Picnic & puja in the mountains
Dear friends,
I went up to the mountains with 19 of my students to enjoy a picnic, dharma talk and puja in the mountains today March 11, 2012. We went to an area that is around 1.2 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.. I live in Kuala Lumpur. Some of my students started preparing from yesterday for today’s special outing. Yesterday we were super busy as I had to conduct a wedding in Kechara so we had lot of preparations and work yesterday. But everyone managed and worked really hard. The wedding was very successful (will blog soon)…after today’s outing I asked JJ to write up a short description of our outing which we all enjoyed very much. Take a read and see the pictures below. I will go again and will take people with me to this location for puja and picnic…I love the greens, mountains and outdoors so very much….
Those who are always available to do dharma work I like to take them up. Easier for me to invite them as they make their timing flexible and usually do very good work which I appreciate. The people who usually work very hard and sincerely and have flexible timing helps me decide who I invite with me..I love all my friends and students of course…But I especially love it when people do their dharma work perfectly. It touches my heart when people do work well that benefits others. Thank you everyone for your hardwork and spiritual progress. Give your all to others through Kechara, it really touches me…I also thank Martin, Paris, Su Ming, Levi, POs, Rajendra, Ram and everyone who made this outing so special and blessed…they worked very hard… We all enjoyed it so much…I did very much so.
Tsem Rinpoche
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Rinpoche’s longing to be in the forest has been well known since the very first days I met Rinpoche. It is Rinpoche’s deepest wish to be up in the mountain forests doing prayers, retreats, meditations and practices long term. Rinpoche wanted to share this experience with us city folks and had the Ladrang staff and POs arranged for a picnic outing in the forests combined with a puja.
The day started with one group heading out to the picnic place to help setup. One of Rinpoche’s students spent the entire day before to help pave the road leading to the forest land which Rinpoche wanted us to visit.
The journey there was a pleasant drive with a feast of forest green views along the way. As we approached the picnic place, there was a small drizzle of rain. Rinpoche and a few others were escorted up in a truck while the rest of us took a short walk up to a slope where there was a space set up with a shed ready for us.
Rinpoche took us around the land to show us the place and how Rinpoche liked the greens and its vast surroundings. The sky was clear and Rinpoche told us what he liked about the land. Rinpoche made us all quiet and calm down. When we were silent, what we heard was just the buzzing of the bugs, the sound of the running water in from a nearby stream and also the sound of the breeze. It was an amazing experience being able to listen to just nature.
Rinpoche then continued to explain that in order to benefit the beings and animals for such a foresty land, we can build stupas or erect large images of enlightened beings. Animals and other beings living in the place which circumambulate the stupas and images will plant seeds of enlightenment for their future lives.
We then moved in under the shed where we tucked into our food and together with Rinpoche. It was a nice and peaceful afternoon hanging out in the wilderness of nature. The place reminded him a lot of the book “My side of the Mountain” – Rinpoche shared with us the story which he read when he was a child.
We all took a second helping of food and then Rinpoche did a short puja to bless the land and the beings living in it. We all joined in together with Rinpoche to pray for the beings in the land to be blessed.
Rinpoche said he liked the place very much and didn’t want to come back to concrete city life with us and very much wanted to stay back but couldn’t. Rinpoche really felt at home in the surrounding of greeneries and is really happy.
It was not just a nice outing with Rinpoche, nor just an enjoyable picnic but as always, with Rinpoche, outings such as these are infused with the Dharma. Rinpoche made prayers for everyone who is connected with him to be blessed with Lama Tsongkhapa’s tradition and eventually be able to receive the highest blessings of Tantra by Vajrayogini.
by JJ Chong
The path up around the small mountain toward our picnic area….
Here I am almost arriving to the area we are setting up for pujas and short dharma talk in the mountains..
Admiring the view of the area we visited today..I love this solitary tree on the left and rising hill on the right..it has alot of meaning to me…I’ll explain another time…These were good omens to me and I have my reasons.
Sitting down in the outdoor covered area, relaxing, talking, having a picnic and pujas..
This is our group walking through the paths..can see someone in the distance in white T-shirt..
Martin had set up a small generator so we had a nice fan blowing…very pleasant.
Levi and Julia did such a great job to prepare all the delicious food for all of us..Thank you!
A dharma talk in the mountains….nice picnic afterwards..Martin did a great job arranging everything even the nice plants in our little shelter..thank you!
We had a very enjoyable time….everyone did such good preparations today and I was so happy with them…Here’s JJ and I..
We did pujas and prayers till it was dark. I loved it..we just heard the beautiful sounds of nature…no cars, no trucks, no vehicles…during our puja and meditations..
Julia and Levi prepared wonderful picnic goodies for us. Martin did two days of preparations for our picnic and puja in the mountans…he worked hard. POs did alot of packing of cushions, sadhana books etc…We drove 1.2 hours from Kuala Lumpur.
People who joined me today were:
Datuk May Phng, Paris, Pastor Loh Seng Piow, Su Ming, Martin, Bryan, Ethan, JJ, Carmen, Girlie, William, Lew, Beng Kooi, Jean Mei, Dr. Jiang, Levi, Rajendra, Ram, and Julia…
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Wild Woman of the Jungle
While we were in the midst of our picnic, I looked at Paris and was inspired to tell the story of the wild wild wild woman that I made up on the spot..hehehe…Paris of course is the wild woman of the jungle…You might like it…read it and let me know…see here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/etc/the-wild-woman-of-the-jungle.html
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[…] Picnic & puja in the mountains […]
Looking at the photos now brings back memories! I remember standing in front of Kechara Forest Retreat with a group of Kecharians and Rinpoche when there was nothing yet. Now when I look at Kechara Forest Retreat, I am so happy with the progress! Its going to be magnificent and amazing! I cant wait for the whole place to be done and see people from everywhere, pouring in!
Feel like the picnic was just happened a few days ago. At that time I just joined Ladrang for a few weeks. I was so happy to be there with everyone. Rinpoche taught us how to bless the land by chanting mantra and visualizing Rinpoche sitting on our shoulders. All of us spread out and blessed the land. We had a great time. Rinpoche was very happy and He enjoyed the nature of this place so much. We even started thinking and plotting where is Rinpoche’s office and room gonna be! Of course we thought about where our office, kitchen and rooms gonna be. When Rinpoche asked “When?” and everyone looked at DM. Then Rinpoche laughed. We seriously cannot wait to move here. Hope it can be the next day. I want to come back to this place again very soon. I must create the cause to be here. It cannot be just happen by talking about it but all of us must make it happen.
According to the KFR committee all the S & P for the purchase of the KFR land are signed. We are just waiting for minor details for the completion.
Professionals are working on lay out plans. Head of the project, Datuk May, estimates the first phase of the Retreat Village should be completed within 24 months.
Our dream is turning into reality !
So nice now we can have a place in nature that we can go visit, it is so good to be able to get away from the concrete jungles that we are so very used to. It is one the edge of the jungles and hills and still very wild, animals attracted to food or noise or lights do come by to visit. I can just imagine doing walking meditation at this area. 🙂 The thought of this place gets me excited.
[…] have already arranged electricity, water and even internet (soon). We will have Dharma picnics, sharing, walks, pujas and relaxation at this place. I will invite people to join me […]
good work well done to all and congratulation on work done in difficulut circumstance
Thank you for sharing Rinpoche. What a fantastic Dharma picnic outing and it’s something new and fun too. I can see all of you have great fun, great moments with our precious Guru and all of the dharma sisters and brothers 🙂
I wish I have the opportunity to join next time 🙂 I love this kind of learning trip, as it’s also create a closer bonding with the dharma friends.
The forest is such a beautiful place with lushes of greens all around, with mountains slope around make it so beautiful. How wonderful of the members who joined Rinpoche for the picnic on the mountains and foraging through the forest, and doing pujas together with Rinpoche in the nature to blessed the sentient being around, wow i can imagine the peacefulness and serene environment with natures sound all around while doing puja. Nice.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
It was an amazing day and really quite historical. For the first time ever, we could be in a place exactly as Rinpoche had imagined his whole life – surrounded by trees with nothing except the sounds of crickets, birds and a gurgling stream to keep us company. As Rinpoche did prayers there and made his wishes, it began to rain just as Rinpoche recited the dedications – an auspicious sign for all our future works to flourish, especially for our retreat center.
We also had a fantastic picnic, to beat all picnics!! (Thank you to Julia and levi for the many hours of preparation). It wasn’t just about stuffing our faces though. Rinpoche explained that he had planned for a picnic, and for us to eat together in the hills, as a sign that this is something we can do many more times in the future together up in the hills.
Most of all, it was just such a happy afternoon to see Rinpoche so happy, so content being in a place which he has always dreamed of being in. May there be many more picnics, many more retreats in the forest and much, much more birdsong.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this excursion with us on the blog. As usual, Rinpoche has shown us that dharma can be incorporated in our lives. Even going on a picnic can be dharmic and a wonderful experience!
Kudos to the organisers for such a good job done. Attention to details for the comfort of the day-trippers is not missed either.
JJ, you did a good write-up. When describing part of the outing, I could envision as if I was there on the “One Tree Hill”, breathing the fresh air.
May whatever Rinpoche had planned for this area manifests…
Thank you Rinpoche and JJ for sharing with us such a lovely afternoon outing with us ! I’ve always loved Nature , and what more lovely is to be ONE with Nature , with a Dharma teaching by Rinpoche , in the company of dear Dharma brothers and sisters! Jamie told me it’s a teddy bear’s picnic in the woods. I want to be a teddy bear to attend the next picnic , please .
Love the green surroundings.A nice place to listen to Dharma and enjoy the fresh atmosphere.A paradise on earth!Thank you Rinpoche for the lovely photos.
Quite an awe-inspiring forested mountain scene. If only this entire mountain-area could be riddled with waterfalls, rockpools and mountain-streams, would make this scenic beauty area more fully complete. This place will draw in more practioners and people to visit, so as to escape from the city stresses, to a place filled with peaceful tranquility and rare silence; a place that manages to remain almost entirely unaffected by development! This is also in line with our Rinpoche’s wish to stay in the shadow of the mountain which could bring immediate breathing space and a chance to unwind amongst the mountainous trees and forests in tranquility.
the solitary tree must be a sign of enlightenment.bodhi tree.i guess.someone will emerge become a sage to dispel the darkness in this age of turbidity.
What a few of us enjoyed so much that day, is exactly what Rinpoche would like everyone to experience and benefit from in KWPC. There is something about being with nature that lets us forget our hang-ups and angst even if its for a day.
I was profoundly moved by how much Rinpoche loves to be in the forest and in that instant I was reminded again of how Rinpoche has forgone everything that he may have preferred for himself to be with us and to teach us.
What a wonderful and joyful retreat for everyone from the city.. How serene & peaceful place to listen nature, Dharma talk and meditation.. It seems like Heaven on Earth..
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this wonderful post. Back to the nature with the greens and forest. Sure there are birds, inserts natural sound….how nice!
JJ updates was superb, this trip i visualized as dharma picnic trip with guru.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing. I really want to extend my best wishes to everyone who participated and helped in this happy and meaningful event. Mountains and jungles do give us the peaceful and calm environment.
Thank you Rinpoche & JJ for sharing this nice update with us.
I have been to the place once with another group of dharma friends. It is a place condicive for meditation and spiritual learning just as what Rinpoche had indicated to us.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the photos and story.
Mountains are the BEST PLACE for Dharma practitioners! 😀
Great outing! I love nature, I love jungle, I love tree, I love mountain, I love green too. How beautiful can have puja and learn dharma at place surrounded by green plants and fresh air!
When doing my daily sadhana, I always imagine I’m sitting in a green land next to a small river, surrounded by trees, animals and cool air. It makes me energetic, relax and peace everyday. hehe!
Thanks for sharing Rinpoche.
With Love,
VP
Wonderful break, all of you need that, do more often. See sunsets,maybe see sun rise,magic. Good place to learn Dharma. All nice people, lucky to be near Rinpoche.
The mountains are beautiful and the trip was also very fun. Thank you Jj for capturing everything in your words. I like the tree cos it just stand out from the rest. Such a lovely place to relax and do meditation. Really out from the bustling city sounds. A really great day out with Rinpoche and dharma brothers and sisters.
Thank you Rinpoche and JJ for sharing. It’s such a beautiful place.
So happy that Rinpoche like the place and thanks to all the students who put in effort to make it happened.
May more people and I have the chance to do retreat in that place, with mother nature. ..
Rinpoche sure looks at home among the trees and on the hills. Yes, this place is scenic and in tune with nature. A really fantastic place to chill out as seen from the pictures. I would love to stay in such a place.
Thank you Rinpoche for always creating fun and innovative Dharma activities. A usually simple and common picnic event turned into an unforgettable experience that benefits participants and animals in the area through the infusion of pure Dharma by a skilful Guru.
I also admire the effort put in by students to ensure that Rinpoche and invited guests are comfortable. Although we may assume this is a “should”, such ability to focus out on others is rare. I dare say that such quality is brought forth by the patient nurturing of Rinpoche and consistent exposure to Kechara energy.
May more people be blessed by the teachings of Rinpoche so that we can slowly but evidently create caring results and relationships in our lives.
Not just a picnic. Rinpoche must have gone there to bless the land and all the beings thereon, seen and unseen. How fortunate. Thank you Rinpoche.
Wow, very beatiful and serene place, lots of green and far away from City polution. This is like the wonderland for nature lovers.
What a serene and beautiful place to have dharma talks and to do pujas with good company and good food. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this dharma outing with us. Rinpoche has always love the lush green mountains and may whatever Rinpoche plans to do in this mountain materialized soon.
I was there with Rinpoche and the lovely group. Going for a picnic and going to the mountains is not new to me, BUT going for a Dharma Picnic, wow is really out of this world.
We breathed fresh air (some of us not used to it and felt so relaxed that they felt like falling asleep) learnt Dharma, had great laughs and most of all being with our Precious Guru.
I hope that Rinpoche will go more often and invite more Kecharians with him. What a blessing!
Thank you, Martin for such great preparation of the premises, Ladrang team with Mama Julia leading with the food.
An experience I will cherish forever.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful day. This feels as a very blessed occasion. Hope you all will return many, many times.
Be happy and be well, enjoy! with love, rita
Wow, very beutiful place! Everyone must have had a great time =) puja, dharma talk and picnic in the forest… can life get any better than this?
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this with us. JJ did a very nice write up, made feel like i was practically there lol!
I hope one day my mum and I can follow Rinpoche to the forest too, to listen to Dharma talks and do pujas. It will be so wonderful.
What a wonderful and beautiful place for picnic and Dharma! I rejoice that our Dharma friends and Rinpoche went on the trip. Rinpoche has been yearning for the mountains for such a long time. It came from his many incarnations of doing meditations in the mountain. Rinpoche has been a highlander and shall always be. I so happy for Rinpoche and our friends.
It’s nice and cooling to be in the mountains doing prayers with the nature behind the background 🙂 am sure all of them must have enjoyed it cheers
Such a meaningful outing and with dharma family members. Nice!
I love what you wrote : ‘We did pujas and prayers till it was dark. I loved it..we just heard the beautiful sounds of nature…no cars, no trucks, no vehicles…during our puja and meditations..’ I want to add to that; …no cars, no trucks, no vehicles, no interviews, no photoshoots, no plastic superficial socialites wannabes…May I one day be there, doing my retreat, just me and my YIDAM, all alone….such tranquility….
Greens, soft breeze, buzzing of birds and bees, holy puja, perfect guru and dharma brothers and sisters – is this KECHARA on earth? 🙂 I think so….
I sincerely thank Rinpoche for inviting me to this outing.
The part I like the most, is when doing our walking puja, I walked up the small hill, and I hear my Lama chanting and the sound of bell and damaru… suddenly I feel I am in Nepal or Tibet…
I never thought I would be doing any Dharma work a few years back, let alone doing pujas, etc, but somehow, the more I do Dharma work, the more I feel like I am going home.
I really thank all the people who worked so hard to have this outing such an enjoyable trip. It is just so enjoyable to be able to work with people who just accomplish the job without complaints. 🙂
Thank you Rinpoche and JJ for such wonderful updates at the mountains. I can see that the place is VERY BEAUTIFUL! Am very happy you all enjoyed yourselves with the pujas and FOOD!
May whatever Rinpoche plan to do at this mountain be successful and always benefiting!
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this wonderful dharma excursion trip with us here. Rinpoche has always loves the mountains, and be surrended by nature. I am sure those who went along would find it refreshing to be in the arms of nature.
Doing pujas and aspiration prayers in the midst of the forest is definitely another experience than in the temple. So many beings in the forest have been blessed by Rinpoche’s presence.
I rejoice for all those who had worked hard to prepare for this trip and to have the wonderful opportunity to be there!
Lovely location to have pujas, dharma talks and picnic there, fresh air, unpolluted,quiet and peaceful.I can see from the pictures everyone is enjoying and relaxing in this outing i rejoice. Hope i’ll have the opportunity to follow Rinpoche there one day.
Whatever Rinpoche does and says makes me cry with joy!
The idea of building stupas and Buddha statues in such places always fascinated me. I was just brewing in my mind to have one on my grandparents’ land which is surrounded by forest and lying fallow and the residents all long gone, only the memories of the good old times and wild animals lingering there. Rinpoche’s mention of this topic strongly reinforces me…Thank you Rinpoche.
Tsem Rinpoche Khyenno!
Wow.. thank you for sharing about this wonderful Dharma trip to the forest! The photos look so lovely. i rejoice for all the people who worked hard to make the preparations for Rinpoche and the group and hope that this will be the beginning of many pujas, picnics and very exciting Dharma activities in that area!
What a beautiful place to have a dharma talk and propitiate the Five Sisters of Long Life (I know you didn’t propitiate them but they love beautiful places and flowers). Too bad there was no video to go with it and upload to youtube lol. Those red flowers look beautiful and very strange. Must have been a good day.
Wow, this is great! And the people made so much effort to make everything beautiful, even the potted plants in the shed, nice touch!
Beautiful get-together in gorgeous, peaceful landscape, love it!
So good to have friends in Dharma like this. I hope one day I can visit and maybe join you all for a trip like this.
Nice!