Question asked by Jake
Hi pastors
I live remotely outside of Malaysia and have considered tsem Rinpoche as my guru since watching and learning from his talks for many years.
I practice the dharma and love the Mahayana path particularly , however I am concerned that since I don't live in Malaysia I will never get any Tantric Empowerment and tsem Rinpoche promoted Vajroyaghini practice alot. I heard from a different Lama that without the highest yoga tantras I will never get enlightenment or I will but it will take more and more rebirths. Is it not possible to get full Enlightenment by Tsongkpha and dorje Shugden practice? What am I supposed to do as a student of tsem Rinpoche living outside Malaysia. Thankyou
Dear Jake,
Thanks for your message. Here are some things that you can do:
1. If you are ready to take Tsem Rinpoche as your guru, then you can take refuge. You can contact Front Desk and they can guide you more: https://www.kechara.com/contact/ You can take refuge remotely online, but you should know a little about taking refuge which they will guide you on.
2. Yes, it takes a longer time to reach enlightenment without Highest Yoga Tantra initiation such as Vajra Yogini. However, it is still possible, by following teachings such as the Lamrim. In fact, even before you take initiation, you have to have a firm understanding of the Lamrim and the Three Principal Aspects of the path teachings as they are the foundation of tantric practice.
3. If you consider Tsem Rinpoche to be your guru, you can engage in the practice of his Guru Yoga, available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/instructions-for-tsem-rinpoches-name-mantra-retreat.html. This post is about his mantra retreat, but you can read the relevant sections regarding the Guru Yoga to know more. The Guru Yoga has a specific benefit of creating a connection with Heruka and Vajra Yogini, as explained in the article.
4. Having strong Guru Devotion will actually create the causes to meet with other qualified lamas of the same tradition to help guide you when the guru is not physically around any long as in the case of Tsem Rinpoche. When this happens, its not to say that you switch gurus, but they will be able to guide further in your practice.
5. Tsem Rinpoche has an article which is all about creating a connection with Vajra Yogini so that you create the strong causes to receive her practice in the future and also gives you the points to develop a strong foundational practice before recieving tantra. It’s available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/inspiration-worthy-words/starting-on-vajra-yogini-now.html
I hope all of this helps. You can also contact Kechara House directly (information on the first website link) to ask more questions when you need help.
Thank you.