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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
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Scroll down within the box to view more messages from Rinpoche. Click on the images to enlarge. Click on 'older messages' to view archived messages. Use 'prev' and 'next' links to navigate between pagesConcept: Tsem Rinpoche
Technical: Lew Kwan Leng, Justin Ripley, Yong Swee Keong
Design: Justin Ripley, Cynthia Lee
Content: Tsem Rinpoche, Justin Ripley, Pastor Shin Tan, Sarah Yap
Admin: Pastor Loh Seng Piow, Beng Kooi
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
H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche Explains Dorje Shugden Initiation and Benefits (With English Subtitles)
Dear everyone... This is a good condensed talk I gave on Guru Yoga of Tsongkapa. This is the one you should share with others when they are interested in a not too lengthy explanation. It is the perfect practice for everyone who wants simplicity yet effective blessings. You can share this with more people, it will be good.
~ Tsem Rinpoche
Powerful Dorje Shugden's mantras
Tsem Rinpoche on National TV's Wesak Day Documentary
'The Promise' book launch featured on NTV7 Primetime
"If you say you don't have money to help a animal shelter, why then do you have money to buy meat?"
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"Eating animals is not our God-given right, but being kind to them is."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"What makes us good humans is not how we abuse animals, but how much we allow them to live and be happy freely."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"We need another and wiser and perhaps a more mythical concept of animals.... We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complex than ours they moved finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth."
~ Henry Beston, The Outermost House
"Not eating animals is only unnatural when we are not used to it."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"We may encounter defeat, but we must not be defeated."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"What you are today, is the choice you made yesterday."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"You think you can choose your life? What an ego trip!"
~ Lama Yeshe
"If TODAY you are dissatisfied, you must make the changes to create different results for TOMORROW."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
“Meditating on Dorje Shugden while reciting his mantra will open the gateways to higher dimensions, blessings and protection.”
~ Tsem Rinpoche
“If one does the recitation of the Lama Tsongkhapa guru yoga prayer for even one month using one of the visualizations for great or clear or quick wisdom, one will definitely see development of that wisdom. It is proved by experience. There is no doubt that by doing the Lama Tsongkhapa guru yoga practice one can meet Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings from life to life. And furthermore, it gives one the opportunity to be born in the pure realm of Lama Tsongkhapa, Tushita, whenever death happens.”
~ Pabongkha Rinpoche
"I was 18 years old in 1983. That was a very special year as I met His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche and received innumerable precious teachings and empowerments from Him at Thubten Dhargye Ling Centre in Los Angeles, California. It was the best time of my life. A time that seems so magical and surreal to me. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche is Heruka Buddha and I met Heruka."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"If being me offends you, maybe I'm not the problem."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"Never abandon your spiritual teacher no matter how many inner obstacles you need to overcome."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"Actions to force something to be permanent makes all the karmas arise."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"The dharma is not easy to listen to… because some people take it as criticism. But Dharma should not be just feel good only for the moment but for deeper contemplations."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"Whether we do work and suffer but for others or we do work and suffer for ourselves, either way we have to suffer. That is the nature of samsara. So let us suffer for others and then suffering has meaning."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"Those who really want the dharma to grow within themselves and to grow for others should never fear hard work, timing, difficulties, struggles, disappointments because it is for a good cause. Working for Dharma is not a prison or work, but it is purely spiritual practice. It is purely collection of merit and purification. Actually not doing dharma work is the real prison."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"His Holiness Zong Rinpoche stressed the need to continue to practice even when we come up against obstacles, and that we should continually review our progress. He stated that a happy, luxurious life was like a good dream, and that obstacles and difficulties were like a bad dream. We should give them no significance, but simply carry on working towards real, everlasting happiness."
~ Ngala ’ö-Dzin Tridral
"Things in samsara always go wrong. That's its nature. Don't be surprised."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"Knowledge never quenches the thirst, only application."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"I pity men who occupy themselves exclusively with the transitory in things and lose themselves in the study of what is perishable, since we are here for this very end-that we may make the perishable imperishable, which we can do only after we have learned how to approach both."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Money amplifies negative characteristics and that can cause problems. To walk away from that was actually very easy. I didn't even consider it."
~ Angeline Francis Khoo
"I shall not commit the fashionable stupidity of regarding everything I cannot explain as a fraud."
~ Carl Jung
"There is a devil there is no doubt, but is he trying to get into us or trying to get out?"
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"If you love someone, show it by being honest, respectful & honorable with them."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
~ Henry David Thoreau
"If I can just be the way I am & you the way you are & we accept each other, world peace is near."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"I am Asian, you are some other beautiful color. Together we make diversity so beautiful."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"It's amazing how some people have never met me or know who I am, but based on a few things they read here & there & rumours, they have formulated a new personality for me & all the things I've never done they passionately speak about....I find it funny and entertaining now. I guess we can't spend our lives fighting rumours...we just have to work hard & then rumours get proven wrong on it's own as a by product. No point explaining repeatedly. Just do our work & show results!!"
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"There's a difference between patience and laziness. Patience comes from respect while laziness from disrespect of others."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"Although outwardly we have so much, we have so many conveniences, inwardly we have become more unhappy, so, acquisition is not the secret to happiness. The more we get, the more we have, the more unhappy we become."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"Before we experience any pain, we already had a fixed view of how things should be. When the experience we encounter contradicts our views, then the pain arises. The pain arises due to our fixed views not so much the experience itself. So the secret is changing the views. Re-educating ourselves on our views."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"You know since very young, for better or worse, I always did the things that others told me not to do. I wasn't really good at following the rules. Even now with how I share Dharma and my practice, I just do it the way I think it should be done but I do it sincerely. Not what others tell me what I can and can't do."
~ Tsem Rinpoche
"Love me or hate me, both are in my favor... If you love me, I'll always be in your heart... If you hate me, I'll always be in your mind."
~ William Shakespeare
"One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous or honest."
~ Maya Angelou
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Comments I like from
Margo Mitchell Eugene Lee Ron Doucet
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Tsem Rinpoche, I love your blogs. you explain everthing so well, not above people to the people. I never in my life would have thought I would see so many ... Read More Thank You for all you have done Rinpoche, without having the karma to come across your videos on YouTube, I wouldn't have able to know more about Buddhism and such ... Read More Hello from way across the pond. I am a dharma practitioner from Massachusetts USA. I first heard of tsem rinpoche on YouTube and was immediately drawn to him. I had ... Read More
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Dear Terri,
What a wonderful aspiration! The fact that you feel this sincere calling is itself a sign of positive karmic imprints, and it is something that can absolutely be explored. Let me share what Tsem Rinpoche taught on this subject, as he spoke about it extensively from deep personal experience.
Your aspiration is precious and should be nurtured
Tsem Rinpoche explained that becoming a monk or nun is not a sacrifice — “sacrifice” implies giving up something positive for something negative. But there is nothing negative about becoming Sangha and nothing positive about samsara. Samsara contains all the causes and results of our suffering, whereas ordination and the monastic vows contain all the causes for our liberation. Rinpoche himself wanted to be a monk from a very young age, and in 1987, at the age of 22, he received his ordination vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, after Kyabje Zong Rinpoche had accepted his request and cut his hair as an auspicious sign of acceptance. He described that day as one of the happiest of his life. Rinpoche also taught that in today’s world, the merits of holding monk vows for just one day is so great, it is comparable to holding the vows for an entire lifetime during Buddha’s time — that is how rare and precious ordination has become in this degenerate age.
How to begin preparing
Rinpoche gave very practical advice on this. He told aspiring monastics: “Most important now is to think and behave and act like a monk. Study up and understand why you want to become a monk. Understand that well within yourself.” This was a consistent teaching of his — behave like a monk or nun first before you actually become one, because Rinpoche was very particular about mind transformation and not just outward ritual.
In practical terms, based on both Rinpoche’s teachings and the Gelug tradition he upheld, the path typically involves these steps. First, you need a strong foundation in the Dharma — study of the Lamrim (Stages of the Path), the Four Noble Truths, refuge, karma, and renunciation. Traditionally, a student requesting ordination has completed several years of study and practice under the guidance of a qualified teacher. Second, you should have taken refuge vows and ideally be keeping lay vows, as these prepare you for living with vows and commitments. Many students will also practice celibacy for a period prior to taking ordination. Third, and very importantly, you need a qualified teacher who can give you permission to be ordained — ordination doesn’t happen in isolation but within a teacher-student relationship and a lineage.
If possible, visit a monastic community, receive advice from resident monks or nuns on what monastic life is actually like. This gives you a realistic sense of daily life, the disciplines involved, and whether you can sustain this commitment. The vows of a Buddhist monk or nun are taken for life, therefore it is important to spend time and take great care in reflecting on the various advantages and disadvantages before making a decision.
Tsem Rinpoche also emphasised that when we aspire by taking vows and focusing our minds towards enlightenment, sincere commitments arise from sincere aspirations — and when the aspiration is sincere, anything that challenges us will be seen as a method to curb the mind and not as an impossible hurdle.
Practical next steps you can take now
Here are some things you can begin doing right away. Start deepening your Lamrim study — Kechara offers classes based on Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. Begin simplifying your lifestyle and practising restraint of the senses as training. Maintain a daily practice of prayers and meditation consistently. Reach out to a Gelug Dharma centre near you to discuss your aspiration with senior Sangha members. You can also write to Kechara at http://www.kechara.com for guidance, as this is the community Tsem Rinpoche founded.
For further reading, I highly recommend these articles here on Tsem Rinpoche’s blog:
Rinpoche’s direct advice to someone asking about ordination: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/why-we-become-sangha-a-reply-to-an-online-friend.html
Rinpoche’s journey to monkhood: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/tales-with-my-lama-on-being-a-monk
The story of Rinpoche receiving ordination from H.H. the Dalai Lama: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/requesting-ordination-in-1987.html
Rinpoche’s advice on the meaning and importance of vows: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/for-those-who-hold-vows.html
May your aspiration grow stronger and bear fruit. The very fact that you feel drawn to this path is itself a wonderful sign of merit from previous lives. Take your time, study well, find a qualified teacher if you haven’t already, and let this calling deepen naturally. I hope this helps.