Tales With My Lama : Audience With Tsem Rinpoche
Pastor David has been a student of His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche for over 15 years and within the ‘Tales With My Lama’ series of articles, he explores his spiritual relationship with Rinpoche, sharing anecdotes, stories, observations and little Dharma nuggets. It is all told to inspire others for their own spiritual relationship with their teachers.
Audience With Tsem Rinpoche
Simply watching Rinpoche on YouTube is incredible – he is very clear, concise, profound and funny even in these recorded teachings. Many people yearn to meet him in person but are unable to do so. So, I thought I might share a little about what he is like up close and personal.
In person, Rinpoche is so much more than any video could ever convey. These days, most people meet Rinpoche in an audience room, which is a traditional setting for meeting a high lama. During an audience, Rinpoche is adorned in his monastic robes and sits on a large chair or sofa that resembles a short Tibetan teaching throne. There are always shrines in the room as well as a larger-than-life picture of his guru, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche to bless and inspire the beholder.
Click on image to enlarge
Rinpoche explained that he was inspired to do this by Dr Lobsang Dolma after visiting her clinic in Dharamsala many years ago. The doctor had a large picture of Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, her root teacher, on the wall behind her desk. She told Rinpoche that she healed people’s bodies while her teacher healed their minds.
During an audience, Rinpoche is informal despite the somewhat formal setting. He speaks English with an American accent and has the uncanny ability to relate obscure Buddhist teachings to the average person. Rinpoche always speaks in a simple and approachable way.
Listening to him, you would never be able to tell that he is in fact very ill and often pushing himself through an excruciating migraine. It is believed that highly-attained tulkus have the ability to absorb negative karma from others and experience it in the form of illness.
During an audience, Rinpoche does not talk only about Dharma. He is extremely well read on a broad range of interests and subject matters, something evident from the broad range of topics on his blog – www.tsemrinpoche.com. Interestingly, Rinpoche is able to weave the concept of Dharma into almost any conversation and make it relatable to just about anybody. He does not just preach Buddhism in the traditional sense but encourages people to seek their own spiritual path or delve deeper into their own spiritual journey.
Ever since I knew Rinpoche, he had always preferred not to convert or encourage students of other lamas to come to Kechara. In fact, there was a real-life occasion that I witnessed when Rinpoche had tried to dissuade a group of students of another lama who were interested to join Kechara. Rinpoche feels that the spiritual relationship with an authentic lama is sacred and that people should do their best to work out their differences and not give up so easily. Otherwise, going from one lama to another would only lead to confusion as each lama’s teaching style and method is different. As a result of this confusion, one would not gain any result from one’s spiritual practice.
On the mystical side, Rinpoche has a keen sense of intuition about people and situations. He is able to perceive things about individuals, their characters, the issues that they are experiencing and even what is to come. This is often called clairvoyance but Rinpoche prefers to call it ‘fast-forwarding’. Sometimes he ascribes this ability to nothing more than decades of experience in meeting and counselling thousands of people. It is through this special ability that Rinpoche is able to benefit people and help them solve their problems.
Nobody who comes into Rinpoche’s presence leaves without a gift, be it food, pictures, statues, pendants, mugs, t-shirts or other gifts. He says that it is always a joy to give and he is extremely thoughtful about picking a gift that suits the recipient. Every entity, whether animal, person, or spirit around Rinpoche is always on the receiving end of his kindness and generosity.
That’s just how Rinpoche is.
For more interesting information:
- Tales With My Lama : Laugh Away Your Ego
- Tales With My Lama: Why Rinpoche Has To Suffer
- Tales With My Lama : Larger than Life
- Tales with my Lama – Manjushri
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
It is always wonderful and interesting to read and know about being close up and personal with Rinpoche. How wonderful it would be if i had the chance to have an audience when he was around. Hope i have merits to meet his incarnation very soon. Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor David for this beautiful sharing! 🙏😍🔥🌈👏👏
To learn the dharma from the books and to observe a living Buddha in action is a totally different experience to me. Reading builds up the foundation so that I can expect and understand what I am going to experience in real life situation, whereas to observe a real compassionate Guru in action makes the Buddha Dharma alive and very relevant to us.
Thanks Pastor David for sharing his first-hand experience with Rinpoche which is extremely precious. I was lucky to be invited to some of Rinpoche’s audiences too. To me, the very interesting part is how I interpret whatever I observe during an audience and how much I can zoom in to a specific detail is very much depends on how much Dharma I have put into practice and how devoted I am to my Guru. Therefore, it’s not surprising to listen to different opinions, feelings shared by different attendees of an audience. All are true and real, yet each will have their own way of interpreting a guru’s action. There’s no single standard correct answer to that. But one thing for sure: The more we are true to ourselves in dharma, the more we can feel our Guru’s compassion.
Pastor David has given an excellent insight into what Rinpoche is, someone who is always helping and caring for others through the Dharma in spite of the pain he is suffering. Rinpoche spends his time constantly thinking of ways to benefit others, help them reduce their sufferings and to guide them towards the path to eventual attainments. Rinpoche is not only generous with gifts and food, but the most generous is his time spent. Rinpoche has a knack for enthralling his audiences with his teachings, timely jokes in between teachings and giving relatable examples, generally making his teachings very personal and at the level each could understand. It is our great fortune to be able to call him our Guru. Thank you Pastor David for your sharing and may our Guru continue to turn the Wheel of Dharma and live long in good health. ?
Dear Pastor David,
Thank you for sharing these precious intimate moments you had with Rinpoche and your thoughts for the world to have the opportunity to get a glimpse of our dear Lama. Indeed you and I are extremely fortunate to be able to have spent so much precious intimate moments with Rinpoche and the way you have shared these moments really give people a window into Rinpoche’s life, being and who he truly is, a Boddhisattva amongst us.
I really like your concise and sweet synopsis of each eventful moment as they are very profound and allows the reader to take in and go away understand a little bit more about Rinpoche. So much gratitude to have and so fortunate we are to be able to cross path with Rinpoche. Yes you are very right, Rinpoche will never say he is clairvoyant though we have seen so many times Rinpoche’s ability to see through us, even the slightest thought we have, Rinpoche knows. I have always been amazed about it and I am convinced that Rinpoche can read our minds, so it’s really pointless for us to play any mind games because it would be an end game for us especially our EGO lol.
So thank you for sharing with the world our precious Lama’s thoughts, qualities, teachings and interesting hobbies and moments which is a all skilful play to entice us kids into practising and doing some Dharma to gain some form of merits. It always amazes me how skiful Rinpoche is in everything he does. Thank you again for your sharing, it was a delightful read about our precious Lama.
Thank you Pastor David for sharing about audiences with Rinpoche. I had the good fortune of joining and preparing for these audiences and totally agree with what you have shared.
It may be “the same” of which Rinpoche talks to them, get to know them, see what they need, give them advice on practice, and send them off with gifts and make sure they have a snack or meal before they leave, but every audience is a unique experience. Rinpoche makes it so because of Rinpoche’s care. Rinpoche will consider the person’s background, what the person likes/dislikes, and most of all, what can equip or help the person best at that particular point of time and also in the long run, including what can help the person’s family too! Rinpoche compassionately does that year after year, although Rinpoche himself is a very private person, and doesn’t really like to meet a lot of people or talk to a lot of people.
It is also very true that many times, Rinpoche was very ill, and often due to the need of the person to receive help and advice, or simply because Rinpoche doesn’t want the person to miss an opportunity for practice that Rinpoche would stay up stretching even 12-15 hours (sometimes more) past Rinpoche’s usual bedtime, not eating or drinking for hours so that the person in audience could concentrate, battling migraine, gastric and fever just to meet and counsel people. When reflecting on the quality of a kind spiritual guide, I guess this is one of the shining example of practising compassion, always putting others ahead of one, without expecting anything in return. How fortunate we are to be inspired by such a teacher, and may we too work hard towards benefiting others with that same attitude and passion.
Thank you Pastor David. What you have said is so true. I’ve also read the comments here and appreciate what everybody has written. What else is there to say except to practise what His Eminence teaches and transform our minds in order to benefit others. This is the best way to repay our Guru’s kindness.
Thank you Pastor David Lai for this short sharing of our Guru . Yet quite details to know and understand some of the personality of our Guru. Do agree not everyone are fortunate to have an audience with Tsem Rinpoche. Been able to watch Rinpoche and hearing from YouTube teachings is a blessing for me. Rinpoche always make it simple and understandable in most of the teachings. I am still learning anyway, trying to absorb little by little. Rinpoche works very hard throughout the night and sometimes day too. Just to benefits all of us which I truly appreciate.
Reading all the beautiful blog comments I have a better understanding of who Rinpoche is. One who is truly loves by all….a simple monk who has highly esteemed for his profound extensive knowledge, practice and teachings. I have too received many gifts from Rinpoche such as statue, thangkas, books , and so forth . Rinpoche have the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness. Rinpoche’s strong sense of generosity is felt by many of us . This no words to describe how fortunate for me to get to know Rinpoche, learning and practicing Tibetan Buddhism from scratch.
Thank you Rinpoche with folded hands.
What a nice article from Pastor David, and it represents what Rinpoche is like.
As Pastor David said, Rinpoche also has a strong intuition about what each person need and what advice should be given to them and by doing so Rinpoche is able to help them effectively.
I remember when I met Rinpoche about 14 years ago, Rinpoche gave me many gifts to support my practice (e.g., statues, books, and malas). I was in awe of Rinpoche’s generosity, especially considering that it was my first encounter with Rinpoche and Rinpoche gave me relevant advice to me although I did not say much about my situation at the time.
Throughout the years, I have witnessed Rinpoche’s generosity to all beings he met including animals and people in the less fortunate circumstances. It is not unusual for Rinpoche to stop his travel to feed a hungry stray dog or to help a homeless.
Wherever he goes and whoever he meets, Rinpoche always uses every second of his life to benefit those who are in contact with him.
Valentina
Pastor David has given us a very good summary of who our Rinpoche is – an extraordinary being who claimed to be a nobody, just like how His Holiness the Dalai Lama insisted to be a simple monk. Rinpoche works very hard and often go without rest for days. Rinpoche’s personal needs or conditions never stop Rinpoche from giving, caring and guiding people in need.
Rinpoche always think about people’s needs when Rinpoche meet a new group of people and never stop improving the conditions of those around Rinpoche. Rinpoche consistently thinks about improving our Dharma work and activities, our environment and spiritual growth. Every action Rinpoche carries out benefit many in different levels. Every person who is part of the beneficial action will receive teaching, realisation, experience, breakthrough, understanding or positive feelings and etc. merely by being in Rinpoche’s presence.
Rinpoche is very creative which we can easily see by the vast area of Rinpoche’s interest and knowledge, as well as Rinpoche’s benevolent works to bring dharma to many. It is very hard to not feel Rinpoche’s guru devotion, compassion, kindness, patience and generosity among all other good qualities Rinpoche has.
We are extremely lucky to be accepted as Rinpoche’s students. The amount of time, love, care in any way consistently shared and poured onto us unconditionally and limitless by Rinpoche are beyond words. No one would ever do this for us, not even our parents, selflessly, timelessly, limitlessly without asking anything in return. All we have to do is to be kind, caring and basically accept our faults and improve ourselves under the gigantic shelter of true compassion and wisdom of the emanation of Manjushri and VajraYogini, our beloved Guru, yidam, teacher, parent, sibling, leader, best friend, doctor, psychiatrist, chef, guardian, angel…His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche.
Thank you, Pastor David for the short write up about Rinpoche. It is very true that Rinpoche lives to benefit the people around him and sometimes in ways that other people could not understand. But rest assured, Rinpoche only benefits and does not harm. Whenever Rinpoche meets people, Rinpoche says that he always finds a way to leave an impact in their lives. Together with words and gifts, Rinpoche always manage to do his wonders on the people he met.
It is evident for Rinpoche to have clairvoyance and I have experienced it a few times. Rinpoche is a very traditional high lama that does not boast of his abilities. He is always humble and gives credits to his Guru for things that he has done right.
I also saw how Rinpoche will “absorb” other people’s karma and that karma will be manifested as illness on Rinpoche. The most common one will be a migraine. Rinpoche often suffer head-splitting migraine during and after audiences. When the case is more severe, Rinpoche’s migraine will be worse. This I have seen many times.
Whenever Rinpoche has an audience it’s always beneficial for the people. Sometime there will be un expected incident happen but it’s for the benefit for the audiences. I’m fortunate to experienced numerous times in the audience room and witness how Rinpoche help the people with Rinpoche’s skilful means. One thing for sure is that Rinpoche would able to tell and relate to that person what he/she going through and sometime from there something open up and make someone karma open for purification. Even sometimes from the audience one will be given certain practice to help themselves and some may be just conversation but that particular conversation opens up their mind and benefited them. Every single action from Rinpoche is always with the motivation to help someone. This is how Rinpoche operate and even just a small gift by Rinpoche but it’s well thought and Rinpoche will make sure it’s beneficial for that person.
Audience with Rinpoche is like gift, a special gift that from our merits that enable us to benefited from the higher being.
Thank you Pastor David for sharing with us your personal experience with Tsem Rinpoche. Not everyone has the good fortune to be close to a high lama. This is the side of Tsem Rinpoche that we are not able to see but yet will help us gain more faith in Tsem Rinpoche.
To most of us, Tsem Rinpoche is someone with a superpower but little did we know Tsem Rinpoche is also like us, he will fall sick, not feeling well too. It is amazing to know even though Tsem Rinpoche is suffering from great pain during audiences, but no one will know it because he looks normal. His motivation to make a positive impact on someone’s life surpasses the physical pain he is experiencing. How many of us can actually do that?
Tsem Rinpoche is very humble not just because of his vows but because he does not think he is of any difference from us. He wants to show us if we are determined and always focus out, we will be able to achieve so much more in life. Hardship is unavoidable in the process of striving for something good.
Thank you Pastor David for your sharing about Rinpoche, while reading this article, it reminded me of the first time I met Rinpoche, he never speak to me about Dharma at all, it was a casual chatting but you will notice, along the chat, there will always elements of Dharma in it. Because Rinpoche is a type of person that he will use every opportunity to share Dharma with others and it is so skillful that Rinpoche’s Dharma teaching is not forcing down to your throat until you couldn’t breath, there is so much joy that you will want to continue to listen to Rinpoche.
When I attend Rinpoche’s Dharma teaching, I will never felt bored or un-interesting, because Rinpoche always relate the Dharma content into our real practical life, there is so much for us to relate to and to think about then to reflect to ourselves.
The first time when I attended Rinpoche’s teaching in Kechara House 2 in Sunwaymas, during the teaching, I kept thinking that is Rinpoche talking about me? Is Rinpoche trying to send the message to me? Why is the content so about me. Then after few days later, only I found out that people attended the teaching that night is having the same thought exactly just like mine. This clearly shows that Rinpoche’s teaching is not just specifically for certain people but it is suitable for everyone who attended the teaching.
I fully agreed with what Pastor David said, Rinpoche will always pushed himself so much that even he is ill, he will never show it to the public or taking it as a reason for not teaching, just like the many times I heard, there are times when Rinpoche is having very bad migraine, but the moment Rinpoche heard someone is sick or passed away, Rinpoche will immediately sit up from his bed and do prayer for that person.
I’m sure just the few lines here is still good enough to explain who Rinpoche is, and in fact, just words alone not enough to describe Rinpoche because his kindness and compassion is simply over what we can think of.