Long distance prayer…
Midnight, 8th Dec: H.E. Tsem Rinpoche was having headache and resting. Suddenly Rinpoche received news that a Singaporean student’s father had just passed away. Rinpoche immediately called Singapore and asked for the phone at the other side to be placed next to the father’s ear. Rinpoche then did prayers and black tea to Protector Setrap, and asked the father not to worry and to follow the holy being that would come to guide him, and Rinpoche briefly consoled the student and told him that because of the tremendous merits of him doing Dharma work, his father was able to be helped by the Buddhas at this crucial moment.
This picture shows Rinpoche doing prayers and black tea while at the other side in Singapore the phone was placed next to the father’s ear so that he could hear Rinpoche’s prayers.
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Amazing what Rinpoche did.Rinpoche is truly a living Buddha helps us anywhere,anytime he could even he is not well.Rinpoche ‘s presence is much appreciated by many more people to come.
Even Rinpoche is far away yet he could perform prayers for someone dear. Rinpoche is so compassion,kind,caring,loving and generous in nature.
May Rinpoche be healthy and live long to continue the Dharma Wheel to benefits all sentient beings.
Thank you Pastor Loh Seng Piow for sharing this beautiful post.
Compassion knows no boundaries. Rinpoche is really compassionate when it comes to his students. He will always go out of his way to make sure his students are alrght. Ignoring his own discomfort and focusing on others well being is a true selfless act. From this we can know, Rinpoche is an enlightened being with selfless mind and motivation always.
May Rinpoche be free of discomfort and healthy always. May Rinpoche’s lineage and teachings spread far and wide.
感恩仁波切总是给予我们，您无私的爱
许多时候，我们遇见一些事情发生时，或身边的朋友有需要帮助的时候，我们常第一个反应通常都是先眷顾自己的情况，比如：我们不是很舒服，或我们有其他的东西在忙，或我需要休息
然而我们尊贵的仁波切，当得知身边的人或即使是素未谋面的人发生状况的时候，即使仁波切再不舒服，或休息中，仁波切总是马上的给予关怀与帮助，而且多少无数的夜与晨，24小时的，仁波切总是不断地给予一切有情众生祈祷与加持
这份爱是无私的，也是仁波切给予我们的教诲与榜样，仁波切总是教导我们要把别人永远放在第一位，当遇见有需要帮助的有情众生时，我们不应该自私的只想着自己，应该及时的给予帮助与关怀，有些因缘错过了，那么就会失去了帮助与被帮助的机缘
感恩仁波切您的教诲与爱，祈愿您长驻在世，常转法轮
Rinpoche, is so caring. He would go through all this effort for others and will never get anything in return. That is true compassion. It is to be able to give with love and not need to receive.
Thanks for the sharing. As we know Rinpoche is a very compassionate person. And Rinpoche can help anyone regardless of where Rinpoche located.
A Great anecdote of Spiritual Help & guidance from a great spiritual guru true to Dharma Path. I can only have full admiration and humble acknowledgement of such kind act. May Lord Buddha Bless Rinpoche and guide you further in your noble mission on this “Sphere of Existence”
Almost every week, Rinpoche would get news that someone has passed away or is gravely ill. Life is can come and go so unexpectedly for some. The only difference here this person had the karma to get advice from Rinpoche at the time they needed it most.
Rinpoche is truly compassionate and have always been there at times we need the most. Our parents is the single most important person in our lives. I’m glad that Joshua have done so much Dharma work sincerely that his father had this golden chance to receive blessings from Rinpoche at the time he needed most. May we all follow Joshua’s dedication to Dharma for the ones we love most.
Every week, we hear that someone has passed away and increasingly, it is happening to those close to us because well, we’re all getting older. I have seen so many instances of Rinpoche helping families in this way.
First, there was Justin (http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/students-friends/in-memory-of-justin-ripley-1975-2011-2.html) who passed away so suddenly. He had the great merits to be near Rinpoche who was able to do last rites immediately after he passed. Then there was the couple who suffered a miscarriage at 3am, and Rinpoche went to see them in the middle of the night to make sure they are okay. Then Joshua’s father…
What have we done to prepare for our own deaths? We have a choice NOW about how we want to die – we can either be totally helpless and left to karma’s machinations, or we can spend our lives training for it…and well, no prizes for guessing what I’ll pick!
For a lama to help us in times of need, we must have the merits for it to be possible. We can collect merits by serving the lama personally or by doing dharma work for the centre. Thus for the sake of our loved ones, we need to do dharma in order to dedicate the merits to them. We can learn from Rinpoche’s example how to be of service to others. This way, we not only benefit others, we also benefit ourselves.
Thank you Seng Piow for sharing this story of what Rinpoche does behind the scenes. Condolences to Joshua, but i think congratulations are also in order because i am sure that his father is now in a good place because of Rinpoche’s blessings, which came from Joshua’s sincere Dharma work.
Rinpoche has always told us that if we love our parents, our children or our partners, we should do Dharma work because the merits gained are the only benefit that can help them in the end, when it is their time to pass on. We can sit by our loved ones’ bedsides and watch them go, feeling helpless, or we can do Dharma now so that when it is their time to go, we know that they will be okay.
Thank you Rinpoche for always showing us that compassion for others surpass our own discomfort as Rinpoche has shown here. May everyone who has been touched by Rinpoche’s kindness follow Rinpoche’s guidance and practice the Dharma.
真正的慈悲，就是不管发生什么事，都以别人的利益为优先考量，尽管知己的状况不佳，也得放在一边，永远都只做利益他人的事，这是我对慈悲的解读。我的上师不只是用言语来教我们，他更是身体力行的以身做则，这就是我精辟他的地方，希望终究有一天，我也能像是他一样，能达到慈悲的境界。
也希望仁波切能早日康复。
真正的慈悲，就是不管发生什么事，都以别人的利益为优先考量，尽管知己的状况不佳，也得放在一边，永远都只做利益他人的事，这是我对慈悲的解读。我的上师不只是用言语来教我们，他更是身体力行的以身做则，这就是我精辟他的地方，希望终究有一天，我也能像是他一样，能达到慈悲的境界。
慈悲的上師，帮亡灵超度希望他有好的来世，做佛法事业，就能够为我们的家人累积功德，这样能够保障有好的来世，上師仁波切以实际行动来告诉我们什么是关爱，什么是慈悲。亲自为一位素不相识的人做最后的仪式。我们学佛法就是要有这样的精神，慈悲与关爱一切众生。
My condolences to the family. How fortunate to have a high Lama prayer for you personally when you are gone. It’s very kind and compassionate of Rinpoche.
Rinpoche is so kind and compassionate,even he is not well he still did prayers and black tea for his student’s late father. Hope Joshua’s father will take a good rebirth.
很多人以为做佛法事业就是一份事业， 殊不知其实佛法事业也是一种教育， 改善弱点， 提升自己的素质。 其中”无我“就是其中一个仁波切提倡的素质。 而仁波切的这种无私行动，虽然身体不适， 为一位素未蒙面的人进行祈祷加持，绝对是一个我们值得学习的好榜样。 试问自己，当我们生病时，是不是都把自己摆第一？而且还奢望别人来关心我们，为我们送上食物等？
Rinpoche will only care for the others. His compassion spreads to all ten directions as Rinpoche always offers his hand out to give help and expect nothing back. Feels so blessed and lucky to be under the guide of Tsem Rinpoche.
If we really care and loves our parents and family members,We must put 100% effort to do dharma because this is a good work for us to create merits. And the merits that we collect can benefit our loves one.
No matter how far we are, Rinpoche always care of his students and everyone need support and help. Rinpoche always cares for others first.
Thank you Rinpoche showing us care and compassionate.
Rinpoche always care for others and always putting others first before himself. Rinpoche is so compassionate and selfless. May Rinpoche getting well soon. Thank you Rinpoche.
Rinpoche’s compassion is boundless,always put other people’s interests,needs or wishes first before himself.
Rest well Rinpoche,and may you be healthy always.
Condolence to Joshua and family.May your father rest in peace and have a good rebirth.
We are glad to have Rinpoche with us. Thank You Rinpoche
Hi Joshua, may your father has a good rebirth and able to meet Dharma early in life. You have been a good son by working for others for the benefits of others. Your father will be proud of you. Take care and keep up the good work of spreading the Dharma. Not only your father but your families, relatives and friends will be benefited from your contribution to the growth of Dharma.
Like everyone has said, Rinpoche is very compassionate indeed to put aside his own pain and illnesses in order to tend to the difficulties of others. A real bodhisattva indeed.
In addition, I would like to point out the fact that Rinpoche need not be present at the scene in order to perform rituals, blessings and prayers. A highly attained being like Rinpoche can “transmit” the blessings wherever they are needed, and it is just as effective as being present.
Buddha Shakyamuni told his disciples that after he had passed away, they should make offerings to an image of him because it would be just as effective as if he were present. Likewise, an enlightened high being like Rinpoche can make prayers for those far away, and it is just as if he is present. And similarly, if we were to make our supplications to Rinpoche, it would be equally as effective, if not more so, than supplicating the buddhas.
Lastly, Rinpoche’s Singaporean student must have collected tremendous merits in this lifetime, through prayer, practice or dharma work in order for Rinpoche to help his father. That is the best thing we can do for our loved ones before it is too late to help them. So we should all practice urgently while we still can.
Our Guru always place the priority to others welfare, may Rinpoche always stable health and long live…
Condolence for Joshua and family, may ur father can take a good rebirth and able to meet Dharma again…
I would like to thank Rinpoche on behalf of my father for his blessing n chanting over the phone . It is indeed a very rare case that my dad was able to received Rinpoche chanting minutes after he pass away. My dad closes his eyes and pass away peacefully an hour after we left the hospital. He cared and love us n mum all his lives and even when his death is near, he do not want to let us see him leave. He asked me for bread and water when he knows he is going.He requested us to eat vegetarian for him three days before he left us and one day before His death, he even refuse to eat or drink even when his favourite food appear in front of him. He uses a tissue to cover the mouth when I wanted to feed him. That was the time I told Joshua he is going to cleanse his body before going off. Father have got himself prepared for this day as for the past two weeks he asked me when the person will come and said y haven’t come yet. He was waiting for a man with a moustache to bring him. My only regrets was not able to hold my father hand during his last breath but I was also happy for him so that he can leave and walked with the monk with shining lights without me holding him back. Father , please go with the monk with shining lights! This will be the best present you can give us now . With this , thank you Rinpoche , kechara, pastors for giving us the support we needed now most.
Rinpoche shows respect and compassion to people all the time, that is why even though Rinpoche is sick, He still works hard for others. We show respect to others when we do our work well no matter how hard the condition is, and we show compassion when we work for others with all our effort and we don’t see problem as problem in order to help others. Thank you for the sharing!
Hope RInpoche is feeling better. My heartfelt condolence to Joshua on the demise of his beloved father.
It is very touching to know that Rinpoche, despite being unwell, perform prayers to Joshua’s late father, who has the rare privilege to hear Rinpoche’s voice over the phone at his deathbed.
How fortunate the S’pore student have a good Guru to guide him and help him during the most difficult time. this is all due to his tremendous merits of him doing the Dharma work..this the only way we can repay the kindness of our Guru, keep doing Dharma work and benefit others..
Touch by Rinpoche great good thoughts action with compassion – care!!!
仁波切以实际行动来告诉我们什么是大爱，什么是慈悲。仁波切虽然身体不适，但是他还是以他人为前提，亲自为一位素不相识的人做最后的仪式。我们学习佛法就是在学习这种精神。
Someone else pain and need is more urgent and above oneself. There is no one that i know that will do this other than Rinpoche. Thank you Rinpoche. _/|\_
Death happen every second in any corner of the world, it is so definite that none of us can escape, the final destination of our lives.
Rinpoche has been very compassion, he loves everyone as equal, he gives shelter, he gives love, he gives assurance, he gives everything that he can to make sure we are alright even we are not next to him.
His father does not have the chance to meet Dharma, because he spent all his time to work and feed his family, but due to his hard work, his sincere effort, his son manage to come into Dharma and create enough merits for him to leave peacefully, and an immediate prayer can be done for him.
When a person passed away, as their children, nothing we can do for them, we can’t even reach them or see them, so there is only one thing, prayer is the only thing we can do for them.
Rinpoche always does thing behind and quietly, his care for everyone is so genuine that he didn’t even want us to know, he never expect any thank you note from us because he just want us to be good.
Thank you Rinpoche for your consistent care and love.
I am really really touched by Rinpoche’s selflessness, kindness and in everything he does for his students near or far. His level of compassion is way beyond our comprehension at times. Thank you Joshua and Cody if not for your kindness and support for the Dharma centre in Singapore. I am very grateful to Rinpoche to have a centre here and the with the pillars of support here to benefit many people here. Josh may your Dad takes good rebirth and may he receives dharma teaching in his future lives and benefit more people. With much gratitude.
It is through Dharma work that at times like this we can benefit our family members which doctors are not capable of. Now we should see that KFR is an opportunity created by Rinpoche for us to get involved in and benefit many others.
Thank you Rinpoche for all the kindness that you have showered us in many different ways. _/|\_
First of all, i would like to thank Rinpoche for his kindness and compassion and Kechara house for all the support we have received. Thank you Kechara pastors (susan and yek yee) and representative from Rinpoche ladrang (su ming). They are all loving people.
My father’s a very tough person who’ve raised three childrens with his bare hands, he did not rcvd many years of formal education but went thru labour and raised us up healthily and provide us the education we needed in life. He do not wish to see us like him with little education and unable to sufficiently provide ourselves with all the necessities in life. He wanted us to go through a good education and in order to do that, he worked very hard labouriously to earn and upkeep the family.
We are fortunate to have a father like him who is responsible and not afraid of hardship. For the recent years his health had deteriorated eversince he was wheelchaired bound, and he had to spent his last months on bed. According to the doctor in charge at the hospital, my father passed away peacefully on his last breath without any struggling and he is surprised to have witness that, as most patients will tend to struggle a little before they passed on.
My father do not have much merits to be able to receive dharma teachings from Rinpoche (i hope and believed he will be connected with us and Rinpoche again in the future lives) but his childrens are fortunate enough to be able to meet Rinpoche and receive teachings from him through JJ who is working very hard to make MBF grows and to spread tsongkhapa teachings locally.
I sincerely hope all who are Rinpoche students, future to be students, previous students to always remembers what Rinpoche has taught us “u take care of the dharma, the dharma will take care of you”.
Dear Joshua, my condolences to you for the lost of your father. By reading your post, you mentioned that your dad passed away peacefully without struggling, it is a very good sign of relief. I just want to let you know that you have given the best of gift to your Dad by doing Dharma.
I echo your last statement……..I sincerely hope all who are Rinpoche students, future to be students, previous students to always remembers what Rinpoche has taught us “u take care of the dharma, the dharma will take care of you”.
Last but not least, thank you to our precious GURU, Tsem Rinpoche.
Hello Joshua,
You are a good, loyal and loving son. And through your hard work in Dharma, your late father received tremendous blessings from Rinpoche at the time of his passing.
Keep up the wonderful work at MBF with JJ. I am truly impressed and very proud of what you all have achieved.
Take good care.
Regards,
Wendy
Dear Joshua
Deep condolences to you for your father’s death. As Rinpoche always used to remind us about the reality of our life, sooner or later all sentient beings must face the reality. I would say, your father is so fortunate to have rinpoche do prayers for him, it is so rare to have someone highly realized being at the time of death to guide him towards higher rebirth and prevent being born in the three lower realms. This itself is a great opportunity, and you have done a great job by doing dharma works. May your father rest in peace, have good rebirth and encounter Guru like Tsem Rinpoche in his next life!
Thanks!
非常感谢慈悲的上師，我们只要尽量抽出时间做佛法事业，就能够累积无量功德，这样才能够真正保障我们和家人有好的来世。佛法是能够超越时间与空间，不管在何时何处只要累积足够功德，最重要是有一位具格的上師
帮忙超度，那亡灵肯定有好的来世。
Rinpoche is such a “Gem of a Sangha”, so compassionate, caring and selfless, even in sickness or in good health! That is what doing Dharma work with sincere and true efforts will benefit one with, tremendous merits not only for oneself, but family, friends and those who are dear to one’s too, even at long distance; no problem at today’s age and progress! Thank you Rinpoche for your valuable teachings.
It is sad to hear father of someone we know passed away. As time goes by, I will hear more and more whom I know pass away.
As Buddhists, we should have concerns about where we will end up after we die. If that itself does not motivate us, then we should also concern about our love ones, after they die, where will they end up with? If we work so hard and make sure they are financially OK, shouldn’t we worry about them after they pass away too?
For that reason alone, I will work hard in Dharma and make sure my parents will be able to be helped by Buddhas when their “big day” come.
Rinpoche is very kindness and compassion and always there for us when we need him !!Thank you Rinpoche for your love and cares always.
May Rinpoche get well soon ! May Joshua’s father to have a good rebirth and reborn into dharma.
if not for this post, we would not be able to see what is happening at Rinpoche rooms, and this pic and post show us Rinpoche compassionate and kindness to all, Joshua fathers at his last breath able to hear Rinpoche voice is such a great blessing for Joshua fathers to have a good and swift rebirth. Thank You Seng Piow for this wonderful post, and Thank You Rinpoche for his unlimited kindness to us all. May Rinpoche health be swiftly recover.
Thank you Seng Piow for the sharing.In deed our guru is very kind.Even when he is unwell he would take his students welfare as priority first.May our Guru health be good and stable to spread the Dharma. Thank You Rinpoche .
Rinpoche is the best person ever, when someone is in distress or trouble he is there. i hope the father has a good rebirth.
Time and time again Rinpoche has left the Haven in the middle of the night and very early hours of the morning to go and pray for someone dying or has just passed away. For Rinpoche, there is no such thing as after-hours, going on leave, having off days and taking holidays.
When I see the picture above which conveys the importance by which Rinpoche is doing the black tea offering to help the deceased, I am again reminded that all of Rinpoche’s teaching and training of his students is to prepare us for the inevitability of our own hour of death. While death is a time to grief, the knowledge that by Rinpoche’s prayers, a holy being will appear to guide the deceased to his next journey is great consolation. And this can only happen if we have accumulated sufficient merits through doing good Dharma work that we can transfer to the deceased.
At the point of death, there is nothing else we can do for ourselves or anyone who has reached the end of his/her life. Nothing within our possession or our secular knowledge and intelligence can help at that point, only the merits we have generated. And if we have not generated any merits, how can we help them?
It also strikes me that our Guru does not stop looking out for us after we die and therefore our gratitude to Rinpoche extends way beyond what he does for us in this life. I am very touched by this story.
My deepest sympathies to the family of the deceased but because I am told that the son of the deceased has done a lot of Dharma work in Singapore, the family has much to be consoled by.
Rinpoche’s love and care for us students are endless. Yet we keep taking like the little brats we are.. Thank you, Rinpoche, for Rinpoche’s unwavering love and compassion for us. Thank you, Rinpoche!
When we are not feeling well, we only think about ourself but NOT Rinpoche. He always put others first before Him! Rinpoche is super good at multi tasking! There will never be a right time or right place for Rinpoche to do anything for others because IT IS ALWAYS the right time and place!
May the father have a swift rebirth and be blessed by the 3 Jewels always…
Distance is not a barrier to Rinpoche. Despite not being well, Rinpoche puts his own welfare aside to help others. Rinpoche’s compassion and love for all is exemplary of a Bodhisattva!
Despite being ill himself , Rinpoche stirred himself immediately from his resting, and performed prayers for a Singapore student’s father, when he received a call that he had passed away. He consoled the student and had the prayers ‘heard’ on the phone by the deceased. He asked the deceased to be guided by Protector Setrap to a safe rebirth.
Rinpoche, as always, shows so much thought and care for others and is always putting others before himself.
We also learn from this story that it is important to continuously accumulate merits for oneself and loved ones. Hence , in this case, the student is assured, by Rinpoche, that his father would be guided to a good rebirth because of the tremendous merits he had accumulated from doing Dharma work.
I agree wholeheartedly with what you have said here Pastor Han Nee – that the merit we accumulate from our Dharma work opens up at this most crucial time for our loved ones. Rinpoche explained that everything went very smoothly with this prayer and phone call. There were no problems dialing through to the student, the call went through smoothly and the conversation was very clear. This is not something to be taken for granted – I have personally experienced or seen many times difficulties in connecting via phones during very crucial moments. The obstacles arise like sudden, unexpected monsters and sometimes, phone calls just cannot get through, phone batteries die, the line is crackly etc etc.
Also, instructions went through very smoothly, the student understood and could execute the instructions immediately and without hindrance. This Rinpoche explained is definitely a result of the tremendous Dharma work that this student had been doing recently, which can now be ‘lent’ directly to his father.
Rinpoche has also explained that he doesn’t need to personally and physically be there at a person’s passing to do prayers. The Buddhas after all are omniscient and can ‘travel’ to any of us at the speed of thought. So definitely these prayers are just as powerful as if Rinpoche was standing right there personally. The very fact that Rinpoche’s voice could be heard through the phone is powerful enough and a blessing.
So yes, everything leads directly to this ‘big day’ for ourselves and our loved ones – everything we are doing now leads ultimately to this for nothing else can be taken with us. A few days later, Rinpoche went again to the wake of this student’s father and performed further prayers and spent time consoling the family. Again, to even have the Lama come personally, is a result of the student’s merit opening, to be able to connect to the teacher so directly and have him connect to the rest of the family too. And so, we see that have a great responsibility for those we love, in our practice, but it can also be empowering to realise that we can make all the difference in that single most important moment of their passing.
This is Rinpoche’s clear example of sharing with us that he can put away his own sickness for the sake of helping others first. So we can learn from this example by putting away our own needs temporarily sometime in our lives to serve others too.
Take care, Rinpoche and get well soon, please.
Despite being sick, Rinpoche still place others welfare as his top priority. We need tremendous merits to be with Rinpoche in order for him to help us and our loved ones in times of need. As Rinpoche mentioned many times, when we do dharma work we are not doing dharma a favor but in reality it is the dharma center and our Guru who give us the opportunity to collect merits.
May Rinpoche get well soon.
Rinpoche is so compassionate and selfless, especially when it comes to helping his student’s and their families in their time of need, caring for them not only in this life but for their future lives too. May the one passed have a good rebirth and be reborn into dharma.
Rinpoche always does things quietly and only for the sole purpose of benefiting others and care the least about himself.
Seriously, I really do not know when, where and how I have amassed the merits to meet Rinpoche this life and to have him as my Guru.
I do not think that I am a lucky person but then I learnt too that there is no such thing as pure coincidence.
To have Tsem Rinpoche as my Guru is perhaps the best thing ever happen to me this life.
Take good care, Rinpoche. _/\_
仁波切的爱与慈悲超越地理上的距离甚至超越时空。
Rinpoche’s love,help and prayers are given 24/7/365. He loves others first, no Himself.
Rinpoche will never ever stop to benefit others, Even he’s sick. Please rest well Rinpoche. _/\_
Much Care : Erickksiow
Rinpoche not only cares for his student, also makes sure students and friends family member are alright either they are ill or pass away.
Rinpoche is the best person ever, when someone is in distress or trouble he is there. i hope the father has a good rebirth.