Lama Yeshe’s Brilliant Talk From 1975
Lama Yeshe was a brilliant teacher. He didn’t have formal titles nor was he high ranking within the monastic system, but he sure ranks very high in the hearts of many around the world like me.
Lama Yeshe talks about how to practice at the beginning and at the end of each day during teachings given in London during the Lamas’ first European teaching tour in 1975. Lama Yeshe was a brilliant teacher and I wanted to share this with everyone so his teachings can reach more people. He is someone I met once many years back in Los Angeles when I was 18. I was living in Thubten Dhargye Ling dharma centre headed by H.E. Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen who was hosting teachings by His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche at our centre. Very exciting time. Lama Yeshe stopped in to have audience with Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. Lama Yeshe was very devoted to Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. Lama Yeshe came to Thubten Dhargye Ling and that is when I had the amazing chance to meet him. Even meeting Lama Yeshe for a few minutes fills me with bliss and happiness. He is one of the teachers I admire very much although I have not received any teachings from him. I felt a very strong connection to him and I always felt he is not ordinary although in the form of an ordinary monk.
Tsem Rinpoche
The brilliant Lama Yeshe with the pandit Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. It’s lovely to see two wonderful masters together in the good old days. Wish I was there.
Lama Yeshe escorting His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche after the latter gave a teaching. Lama Yeshe was incredibly devoted to Kyabje Zong Rinpoche and had a very strong connection to Kyabje Zong Rinpoche.
During a teaching by His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche with Lama Yeshe.
Such a beautiful picture of Lama Yeshe with His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. Lama Yeshe practiced and recommended the Dorje Shugden practice to his students and organization. Lama Yeshe relied on Dorje Shugden fully. He felt his organization did well because of the help from Dorje Shugden and Lama Yeshe use to mention this fact during teachings I was told from older students and I read that too. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche did the same and gave numerous initiations of Dorje Shugden to hundreds in the west on his visits.
Lama Yeshe ‘dancing’ away. He always found incredibly fitting methods to bring dharma to his non-Tibetan students. Lama Yeshe was very comical and brought so much joy, laughter and humor to his dharma talks. Such a beautiful soul.
Lama Yeshe would go to the beach with students and found ways to have fun with his students to get closer to them. In this way he was able to give the perfect dharma to many. Lama Yeshe was a brilliant teacher, thinker, visionary and very devoted to his teachers.
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(Photos Lama Yeshe and Zong Rinpoche. Tsem Rinpoche with Lama Zopa in happier times prior to the ban against Dorje Shugden. I really like these photos. They are all over the internet.)
I am a old student of Lama Yeshe and I wish to remain anonymous. I am older now. Lama Yeshe would do Dorje Shugden puja often. If he was alive, he would not have been browbeaten into giving up Dorje Shugden’s practice. After Lama Zopa and FPMT was forced to ‘give’ up this precious practice, I stopped going to FPMT. I never received any teachings from H.H. the Dalai Lama and he is not my guru. Lama Yeshe was my guru. We received this Dorje Shugden practice from Trijang Rinpoche at the urging of Lama Yeshe. FPMT should not have abandoned Dorje Shugden’s practice. How can they abandon the practice of Lama Yeshe who founded FPMT. Lama Yeshe relied on Dorje Shugden fully. It is rumored that Lama Yeshe’s incarnation (Lama Osel) cannot manifest being a successful teacher in this life as FPMT broke their commitment practice to Dorje Shugden as promised to Trijang Rinpoche. This heavy karma of breaking commitment becomes FPMT’s obstacle that Lama Yeshe’s incarnation cannot manifest as a teacher. Too bad. Dorje Shugden cannot punish anyone, but students promised Trijang Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe to do this practice, and the karma of breaking a promise of the guru is what counts and returns as obstacles. In all teachings we consider Trijang Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe as living Buddhas. When getting tantric practice/initiation from them, they are the living Buddhas of the mandala we are being initiated into so they cannot be seen as mistaken in giving Dorje Shugden’s practice. How can we view them as mistaken. If they can be mistaken in giving Dorje Shugden practice to students, then Dalai Lama can be mistaken in banning the practice. If one guru can make mistakes then all gurus including Dalai Lama can make mistakes. Just because Dalai Lama is high ranking does not mean he cannot make mistakes. Dalai Lama listens to Nechung via the oracle to ban the practice. Nechung told Dalai Lama to stop the practice. Nechung is a spirit. Dalai Lama should listen to his guru Trijang Rinpoche to practice Dorje Dorje Shugden and not to a spirit to give up the practice. How can a spirit override the instructions of one’s guru? Nechung never teaches dharma and Trijang Rinpoche taught dharma his whole life to Dalai Lama. Dalai Lama should listen to his teacher and not the spirit Nechung.
I have been following Tsem Rinpoche’s blog for a few years now. I have not read or heard (videos) anything Tsem Rinpoche says that criticizes the Dalai Lama or says anything negative against the Dalai Lama. This is amazing practice. He does his guru proud. Tsem Rinpoche is steadfast in his practice of Shugden because he is keeping his commitment to his guru just as we are taught. Just for this he is criticized and ostracized. That is too bad. Tsem Rinpoche is simply following the rules of Tantric Buddhist practice which is to keep his commitment to his guru and that is why I understand he is doing the Dorje Shugden practice. I commend Tsem Rinpoche for keeping his guru devotion so strong. Tsem Rinpoche is brave in the face of segregation, hatred and ostracizing against him to keep his commitment to his guru so steadfast. I admire this and respect Tsem Rinpoche very much for this. It’s rare to find a Buddhist practitioner who practices not for political correctness but for gaining enlightenment.
Tsem Rinpoche was very close to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. But he was not allowed to see Lama Zopa anymore simply because he did not give up his commitment to his guru Zong Rinpoche to practice Shugden. Tsem Rinpoche has been very respectful of Lama Zopa always and yet he is not allowed to see Lama Zopa only for this reason I was told by other ex-FPMT members. That is wrong. Lama Zopa would in the past call by telephone when he was in the Asia region to Tsem Rinpoche or email Tsem Rinpoche to contact him to meet up whenever Lama Zopa was in Singapore or Malaysia. Now Lama Zopa stopped seeing Tsem Rinpoche only because Tsem Rinpoche chooses to follow his guru’s instruction to practice Dorje Shugden. What is the world coming to? Lama Zopa should embrace Tsem Rinpoche and respect him very much. Tsem Rinpoche did nothing wrong.
The good thing is Tsem Rinpoche is peaceful, calm and patient. He never criticizes Dalai Lama or anyone else that attacks him for his practice. He continues his practice and he is brave to continue and openly. Very honest and admirable.
The many wonderful articles in this blogsite inspired me to speak up about FPMT and their unfair discrimination against Dorje Shugden. Many Dorje Shugden lamas and people made pujas, donations (molney/materials/time) and teachings in FPMT to get it to where it is today. All these things should be returned. Don’t reject Dorje Shugden people but keep their gifts and donations.
I hope Tsem Rinpoche lives very long,
Ex-member of FPMT
(Photos Lama Yeshe and Zong Rinpoche. Tsem Rinpoche with Lama Zopa in happier times prior to the ban against Dorje Shugden. I found these photos on the internet. Beautiful pictures I wanted to share with everyone.)
With deep devotion to the guru, higher meditational insights will arise. Because of not having higher meditational insights, one will not realize the need to have devotion to the guru in order to gain higher insights. They are interdependent.~Tsem Rinpoche
With deep devotion to the guru, higher meditational insights will arise. If one does not have deep devotion to the guru, it is a clear sign one does not have higher meditational insights.~Tsem Rinpoche
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing of Lama Yeshe. Even though it’s a short video yet its a profound teachings . From those pictures shared paints a thousand words of a simple, jovial ,friendly smiling Lama . Lama Yeshe has practiced Dorje Shugden practice throughout his life and gave numerous initiations of Dorje Shugden to hundreds in the west. A good advise from Lama Yeshe to mediate in the morning and before sleep. Meditation in the morning helps us to have a clear , calm and positive mind sets up the day with a good start. When our mind is well rested, refreshed and less things going on in our mind, we set a better tone for the day. Well doing meditation before sleep will clear our mind and give us a better sleep.
Thank you, Rinpoche and the blog team for sharing this short article about Lama Yeshe with us. He is truly a great Dorje Shugden lama. He has devoted his whole life to sharing holy Buddha’s teachings as well as the Dorje Shugden practice. He has been accrediting the success of his Dharma centre to Dorje Shugden and it will not be possible if it wasn’t for Dorje Shugden’s assistance.
He passed away in peace being a Dorje Shugden practitioner and successfully reincarnated back as Lama Osel. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has certified the reincarnation as authentic as well. However, after Lama Yeshe passed into clear light, Dorje Shugden ban was introduced and FPMT decided that they will follow His Holiness’s advice and give up Dorje Shugden practice.
With that FPMT have broken their Guru samaya with Lama Yeshe and that is one of the reasons why Lama Osel now prefers to have a secular life over monkhood. He is now more interested in secular things over Dharma activities. Sooner or later, Lama Osel will be gone from FPMT for good if FPMT does not regret and repent their wrongdoing of rejecting their Guru’s advise.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the powerful and beneficial teachings given by Lama Yeshe. Based on what I have learnt from Lama Yeshe’s teachings, it is important to prepare our mind to be pure and full of positive motivations at the beginning of every morning so that we can continue to be mindful, cultivate positive and virtuous energies throughout the day. All the actions and speeches originate from our mind and hence, it is important to set our mind positively and virtuously in order to deliver positive and virtuous action and speech that can lead us to accumulate merits and also stop us from collecting negative karma. Further, Lama Yeshe urged everyone to meditate and perform purification practice before we go to sleep so that our mind can be cleared from the negativity that we might have created during the day time and we will not continue to create negative energies even during our sleep but our mind will be filled with happiness, peace and joy that can lead us to liberation from samsara.
Although the short video only lasted for 4 minutes, but the wisdom gained is exponentially helpful. May all sentient beings receive the Buddhadharma and able to be liberated from samsara through the practice of Buddhadharma.
Thank you with folded hands,
kin hoe
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