To become a dharma teacher
(By Tsem Rinpoche)
Dear Rinpoche
with all the different mantras and yidams it is sometimes difficult for me to choose a steady practice, being that I do not have access to a lama directly. So my question is; what mantra should be my main mantra for someone who wishes to learn and eventually teach the holy Dharma?
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Dear Rafael,
Many greetings, good wishes and sincere hopes in you….
1. There are many yidams, meditations, practices, accomplishments, mantras and paths as set forth by the Perfect Buddha. They were all meant to suit a type of mind to be subdued at a certain time and place. Are all are equal to attainments from their side. From our side according to time, place, needs, level and merits, they can differ.
2. One who wishes to teach the dharma will be aspiring to highest form of giving. The most supreme among the best. If the perfect Buddha never spoke, there would be no path, no antidote, no method, no end and no recognition of need to escape. Hence teaching is the actual method to give the most supreme of refuges which is dharma.
3. One who has the aspiration to teach must have the three doors subdued starting now, mind filled with compassion, knowledge of the dharma coupled with skilfull means and endless enthusiasm to encounter difficulties for others. The genuine mind to endure many difficulties for others in order to bring them the words and examples to full liberation will enlighten many or at least plant karmic seeds in their mindstreams for when Maitreya appears.
For such a virtuous individual one can engage in the intense practice of Guru Yoga of Tsongkapa which bestows the 7 wisdoms including: powerful memory, skilfull debate, composition, penetrating insight and the likes. After reciting migtseyma twenty-one times concentrate on Om Ah Ra Baza Nadee daily. Afterwards Dissolution of Wisdom Tsongkapa at the end of the session into your heart centre through central channel will be a powerful blessing to invoke daily. A powerful practice that is simple and requires no initiation.
In short, eat Tsongkapa, breathe Tsongakapa, think Tsongkapa, meditate Tsongakapa, become Tsongakapa, sleep Tsongkapa and attain the wondrous blessings within this supremes system practiced for 600 years by the tens of thousands of attained Tulkus, learned Geshes, Mahasiddhas, senior monks of Gaden, Sera, Drepung, Tashilunpo, Amdo Tashi Kyil, Gyuto and Gyurme. The practice of Wisdom Tsongkapa has created luminaries like the Dalai Lamas, Panchen Lamas, Jamyang Konchok Shepas, Trijang Rinpoches, Pabongka Rinpoches, Gaden Tripas, etc etc…by engaging in this practice steadfast and consistently you will be following in the footsteps of thousands of attained luminaries as stated above. You will be following a fautless and proven practice.
Lord Tsongkapa, King of the Three Realms, who is no other than the fully combined wisdom of Buddhas of three times and ten directions can only bring benefit. This should be practiced by a virtuous being like you who wishes to illuminate the dharma to many others in the future. Tsongakpa’s the perfect yidam for someone who aspires for the perfect results without many commitments at the moment yet wishes to engage in a profound practice.
Good luck!!
Tsem Rinpoche
Kechara World Peace Centre
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Thank you Rinpoche for the teachings. We are extremely fortunate to have learned and practice Dharma from Rinpoche. Brought the teaching of Lama Tsongkhapa all the way from India to Malaysia. May the teachings spread to the ten direction and flourish.
Thank you for this short but very beneficial teaching about the highest form of giving and the method to achieve this form of giving. We are indeed very blessed to have been connected to Lama Tsongkhapa and his complete yet simple practice, Gaden Lhagyma.
May all of us be able to practice the highest form of giving.
Thank you so much for this blog Rinpoche
Lovely picture and words.
We are extremely fortunate to be able to meet Rinpoche as to create the causes for us to learn and eventually teach and practice the Dharma. Thank you for the teachings and practices, Rinpoche.
The complete path according to His Holiness the Dalai Lama was completely preserved in Tibet, all the paths available to be practiced was preserved in this land of the snow. Je Tsongkhapa when he came to the scene, combined the best teachings available then, at the same time he visions of Manjushri and could communicate directly with Manjushri. Hence as Gelugs we are so fortunate to receive teachings that are laid out by Je Tsongkhapa. His deeds and teachings earned him the title Second Buddha.
Through the blessings of Manjushri, Je Tsongkhapa’s praxtices are very suitable for us to prepare ourselves if we wish to teach in the future.
This is very power teachings on how to engage in the correct practice to prepare and to become a dharma teacher. Rinpoche is always very skillful. A simple and short practice that we cannot deny to start immediately. A profound result we can see immediately and abundant of merits we collect with no time wasted. Being a dharma teacher is not as simple as just teach, but he has to be what he teach. Hence we need a lot of merits to do so.
Such a heavy responsibilities that taken up by a Dharma teacher, a guru or a spiritual guide are not only to benefit the students in this life but in future life time.
“mind filled with compassion, knowledge of the dharma coupled with skilfull means and endless enthusiasm to encounter difficulties for others. The genuine mind to endure many difficulties for others in order to bring them the words and examples to full liberation will enlighten many or at least plant karmic seeds in their mindstreams for when Maitreya appears.”
I am so blessed that I have found Tsem Rinpoche who took up all the responsibilities above for us.
[…] Must listen to talks to share with you for your spiritual journey: 1.To become a Dharma teacher (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/tsongkhapa/to-become-a-dharma-teacher.html) 2.Tsongkhapa’s daily practice: video commentary […]
To my understanding, even for someone who don’t have a Spiritual teacher, it is also not impossible to find a Yidam for themselves. Yidam is the main Buddha that we need to practice that suit us the best, so how do we know who our yidam is? that is to look at our situation, because of our past life affinity built, in this life, our yidam will lead us to them, such as, what do we need the most, what difficulties we face currently, then the Buddha that is ‘specializing’ in encountering these difficulties of ours will become our yidam. so when we focus on practicing this, we will walk past this ‘problems’ and advance further to our spiritual practice.
At times I will be wondering what have I done in my previous life that I have to suffer this life and contrary to all the stricken pains, with the kindness from Rinpoche I be able to receive such a profound practice of Lama Tsongkhapa. I personally acknowledged that upon engaging in the practice of Guru Yoga Tsongkhapa I be able to focus in my daily life and also the level of acceptance gradually increase. Thank you Rinpoche for all your kind concern and caring throughout this period. May Rinpoche be well and healthy always.
With Folded Hands
Thank you Rinpoche for bringing Lord Tsongkapa practice to Malaysia.It is a simple yet very profound teaching! I like what you wrote here, ‘eat Tsongkapa, breathe Tsongkapa, think Tsongkapa,meditate Tsongkapa, sleep Tsongkapa. I have been doing these everyday except ‘eat and breathe Tsongkapa’, i’ll add them in today. I love Tsongkapa Guru Yoga and the Migtseyma mantras, it is easy to do and yet so beneficial, this has improved my memory and physical health a lot. Thank you once again Rinpoche for giving me this precious teaching.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.We are extremely fortunate to be given a chance to be acquainted with Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching and practice here in Malaysia. With such blessing we should generously share it with our friends and love ones.As this is an effective practice that require no initiation.
I had the great honour to teach the kids a few years back at Kechara. I was giving a sneak preview of how it feels to be a Dharma teacher although teaching the kids is not comparable to teaching adults. But seeing the knowledge i shared benefiting them brought tremendous amount of satisfaction and convinced me beyond doubt that highest form of giving is the giving of Dharma.
谢谢仁波切的分享。佛法有8万4千多法门。那我们要精通什么法门而成为大师呢？我觉得只要我们跟对上师，对上师依止心不变，听取上师的教诲和开示。而精进上师所传授的法门。那我们就更容易的修行佛法而成佛， 但最重要的还是我们的的心识要很正面和上进心。不要存有邪念和负面。这样修什么法门都是一样的。
Thank You my Guru Rinpoche for the teaching. After reading the article, I am glad that I am able to connect to Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching and Migtsema Mantra through my Guru.
I am reading Tsongkhapa book edited by my Guru, Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, and with my Guru’s permission, I am engaged to Tsongkhapa Retreat. I can feel and I am amassed the purification power of Migtsema. It is simple and powerful but a lot of people overlook it.
I totally agreed with Rinpoche that it is not easy to be Dharma Teacher as he needs to be compassionate, rich of Dharma knowledge and able to face all sort of difficulties from others. It needs a lot of merit to be Dharma teacher too.
Thanks Rinpoche for the sharing.
I do not know what i have done in my previous life that enable me to meet Kechara and learn from Rinpoche. I treasure this chance a lot and wish that i can practice well.
I have join Kechara as a volunteer for 1 year and i really love doing dharma work.
Hope that the teaching of Tsongkhapa will be growing in this region .
And thanks to Rinpoche for bringing in Lama Tsongkhapa to Malaysia.
Thank you Rinpoche for this teaching: “To become a Dharma teacher”.
Teaching the Dharma is the highest from of giving as Rinpoche shows us clearly by example and in your teaching.The giving of the most supreme of refuges, the Dharma,is through teaching it. I pause to reflect on the following powerful words, which serve as a profound reminder of how vitally important it is that Buddha had turned the wheel of Dharma.
“If the perfect Buddha never spoke, there would be no path, no antidote, no method, no end and no recognition of need to escape”.
To be a teacher, one has to start subduing the three doors now. One’s mind must be filled with compassion, and one must be ever-ready, with boundless enthusiasm, to encounter difficulties for others(as one is bringing them the words and examples to full liberation and enlightenment). One should have the knowledge and know how to employ skillful means.
The daily practice of Manjushri Tsongkhapa must be engaged in by anyone who wishes to teach the Dharma, as one has to acquire the 7 wisdoms through the practice.
Thank you once more, Rinpoche.
I am so thankful and blessed to be able to meet Rinpoche and Tsongkhapa in this lifetime. Which means i must’ve planted some seeds in my past lives.. This will only make me plant more seeds and practise more this lifetime so I’d be able to meet Rinpoche, Tsongkhapa and Dharma again in my future lives!
I remember during Tsongkhapa day, Rinpoche said something similar in the caption. Sleep Tsongkhapa, breathe Tsongkhapa, basically Tsongkhapa all the way! Hehe
And will always remember to say out loud and proud if and when someone asks me who my Yidam is: TSONGKHAPA!
In all lives may I never be parted from my Perfect Guru and Dharma!
Thank you for sharing, Rinpoche!
This post is short yet very very essential especially since I personally aspire to teach the Dharma.
Ever since Kechara had Pastors, I realised the importance of having a set of people in Dharma Centers/temples who are qualified to teach and share the Dharma. Many people come to temples looking for solace and hope. But most of them do not understand that just praying to the Buddhas isn’t enough to rid off their problems. This is why having a set of people in the temple to explain the Dharma is important.
Problems will always be there for us but how we deal with them determines how our lives will be. Dharma knowledge is the best antidote to our problems.
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Future tense is senseless. Wishes for the future is unsure. Be what you wish now. No one controls your body, speech and mind. So you don’t need to transform your body speech and mind in the future. Fortitude and tenacity is achievable now. if you don’t achieve it-then it is a choice. Pick the right choices. In real dharma with real dharma friends and real dharma work and real dharma environment, there is no future tense. We may not even be alive tomorrow. It is now. Your body, speech and mind is controlled by you..so don’t blame a third person that is fictitious. Don’t make your teacher a liar and Buddha not real..be here and now. Have the qualities now. You are in control of yourself. Your teacher is not a liar and there is a Buddha…Sarva Mangalam….Tsem Rinpoche
Also to apply and practice what we learn from this blog, the youtube, the Lamrim text, and to see how it transform our mind to the better.
At our present level, it is said that one who aspires to be teacher for Dharma must have the consecutive wisdom of Learning, Thinking, Meditation. The first step towards the learning process is studying and listening to the Dharma consistently. It is said that we should not be complacent to hearing it again and again as many times as possible, and then meditate on them- the more times the better for our understanding. As each time we attend a teaching we gain a new understanding, even if we were already familar. Tis was said by many Lamas that if you attend teachings frequently, you will understand something new. That is said to be a “gift” from our teacher, any time we hear a teaching we can learn some new way to understand it, and bridge the distance between its message and with our mind. Tis serves as a key to the great awakening – which should blend toether into each other; that should be our goal. Our purpose to study Dharma is to expose and uproot our negative mental states. Keypoint is to have the correct motivation when we listen to a teaching of dharma – once the correct motivation is adopted, listening and studying will be easy at all times! “Lord Tsongkhapa, King of the three Realms, is the perfect Yidam for anyone who aspires for the perfect results to engage in a profound practice” as directed by our Tsem Rinpoche.
when Rinpoche says ‘One who wishes to teach the dharma will be aspiring to highest form of giving.’ This statement really make me think deeply within myself, as all the while we are being taught to be Giving, giving care, giving kindness, giving material and wealth to help others, giving help for some one in need, that is what the social standard of giving has been define. Not until today after reading this, that i now realize Teaching Dharma is the highest form of giving, Because when one’s teaches the Dharma to others, the teacher is helping others to transform themself, offering an effective solution to heal the disease of the person right to the core.
When one give Dharma to others, it is the best gift ever to ourself and others, because Dharma is the applicable, logical and most profound philosophy of life that liberate oneself from suffering of samsara. Like what Rinpoche mention ‘If the perfect Buddha never spoke, there would be no path, no antidote, no method, no end and no recognition of need to escape.’
Rinpoche has given the recipe that is proven and time tested, and Rinpoche is one perfect example of a great Dharma Teacher with compassion, knowledgeable in dharma and posses the skilfull means and endless enthusiasm to encounter difficulties for others to teach us Dharma. If we follow this ‘recipe’ we will become a knowledgeable and experience Dharma Teacher that can benefit others.
Thank you Rinpoche for explaining this wonderful practice and the necessary requirement for one to become a Dharma Teacher.
With folded hand.
I like Lama Tsongkhapa teaching because he emphasize on education. Through education only, we able to understand the Buddha’s teaching, through education, we understand the meaning of the tantric etc.
A Dharma teacher is very hard to be, i always admire who teach Dharma. To me, is too hard, 1st criteria- strong memory. 2nd- able to understand the Dharma properly , 3rd- able to use the Dharma in daily life, while interact with people etc, 4th- as role model, 5th- able to understand and catch what is the root cause of the student thought/ people point of view. In my point of view, A Dharma teacher is the one who can reach enlightenment real fast, because he/she really have to learn the Dharma into heart and practice Dharma in day to day activities. Is like what H.E Tsem Rinpoche said : “In short, eat Tsongkapa, breathe Tsongakapa, think Tsongkapa, meditate Tsongakapa, become Tsongakapa, sleep Tsongkapa
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After finished read through this article I am realized that become a dharma teacher or I want to teach dharma it not so easy only teach. The most important part or be consider most difficult part is must know how to GIVING.
GIVING not only material such as money, or your asset, there can be your emotional, your feeling…one person I find out he really practice GIVING very perfectly is Rinpoche. I had followed around 3 years, I used my own eyes saw how Rinpoche practice GIVING, it is really, really, really amazing!!!
Dharma teacher not only teach….
Thanks to Pastor Yek Yee. You said it all on giving. It is really not easy to give, especially to give without agenda. To surrender our self to do Dharma without agenda. I’m aware i’m still far away. I must remind myself when every times i do or serve anything.
We are extremely fortunate to be able to connect with LamaTsongkhapa’s practice in this life. As told in Rinpoche’s book, Gurus For Hire, all 84,000 of the Buddha’s Teachings are seeded within the Guru Yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa. When we practice the Guru Yoga properly, we open a channel to connect with the Buddha and nurture the seed of Buddhahood that is within us. So many benefits within a short concise practice. It’s truly the best break we can hope to get in life.
Thank you for the practice Rinpoche.