Stories from a Chela – The Roadside Seller
A ‘chela’ is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘student’. In particular this word refers to the student of a spiritual teacher. Within this series of short posts, I will be sharing stories about His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche. Hopefully through these stories, you will get a glimpse of how Tsem Rinpoche and the Dharma that Rinpoche shares has not only benefited me but countless others.
The Roadside Seller
When we go out and buy something, many of us don’t actually think about the impact it has on another person. Say we go to our local supermarket and buy a packet of crisps or a bottle of juice, and then we go to the cashier to make our purchase. How many of us actually stand there and think about the life of that person?
Are they poor? Do they have a family? Are they supporting their family? Are they in university? We simply do not think about them and if we do, we judge if they are good at their job, if they are quick and if they are friendly.
But, as with our own situations, do we actually realise that they are working in that particular supermarket, or in whatever job, because they actually need to make a living? And knowing that, how do we treat them?
Take a moment to think about the last person you bought something from. Maybe it was a cashier in a supermarket or perhaps it was a waiter at a restaurant. Did you treat them as an actual person with feelings, with an entire background, with a family and them being in their particular situation? We may not but Tsem Rinpoche did.
Kechara Forest Retreat is located in a small town called Bentong, in Pahang State, Malaysia. Those of you who live in Malaysia or have visited, know that there are many roadside stalls, selling items from food to little tourist trinkets. One of these countless roadside stalls (well, it is more like a mat on the floor actually) is located outside one the banks in Bentong.
Kechara Forest Retreat is located in Bentong, Pahang. It’s a typical little Malaysian town.
This stall is managed by a lovely middle-aged woman who sits on the floor selling homemade crackers. When she sets up her mat, I’ve seen her walk to the spot carrying three large bags. Though the bags are light, she is dwarfed by their size. Setting her load down, she sets up in the early morning, goes home during the afternoon due to the heat of the sun, against which she has no shade, and returns in the evening time when cooler. Over the time that I’ve spent seeing this lady there, I’ve only ever seen one or two people actually stopped to notice her and buy her crackers.
As it happened, one day some of us were out with Rinpoche to run some errands, and we drove past her. There was a little bit of traffic, so we were driving somewhat slowly. A couple of seconds after we passed the bank, Rinpoche asked us to go back down the same road again, which meant we would end up driving past the bank again. So we did and as we approached the bank, Rinpoche had us pull over and park the car.
Rinpoche proceeded to get out and approach the woman. After talking to her for a while, asking her about her background, family, etc., we learnt that she was selling homemade crackers because her family needs the income. Her husband is a casual labourer so his income is not always guaranteed. Rinpoche then asked her how much a packet of her crackers was and proceeded to buy every single packet she had brought with her.
Suffice to say, she was overwhelmed and couldn’t stop thanking us profusely. We got back into the car and when we were just about to drive off, Rinpoche asked us to wait in the car. Watching her through the window, Rinpoche explained to us how poor she was. No one who has a choice would subject themselves to frying crackers at dawn and then proceeding to sell them on a mat on the streets, subjecting themselves to the harsh Malaysian sun, if they didn’t really need to.
We watched her pack up her items, roll her mat and then proceed to walk home. Rinpoche smiled and said to us,
“At least today, she has some good income and she will get to spend time with her family.”
When we got back to Kechara Forest Retreat, Rinpoche called me later in the day and told me that whenever I am out in town and go past the bank, if I see the woman again, I should buy all her crackers for the day. It would take a load off her mind and allow her to actually spend time with her family, who she was working so hard for. This isn’t the only time that I’ve seen Rinpoche think of the lives of others, people that most of us, caught up in our self-grasping mind, wouldn’t even think about.
It is not uncommon to see people selling homemade and other products on the side of the streets or on the backs of motorbikes in Malaysia, or even any other part of the world for that matter. But have you ever stopped and thought about the lives of these people?
I remember we were at a diner in the United States. We had just come back from shopping for offerings when Rinpoche thought to treat us all to a nice meal. The waitress serving us was an older woman, kind, sweet and friendly. But Rinpoche sensed that something was wrong.
After we finished and went to our car, Rinpoche asked us for a bouquet of flowers that we had bought as offerings. Rinpoche told us to wait in the car, while he went back inside the diner and called the waitress out to talk with him for a while. As they sat on the bench outside, Rinpoche gifted her the bouquet of flowers. She was taken aback but accepted them. Over the course of 15-20 minutes as Rinpoche talked with her, we could see tears streaming down her face but by the time the conversation had ended, she was smiling and cheerful again. A simple act of kindness and a heartfelt conversation had moved something within her it seemed and by the end of it, she seemed much lighter.
When Rinpoche got into the car, he told us that she had always struggled to make ends meet and to take care of her family. Rinpoche said a simple act of kindness and a conversation can take a load off people’s minds, and can help them with whatever they are going through.
Through Rinpoche’s actions, it is easy to see just how much a small action can really have an impact on a person. Both of the women mentioned felt some relief due to Rinpoche’s actions and what is Buddhism really about, if not about releasing the suffering of others? In order to do that, we must first think about them and their situations. Only then can we know how to help them.
For more interesting information:
- Stories from a Chela – Blessing the Animal Realm
- Stories from a Chela – Real Transformation
- Stories from a Chela – Za Rahula and Strange Habits
- Stories from a Chela – Spiritual Nourishment for All
- Stories from a Chela – The Lama that Builds
- Stories from a Chela – The Teaching in the Tea
- Stories from a Chela – Incense Offering That Saves Lives
- Stories from a Chela – Supernatural Protection
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Thank you for sharing this heart warming story with us Pastor Niral. It is a very warm story that fills my heart with joy and warmth. Rinpoche have always taught us to focus out and take care of the people around us and this will bring us great joy. An act of kindness is so powerful that it can reach the hearts of those who really need help even ,the hearts of the blind as well as the deaf could feel it. And when we do something out of the goodness of our heart without asking for anything in return, we will be rewarded with that kindness as well. Rinpoche will not waste his chance to showcase or practice an act of kindness whenever Rinpoche see another human being, be it family, friends, acquaintance or even a strangers. That’s an example we should follow and always bare in mind. ???
That is the incredible power of #Compassion (#bodhicitta) Rinpoche constantly reminds us to develop without which, any thoughts of #enlightenment is but a futile thought…
Sometimes, once we got a young man knocking at our door to sell us a different energy supplier. It was raining cats and dogs outside, windy, and cold and almost dinner time and my wife would invite him in, make him a cup of tea and offer him biscuits… she’ll tell him we already had the best deal with our current supplier and would not switch but invited him in just for a ‘break’ from the stormy weather outside. She always had this thought ‘ “This young man could be anyone we know, could be our sons or our fathers or brothers and sisters.” Surely, we hope when they are out at work, we hope people would treat them nicely…
It’s our way of spreading a little kindness…
Sometimes it takes only a simple string of words to move our hearts. An act of kindness is so powerful that it can reach the hearts of those who really need help even ,the hearts of the blind as well as the deaf could feel it. And when we do something out of the goodness of our heart without asking for anything in return, we will be rewarded with that kindness as well. Never assume that any deed of kindness is futile. Rinpoche will not waste his chance to showcase or practice an act of kindness whenever Rinpoche see another human being, be it family, friends, acquaintance or even a strangers. That’s an example we should follow and always bare in mind. Even when we know that other people whom we don’t know won’t acknowledge our generosity, don’t let it stop us from being generous to them anyway. Well being kind to others can make the world a much brighter and peaceful place to live , even change the lives of others.
Thank you for this sharing.
We have received much kindness from others. How much kindness do we actually give to others?
Always be kind anyway because kindness affects the giver and the receiver. Be a person who is able to treat others with a little bit more kindness, patience and respects. Everyone deserve to have peace of mind.
Thank you sharing heartwarming snippets like this as not many of us had the privilege to witness Rinpoche’s compassion in action. It’s through stories such as this we remember what a remarkable teacher we have and how we can honour him by emulating his examples and teachings through our own actions.
This is not the only story about how Rinpoche helped others. I remember reading an article about Rinpoche buying lottery tickets from a woman in Thailand so she could end her day earlier with the income she needs for the family. Rinpoche always walked the talks, he didn’t just preach but he showed us how to put his teachings in practice. Never be afraid to be kind and nice to others, and when we are kind to others, it should not be with the intention to get something back from them. Be kind and be generous always, this is how we can make our planet a better living space.
Thank you for sharing this story with us Pastor Niral. It is a very warm story that fills my heart with joy and warmth. Rinpoche had always taught us to focus out and take care of the people around us and this will bring us great joy. Our little actions will have an unimaginable impact on those people who are in need of warmth.
From this story, I learnt about appreciation and gratitude too. Appreciate what we have and grateful for having it. Through this, naturally we would wish the same for others not?
So, we should always be kind. If we can’t help them, even a smile makes a lot of different. That’s the best comfort at that point of time.
I also learnt that kindness should be repeated whenever possible just like in the story where Rinpoche’s kindness and the thought for others didn’t just stop there. Pastor mentioned that Rinpoche instructed that whenever Pastor is in town and go past the bank, Pastor should buy all her crackers for the day, not? To me, that’s effortless kindness. ?
Thank you P Niral, for sharing with us this story that reflects yet another facet of Rinpoche’s boundless care and compassion for others. These are the people whom we encounter in our daily lives and usually dismiss from our minds , like “ships that pass in the night”. Rinpoche shows us that behind each person we encounter in our daily lives, whether it is the supermarket cashier, a waitress in a restaurant or a lady operating a roadside food stall, lies a story. Each of them has a life, a family, a background. They all have feelings too and cares and worries and problems.
Yes, we all forget that as Buddhists, it’s our duty and responsibility to relieve others of suffering. We are mostly caught up in our self-grasping mind. We are mostly so self-absorbed that we lack awareness of and are insensitive to the pain and suffering of others. Just imagine that if we were to just take a little time to stop and talk to them or show a gesture of care, what a difference it would make to their day!