Dear friends,

When we enter the dharma we should find every excuse and method to improve our minds, habits and thinking. We should always find excuses to succeed! We cannot enter dharma and be exactly unchanged year after year. We cannot keep asking for more time to change. After all, it’s not up to any of our friends to grant more time. Time is short and we are running out of it. We cannot blame the methods either. If you have a better method, then by all means apply it. Don’t be lazy about transformation for the better, blaming method because it’s an excuse. If you don’t find the method suitable, then find another method and make sure you transform. Don’t complain, write to others, talking about it over and over. Just remain silent and change. Complaining is buying time to not change and looking for sympathies to justify lack of change perhaps. You don’t abandon transformation blaming method as the reason. If you abandon transformation, then that was your real intention and not the unsuitability of methods. If you’re hungry, you don’t stay hungry just because the food presented is unsuitable. Find different food. Just because a certain school’s teaching methods doesn’t exactly suit you, you don’t stop learning. You don’t remain ignorant blaming methods. You don’t stop learning. Find another method within the school or at home or otherwise. Learning is your goal. In the case of dharma, transformation is the goal. Be quick about it as the time you have left to live is shorter than the time you have lived for most already. No matter what, don’t waste time.

I am most happy to see these Kecharians take vegetarian vows. You are not doing me or anyone else a favor. But you are doing yourself a favor and the animals you save. You have heard the cries and anguish of so many animals abused and butchered just for us to eat when we don’t need it. Thank you. You also become a inspiration to others and good example also. To let go of one attachment (taste buds) in order to integrate compassion for others in this case animals is truly spiritual. Spirituality is not how much we learn or how many years we were in dharma or who is our guru, but how much we have transformed with proof positive actions and results. I wish to have more and more of this type of messages like I received from Mr. Tat Ming below.

Congratulations to these Kecharians. I am very happy. Thank you Pastor Yek Yee for dispensing your kind sharing. I was very happy to receive this message and had to blog it to share my joy. I have a big smile on my face for all of you and the animals you showed your deep compassion towards. My deepest respects to all of you for doing this also.

Tsem Rinpoche

(Nov 2, 2014) 19 Kecharians taking life-time Vegetarian vows (6 from overseas via internet / phone)

Dear Rinpoche, good evening. Hope Rinpoche has taken some rest. 

This morning at 10am, I conducted a vegetarian vow ceremony in gompa, SunwayMas for 19 Dharma sisters and brothers, 13 of them are Malaysian and 6 of them are from oversea.

This all happened after we had a discussion of Rinpoche’s blog chat topic “Earthlings” among Puja teams two weeks ago. In the discussion, we talked about how to make it become a good ACTION except just sit together watching the video and sharing the teaching which Rinpoche tried to deliver to us. After end of discussion session all the Puja teams want to take the vegetarian vow in different time commitment. Freon is the one who very enthusiastic to do coordinate for this vegetarian vow ceremony. She is very helpful to make sure anything going well in the ceremony.  

13 of them from Malaysia are gathered do the Vegetarian Vows together at gompa, 5 of them from oversea are online and 1 of them from India through phone.

On other hands, 19 of them also offered RM 3441 as their offering to Rinpoche to thank Rinpoche for the blessing.

Below are the name list of people took Vegetarian Vows on November 2, 2014:

Total participants: 19 peoples

• 13 from Malaysia
• 2 from Canada
• 3 from India
• 1 from Sweden

Malaysian 

1) Uncle Eddie
(period of vow: Whole life)

2) Yap Yoke Chim
(period of vow : Whole life)

3) Kok Wah Ying
(period of vow : Whole life)

4) Mrs. Chuah
(period of vow : Whole life)

5) Adeline Tan
(period of vow : Whole life)

6) Lucy Yap
(period of vow : Whole life)

7) Freon Tee
(period of vow : Whole life)

8 ) Liang Jing
(period of vow : Whole life)

9) Cynthia Ng
(period of vow : 3 months)

10) May Ong
(period of vow : 3 months)

11) Ng Yi Ron
(period of vow : 3 months)

12) Chong Pee Bee
(period of vow : 3 months)

13) Caroline Cheah
(period of vow : 3 months)

India

14) Pema Thrinley
(period of vow : Whole life)

15) Erik Yeh
(period of vow : Whole life)

16) Kathaline Yap
(period of vow : 1 years)

Canada

17) Jim Yeh
(period of vows : Whole life)

18) Mavis Yeh
(period of vows : Whole life)

Sweden

19) Lee Torres
(period of vows : Whole life)

Personally I so excited and happy to conduct this vegetarian vows ceremony.

Rejoice for them!!!

Please rest well Rinpoche.

Thank you.
love, Pastor Yek Yee

 Making a good motivation

 Pastor Yek Yee is a very kind lady, always thinking of ways to help others. Here, she is coordinating a phone call, web conference and live audience all at once to give them the vow to be vegetarian. Amazing multitasking!

 Pastor Yek Yee giving the Vegetarian vow through the phone to a Kecharian located overseas

Taking vegetarian vow through the internet is possible too!

 Liang Jing, the son of one of our full time staff in Kechara is the youngest in the group to take a lifetime vow to be vegetarian

Wah Ying and her son taking life-time vegetarian vows

A Message from Tat Ming

Dear Rinpoche,

Hope this message finds Rinpoche well.

I am pleased to inform Rinpoche that I have taken the vegetarian vow for life this evening 15 Oct 2014 at Kechara House Main Prayer Hall. Jerry Sito, Yen Pin and I have taken the vegetarian vow together.

Pastor Yek Yee briefed us on setting our motivation, defining the boundaries for the vow and making the dedications before we commenced our prayers.

We performed the *Ganden Lhagyama followed by offering of Serkym and mantra to Lord Setrap.

I have not hesitated to take up the vegetarian vow because I have been a vegetarian since the end of 2002 after I had taken refuge with the Three Jewels. However, it had not occured to me to take up the vegetarian vow until today.

Something auspicious had happened to ripen my positive imprints causing me to take up the vow! I am truly grateful and happy that this had happened through the blessing of Rinpoche.

I had vowed to be vegetarian till the end of my life. I dedicate all the merits accumulated from taking and upholding this vegetarian vow as follows:

1) for the long life and stable health of Rinpoche.

2) for the continued turning of the Dharma Wheel by Rinpoche.

3) for the fulfillment of Rinpoche’s every wish.

4) for the swift manifestation of KECHARA Animal Sanctuary.

5) May all sentient beings be free from their sufferings and causes of sufferings swiftly.

6) May all sentient beings find the supreme happiness of liberation and enlightenment swiftly

Thank You Rinpoche for your blessing and kind attention.

Humbly your student,
Tat Ming

* Guru Yoga of Tsongkapa)

I like when people listen to the dharma, apply and transform their minds. My methods are for you to transform your mind. If you have a better method, then by all means apply it. Don’t abandon mind training using an excuse you cannot adapt to the methods. The issue is whether your mind is transforming or not. Don’t abandon the teachings on mind transformation blaming methods. Because then method was not to blame but your excuse to give up something projected as difficult.  If you have a better method, apply and make sure your mind is transforming as time is short.~Tsem Rinpoche

I highly recommend this post:

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=17514

Related posts that are interesting:

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/animals-vegetarianism

Uncle Eddie 

To  H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche  02 Nov 2014 

Thank you Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, I have this opportunity to take the Kecharian Vegetarian Vows. 

My complete change-over to being a vegetarian was at the profound request of the compassionate guru Tsem Tulku Rinpoche a few years ago.  This was indeed the best change-over in my mundane life and also for the benefit of all animal beings.  I am extremely glad that I will be taking vegetarian with a vow now, as I have not taken one for the past few years. 

Thank you once again Rinpoche, for all the kindness and care you have given me all these years.  May whatever merits accumulated from the taking and upholding  of the vow be dedicated for your long and healthy life to continue turning the wheel of dharma for all sentient beings. 

With folded hands 
Uncle Eddie 

Message from Uncle Eddie 

“A message of Appeal to Those Who Are of Merciful” (for the taking of vegetarian vows.) 

As His Holiness The Dalai Lama has said, “For all of us in this planet, none can live forever, so while we are here, we should try to have a good heart and make something positive and useful of our lives.  Whether we live just a few years or a whole century, it would be truly regrettable and sad if we were to spend that time aggravating the problems that afflict other people, animals and the environment.”  

The most important thing, therefore, before we go, is to be a good human being by following our Rinpoche’s most compassionate advice to take the vegetarian vows for the benefit of all animal beings!   Animals are actually intelligent living beings too, and they can feel, think and suffer like humans do!  As such, it is time to eliminate the impact of the suffering of animals in ending up on our humans’ dinner plate, by us taking a joyful step to adopt a “Vegetarian lifestyle” through all the year.  By so doing, one can reduce ones’ karma of killing and help to strength ones sympathy towards the pain and suffering of all animal beings.  On Mani Padme Hung. 

Your sincerely, Uncle Eddie

Kok Wah Ying 

Dear Rinpoche, 

Thank you Rinpoche for guiding me to make right and good choices in life, including by not taking meat and be a vegerarian. After few year of not taking meat, today I take my vegetarian vows in front of Three Jewels. 

I humbly dedicate any merits arise from not harming animals to Rinpoche’s good health and continue guiding us, to have all Rinpoche’s wishes manifest, and my parents’ good health and opening the seeds of Dharma. 

Thank you. 

Love, 

Wah Ying

Cynthia Ng 

Dear Rinpoche, 

Wish Rinpoche doing well. 

I am Cynthia Ng and I would like to share with Rinpoche today I have taken vegetarian vows together with 17 Kecharians and friends in Kechara House gompa at 10am (2/11/14). 

Pastor Yek Yee briefed us on setting up motivation before start the ceremony. 

I have committed taken 3 months vegetarian vows although I am not take life vegetarian vows now. I want to create a good cause for myself to move one step forward be kind to all sentient beings by action. I believe actions speak louder than words. 

I eat less meat after I came back from Hong Kong attended Robert Loosecat’s funeral. The moment I saw the corpse inside coffin, immediately I think that exactly all meats that I had eaten. I had eaten corpse for so many years. 

The different is humans was death because of sickness, accident, old age etc. The meats that I ate was force to slaughter to fulfill my desire. I was so bad! 

Until that day we have blog chat sharing about Earthlings together Pastor Yek Yee and Puja House team members, that was moved my heart deeply that I must do something meaningful NOW. 

Thank you Pastor Yek Yee always concern and care about our now and future life like Rinpoche always do to us. Remind and teach us again and again.  We can control what we want to be now and future. 
I believe through by taken vegetarian vows today, I am moving one step closing to practise compassion by action not harming sentient beings. 

I would like to dedicate the merit to Rinpoche’s good health, long life. May Rinpoche’s dharma work spread to ten directions. 

Thank you Rinpoche’s dharma teaching always to teach us be kind to all sentient beings. 

With folded hands & love,  
Cynthia Ng

May Ong 

Dear Tsem Rinpoche 

This is an auspicious, priviledge and meritorious day for me to be able to take vegetarian vows under the Three Jewels and PastorYek Yee to dedicate it to your long life and good health to continue the turning of dharma. 

It was not my intention initially to take these vows but it’s motivated by realisation to live long and be healthy to continue doing dharma work for collection of merits and to offer my practice to my precious Guru. 

It has made become more self aware of my practice and how little I have done but with this motivation, I will continue to strife for enlightenment to benefit others, just like you. 

With folded hands 
Thank you dear Rinpoche for my life & do keep well. 

May Ong 
Your student

Chong Pee Bee 

Dear Rinpoche, Thank you Rinpoche for teaching us to have compassion for all sentient beings.   I confess that I had been cruel to animals.  Sometimes I feel that I couldn’t find my compassion.  By taking the 3 months non-meat vows, I hope I can eventually transform to be a better person, and continue with the non-meat diet. 

I would like to dedicate the merits of taking the 3 months non-meat vows to Rinpoche.   May Rinpoche long life and remain to turn the wheel of dharma. 

With folded hands 
Pee Bee Chong

Pema Thrinley 

Dear Rinpoche, 

I bow down to your Lotus Feet _/\_. 
I humbly thank you so much for coming back to samsara to help us and show us the way out of this self centered world. Your kindness and patience to make us learn though we fall back into the same habit repeatedly is the most precious dharma to encounter La. 

Today I feel so blessed to take the Vegetarian vow for whole life under your guidance. Thank you  Rinpoche for creating the platform like stunning Kechara foundation whose energy consistently touch the hearts of limitless beings far and near through your kind and most compassionate dharma students. I fully dedicate this special vow for your Long Life and Stable health Rinpoche. May your wishes to benefit all sentient beings come true. May all sentient beings gain realization even on hearing your Precious Name. _/\_ 

Humbly Your Student, 
Pema Thinley

Erik Yeh & Katheline Yap

Dear Rinpoche,

I hope you are keeping well. I would like to inform Rinpoche, that I have stopped manufacturing leather about 2 months ago and I have also found a suitable buyer for my company. In fact for the past few months, I have been working toward the smooth handover of my company. If there are no complications, then by the end of December this year,  I will be completely out of the leather trade. I must admit that it is a bit difficult for me to adjust since it has always been a family business running for 3 generations. I guess over time, I will learn to generate more compassion towards animals.  
Giving up eating meat is the easy part. And so is giving up the leather business. The real challenge for me now is to calm my mind by focusing on my daily practices/prayers. I will not hide the fact that I am nervous and scared. But I also remember what Rinpoche said when I was fortunate enough to have had an audience with your Eminence. And I thank you Rinpoche, for guiding me with simple instructions. 

This Sunday, as I prepare to take vegetarian vows for the rest of my life, I would like to dedicate whatever little merits I have towards Rinpoche’s good health and for the swift manifestation of Medicine Buddha Hill at KFR. 

With folded hands, 
Erik Yeh 

************************************

Dear Rinpoche, 

I hope you are you doing well. 

I am taking veg vows for a year and I would like to dedicate it to Rinpoche’s long life and also to my parent’s good health. 

With folded hands, 
Kathaline Yap

Jim Yeh 

Dear Rinpoche, 
I hope this letter finds your Eminence in the best of health and spirit. 

I am writing to inform Rinpoche that my siblings Mavis, Erik and myself have taken the lifetime vegetarian vow. The ceremony was conducted by Pastor Yek Yee. 

Ever since I started following Rinpoche’s teachings in 2012, I became more aware of the suffering of animals, I stopped eating meat right away. I would like to dedicate all the accumulated merits from holding the vow to Rinpoche’s long life, towards the fulfilment of Rinpoche’s wishes & prayers and towards the swift manifestation of the Medicine Buddha Hill. 

With folded hands and warmest regards, 
Jim Yeh 

Mavis Yeh 

Dear Rinpoche, 

Hope Rinpoche is doing well. I started turning vegetarian after a dream (when I was 13 and a Buddha statue spoke asking me to be a vegetarian). Although I have been a vegetarian for two decades, I always thought that it was just to refrain from killing. However, since following Rinpoche’s blog, I am more aware of the sufferings and abuse that the animals go through and to develop compassion for them (which is new to me, because all those years of being vegetarian became mundane). 

I am grateful to have this opportunity to take vegetarian vows along with my family including Erik, Kathy and Jim and other fellow dharma brothers and sisters.Taking vegetarian vows has now added more meaning to my life. 

I would like to dedicate the merit to Rinpoche’s long life and for the swift manifestation of MBH. 

With folded hands, 

Mavis Yeh

Lee Torres 

Dear Tsem Rinpoche, 

Thank you for making it possible for people to take vegetarian vows. I have been vegetarian for a total of 8 years. The first time was when I was 16 years old, for almost 2 years. Later again I became vegetarian again when I was 27 years old. 

My motivation for becoming vegetarian the first time was because I didn’t want to be a cause of suffering for other beings. When I was 18 and on my way to college, I felt pressured to want to fit in and I started eating meat again. It took me almost 9 years to become vegetarian again. My biggest regret was to stop being vegetarian the first time. 

I hope to receive these vegetarian vows in order to leave a deep imprint in my mindstream. By receiving them and holding them, I hope that in my next life, I immediately resume being a vegetarian again and not waste time. I want to create the causes for continually being a source of happiness to others, rather than being a source of their harm. By taking these vows, I also want to dedicate the merit to the long life of my teachers and all those whose activities are meant to benefit countless beings. Thank you again 

Best regards, 
Lee Torres 

Caroline Cheah 

Dear Rinpoche, Thank you and may you encourage, inspire and help more sentient beings and may all receive and practise dharma endlessly and whole heartedly. World peace.

with folded hands, 
Caroline Cheah

Ng Yi Ron 

致尊贵的詹杜固仁波切， 

因为希望畜生道可以脱离苦海所以发愿这三个月素食以回向给畜生道以及希望有更多的机会接触佛法。 

很开心第一次参与持素戒希望持素戒一直流传永久。 

Yi Rou 
合十

Liang Jing 

Dear Rinpoche, Today I take vegetarian vow so to not harming animals, as Rinpoche teaches me animals are sentient beings and can feel pain as well. Thank you Rinpoche. 

Love, Liang Jing.

Yap Yoke Chim 

致尊敬的上师詹杜固仁波切：今天是个美好的星期天(2/11/14)我们一共十八人(海外五个)在Pastor Yek Yee 的帶領在佛陀，宗喀巴大师，及您的見证加持下选擇在今天一起许下持素的心願。雖然每人持素的決心各有長短，但無倫如何这都是一个善的开始。但願從今以後会有越来越多的人响应您的号召而持素。願以我们十八个人的共同小小功德一起迴向世界，願世界和平，众生平等。也以此功德迴向师父您，祝願您身体健康，吉样！弟子yoke chim敬上

Lim Tin Nee (Mrs. Chuah) 

Dear Rinpoche, May the merit of my taking of non-meat vow go to my Guru’s long life and stable health. 

Your student, Mrs Chuah

Adeline Tan 

Dear Rinpoche,  I am joining the group in Gompa to take vegetarian vows today. Thank you for your care and encouragement for these years. 

With folded hands, 
Adeline Tan Kwee Ha

Freon Tee 

Dear Rinpoche, 

Thanks for the teaching us not to harm the sentient being and not to create more killing through your teachings. 

As a human being, I have learned that we are still “free” to choose not to eat meat.  And also we are able to choose not to harm the animals and planet earth.  

May the action of taking life long vegetarian vows dedicate to Rinpoche long life, May the lamp of Lama Tsongkhapa shine throughout ten directions, May resources for all the project in  Kechara Forest Retreat manifest now and may all Kecharian stay healthy. 

Humbly your student 
Freon

Lucy Yap 

Dear Rinpoche,  I dedicate this vegetarian vow merits to Rinpoche’s long life and stable health.  May Rinpoche’s every wish be fulfilled.  May all sentient beings be liberated.   

Thank you Rinpoche 

Much love and gratitude 
Lucy Yap.

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