Who I am and how I think is very different than both sets of parents I have. My personality is so radically different than their’s …and that is why I left home at 15….But the method I carry out some things sometimes resemble my step mom Dana.

I like my birth Dad Lobsang Gyatso because he is very devoted to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has offered many precious items from Tibet to His Holiness. And has ‘worked’ for His Holiness in Taiwan for over twenty years.

I like my step mom Dana because she was a very kind hearted, giving and very capable lady. I watched her be generaous with so many people with zero agenda. She was giving naturally and very helpful to people she don’t know.

If you feel Tsongkapa is wrong, then it is ok for you to do other practice. No problem.

That is up to you. No fixed time amount is necessary.

No issues or problems there for any time you set.

That is a real good question. I like your question.
I guess I would be Hindu.

Thank you.

I do not communicate or write them directly. I have assistants that speak Mandarin with them and relay messages back and forth for me.

It’s not a silly question. I am ok with it. Thanks.

My best Christmas was when finally I was able to leave home and be on my on in Los Angeles. It was a very lonely Christmas, but it was a Christmas where I had freedom. So to answer you, it was my first Christmas in LA when I was 16 years old. Thanks.

Dear Jonis,

I opened this section hoping to benefit ppl with their questions. But of course ppl with various motivations will write appropriate and inappropriate questions.

1. You are right, according to the tantric codes, we never reveal the deities we are practicing. Ppl who asked who your deity is, clearly shows their ignorance or lack of respect.

2. I choose to answer what questions I like and I do not need to answer any questions I do not wish to. I answer the questions when and if I have time. I am not obligated by anyone to answer at any time. I will not engage in political questions or questions that disparage. I am not interested in those.

3. If ppl appreciate the tremendous amount of time, energy and effort I put into the blog, it reflects their mind clearly. If they don’t, I am sorry.

Thank you for you appreciation comments here. I am thankful.

What a powerful message. I thank you so much. I will not entertain any more political questions again.

I will be who I am …life is too short to pretend to be anything else.

Dear Martin,

Each practice has it’s own benefits. One does not cover the other.

The praise, serkym and mantra has their individual function and benefits.

Example:

Serkym is to offer a liquid/drink that has been purified/blessed into uncontaminated bliss/wisdom to the mind of Setrap to create tremendous merits to avert our negative karma. Offering these items to a mind of a Buddha creates the causes to achieve Bliss/wisdom which is the highest of tantric achievements. Or the goal of tantric achievements.

Mantra can create meditative stabilization in the mind. To calm the mind and channel or chi/winds correctly for many mental and physical benefits. It can help the mind to achieve calmness.

Praise is excellent as it recalls the enlightened qualities of this being and by remembering we gain merits and increase our faith. It creates the seeds to achieve these very qualities in our mind stream.

Conducive environment is helpful I agree. So you see how you like to do it. Anything towards Setrap has TREMENDOUS BENEFITS.

I wish you luck and very happy to hear you have devoted yourself to this supreme Dharmaphala.

Dear Winnie,

I have never wanted to teach. When I was sent from 1992 till now, I have not been happy at teaching at all. So this ‘unhappiness’ is not recent. It’s just I have been more open and vocal about it as I have places to write about it. I would like people to know how much pressures, scrutiny, expectations, projections, prejudices people have about a dharma teacher. How much disappointments dharma teachers receive and have to swallow. Asians or Tibetans are not in the habit of talking about personal issues. It doesn’t seem ‘proper’ that a dharma teacher would express this.

Raising funds is another aspect of my work I dread. If I don’t do it, very little will be done about it most of the time. People like to get benefits from your fundraising but do very little to support or give most of the time… There are a few exceptions in the past and present, but the majority makes me not like to fundraise. The criticisms involved when you raise funds is incredible. Everyone knows that all religious institutions rely on donations and it is necessary. So I am not doing something that has not been done before. Then some people will donate, become unhappy and want their items back later or accuse you of taking their items under duress…like what?? Huh? Shocking. I would never do that..NEVER..even scary to think about..but the delusions/fantasies/anger/stories ppl have can be beyond imagination sometimes… I have offered so much to my gurus, the sangha and monasteries in my life.. I have asked for nothing back…I would never ask for anything back. Imagine if all the people who donated to any religious institution wanted everything back. What havoc.What a negative trend. How can someone give and then say they want it back??? It really blows my mind the fantasies/anger people create and wish to take it out on others to the detriment of themselves/others short and long term. Karma exists. Money is always very sensitive, but how to build and grow without donations or viable financial help? So raising funds is very tedious and I truly dread this part of my work.

I have seen my teachers sometimes deeply disappointed or sad, it’s just they don’t talk about it or very little. It is not in Tibetan culture to talk openly…well I am Tibetan and decided why not express the truth and what I feel. Their sadness does not affect their kindness, wisdom, knowledge and their continuous hardwork toward others I have seen with my own eyes many times over. For this I fold my hands to them and bow my head to their feets. May I be like them. Bodhisattvas do feel pain, they just don’t act out of it…they don’t increase it, although they feel pain, they still find ways to help….

I will not stop teaching, and I am not happy about it. It is not easy to always tell people what they need to change or know what is going to happen to them or the effects of their karma…it is very easy to create ‘enemies’ when you don’t tell them what they like to hear. The main issue I don’t like about teaching is people produce very tiny results even if you put 100% into them, explain, help or talk…so I prefer action dharma or quiet dharma. Their habitual comfort zones blind them to the impending results..very sad to see. Teaching many of them makes very little dents in this zone… It is very disappointing to see ppl around me who have been around for 5-10 years or more and they change very little if any change at all. That is the biggest disappointment for any teacher even an unqualified one like silly me.. It must be largely my fault and as I am unqualified to teach and have very little impact on these ppl so they don’t change…. Whatever it is, it is very disappointing to see. I am never out to get students. Look for students or want students to leave their teacher to join me. I always discourage ppl to come to me….

As one of my teachers said, in this day in age, to do dharma is like being a white crow among the black. I don’t do great dharma, but I have given thirty years of my life and youth to it so far completely.

As long as I have to teach, I will never be at peace or be happy. But if it is the order of my guru, then I will do it and do it till the end. I have more faith in my teachers than in my unhappiness to teach. I trust them more than my reluctance to teach. So I just do it and do it the best I can and continue. I will do the best I can in teaching although I abhor it.

I thank you for your concern and your active wish to help by petition, but it will not be necessary..it is deeply appreciated. You didn’t just write empty words,but wish to help by action. That is very special…very appreciated…. I have requested to retire earlier this year and it was not accepted. So I will continue and will write about my dissatisfaction in teaching sometimes as it is how I feel, but it will not affect my energy and motivation when I teach. I can seperate the two. When I teach, I mean every word, because I TRULY BELIEVE IN THE DHARMA AND SEEN IT’S EFFECTS.

In life we have to do things we don’t like, but we still have to do our best as it will somehow benefit people eventually. What keeps me going is that it MIGHT EVENTUALLY BENEFIT OTHERS….

Tsem Rinpoche

Dear Anon,

Our desire and attachments manifest in hundreds of ways mostly uncontrolled. Do not fret or worry too much about your accidental visualization.

There are worse karmas we should purify. Focussing on ourselves and not helping others, eating animal flesh, working in life just for ourselves and not caring to do much work for others, not spending more time to gain realization and focussed on the trivials of this life, basically wasting our time in greed, food, fun, experiences to soothe and ‘satisfy’ our attachments which further feed the self grasping mind are much more serious.

I wish you well.

Dear friend,

Please read 50 Verses of Guru Devotion by Ashvagosha, Lam Rim by Pabongka Rinpoche, Fulfillment of All Hopes (in English) by Tsongkapa published by Wisdom Publications and it will answer all your questions thoroughly. After reading, if you have questions, I will try to help you.

Your questions are very important and excellent.

Tsem Rinpoche

Dear Doreen,

In the beginning it is inevitable. While you are working on yourself, you will have ups and downs and sometimes be put down by others. Or even you put yourself down. But as time goes on, you will GAIN MOMENTUM AND STRENGTH and become better. That is a promise.

Please go the Youtube and see my video called: Don’t Embarrass the Buddhas.

I offer you my sincerest prayers and while on this journey, solicit Lama Tsongkapa. I have a book ( Life and Teachings of Tsong Khapa -Edited by Prof. R. Thurman)
with many praises to Lama Tsongkapa written by great masters. There is one prayer called the Tricosmic Master by Kedrub Rinpoche..you should recite this daily and recite migtzeyma afterwords. Contact Shin of E division to help you get that prayer or book.It is in my library and private collection.

Also contact Ethan of Kechara Care, I would like you to get a consecrated pendant of Lord Tsongkapa to bless you. It will be a gift from me. Wear it daily. And next year try to gift three others with Tsongkapa pendants as a gift from you to do your good deed.

Happy new year with filled spiritual goals fulfilled.

Tsem Rinpoche

Do your best to counter all this karma by going Vegetarian if you are not. Promote animal welfare. Start a animal sanctuary. Start a powerful blog site on this issue. Use social media to bring awareness. Educate others by various means to save and be kind to animals. Live your life for saving these poor beings from being harmed.

Use Medicine Buddha as your main Yidam to achieve this.

These would be good action dharma to counter some karma and create new karma.

Talk is good when action follows…is how I feel.

I thank you for wanting to do something for animals.

Dear Martin,I’ll answer in between your quesions broken down below. Take a look please.

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Dear Rinpoche, what happens to a possessed person in the afterlife if he/she is not cured by a lama before the death ?

A person in the afterlife may not be directly affected by their immediate current life. For example, he may be possessed, but at the time of death, another karma may open and they take a good rebirth. Or they can take a bad rebirth. Nothing is fixed because we have collected karma that is very strong stored, dormant and ready to open from many other lifetimes also beckoning to manifest. I wrote a small book on magic and the like. You can obtain it online or kechara paradise outlets. It will help you.

How exactly he/she will suffer than? With pain? With delusions?

Any negative karma will lead to sufferings. That is a given for everyone possessed or not. Whether a person is possessed or not at the time of death makes a difference but not the only difference and certainly not the only criteria. Karma makes no exceptions for anyone. So we have to see their thoughts, actions and thinking at death to get a clue where they are going next….Also how they lived this life in general.

For how long?

No determined time. For the length of next rebirths, it will be different for everyone in every life.

There are many people who don’t believe that possession exist and they can die without being exorcised at all so I want to know can we help them with prayers ?

You can get the book I wrote in which I talk clearly what one can do..it will be very helpful to you. For now Singdongma, Black Manjushri or Setrap practices continuously will BE VERY HELPFUL FOR EVERYONE CONCERNED. Any of these three are very efficacious for the afflictions of this nature.

If somebody wants to exterminate the Buddhism because he/she is ignorant and evil and then he becomes possessed should we pray for him/her ?

We forgive them and be further inspired to practice more to liberate and help many like them. Pray to Tsongkapa or Setrap would be excellent.

I wish you luck and great blessings.

Dear Irene,

I understand your questions and thank you for it.

Your fundamental perception of the purpose of practice must change. The more you practice, the more you should develop the mind to take on the sufferings of all sentient beings and not just yourself. The results of practice is not running away from sufferings or avoidance of it, but the acceptance of it and for the sake of all others. If you use practice or religion to gain happiness, or material gains or personal peace, then the fundamental motivation would be wrong and hence would not produce the desired results quickly. Read the Lam Rim..important.

1. The more you practice purification and the more problems arise or the same problems arise IS A VERY GOOD SIGN..AN EXECELLENT SIGN INDEED.
Why? Because the karma is coming out and you are experiencing it now. I give you an example. If you have to lose a handphone, is it better to lose it in the middle of the city during daylight or to lose it at midnight in a dark and lonely forest when you are alone? Losing the phone is the same, but the environmental situation can dramatically alter the situation and how much more sufferings it entails. It is much better to ‘suffer’ out the karma HERE AND NOW. Be grateful for that. The environment now is better to experience the karma. As Trijang Rinpoche says, we suffer nothing that the cause was not created by ourselves….

2. Along with your practice is to read, watch teachings and learn up more on the very purpose of Buddhistic practice. Learn up more on dharma is very important…very important for you and everyone. Suffering is ever present in every sector of samsara and as long as you are here without control you have to expect it..feel lucky you can recognize it and have an opportunity to do something about it with perseverance patiently. The karmas can take more than one lifetime to purify because we’ve had thousands of hundreds of thousands of lifetimes for sure.

3. Once you reach certain stages in meditation you can perceive former lives and what you did and the karma that was accummulated for what you are experiencing now.. Until then, the Buddha would never lie or be mistaken. The mountains may be destroyed, great trees die and the oceans may dry up, but the perfect Tathagata can never be wrong. All causes for His lack of perfect perception has been eliminated. So trust the Buddha and take refuge in Him by relying on the path He took.

4. Meditate on the problems of ppl in poverty stricken countries or with horrible incurable diseases, or ppl who are born to be hurt, beaten, killed. Meditate on others’ problems and how immense it is and ask their problems come to you and you may suffer it for them. Develop that type of mind..that type of mind would be powerful to purify karma faster. The mind that practices for others is the correct mind of practice THAT WOULD GAIN RESULTS. Please read Milarepa’s biography.

5.Whatever methods you have engaged in before dharma didn’t work, so if you do dharma and long term it will work.. Add Setrap to your practice. You will be fine in the end…you’ll see..I wish you well sincerely from my heart, from my soul, from my being…may your sufferings and wrong perceptions come to me please…may it be so.

I wish you well and continue without expectation of material or personal results, practice with results that you can do more for others. All sufferings of this life is just to be continued into future lives as they were carried to the present from the past if left UNPURIFIED AND UNCHECKED.

Tsem Rinpoche

I have the most affinity with Buddha Shakyamuni I would think. He is the beginning and the end for the Buddhism of our era. All other Buddhas arose because of Him and his turning the dharma wheel. All Schools of Buddhism, all Buddhist teachings be it vispassana or the powerful tantric deities arose because of Him.

I am indebted to Shakyamuni. Seeing his form in statues, pictures, drawings and thangkas since I was very young has brought me chills up and down my spine..even now.

Two books:

1. My biography
2. Why I don’t like teaching

Those are in the pipeline for now..thanks

If you think in your heart this is my guru and commit, then it is your guru.

If you go through a formal refuge ceremony with a teacher then they are your guru.

If you formally request and the teacher accepts then he is your guru.

If in your heart you feel this is the right teacher among all your teachers and you choose this person, then you hold the commitments, they he is your root guru.

These are the different methods..Good luck to you always..

Read the book:

Fulfillment of All Hopes by Tsongkapa -Wisdom Publications….

This book will be very good for you..it is about the relations with a teacher.

Requiring a previous initiation prior to Vajra Yogini does not mean it is not equal. It is totally equal. Let me explain using Sacred Vajra Yogini as an example.

1. Sacred Vajra Yogini (VY) is a more condensed and easier practice of the Heruka/Vajra Yogini combined tantra.. for information sake the Heruka/Vajra Yogini tantra will be referred to just as Heruka tantra. They are one. Their practices are combined within the Heruka tantra of which there are many lineages… The Heruka tantra is long, many entourage deities, lots of visualizations, recitation takes much time, many complicated mantras/rituals/procedures. Just reciting the sadhana without visualization can take up to two hours daily if you are fast.

So in the past ppl made time for it..now ppl make time for not being able to practice.

Although Heruka is a very powerful and efficacious practice alot is required. When we mention Heruka practice or tantra, Vy is automatically included within it. So in order not to lose the efficaciousness of the Heruka practice during degenerate times such as now when we don’t make time for these practices, Heruka practice condensed is Vy. All of Vy’s practice, mantras, visualizations, rituals are derived from Heruka/VY combined. So if you were to do just the recitation of Vy sadhana daily, perhaps it will take just 45 mins. Much more managable. Also the visualizations are much easier but just as powerful and effective as Heruka’s.

2. There are parts of Vy’s practice that is so condensed you must get the Heruka initiation prior in order to practice the condensed version. Why because receiving the extended version, you do not need to do the extended version, you can just do the condensed version in VY’s practice. Hence it is not a matter of equality, but planting the seeds to practice the condensed version. And also receiving permission to practice. Permission in this case does not mean Vy needs Heruka’s permission. It means Vy’s practice IS the condensed version of Heruka, so when you are doing Vy, you are actually doing the complete Heruka practice. Heruka is male and Vajra Yogini is female, but that is just manifested rupakaya not their true forms. Buddhas may change forms according to situation and need. Hence there is no ‘sex’ or ‘gender’ in their manifestations. It is like saying Heruka is chair and Vy is table…not better or worse. One is not more holy or powerful than the other. Vy’s tantra does not need Heruka’s initiation prior because she is female or lower. She is ‘not’ female in the traditional gender sense. She is a path to enlightenment manifesting as a female for our convenience. So her condensed path derives from Heruka, hence you are doing Heruka in condensed form when practicing Vy.

Some tantras require a prior initiation of another tantra not because they are a condensed version but because they have paths and attainments that need to be planted in your mindstream that may not be contained in the initiation of the tantra you are practicing. All tantric deities are equal but presentation differ according to need, so some may look as if they are lacking. But the deities are not. For example, when someone is very sick, and White Tara appears to them and gives them instructions to heal, this becomes a sadhana. It can be passed down as so. But within this practice/tantra it does not contain the paths to enlightenment obviously, but more for immediate healing. Hence this tantra would look less superior to let’s say Vy DUE TO PRESENTATION. But from Tara and Vy’s side, they are exactly equal.

I hope this information helps you.

For example, before you receive a protector practice such as Kalarupa or Pelden Hlamo, it is recommended you get Yamantaka prior. One of the purpose is for protector practice to be ultimately fully beneficial, you need to do your Yidam very well and transform from within, then you can ‘order’ the protectors to assist you.

Pelden Hlamo is certainly equal to Yamantaka on the ultimate level, but on the presentation of practice, their function is different.

Much good wishes for the tantras to flourish inwardly and outwardly. Good luck…