Why Hide and Attack A Monk?
Dear friends,
Throughout my years of teaching Dharma, I have met many students and thousands of people coming with many expectations… not only in Malaysia, in many countries and also online. We hear this student or person is not happy with this and left or said this or that often. But rarely do teachers speak up. As a monk, I share my knowledge and give them advice to the best of my abilities. Even many times sending gifts and urging them to practice deeper with sincere wishes. I help not because I want something in return, but with a genuine wish to make sure that they will be okay… and whatever problems they have, I try to give them the tools to deal with it in a positive and beneficial manner, no matter who they are and what situation they are in. Some accept and follow my advice, some selectively, while others don’t. That is fine too. Not often do people know or understand what Dharma teachers have to go through with ‘students’ or people who seek something they’ve met and never met or met very briefly. Some you’ve met once or briefly and they can claim to know all about you. Dharma teachers can be targeted for just teaching dharma and some don’t want to hear the real situation and can get upset too. My duty is to teach dharma and some don’t like to hear what they should change in themselves to improve their situation. People can target dharma teachers for their lineage, race, color, clothes, their gurus, their monasteries, their style, their delivery, unfulfilled expectations, fundraising, their advice, appearance, weight, protector or just about anything. I am not perfect, but I do the best I can.
Not many can understand what many dharma teachers have to go through on a daily basis unless they are a Dharma teacher and have to deal with students or people for decades. So many have so many expectations and they want it fulfilled their way. I’m not saying the people from these places are bad, but just like when Buddhism entered Tibet centuries ago, the first Buddhist lamas had a tough time because the concept of spirituality according to Buddhism was practically non-existent. So as a Dharma teacher, I have to endure quite a lot and most of the time happily. The satisfaction comes from the people who do get the benefits and are grateful. Some go on to use their lives to benefit others, learn more dharma, have better relationships with others, find solutions to their problems, overcome their comfort zones, do retreats or even engage in dharma work! What I have to go through does not make me give up, but sometimes when you are aware, it helps. I am willing to endure much hardships to bring dharma to others. I have been doing so and will continue. This is my commitment to my teacher and protector. I do have many more wonderful people who do remain and are helpful and kind. It reflects who they are inside.
Here is a very interesting article written by Martin as requested by Beng Kooi who has witnessed much both good and questionable and Martin shares what he has observed. These are his personal observations. This article perhaps applies to many dharma teachers around the world also. I appreciate Martin’s efforts for a compelling and very honest write up about what teachers have to go through.
Tsem Rinpoche
Why Hide And Attack A Monk?
By Martin Chow
I have been a student of H.E. Tsem Rinpoche for four years now – a relatively short time compared to the decades spent in samsara’s playground. But in these few short years, I have seen, heard, learned, and experienced quite a number of wondrous but sometimes baffling things. Baffling because we cannot comprehend them with the ‘worldly’ mind that we bring into our Dharma practice, and because we expect the Truth to fit into the delusions we are so accustomed to.
It does take a while to see things differently and even then, it requires a degree of surrender to the Dharma that the Buddha taught, and an agreement to explore life, events, people, and all phenomena from a different perspective. Not everyone can do that and in truth, neither is it easy because it requires the practitioner to abandon his well-worn perceptions, expectations and projections.
This exercise takes the practitioner outside his comfort zone, one that he doesn’t leave willingly. The teacher has to be very determined and patient to skillfully get the student to change his wrong views; that is normally not welcome, which is precisely why a guru’s task is often painfully thankless. I personally know how much of a problem I have been for H.E. Tsem Rinpoche and I can’t imagine what it must be like for Rinpoche to have over a hundred difficult students like me, each demanding a miracle of enlightenment without wanting to undergo any transformation of the mind.
We want the good stuff but we don’t want to do anything for it, we don’t want to work for it, and we certainly don’t want to change for it. And so, when the teacher does what he is supposed to do, we resist the teacher. Some eventually see the guru’s wisdom while some fall and run. But it is impossible to ‘un-know’ the Dharma, just like it is impossible to forget about the sun after we have seen it and after we have witnessed daylight and experienced the clarity brought about by light. We cannot pretend to return to live in darkness again. We can only close our eyes and be in denial, but that would mean that we have to find justification for our failure to deal with the light. And usually, it’s because the light is ‘bad’.
A recent photograph of H.E. Tsem Rinpoche and me. Despite being a difficult student, I am always showered with great kindness from my Guru
And so, one of the strangest things I have observed is that when [some] people leave the dharma, they develop a sudden need for recrimination. Why? Because they don’t want to admit that they failed in their practice. Seeing that it is ridiculous to blame the Dharma without sounding categorically stupid – everyone knows instinctively that the Dharma is good – there has to be a scapegoat, there has to be a ‘reason’ why they left something good. They have to find a reason other than themselves as to why they failed in their dharma practice. Therefore, the only other entity to blame is the guru and the Dharma centre, the very same entities that ‘leavers’ previously swore by, and claimed to be the greatest blessings they ever received in their lives.
And as it turns out, it is not enough to just run, to just leave in peace… one has to seek out others who similarly left or ran, and band together and form a fellowship, usually regarding themselves as a fellowship of ‘survivors’. In truth, this fellowship is nothing more than a covenant of hatred and you see this clearly in the way they behave.
In Kechara’s case, some who have left Rinpoche and the organization say that it is a demonic cult. Well, they don’t so much say that openly; rather, they whisper amongst themselves quietly. Strangely, they continue to keep in touch with ‘friends’ inside this so-called cult, often arranging dinners and coffee sessions. This itself doesn’t make sense. If the dharma centre is as damnable as they claim and Rinpoche is as heinous as they want people to believe, then why bother maintaining a relationship with anyone who is part of a so-called evil group? It doesn’t make sense to want to get close to something that is vile.
They may reason by saying either (i) that they are trying to ‘save’ their friends from Rinpoche’s bewitchment or (ii) not everyone in the organization is contemptible. However, if their motivation is truly altruistic and benevolent, why not try to save everyone? Why target only selected people to ‘save’? Isn’t compassion for everyone? So we see that their purpose is not entirely noble. As for the second reason, how can a devious lama and a villainous organization that supposedly brainwashes its members produce good people worthy of friendship? Again, that doesn’t make sense.
If there are good people who have been trained by Rinpoche, and if there is goodness in the organization, then clearly these haters are wrong to smear and tarnish the entire organization out of spite. If there’s good and bad in a Dharma centre, then it’s normal – no different from there being good and bad in society in general and in life. But we don’t see the same people denouncing and attacking the world like they do the dharma organization they left. It is not a pure view but a purpose borne out of personal vendetta.
The bottom line is, the reasons for their attempts to maintain a ‘friendship’ with certain people within the organization and those closer to Rinpoche are not honorable ones. Leaving the Dharma makes them look weak and says that they failed in the virtuous pursuit of Dharma. But if more people were to leave the guru and centre, the more validation these haters receive. And hence, it pays for them to target selected people to try and poison them into leaving.
But it is quite easy to see that the haters do not mean well. It is one thing to encourage someone to leave a ‘bad’ organization for something better, if not something good. But what are the haters offering those whom they successfully intoxicate with their smooth but hateful speech? Kechara, regardless of whether you agree with the way it is, or whether you can see the wisdom of Rinpoche’s methods, is a centre where the pure Dharma is being taught and practiced. It is a centre where a qualified lama from an unbroken lineage teaches the highest dharma in a language we understand – no need to wait for a visiting monk to drop by for a few days every year and no need to travel to faraway places to receive teachings in a foreign language that has to be conveyed via a translator. What do the haters have to offer you in terms of Dharma if you follow them and leave Kechara? Another centre they swear by now and may turn against later as they did Kechara? Or are they asking you to leave Dharma practice altogether? How can leaving Dharma possibly be a good thing for anyone and why would well-meaning friends ask that of you? So we can see from this what their motivation is.
Keeping close to certain people also allows these haters to solicit information that they can use in new attacks, to plant seeds of dissent, to corrupt and influence negatively, and to undermine the relationship between a guru and his student. So, who is contemptible now?
It is also ironic that on the one hand, these haters regard some still within the organization as friends and at the same time, work to undermine the platform that the same people (and many others) have chosen as the foundation of their lives. You don’t call someone a friend and then go on to demolish his house and all that he holds precious. For many of us, Dharma is life, Kechara is our home and Tsem Rinpoche is our guru. It is what we have chosen and happily so. If these haters were to regard themselves as friends, why attack the very essence that sustains so many friends, spiritually and materially?
You may not like a guru, or his method of teaching, or how his centre is managed. So it is understandable if you were to leave. But there are many who find Rinpoche’s methods effective, are happy with the way things are, and are deriving great benefits from Tsem Rinpoche and Kechara, and yet you don’t want to see them happy? How is that friendship? How can it be good when you encourage practitioners to abandon their vows, turn against the guru who gave them the Dharma and forego their practices? How can that be a good result for someone you regard as a friend?
One very clear indication that haters do not mean well is the way they attack anonymously. If they are truly ‘survivors’ of a felonious organization, then why hide? We live in a society that has well-established laws and rules of conduct to protect the innocent. With these instruments in place and available, why hide in anonymity to slander and attack a monk? It doesn’t make sense that these people instead resort to wearing masks and throwing proverbial sticks and stones. But in fact, it DOES make sense because if you come out in the open with your complaints and accusations, you need to be prepared to back them up with facts and truth. If Kechara has cheated you and Tsem Rinpoche has harmed you, then take them to task and shame them bravely without any anonymity – IF you have valid claims. If you choose to operate covertly, do your claims and accusations have any basis whatsoever?
I have seen blogs, websites, Facebook posts, Tweets and similar digital platforms that have been set up with only one purpose in mind – to attack, defame and demean Rinpoche. Some are very well written language-wise and are clearly designed to confuse people and plant doubts in their minds against Rinpoche and Kechara. These poisonous posts and articles articulate just enough information to lure people into thinking that they are written by informed people, but cunningly omit key information so as to mislead readers, inviting them to form negative views of Rinpoche and Kechara. Others are brazen in their approach and claim that Tsem Rinpoche and Kechara are opposed to other forms of religion. Anyone who reads Rinpoche’s blog will quickly realize that this is not true.
Yet other posts attempt to portray Rinpoche’s Kechara as a money-making business and speak of how there’s always pressure to fund-raise and how it’s always about the money. To begin with, if it’s only about the money, Rinpoche can VERY EASILY just focus on rich patrons, providing them with divination and clairvoyant advice for their businesses. Why would Rinpoche bother with difficult students who contribute literally nothing but expect the world? Yes, there is always a need to raise money but that is an ongoing problem for any humanitarian organization that provides aid and assistance to the general public. What keeps Kechara’s doors open for all to come and receive the Dharma, if not the kind contributions from members? What pays the stipends for over a hundred full-time staff to do Dharma work and at the same time, earn a livelihood? In most countries in the West, people pay to study the Dharma and work to sustain the lama. But in a money-minded and fiscally-driven society like ours, the tables are turned. So, how is Rinpoche money-minded when the benefits accrue to the students and the public?
The sheer hypocrisy of these haters is astounding. They talk about the pressures of raising funds but quietly overlook the fact that for years, they too were beneficiaries of Kechara’s ongoing drive to raise money. They were provided stipends, transport, accommodation and equipment so that they can practice the Dharma without distractions. Money is a fact of life and without it, nothing moves. Why is it all right for corporations to serve an objective of money out of greed, and not alright for a Dharma centre to seek funding to keep spreading the Dharma? And if it’s truly despicable, why did these detractors take money as stipends for years? Why was it fine then and not now after they have fallen out with the organization?
In addition, the haters who attack Rinpoche and Kechara and those who are swayed into joining the attacks may believe that they are doing a righteous act in the name of Dharma. But in truth, they are harming innocent people whose livelihood and spiritual sustenance depend on Kechara, and who have dependents that rely on them. From from being noble acts, their actions are misguided, extremely damaging and unkind.
I have personally received scoldings from Rinpoche in the past, and I firmly believe that everything the lama does is to help the student overcome their own afflictive emotions that entrap them in samsara. For me, it was greed, pride, the need to be recognized (fame) and a strong desire to be perceived as being better than others. As a result, I was sneaky, deceitful, ruthless in my pursuit of samsaric goals and full of anger because I was always hiding from a very frustrated and anxious mind. I loved everything I heard about the Dharma but I didn’t like it one bit when I had to confront a very nasty and tricky mind – myself. I could not do it on my own, my parents were unable to do it, my ‘friends’ cared too much about how they would look if they pointed out my flaws, and so, my afflictions were allowed to fester and grow over the decades.
Every time Rinpoche gave me a dressing down (unreasonably so in my mind at that time), every time Rinpoche pointed out my flaws and said words that embarrassed me, it wasn’t to break me down but to break me free from myself. I can take Rinpoche’s methods as a skillful means to show me a mind free of afflictions or I can take the view that Rinpoche is a nasty and mean-spirited person pretending to be a monk. How my mind perceives the Lama reflects my readiness to walk the talk. I know myself and who I was then and who I am now. I know my own thoughts and my own actions when no one is looking and I know what lurks in my mind and so no one can tell me what my guru, Tsem Rinpoche is or isn’t. My personal experience tells me that I am a far better person today than I could have ever been without Rinpoche. The aim of the guru is only to help each student achieve enlightenment, and if that is not immediately possible, then to help the student discard as many afflictions as possible. And at each step of the way, the guru is forced to pit himself against the student’s self-grasping ego. Some let go and progress while others refuse to let go and become bitter and angry.
From the day Tsem Rinpoche set foot in Malaysia, he has operated openly and appeared publicly. It has been over twenty years since Rinpoche was instructed by his gurus to come to Malaysia and teach the Dharma. In all that time, Rinpoche held his vows and despite extremely trying circumstances, did not give up the Dharma and his gurus’ instructions. If we have Kechara today, and if we have access to the pure Gelugpa lineage, to the Lam Rim and Lojong, and to the Guru Yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa, and many other precious teachings, it is because Rinpoche kept his integrity and followed his Guru’s instructions to the letter. The Dharma promises that tangible results arise from Guru Devotion, i.e. trusting the Guru and carrying out the Guru’s instructions completely no matter how difficult they are perceived to be.
Against this benchmark, we have a handful of haters who dabbled in Dharma but quickly gave up when they had to confront their own Maras in order to progress spiritually. They now hide behind a cloak of anonymity and attack Rinpoche and undermine his work. Yet they accuse Rinpoche of not having integrity. Who would you trust – someone who spends his entire life benefiting others or faceless names and identities whose sole purpose of being is to destroy a monk’s efforts to bring Dharma to the people? Who has results to show for how they have used their lives? Who, between the two, is prepared to come under public scrutiny because they have nothing to hide?
If the haters are hiding, then what are they afraid of if not the consequences of their lies and slurs? If they speak the truth, why need to hide at all? They may say that they are afraid and yet it is strange for people who claim to be frightened to attack a monk unrelentingly. If these ‘survivors’ really did manage to slip away from a devilish and wicked lama and his group (as they claim Tsem Rinpoche is), then they should be rejoicing at their escape and in a hurry to get on with life and make up for lost ground. But instead, they hang around Rinpoche’s blog site and social media platforms, constantly seeking opportunities to attack, leave nasty comments, and direct people to specialized anti-Tsem Rinpoche websites. These are not characteristics of real victims, but signs of sly predators. Only those who mean to inflict harm would design special websites and lie in hiding and in wait for opportunities to send poison letters to selected people they want to dislodge from the lama and the centre.
Recently, it has become common for some of these haters to join forces with anti-Dorje Shugden groups to attack Rinpoche for keeping his vows to H.H. Zong Rinpoche; which was to uphold the Dorje Shugden lineage. Why do they participate in these hate groups? Simply because, they have no real basis to attack a monk. They don’t have a valid reason to hate Tsem Rinpoche. Hence, the Dorje Shugden conflict provides them with an avenue to disguise their malice and bitterness as ‘righteous’ activity in the name of the Dharma. At the end of the day, anti-Shugden groups are just another hate group. They are no different from anti-gay, anti-skin colour, anti-gender, anti-nationality or anti-religious preference groups. No matter how well they are disguised, they remain a group of people who decided to invest time and energy into hating others simply for being different. This is the enterprise of Rinpoche’s detractors.
It is a toxic and mutually parasitic relationship. The anti-Shugden hate groups provide these ex-students with a false spiritual cause for their bitterness to be expressed munificently. The ex-students in turn provide some personal validation for the hate groups to attack Tsem Rinpoche as well as others, without which these groups would be seen as merely hating someone without really knowing him. If each had any legitimacy, they would not need the other. But these ex-students who are now haters are more liabilities than assets to the anti-Shugden groups. They are received because of their perceived ‘value’ to the hate groups but if the truth about them were told, they would damage the credibility of the hate groups, if there was indeed any credibility to damage.
It would not be difficult to identify who these haters are and explain why they chose to leave the lama. Some were caught with misdemeanors and were reprimanded, which they did not like. Some were caught with their pants down with questionable activities. Others actively attack Rinpoche in hate-group-forums although they have never ever met Rinpoche nor received direct teachings from him. Some contacted Rinpoche asking to be his student, saying that they were willing to leave their old gurus. They received gifts, letters and advice to return to their lamas. But the moment they didn’t get their way, they turned on Rinpoche and criticized him, as if they have authority on a high lama’s character. Yet others visited Kechara once or twice, poured their hearts out in praise and gratitude for Rinpoche’s teachings, yet now attack the same person they previously claimed to love.
So, these so-called ‘ex-students’ have never been real students for a fact. Real students follow the lama’s advice and practice hard. So many feel qualified to speak against a lama seemingly with authority when they have not spent any real time with the lama at all. No self-respecting person would invest precious time to undermine a Sangha or anyone, what more to do so in the most cowardly and baseless fashion.
I have seen my guru being called a devil, a traitor, a fake, a spy, an unwanted child with a bone to pick with life; and I see Rinpoche absorbing these attacks quietly. And yet none of the accusations correlate with my personal experience with my guru and so I know these accusations to be lies and I am not alone on this. What’s more, I have personally witnessed the efforts to which Rinpoche went to, to help these ex-students who are now his haters, not once, but countless times over the years. And so, I know that what they say is all lies. It is unfair for anyone to have to face such venomous ingratitude especially after giving so much care. And it is wrong for the ex-students to blame Rinpoche for failures of their own character.
As for all the character assassinations, I have not seen one person make any allegations in the open and with sincerity, backed by evidence and proof and ready to stand by the claims they make. We live in an unforgiving world – serve a seemingly “bad or disagreeable meal” and within minutes, a restaurant gets a bad review. How can a monk get away with all he is supposedly accused of and for over 20 years, if indeed it were true? And yet, with no evidence of any wrong doing over 20 years, Rinpoche continues to be a victim of these lies which have been allowed to persist. To believe the lies of a few disenchanted and angry people is to say that the rest of Rinpoche’s students are all stupid, blind and incapable of discerning for themselves what is good and what is bad.
But never mind the rest of Rinpoche’s students – let’s assume for a minute that we are all brainwashed and hexed. The fact remains that Tsem Rinpoche has been extremely well recognized and highly commended by very high lamas with irrefutable attainments, abbots, geshes and scholars from established monasteries that have produced great practitioners, and even enlightened beings speaking through oracles. Are the haters saying that all these monks and Buddhas are mistaken about Tsem Rinpoche’s qualities and works? Many of these great lamas have thanked Rinpoche for his pure dharma works and requested Rinpoche to live long and continue his activities. And these are not ordinary beings but highly attained if not enlightened mindstreams that have controlled their deaths and rebirths to return to benefit people. What the haters want you to believe is that all these lamas can navigate a controlled reincarnation but cannot see through a fake lama and were themselves tricked by Rinpoche. Does that sound plausible? Are these haters suggesting that they have more knowledge, more attainments and more clairvoyance than the Rinpoches, Lamas, Geshes, Abbots, ex-Abbots, Ganden Tripas (heads of the Gelugpa lineage), and even the Buddhas themselves?
And why is it that so few left? Given the severity of the allegations, surely more would have left over the years but instead, membership grew and some who left even returned. The haters who left should also be examined. Are they better Dharma practitioners now that they have ‘escaped’? Are they doing more philanthropic works? Are they less angry and bitter? Are they less gossipy? If they revile Rinpoche’s methods, do they make selfless efforts to bring people to the Dharma or do they merely focus on getting people to abandon their practice? If they are the same or worse, then how can it be the lama’s fault or the centre’s fault when these two elements are no longer present in their lives?
Contrast these haters with the many who remained as Rinpoche’s students and who continue to follow Rinpoche’s guidance. Many clearly show vast progress in their Dharma walk. More and more students are becoming Pastors and monk and nuns-to-be. Becoming a Pastor or sangha-to-be does not imply that these people are free from faults but that they recognize their faults and the faults of samsara and accordingly they denounce worldly pursuits and follow in the footsteps of the Buddha. Many are becoming teachers and care-givers of the young and the old, and those who spend their days providing relief for the bereaved and the terminally ill increase in number. Kechara is becoming bigger and the Kechara Forest Retreat is drawing people from afar. These are tangible results that can only happen if Kechara has the merits for these fruits of Dharma to manifest. In Buddhism, everything is ‘caused’ and only good and proper acts can cause good Dharma results. What are the results of the haters’ efforts? This is an important and pertinent question to ask.
Ultimately, anyone who seeks the truth must ask the haters for evidence and the source of their smear-campaign materials. Those who make accusations must be made accountable because what they do is extremely harmful and damaging, not only to the lama but also to those who will be denied a rich, pure and unbroken lineage because they were misled. Rinpoche will continue to absorb all these attacks as he has been doing for over 20 years, but the students and everyone who has benefited from Rinpoche’s wisdom and compassion should stand up for the truth. It is said that for evil to prevail, all it takes is for good people to do nothing. And if we do nothing and simply bear witness to a monk’s work and reputation being undermined, then we consent to these despicable acts of the haters.
I urge all students of H.E. Tsem Rinpoche, and everyone who has personally experienced Rinpoche’s kindness and care, and even those who have benefited from Rinpoche’s online teachings to speak of Rinpoche’s goodness. As for those who have been sent poison letters or who have been fed vicious rumors of a very kind Lama, to demand for details, evidence, proof and to ask why; and at the same time observe those who administered this poison, and see their true character.
And just as important, I and many others in Kechara whom I have spoken to appeal to those who were once students of Tsem Rinpoche but have become estranged to please cease your attacks and smear campaigns. Stop trying to displace people from their spiritual homes and disturb their Dharma practice. It doesn’t benefit them and it certainly doesn’t benefit you. If it is at all possible, find a way to reconcile with Rinpoche and your brothers and sisters in Dharma. If that is not an option in your mind, please go ahead in life and be happy, be successful in your new endeavours, and be at peace with yourselves. Find another Dharma centre and continue in your path of learning and practice. Please don’t allow hate and bitterness to consume you. Please find peace and acceptance that not everything works exactly to our preference in samsara, instead of forming hate groups and enticing others to join, making hatred a lifestyle and character assassination a career.
This is my personal view. May my teacher H.E. Tsem Rinpoche live long and continue to spread the Dharma, and may the pure lineage of H.E. Tsem Rinpoche, which is none other than the lineage of Kyabje Pabongka Dorje Chang, Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang and Kyabje Zong Dorje Chang prevail and spread in the ten directions.
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Mantras are sacred verbalized words that invoke the protection and blessings of the deity to whom the mantra is ascribed. Mantras are also the manifestations of Buddhas in the form of ‘sounds’, hence the various mantras of Dorje Shugden contain the essence of the Protector.
Dorje Shugden’s main mantra 多杰雄登主要咒语
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SOHA
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for peace 平和咒语
For gaining attainments through the energy of Peaceful Shugden, peace of environment and mind, harmony in one’s abode and dwelling area, and calming of disasters
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SHANTI SIDDHI HUNG
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for health 福寿安康咒语
For long life, increasing life, healing of disease and protection from diseases
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA AYU SIDDHI HUNG
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for increase 增长咒语
For gaining great merits and increase of all necessary needs, both material and spiritual
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA PUNYE SIDDHI HUNG
Dorje Shugden’s mantra for control 控制咒语
Of worldly deities, negative people and nagas and for influencing friends towards the positive
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA WASHAM KURU HO
Dorje Shugden’s mantra to grant protection 庇护咒语
Visualize that you are in the Protector’s mandala, fully protected from outside interferences. Recite when in danger or for dangerous situations, for protection while travelling or when residing in dangerous/hostile places
OM BENZA WIKI BITANA RAKYA RAKYA HUNG
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videouploads/comment-1544345059.mp4
Dear friends,
Tibet has produced many powerful meditations, rituals and guidelines to help us gain spiritual protection, gain wisdom and higher states of consciousness. In general Tibet has produced many powerful methods for the growth of our spiritual evolution. Dorje Shugden is an angel, a saint, a powerful spiritual protector-warrior who originated 350 years ago when a highly awakened Tibetan Lama fulfilled his vows to become a special being to grant protection, wisdom, material needs, safety when travelling (normal and astral travel) and spiritual awakening. Both the Great 5th Dalai Lama and the current His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama composed short yet effective prayers to invoke upon the power and blessings of this special saint and protector. One can recite either one of the prayers that you feel suits you, anytime or even daily. When you feel a special need for help, you can recite either prayer anytime. When you are feeling down, afraid or just need a blessing, you can recite them. After reciting either invocation, it is good to chant the mantra of Dorje Shugden: Om Benza Wiki Bitana Soha.
You do not have to be a Buddhist or practitioner of any religion to invoke upon the blessings and protection of this special enlightened and awakened angel Dorje Shugden. He helps all without discrimination or bias as he is filled with compassion and love. Divinity has no boundaries, they help all who call upon them.
Enclosed are the prayers in English, Chinese and Tibetan.
May you be safe, protected and blessed.
Tsem Rinpoche
More on the Great 5th Dalai Lama and Dorje Shugden – https://bit.ly/2w7KHv6
More on H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama and Dorje Shugden – https://bit.ly/2QdaL4n
Chapel (Trode Khangsar) built by the Great 5th Dalai Lama dedicated to Dorje Shugden in Lhasa – https://bit.ly/2zBTd8M
—
亲爱的朋友们，
西藏产生了许多有助于我们得到精神庇佑、取得智慧和更高层次之觉悟的强大禅修法、仪式和教诲。总括来说，西藏产生了许多有助于我们在修行上取得提升的强有力方法。多杰雄登是一个天使，一位圣人和一名护法战士。他的崛起始于350年前，当一位高度觉悟的西藏高僧履行本身的承诺，化身为特别的护法，赐予我们守护、智慧、物质需要、出入平安（平日外游和神游时）和灵修上的觉醒。任何人都可以随时随地在任何时候念诵适合自己的祈愿文。当你需要特别的帮助时，你可以随时念诵任何一篇祈愿文。当你感到沮丧、恐惧或仅是需要加持时，你也可以持诵这些祈愿文。在念诵任何祈请文后，你应该接着念诵多杰雄登的心咒：嗡 班杂 维格 毗札那 娑哈 Om Benza Wiki Bitana Soha。
要祈请多杰雄登这位特殊、觉悟和觉醒的天使赐予加持和庇佑，你无需是佛教徒或任何宗教的修行者。他总是没有分别或偏见，充满慈悲和慈爱地帮助一切众生。神圣是没有界限的，圣者会帮助有求于他的任何人。
以下附上英文、中文和藏文的祈愿文。
愿你平安，常受庇护和加持。
尊贵的詹杜固仁波切
更多关于第五世达赖尊者和多杰雄登护法的内容 — https://bit.ly/2zsC3tG
更多关于第十四世达赖尊者和多杰雄登护法的内容 — https://bit.ly/2r4aaDN
第五世达赖尊者为多杰雄登护法在拉萨建造的护法殿（布旦康萨）— https://bit.ly/2zBTd8M
Divination (‘mo’) Text by Dorje Shugden
This is an important divination (‘mo’) text composed by Dorje Shugden himself. Dorje Shugden took trance of the Choyang Dulzin oracle lama, the senior oracle of Gaden Shartse Monastery, and instantly on the spot composed this text within two hours.
The divination text contains information on how to use dice to do divination for the future and is known to be highly accurate. When practitioners use this text, they will be in direct contact with Dorje Shugden to get answers to questions about the future. It is for those who have good samaya with Dorje Shugden and are free of the eight worldly dharmas to be of benefit to others in divining the future.
Tsem Rinpoche
DS-MO-choyang.pdf
I’ve never met His Eminence personally; but his teachings have helped me time and time over again. And since I have benefited from his teachings, I have to share my thoughts.
I’ve been following Kechara on the blog and YouTube for months now, and as a assured [and eternal] skeptic, have observed all facets to the best of my ability. This are my humble reflections.
All teachings, advice provided as clear cut and explained carefully. There is no sign of any coercion, ‘vague’ insinuations or demands of any sort either.
Rather, His Eminence is surprisingly candid about whatever he explains – be it Madonna or Manjushri. Commentaries, explanations are brilliantly explained, and reasoning provided.
It is, basically…
…teachings. Really good teachings at that.
On how to be a better person, and how to help others get better. How to help everyone you know benefit. It was actually very surprisingly that such teachings were free on Youtube, but the more I watched, the more I understood why.
Now, the vitriol is just disturbing.
I mean, no one likes receiving hate mail, so there has to be a clear/strong reason behind someone’s actions and beliefs. The D.S. practice is His Eminence holding his vows and promises to his gurus and to his protector – which are supposed to be unbreakable. Once committed, he has done what he was supposed to do – carry on with his promises. And hating someone over guru samaya is just weird, not to mention rather disturbing. In the recent videos, of HH Kyabje Zong Rinpoche — it’s even more clear.
I many not know a lot, but I know this much at least. You are either choose to keep a promise or you don’t.
And for those preaching vitriol, slurs and other nasty things against anyone aren’t exactly practicing what they claim to be. If one were to just think of Lojong, or any other teaching….well…you get the picture.
It’s either you do, or you don’t.
Its either you are or you aren’t.
So, lets just go back to the basics…
Is abuse and slander in any form, for whatever reason a part of the faith? Of any good faith?
If you have an issue, deal with it peacefully, or at the very least, diplomatically. Harming someone is as good as harming yourself in the end – we aren’t meant to be practicing hatred. Why waste your time cultivating the negative when there is so much potential to do good?
Sorry for the overly long rant…but I felt like I had to say [type?] this. No one deserves vitriol, especially Rinpoche out of all the people.
I’m just happy that I got a chance to come across his teachings.
Be blessed with these rare videos featuring explanation and advice about Dorje Shugden practice by His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche in his own voice. The teaching was requested by Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, one of the earliest masters who taught Tibetan Buddhism in the West.
Video 1: H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche Explains Dorje Shugden Initiation and Benefits (With English Subtitles)
Kyabje Zong Rinpoche was an erudite scholar, ritual master and practitioner of the highest degree from Tibet. At the request of Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, one of the pioneers who taught Tibetan Buddhism in America, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche gives clear explanation and advice about the life-entrustment initiation of Dorje Shugden and how to go about the practice and get the maximum benefits in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzFMvlxAqtc&feature=youtu.be
Video 2: H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche speaks on the History and Lineage of Dorje Shugden (With English Subtitles)
In this video, an erudite scholar, ritual master and practitioner of the highest degree from Tibet, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche talks about the incarnation lineage of Dorje Shugden and how the practice arose, with examples of Dorje Shugden’s previous lives that reveal his powerful spiritual attainments and contributions. This very rare teaching was given at the request of Kyabje Zong Rinpoche’s student, Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, one of the pioneers who taught Buddhism in the West to many disciples since the 1970s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIzKSJgK618&feature=youtu.be
For more information: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/kyabje-zong-rinpoches-advice-on-dorje-shugdens-practice.html
His Holiness the 10th Panchen Lama
Tibetans commonly refer to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and His Holiness 10th Panchen Lama as the “sun and moon” of Tibetan Buddhism. They are the center of Tibetan Buddhist civilization, which draws to its sphere of influence millions of non-Tibetan practitioners. The Panchen Lama’s incarnation line began with the 16th abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen (1570 – 1662). He was bestowed the title of Panchen Lama by His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama after being declared as an emanation of Amitabha.
After being given the title, his three previous incarnations were posthumously also bestowed the title, making Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen the 4th Panchen Lama. He became a teacher to many Tibetans, Bhutanese and Mongolian religious figures, including His Holiness the 4th and 5th Dalai Lamas, and the 1st Jetsun Dampa of Mongolia. A prolific author, Chokyi Gyeltsen is credited with over a hundred compositions, including a number of commentaries and ritual texts that remain central in the Gelukpa tradition today. Along with his role as a teacher of the Dharma, the Panchen Lamas are usually responsible for the recognition of the rebirths of the Dalai Lamas, and vice versa.
The 10th Panchen Lama, Lobsang Trinley Lhundrub Chokyi Gyeltsen (19 February 1938 – 28 January 1989) continued both the spiritual and political roles of his predecessors. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, his contemporary, was even heard to say and echo the Panchen Lama’s own words that the Dalai Lama would safeguard Tibet from the outside while the Panchen Lama would safeguard Tibet from the inside, as he never left Tibet after the political troubles of 1959. He was truly loved by the Tibetans, all the way until his passing. When he taught, thousands of people would attend, not only from his own Gelug lineage, but masters and practitioners from all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
At his sprawling monastery of Tashi Lhunpo, he has a special chapel specifically dedicated to Dorje Shugden, where prayers and rituals are performed on a daily basis. In his great omniscience the Panchen Lama held Dorje Shugden as the principal Dharma protector of the monastery. He also personally propitiated Dorje Shugden among other Dharma protectors, and even wrote extensive prayers and rituals to Dorje Shugden. These rituals and prayers are contained within his ‘sung bum’ or collected works, which are provided here. As such a great lama, with an erudite and clear understanding of the Buddhist scriptures, a teacher to millions in both Tibet and China, from an established incarnation line and an emanation of the Buddha Amitabha, he could not be mistaken about his practice of Dorje Shugden.
His Holiness 10th Panchen Lama is known for his composition of commentaries and practice texts that are still in use by contemporary Buddhist practitioners both in Tibet and across the world. One of these is a powerful ritual composition propitiating the compassionate Dorje Shugden.
Upon the request by Acharya Lobsang Jangchub to compose a shorter version of the prayer (sadhana) for the exhortation of activities of Dorje Shugden, Panchen Lama immediately composed an abbreviate form of Dorje Shugden’s Kangsol. This text is entitled “Manjunatha’s (Tsongkapa) Lineage protector Dorje Shugden and five forms wrathful propitiations and confessional prayers and fulfilment of activities rites” or “Melodious sound of Accomplishment of the Four Activities” for short. Once the prayers were completed, he had signs and strong feelings that Dorje Shugden has been working hard to protect the Buddhadharma in general and the lineage of Lama Tsongkhapa specifically.
Mirroring the abilities of one of his earlier incarnations, Khedrub Je, a disciple of Lama Tsongkhapa and master of both sutra and tantra, the Panchen Lama used his compositional skill and poetic prowess to create a masterful sadhana. Worthy of note is a praise in which the first letter of each verse is a Tibetan vowel. Such compositions are rarely seen, and have historically only been used when propitiating senior Dharma protectors such as Palden Lhamo and Kalarupa.
The Panchen Lama also stated that while composing the Dorje Shugden sadhana (prayers) he was filled with a sense of happiness and bliss. He ends the composition with not only his official title but his ordination name, Tenzin Trinley Jigme Choje Wangchuk, endorsing the validity of his work. He composed the sadhana in his own Tashi Lhunpo monastery while in the Hall of Clear Light and Bliss.
See the Panchen Lama’s writings and download: https://bit.ly/2KIfeXb
For the first time available, Dorje Shugden and his entourage of 32 assistants of his mandala.
Dorje Shugden is a powerful protector deity who is also an emanation of Manjushri, a wisdom bestowing Buddha. Therefore, he has great ability to help us to progress further on the spiritual path. He does this by helping us to overcome obstacles and problems for the modern individual.
Due to his enlightened nature, Dorje Shugden is able to manifest 32 deities and within the same abode resides Setrap and Kache Marpo:-
1. 5 Dorje Shugden families or emanations. They consists of the following:-
– Dulzin Dorje Shugden, which performs activities to eliminate inner and outer obstacles.
– Shize, which performs activities to pacify all illnesses and disease.
– Gyenze, which performs activities to increase all desirable material and spiritual wealth.
– Wangze, which performs activities to control difficult people and circumstances.
– Trakze, which performs activities to wrathfully eliminate all insurmountable obstacles and life-threatening situations.
2. 9 Mothers. They represent protection of the five senses and developing control of the four elements. These are all attributes that signify their ability to assist tantric practitioners with their higher meditations.
3. 8 Guiding Monks. They represent the Eight Great Bodhisattvas (Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, Vajrapani, Samantabhadra, Maitreya, Kshitigarbha, Akashagarbha, Sarva-nivarana-viskambini) and they bring about the growth of the Dharma, through the Sangha, Dharma practitioners and Dharma establishments.
4. 10 Youthful & Wrathful Attendants. They represent the ten wrathful attendants to avert inner and outer obstacles. They are beings who are from Mongolia, China, Kashmir, India, Bengali, etc.
5. Setrap. He is a senior Dharma Protector from India and an emanation of Amitabha Buddha. He had enthroned Dorje Shugden as an authentic Dharma Protector. Therefore, he also resides within the same mandala of Dorje Shugden.
6. Kache Marpo. He is not an emanation of Dorje Shugden but he is still an enlightened Dharma Protector in his own right. He was originally known as Tsiu Marpo of Samye Monastery. However, he has placed himself under the service of Dorje Shugden as his chief minister, performing many activities in order to protect and benefit practitioners. Therefore, he stands guard at the main entrance of Dorje Shugden’s mandala. He often takes trance of qualified mediums to speak.
7. Namkar Barzin. He is the reincarnation of an old Mongolian monk and when he passed away in Phari area of Tibet, his spirit was placed as a powerful assistant of Dorje Shugden. He guards and protects buildings and great institutions especially those that benefit others. He rides on a mythical Gyaling animal that resembles a goat but with scales.
These sacred images are available on *Vajrasecrets. They are made of high quality alloy and are one of a kind. They are based on the lineage of His Holiness Panchen Rinpoche’s monastery, Tashilhunpo in Shigatse, Tibet. In fact, the iconography of these statues are based on detailed photographs taken by H. E. Tsem Rinpoche during a trip to Tashilhunpo’s protector chapel. These are based exactly as the 10th Panchen Lama’s personal collection.
Dorje Shugden mandala: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=131570
Dorje Shugden’s benefit and practice: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=62422
Dorje Shugden’s origins: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=106424
Dorje Shugden chapel in His Holiness Panchen Rinpoche’s Tashilhunpo Monastery in Tibet: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=68698
*Stand not included
Sakya tradition’s thangka of Dorje Shugden sitting on a throne within his palace with his four emanations and high Sakya Lamas nearby. Tsem Rinpoche
Antique Pelden Lhamo thangka with sacred Dorje Shugden at the bottom right. Can see Tsongkapa and Guru Rinpoche on the top also. Beautiful and holy.
Dharma is definitely good , that’s why our Guru is teaching us tireless without fail. Being a dharma teacher is not easy after all, having to teach ,see , hear and accept abusing every now and then. To see all the negativity messages by some irresponsible people is pretty sad. As a teacher Rinpoche , face much pressures, expectations, projections, prejudices from his students and every where. Well, whatever they said and do they are responsible for their own action. But why hide and attack a monk?. Religious freedom is a fundamental human right that protects the conscience of all people. It allows us to think, express and act upon regardless of what we deeply believe. Religious freedom allows people to live peacefully with their deepest differences. Since learning , and practicing Buddhism on Rinpoche’s blog , its has for sure have benefited me tremendously and many more. And I still learning, learning a bit and bit of it each day which I have Rinpoche to thank for . May Rinpoche live long with good health to continue turning the Dharma wheel for the benefits of all sentient beings. Thank you Rinpoche and Martin Chow for this wonderful sharing.
Great message every Tibetan especially must read!
From the videos I’ve watched it appears that HH Tsem Rinpoche expects his students to leave their inflated self-worth and a multitude of other samsaric bad habits at the door. Since he is the most exceptional teacher I’ve ever experienced,I’m sure his studying with him is not easy. I absolutely love the high standards of Kechara and feel genuinely challenged with each video and the articles on this website.
Not everyone is quite ready for the real deal, all of us struggle with samsaric weaknesses and self-importance. Frankly I don’t know if I could handle the studies yet I know I’d be a better person for the trying.
Hopefully these upset folks can quickly get back on the path in another learning environment better suited to them without judgement because there is no judgement. May they find their peace and never be separated from the great happiness devoid of
suffering.
Religious freedom is a beautiful thing, we are blessed beyond measure. Thank you HH Tsem Rinpoche and Kechara for your every effort.
Thank you Martin for guiding us to understand the real situations created by the haters as well as to know the real facts of unfair discrimination which Rinpoche has to absorbed and gone through for all these years. To my understanding, a Dharma institution is a place where people can come to learn, study and practice the Dharma through a qualified spiritual guide or a Guru. Rinpoche has been trying and working out various kinds of methods, prayers and different approaches to suit the respective type of students in order for them to transform their minds, gain higher attainments and deeper realization according to the Buddhadharma and most importantly, not to see his students to continue to suffer in pain because of delusion and ignorance. However, some students might not able to recognize the kindness, compassion and skillful ways of how Rinpoche trains the students through the best method in order to help them in the most effective manner.
Other than giving Dharma teachings, advice and guidance, Rinpoche has to ensure that all the Kechara facilities, projects, resources and many more, are well taken care and managed by every specific team continuously so that Kechara can continue to grow and benefit more people and more living beings. Yet, some students could be only looking on one sided way to protect their own interest and comfort zone while pursuing the Dharma with a conclusion that Rinpoche should not interfere with their personal life. There might be some special assignments given to the students that can take up some or most of their time. Bear in mind that it is the students that first came to a Dharma institution to pursue the Dharma and if they cannot cope with higher levels of teaching and training as time goes by, they should own their limitations, look for positive solutions or leave the Dharma institution in a peaceful way but not in return to attack and defame their own Guru, whom they have placed high respect and admiration when they first joined the Dharma institution. When these ungrateful students turn to become haters and defaming their Guru, it will slap their own face even harder as why they have joined the Dharma institution in the very first place. I sincerely pray that all those haters will stop their negative actions that will only bring them with more delusions and ignorance and eventually will bring them more sufferings, pain and unhappiness.
May Rinpoche live long with stable health to continue to turn the wheel of Dharma for the benefits of all sentient beings until samsara ends.
Thank you with folded hands,
kin hoe
One type of people baffles me, and that is the people who have never known Tsem Rinpoche for even a brief moments or had any interaction with Tsem Rinpoche would be so bold on borrowed knowledge criticize a teacher and his beliefs.
People who are not worried about Karma and its effects. Just to appear right? or just to join the crowd? Or just because so and so said this, without much checking and verification I will be bold to attack just about any teacher? To me its walking on thin ice.
Thank you for sharing this heartfelt post. It is indeed not easy to be a Dharma teacher as we students come with a lot of difficulties, expectations and projections.
Martin shared that we have passed much more time in Samsara, which is very true. It is challenging to change our perceptions and transform our mind to be someone who is not selfcentered, puts others first and stops deep-rooted habituations.
I have experienced a lot of kindness, care, advices, gifts, food and much more from H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche and the most important and beneficial is the Dharma, the many teachings which are also available freely online via the blog https://www.tsemrinpoche.com, http://www.dorjeshugden.org, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, What’s App messages and much more.
The kindness of Rinpoche is not based on getting something back but it is with the best intention that we are able to gain the best for our future lifes.
It is sad that some people, whose expectations have not been met, speak bad about someone whose only intent is to give them the best in life, something even our parents cannot give us. Rinpoche’s life has not been easy compared to most of us. He has studied for many many years under many high lamas and moved away from the monastery to Malaysia to share the Dharma with the fortunate people here.
Here is the biography of H.E. the 25th Tsem Tulku Rinpoche: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/h-e-the-25th-tsem-tulku-rinpoches-biography.html
Yes, mindtransformation is not easy and I am the best example for that but never speak against someone who gives from the heart and with the best intentions, and who is a pure monk.
Firstly I’m still new in Kechara and don’t know much about Dharma, well still learning. But after reading this article I feel like why are we like that? For a Guru who has given his best for teaching us Dharma, who has given his best in advising us. Why must we still be so selfish, choosy and full of hatred at the Holy Guru? What has he done to get this in return? After reading all the nastiest post, why don’t we just look in the mirror and ask ourselves, why do we want to study Buddhism? What is the purpose? Do we know what’s the Great Karma install for us when we insult a Holy Monk? I really felt sorry the haters, so sorry they had these kind of ignorant feelings towards our Guru. So be prepared haters.
You are absolutely right Martin, one collects a huge amount of negative karma when he/she criticises a pure teacher or lama. On a secular level, we are already collecting negative karma each time we gossip or talk down on someone, can you imagine how much the karma multiplies then when we create schisms and cause others to lose faith in the teacher? Every single one of us definitely have someone we like and dislike, it’s our own choice. But we should not openly degrade others, no matter how we put this, it’s not morally correct.
I have spent my whole life studying different paths. I live within my own now. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED most religions teach nothing about a real God but much about ego and mind. man wants to believe he or she is important. To who? Themselves? Well when a teachers tells people the truth is within are they able to really explain what it is? People want to believe truth is different and fits their own ideas which is so far from the truth. I try to reflect on the truth – true or false. If it is false I do not close my eyes. Man needs to know their is a truth it never changes only man’s understanding of it. Man is into helping the worlds people but the truth is most do not really want anything other then the programmed idea of life. No famous speaker really gets into death, why most cannot. Even Buddha talked about death is only a breath away. If you ever want to talk about that please lets. I had five death experiences and learned to travel outside my body. I am not saying I ma better but I ma saying I can stand toe to toe to any speaker on this planet about death and the deities.
Hi Martin,
Thank you so much for this wonderful and totally logical article.
My family, friends and relatives have benefited so much from HE teachings and Dharma in countless ways and we are indeed very, very fortunate to be able to hear, see and experience such a pure lineage teaching. They are indescribable in so many WAYS.
Haters, evil doers and all who are so “anti Rinpoche” I would urge all to cease for everyone’s sake, more for yourselves as continuous spreading of hate, bitterness, malicious lies, schism, and all negative actions will only create more bitterness and animosity for yourselves in the end.
My Guru has been so compassionate and kind (as do all Lamas) to bring Dharma to all those who seek the ultimate peace. Doing or creating all negative actions to cause the degeneration of Dharma is very damaging. Kindly stop.
Yours humbly
Lum Kok Luen
Dharma only leads to goodness in life. Nothing bad can ever come from dharma. The proof is in the pudding. Rinpoche is a success because he teaches pure dharma to help liberate beings. When you live by the dharma, you are rewarded with temporary and final rewards.
You’re absolutely correct Roy, by abiding in a dharmic life, there’s no way bad things will come to us. And even with that, good and bad is dependent on our individual expectation and perspective. Lord Buddha is the greatest example, by him living in accord to the dharmic way of life, he has achieved enlightenment. Therefore if someone were to say negative things about dharma, it would mean that they are implying the Buddha was wrong because everything we know now came from him…
Thank you Martin for the article. Being fairly new to Kechara, all I know is that learning Dharma and practicing Dharma does not harm anyone. It is the samsara world that has influenced and controlled our delusions that has led us to all uncalled actions of slander.
We are learning Dharma from an authentic lineage and we have a Guru, H.E Tsem Rinpoche teaching and sharing with us in the degenerative times.
I sincerely would like to thank H E Tsem Rinpoche for all the teachings that he has shared, and hopefully all of the practitioners of Kechara can released from sufferings and seek enlightment.
With folded hands
Thank you, Rinpoche.
It is one thing to discuss/debate with facts, logic and an openness of the mind which is conducive to learning, but hiding and attacking is a totally different ball game.
It is very clear to me, and I have observed many of these attacks, that all these shenanigans serve to “repair” certain people’s egos and which have nothing to do with the person, persons or organization that is being attacked.
Indeed such persons I have observed, attack rather indiscriminately. One day it might be her former spiritual center, the next day it could be her (former) employees or colleagues, and the next day it could be the restaurant she lunched at or her ex. And sometimes the attacks are so subtly disguised that even the attacker does not recognize the attack.
In the meantime, we can only continue to educate and reason until one day, hopefully and I pray, some of these people come to their senses. They are not bad people, they just sometimes have a little bit more delusions than us.
It is always sad to see all the negativity and the hate messages. I can only assume that these people are lost spiritually and need help. They work to drive people away from dharma, not just as they assume from Kechara, and that carries heavy karma. After being in dharma, surely they know that.
And, if they are ready to bear that burden, I can only wish them well and pray for them. No one but themselves can pull them out of the hate mental mode and work to purify negative karma and accumulate merits for enlightenment.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this comment made by Suzy on Rinpoche’s YouTube channel. Suzy has a unique opinion as to why His Holiness imposed the Shugden ban, one that corresponds to the Dalai Lama being Avalokiteshvara. Do you agree with her? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl-4lIwxph4&t=11s Anyway its welcome news to see more people embracing the practice despite the Tibetan leadership’s efforts to deny the practice.
Trode Khangsar Chapel in Lhasa, TibetOver 400 years ago a great and learned lama Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was famed in Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal and China for being very saintly and compassionate. He resided in his residence (Zimkhang Gongma Ladrang) in Drepung Monastery. His root guru was H.H. the Omniscient 4th Panchen Lama and his close dharma brother was the 5th Dalai Lama.
The 5th Dalai Lama and Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen had a very close and dharmic relationship and often went to receive teachings together from the 4th Panchen Lama. They were close in age. They both became very learned and well known. During this time, the Dalai Lama was enthroned as a Dharma King of Tibet. But more people went to see Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen for teachings, initiations and divinations. This made the attendants of the 5th Dalai Lama feel threatened that Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s fame might usurp the power of the 5th Dalai Lama. So they had a khata forced down his throat. At that moment, Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen dissolved his psychic winds and generated the wish to be a great guardian of Buddha and Tsongkapa’s teachings. As his consciousness dissolved, he entered ‘bardo’ as a dharma protector of the highest order (jikten depey sungma). Many signs were seen throughout Lhasa at this time and the earth was said to have shaken in Lhasa. This event was already predicted to Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s previous incarnation when he was one of the 8 main disciples of Lord Tsongkapa the Supreme Master and he served Tsongkapa directly by building Gaden Monastery.
When the 5th Dalai Lama heard what his scheming and power-hungry attendants had done, he was very distressed. He was very sorry Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was murdered and dishonored as he was a great dharma master. The 5th Dalai Lama composed an apology to Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen. In Lhasa, tens of thousands gathered for the cremation of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s holy body. During the cremation, the 5th Dalai Lama’s apology was read out at which flames spontaneously arose from the body of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen commencing the cremation. From the body, during cremation, a powerful whirlwind of smoke tunneled into the sky for all to see as this was an indication Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s consciousness has arisen as the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden. The Dharma Protector Setrap immediately recognized this new protector Dorje Shugden and ‘enthroned’ him as a powerful Dharma Protector in the realm of the Buddhas. From this, Setrap and Dorje Shugden are closely connected and very close working hand in hand always. After the cremation, the great 5th Dalai Lama built a Dorje Shugden chapel on the spot the cremation took place and named it Trode Khangsar. The 5th Dalai Lama commissioned the statue of Dorje Shugden in this chapel and had monks installed in the chapel to do continuous propitiations to Dorje Shugden. Trode Khangsar Chapel was a commemoration to Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen who was wronged and also a celebration of his consciousness arising as the World Peace Peace Protector Dorje Shugden.
This Trode Khangsar Chapel still exists now in Lhasa where many make pilgrimages there. It is in good condition and was recently renovated. It is over 400 years old and a testimony to the respect the Great 5th Dalai Lama had to Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen who arose as Dorje Shugden.
I have visited this holy chapel in Lhasa years back. I’ve never heard of it till I was in Lhasa and by chance, I was told about it which I was happy to visit. I could not find the place but strangely a bunch of pilgrims from Amdo told me they would show me how to get there in Lhasa.
This short video is a short clip of this holy Trode Khangsar Chapel in Lhasa today commemorating Dorje Shugden, built by the great 5th Dalai Lama. The great 5th Dalai Lama even composed a prayer to Dorje Shugden which is still available today and we can recite to invoke the blessings, protection, and assistance of World Peace Protector Dorje Shugden.
Tsem Rinpoche
Read more: Trode Khangsar – A 400-year-old Dorje Shugden Chapel in Lhasa
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/trode-khangsar-%E2%80%93-a-400-year-old-dorje-shugden-chapel-in-lhasa.html
Short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTybDwTeLAM
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The 5th Dalai Lama’s Prayer to Dorje ShugdenHUM
Though unmoving from the sphere of primordial spontaneity,
With wrathful turbulent power, swifter than lightning,
Endowed with heroic courage to judge good and bad,
I invite you with faith, please come to this place!
Robes of a monk, crown adorned with rhinoceros leather hat,
Right hand holds ornate club, left holds a human heart,
Riding various mounts such as nagas and garudas,
Who subdues the mamos of the charnel grounds, praise to you!
Samaya substances, offerings and torma, outer, inner and secret,
Favourite visual offerings and various objects are arranged.
Although, previously, my wishes were a bit dense,
Do not stop your powerful apparitions, I reveal and confess!
Now respectfully praising with body, speech, and mind,
For us, the masters, disciples, benefactors and entourages,
Provide the good and avert the bad!
Bring increase like the waxing moon in spiritual and temporal realms!
Moreover, swiftly accomplishing all wishes,
According to our prayers, bestow the supreme effortlessly!
And like the jewel that bestows all wishes,
Always protect us with the Three Jewels!
From: http://www.dorjeshugden.org/practice/the-5th-dalai-lamas-prayer-to-dorje-shugden
Tibetan prayer from: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/the-14th-dalai-lamas-prayer-to-dorje-shugden.html
Until now I still can’t figure out what do these people benefit by saying and writing negative things about our Guru? I also heard these things told to me directly and indirectly. Not knowing what was it about or what was going on? I was very confused,lost and in doubts. But thanks to DS who saved me right in time. Rinpoche sensed what was going on,and you and Rinpoche pulled me back,otherwise i would have said bye bye already. So,I would like to take this opportunity to thank you,Martin and Rinpoche from the bottom of my heart from those negative influences.
Martin, thank you very much for this very direct and insightful message for people who needs to clear their doubts about our beloved Guru._/\_
For me, the anonymity is a sign that whatever they say has no basis and is not the truth. If it were true, why hide? Did Mandela hide his opinions when he and his people suffered from apartheid? How about Gandhi and colonialism? Or Aung San Suu Kyi and the junta? People know there’s no truth to these attacks and claims against Rinpoche and Kechara, and that is why they have never taken root.
The attackers are always looking for someone else to blame for their so-called traumatic experiences. Hence the real problem is that these so-called victims are used to devolving responsibility from themselves. As a result, they can’t even take responsibility now for these attacks and identify themselves as the attackers, or stand behind their opinions.
All of this blaming others results in people who hate themselves. They hate themselves for being cowards and because they know they’re responsible for their own alleged ‘trauma’. Responsible how? They know no one stopped them from leaving sooner (if the so-called trauma took place) and they could have left at any time…so that begs the question, why didn’t they? Because they know few people in the outside world would’ve tolerated their behaviour in the same way Rinpoche tolerated from them for YEARS.
Nothing that any of these people went through will ever be as bad as what Tsem Rinpoche went through as a child, and what thousands of victims of domestic violence, victims of war, etc. around the world go through every day. These so-called ‘victims’ of Kechara have never been beaten, they’ve never been sexually abused, they’ve never been drugged, raped or anything like what REAL victims of trauma undergo.
So then you compare the result. Rinpoche came out of his abusive childhood to establish an organisation that benefits others, to make sure no one ever goes through what he suffered as a child. Victims of war crimes establish organisations to encourage world peace and the end of conflict. Victims of domestic violence set up hotlines to provide refuge for other victims.
On the other hand, these attackers of Rinpoche set up anonymous websites, write on Internet forums, spam Facebook walls and establish Facebook groups spouting negativity.
So you tell me and you decide – who is the actual nasty person and who is the nice one? Who is the attacker and who is the victim here?
Nice to know Patricia Snodgrass, Wong Kok Chung (Joey Wong) and Carol McQuire are in contact. All those nasties on Tsem Rinpoche, guess now we know who directed Carol and her “friends”‘s attention to him with all those fake stories. The violence and vulgarities against Tsem Rinpoche, now there’s proof who was the source of it.
I gotta agree with Carol McQuire. Linda Ciardiello REALLY captured Sogyal’s likeness to a tee!
Hey Carol, these are amazing! Linda Ciardiello is so quick with her art!
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and even more
here’s more
and also this
and this
see this
What this people get accusing Rinpoche.. Its like person never taste honey since he born and telling honey is bitter.. same way they never had practice Dorje Shugden and telling Dorje Shugden is Demon..and accusing who practice Dorje Shugden… Better Practice first and then accuse and criticize.. Otherwise who believe accusers.. Some handful say they practice then stop because they dont feel good or sick…Helloooo you cannot accuse Dorje Shugden when you have a headache or nausea.. give up practice telling no good practice.. I remember I read before one anti Shugden Lama Saying that he stop Dorje Shugden practice because he start to feel nausea or something ..hehehehehe …
I start Practicing more than year ago, with in one week to this date nothing but spiritual benefits.. there is no other words.. I comment this after I practice .. I think before any one accuse Ringpoche or Shugden practitioners, they should Practice first.
Please forgive because I’m going to write a novel.
I first started my dharma practice in 2011. In truth though, I’ve been interested in Buddhism when I was a little kid, but coming from a really Christian family, I couldn’t practice.
The first video I saw of Tsem Rinpoche is where he talked about malas (because I bought my first mala and it’s still alive after four years!). I became entranced with his no-nonsense and straight forward way of teaching the dharma.
Then, I was led to the practice of Lama Tsongkhapa. For seven days I recited the yoga off a paper I printed at work. After that, I had no need to read the paper anymore because I knew it by heart (that’s one heck of an attainment if you ask me!). So we can’t say attainments are impossible. I may not be able to fly, make medicine pills or do divination, but Tsongkhapa’s guru yoga is better than any other attainment you can receive.
Coming from SW Kansas where everyone is a die-hard Christian conservative, the only Buddhist temple here is run by Vietnamese monks. I am very lucky to find another Buddhist like me (Hispanic and quirky) where we can have debates on Buddhism and not leave angry with each other.
I wasn’t surprised when Rinpoche shared he was a Shugden practitioner. I looked through a Vajrayogini sadhana book (I know I’m not supposed to read it, but I flipped through the pages and looked at the pictures I swear) and saw that Shugden was the main protector of the practice. It also didn’t surprise me that Rinpoche was a Shugden practitioner because Pabongkha was a fierce advocate for Shugden, and Tsem’s pratice lineage stems all the way to Pabongkha.
At first, I was disturbed about Shugden, mostly due to my ignorance. However, I realised that Shugden, Setrap and Tsiu Marpo are a trio of brothers just trying to protect the dharma. So now I have no reservations towards Shugden.
It saddens me to think that people I once admired (Jamie for one) is now bad-mouthing Rinpoche. The Brahma Net Sutra clearly explains what will happen to people like her. I, however, instead of bad mouthing her will recite Migtsema for her hoping she will at least see what she is doing is wrong.
I don’t know the extent of how Rinpoche disciplines his students, but they should be glad they didn’t have a guru like Marpa who made Milarepa build and destroy three towers!
Even though I and all of Kechara are separated by a big ocean, I consider you all brothers and sisters in dharma led by the most funny, silly, quirky Lama ever. I don’t think I will ever find a teacher like him in the states.
I hope one day I get to travel to Malaysia and receive teachings directly from an embodiment of Lama Tsongkhapa and maybe even join the center.
But as for right now, I am a solitary practitioner performing guru yoga every day and receiving teachings from a Lama online. I always go back and rewatch videos because I know I will learn something new each time. I would never trade my life and my lama for any reason especially because I was a horrible person before I found the dharma and tsem rinpoche’s teachings.
I know for a fact change is possible, you CAN become a better person, and dharma is the real deal.
I got your back Tsem! Keep doing what you’re doing because it works.
Forever your online student, Roy.
“If the Dalai Lama, if His Holiness the Dalai Lama can be harmed by Dorje Shugden, then we might as well not practice Buddhism anymore. If His Holiness the Dalai Lama can have his life shortened by a so-called evil spirit, any evil spirit, then can he be Avalokiteshvara? So on one hand you say, we say, I say, everybody says, he is Avalokiteshvara; on the other hand you’re saying that he can harmed by an evil spirit… Which one is it? Can he harmed by an evil spirit or is he Avalokiteshvara? Do you think Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, Vajrapani, Tara all take refuge in something else to protect themselves from Dorje Shugden? How illogical is that? How illogical of people to say His Holiness the Dalai Lama can be harmed by an evil spirit, any evil spirit or “Dorje Shugden” evil spirit. How is that possible?” – Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
Dear Martin,
Thanks for ur writing out the whole true situation that Rinpoche and Kechara always face.
Its truly a sad story that many of the ex-Kecharian are showered by Rinpoche teaching but in the end create so many baseless accusation. From the faceless, nameless ect we can assume by common sense that all accounts like this are making false and untrue statements always. If they got strong proofs or evidence then why need to hide like this way?
I sincerely wish that all the peoples behind will blessed by Lord Manjushri and wrathful Manjushri so their ignorance will be lesser and stop to create abundance negative Karma in this way again.
Your sincerely,
Casteven
Thank you, Uncle martin, for writing this. It really made me smile, and I love how well written it is. 🙂 I’m really glad that Rinpoche was able to change you for the better. 🙂 May he continue to do so for a very long time. _/|\_
I use to follow and trust this Tenpel’s blog. But as you read more and more, it sounds nice at first, but it is set up to attack others.
He has no right to judge Tsem in any way or accuse Tsem of tricking the public in regards to the Dorje Shugden practice. In Tibetan society when you reveal you are practicing Dorje Shugden, your life is in danger. Tsem is very brave to finally come out. What people don’t understand is, Tsem is brave to risk his life and keeping his practice secret all these years was not deception but protection.
As regards to and Ex-Kechara Tenpel mentions he is in contact with is Wong Kok Chung (Joey or something like that). Wong Kok Chung has been in contact with many people in order to defame Tsem and Kechara. He was caught doing things in Kechara that was very savory to say the least on the grapevine. So he was asked to leave. He is bitter he was asked to leave. He use to have a blog which is since removed that advertised all his homosexual exploits and adventures. Very unsafe and unsavory character.
After reading this post I feel there is a need to comment on the unreasonable attacks towards Rinpoche.
Although no longer active in the organisation, I still consider Rinpoche as my Guru as he has imparted so much knowledge to me throughout my years in the organisation and even up until today via his online postings.
I am forever grateful and indebted to Rinpoche for all that he has taught me, directly and indirectly. Until today, I live by those teachings wherever and whenever applicable.
I am also very thankful to Rinpoche for always pointing out my mistakes and weaknesses. It was he who made me realised that I can be a better person if I wanted to. For all that Rinpoche say and do, he meant no harm but only good. Good for me.
Today, after a few years of living by Rinpoche’s teachings, I realised slowly but surely I have matured in my thinking and my actions. All thanks to Rinpoche’s kindness in patiently imparting knowledge to me. I am a nobody, yet he was willing to spend time on me.
This is why after reading this post, I know those who throw hateful attacks on Rinpoche do not have any basis to do so because I had personally seen how Rinpoche treat his students and even strangers. From the first time I met Rinpoche, he was consistent all the way in his motivation to help others.
And who are we to blame Rinpoche for all our faults? We hold the choice to all our decisions, so if in the first place we chose to follow Rinpoche’s teachings and in the end we decide to leave, who are we to blame Rinpoche? It was us who chose to follow the teachings and leave. We are all adults. We have the capability to think and act for ourselves. So why blame someone when we feel we made the ‘wrong’ choice?
On the attacks by others on Rinpoche practicing Dorje Shugden, well all I can say is from my personal observation, this practice has helped countless people including myself. I still carry around the Dorje Shugden pendant Rinpoche gifted me because I have faith in this Protector. My faith does not come blindly. My faith comes from the countless of teachings Rinpoche gave on this Protector and all the other teachings available. Rinpoche never forced anyone to follow the practice.
I sincerely hope for those who keep attacking Rinpoche to stop because, at the end of the day, karma works on our thoughts and actions. Dharma does not teach us to attack others, what more a monk. Whatever choices Rinpoche made, it is his own choice so why make a big fuss out of it? Sometimes saying nothing is better than saying anything. It just shows what kind of person we are.
To Rinpoche and all at Kechara, I thank you sincerely for working day and night tirelessly to help others and spreading the Dharma.
When I contemplated again and again on this article and the other article on ‘They want to kill me’ , I found that we might actually slip to such situation if we are not being careful. As what Patsy has shared that day in our group discussion, that we are actually a miniature of Jamie in one way or another.
Hence, we should really carefully examine ourselves daily and our motivation behind doing our work, practice, retreat and etc. A Guru may scold out of compassion but if the student were to take it as an example to scold others on the pretext on ‘compassion’ is a disaster to oneself and another. This article is actually a wake up call to all of us,to examine oneself and to stand for our Guru. Little did I know what Rinpoche has to endure each and everyday!thank you Martin for this piece of sharing. Really thank you.
小弟Kentkok很很荣幸在尊贵的詹杜固仁波切克加切拉佛教中心,在很短的时间里我看的,尊贵的詹杜固仁波切,大慈悲心,帮助了不分种族的人,也帮助过曾经在伤害过他身边的人离开了他的人还为他们加持回向善功德给他们,尊贵的詹杜固仁波切,在馬來西亚的贡献值的我敬拜的。我的看了这些人写文章内容无中生有,这些人写出这些不负责害人不浅的字,你们这些人这样做事想要自己的到好处。拼命的去破坏去伤害,做人身攻击,贪得无厌,是人的话好好的去想吧！在这样的下对你们來说只有坏处一点好处都没有,到最后罪业,就越來越多了。后悔来不及了,快速回头是岸,去做一些有义意的事情,好事多做,好话多说,对你们有益无害。
普通来说，一位慈悲的上师在传授佛法，是有教无类的，利益众生。而众生就包括了天人道、阿修罗道、人道、地狱道、饿鬼道还有畜生道。不管生在那一道，佛法慈悲的普渡众生。
慈悲的上师仁波切也不例外地有教无类。仁波切不管那位学生是聪明的，是头脑比较不灵活的，甚至是曾经品行不好的人，上师都一一接受与承受他们所造下的业报。在仁波切的回向文里也有提到：“愿我能施予美德、功德、时间、力量、爱心及智慧，还有承受他人的无知、仇恨、愤怒及负面的业障。”试问，有谁可以做到如此的无私但利益他人。
仁波切身负重任传授佛法只为了一个目的，就是持续宗喀巴大师的重要教诲Lojong (心识转换)，那就是学会去承受他人的痛苦。佛法是不会去计较与分辨性别、宗教、性倾向、文化、社会经济地位以及其他。而那些曾经是仁波切的学生，要明白这一切。当你离开了慈悲的上师，离开了克切拉，请不要怀有妒忌或愤怒心。因为，佛法就好比如一门学问一样。就像当初我们在小学，中学或大学里学习，时间到了，就要离开。但，是带着快乐和充满信心的带着知识与通明达理的心情离开而迈向人生的另一阶段。
但是，由于无明与嗔怒的作祟，往往都会让人失去了本有的理性与智慧来面对事情。
在此祈愿那些被无明蒙蔽了他们的心，可以尽早的摆脱无明，智慧增长，看清与明了一切。
Om Ah Ra Ba Tsa Na Dhi 。。。
I thank Rinpoche, BK and Martin very much for that insightful and thought provoking piece. Reading this piece was not easy. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why these ex-students had to resort to such harmful speech and actions. In the real/corporate world, I bet there are nasty CEOs and corporate leaders but we don’t see any hate forum set up for them or death threats. And I can bet that these nasty leaders would have done A LOT worse.
People leave organisations/work places all the time.That’s the norm. No biggie. If you have to leave, why not leave gracefully? Why burn bridges and bite the hand that had once fed you?
To those whose lives revolve around hate forums, smear campaigns and flaming Rinpoche and Kechara, are you truly happy doing this, knowing that what goes around will eventually come around? I will include you in my prayers even though you hide behind the cowardly mask of anonymity in cyberspace and senselessly attack my Guru, for my Guru taught us compassion and kindness.
Thank you with folded hands.
This article by Martin Chow. Very well written article , sharp in pin point out the so call “survivor’s” real objectives.
They are truly not sincere in learning the dharma. Their hatred are so great that they have been blinded and thinking only the ways to revenge. The kindness of the Guru, the important of The 3 jewels. The Guru Devotion and the precious of one teacher who is genuine is totally forgotten conveniently just to let the path way of hatred go through.
Worst, when they leave. They think they are doing good when they gossip, sent spams regarding the center. To me, is not just to spams it is with the intention to hurt, to hurt the Guru that love them, to hurt the center’s people who was once they recognize as Dharma brother and sister.
If we have leave a place a person, The moment we gossip, spam the person it actually show the true color of the person himself.
I hope they realize and stopped the they are doing now.
Thank you Martin for sharing your thought and experience in this truthful well written article.
I am one of the long time students of H E Tsem Rinpoche and i considered myself very fortunate to have met a very compassionate highly attained lama in this life and i treasure it very much.
Rinpoche not only giving dharma teachings constantly to his students, He also cares for his students welfare. I have personally seen with my own eyes Rinpoche had bought and sent food, vegetables and all the necessary provisions for the students who have financial difficulty in getting them. When his students fell sick and got admitted to hospitals, Rinpoche will go visit them in the hospitals. Rinpoche will always help those in need of help even he doesn’t know that person. It is not easy to find such a kind and caring Guru i would say.
I am shocked to see and hear some of these students who have benefited from Rinpoche by receiving so much dharma teachings had left and then turned around to attack Rinpoche by defaming and slandering Rinpoche on their blogs instead of being grateful and to return the kindness of Rinpoche. I sincerely hope that this group of people can recall back the dharma teachings they have received from Rinpoche. If you find this lineage not suitable for you, please leave quietly and gracefully without having to disparage you Guru as you should know the consequences is very heavy!!
一个身为知識份子兼学过佛法的人，更应該懂的感恩图報以及尊师重道。但真諷刺！不懂感恩也就算了。却还要恩將仇報，白说成黑到处散播謠言，唯恐天下不乱！当妳認为全世界的人都负了你，是否有回想自己是否有过？又奉獻了什么？
我的上师詹杜固仁波切是一位真正修行者。这可從他年轻一路走来到现在所经历过的人与事看出，这一点很多身为弟子或曾受他恩惠的人可验证。就算他非你上师，或你無宗教信仰，出家人就代表三宝。我们也应該给于基本的敬重，不应口出惡言，造謠生非！这跟市井之徒没什么分别。從这一群人的文笔看来都是有受过教育的人，为何还会做此等事？莫非人格分裂，心裡扭曲？’但願他们早日醒悟，回头是岸。莫要再用此等下三濫的手段去破坏佛教，伤害出家人。这世界上还有很多正經事等着他们去奉獻呢！
It is said in the book of Heart Jewel, that if the Spiritual Guides who lead sentient beings on spiritual paths were no longer to appear in this World, the people of this World would have no opportunity to go for Refuge or to accumulate merit, and there would be no possibility of their escaping from sufferings of Samsara and gaining happiness. From a spiritual point of view, the World would be plunged into darkness. This practice is a very powerful method for the future happiness of sentient beings. It is in all essence that our spiritual guide or compassionate guru who would be able to guide us for purifying our negative karma, sickness, obstacles and for increasing our merit, happiness and Dharma realizations and, ultimately lead us to attain the form body of a Buddha. But it would be the Dharma centre which graciously and generously provide us the opportunity to achieve all success ultimately! With such good availed facility and attentiveness of our kind Guru, there should no reason to blame anyone for the participant’s failure at this point except on himself. Whatever the reasons made, are somewhat lame excuses, as he himself should know! As a matter of fact, the Guru would have no possibility to make all of his followers achieve enlightenment within one lifetime, but perhaps with the possible intention to help us initially transform ourselves by discarding as much afflictions as possible in ourselves. Even for this, it may be due to our karmically induced action of ignorance, that made the guru at each step of the way to force himself to pit against the student’s arrogance to transform, let go and progress. Some stubborn ones turned bitter, and hang on to Rinpoche’s website, social media platform, seeking opportunities to attack by leaving nasty vulgar remarks and comments, which finally led to the burst of the big bubble concerning the recent Dorje Shugden blog postings. Whatever the circumstances, it is said that for all of us living beings in this planet, none can live forever. So while we are here, we should try to have a “good heart” and to make something positive and useful of our lives. Whether we live just a few years or a whole century, it would be truly regretable 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 is to be a good human being! Om Mani Padme Hung.
Thank you Martin for sharing your profound thoughts. I am a fairly new student of Rinpoche. Before I join Kechara I hear rumours spread by some ex students. I am happy I am matured enough to do my own analysis. Do not believe in what others tells you unless it agrees with your own logical thinking Buddha once says and I agree to that. My Philosopy is – I read with my own eyes, I hear with my own ears, I think with my own mind. All said by haters makes no sense for I can see with my own eyes the true Guru Devotion Rinpoche has for his Lineage Gurus, I can see with my own eyes the true Guru Devotion of Rinpoche’s faithful students . I can see with my own eyes the kindness of Rinpoche who I proudly call ‘My Guru’. I can see with my own eyes the kindness of Kecharians. I can hear with my own ears the praises and the proudness of Kecharians for Rinpoche. I can feel with my own inner feelings and inner voice that I have made the right decisions. Message to all haters out there , don’t waste your time to create negative Kharma for yourself . Do not stop us new students from benefiting from Rinpoche’s teachings. Instead spend time in Dharma and proof to us that you are someone whom is kind . Stop all your negative spamming . Spend your time in doing Good and not Bad. Being a new Kecharians my message to all new members like myself – let us stand united for our Guru.
谢谢Martin Chow的分享，读完你的文章后我的心在淌泪，看到有如此忘恩负义的前弟子使劲方法从不同的管道向仁波切和克切拉团体攻击，还召集人群在网上不间断的散播谣言。你们的诡计最终是会失败的，不要拿你们的失败，你们所不能面对真实的自己来做藉口为尊贵的詹杜固仁波切官上“魔鬼”，“叛徒”的名号。。
詹杜固仁波切所设立的克切拉团体帮助过很多面临困境的人，我是其中一位受惠于仁波切的人，当年如果不是上师给予我们夫妻俩忠告以及协助的话，我们不可能可以挨过生活的困境。我的先生也从严重的邪灵干扰问题从鬼门关逃过一劫，也因为仁波切的佛法开示，挽回了我的婚姻。
愚昧无知的你们伤害的是一位高僧大德，这一位高僧大德背负上师的指示远从母寺来传佛法利益给有需要的人，这一些人当中有一部分是你们这一班的“伪君子”，你们从仁波切身上获益良多，仁波切对你们的好远比父母亲的好，因为仁波切从来没有向你们获取任何的回报，而且上师这么多年来给予你们的照顾与关怀都包含你们的家人在内。为何你们可以那么容易就把仁波切的恩德抛诸脑后呢？？ 怎样都说不过去，因果报应是存在的，你们这一些“伪君子”应该很清楚对一位金刚上师做出毁谤是罪大恶极 。
「上师五十法颂」里就略释的很清楚：毁谤上师的弟子，现世会得到种种恶报，可说是没有剎那安稳的时候，不是中毒而死，就是得胃病、吐血或各种不同的怪病，有的甚至还会着魔，以致心乱不安而死。
你们还是停止躲在背后攻击以及做这一些丑陋的行为吧，好好忏悔修行。因为没有人会相信你们的谣言，在背后做伤天害理的事是天地不容的，放下屠刀，回头是岸吧！！
Thank you Martin for your beautiful thoughts and writing. It is truly so sad that these people harbour so much hatred and vengeance that they keep attacking Tsem Rinpoche continuously on an anonymous identity instead of practicing kindness and compassion as taught in the dharma. Do they not believe in karma by committing such negative action ? As for me, my family and I have benefited tremendously from the teachings of Tsem Rinpoche. We have been touched and witnessed Tsem Rinpoche’s kindness, compassion and love. I continue to look forward that I will have the blessing to meet Tsem Rinpoche and may Tsem Rinpoche live long and continue to turn the wheel of dharma to benefit all.
With folded hands,
Celeste
Thank you Martin for your thoughts and beautiful writting. It is truly so sad that these people are harbouring so much hatred and keep attacking Tsem Rinpoche continuously on an anonymous identity instead of practicing kindness and compassion. Do they not believe in karma by committing such negative actions. My family and I have benefited tremendously from the teachings of Tsem Rinpoche and also from the pastors who are under the direct and precious guidance of Tsem Rinpoche. As for me,Tsem Rinpoche is a Bodhisatva and I will hold on to my Guru devotion. I look forward to have the blessing to meet Tsem Rinpoche and may Tsem Rinpoche continue to live long and turn the wheel of dharma to benefit all.
With folded hands,
Celeste
My spiritual path started almost 5 or 6 years ago by volunteering in Kechara and later worked full time and each of Tsem Rinpoche’s student have their own personal experience to share about their guru.
I have seen and experienced the growth of Kechara as a dharma organisation and constantly continue to be amazed by our guru’s guidance in all aspect. Tsem Rinpoche walks the talk an has been consistent in all that he does and promised. He hasn’t asked for any money for himself nor does he expect them. All he ever did was encouraged his students to do dharma work, to do retreats and meditation to accumulate merits, improve ourself for others and to benefit others. It was always to focus out of ourselves, and never for our own selfish wants and needs.
I have personally benefited from dharma class, dharma work, retreats, meditation sessions and Tsem Rinpoche’s teachings, including my family.
For ex-students who left and disparaged the guru who has helped, assisted, tolerated and loved them for their ‘wild’ behaviour, this is total injustice and unfair to the guru, his students and the Kechara organisation. These ex-students should re-check their motivation for all their wrong doings against their guru and save themselves and just move on With brighter better lives.
When things go wrong, it is always the faults of others! This is natural and spontaneous for those who have not surrendered totally to Dharma. Dharma reveals the truths about us. Dharma tears us apart and made us naked! Dharma pinpoints all our negative traits within us that we do not want to face or own up. Dharma turns our life upside down. In short Dharma is like a clear mirror that reflect everything about us and put us on scrutiny. Dharma tells us honestly who we really are – the good as well as the bad about us! If we are able to surrender to Dharma and practise purely and sincerely, liberation and enlightenment is near and reachable. If we do not surrender to Dharma, then it defies the purpose of practising Dharma or becoming a Buddhist. There is no hope for us to change for the better.
The source of our Dharma is our guru or spiritual guide. Without the guru there is no Dharma. Without Dharma, we cannot be free of our sufferings in Samsara. The guru has compassionately given us the Dharma because he knows if we embraced the Dharma, we can transform our mind to become a better and happier person and eventually attain the ultimate happiness of liberation and enlightenment.
There are two groups of haters here: 1) Those who attacked H.E. Tsem Rinpoche because he practises Dorje Shugden. 2) Those who were students of Tsem Rinpoche but had turned haters for reasons clearly articulated by Martin above.
If these two groups of haters above were serious Dharma practitioners, they will realise the repercussions of their negative speeches spoken relentlessly and irresponsibly over the social media platforms against a sangha or a monk who hold his vows well. Anyone who realise who H.E. Tsem Rinpoche really is should regret terribly their negative actions now. H.E. Tsem Rinpoche has been recognised and enthroned by many high lamas including His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Please refer this link: http://www.tsemtulku.com/biography/india/recognition-enthronement.html
Buddha Vajradhara/Buddha Shakyamuni had said this in the Tantric Scriptures that He will manifest as spiritual guides in degenerate times like now. If you believe in Buddha, how could you be disparaging any spiritual guide (in this case H.E. Tsem Rinpoche) who is an emanation of Buddha Vajradhara?
Whatever damage or disrepute these haters had done and continue to do to a kind and compassionate monk like H.E. Tsem Rinpoche will also cause others to lose faith in the pure and incomparable lineage of Buddha Tsongkhapa.
If these haters actually believe in Dharma, why aren’t they afraid of Karma? We need not go into details of the heavy repercussions of negative actions committed by these haters as they are intelligent to realise the consequences of their negative actions.
For umpteen times, Dorje Shugden followers have their human rights and religious freedoms to practise what they want. Stop interfering and attacking them. Mind your own business please!
Why did these haters waste so much of their precious time to attack a monk instead of practising Dharma purely and sincerely? These haters seriously need medical help! They have so much hatred and anger in them that they are unable to free themselves from these destructive emotions! Their delusions have taken full control over them. Obviously these haters have met Dharma, but they have failed to put them into practice purely and sincerely.
Martin has clearly touched on the issues with these haters. What I would like to ask these haters is: “Do you have a conscience? Please stop now or you shall destroy yourself totally eventually!” Om Mani Padme Hum!
Dear Martin,
Thank for your for the write up and sharing.
When we have much bitter and cannot let go of some events in the past, we will be full of anger and hatred and always looking for the opportunity to take revenge so that we can feel better. In fact, these make us even worse and sufferings.
Why not let go of all these dissatisfaction, anger and hatred and start the new life. Stay in peace and enjoy life?
For me, I join Kechara because I want to practise dharma and transform myself to be a better person inner and outer. I trust Rinpoche and enjoy the training giving to me by Pastor.
Rinpoche has given up all he has and follows his Guru instruction to come and give dharma in Malaysia. He started the Kechara House Buddhist Association,Malaysia, KSK, etc. and has been helping and benefiting many others, so do the Pastors and Kecharian.
For those who talk bad and hiding behind attacking Rinpoche and Kechara, What is your contribution to others?
Thank you
Best regards,
Pee Bee Chong
_()_ may tsem rinpoche live long to continue to spread the dharma, we bow at your lotus feet with folded hands, _()_ rinpoche la we the compassion, dedication and sacrifices you made for the sentient beings is greatly appreciated la
Thank you for this beautiful writing. Though I belong to to Bön tradition, I have enjoyed many videos and teachings by Rinpoche since discovering him on YouTube several years ago. I am not of an Asian family, though I do consider myself to be a Buddhist. I find this whole Dorje Shugden controversy to be somewhat baffling and have seen interesting arguments on both sides. I appreciate Rinpoche’s writings about Dorje Shugden and his history. Frankly, Dorje Shugden does not seem to be demonic and I am quite perplexed on how this whole issue seems to be driving such hateful reactions from otherwise kind people practicing Dharma It would seem much more sane to just agree to disagree than to threaten and attack; and threats seem to have been hurled from both camps (Not from Kechara). I pray that there be an open dialog with HH the Dalai Lama on this. Nothing good has been gained in our troubled world by any of this. I will continue to enjoy reading the very inspiring, loving and educational posts by H.E. Them Rinpoche. I hope that in some future travel I will have the blessing to meet Rinpoche. Om Mani Padme Hung.
After reading quite some number of comments below, I am glad that people are understanding of Rinpoche’s hard situation as a Guru, as a Spiritual Guide and people understand some of the ex-students(you know who you are!) are being difficult after leaving the center and continuously creating problems for Rinpoche thought without us knowing! They set up blogs, write nasty articles to badmouthing Rinpoche, take things out of context purposely to feed their ego and justify why they leave.
If the ex-students think Tsem Rinpoche is bad, well, there are so many of us here still FOLLOWING RINPOCHE wholeheartedly and we are still the majority. Do you all think you all the only smart people on this earth that can so-called see clearly how Tsem Rinpoche is but we can’t because we are not as smart as you? There are still so many senior students of Tsem Rinpoche that know Rinpoche more longer than you, they are still following Rinpoche and becoming better and better! So are you telling me they are stupid too?
I know some of the ex-students too and they used to “friend” with me. IF you are a real friend of mine, if you were sincere to establish friendship with me in the past, why not now? Because I choose to follow Tsem Rinpoche and it hurts your ego? I am sorry, I never know this will hurt you. It was you telling me how great Tsem Rinpoche is in the past, but now you turned around and say he is bad? How this reflects you as a person? You are ungrateful and not a loyal person. I am sorry, I never know one can be so ungrateful to deny all the Guru’s kindness, not a single of the actions of the Guru to you, to help you, guide you, makes you feel shame when you badmouthing him or even attacks him online. I feel sorry for you and you know who you are.
I am not to hurt you but I am just speaking straight. I don’t want my Guru to get any harm, please, if he is not important to you anymore, he still very important to us! Please don’t be so selfish! Move on already.
好感谢Martin的肺腑之言
一直以来，仁波切都用心良苦的用尽不同的方法和管道来帮助需要帮忙的人，以求在最快和最短的时间，让对方问题解决。因为身为一位上师，尤其是像仁波切那么用心良苦的上师，如果发觉某弟子习气不好或执着着某些事，上师就会毫无犹豫的用《一针见血》最见效的方法来把弟子纠正。但不同的弟子坏习气也有不同，所以方法也不同，导致某些弟子误解上师的用心良苦而离开。
仁波切的慈悲，大家有目共睹，无论是不是弟子，认不认识，甚至从未见过面的（部落各友}，无论有任何学佛或修持法门等等的问题和疑问，仁波切都会无私尽量一一的为他们讲解。仁波切在KECHARA设立的每个部门，都是为大众而设，希望人们以不同的喜好参与不同的部门的活动，为人们种下佛种子的因，等待茗芽。这也是上师的用心良苦。
在此，希望在网上传播上师恶言的朋友或同修门，以其用时间来研究别人的不是，不如转用其时间来精进学佛，拿是更明确的方法。
奉劝哪些一直在后面搬弄是是非非的小人及时回头和收手吧!你们的良心过意得去吗?这样对待一位高憎!仁波切不但没有害人之心反而是用一生的力气来传授佛法和佛学知识。仁波切付出所有的慈悲心，爱心和关怀是不求回报的!!我相信这几十年，几百年甚至几千年以前佛陀所教化的记载里面是没有教导我们可以随随便便的威胁，诅咒，出口伤人以及散播谣言的!!!在佛的记载里有善报和恶报，因果循环，人做什么天会可见的!
Thank you Martin for writing this article to explain the matter so nice and clear.
Rinpoche come to Malaysia is to teach the Dharma, he told us over and over again. For this reason Kechara House came out in 2004. As time went by many people joined Kechara to learn the Dharma. Today Kechara has 14 departments with the latest KFR which came up just a year or so ago.
Dharma is a Sanskrit word which means the right conduct towards lift. As mentioned Rinpoche is here to teach the Dharma means he wants us to learn and practice to improve the quality of our life.
It takes time and effort to learn and practice to change one bad attitude. In the process some members left, that’s fine cause is your own choice what you look for in life. But there is no reason for you to criticize and talk bad of the centre and the Guru who teach and guide you. As Kechara is a Dharma Centre and there are many students who are learning to improve. Why those who had left hide under a false name talk bad and try to convinced others to leave like you. I hope you will stop bad mouth The Guru and show some respect, you only embarrass yourself.
Dear Martin,
Thank you so much for coming with this very important message and indeed truth for the benefit of all. Yes! Rinpoche has the way to teach and convince us in our language that we are more comfortable with, Ever since i met Rinpoche, though through online teachings, i have found atleast a vast change in my thoughts and actions over a period of time. Though i was very tough guy to be changed, Rinpoche’s diplomatic and logical and direct teachings made me to reflect lots of things that i have to take responsibility of it myself to get rid of it. How can they be right to say all those kinds of abuses at Rinpoche who is no other than A Living Bodhisattva? As you said,” Not everyone can do that and in truth, neither is it easy because it requires the practitioner to abandon his well-worn perceptions, expectations and projection,” may be they are led by so called strong delusional mind. They might have found easy to hurl such bad things at Rinpoche than transforming their sturdy and delusion-ed mind that Rinpoche points at them. No matter how much they be in such group called “haters” nothing is gonna harm or degrade the truth because for you to be able to do that, you should be the one. But those who hurl such things are not the ones who hold truth because true truth never say that it is good to have discrimination, abuse others, speak ill of others, harm others, degrade others and more importantly not to have even a slight ill thoughts about Monks for them they are the sangha who holds vows that we normal people cannot and they are the ones who kept a precious dharma till this date. Merely because their practices are different from others does not mean that we are right to say they are wrong because ourselves don’t understand true essence of dharma. May they soon reflect on whatever they are going through by Rinpoche’s blessings.
Thank you
We do not condone hate speech nor statements which are defamatory in nature or which may incite any contempt or ridicule of any party or their beliefs. It also has to be stated that people’s comments go up live in this blog. Thus, we need to make clear that such statements made by such person or persons and posted at our blog are personal views of such person or persons and not statements which reflects our views and cannot be attributed to us or publication or republication by us.
This reminds me of cyber bullying. All these people may not agree with Rinpoche’s teaching methods and feel offended for whatever reason/s, they just want to get back at him. If they see him as just a man, there are countless others who see him as a monk if not the Buddha himself. All these people who were in dharma or are still in dharma must have kindness if not compassion for those who look to Rinpoche for guidance. Let not these lapses carry on and disturb others thereby creating such negative karma for themselves.
If they feel that they are entitled to their ‘pound of flesh’, as in “Merchant of Venice” by Shakespeare, go for your pound of flesh but remember, spill not a drop of blood. When you bring the man down, countless others will be set adrift in the sea of samsara. If the Buddha taught to not harm even an ant, why harm others who did not figure in your grouse/s? In dharmic terms, harming a member of the sangha, however junior, reaps more negative karma than harming another human.
Let it rest, let there be peace & harmony. There is enough violence and sorrow in this world without adding these vendettas.
i used to be a christian. and was very close to my preacher. i had many good quarrels and got chewed out by him many times . and over time he became like a father figure to me. however in that same time i grew in a different direction and ultimately divorced myself from christianity . this was hard i had worked for my pastor as a you th leader and other things. but ultimately i did not agree with the doctrine. so i left the church.
but i would and could never imagine speaking ill of my pastor , ever! he showed me great love and kindness , and most important made me feel ok about exploring other religions. he taught me about leadership , love , kindness and giving . all of these were seeds that are now growing in the rain of the dharma and things that are important for me to be able to share the dharma. Rinpoche himself has stated ‘if you come from anther religion to buddhism, don’t bash it , hold it dear . it helped bring you here’ . and so i do and continue to have a strong relationship with my pastor.
on another side of this thought process, buddhism teaches that if we have anyone we perceive to be an enemy we must hold them in the highest regard , for they are the greatest teachers! we visualize them front and center during meditation and learn to temper our minds and ager and so on with the visualization.
so my point is , on all accounts it is entirely counterproductive and out of line with buddhist teachings to bash Anyone ESPECIALY a teacher or perceived “enemy”
bashing of any kind is out of line of the 8 fold path . we all must refrain from letting these “bad stones” deter our mind streams.
thank you for the article .
我有话要说。。。
我在克切拉的时间说长不长，说短也不短。以我这个纯马来西亚国民型学校的纯华校生，英文不是我的第一语言，但并没有阻碍我向上师尊贵的詹杜固仁波切学习的心。诚如Martin所说，我认识仁波切已近6年，从来就没有看到过仁波切做出任何一件伤害他人的事，反而是不停地帮助伤害过他的人；在未遇到仁波切之前，我从来没有遇过一个像他这样慈悲且助人至到死而无憾的人。因此，我的人生价值观因他而180度改变。
初进克切拉当全职职工时，我的第一分工作是在出版社当资深编辑和作者，很不巧出版社懂中文和会说华语的人不多，所以我身处在一个讲英文的世界裡。本来这也没甚麽好提的，但是最近我看到很多攻繫仁波切的文字，令我感到非常的不舒服。因为我感受到那种被无端围攻，百口莫辩的无奈感。这种被欺压的熟悉感觉，就是我当年也在一些前克切拉人身上体验过。
某些离开中心的前克切拉人多年来，无所事事，惟一让他们觉得有意义的事情就是在背后攻繫一样，一刀刀地刺向你，让人对你产生误解，让人对你起疑心，让人杯葛你，让人对你留下刻板不好的印象！这样做以证明他们是对的，他们是最大的受害者！事实真的如此吗？让我来说说本身与这些前克切拉人共事的经验，你们就会明白今天的我，为什麽要站出来捍卫我的上师！
属于苦干型的我，话不多，也不太擅于交际，因此被多位前克切拉人归类为怪人一个。再加上我是一个很中文的人，来到了一个很英文的世界；大家的教育、家庭甚至文化背景都很不一样，因工作上的需要，朝夕相处，意见分歧是难免的。这点我们到那一个商业机构或非盈利组织工作都会发生，没甚麽大不了！向来被我认为神圣的佛教中心，却因为英文说得不够熘，英文造诣不够好，结果常常面对被洗牌的厄运，这对我来说是始料未及，也是本人修行路上最大的考验。
有些事情，现在回想起来都会让我起疙瘩，在刚上任为讲法师时，觉得自己不可辜负仁波切的苦心和期望，便很努力地尽责做好身为讲法师的工作；谁知我这麽想，不代表别人的想法和我一样。因此，每次要做起事情来时，我总会被刁难！例如要把某仪轨学起来，我的前同事总会叫我先吃一番苦头，令我很难堪。。。他不是一口气如火箭般快速地讲解完毕，要么就爱用深奥难明的词句，搞到我头都大，学习上处处碰钉子，再不然就只给我讲解一半而已，若我再问他时，他会开始推搪说今天不行，明天很忙。。。往往一些很小细节的东西，只要求助于他呢？唉，事情就会変得复杂难懂。刚开始以为自己太小家气，后来发现怎麽每次都这样，才知道对方故意整我的。
有时候，当他心情不爽快时，就会在众人面前故意激怒发你，让你在人前被看成是一个脾气坏且又迟钝的大笨瓜。每次当我觉得很不公平，与他对质时，他就会用很平静的语气，以最标准的英语解释，然后再用美丽的英文词藻带我逛花园，搞到我似懂非懂，最后像笨蛋般认为错的是自己：（
到现在我还是不能释怀的一件事，有天我的前同事把我推到角落头，指着我说：“你可以不要再搞个人主义吗？不要以为你有仁波切的加持就可以为所欲为，做为讲法师，尽力就好，干嘛要做到没日没夜。。。你这样做。。。会害到其他人被人讲没有做事。。。你不应该这样。。。 ”当下我真的傻呆了，他怎麽可以这样说话，简直是将仁波切的话，本末倒置了！可是那时的我，比较窝囊，明知对方是错的，都不敢反驳，只是气鼓鼓，闭口息事宁人地走开。
因为知道自己英文不灵光，总是讲不过他，消极地把自己躲起来了，都睡不好，在思考着为什麽他要说出这样的一番话？由于对方讲得非常理直气壮，没有自信的我，被这位前克切拉同事的这番话打击了，它让我往前冲的步伐缓慢了下来。我为此耿耿于怀了好久，直到后来，事隔年余，此人离开了中心，我才又再重拾信心，当回一个真正的讲法师，直到现在为止。 写到这裡，我还真的有点气愤，这些人凭甚麽可以破坏我们的三宝工作？
当初，若果不是仁波切的支持和爱，恐怕我也支撑不到今天。我从来没有告诉过仁波切关于以上的经历，因为觉得不该让仁波切操心，但今天讲出来，我希望藉机对那些在未离开中心之前经已製造太多破坏和伤害的人说几句话，仁波切和中心的人从来没有在人前讲你们一句不是，仁波切为了保护你们甚至还为你们设想了很多后路，以确保你们的形象永远是最美好的。不仅如此，仁波切私底下还常向相熟的佛友了解你们的近况，并且在他每天的早题裡为你们祈福，希望你们安 好。从你们离开的那一刻，仁波切痛心疾首，你看到吗？至今，你们还有颜脸胡乱用文字攻繫仁波切，可是慈悲的他却从来没有忘记把你们的名字放在他的回向名单裡。这点你应该比我还清楚，因为你们都与仁波切共事过！
当你在攻繫这位曾经如此疼惜你，当运用佛法开解你，当所有人都因被你那冗长如烂脚布的牢骚吓倒，但是仁波切还是不分昼夜地为你想办法，想想仁波切是怎麽样帮助过你，你居然忍心如此对待他？为什麽要恩将仇报？他根本没有伤害过你！
你记得吗？当你情绪不稳定崩溃的时候，是谁最先发现你的情绪问题？每次这个时候，日理万机的仁波切总会放下手头的工作，请助理载他到购物中心为你一人挑选洋娃娃、非常有你风格的手饰、耳环、衣服；要不就带你去看一场电影或吃一顿丰富的夜宵，事隔多年，今天的我，仍然记得仁波切所做的一切，我真的希望你也像我一样还记得仁波切所做的所有。
现在你们离开了，还是一样地给人添麻烦，而且还变本加厉地攻繫仁波切，破坏他个人的名誉，还拼命地去贬低仁波切上师至尊宋仁波切传授给他的多杰雄登法门。。。你们想要达到甚麽目的？我和你们可能在教育、成长和家庭背景都不一样，但我想人性是一样，良知是存在的。重点是，你们都是佛法知识渊博的人，应该了解因果报应的常理，中伤一位大慈大悲的上师的业有多重，你们比我还清楚。
我这个人很注重私隐，也不爱去八邽他的事。但是，今天我想要站出来说话，是我不忍心自己的上师继续被某些心怀恶意的前克切拉人伤害！我要你们闭嘴，我绝对有资格这麽要求，为什麽？道理很简单，因为我亲眼见证仁波切是如何地辅助和爱予某些爱搞破坏的前克切拉人。还有我也可以见证仁波切从来就没有伤害过你，你们凭甚麽去伤害他？仁波切绝对值得我这麽做，我在这6年以来，看过许许多多人，不管仁波切见过他们与否，只要他们请求仁波切的帮忙，我从来没有看过仁波切拒绝过任何一个人。这样的一位上师，你们也忍心去伤害他？你们的良知还在吗？
I can’t read chinese …Yes, I am a big banana.
However, I know what PastorYek Yee wrote below is something she has kept to herself for many years about how some Ex-Kecharians have hurt her. Therefore, I got Sock Wan Wee to translate what she wrote in Chinese as I feel that what she has shared is her personal experiences and important that we (English readers) all can read to heart.. There are always both sides to a coin. And this is the other side!
Pastor Yek Yee is a wonderful person and everyone else’s needs come first before her own, as most of us have experienced with her. Just a week ago, at 3am, she was at the Puja House conducting an emergency prayer for a 6-year old girl who was in a coma. She has never met the family before and yet she was at the hospital and rushed back to the center to conduct prayers for this girl. Occasions like this happen very often where her services are needed all day long. She has never turned anyone away and this was how Tsem Tulku Rinpoche trained her including the rest of the Pastors for the past 6 years. Now she is independent, she nurtures a whole team by herself and she leads the rest of the Pastors in serving others.
Like what I said earlier, there are some Kecharian who have left the organisation and we are on good terms with them. But there is a fraction who left who uses anonymous names to “attack” & defame us. That shows a lot. Amazing that they were so brave in “bullying” Pastor Yek Yee and now they are using anonymous names to bully.
__________________________________________________________
Translated from Pastor Yek Yee’s post
I want to say something….
I have been with Kechara for about 6 years, not very long but not short either. Coming from a Chinese educated background, English is definitely not my first language. But it does not stop me from learning from my guru, His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche. Like what Martin Chow mentioned before, I have not seen Rinpoche hurt anyone for the 6 years I have been with Rinpoche and Kechara. What I see is how tirelessly Rinpoche extends his help to all and also to those who have hurt Him. Never in my life have I met someone so compassionate until I met Rinpoche. It is as if Rinpoche lives to help others, that is His sole purpose in life. My life values changed tremendously seeing how selfless Rinpoche is.
My first job in Kechara as a full time staff was Senior Editor and Writer in Kechara Media and Publications (KMP). Many of the staff in KMP were not fluent in Chinese, I was immersed in a world where only English was spoken. This is actually nothing worth to talk about. But lately I have seen many verbal attacks directed to Rinpoche that makes me feel very uncomfortable. I can feel how defenseless Rinpoche must feel, getting attacked for something Rinpoche has not done. I can feel it because I have personally experienced it from some ex-Kecharians.
Some ex-Kecharians who have left the organization for many years, who have not achieved much find that the only meaningful thing in their lives is to attack you behind your back, slicing you up with their tongues, creating schism and doubt so that others boycott you and do not have a good impression of you. Their intention is to prove to everyone they are right, they are the biggest victims! But, how true is that? Let me now tell you my personal experience with these ex-Kecharians when I was working with them. You will then understand why I want to stand up to defend my beloved Guru!
I am not a very sociable person and I do not talk much. When a task is given to me, I will work very hard to complete it. As such, I was labeled as a ‘weirdo’ by some ex-Kecharians who were working with me back then. Working in KMP it was like ‘when east meets west’, most of my colleagues here were English educated while I was Chinese educated. Our upbringing, education and cultural background were so different. I listen to Teresa Teng’s music while they listen to Madonna! Taking into consideration our differences, it is not surprising that sometimes we did have disagreements. Situations like this happens in a profit organisation, it happens in a non-profit organisation too, it is normal. However, because of my bad command in English, I was being looked down upon and bullied – it was something I didn’t expect to get in a Dharma center. I must say this was the biggest challenge in my spiritual path.
When I recall some of the things that happened to me, it still sends a chill down my spine. When I was first appointed as a Pastor, I told myself that I cannot let Rinpoche down because Rinpoche has been so kind to me and Rinpoche trusts that I am capable of doing the job. Therefore, I work very hard and diligently to fulfill my responsibilities as a Pastor. However, my motivation which pushes me to work hard is not based on how others view me as I know there will always be people creating obstacles for me whenever I am doing my job. For instance, when I was learning the rituals from a ex-colleague of mine, I would be put down first before anything was taught to me. It was not easy. She would either speak very fast in English (knowing my command of English is not good) or she would use vocabularies that I have not heard before to explain the rituals to me. I was even more confused than I was before learning the rituals. Or she would explain just half of what she was supposed to teach me and then told me she didn’t have time to continue and that she would be busy until don’t know when! She was really good in complicating a very simple thing. At first I thought I was too petty to think of her like that, but then I realized she really was picking on me because she did this to me ALL THE TIME!
Sometimes when she was in a bad mood, she would try to drive me to the wall to make sure I got angry so people would think I am a stupid woman with bad temper. Whenever I confronted her, she would be very ‘patient’ in explaining to me in perfect English with beautiful vocabulary that I could not understand most of the time. In the end, I was actually convinced by her that it was all my fault!
Until today, there’s still one thing that keeps lingering in my mind. One day this ex-colleague of mine pulled me to the side and said to me, “Can you please stop being such a hero? Just because Rinpoche has given you the blessing doesn’t mean you can do what you want as you wish. As a pastor, just do what is enough, you don’t have to work day and night. What you are doing now is making other people look bad as if they are not working. You shouldn’t do this.” I was in total shock when I heard what she said to me. How could she say this? This was completely contradictory to what Rinpoche has taught us which was to give ourselves tirelessly to serve all sentient beings always! But I was such a coward back then, I dare not speak against her even though I knew she was very twisted and wrong. I just walked away angrily without saying anything more to her.
Because my English is not good, I was not able to debate with her so I choose to hide myself away. I couldn’t sleep at night trying to figure out why she said that to me. She managed to ‘defeat’ me, as I lacked self-confidence because of her eloquently spoken but twisted logic. I could not get over what she said to me, I was hit so hard that I slowed down my pace and lost a bit of my enthusiasm for my job as a pastor. After this person left the organisation a couple of years ago, did I only recover from the trauma she inflicted in me. I have regained my self-confidence and am truly doing what a pastor should be doing until today. The recollection of this incident still makes me angry even until today; I am angry at the fact that she was obstructing our sacred Dharma work. Who did she think she was to even do this?
If it was not for the support and care from Rinpoche, I do not think I was able to go through these hardships. I have never once told Rinpoche about what I have experienced, I do not want to worry Rinpoche. Today I am speaking out to those who have left Kechara but have been hurting and damaging Rinpoche and the organisation. Rinpoche prays for you everyday in His daily prayer, He wishes the best for all of you. Do you know how painful it is for Rinpoche the moment you walked out of Kechara? You show your gratitude to this compassionate and kind being by attacking Him with words, but He responds to your cruel attacks by having your names in His dedication prayer, wishing you the best in your life. You should know it because you have also worked with Rinpoche before!
How can you attack a person who loves and cares for you so much? It was Rinpoche who stood by you when everyone was tired of your constant whining and complaints about people and life, it was Rinpoche who spent hundreds of hours counseling you tirelessly with Dharma hoping to change your perception so that you would suffer less, it was Rinpoche who lent you a hand and went the extra mile to help you when you had troubles in your life. How can you so quickly forget these unconditional kindness let alone repay Rinpoche’s kindness by attacking Rinpoche? Rinpoche has NEVER hurt you!
Do you still remember who was the first to notice when you had an emotional breakdown? Whenever this happened, no matter how busy Rinpoche was, Rinpoche would immediately ask His assistants to bring you to a shopping center for a shopping spree, bought you dolls, clothes and jewellery. Or indulged you with movies or good food so that you would feel better. I still remember it after so many years. I hope you, who have received the kindness from Rinpoche, have not conveniently forgotten about it.
Now that you have left the organisation, you have not brought your self-created troubles away with you. In fact you have brought more trouble now than you did before when you were still in the organisation. You are very determined to ruin Rinpoche’s reputation, very determined to put down the sacred Dorje Shugden practice that was passed to Rinpoche by His root guru His Holiness Zong Rinpoche. What is your motivation? You and I might come from different education and family backgrounds but I believe everyone ultimately is the same, we all have a conscience. The point is you know Dharma, you should be familiar with how Karma works, what kind of bad karma you will create by disparaging a compassionate guru. You should know this better than most.
I am a person who respects privacy a lot, I do not like to gossip. But I decided to stand up and speak out in defence of my Guru because I cannot bear to see how some ex-Kecharians are defaming and hurting my Guru with very bad intentions. I totally am in the position to tell you not to bad mouth my Guru, why? Because I have seen it in my own eyes how Rinpoche helped and loved those ex-Kecharians who are troublemakers. Rinpoche has not hurt any of you before – this I can be a witness to. Therefore stop hurting Rinpoche! I WILL STAND UP FOR RINPOCHE because for the past 6 years I have seen only kindness in Rinpoche. Rinpoche helps EVERYONE who needs help even if Rinpoche has not met them before, Rinpoche never says no. How can you hurt a kind person like Rinpoche? How dare you? Have you lost your conscience so badly?
Thank you, Su Ming and Sock Wan. This giant banana is grateful for the translation.
Thank you so much, Pastor Yek Yee for having the courage to speak up. Like you, am standing by our Guru and spiritual home.
Thank you Sharon, let’s all of us support and standing by our Guru and our spiritual home!
Haha Yek Yee, you listen to Teresa Teng and I listen to Faye Wong and Anita Mui. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong country.
感谢月谊讲法师的真心分享，分享是为了让那些对詹杜固仁波切上师做出严重性人身攻击，言语毁谤以及不懂得感恩图报的人做出警惕，不要继续再沉沦于攻击一位金刚上师，一位日夜在为众生付出服务的上师。月谊讲法师并不是要炫耀自己有如何大的容忍能力，也不是骄傲的让人知道她有高超的包容心。她是在告诫那一些还在不断用文字伤害以及攻击上师的人停止继续错下去。谁人无错，知错能改，善莫大焉。我和月谊讲法师共事多年，看她每一天24小时7天随时准备在为有需要的人服务，完全没有任何的怨言，就连身体不舒服她也是会忍耐下去。因为月谊讲法师说过，上师也是在日夜颠倒的为有需要的人给予帮助，我们应该要更努力的协助上师利益他人，那么上师的弘法事业才可以广传到十方，上师才可以更专注的给予佛法教诲。那一些不能够跳脱舒适圈的人，爱面子，也害怕别人把自己的光彩被淹没掉，用如此小心眼的行为对付一位用心学习付出履行讲法师的职责的人，你们的丑行是会被因果赶上的。希望你们放下嗔恨心，好好修持你们的修行。
Thank You Pastor Yek Yee for sharing with us your inner thoughts!
How could anyone be so ungrateful to a person who had showered them with Dharma, love, care, support meticulously for so many years? How could these ex-Kecharians be so evil to continuously attack and even threaten to kill http://bit.ly/1IPJreF a kind monk, their guru, H.E. Tsem Rinpoche? Not only that these ungrateful ex-Kecharians who are involved in these attacks (I shall address them as the haters here) had also the intention to completely destroy Tsem Rinpoche, Kechara and even his students’ spiritual paths!
Do these haters not realise the faults or problems lie within themselves not Tsem Rinpoche, Kechara, the existing students who are practising in kechara now or Dorje Shugden? According to the Law of Cause and Effect, you are the cause of your own problems. Your real enemies are your delusions and past negative karmas. These haters refuse to acknowledge these truths and are creating further harm for others even after they have left Kechara!
What these haters had done to Pastor Yek Yee shows how deluded they had been when they were still in Kechara. What were their motivations when they joined Kechara? Were they practising Dharma in kechara then? Is stopping Pastor Yek Yee who worked tireless and sincerely for others considered Dharmic? Is putting down Pastor Yek Yee for her lack of command of English language kind? It is really shameful of these haters! What have they accomplished spiritually? Just look at what Pastor Yek Yee had accomplished thus far! Pastor Yek Yee has come a long way to become what she is today. Her devotion to her guru is impeccable! Despite the adversities mentioned above, she had striven along the path fearlessly because she had complete trust and reliance on her guru, H.E. Tsem Rinpoche. Pastor Yek Yee realised that the foundation to all spiritual attainments comes from strong reliance on the spiritual guide.
If you destroy the very foundation to your spiritual attainments i.e. your guru, how do you – the haters – expect yourselves to progress along your spiritual paths? H.E. Tsem Rinpoche does not harm anyone including these haters. Please use your conscience if you still have it to stop whatever inappropriate activities that causes harm to Dharma, others and especially yourselves! You do not want to be born in the hell realms knowing that anger, hatred and all your non-virtuous actions will lead you there soon. Repent quickly your negative actions before it is too late. Om Mani Padme Hum!
Thank you Pastor Yek Yee to speak up and share the path that you face before and during Pastorship. It ia very shocking to hear such incidents happening in a Buddhist Centre, especially Kechara.
As someone who works full time in Dharma, how could they treat another person with such selfish and deluded attitude, how could they blame you for hardworking to benefit others? Only one answer that i see from their action: they want power, fame, and recognition without trying, and can feel they are not sincere or even have the correct motivation to benefit others through their body speech and mind.
Their ego and self worth is battered because of their incapability to do things or follow Rinpoche advice to benefit people, they turn sour grape, hate, jealousy grew and consume them inwardly hence they do all kind of selfish action to stop your growth, and drag you down.
Why does someone who works in Dharma have so much selfishness, they did not even encourage, but yet blame others for being too hardworking for Dharma.
It is appaling to extent to see someone who have receive the kindness of Rinpoche betrayed His kindness and compassion, are they in Kechara to milk gift, free food and gift by being poor me? If they really appreciate and cherished the kindness Rinpoche gave them for so many years, they would not behave and attack Rinpoche without any proof, this just show who they are, fake and egoistic that they think they are better then their peers, ow even better then their Guru.
为何会有这样的人在背後做很多小动作来攻击一位出家人，居心可测！是因为曾經跟过上师学佛，受不了佛法的考验？後離开，怀恨在心。所以一直借用网絡在背後暗箭伤人，而且伤的还是一位真正的上师及傳承。不知你们如此做了是否心裡痛快？但我肯定知道地狱之門已为你们打开。快收手吧！回头是岸。再利用你们那張咀和手去多做利益众生的事將功赎罪。在批評他人时，先看看自己是否有做的更好。
Martin
Thank you again for this blog post. What you wrote really moved me and i took some time to reflect on the people I personally knew who took so much from Rinpoche….the worst thing they took was: took advantage of Rinpoche’s kindness, trust and generosity.
Of course Rinpoche gave without expecting anything in return. Nevertheless, I saw how Rinpoche would be saddened each time a student would leave the Dharma. What saddened Rinpoche is not because these students left Rinpoche because, although Rinpoche cares deeply about each student, Rinpoche practices the principal of impermanence as taught by Lord Buddha. What is most sad as explained by Rinpoche is: the extremely rare chance of us taking rebirth in the human form and meeting the Dharma again, study it and practice it is like a turtle coming to the surface and have its head go through a golden yoke (reference: the lamrim; http://dailylamrim.com/tag/golden-yoke-of-dharma/).
Another factor that worries Rinpoche is their bad behavior of defaming Rinpoche and Kechara after leaving the organization. Some students start blog sites to put down Rinpoche…some orchestrate and conspire with others to bombard Rinpoche with vulgarities. Even at this point, Rinpoche does not think of himself but worries about the negative karma that is accumulated by these students from these non-virtuous actions. If not to protect the Dharma and the organization that has become a home that offers solace, dharma teachings, protection etc. to so many, Rinpoche would not even pursue this matter.
This is the extent of care and consideration Rinpoche gives his students on top of the gifts that Rinpoche gives them and their family members.
– Rinpoche has given students cars so that they can travel back to their home town in safely.
– Rinpoche would get new laptops for students to replace outdated models so that they can work easily and comfortably.
– Rinpoche has arranged for gifts for family members of students as well as arranged activities for them so as to get them more involved to understand that work being done.
– When Rinpoche know of students who have financial problems to the extent that they can have 3 decent meals a day, Rinpoche personally went grocery shopping for them and stock up their house with healthy and nutritious food supplies.
– Rinpoche would arrange special pujas for students who themselves or whose family members face dangerous scenarios like accidents, major surgeries, life threatening situations so that they can overcome these problems in the best possible manner.
– Rinpoche even encourage younger students and focus on their virtues so that they can develop self-esteem and confidence because they felt unwanted by parents who preferred going out to have a good time and come home with different partners all the time.
This is just the tiny but rinpoche has done. Yet, these students can just “run” when their egos are pushed beyond comfort zones. What else does Rinpoche “get” from these students?
– threats that they will leave the Dharma
– emotional blackmail whereby Rinpoche has to tip toe around students
– tantrums when students feel “pressured” to do things they declared they wanted to do.
– back stabbing by students who do not have the integrity to speak openly and honestly. Some have so much free time to start blog sites that put down Rinpoche’s work
In all this drama, we simply need to ask one question: what benefit have these ungrateful and troublesome students to the people around them? To their community?
If the answer is “Not much”, then it is best to keep quiet and focus your time and energy to really make something of yourselves.
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
-Buddha
1. Dear Rinpoche, thank you for your kindness in imparting dharma continuously to us despite the enormous hardship and challenges that you had endured and still enduring. May everything be better for you very soon and may your blessed efforts and dharma pursuits forever grow and increase.
2. Many thanks to Martin and everyone who shared your personal experience as a student of Rinpoche and how you benefit from Rinpoche’s teachings and guidance. The challenges in the dharma path shared by some of you are very important and helpful to me as some of these challenges really ring a bell to me who is still very new in Dharma. More importantly, your sharing shed some light to me who constantly encounter inner battles and confusion from time to time.
3.The following statement in the post struck me in a way: “It is said that for evil to prevail, all it takes is for good people to do nothing. And if we do nothing and simply bear witness to a monk’s work and reputation being undermined, then we consent to these despicable acts of the haters.”
And so here I am to share my very short stint yet precious to me personally: I heard and knew about Rinpoche and Kechara three years ago but only until early last year that I find out more about Rinpoche and Kechara and get the real taste of precious Dharma. I am equally not immune from my caution and skepticism derived from what I heard and seen as well as my own projections.
However, as time goes by, I cannot deny what I experienced personally: how Rinpoche’s teachings moved my deepest core and made me contemplate deeper, gained certain important realisations and tasted the positive results of its application, how awed I am with the depth of the dharma knowledge demonstrated by Rinpoche, the Pastors and certain students that I crossed path with, the sincerity and tenacity of Rinpoche, Pastors and students of Rinpoche in their dharma in action…
4. For me personally, whatever good or bad about someone or certain organization, never treat it as conclusive based on what others said and shared in whatever manner. Check it out yourself at your own pace, within your own comfort and with the necessary cautions that you wish to exercise. Otherwise you may miss out something good and precious that can change you for better.
5. I am also fascinated with this statement in the post: “But it is impossible to ‘un-know’ the Dharma, just like it is impossible to forget about the sun after we have seen it and after we have witnessed daylight and experienced the clarity brought about by light.”
During numerous challenging times, I do wonder as well as to how it will be if I return to me pre-dharma life, back to my completely worldly life without dharma…The analogy given by Martin makes sense indeed, maybe I can choose to forget about the sun/light and stay comfortably in the dark but I believe the longer I stay in the dark and the more I resist to look for the light, the darker and deeper I will move into without me realizing.
Alternatively, I may also choose to avoid the real and lasting light of Dharma and find other “light” with the hope that it will offer me something brighter and better. But how many lights or samsaric pursuits have I been looking for all this while and what did I get at the end and does it ever last? Am I truly happier and relieved from all the worldly concerns and worries? In this respect, I start seeing some light as I learn, observe, contemplate, internalize and apply Dharma despite the ongoing challenges.
Thank you Rinpoche, Martin and everyone.
With folded hands,
Ee Mun
Thank you Martin for this powerful sharing. I can attest that whatever Martin writes is the truth, and it perfectly expresses everything that has happened to Rinpoche and Kechara over the last few years.
It amazes and shocks me that people can have such short-term memories and will forget all the good times and help they received.
They forget the practices given to help them, their families and friends, to protect them from malicious spirits and unseen beings.
They forget Rinpoche sent us to sit outside their homes for hours, ready to extract them from danger when their fathers, in a drunken rage, smashed and broke up everything inside.
They forget that Rinpoche gave them a place to stay and nursed them and instructed everyone to make sure they were okay as they slept for hours because of their depressions.
They forget the hours Rinpoche spent counselling them on their failed relationships.
They forget the times Rinpoche arranged for outings specifically so they would bond with other people, and feel like they weren’t accepted.
They forget all the times Rinpoche sponsored them to go on holidays, all-expenses paid, despite the overwhelming work being left behind. And the only thing Rinpoche would ask is for them to text every few hours to let him know they were okay and not hurt.
They forget the times Rinpoche went shopping and got them bags, clothes, their favourite foods.
They forget that, concerned for their health, Rinpoche even instructed them to go for evening walks so they would get fresh air and some exercise.
They forget that Rinpoche would patiently teach them how to talk to their families and their partners, to heal relationships they broke years before they met Rinpoche.
If you want to talk about the truth, tell the WHOLE truth. Tell the WHOLE truth about how you made people tolerate your tantrums and moods and depressions, how you were arrogant and shouted in meetings, how you put people down all the time and laughed that they were inferior to you, how you turned in bad work, how you engage in illegal activities, how you complained about everyone to anyone within earshot about the same people you plot and plan with today.
If you want to accuse Rinpoche of hurting you for any period of time, show your face. Show your proof. Stop hiding and pretending like EVERYTHING you experienced with us was painful and disturbing, and you ONLY had those types of experiences. You were brainwashed? Well, you enjoyed the good experiences and benefits when you got them so why was it okay back then, but considered brainwashing now?
Stop looking for reasons to validate your current failures. It’s been years since you left. If we were so bad to you, why not go far far away? What kind of sane person keeps trying to contact the supposed source of their pain over and over again? How does doing that help you to ‘heal’?
And if you have no experience with Rinpoche, why do you lie and pretend as if you do? Why do you talk as if you know what’s going on, as though the stories you heard are the whole and only truth?
Is what I am saying too much? Yes and I know some people will criticise me for my tone because they want to distract from the truth of my words. After all, it’s easy to deny and to use my tone as an excuse and distraction from the real issue which is this – these people have no real complaints, and whatever they say has no basis both Dharmically or legally.
So please think about what you are doing and how many people you are upsetting. When you attack Rinpoche, when you do what you do, you are not just hurting one person (Rinpoche) but the many many people who stand behind Rinpoche because they love him and support him. And when you push someone to the edge, they will start to push back and maybe when they push back, you may not like the response you receive.
Firstly, thank you Being Kooi, for requesting Martin to write such insightful article.
Martin, thank you for taking the time to write and explain what our Guru, and other lamas have to go through in order to change us for the BETTER.
You have written very clearly on what I feel about what is happening to HE. Tsem Rinpoche and Kechara The haters basically has nothing better to do and just creating a lot of issues and problems, online and offline.
These haters and leavers do not change, do not wish to improve, creates issues when in Kechara, and now still continue to give problems. As you mentioned, if everything about Rinpoche or Kechara is so vile, why stay on to monitor Rinpoche’s works, his blogs, his social media?
I am a student with Rinpoche for many years, how I have improved and transformed, I have felt it and sensed it. Friends and family often mentioned what vast positive changes I have made, and I attribute it all to the efforts of my Guru, HE Tsem Rinpoche.
I will not say I have fully changed, improved and transformed, but the amount of efforts, time, care, love Rinpoche has shown me, changed me. Rinpoche did it so gently and I see the changes in me over time.
Rinpoche also through his skilful means, taught me to be compassionate to everybody, animals too. Respect for everybody, especially my parents, whom so painstakingly raised me up. I used to take things for granted, without knowing how much my parents had to sacrifice to give me the life I led when I was younger. Now older and wiser, I understand and I love and treasure them.
Rinpoche through his clairvoyance knows I will meet with mishaps if I drink a lot [alcohol], getting myself intoxicated…he gently advices me, never once forced me to stop immediately. He speaks to me as a friend, telling me what to look out for, slowly advising me that I should quit and what are the ill-benefits of drinking.. and I am proud to say, I have totally stopped all alcohol intake successfully for the last 2.5 years and going on till the end. Rinpoche knows I will be swayed, and he constantly encourages me. It is for my own good, and I know.
Business wise, he gives many good advices and what potholes to look out for. I can go on and on about how my Guru watches over me, how he loves me, how he teaches me.
He knows me… with Martin, Rinpoche will scold, because he knows Martin will understand. With me, Rinpoche is always gentle and allowing me to think over what he says and I decide for myself.
So yes, all these anonymous people can continue hiding and spew nonsense about my Guru, because they don’t know Rinpoche well enough, or they simply choose the easy way out, escape from reality and hiding in denial.
Thank you.
谢谢仁波切的分享， 也谢谢Martin 写下这篇掏心掏肺的文章
从我第一天来到克切拉到现在， 已经有差不多两年半的的时间， 我从来没有看过克切拉佛教中心这个团体做过任何伤天害理的事情。
从克切拉佛教中心公开让大家来参加法会或学习佛法， 到克切拉香积厨为流浪者的利益努力， 所有克切拉的工作都是以利益别人为核心。
最近我也有幸可以见到詹仁波切本人， 我的第一印象就是仁波切是一位非常慈悲的上师。
仁波切对于弟子们的需求都照顾到无微不至。 也会针对不同学生的根性和需求给予不同最适合他们的教诲。
所以对我来说，克切拉不只是帮助大众的团体， 也会根据大家的需求来帮助我们的佛法修习增长。
所以我也不了解为什么会有人可以一直攻击一个利益大家的佛教团体和上师。
以佛学的角度来说， 毁谤一位金刚上师是会让我们的修行没有办法得到成就， 甚至会投胎到地狱道。
以世俗的角度说， 毁谤佛教中心是不是会让我们得到金钱或名利上的利益？？
最后我还是希望大家都可以精进修习佛法， 改变我们自己。 利益他人。
谢谢
学佛的人因该知道什么是因果，什么是戒律，什么是尊敬上师；这些都是最基本的条件。到这里散播谣言，缭乱其他人的思绪，妨碍其他想进步的人，肯定没有这些条件。
修行是很个人的事，你修你的，我修我的，但为什么要批评他人的不是来捧高自己，自认是知识分子，破坏他人的名誉呢？
这样的行为，我觉的很可惜，因为这是白学了！如果你因为不满或愤怒，而口出狂言，伤害的不是其他人，而是自己。自己制造恶业给自己不再讲了，每天还要想尽办法的去写一些违背自己良心的事，是多么的痛苦呀！倒不如想想自己可以做些什么好的事，来给自己添加更多的快乐和功德。快乐又过一天，不快乐也要过一天，为什么不选择快乐的过呢？世界是不会因为我们而停止转动的，好好的学习佛法，了解因果，了解戒律，尊敬上师，尊敬自己，不是更好吗？
It is very sad to hear ex-students or outsiders attacked the guru if they can’t accept or follow the way of the guru taught them, they can leave or walk away do whatever they want.
I hope they stop saying rumours and negative things to attack Rinpoche because of their unsatisfied or anger. And it will not help one to reliefs their anger or pain but increase more until one day a ballon will burst out.
I believe some ex-students have been received many teachings, helps and care from Rinpoche. Chinese has words say “we do not forget whoever helped us before and we always have to have gratitude “感恩” to someone who helped us. Moreover, Rinpoche is a Dharma teacher, a precious one who brings people into Dharma and teachings accroding to Buddha or lineage teachings.
Why don’t we use our time to do more things helping others or ourself. And don’t stop people learning Dharma because Dharma is very precious for buddhist to get attainment.
I sincerely and hands folded _/\_
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this Martin’s article.
Thank you Martin speaks up your thoughts.
无论怎样的一个情况下，我们都不应该攻击与批评任何的一位僧侣，当一位僧侣愿意落下头发并披上红黄的袈裟，一生严守戒律并贡献出自己的一生弘扬佛法并不断地利益与帮助一切有情众生时，身为佛门弟子的我们，在家人，普通人凭什么攻击任何的一位僧侣
佛法需要透过僧家团来守护佛法永在，并帮助弘扬佛法，那么倘若我们今天批评任何一个中心或任何一位僧侣，那么我们就造下了破和僧团的不好的因，当我们批评一位上师或僧侣时，等于我们批评了其整个的传承体系，中心，与佛陀的教诲（因为僧伽们都是弘扬佛陀的教诲），许多的人，会因为误解了一些批评的质询，因此而远离了佛法断掉了一生的佛缘，那是很残忍的一种做法，那是一种很不负责任的做法，身为佛门弟子的我们，无论您来自那一个传承，那一位上师，离开或留下的人，我们都没有资格批评任何的一位僧侣
尊贵的詹杜固仁波切与克切拉佛教中心，整个佛教团体，每一天的运作，就是不断地弘扬佛法与帮助他人，多少的人因此而受益，我想表达的是，在佛法中，我们相信因果报应，那么倘若我们尊贵的上师詹杜固仁波切与克切拉佛教中心，并没有以弘扬佛法与宗喀巴大师的法门与不断地利益与帮助他人的话，那为什么还是如此多的人愿意来到这里，来到我们的中心学习佛法与参与志工，倘若我们并没有弘扬佛法与无私的帮助他人，那为什么克切拉佛法中心，在经过了这么多年，没有退步，反而不断的增长，有人愿意成为僧侣，有人愿意成为佛法老师，并得到跟多的人支持与帮助佛法的弘扬，倘若一为上师一个中心能够不断的增长，那么就是代表着什么，是否代表着这个中心的上师与团体是有不断地利益着他人并不断的使佛法教诲得以弘扬才能有着那么多的善果
我们都不应该批评与攻击他人，更何况是一位僧侣或是一个佛教团体，在藏传佛教中，上师的依止心《上师五十颂》与《修心八颂》的教诲是非常重要的，当一个人是处在每一天不断的攻击与批评他人的与另一个人是不断的严守戒律，从不口出恶业，与正确的方式解决一些的误解与问题，恭敬的，那么请问？谁更是真正地在学习着正确的佛法呢？是前者还是后者？
祈愿尊贵的上师与一切的佛法上师，僧团，佛教团体，都免受到攻击与伤害，祈愿佛法永在，好使法轮常转，使一切有情众生都能离苦得乐
我个人认为这些所谓的”背后灵“或是以前的学生，你们既然有如此的佛学问（因为看你们批评的头头是道）。与其在这里唯恐不乱，扰乱其他学生的佛心。为何不利用自己的佛知识教导这些已经被你们扰乱的同学？因为这样才可以为自己犯下的重刑（诽谤上师）集一点功德。亏你们还沾沾自喜！先不要提我们修持什么法门，你们也曾经是上师的学生，难得不知道上师五十诵里毁谤上师严重的错误！！如果你们还认为’帮‘其他人脱离是救赎，那就请你们回去复习你们所谓的丁点佛知识，认真思考这样做你的功德和利益是什么？
感谢Martin写的文章
故意攻击仁波切的人我们是绝对不能容忍的，所为的毫无根据攻击指控，就是威胁和人身侮辱仁波切和克切拉。这些仇敌隐藏在屏幕后面，他们以为隐藏在线的角色就可以撇清自己在网络上的攻击。
他们选择躲起来，因为他们所说的都不是事实，所有就没胆量在面前说，只能在背后说。
自己失败就把怒气发泄在仁波切的身上，他们的所作所为让他人觉得仁波切是坏人，让他人对克切拉和仁波切失望。
大家认为用这样方式来攻击一位出家人，是对吗？对你们有什么好处？
愤怒、仇恨，只会更痛苦，没有办法让人静下来，更何况是思考所作所为的对错。当你有一天清醒，一切已经太迟了。你的恶業就好像雪球，越滚越大，停不下来。希望你们为自己的心找一个和平的家！
我衷心祈愿這些傷害仁波切的人，趕緊修正自己的行为；少造業，多修福，多修行消除恶業，为自己累积功德，种下善因。
非常赞成你的说法。
其实伤害他人的人自己也一定不好过，他们伤害的不止是他人，也深深地种下恶业让自己也会受到同样的伤害。
想一想，如此去诽谤和用言语攻击他人，会带给我们什么好处呢？如果没有任何好处，倒不如把时间和精神放在精进修行，让自己更快乐。
Attention Kechara:
I use to be on the ‘We Need To Talk About Shugden’ FB page started by Carol McQuire. I left the page because if you debate or say anything contradictory to their hate campaign, they ‘reprimand’ you. If you continue, you are out. I was truly against Shugden not so much NKT and hadn’t heard about Kechara. Because of them I started reading about Kechara and Tsem Rinpoche and that is how I landed here. I am still not sure about Shugden but surely no one deserves to die because they engage in Shugden. One thing for sure, because of Carol and group, Tsem Rinpoche’s writings has turned the minds of quite a few people with his sound logic and erudite dharma made for the layman including me.
~For sure Carol McQuire is in contact with CTA which is the group of people in Dharamshala who rule the roost over the Tibetan exiles. She is paid by them to create smear campaigns which she is not very successful in due to her lack of many skills. CTA does not like any condemnation against the Shugden ban. Carol has produced not one shred of evidence Shugden harmed her or anyone.
~Carol’s purpose for opening WNTTAS page is to blacken the name of NKT so the work of NKT to bring Shugden’s ban down is destabilized. She is on CTA’s payroll specifically for this. How else does she survive and travel all over England and be vigil on her WNTTAS page 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. She admitted she is not independently wealthy. It serves her purpose because she has a psychological history of distorted delusions of being hurt or victimized. The truth is, she can’t find any much needed attention or feeling of importance so this is the next best thing. She needs to blame someone and so NKT is the best. If her claims against NKT were genuine, any victim would have gone to the law. her rampages against NKT is a waste of time. She will look back at her life of hate in a few years and finally realize she wasted her time smearing NKT. She’s not a spring chicken, so she’s better get something useful to do before the full onslaught of old age hits her soon. CTA uses Carol and Carol uses CTA funds to sponsor her tirade against NKT. CTA accomplishes they think a smear campaign against Geshe Kelsang to stop their movement against the ban. Carol gets her revenge against NKT funded by CTA. What a marriage of doom.
~Since Tsem Rinpoche and Kechara has bravely revealed they worship Shugden, this worries Dharamshala. Dharamshala is well known for violence and hatred towards their own people. Dharamshala contracts disgruntled people who are Western Buddhists and Tibetans to attack people they perceive can reveal their unjust ban against Shugden. They use twitter with anonymous names, anonymous FB accounts and pages like ‘We Need To Talk About Shugden’ to achieve this negative PR objective. It is not working because Carol Mcquire’s page cannot gain respect or importance because although they like to claim they are open, democratic and fair, their page is closed to all those who do want to debate their position. They do not allow any opposition in their views. This is not fair. So their page is not open and not fair at all. This is a strong indication of their intent which is strictly to distort views and create smear campaigns. It never has been fair. Carol is a paid CTA Western Buddhist whose intent is primarily to smear NKT and now somewhat Kechara if it suits her purposes. Her target was never Kechara, but she will allow it as I said, it suits her dark purposes. It will backfire.
~We Need to Talk About Shugden has recruited Ex-Tsem Rinpoche students who are angry and disgruntled for one or another claim they have of being some kind of ‘survivor’. Almost comical. There are always two sides of the coin. It would be interesting to see Kechara one day speak up in one voice about these ‘humans’ who have left. Let these ex students keep pushing the button. Nothing is static and still. Kechara has had a few of them who have left as any large organization would have. So what! Among the few are Jamie Khoo and another is Wong Kok Chung or otherwise known as Joey or Joe. These two are ‘colorful’ characters who come from families that have some money and they don’t have to work. They stay home all day, eat, binge and just hang around the internet-scape.
Joey’s father apparently supports this young homosexual man in anything he does and he does not need to work and had a stint in Kechara and failed miserably as he was caught many times on gay porno sites while pretending to do Dharma writing and taking lewd shots of himself while sending them to various men he meets through Kechara online portals in hopes of well you can guess. These men have sent the pictures back with names. Would be interesting if this was taken to the law. Kechara is a spiritual institution and the acts Joey committed are not spiritual. In fact, this Joey reminds me of the men in cloth in the catholic church molesting children. They are suppose to be saving souls, but instead they are sending them to a lifetime of personal hell. He still is not working and at home. Even if he is working, what can he do? If you look at his pictures and interests, you can tell he does not do much and not very educated. Just a blue collar worker if he did work. There are so many of these strange characters that band together in WNTTAS that ordinarily wouldn’t touch eachother with a ten foot pole. But they ‘need’ each other now for the smear works.
Jamie is very ‘close’ to a overweight Chinese man from New Zealand who lives somewhere in Tokyo because they met ONCE. This man never reveals himself or says much and claims to know Tsem Rinpoche inside out from his one and only meeting when he visited Kechara a few years back. I guess he is a psychic psychologist of some sort! He knows everything about you from one meeting. It justifies his so called ‘authority’ online when typing negatives against Tsem Rinpoche. After all he met him once and he knows everything! Genius of a man isn’t he? He likes to shout all types of derogatory remarks, but it doesn’t get far because look at himself and his shroud of secrecy. No one on the WNTTAS group ever talks about his cross dressing nor interested. But he shoves his lifestyle down everyone’s throats. He is always on We Need to Talk About Shugden spilling information fed to him from Jamie Khoo. Their last conversation centred around some health food or exercise they both need severely. Last year it was painful to see the hundreds of selfies Khoo posted up about her stint at the gym. It was a miserably failure. She only shows headshots at certain angles to hide her body. Like her stint at Kechara, her gym routine failed horrendously. If she spent more time on her gym, getting anger management counseling and weight issues as much as trolling on the internet, she can hope to find a life eventually. I am not sure, but I think she lives somewhere in England funded by her parents. She doesn’t need to work and cannot work due to anger issues and huge self esteem problems that makes her cave into depression for weeks or shout and slap people. Being nasty online isn’t going to help your obesity and the issues behind it. I couldn’t be bothered to re-check what foods she and the New Zealander cross dressing fellow who call himself ‘souldiva’ was talking about. Khoo doesn’t need to work and she cannot work. She has worked in various jobs and failed miserably as she has anger, self esteem and weight issues as I mentioned so she has to blame that on everyone else and in this case Kechara. Easier to blame her weight and anger issues on someone else and keep on binging. Get help and shut up already. There are millions of fat girls out there getting lonelier by the minute because the don’t face the truth. Blaming seems to be the way for people who don’t have to work for a living to justify why they do nothing useful and sit in front of the fridge and binge. Some members of WNTTAS have complained sarcastically all she blogs or talks about online is her weight issues and accepting herself and all that baloney. I;ve spoken online to them about it. She has nothing else to say as she does nothing with her life. She looks around 40 and very obese. I think she is 40 years old or so. She looks it. She is close to some members of WNTTAS because she gives them ‘insider’ news about Kechara. She hides and strokes her fat pains by getting revenge on a made up enemy to cover her lack of self esteem.
Jamie and Wong Kok Chung does this covertly because they don’t want lawsuits up their gazoo. What they are doing is defamation 100%. But unfortunately the more they do what they do, the sloppier they get. Jamie has worked hard and long on some ridiculous website against Tsem Rinpoche, Kechara members and Kechara while stuffing her mouth with potato chips. She never reveals her name because she has zilch courage to do so. She knows her information is wrong, twisted and not the truth but her fat goal in life is to smear. How was she raised? Otherwise why doesn’t she sign her name to what she writes? Because it’s lies. Sign her name and come out and be clean if you dare. Simple to see through. Months back she encouraged Carol McQuire and the lynch mob on WNTTAS to read that most boring site against Tsem Rinpoche. They read it and couldn’t make heads or tails. Since it has no name and no one signs their name to it, it has no credence. But it was whispered within We Need To Talk About Shugden it was written by Jamie Khoo and it has to be hush-hush. Get a life!! Well, let’s blow the whistle now!
What really gets my goat is how they can allow talk of murder against someone due to their differences in faith. This is a crime. This was the final straw that pushed me to write this. As they write more I will write more. I am not really into Shugden, but Tsem Rinpoche has his rights and we cannot condone murder in any way, shape or form. I do not want to be a part of this or be implicated if this leads to investigations. You can ask individually what each of the WNTTAS people have accomplished? Nothing. They have done nothing, but they can go onto the blogs of other teachers, lamas and people to just criticize. They have done nothing and hide under the veneer of supporting the Dalai Lama but it’s to cover their failures in life, but they can criticize others who work day and night. They can care less about the Dalai Lama!
Amazingly they have nothing on Geshe Kelsang or Tsem Rinpoche so now they threaten and are complicit with murder intentions. Tsem Rinpoche will not live to see the end of this year they said. What a wonderful Buddhist and compassionate group of people they are. They can delete from their thread and churn out half hearted false apologies. But real apologies are not long winded and full of justifications. But I am sure many have saved the picture of their death threats against a spiritual teacher Tsem Rinpoche. They even taunted and laughed about the threat. Siling Tongkor Tulku is amazing. Who would ever study or respect a Buddhist monk like him? He is full of hatred. Carol uses him to justify her cause as if she has the inside scoop on the Tibetan version of things. Actually who would ever respect a Buddhist monk like this guy who invites and acknowledges death threats and encourages so much hatred. This is not a monk but a schiester in robes paid by CTA.
Tsem Rinpoche and Kechara never hurt or damaged any member of WNTTAS. If they did, file a police report or shut up. But each of them have their personal gripes to ‘justify’ their revenge. Carol paid by CTA. Cross dressing New Zealander dealt with many years of alienation due to his lack lustre looks and sexual orientation. Khoo angry at the world with her weight and boyish looks. If you didn’t know better, you thinks she was a man cross dressing because she sure looks like one. Wong Kok Chung, embarrassed with his homosexual pornographic endeavours caught red-handed. The list goes on.
Sad group of people whose misdeeds and attacks is all they do with their precious human bodies and the short time they have on this earth. Too bad.
The Chinese New Zealander cross dresser living in Tokyo claims to know Tsem Rinpoche well. He goes onto ‘We Need To Talk About Shugden’ FB page to give this ‘authoritative information ‘wowing’ the other hate mongers when he only met Tsem Rinpoche once. He knows nothing on Tsem. How could you know anyone as well as you claim when you met them onc?! Well the cross dresser or ‘souldiva’ gets his ‘information’ from spiteful ex-students like Jamie Khoo and Wong Kok Chung aka Joey or Joe. Obviously what Khoo and this Mr. Chung have to say will be defamation pure and simple which will cost millions in lawsuits that drag on for years if fully exposed. So they use the insecure cross dresser to speak their minds. The cross dresser ‘souldiva’ would never speak out of make up and without a frock because he has no confidence and wouldn’t reveal who he really is. Like a sad clown with bad make up and tight frocks that hugs his fat male body, he churns out his vile rhetoric against a person he as met once. What do you get out of this? Do you enjoy being vicious because you were taunted as a child for being homo?
I was told, yes I am in contact with Kecharians, that Tsem Rinpoche showed ‘souldiva’ love, compassion and gifts. Advised him to do dharma and spoke the kindly to him. Tsem met him once and he visited Kechara once, so what possible harm was done to him for him to have such a vendetta? He claims it’s the Shugden issue. It’s none of your bleeding business bloke in a frock! When you were growing up in New Zealand did you like people making fun of your homosexuality and effeminate ways? Did you enjoy not being accepted and the taunts? Do you like homos throughout the world taunted and disliked and mocked? Do you like that? They are who they are and people have to accept them. I’ll have you know the majority of countries and people on this planet DO NOT ACCEPT HOMOSEXUALITY OR CROSS DRESSERS. You would be stoned in some countries and it is illegal to engage in homosexual acts in others. Does that mean being a homo is wrong? You decide. Most of Christendom, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and some Buddhists are against homosexuality. Do you like people not accepting your way of life? Your choices and preferences? There are more people who would hate your homosexuality than Shugden. So what? Does that mean you become straight? Does that mean people give up Shugden? You better consider it wisely. Tsem Rinpoche did nothing to you but only showed you kindness. If he wishes to practice Shugden, you just shut up because you have no right to preach right or wrong. Fight for a bigger cause like gay equality or something useful. Do you like being looked down upon by most of the world for being a homo? Well you are looked down upon and that is a fact. So don’t be prejudiced against Shugden people even if you think they are a minority praying to something evil because you are a minority too and your sexual orientation is considered evil by the majority. Wake up. Stop your garbage.
Get a life. You want to be a homo? That is fine with me, but don’t judge other people who choose something not mainstream like you. What’s the difference between homos and cross dressers and Shugden people? They are hated by some. Wake up. You should identify more with Shugden as a homo than with straights and non-Shugden people. They all stand for the right to do and engage in what they feel are their rights and no need to be taunted and hated.
Most religious leaders and religion condemn homosexuality and that is a much bigger issue than Shugden. Fight for the right causes.
Jamie is pathetic and she is using you to get her revenge. She is a ‘survivor’. I think there should be many out there who had to survive her anger and bad temper and hatred for years too. Read her book and how she gushes about Tsem and then it turns around. Look at her writings, nothing but hatred and weight issues. What she writes is all she has in her head. Just a stupid spoiled bimbo whose claim to fame is she speaks English. Big deal! She is probably 40 or she looks it and from the grapevine STILL LIVING AT HOME. What adult at 40 lives at home in any civilized country? That is a certified loser or a leach of some sort.
Whatever Jamie and Mr. Chung/Joey are saying, writing or doing can blow up into huge legalities that nobody wins. Let them keep at it. It will cost millions. I am sure if they keep pushing the button it will blow. You have hundreds in Kechara vs Khoo/Chung. What do you think? If it does blow up, many of their ‘friends’ will be implicated and dragged into as witnesses or worse. Would their friends enjoy law suit after law suits for years? Who needs that? That is a lot of money, time and energy spent for something that is it really worth it?
‘We Need To Talk About Shugden’ has nothing on Tsem except he practices Shugden. So what. It’s none of their bloody business mate! They claim he has some anti Dalai Lama websites. Well that information is of course if true at all, volunteered by Khoo and her ‘boyfriend’ Mr Chung or Joey. Who else. Even if is true, let the Dalai Lama group deal with that. You have no stakes in it and you are not being paid by CTA like Carol McQuire or are you?
Get a life and stop picking on the ‘minorities’. Khoo and Chung, get a life and move on. You are not helping yourself and nothing stays the same. You will be alone one day and not under the protection of your aging parents and all karma will come back. What comes around goes around. Look at yourselves now. How sad you are and you wonder whose fault it is? Your own fault. Carol McQuire, is this the sum of your life? Attacking NKT? Go get counseling, find a bloke, settle down and go watch the sunsets!
You will never win against them because if you could, you would have already.
Another active member of We Need To Talk About Shugden’s hate page Siling Tongkor Tulku clearly says here he is in contact with Ex-Kecharians. This does not bode well for those Ex-Kecharians because it shows they are instigating trouble quietly without putting their names to it. Why hide and make trouble if what you are saying is true?
Siling Tongkor Tulku who is a known trouble maker in the Sera Mey monastery clearly states he is in contact with Ex-Kecharian members. ‘Souldiva’ is in contact with Joey/Joe and Jamie Khoo. So any information that We Need To Talk About Shugden group has regarding Kechara both false and otherwise comes from these Ex-Kecharians.
Kechara President and members,
I am giving you a heads up on this. Beware and see what is your legal recourse. I am sure they will make more mistakes. I have other items which I will post later. I refuse to be on We Need To Talk About Shugden anymore after I found out Carol McQuire’s real sinister agenda and her being paid by Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). CTA has recently accused each other of murder and corruption: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/features/corruption-and-alleged-murder-in-tibetan-parliament/ So Carol is a supporter of this corruption and alleged murder intrigues by taking salary from them.
I used to be be very active in Kechara before my work took me overseas. I still follow Rinpoche’s teachings closely. When I was there a couple of years ago, I befriended some people who told me to be careful not to upset a person known as JK because she was extremely spiteful. I was told of how she would hunt for men to have affairs with and two who became her prey were so traumatised that they never dared to return to Kechara as long as she was there. JK would shame her lovers by describing to others how bad they were at sex but in fact it was because she was insatiable.
I pity Tsem Rinpoche for having to put up with such ungrateful ex-students. I would have gotten rid of these people myself. Who wants to keep such dangerous animals around in the house not knowing when they will harm you. But I suppose Rinpoche felt he had to help them.
Dear Kecharians, please stay strong and keep supporting Tsem Rinpoche.
JK Warning,
From what you have shared here, it totally freaked me out. Jaime used to put comments in this blog often and there’s where I got to know a little bit about her. Besides, she always seemed to be in Rinpoche’s teachings as well (videos).
I do hope she can very much carried out whatever little promises or wishes that she has made in this blog. Please Jaime at least recall back the kindnesses given by Rinpoche and stop the hate campaign. Rinpoche is always ever compassionate but karma doesn’t wait and not only that, karma can even manifest to those that you love!
The many ‘faces’ of so called ‘Souldiva’ or his real name Jiunn Hsiao, a Chinese of New Zealand living in Shinjuku, Japan. But they are not nice faces. He is someone who hides behind his cross dressing persona to degrade, demean and spew vulgarities at monks, spiritual aspirants and dharma centres he has very little experience or next to no experience of. Very unpleasant person to say the least. Someone who is angry, bitter and lives on hurting others in the shadows. A homosexual that dresses up in women’s clothes and criticize others viciously hidden.
Kechara and their people has done ABSOLUTEY NOTHING TO THIS PERSON. Rinpoche has given him gifts, love, advice, care and encouraged him to practice dharma. Many witnesses attest to this. Many older members were shocked to see what happened to this young man from New Zealand who wanted to practice Dharma and Rinpoche showed him nothing but kindness. Suddenly he starts a tirade on line degrading Tsem Rinpoche, Kechara and their private practices. Just because they practice Dorje Shugden??!!
1. He has no right to judge what Kechara does or what anyone does. Nobody sends him emails, tags him or alerts him to Kechara’s activities. Stay away if you don’t like. He finds his way to this blog and Kechara sites and just goes on and on. Shameless.
2. Jiunn only comments under his cross dressing persona as it’s easier to hide his nasty comments. He keeps several fb accounts. One with him out of cross dressing where everything is nice, clean and sedate and he is ‘pleasant’. Then his ‘Souldiva’ fb is the one he hides behind to make nasty remarks and criticizes non-stop. Why must a person hide when they say all this?
3. This guy being homosexual and cross dressing would not be accepted in most parts of the world and would be taunted. Being a minority in regards to his sexual preference, he can turn around and taunt and degrade other people who practice Shugden???? Why the hypocrisy! Does he like it when people of his sexual orientation or he himself get taunted or degraded for the choice he makes which is nobody’s business? It’s nobody’s business what Kechara practices. If Kechara practices Dorje Shugden and even if it is a minority practice, Jiunn should keep quiet. Keep quiet!
4. Look at Jiunn’s picture. He puts on all that make up, photoshops himself to look like a woman and then uses this persona to go and criticize monks, teachers, spiritual practitioners who have given their lives and efforts to the dharma. He has not done a fraction of what others sacrifice for the dharma. What audacity. If your so good Jiunn, throw the frock away and go be a monk! Go do retreats. Or too busy with other activities we shouldn’t speak about with many people? In many parts of the world people would taunt him and in some countries laws against his preference. I don’t advocate these laws against cross dressing and his lifestyle, but my point is does he not know what it feels like to be hated and seen as evil? An abomination or be detested because of his choices? Hypocrite.
5. Keep talking and keep up the nasties. I am sure everything you print will be saved and kept for records. Anything happens to Tsem Rinpoche, you will be investigated with your online friends. Keep up your vulgar degradations, everything will be recorded and kept for further use. It creates a pattern and history. A profile.
That goes same for the WNTTAS group. All they spew are nasties as Carol McQuire and Siling are paid by Central Tibetan Admin (CTA) to damage the reputations of Shugden lamas and people. Siling Tongkor Tulku is well know for fighting openly with two of his teachers and arrogantly leaving these old monks to go create trouble. He is a long time paid informant of CTA which is spoken about in his home monastery of Sera Mey Monastery.
Jiunn or whatever you want to call yourself ‘Souldiva’ has no business prying into the life of others or in Kechara that has hundreds of people sincerely working for dharma and practicing they best they can. You hurt many people’s sentiments which turns to anger. You can also go online and be friends with ex Kecharians like Jamie Khoo and Wong Kok Chung (Joey), and extract information to twist around from them to print about Tsem Rinpoche? Well definitely they are using you and you them. Do you know what kind of people they are? Do you know what Joey did in Kechara that people had to ask him to leave. It’s disgusting you know. Kechara keeps quiet about all these people for now. When pushed comes to shove, let’s see what authorities to speak to. Why don’t you get a life instead of getting into other people’s lives?? Jamie and Joey are others who twist information around and anonymously spread virulent gossip because they like to damage and hurt as they are so unhappy with their lives. They will reap their results eventually. Why do they spread nasties anonymously? Because what they say is not the truth just like what you say.
Everything will be saved.
Thank you Martin for your sharing on our Guru, Tsem Rinpoche on his benevolent and compassionate dharma teachings.
I have not been long with Kechara, just over 2 years, I admit Kechara is providing a very good environment and platform to learn Dharma. Kechara is a centre where the pure Dharma is being taught and practiced from an unbroken lineage in a language we understand.
It is we, who need to transform our mind and if we can’t do it, we should blame and accuse the centre for not sharing the correct practice.
May Tsem Rinpoche continue to share Dharma to all sentient beings.
With folded hands
Judy Chen
Oh boy… That was better than a movie.. Sorry! Yes when I was very poor Tsem Rinpoche sent me a care package full of Dharma with a hand painted Tsongkhapa. I’m still somewhat poor and haven’t donated nearly enough to repay his kindness. So will I ever be able to repay that kindness? No. Not with just money. My point is Kechara and Tsem Rinpoche are not just looking for money for themselves. If they are, they’re horrible at it! Lol. They help too many poor people to be rich elitists. They genuinely, actually want you to be happy, it’s really neat.
I gotta be a good boy. I have seen too much, I can’t go back to a full on samsara life… It hurts SO MUCH and it NEVER surprises me anymore, I know how to stop my own suffering through Dharma but choose not to ALL THE TIME. OWW! Ok I will do my sadhana, OWW! OK I will do some malas. OWW! ok I will make comments on the blog! Leave me alone you monster! My mind has a mind of its own and it’s a MONSTER. Tsem Rinpoche is the Big Stick Monsters Fear(tm).
SOME MONSTERS DONT REALIZE THEY ARE MONSTERS! They think Tsem Rinpoche is the monster! Clowns!
I like your last paragraph Josh. 🙂
Martin— Thank you. You really are a writer 🙂 Very power message you have written allowing us all to reflect, think, question and conclude with logic.
At the end of the day we are the one’s having to live with our own selves and for the attackers, the haters, I cannot imagine the pain, the guilt, the suffering they are being consumed in, so much so that they stalk the very person they claim to have given them the pain? How ironic. If really there were any basis for their attacks/groups/network… then they definitely need not be hiding behind an anonymous cloak. You definitely said it. They were happy to show their faces and sing praises when they were happily receiving the gifts, the fame and the recognition from Rinpoche prior to their leaving, so why hide now, if they speak of the truth?
Like you said Martin, once you have experienced the light (Dharma), how could anyone live and deny it’s existence? For us to deny it is to literally also deny our own wisdom. It takes a person with a lot of self-hate to be able to do this because dealing with their own selves must be too painful. Finding an external source to blame seems to be the easier way out temporarily. But to what end? What good does it bring to anyone?
I’ve been a student of Rinpoche for 12 years now. I’ve seen many students come and go. As one of the oldest students, yes I’ve had my fair share of dressing down from my Guru, and like you said, it is to show my flaws, the ugly truth of my afflictions, my anger, jealousy, pride, etc… all the causes of my own misery, yet I’ve always believed from day one when I saw Rinpoche disciplined a student, that this is why Rinpoche is a real genuine ‘Guru’, he is for real.
Rinpoche is not here to kiss @#$ to anyone rich or poor, he is here to show us our mind so we can find that little glimpse of happiness we so wish and pray for but doing all the wrong things to get it. Who else on the face of this earth would dare to tell the ego us the truth??? Not even our so called beloved parents and that’s the truth! What does Rinpoche get out of scolding a student? Nothing. In fact to those with wrong views, they will have wrong views, I’m guilty of that too. But the worst is to end up doing exactly what you’ve talked about in your article… to gossip, lie, create more schism, more hate and to attack a monk? And then what? Does one become happier, better, brighter, smarter, richer? I don’t get it, what is the point of it all when we’re all going to eventually face death? Do we want to take “hate” to our graves, I certainly do not.
If our character is so honest and true, why would you need to assassinate another person’s character unless it’s a threat to your untruthful character? It’s not hard to figure out. I’m sorry for these ex-students/haters who did not get their preconceived happiness from Rinpoche, but why are you still a fan of Rinpoche if you hate Rinpoche so much? Why are the haters still so attached to Rinpoche? Why follow, stalk and find ways to scheme an attack? Wouldn’t you want just forget about something or someone you hate? Or is it perhaps because Rinpoche has made a huge impact in your mind-stream, so much so you know the truth and you’re guilty of it and can’t face yourself, so you resist it? Why is it so hard for the haters to move on and get a life?
Whatever it is attacking someone who can benefit so many others is not going to be better for one’s conscious. If you don’t like, it’s okay, if you disagree it’s okay, each to their own, but don’t harm and cause more harm, damaging other people’s spiritual path as well. That’s too much and insane already. So better to just shut it and do your own thing that you claim is better. No one is stopping you now and if we all know Rinpoche well, he even still prays for those ex-student/haters to be safe and well.
So Stop using Rinpoche, Kechara or anyone for that matter to justify one’s failure. It really doesn’t serve you well internally at all. Have some self-respect, some dignity and succeed in whatever path you’ve decided to follow. Be happy with it. Be at peace with it and show it. Everyone is their own author of their lives, why not write a pleasant one for yourself?
I thank Martin for such an honest and heartfelt article.
I agree with what Martin has written.Though I am just a new Kecharian and have not met Rinpoche personally, I can feel the care he has for me to transform my mind. Rinpoche is here to teach us Dharma and bring dharma to all. Why all these false accusations coming from these ill mannered people?
I feel sad for these people who have learnt the dharma but have not transformed their minds.Hiding behind anonymity and hurling accusations are indeed a cowardly act. People who would not leave their Big Egos are in fact suffering and I pity them for they will not have peace, inner and outer.
May these people be blessed by the Three Jewels and may they find compassion in their hearts.
Regards
Leonard Ooi
Martin, your article is fabulous. Not only you addressed all the issues with logic and truth, it shows to the world what is actually happening to our guru Tsem Rinpoche and all he has to endure all these years. It is true that in all organisations, there are good and bad people and people leave due to differences in values or being confronted with their own shortcomings which they are unwilling to face or they join for the wrong reasons. But why want to avenge and attack when all they got from Tsem Rinpoche or the Organisation is nothing but care and love? I am very sure they have benefitted from the Dharma that was imparted to them from Rinpoche in their time of need but to turn around and speak evil and condemn Rinpoche is not at all Dharmic and will have serious karmic repercussions. Can’t they just leave and continue on with their lives and be happy that they have left their torture chamber.
I am very fortunate to be able to work with Rinpoche for the last 4 years and I ahem seen many times with my own eyes how RInpoche cares for all his students and members. Rinpoche will often go far and wide to ensure that the person is better off and that they are not suffering. Rinpoche’s care overflows to the people in the streets and those who crosses his path. So, those people who have left and attacked us is really ungrateful and only thinks of themselves only.
When hatred and anger takes over the mind, there is no more remorse. It is as though they have changed. The people I used to know when they were in Dharma is now different. They have become spiteful and all they want is to get Rinpoche and Kechara. What is the point? They want Kechara to fall and that those people who benefit from Rinpoche’s teachings to all join them? And then do what? They would rather have people abandon their Dharma practice without offering something better to them (As illustrated by Martin) Such selfish people…….
Please leave us alone just as we have left you alone when you left.
I thank Martin for writing such a wonderful article which is so direct to the point addressing the unseen pains which Rinpoche goes through behind the scene.
I am for one fortunate kid whom Rinpoche has so kindly picked from the streets to nurture, educate and groom myself to who I am today. Rinpoche’s wisdom has the insight to look into who I am and to groom myself to fulfill my potential. All credits goes to the Lama whom I am indebted to in grooming me to who I am today.
I was a notorious child, Rinpoche had to implore many methods to tame my mind and make me calm down and over time grow up to be a responsible person. There were times where Rinpoche would praise me for the good job done for another person’s benefit and when i misbehaved, Rinpoche would manifest wrath so that I would learn my lesson right.
I had left the organization and Rinpoche for a while to reflect and contemplate on what’s right and wrong but that did not lead me to say or do anything negative or nasty towards the organization or Rinpoche. It is not the same in the outside world when you compare it with the presence of Rinpoche and Kechara.
Coming back to Kechara with a different light brought me a new type of empowerment in my mind to become stronger spiritually and for others like myself not to fall into the same path which did not benefit anyone. Rinpoche showed this lesson to me most effectively and compassionately. Rinpoche not only gave me the chance to reform but also to the method and love to become who I am today.
After my return, I have met with others whom have left and those who are skilled in instigating others to go against their gurus and the organization. And these people purposely come up to your face to insert negative thoughts into your minds! Unfortunately, they picked the wrong person to do so. LOL
With the little experience in starting and operating a Dharma centre down south, I have experienced a small percentage of what Rinpoche had gone through here in Malaysia. Please understand that at the end of the day, it is not about Rinpoche’s personal gain for there is none. All of Rinpoche’s advise is targeted in making our self-made problems lesser and for us to become better.
When people leave the organization and continue their vice outside, it shows you who they are from the beginning. Being with Rinpoche have just helped them control themselves temporarily.
We’re all not perfect and seek perfection in the progress. But in seeking happiness/perfection, please take a moment to think about others and have adequate respect for others as you would want for yourself.
Thank you Rinpoche for putting this blog article that have been so clearly written by Martin. As stated by Martin, the students who have chosen to remain in Kechara to be guided by Rinpoche must not keep quiet and watch the haters continue with their pursuit to smear Rinpoche and Kechara.
I pray that many people will have the clear mind to see through the reasons why this group of ex students would attack a monk. Also they should also compare the accomplishments of Rinpoche in benefiting so many people as opposed to the works of this group that dare not even to write in their real name and identities.
My family and I have been in Kechara for the past five years and we have received so much kindness, care and guidance from Rinpoche. To me, I would trust the words and advice of someone who have held his vows to his teacher rather than believing the words of those who are criticizing their ex teacher.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. Thank you Martin for a well written article pointing out the difficulties Rinpoche has to silently endure with patience all these years to impart Dharma and train students for the most compassionate reason he is passionate about. Students’ downfalls and fallouts with Rinpoche are largely due to not examining and contemplating truly their motivation for going on the spiritual path. If we are not careful our ego can easily trick us to submit to hatred, anger, maliciousness, vindictiveness, etc. when our Lama does not feed to our ego’s desire. However, we must not forget whilst on training in the spiritual path, our ego need to diminish before we can truly progress. Thus who is more kind and courageous than our Lama to do this ugly and dangerous business in fighting our monstrous ego? What does he gets in return? The only fulfillment our Lama gets is seeing his students progress and not stuck in the vicious cycle of samara. Hence, he kinder than the Buddha for undertaking this responsibility and yet what he gets in return is full of crap from some of his ex-students. I pray may they be never be separated from a perfect teacher ever again.
Thank you Martin for writing this wonderful article that basically says it all. Sometimes it hard to understand why some have so much anger and why they have to act on it. If one practices Buddhism or any other religion, to any degree, then their basic teaching of kindness should not lead them to attack Rinpoche who has not done anything to harm them. Many act out of not really knowing Rinpoche. He has students that have been with him for decades amongst those who have been with him just a few years. If Rinpoche is truly “untrue” to the Dharma, then Kechara would not have grown to benefit the many that it does today, and I doubt that his students would still stay to be around to eagerly learn the Dharma if it had not benefitted them.
I appeal to those that attack Rinpoche to let Rinpoche continue his work without disturbance, as there is more than enough to exemplify his amazing work, love and compassion to all. Thank you.
Martin thanks for the article. You have hit on the spot of the haters and those hiding behind the mask.
Dharma will make us see our true self. When we able to see the ugly side of us it’s up to us whether we want to change for good by continue pursue our dharma practice consistently. But if we don’t want to change due to our comfort zone and attachment that is find and just find your own way and live with it happily. Don’t blame others to justify your action. If dharma is not the right way for your life then let go and excel in your path. Everyone has a choice but don’t blame others your choice as we manage our live and have full control of it.
We have chosen a guru to learn from and no one force us. We have gain from the guru from his care and love. What the guru want from us is our transformation which is for our benefit and for others. This is what my Guru Tsem Rinpoche does and want for all his students. For Rinpoche to use skilful method to teach us just the same as how our parents want us for good. But what we don’t see here is to see our guru’s love just like our parents.
For those people who have chosen to leave pls just leave in peace and find your path. There is nothing to hate as if those people who have left is right they would have shown good result in their life and would have recognise by others. If those people who has left is doing well why still hold on to this? if they are right and would have achieve something and live happily with their choice why still look back and keep attacking? Why waste such time here? Who will really listen to them that hiding behind the mask and what actually they have proven?
Tsem Rinpoche is here as a real person that has been teaching, guiding and helping many people that can be seen and real. Kechara is growing and is witness by many. All these are real.
To those that left, you have made your choice to find your happiness and prove to yourself that your are right by not harming others. This is a universal act which even a person with no dharma will understand. No one owe you as you make your choice. Let go and find peace.
Thank you Martin and all Kecharians who have responded to this post. I am very appreciative that many of us have read the threats and slanderous comments on the social media about our Precious Guru, HE Tsem Rinpoche and are aware of the dangers inflicted on Rinpoche and our organisation.
It has also come to my knowledge that these group of haters do more than just write on the social media, they have circulated half truths and misinterpreted information to loved ones of the members of Kechara and created great chaos, misery and disharmony amongst them. You see, its not only Rinpoche they want to destroy but also Kechara and as many Kecharian lives as they are allowed.
There are many incidences when the haters have shown tremendous obscenity and disrespect in confronting Kechara members and swearing profanity at them in very public places.
Are this group of haters being misled by ex students or are they just blind sympathisers who fell into the trap of those who have gone wrong. Those who have not been able to accept the truth of who they are and have decided to blame others for their hatred of self.
Ignorance and delusions are the greatest sufferings and even after having known a little Dharma these haters have used these sad samsaric traits to manipulate others who have either had the opportunity to have associated with Rinpoche and Kechara or never had.
I remember clearly at the end of 2012, Rinpoche asked me a question which I thought was weird. It was “Datuk May, are you my student or my Sponsor?” As though appropriately prompted, I answered “a student”. It was then that I realised that it wasn’t my sponsorship that was important to Rinpoche but my transformation. Rinpoche wanted me to know that he intended to train my mind and ready it for Dharma and was not going to allow my sponsorship get in the way. This itself shows the kind of Guru that Rinpoche is.
From that moment onwards, nothing I did with Rinpoche nor Kechara was right. To my mind I was wondering why was I picked on and what is happening that Rinpoche was so “unkind” to me. However, I said whatever was happening, I love the Dharma and I love my Guru, Just have the strength to endure. Never during that period of my spiritual journey did I even think of leaving. I TRUSTED MY GURU and my choice of Tsem Rinpoche as my spiritual guide.
On hindsight that treatment of “unkindness” to me was either to purify my negative karma arising or to prepare me for the events that followed in my life. 2013 was a year of bad bad things. Legal cases manifested, debts remained unpaid by creditors, and chaos in the family front. Shockingly, the ex-students who are now the haters contributed to my woes. They are not the victims as they portray.
Rinpoche’s training made me tolerant and developed the ability to have patience and realisation that ”bad” phenomena are never permanent.
However, the bigger realisation that I had was exactly what Martin mentioned, Rinpoche cares not that I am a sponsor but rather as his student for which he only wants the best, achievement of enlightenment and development of the mind to accept and let go. Rinpoche’s greatest love and compassion to me was the every eloquent question whether I am his student or sponsor. And Rinpoche’s love was not just for me alone and the same care and and good wishes were extended to all Rinpoche’s students and even to those whom Rinpoche knew, would turn on him one day.
Had I been so dumb as to have answered sponsor, I would have missed the best thing that could have happened to me. The transformation of my mind to accept the worst and still go on, holding onto the teachings which were transmitted to me.
This was proof that whoever we are and whatever we have contributed to Rinpoche and Kechara, the greatest benefit is for us.
I would humbly request these haters of whom many I am sure I have met and worked with doing great things to spread the Dharma, to reflect that it is not a worthy cause to keep doing what is so very damaging to them. May whatever little imprints of Buddhas teaching are left within them, to prevail for their betterment.
I have been handling human resources matters for the past 8 years with the management of this organisation. Sometimes behind the scene experiences with ex-students will shock anyone with a sensible mind on the street. I am not just referring to students who volunteered, most of them received a stipend or allowances from the organisation. They are paid with lots of perks. I used to think in my very own secular mind that, this is so easy because we can just let them go as some of their behaviours are totally unacceptable for any company out there to stomach. If I had these type of attitude at my previous work place, I would have been fired long time ago.
However, over the years, I have seen my spiritual guide, Tsem Rinpoche not giving up on them cause everyone deserves a 2nd chance….and in most cases A LOT of chances. And the Guru will often find many ways to help them.
Don’t get me wrong, these are just some students. We have some students who have left on their own account but they are gracious about it and with some of them we are still on good talking terms. Some even return to volunteer and attend our activities. Like any organisation, this is a normal cycle, I get it but when some ex-students start attacking the “Guru” and blaming their self created miserable state on their EX “Guru”, it is very absurd!!! Because most of us who used to handle these cases who are still around the organisation saw & experienced how selfish and damaging their behaviour were :-
What do u want the Guru or the management to do when a student,
1. creates schism amongst your fellow peers and creates disharmony in the department
2. puts down other students just because they “think”, they are more superior than them
3. lies & twists the facts
4. solicits “certain desire” using certain resources of the organisation
5. is being rude to the older people of the organisation
6. is not performing at their work when they are paid to do so
7. puts others in a harmful situation
and the list can go on.
Do we want a Guru to close his eyes FULLY and say WELL DONE or do you want a Guru who tirelessly points out our faults so that we can improve and be better people.
There is a fraction who left but there are many more who stayed back in Kechara. And more are joining as the rest can see. Results is key here. A wise person used to tell me, don’t trust the words but look at their results. Words often have not much meaning. Therefore, anybody who is sensible will be able to tell what is good and what is not.
It is about time we start speaking out to defend our Guru. Enough is Enough!
I really thank Martin for this WONDERFUL sharing. I joined Kechara in July 2013, barely under 2 years. I have not met Rinpoche in person but I have personally experienced his kindness in SO MANY ways that I am overwhelmed. There have been many eventful events in my life over the last 2 years and I dare say if today I have not experienced Dharma and not met Rinpoche and the WONDERFUL pastors, I would have been a worse off person wrenching in my own ego, in own delusions, and becoming a much bitter person blaming everything and everyone else for the events that happened to my family and me.
There are no words that I can find in my deluded mind to thank Rinpoche who I believe has no hidden agenda but to BENEFIT EVVERY SENTIENT BEING through his Dharma work. This is further reinforced through the kindness the Rinpoche has shown during my mother’s recent bereavement. All the pujas, prayers, and care given and shown by Kechara Pastors and Kechara members are nothing short of Rinpoche’s kindness. And this has, at least in my limited mind, my mother has a very peaceful transition to her next life. All these WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE IF NOT FOR RINPOCHE’S KINDNESS WITHOUT AGENDA.
I stand now to fix my mind one step at a time to remove all my seslf delusions, ego and selfishness so that I can absorb Rinpoche’s Dharma teachings and to ensure that the teachings remain in my mind. This is the greatest challenge and I am determined to make this happen eternally.
May our Guru have long life, stable health and continue to teach Dharma until samsara’s end.
Very humbly yours,
Lum Kok Luen
Dear Martin & Rinpoche,
Evidence of a true clearly transformation from Martin, where a Guru teaches, student received teaching, and mind transformation takes place. With folded palm to Martin and Guru.
It is a honor that i am able to witness and experienced the transformation that i have seen in Martin, from the first day that i know him, and he is a total changed person that as at today, and he is still transforming to better himself. I see peace, a sincere dharma brother that shares his thoughts, knowledge, and even advise or point out the fault that you have sincerely…with no ulterior motive, humble and yet stern.
Martin is a truly reflection and evidence of a genuine students and Guru relationship…a clean samaya,and guru devotion from Martin.
i am putting on this comments not because i want to gain anything from Martin and Guru or is what i have experienced thru my expectation/projection but is what I truly and sincerely have experienced from dharma knowldege that have been share and taught by Martin and Guru.
Only the people who show or tell you your faults is what i will get nearer to but not the people who keep telling me about other people faults that I will be near but to stay away from.
With folded palms.
Doreen Teoh
Firstly thank you Martin for writing such a good article whatever he speak is true and is a fact no ways we can argue about it, secondly I personally will leave this teaching because is so profound and is so pure mist important us our guru Tsem Rinpoche we have personally benefits a lot from his teaching it really help us to resolve our daily problem so I do not see the reason to stop the practice whoever who criticize Kechara and Rinpoche please stop do give the rest a peace of mind to practice.
People who are difficult are just that way whether they are in dharma or out. Notice that they do not become easier or nicer whether or not they are in Kechara. They are consistent in their results in life. Quitting, bad mouthing, taking revenge/getting even, poisoning others in the name of “saving” them are just confirmation of who they are. And if we have such people in our lives, dare us to even admit we do have, take a step back and observe. These “wonderful” people will always run and quit from a job, a country, friends, etc etc etc… Running is habitual and they justify…Boy, do they justify AND it is always another person’s fault. THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE ANGRY and VERY BITTER. They cannot accept and take responsibility for their own actions.
Come on… we have all made good and bad decisions. We have all loved and hated someone at some time in our lives. So, no one is perfect. BUT seriously, do we need to compound our flaws to perfection?? Have we not ever spent long hours on projects? Have we not been put under pressure at some point in our careers? Have we not been hurt before? We all have. We learn and we move on wiser. Ignorance and anger are what makes us hang on to all that grief so that we can remain bitter and filled with anger. Where does all that ill feelings put us but creating hell inside ourselves. It is sad when we make such choices to live our lives.
Like Martin, I have been a difficult student as well. I have had my issues. Actually, I still have issues and I am still a difficult student. But, never once has Rinpoche ever given up on me. When my issues take full bloom, Rinpoche continues to teach me. At that moment, I refuse to accept what is said to me. In fact, I reject Rinpoche’s care and teachings. When I am in that state Rinpoche will use other methods to get through to me. Eventually I do get it and I learn my lessons. The issue is me but it would be much easier to blame Rinpoche… oh hell…. blame the whole world!
I guess intrinsically I am not evil and filled with anger which is why Rinpoche’s compassion and teachings will penetrate my thick skull eventually. I am grateful that Rinpoche stuck with me and saw my qualities and potential more than I could see them for myself.
What’s my point? Simple… If you mess up, clean up. Do not place blame on others and try to get away being an evil and angry soul. In time, your results in life will show and tell who you really are. And if you see no point in being a better person then please move on and stop haunting yourself with whatever justifications you have. Run.. and please do not look back.
Humbly thank you Rinpoche for sharing this wonderful post with us.
I am very fortunate that I received dharma teachings, advices and guidance from Rinpoche since year 2007.
I too witnessed students of Rinpoche left dharma/Kechara due to personal issues, wrong views etc. Whenever I experienced people leaving dharma, I always remind myself KEEP PRACTICING DHARMA regardless of outer influences and obstacles.
Fully agreed with Martin “that everything the lama does is to help the student overcome their own afflictive emotions that entrap them in samsara.”
I personally experienced how Rinpoche used his skillful methods to train our minds and I firmly believed that the genuine dharma I received from Rinpoche help to overcome my fears and even sufferings at the critical juncture.
I like what Pastor David Lai has written,
“If you remembered the reason you entered Dharma, you should carry on the learning and practice.. perhaps elsewhere and with other teachers or at least doing some of the good things that you used to do with Rinpoche. Please do not ruin Rinpoche and Kechara just because of a few lingering angry thoughts. Please think of others who still rely on Rinpoche and many more who would come to rely on Rinpoche for solace and hope. Why ruin it for everyone?”
I choose to be grateful towards my guru and dharma centre, continue to engage in dharma works and keep learning dharma to repay Rinpoche’s unconditional love and care towards all sentient beings.
Sincerely thank you Martin for this in depth article, may this article continue to clear many more people doubts and negative thoughts about our beloved Guru, Tsem Rinpoche & Kechara Organization.
Thank you Martin for plumbing the depths of our hearts and minds in your writing. You have so eloquently articulated all of my painful thoughts on how viciously, painfully and unmindfully Rinpoche has been reviled and put down by those who were not content merely to walk out on him and Kechara, and the precious dharma he had taught them.
You have also, through your clear account of all of your feelings of remorse at having once turned your own back and also of your feelings of great joy for thankfully coming back again to Rinpoche’s and Dharma’s warm embrace, sent a piercing ray of light into the depths of my being and dredged out my own lack of gratitude and appreciation of our Guru’s immeasurable kindness to me.
Having been with Rinpoche as his student for the last ten years, the best years of my life, what I am about to say here about our Guru’s kindness to me, is reflected in the same and equal kindness he has shown everyone, including those who have turned their backs on him and are reviling him without a conscience.
Thank you Rinpoche for ‘scolding me’ into waking up to the needs of others for me as a pastor, when I hesitated and shilly-shallied about becoming one. Thank you for blessing my mind at that moment so that my demon of a fearful selfish mind, baulking at being a pastor, was quashed and replaced by a mind which has since, through Rinpoche’s continuing and unwavering kindness and blessings, grown in much love and care for others. This is the jewel of a mind you have bestowed on me, my precious Guru, whose only care is to see every one of us grow in love and kindness and develop a bodhimind for our everlasting peace and enlightenment.
As I write this, my eyes are wet with tears, for those who came so close to receiving the precious jewel of Dharma , from so rare and precious a being as our Guru, who loves and cares for us more than our mothers, as he cares for our future lives and beyond. What a pity and a waste! To turn your back on and spurn your only hope and lifeline to everlasting peace and happiness.
May you all realize sooner than later how much you need Rinpoche and his pure dharma and lineage – the pure lineage of Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings.
I salute Martin Chow for an explicit account of what Rinpoche endures from his ungrateful ex-student and haters. I agree with this article because I had personally encountered someone who demeaned Rinpoche and Kechara, claiming many things based on hearsay of ex-student.
It is not hard to imagine the doubts the person created and the weeks I wasted on observation instead of focusing on practicing Dharma. On hindsight, eventhough I take it as a test of faith, I do secretly wish that I could handled it better by firmly telling the person to produce evidence otherwise stop the nonsense. I was too soft.
His Eminence Tsem Tulku Rinpoche and Kechara have so kindly provided such a wonderful dharma platform for people to contribute back to the society and to collect merit to further our dharma journey. Launching bad-taste attack to Rinpoche and the organization not only reflect a loser attitude but also plant the seed of bad karma for themselves to not be near dharma in this and future lifetimes. I feel very sad for them.
Thank You Rinpoche for sharing Martin’s article with us. I sincerely pray that all Rinpoche’s ex-student who are still in pain of their own hatred and unrest mind be liberated by seeking reconciliation with Rinpoche soonest.
With folded palms, humbly,
Stella
p/s: I am not in touch with the person who demeaned Rinpoche anymore.
Thank you so much Martin for speaking up for our Holy Guru Tsem Tulku Rinpoche. At the same time you are speaking up for all the Gurus that has been being bad mouth, bullied and put down by their own ex students and those who just lash out their anger for whatever reason they could claimed of with no proof. If what they claimed are valid why hide themselves? Are they scared of being confronted? Are they scared of being looked bad? Will they even feel ashamed because they do not even know how to pay a simple respect to a monk or a guru who had took good care of them, helped and love them and their family. Although Rinpoche was being hurt in many ways with dirty words and threat yet Rinpohce constantly care and worried about their well being.
Martin, I really like what you said, “….making hatred a lifestyle and character assassination a career.” This is so true…
Why are they called themselves Buddhists at the first place? If they gonna take hatred and anger as their daily Sadhana, posting all the dirty words and threat to a holy monk who’s sincerely spreading the pure holy Dharma as their retreat, I will now light many candles for them because they will never be happy living a life in the darkness like this. If they still have a little respect in the three jewels, I beg them do go and read again what He had taught us 2600 years ago and get some realization on what are you doing now.
Before I met Rinpoche, I have my whole brain of idea of how a monk should behave, should talk, should do, and the list went very long. When i saw something no right (as it was not match my perception), I started to have doubts. But when I think deeper, Rinpoche had helped so many people and even my family, endless care and love with His prayers pouring us with His blessings? He is my Buddha and GuanYin. Deep down inside I know my Guru is real and will not harm me for sure. Thank you Dorje Shugden for guarding my evil thoughts from day one when I started His first mantra. Sometimes Rinpoche did something that seems harsh or unreasonable but simply because Rinpoche is a real Guru, and He do not care about my offerings nor my sponsorships but my mind of transformation that will bring me to enlightenment which is the ultimate happiness. When I realized how compassionate my Rinpoche risking all these just to make me think deeper and learn how to overcome my own inner enemy which is my laziness and ego. I am not perfect but I must say I am a much happier person then who i was before.
I beg those who are having anger and hatred toward my Guru please stop living your lives like this because you are wasting your lives away everyday. Human life is precious. You may not have a second chance and we do not know when is our last day being human. I sincerely wish you can quickly move on with your lives for a better purpose not for anyone else but yourselves.
Sometimes i think to myself why people would leave Kechara and still talk bad about the people and the organisation. I mean, if you want to leave, just leave. There is no need to act aggressively towards anyone. Especially what used to be your guru, someone who loved and showed compassion to you. I guess its just peoples ego who makes them do such actions. People are not willing to admit that they have failed at something that was so good for them, so they result to hatred.
Personally, i know individuals who have left Kechara and are bad-mouthing Kechara. Its not a very nice thing to be so close to a person who has left Kechara, and hearing them talk bad about my Buddhist organisation. It is hurtful. Especially when they talk bad about my guru. Who has loved me and cared for me since i was young. I hope i don’t become like these haters of Dharma.
Also, i have noticed something. When someone leaves the dharma behind or leaves Kechara behind, they change. Its as though they are now different people from when they practiced. They are not as happy as they were, they are not as attentive as they were, and they also make less contact with those they love. I guess these are just the side effects, or just the effect of living a normal samsara filled life. Where nobody is there for you, and where you are attached to everything. And all these problems because they have failed their Dharma practice. Its sad, really.
I would like to thank Martin for writing his well-expressed opinions. I now have a better understanding of this topic. And i will always keep it in mind to make sure i stay appreciative to my guru and my Dharma centre.
Dear Julien,
I am really proud of what you have shared. You show maturity and understanding. More importantly, you have clarity and loyalty to what you believe. I do not say this because I am your mother but because I appreciate how a 15 year old can think better than those double or triple your age.
Dear Martin,
Thank you for sharing your observations, experiences and thoughts through this article. I am sure it will benefit many whose mind becomes unclear as a result of some smear campaigns by the the minority. What you wrote is logical and precise.
For me, it is baffling how someone can declare “I Love You”. “you are the best Lama”, etc etc and when they are unhappy about something or being told the Truth and is not what they want to hear, all hell breaks loose and suddenly the love of their life, the person whom they prostrate to for years suddenly becomes the enemy??? And what is even more baffling is they still hover around as what you wrote. If I was them, I would have just left and go my own merry way to continue my life how I deem it should be instead of putting my energy into destruction. It says much of their character: flippant and vindictive.
As one who has an inquisitive mind, I asked Rinpoche why he even took them in as students as he can definitely foretell what will happen through his clairvoyance? Rinpoche’s reply: these people have heavy karma and are highly self-centred. Under no normal circumstances is anyone able to make them do good things in their lives. At least for the 1, 2 years or whatever number of years they were with me, they did do some Dharma which will plant the seeds for their future lives.
It shut me up. That spoke volume of who my Lama is. No anger, no revenge. It has been 20 years since I studied under Rinpoche. And he continued to pray for all those few who left that they may find peace with themselves and be able to continue with their spiritual journey in their future lives from where they left off.
I thank Martin for skillfully compiling the thoughts of all in Kechara. We can not say it better bro!
H.E. Tsem Rinpoche has been my Guru for more than 8 years. During this 8 years I have never seen or heard anything that His Eminence did that were not for the benefit of others; his students, friends, their families and their friends and even people He has never met. The defining factor that His Eminence is a true Lama is this fact. He spend all his time for others. I mean what more could one demand of Him?
On a daily basis Rinpoche would find ways to communicate with us directly or indirectly to impart on us the Dharma in one way or the other and always and unrelentingly urge us to transform our minds, let go of our afflictive emotions and point out to us that the best way is to help others. That is why Rinpoche set up 13 departments to suit the varied skills and needs of His students. All these departments have the objectives of helping others, spreading the Dharma and alleviating suffering.
Like Martin said, majority of those who have come stayed, but there are some who left. Some of those who left were very senior students. It would have been easier for Rinpoche to feed our egos, but Rinpoche chose to continue to challenge these egos with the results, some grew spiritually but some have their personal Maras won.
For those who left, their Maras continue to manifest in the form of attacks on Rinpoche and Kechara. I feel for them in a way that they are degenerating further and as Martin has pointed of, they have nothing to show and Rinpoche continues to spread the Dharma. This is all very clear.
I urge all who have left to return and make amends as advised in the Lamrim else move on to practice the Dharma with another Guru. If possible seek Rinpoche’s blessings and I am sure Rinpoche will do so. The worst sin that one could commit is to disparage the Guru who is non other than the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
As Buddhist we must at least believe in karma!
Thank you for the article. What i wish to say here is, we definitely exists with differences and we are free to express our views without HARMING anyone or INSTIGATING anyone to attack and create disharmony. We can practice any faith we wish to and do it well.Its quite a simple theory, many still do not understand. Those who are real haters cannot control themselves and needs to look for ways to seek revenge. Why spend so much time in attacking on social media, it doesnt bring any benefits, rather it misleads many. Where are the dharma theories on Karma and respecting the Triple Gems? (this includes the Sangha).Just believe in what you believe and do not need to disturb others. Do not think that you are ‘righteous’ in doing Buddhadharma a favour by harming others (in using your body. speech and mind) because we are all not enlightened yet.
Dear Martin,
Thank you for sharing such thoughts that we have kept inside as a student of Rinpoche. Thank you for such thruthful and logical article.
I’ve never met Rinpoche in person but I’ve always listen to his teachings through You Tube and also books.The energy that Rinpoche gives me are positive,positive and positive. I felt that by following Rinpoches teachings transformed me and also how my family realised that I’ve change to be better. So I don’t understand how come such people would turn around and talk bad about the Guru which ones they themselves had trusted.
Although sometimes we might not agree with the Guru at that moment, It doesn’t mean that we might not agree with him in the next few years, so why not contemplate on it before having such website to discriminate someone. Aren’t we suppose to respect everyone? our Guru? Aren’t we suppose to change to be better? Instead of wasting hours/days/years on discriminating someone, why not try to meditate and improve ourselve? Why create such website which obviously shows that ,that person (He,She,They) have nothing better to do?
Reading such article and knowing what Rinpoche have to go through saddens me, Therefore my sincere wishes and hope that those people will realise and try to use the time to be a better person and not to do such activity anymore.I hope that person or group that he/she has been into actively will stop and not talk bad about Rinpoche anymore.
May my teacher H.E. Tsem Rinpoche live long and continue to spread the Dharma, and may the pure lineage of H.E. Tsem Rinpoche, which is none other than the lineage of Kyabje Pabongka Dorje Chang, Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang and Kyabje Zong Dorje Chang prevail and spread in the ten directions.
Thank you Martin for your insight, never met you yet, but you seem like really nice person. I to feel the same as you, this whole thing seems very unfair for who ever these bunch are to just snipe at Rinpoche. They don’t want to be part of Rinpoche teachings anymore then as they say ‘” GET A LIFE”
Diana — I like your to the point comment — GET A LIFE.
Lol…Very true… all that time and energy wasted, consumed by hate and anger instead of living. It must be very painful for them.
Diana, exactly! If they not agree with Rinpoche’s ideas, just leave and get a life! Why need to justify why they leaving? What is the point to prove they are right and we are wrong? The few ex-members were my friends and they used to tell me how great Rinpoche is, how Rinpoche has helped them, changed their lives and they are a total reborn soul… but now they turn against Rinpoche like Rinpoche is their enemy! In fact this reflects who they are. Sigh.
Thank you Martin for writing this article. For people who are not familiar or new to Dharma, this will help them to understand and verify the truth of the negative criticism people are making towards a Sangha or Dharma center.
Look at the people who make negative criticisms towards our guru and organisation, what have they achieved in their lives? What kind of qualifications do they have? The fact that they have to hide their identities already says a lot. If their lives would be threatened, why don’t they make a police report? If these people are with kind intention to people who wants to learn Dharma, instead of telling people where not to go, why don’t they suggest people where to go? Maybe because spiritual practice is not really what they are looking for? So as a spiritual practitioner, should we take ‘advice’ from someone who is not keen in spiritual practice?
I have been in Kechara for 4 years, all I see in my guru is kindness and compassion. His care towards all sentient beings regards those seen or unseen are the same, this is what he preaches to us on a daily basis. We all go to school for education, some turn out to be a successful person, some become criminals. Can we blame the teachers or the schools?
Everyone is free to hold their own opinion but to attack someone with the intention to destroy them is not acceptable at all. If we are still asking why there is no world peace, this is the reason why.
Thank you, Martin, for this well written article.
I have been a student of H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche for almost twenty years. Methods that Rinpoche uses to guide his students vary accordingly to the student’s mind stream. Some may view his methods “wrathful” and may not accept it. But that is not the fault of the Guru but the fault of the negative perception of the student.
I am proud to say that I am very glad to have met Rinpoche. Without His kindness and His skilful guidance I would not be a dharma practitioner at all. Rinpoche’s compassion and his wish to benefit others and to alleviate the sufferings of sentient beings remained the same since day one when I knew him. His love is unconditional love and never expects anything in return; all he wished for is mind transformation from his students. If we are sincere in our practice, we should be very grateful towards Rinpoche for wanting the best for us. He is here not to harm but to guide us for the betterment of ourselves and others. What have we got to lose? He cared for us so much that he is willing to risk being called with unpleasant names. From a young monk who followed his Guru’s instructions, Rinpoche came to Malaysia with two suitcases and has now established Kechara Organization because many believed in Him and supported His works that will bring tremendous benefits to even more in the future.
It hurts me so much to see Rinpoche is being attacked by haters through social media but I know that my Guru is compassionate enough to forgive them. However, it disgust me how all these haters can stooped so low, spend so much time and energy condemning and trying to put down an Enlightened Being. As a Buddhists, aren’t they scared of the repercussions and the negative karma catching up on them? Are they sincere practitioners? If they are, why are they not practicing compassion, doing noble activities that benefit others? Why are they spending their time in a negative way full of bitterness?
Our ego is one of our greatest enemies and it takes a very kind and compassionate being to point out our faults so that we can transform but not all can accept the truth and that’s why some run away. Life is short; I hope those who left find peace within themselves instead of having so much bitterness. As the saying goes, “The death of the EGO is the beginning of your real LIFE”.
Thank you Martin for your clear and honest observation of our Guru. You’ve pretty much hit it on the nail.
It really doesn’t take a scientist to figure out whether Tsem Rinpoche is here to torture us because he is a psychopath or here to help us kick our bad habits by teaching us the dharma. I know almost all the ex-students who left Kechara and who are part of the hate group and constantly try to influence others to leave. One of them even tried to influence me to leave by using her sneaky manipulative ways in the name of “good friends”! hehe
All of them refused to let go of their bad habits that didn’t serve them, such as laziness, schismatic speech, vindictiveness, focused on hedonistic lifestyle while neglecting their work, spoiled attitude, want fame and glory without putting in the work, irresponsible, no integrity, jealous, angersome and chronic lying. Rinpoche counseled them for thousands of hours and even scolded them when they were stubborn and damaging to themselves and others.
They’ve always been vindictive even before they joined Kechara. That’s why they had loads of problems before they joined Kechara. They just refuse to change even though they know they should. It’s really very unfortunate. If they are sincere about changing for the better, they can always go to another spiritual institution. But they’d rather gather all the people who left, hide behind anonymous names in social media and claim how they were victimized. If anyone knows them, you would know that they are tough cookies who would never ever be victims of anyone. Actually, there is a higher chance that we may be victimized by them! I find this very funny how all of a sudden they play the damsel in distress. hehe.
As Martin wrote, it’s about time that all of Rinpoche’s students make a stand for our Guru and expose the injustice and viciousness that our Guru have been enduring for the last 20 years just because people want to cover up their laziness to change for the better.
I do hope that one day, they will see that they are making a bigger fool of themselves because the truth will always prevail and their ugliness will be further exposed.
Everyone has his/her own reasons seeking spirituality. Some are born into it, some due to financial problems or health issues or relationship problems etc which propel them to look for ‘divine’ intervention. Through their karmic affinity they met Rinpoche received advices and problems solved. Many requested to take refuge to seal the Guru – student relationship. Rinpoche does not willy nilly accept not because of dislike of a student but Rinpoche has to prepare them well for what would entail. Prospective students were given assignments to test their endurances and steadfastness before leaping into the Guru/student relationship. Yet after their toils of finding their Guru, sealed their relationship, some eventually leave for whatever reasons. Yes, there are those who introduced me to Rinpoche felt obligated to persuade me to also leave my Lama. I have received nothing but good things from my Lama who constantly provide me with dharma teachings and gifts and advice. I saw the good things my Lama did for people and his students and me. Of course some students get their wrists slapped once in a while just like a parent to a child. Nobody likes to be told off. Who does? But there is no malice at all but loving compassion. I have not been the best of his student but my Lama is still very patiently guiding and nuturing me. My point being I felt what my Lama gave to his students and outside people is genuine dharma from an unbroken lineage tracing all the way to Buddha Shakyamuni. If I left him because of my friends then I am a hypocrite who is unable to decipher right and wrong. My lama taught me to reason and gave me confidence . The dharma knowledge I gained helped me a lot in life’s many situations. This is priceless. I will never forsake my Lama. I will never raise a karmic wall so high my Lama cannot see me but instead will be tearing all karmic walls down. Some people who have received kindness from my Lama have suddenly turned against my Lama because what he practises. That is sad. Due to karmic obscurations they (who deemed themselves learned) are unable to see the ‘illusions’ of the phenomena happening around them. Recent spate of hate campaigns against my Lama is also uncalled for. People making baseless accusations. Some totally taken out of context. They can quote this or that scriptures at my Lama. (A donkey carrying a pile of dharma books is still a donkey). Some of those irascible comments came from ‘so called men of cloth’ which I felt rather sad to read. If anything, they ought to know that ‘silence is golden’. If they (men of cloth) can criticise another Lama or centre, it says a lot about their own practice. They use their position to sway people with feeble minds, people who has strong self clinging egos. Its a shame my relationship with these friends has become a little distant. How shall I say, I did not distance myself from them but they distance themselves from me because of my association with my Lama. Their loss, not mine. They will always be my friends and I always keep them in my hearts and my prayers.
When hearing about students who have left Kechara and start to blame and accuse Rinpoche, I feel very sorry because they haven’t got the message. Why do I listen to Rinpoche’s teachings, join the Dharma center, learn prayers and pujas when at the end I don’t apply what was taught and even turn against the lama and the center. All the effort that was made to join, listen and learn previously is wasted. All the hardship from Rinpoche and fellow Dharma students to set up a Dharma center and teach, give advice and care are used to accuse and attack.
We join a Dharma center to improve our mind, to challenge our attitude and become a more beneficial person for ourselves and for others. So in my opinion it would be much better to keep that in mind and if we cannot change and get the results we want for ourselves who to blame? There are many teachings and articles explaining this. It was never about Rinpoche or Kechara, it was always about ourselves.
When you cannot be beneficial for yourself and for others at least don’t hurt and create damage. To use fake names and accounts to accuse and send hatred and jealousy out only shows who you are.
It is painful to see what a monk, whose only wish is to benefit others, has to go through.
Thank you Martin for writing this article so well.
Martin is such a great writer and I like his writing because they are very descriptive and yet have a lot of substance to his words as he really takes the time to think. I think he put a lot of heart, thought and effort into writing this piece because he had first hand experience with these people that made him realize a lot of things. Just reading this, I have mix feelings of sadness, nostalgia and a slight wish that all detractors would come to understand their own unnecessary projected hate on Rinpoche and Kechara. I guess because I know them.
On hearing the exploits of some ex-Kecharians, I would like to say that I am greatly disappointed because I know these people or at least, I thought I did. I know for a fact that all of them have received a lot of kindness from Rinpoche personally. Rinpoche has given everything he could give, including a purpose and job to these people. Just for a few misgivings about Rinpoche’s passionate approach, they have completely forgotten of all the good times and all the gifts, laughter and kindness that they had received. If these people wanna talk about Kechara or Rinpoche, please be fair and write EVERYTHING.
Let’s be honest, everybody who come into contact with Rinpoche end up receiving something, one way or another. So, its not fair that a few ex-students are so bias as to talk JUST about what’s bad or what went wrong. What about the hundreds of hours of laughter, jokes, advice, teachings, gifts and much more or in other words, all the things that went right which was plenty. I can see that Rinpoche gives his heart and soul to everyone he meets. How easy it is to forget why we came into the Dharma and Kechara.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. If I had a chance, I would advice these ex-students to just let go and move on already. If you remembered the reason you entered Dharma, you should carry on the learning and practice.. perhaps elsewhere and with other teachers or at least doing some of the good things that you used to do with Rinpoche. Please do not ruin Rinpoche and Kechara just because of a few lingering angry thoughts. Please think of others who still rely on Rinpoche and many more who would come to rely on Rinpoche for solace and hope. Why ruin it for everyone?
Thank you Martin for this open, heartfelt and sincere sharing. Your writing is delicious and has a good flow with logical thinking. It makes me yearn for more as I read along. It also touches my heart so deeply that my eyes were filled with tears of joy when I read.
When I read this article, I am actually being re-introduced to a person who I have known for 2 years now shinning with his beautiful innate nature of kindness, compassion and integrity. There is just so much positivity and clear light shining forth from this article.
It is true that a real dharma teacher who teaches the dharma has to deal with endless difficult students like us. We have nothing to offer, definitely not dharma, to our Guru and Kechara, yet we all demand to be heard, to be recognised, to be cared for with whatever small favours we thought we are doing for our Guru, dharma brothers and sisters, Kechara and its members. In actual fact, people around us have to tip-toe around us, so that we can continue our spiritual path at the expense of their discomfort.
Very few of us who have come or left Kechara first came with an intention to repay the kindness and generosity of its previous and current members, staff, volunteers, committee members etc. for the wonderful work they have done due to the kindness of our Guru. We all come to Kechara wanting something; we take shamelessly and demand until our expectations are met. If not, some of us leave and some stay. The latter are those who choose to apply the dharma taught by our Guru.
As for me, it is a constant struggle on a daily basis to battle with my inner demons while dealing others’, at the same time trying to get things going without causing more troubles for anyone by doing dharma work in Kechara. Sometimes it is so overwhelming that the thought of quitting, leaving etc. arise seducing me to leave and live a comfortable and a less stressful life.
Leaving and quitting is still not a choice with the amount of dharma my Guru has kindly bestowed onto me and all. I know just enough dharma to understand the purpose of my life and the real conditions of samsara. Choosing to suffer with dharma is more beneficial than suffering for nothing.
The dharma is very difficult to comprehend at times, not to mention to apply and to transform, but I am very fortunate to have met my Guru who speaks a language that I understand and who presents the dharma in a conventional and easy to understand way. The ancient philosophy of the Shakyamuni Buddha is not easy to understand and in order for someone to be capable of making it so easy to understand, this person must be well learned and has achieved what He preaches, as well as knowing the needs of the people of this time perfectly.
I have been through times where I had to sit in a class listening to all the Buddhist terms and philosophies through a translator while the teacher spoke in a foreign language that I do not understand. Back then, it was pure torture and I wished I had chosen some other ways to learn the dharma instead. The worst part was, my mind was so polluted that I cannot understand even after asking my seniors, classmates and other teachers. Everything was just so wrong and I cannot accept it was my problem having the pride that I still possess.
I believe the haters Martin had mentioned above had similar pride as me and difficulties in accepting their flaws. They have chosen to leave and not to work through their problems, conveniently pointing their 4 fingers at themselves and 1 directly at Rinpoche and Kechara. Blaming is bad enough, they went on to justify their faults by forming groups, setting up websites and social platforms anonymous accounts solely to defame Rinpoche and Kechara.
It is true that some of them had contributed to the growth of Kechara, to which I thank them for, but the contributions they have made were made possible due to the kindness of our Guru. As I’ve mentioned earlier, we all come with baggage and all needed help ourselves desperately. Our thinking is far from dharma and we have never wanted to go through sufferings for others. It is our Guru who constantly, tirelessly, kindly, selflessly shares the dharma He embodies so that we learn different perspectives and broaden our mind. He taught us things that no one would and He puts His name (not like He wanted any) and the risk of losing us by teaching us dharma. Dharma is against our perceptions and our liking; we do not like it when it is being served on our plate.
It is very different when we follow Rinpoche’s blog and read it at the comfort of our home with a life we ‘love’, as opposed to being in Kechara learning from and working directly with Rinpoche. Whether we are working in the same space with Rinpoche or not, we are in His mandala having to deal with our inner demons baldly. Some of us refuse to see it, many of us trying to hide from it, while Rinpoche trying many ways to show us exactly what it is.
Rinpoche is like a mother with many sick children at once, trying to feed us medicines so that we get well soon. Some of us take it, some of us don’t. Those has taken it might be cured for a particular sickness, but will fall sick in no time requiring more feeding again, while Rinpoche tries other ways to feed those who are still sick from before.
How come Rinpoche continues to do so happily? What did He get in return? Nothing we deemed pleasurable, really, but more work and more sick children, and the best part is that Rinpoche actually aspires to have more sick children to care for. What kind of person He is for doing this for 20 odds years consistently? How can Rinpoche be evil and want money through such a difficult way. I mean there are just way too many easier ways to make money out of us clowns, aren’t there?
I am one among the bunch of sick children Rinpoche has, I get sick and continue to get sick, because working in a dharma environment is like working in hospital where the virus and germs of our afflictive emotions will continue to arise and spread among ourselves and it is up to me to whether recover or die from them.
Rinpoche is just to kind to have provided such an environment by going through the difficulties in fundraising, getting loans, meeting people, and the most difficult of all, dealing with our minds. If Rinpoche is a fake monk, a money making machine, a cult leader, a demon worshipper, a self-recognised Rinpoche, why would He leave His monastery and the comfort care of His Gurus to come to a foreign land to build education institutions (Kechara and its 13 departments as well as Kechara Forest Retreat) from scratch? He could have gone to the west where the currency is higher, living standard is better, and comfortably gets money while enjoying His life.
If you have benefitted from Rinpoche’s teachings in anyway, received gifts, care, help, kindness etc. from Rinpoche, please share them with us and others so that they know who Rinpoche really is. If you had and decided Rinpoche is not the right teacher for you, we understand and we wish that you meet your suitable Guru and excel on your spiritual path. Please do not hold grudges and put blames onto Rinpoche and Kechara for your choice. Life is really too short to spend on anger and other negative emotions.
So for others, the next time when you see people accusing Rinpoche for anything negative, first ask yourself who these people are, have they known Rinpoche personally, what have they achieved in their lives, and question their motives of accusations before jumping into conclusion. If you are generally unhappy about your life, please do something to change it for the better. You’ll not be happier by hiding behind a fake id releasing your unhappiness by poisoning Rinpoche and His great works, which you may have contributed to yourself.
I thank you Martin for this article that is going to benefit many people and lift many from the veils of ignorance. I rejoice from the bottom of my heart!
I believe everyone has their own reasons for taking refuge with a Guru and joining a dharma centre. These reasons may or may not be the right one. Regardless of our reasons and motivations, the time spent with the Guru and in the dharma centre, one is involved in doing something that directly or indirectly benefit others.
Why is it that when you leave a Guru or a centre, one can harbour so much hate and anger towards the same entities that one previously swore by, and claimed to be the greatest blessings they ever received in their lives? If you are admitting that you made a mistake by joining, that you were conned, then perhaps you have made a mistake again by leaving? If you are indeed harmed or conned, there are laws that will allow you to take action. If you made a personal mistake by choosing a guru or dharma centre wrongly, then leave, admit your mistake and move on.
Throughout our samsaric lives, I’m sure many of us have gotten into our share of relationships that turn sour. The same person we swore to be head over heels in love with, that is our soul-mate can suddenly become our sworn enemy and the person we hate the most. We choose, we learn and we move on. If we constantly blame others for “cheating” us, we are only admitting that we have no capacity to think for ourselves and make decisions.
We don’t dharma to tell us hate doesn’t lead to peace and happiness even if you get what you want. Human history is a testomial of it. Hate only leads to more pain and often the person that suffers the most is the hater himself/herself. Therefore it doesn’t make sense to me why someone harbour so much hate and create so much hateful actions when one leaves the Guru, practice or dharma centre. None of the resaonings make sense. My conclusion why someone would spend so much time and energy into attacking a Guru or dharma centre after they leave is that the Guru and dharma forced them to show their true colors and they cannot accept that painful truth. Instead of realizing how blessed they are to have met a Guru who cared enough to force them to see their “bad” nature and give them a chance to change for the better, they rather destroy everything to protect that ego, to keep that “face”.
When I got my first “scolding” about my ego from Tsem Rinpoche, what struck me the most was that I have met someone who cared enough and have the wisdom to do something about my ego. It takes a lot of compassion and wisdom to deal with another person’s ego. You and I both have that big ego and you know just like I do that we do not have the capacity to deal with our own ego. We can choose to hide in denial and continue to let it destroy us. One thing for sure, it is not others that we target out of hate that will be destroyed in the end, it is only ourselves.
To all of you who have left, I don’t know many of you, some of you I was once close to, the only thing I wish for you is that you will find peace and happiness. If you cannot find it with Tsem Rinpoche and in Kechara, then I pray you will find it elsewhere. Don’t hold on to hate and blame. Let go.
First, thank you Martin for such a powerful, and thought-provoking article. In the face of all this backlash, the negative talks, the attacks, the character assassination; I have only stood on the sideline, feeling a great sense of anger, but in action, only half-heartedly defended my guru as if the bullets coming against us would dissipate in mid-air. How embarrassing, and how shameful; for all the immense benefits I have received directly from Rinpoche, the very least I could do, is to protect and stand up for him at a time when accusations, false claims, abuse and slander are hurled at Rinpoche and Kechara.
Martin, like you, I have been in Kechara for 4 years or so. From when I volunteered in Kechara Soup Kitchen, where I found it my weekly solace from the nastiness of samsara (or what I knew then simply as life), to my time in E-division and now the Ladrang, I have experienced nothing as real, pure and as truthful as I have here. My time spent in Kechara has been my best. We spend most of our lives living in made up fantasies, getting lost in the wonders of the world projected from deep within our minds, putting down others to make up for the lack of things we don’t have, but in fact at the end of the day, we are still searching for ourselves because we are constantly running away from our own ugliness and being comfortable with that.
Rinpoche has presented the fact of life to us – that nothing can be handed to us on a silver platter. We have to work for things we want to achieve in life, we have to change ourselves to be contented, we have to destroy the lifetimes of having loved ourselves over others; and Rinpoche has bundled it all up through giving us a rare chance to practice real Dharma. In that journey, some cannot keep up because their desires, needs, wants, comfort, unwillingness to change is so strong that they can forgo their practice and their guru. Our guru – the one person, a stranger who has no blood relation to us, but who cares for us more than anyone else would in our lives, and you can turn against him with disgusting and malicious attacks because he puts himself on the firing line, to point out our flaws, to be our mirrors, to guide us, so that we can attempt to at least be a little happier. Who would otherwise do so much for you? If Rinpoche wasn’t a real monk, would he even be bothered to put up with so much crap we throw at him daily? If Rinpoche wasn’t a real monk, then I really don’t know what people would expect of a true monk.
Those that have left, and are now attacking through the face of anonymity – you have been showered with love, been cared for when you were down, given medication when you were ill, given money when you did not have enough, and yet, all this which you willingly accepted are not deeds of kindness, generosity and compassion? What other organization would do that for you? Where is your slightest inch of gratefulness and appreciation?
I have seen how much Rinpoche has to ‘endure’, willingly, to bring the Dharma to us. I know that Kechara has given me an opportunity to practice, to meet with people who are truly supportive, to find happiness, to improve myself, and I have Rinpoche to be grateful to, because Rinpoche is the nucleus to have all this possible for us modern-day people. I would otherwise be a lost soul, without knowing where or how to start at making my life a little better and more meaningful.
So for those who keep hating, and spend their time venting their anger to cover up for their insecurities, use your time wisely. I leave you with a wisdom quote, which Rinpoche had shared:
“Leave people better, or at least don’t leave them worse.”
First of all, I would like to thank Martin for writing this wonderful article. Basically Martin has summarized most of the experiences/feelings a student may have by following a Guru or being in a Dharma center. And I am pretty sure most of us have gone through many ups and downs on the path due to not wanting to change and to always want to stay in the comfort zone and hold on to our so-called principals.
After all the ups and downs, some see it as growth and take them as inspiration to continue to be better, unfortunately, some choose to blame, to hate. This not only happened in Dharma center or on spiritual path, we will definitely see these 2 kinds of people even in our lives. And we will always see those who choose to take the ups and downs as growth succeed, those who choose to hate and blame are usually those who failed.
In our case, in our center, there are these both types of people too. People whom I can see become more mature and steady in their practice are those who are honest with themselves and willing to change. They are my inspiration. They never hide when our Guru compassionately point out their shortcomings, they are honest with their shortcomings, they choose to look beyond the “scolding” of the Guru to really listen to the teachings.
You see, what benefits can a Guru gets when he/she scolds/being direct to the students? In fact by right, more students will keep their distance away from the Guru and he/she will get less support and help, right? If a Guru is to cheat and get benefits, he/she will definitely act in a complete different way and it is easier to get what they want. The Guru gets nothing when he/she being direct to the students but exhausting his/her energy and time.
You may ask, why the Guru needs to scold or being direct to the students? To me, the Guru is like your family, the Guru is the person who is close to our heart. You never easily see and accept a person as the Guru. This person must have touched your heart, then you see him/her as your Guru. In a Guru-disciple relationship, trust is built. For a Guru to scold/being direct to a student, it also means you are close enough to understand all the Guru’s actions are manifested for the betterment of the students. It takes so much amount of care for a Guru to point out what is wrong and right to you and make sure you could understand. I personally experienced “scolding” from Rinpoche and until this moment, I am still grateful for Rinpoche’s genuine care to tirelessly pointing out what is wrong with me, and patiently explain to me why it is wrong and why it is right.
IF you honest with yourself, no one is your enemy, the Guru is NEVER your enemy but the Guru is in fact the kindness person you can ever meet in your life! The Guru is the one who go all the way to help you, with no agenda…if you are honest to your shortcomings, honest to who you are and you don’t hide, you will feel the kindness of your Guru. the scold, the jokes. the kind words, the teachings, are all from the same mind, that is to benefit you and NOTHING ELSE. This is my own experience after being a student of Tsem Rinpoche for 4 years. Rinpoche is my spiritual father and the best thing He gives to me, is the Dharma that helps me to go through every ups and downs in life without fear, as I know Dharma is the answer to all pains and happiness. This very simple realization, help me a lot in my life and this is taught by no one else to me except Tsem Rinpoche.
It is really sad when I see people or the ex-students putting Rinpoche down, some of them totally forgetting all the kindness Rinpoche gave, all the time Rinpoche spent on them to teach them the Dharma, to guide them in life when they were lost, and some even got money from Rinpoche when they it badly.
Those who have left and putting Rinpoche down and want Him to not success, I am sorry that you can’t be honest to yourself and you chose to blame everyone but not yourself. Everyone has ups and downs like you, but we choose to be honest to ourselves and change for better. It is not for Rinpoche but it could be for Rinpoche, but eventually it is for your own good not for anyone. Rinpoche wants nothing out of us but just want us to become better for ourselves to have a happier lives because we deserve that. This is the only wish that a Guru wants for the students.
People often babble about the negative things they themselves have fabricated to defame Rinpoche and His lineage, but what they have never spoken about is how Rinpoche has been constantly benefiting them and showering them with love. This shows what kind of people they are. There’s nothing wrong about leaving a Guru, it’s their choice, what’s erroneous is that they create schisms and split people away from Dharma with their twisted facts which is terrible because they are the cause for people to stay away from the Buddha Dharma, which we all know is the only thing that can eventually free us from Samsara.
For so many years, I have witnessed the criticism and defamation being targeted towards Rinpoche, Rinpoche took them in quietly and He has not spoken a single negative thing about these people who have been making false accusations against Him, obviously normal people like us wouldn’t have tolerated the baloney.
This shows how compassionate Rinpoche is, even towards people who constantly defame and disparage Him. People have no idea how evil some of the comments are, they are written by people who have failed to practise Buddhism, people who have even failed to embrace basic moral values. Why write all these kinds of comments to damage people? How do you call yourselves better Buddhist practitioners like this?
Call us a cult, label us with all sorts of negative terms; Now why don’t you prove yourselves better by doing something else that is actually beneficial, other than smearing other people’s religion and practise? Buddha teaches compassion and tolerance, please do not act the opposite and still call yourselves Buddhist practitioners, you are actually degrading Buddhism and I say this with no intention of offending anyone, Buddhists do not act like this.
Rinpoche has been encouraging us to apply compassion and kindness into our daily lives, it has always been this way.
I thank Martin for such a heartfelt article. I too agree with what Martin has written.
I am a student of Rinpoche for about 17 years. Rinpoche has been teaching me like a teacher and a father at the same time. Rinpoche has always showered me with all sorts of kindness that I can think about. Be it when I am close to Rinpoche or when I am far away. I have been a spoilt kid that have played truancy with regards to my spiritual path. Never once, when I have done this that Rinpoche would just let me veer off course for long. Rinpoche would always be planning for the best for me together with my brothers and parents. Although at many times this is not made known to me, but I will usually stumble across this fact.
I have stayed far away from Rinpoche to be receiving Rinpoche’s teachings only once in every few years or even to be in close proximity that Rinpoche would go through all the “pain” to transform my mind for the better.
Of course everyone would love to be in their comfort zones and not change. We will usually have this when we are not in close contact with our Gurus for them to be able to train us in ways that would be just based on our words and promises, it would be up to us in order to keep that promise and change by the end of the day. By not being in close contact with our Guru, it would not allow the connection for our Guru to work on our flaws with us, allowing us to “love” our Gurus more because we are still on our comfort zones, not changing anything. When we are in close proximity or even contact with our Gurus, our Gurus would be pushing us out of our comfort zones constantly. Allowing us to be improving ourselves and showing our full potential that we may not see it in us. However, due to our selfish minds and laziness, more then often we would not want to make that progression at all. By the end of the day what would happen is that we would run away from our teachers because we are too afraid to confront ourselves and be honest with ourselves. With that, to soothe our ego and selfish minds more then often the people that run away would start to defame our Guru or the centre that has given us everything and especially love and care. The people who “got away” do that because by putting something or someone else down, that would make them feel bigger. It is just like the normal bully system that we experience when we are school when we are younger. The weak are being picked on so that the ones that are already insecure with themselves would feel greater about themselves. It is the “good” factor that these people that “got away” are seeking for. How many times would people that are reading all these articles or comments that are out there to defame be able to get neutral standing information to educate them? I really feel sorry for the ones that “got away” but are so unwilling to even let go of what they are holding. Through that it only shows how miserable and angry they are to be doing such negative things to be their main focus in life. What is the point of hating when there can be love in the world?
Even the Buddha has taught us that “the mind is everything, what you think you become”. With that being said, what it means is that when we hate and only think about hate and anger, we would become a more angry person. When we focus on the wrong things, it would only lead us further astray from the right path.
When I am not in close contact with Rinpoche, I would tend to slack and relax, Rinpoche would send me reminders here and there. I would be sneaky and will be able to get away with it. Rinpoche constantly reminds us out of compassion and love that he has. It because Rinpoche knows that with us being sneaky and not doing what we have committed ourselves to do, we will be accumulating negative karma with karmic repercussions that we will not be able to see now. When we are able to experience or even see the impact, it would usually be too late to be doing anything to help. Although there are still things that Rinpoche would be able to advice us on, but the change may not be as impactful or great. Reason being it is out of our samsaric mindset that would not allow us to be constant with what we have promised, causing more troubles for us in the future.
When being close to Rinpoche and truly pushing myself to do what is needed in order to improve myself, not only I would be able to see the difference and change that would be going through in me positively, but the people around me would be influenced as well. When we follow the instructions and advices that our Guru gives us, and persevering to make that change happen, not only do we ourselves see the positive change but the people around us would also see that significant improvement in us. This happens because we are willing to change and push ourselves out of our comfort zones together with the help of our Guru. Only with that, we would be one more step closer to enlightenment. Even if we do not believe in enlightenment, it is only our Guru would be able to point to us our flaws that we have to change out right in our faces. Our parents or even siblings would not be able to do that because of their strong love for us and accepting us for who we are. Our friends would never point that out as they afraid of the “face” issue or even afraid that we would get angry with them. Only our Guru would be ever so compassionate to point out our flaws and even guide us on how to improve ourselves.
I have been reading and speaking up for my precious lama more often these days as I am now more aware of what is going on. Through the accusations that people say and through at Rinpoche each day is just horrible. There is so much hate from the other party. I would feel sorry for them for being so hateful, but at the same time, there is no excuse to be so crude on their words when Rinpoche have not done any harm but only to be compassionate, kind, and loving towards anyone or any being that cross paths with Rinpoche.
The kind of smears of negativity that is being thrown at Rinpoche is just unbelievable. The kind of negativity that is being thrown at Rinpoche would be from vulgarities, threats, curses, defamatory, to even death threats! To imagine that Rinpoche as another person that has all forms of emotions as well to need to endure this nonsense that is being written by others every single day it is just unbelievable. For Rinpoche to not even dwell in those words and still be spreading the Buddha Dharma, and to give and care for all that cross paths with Rinpoche is just amazing. Although one may argue that Rinpoche is a monk and is a high lama, however, by the end of the day, Rinpoche is still someone that is covered with flesh and blood. With that, it shows that Rinpoche also have emotions and will feel hurt and be upset when things like that are being said or even targeted at Rinpoche.
By the end of the day, as human beings not even to think if we are being “hurt” or not. It is just not humanely correct to be targeting at someone putting them down constantly and making them feel lousy. Reason being that by the end of the day, the person that would be feeling lousy would only be the one that is throwing all these negativity.
To all the haters out there, hate all you want, but Rinpoche will always be great and shine like the brightest star guiding us all out of samsara. I know that deep down in all the haters they will also know what kindness Rinpoche have showered them before, by just brushing it aside, you will never feel better. Embrace the love!!!
I feel people who spend all their time attacking others especially a monk, who gives himself to others selflessly either has too much time on their hands or they are just spewing anger and hatred and not engaging in their spiritual practice.
One’s mind can only be occupied at any time by one type of thinking, you can’t hate and care simultaneously in that same moment. It is binary 1 or 0. Which leads me to think for them to see so much faults in others and so much time at that, is a reflection of the faults that they possess. how can we recognize others faults if we don’t have the same faults in ourselves? Like they say it takes one to know one. So the mind that just want to attack others is as if they are in a kind of hell burning up on hatred and possibly envy.
Dharma practice is not spending the time to look at others faults, point it out and keep doing the same, the time we spend pointing out others faults can be the time we can spend on developing ourselves, rooting out what makes us suffer, developing our spirituality. So I think it is quite deluded of anyone who profess to be a Buddhist to spend more time trying to destroy an external ‘enemy’ when the real ‘enemy’ is lurking within.
Thank you Rinpoche, for sharing this write up… and Thank you too, Martin, for expressing so well the hardship our lama must go through silently for so many years.
I too have seen my guru being attacked on social media, and it is truly a painful sight and experience for students such as myself, to have to see such false accusations and false portrayal these detractors paint about Rinpoche. And this feeling was not developed solely because these attacks are directed towards my Guru… but these are attacks that if it was said to just any random person, you would stop and think… how nasty can these people be towards a human being.
These detractors are just like the delinquents in the playground. They pick on the kid that cannot fight back – in this case Rinpoche, as a monk, who places His vows above everything else. So the truth is, they are just bullies, adults that never grew out of childhood, as how can any self respecting successful adult have the time to spew hate all the time… And because maturity and wisdom does not always come with age, in an unwise society, these childlike adults are equipped with a very fearful weapon – their false perceptions and ability to influence innocent people… which they use to undermine and damage the good works of others.
In my opinion, there is never a good reason to leave one’s lama. Samsara is the same everywhere. But if one truly cannot accept the environment they are forced to practice Dharma in… then by all means leave in good terms, in peace and continue to pursue the Dharma in a centre one feel most comfortable with.
But to leave with negative intent, not to mention malicious thoughts… how can any good human being wish ill things upon another, irregardless whether they were harmed or not. How can these detractors profess to be practicing the Dharma and that by talking ill of Rinpoche and Kechara it is an act of saving others from being ‘enchanted’ by Kechara’s charms… when the very act of destroying, harming and wishing ill upon a sentient being is non Dharmic all by itself? It is unfortunate that people will do such malignant things… and it is even more unfortunate that ignorant people would fall for their words.
To me, the Guru is most important, not only because as a spiritual student, all source of attainments arise from our Guru… but also because through Rinpoche, many people would meet the Dharma, and I can never image the negative karma that would be collected should one destroy other’s opportunity in getting the Dharma. The Dharma Rinpoche taught has literally saved lives… and we know that for a fact as we have received many private letters, people expressing their thanks. This is a known knowledge even to these ex-Kecharians, and yet, with this knowledge they would willingly try to destroy a platform that may save people’s lives just to achieve their own selfish aims – the satisfaction of pleasing their bruised ego.
I just hope that these people would stop criticizing Rinpoche and Kechara, not only for their sake, but others. Just because they did not agree with our methods, does not mean people have to suffer for it. May they have peace and stop hating… hate is one of the worst feelings a person can host. I wish may they be free of it.
Martin, Thanks for such truthful & logical article. People who remain invisible and deliberately attack Tsem Rinpoche is intolerable. All the baseless accusations, threats and personal insults are crafted to crush Rinpoche and Kechara. These haters hide behind the screens so they can disassociate their online from their offline persona.
Why hide behind anonymity and say and do things they’d never really have the guts to say in real life? Because they are not speaking the truth. Their intention is just to bring someone down. Are they jealous of Rinpoche’s achievements? Probably yes. Someone who has received so much ie life-changing advices, gifts, time, unconditional love and care from Rinpoche and yet turned around to create troubles and obstacles for Rinpoche to continue to benefit others? It’s way beyond ungrateful. Even a dog would wag its tail when it got food to show its appreciation.
Living a life full of anger, hatred and in denial is extremely suffering. These bitter poisons will consume us with unhappiness and unsatisfactoriness. They cause us to have self-serving and dishonest intentions, which in turn cause us to act unethically and immorally. The wheel of Sharp weapons says it all. Karma is like gravity, it’s inevitable.
Thanks Rinpoche for sharing and thanks Martin for a very well-said article.
What Martin says here is full of logic. If you see the activities and works that Rinpoche does, you will see he is not a normal person like you and me.
I certainly can’t do that but I wish 1 day, I will become somebody like him who alleviate others sufferings by continuous hard work without any complaint nor expectation in return.
One of the reason why I have full respect to Rinpoche is, he never ever wants to hurt anyone or anything, despite he is in a horrible situation, where you can read from the article, that he is attacked on social media by the haters who have nothing better to do in their life.
For me, this is real Dharma, and Rinpoche is real Buddha. No matter how others treat us, we should never stop benefiting others like what Rinpoche does.
Thanks Rinpoche, may all haters found their spiritual home.
It doesn’t seem logical to me at all to be spending so much time on something that one hates ! That is exactly what these “haters” are doing, attacking anonymously at Rinpoche and the centre. Why bother to conjure so much negativity in your daily life? Isn’t it better to focus on things that you like ? Sincerely,I think it is healthier to do the latter.
Experiences are personal to ourselves; it does not necessarily apply to others; both good and bad experiences. It is very hard for others to feel exactly the same way because conditions are different, our minds and expectations are different. It seems very silly and a waste of time to be conjuring all these negative attacks when clearly many people feel otherwise.
Rinpoche and his students have worked tirelessly over 20 years to set up departments and activities focused on benefiting others. Feeding the homeless, assisting the poor and aged, attending to the deceased and caring for their loved ones, praying for the sick and comforting their families, blessing new homes and businesses, teaching the young and old, providing nature retreats and spaces for people to have peace and calmness, or just having a shoulder to cry on and someone to listen to you! It will be an endless list for me to write !
Sigh ! Why do people want to deprive others from having all these different forms of help ? Why do attackers want to end such good works ? There must be other avenues that they can use their energy more positively. I really hope they will find a way out of all their grievances and anger.
It is not fair for Rinpoche and his students to have to stomach all these personal grievances. Their energy is best put in areas where they can continue to pursue their projects to help others.
Everyone has a right to one’s personal preference, to each his own. Hence, there is no need to waste so much time on negative issues in this precious life. We should all learn to move on harmoniously and wish everyone well!
Thank you Martin for your sharing ! Thank you Rinpoche for your compassion and love !
With folded hands
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this honest article by Martin.
I have been a student of Tsem Rinpoche for 6 years and due to the benefits I personally experienced as well as the good the Dharma taught by Rinpoche did for my family and friends and colleagues, I decided to sell my business of 35 Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf outlets in Shanghai and return to Malaysia and make Dharma my life journey.
During this time, I saw and experienced the kindness of Rinpoche who was always there for his students when no one else was. Rinpoche would really get out of his way to offer solace and relief to every possible person. Not only does Rinpoche do this personally, he has taught his close students to do the same for others. This taught me humility as I saw I could learn so much from a young and “simple” person about being a person, being a human who makes a difference b caring and being present.
I have witnessed Rinpoche reprimand students but things they did that would harm them because those things feed our 3 poisons of ignorance, ego and hatred…the very things we said we want to rid ourselves of when we join the Dharma.
I have personally experienced scolding from Rinpoche but I knew in my heart always that Rinpoche is scolding me for my good. Why? It is logical: it is really much easier just to be nice and smile than to be honest with someone so that they “open their eyes” to see some truth that will ultimately give rise to joy and peace. Perseverance in the Dharma with the precious direct guidance from Rinpoche has its priceless reward: I experience some liberation from some of the worldly concerns that really dragged me down…and for once, I am truly proud of myself purely, without educational, career and status accomplishments. I have much more to learn and practice and improve, but…you know what? I accept and I am OK with it and I know in my heart I will work on it with the compassionate guidance of my Guru and the patient support of my Dharma family.
I know some of the students who left and I am sincerely sorry to say that, from my observation (on both a secular and spiritual angle), they do not to be in a better place. The deterioration is visible from their physical appearance for some (as wellness articles often claim: we a radiant and vibrant when we are happy with life)… there is not significant career progress that empowers them to impact their society in a constructive manner…Lastly, happy, content and people at peace with themselves do not form hate groups and pelt attacks behind false identities.
I hope this article by a fellow student who has gone through a spiritual journey would open the minds and hearts of those who are consumed by anger and hatred. It is not healthy to live with all these emotions festering within. Move on and practice Dharma or simply live your life with a forward-looking attitude.
I have read in several social media posts and on Rinpoche’s personal blog and personal social media platforms what these poor people have written. “Poor” because they were rewarded by the richness of the holy dharma expounded so clearly and so skillfully by Rinpoche in the language that most of us comprehend and are comfortable with. Yet “When the going gets tough, they got rough.”
I feel sad for these people, some whom I’ve been with while learning the dharma taught by Rinpoche and practicing dharma together with them. Some I’ve shared meals and coffee/tea with. Some I’ve known their families, their spouses, their parents, their children. I thought they were friends, I thought they were dharma brothers and sisters, I thought they were family. Well I thought wrong. Not only have they left but are now biting the hand that fed them, fed them with dharma and some financially, like what Martin wrote here so well.
The actions by these faceless and nameless people tell me that what they have learned, if at all, went down the gutter immediately after they were pushed (for their own betterment) to improve their mind, to transform. Guess their ego wanted to win and it did, to revert to what they were before they met Rinpoche and dharma.
I guess these people who hide beyond masks may be beyond reasoning because I feel hatred had already emanated from their ego. What these Dr Jekylls and Mr Hydes want is to lash out at Rinpoche because they felt they were the victims and Rinpoche was their perpetrator. To lash out sounds mild……to exact revenge hoping to tell the world their sob story that they were victimised. Which they were not, no one was. Wait….that sounds mildly strong. Their real intention is wanting to get Rinpoche into trouble and into possible physical danger in the Tibetan circle. Yes, that’s what the Mr Hydes want. Hence I opine they have not learned dharma nor are they practicing dharma. For if they had then they would not want to harm anyone least a holy monk. All those years of doing dedication to the welfare and well being of all sentient beings went down the alley. All because their ego won.
I say a prayer for them and chant Om Mani Padme Hung. And many Hungs because the syllable symbolises purification of aggression and hatred for sentient beings especially in the hell realm.
Dear Martin, thank you for sharing your thoughts. It pains me to read this especially the parts where people (ex-students and outsiders) attack your Guru out of spite and some persuing a personal agenda of having triumphed (even after leaving behind a dharma centre). From following this blog for years, I know people have queued hours on end to see your Guru for advice and help and the many testimonies from people who have praised your Guru for the help they received. Unfortunately people will come and go in any organisation and Dharma Centres are no exception. People who are unable to leave their samsaric attachments, who are constantly seeking praises for their work, people who are ‘lazy’, those who are less than truthful in their endeavours or even those who take advantage of others’ good nature would tend to leave when their ‘guises’ are stripped. I am certainly no saint myself (which explains why I am still in samsara). Such people have huge egos and will constantly reassure themselves, they have done the right thing in leaving. They will attach to whatever organisation to ‘out-do’ your Guru and Kechara. They want to do better than your Guru or Kechara and they only way to do that is to defame your Guru and Kechara. I sincerely pray that all these people will find time to reflect with their current practice (whatever maybe) and have some realisation and repent their negative actions. I applaud your Guru and Kechara for the good work and reaching out to the masses worldwide. Many people in the remotest of places in the world will not have the good fortune to have a centre let alone an erudite resident Lama (you, and Kecharians, are so lucky) to learn dharma and yet they are learning because of your Guru and Kechara – thank you. If people are unable to see a Bodhisattva in action, it is really their loss. My good wishes to you, your Guru and Kechara.
I thank Martin for writing such good article.
As what Martin wrote, many haters hide behind anonymity and make baseless accusation. If there are indeed any substance, they would have stand out and show proofs. Yet, Rinpoche has been under public scrutiny for so many years. So, who should we believe? Someone who choose to believe?
Rinpoche as Dharma teacher has been under attack for so many years and yet He quietly absorb all the negativity and still continue to teach. I myself have not been defending my guru all these while, but I am not going to be quiet about it now. Being defending is not to sabotages, but instead, is to safe keep what we have built and what we are going to build in future: A pure Dharma Institution. We as students need to do what it takes to make sure true lineage of Je Tsongkapa will spread in this region of the world.
With folded hands,
Lew