his real and foster family can also be potrayed into the movie in support of the full live story up till now. How Kechara House was so gracefully established and set up by Rinpoche should also be potrayed. It will also be like how a Buddha “grew” up in a samaric World of today.
I’m glad that Rinpoche did have some fun filled times in his childhood. It always sadden me to read about the difficulties he faced as a young boy with foster parents at both Taiwan & USA.
It takes a person like Rinpoche, of very strong will and powerful positive imprints from previous lives to turn out to be a shining example of virtues for others despite of all the abuses and neglect he received in his childhood.
I love this video. Very touching!
Young Rinpoche was remembered as :
A Happy person, special boy, funny, always smiling, always looking ways to make other happy, caring, compassionate…etc , In this video, what struck in my mind is CONSISTENCY.
Today, Rinpoche well known as a compassionate, generous, fun loving Guru at all times…
Thank you Bio Team !
Rinpoche’s life in the US is such a huge teaching in itself for us, for me, as Rinpoche’s student.
The struggles, the accomplishments, the perseverance, success, and the coincidence (or not) of events that occurred throughout Rinpoche’s life constantly is my inspiration for me when its ‘one of those days’, a motivation for me to do more, to do better. Rinpoche, like Mother Theresa, is my walking, living inspiration.
It is hard to even keep your character stable and consistent for one week let alone one day, but for Rinpoche, he has been consistent since his childhood days. If that isn’t a feat, I don’t know what is. Rinpoche really is something.
I am anxiously waiting in anticipation for Rinpoche’s bioraphy series to come out!! 🙂
When you tell your Biography and life story you must have real life interview with people who have been involved. Yes, people will believe what has been said and told. But the impact that goes with it will be so much greater. Rinpoche has so much forsight in organisng this project. Securing finance to fund the Project and getting the right people to do it. Imagine going to America will cost a lot of money. Through his determination and help from his students he has accomplished his vision. I am sure this will benefit viewers a lot. The video interview will also attract many people to learn from Rinpoche’s life experiences in his life story. Kechara will be known now and Rinpoche’s teachings will benefit more people.
I cannot think of anyone i know other than Rinpoche who has been so consistent in character since childhood, regardless of what he went through. Most of us tasted some of life’s vicissitudes and became cynical, if not bitter. Although i was aware of Rinpoche’s difficulties as a child, for me, watching this short video makes it very personal. Rinpoche lives his teachings and his life is a rich teaching even unspoken. He has lived the lessons that he teaches us now. And this is only the begining of his bio expose’. I am inspired and i am in complete awe of how well the video is made by the Bio Team. Thank you so much for your work, the result of which tell us so clearly how fortunate we are to have Tsem Rinpoche as our Guru.
Looking forward to the full videos of the interviews 😀 Many thanks to The Biography Group in their works in producing Rinpoche’s Biography!!
Rinpoche’s life is very, very inspiring. In comparison to the obstacles and hardships that Rinpoche had to endure when he was a kid back then, whatever obstacles I faced in reaching out for dharma are indeed very, very insignificant. In fact, most of the time the obstacles that I face stem from my own self, not others – lazines, discomfort with change, etc.
Despite all the challenges and difficulties, Rinpoche has managed to find the path that led him to become what he his today – an enlighten being, the founder of Kechara Organisation and a compassionate, generous, fun loving Guru who at all times place the interest of other beings before him who works hard to bring dharma closer to as many beings as possible.
Truly Inspiring~!!
I love the video. It is short sweet and very informative. Thanks Bio Team.
Wonderful video!
Very nicely done.Very inspiring and moving! Thank you!
I love to hear all the stories. especially the one when the electric went off and how Rinpoche was always so kind and giving, thinking about others.