Finally, a section for you to clarify your Dharma questions with Kechara’s esteemed pastors. Just post your question below and one of our pastors will provide you with an answer.
Note: This section of H.E. Tsem Rinpoche’s blog is meant for Dharma questions or questions related to Kechara and our lineage. If the question is not relevant or out of our scope, we will respectfully request you to seek an answer on a more relevant platform. Before posting your question, we would also like to suggest that you look through some of the older posts (or do a search on this blog) before you post a question as your question may have been already answered in an older post.
Browse through previous question submissions and learn from the Pastors’ answers. Click on the different page numbers or arrow buttons to view older questions.
Question asked by Anonymous
I wish to not practice Shugden anymore and practice another protector, I haven't undergone initiations, commitments, etc. I've only been merely reciting daily prayers. Originally, I was deeply drawn to Palden Lhamo, now fast-forward to today, I feel affinity to Palden Lhamo again. Is it okay to just switch protectors overnight? Also I like to ask, can I take vows in front of an image, I can't attend any physical classes/ceremonies, etc. Thank you very much
Question asked by Will
If Nirvana and Samsara are inseperable, why do buddhas even bother?
"When Enlightenment is perfected, a Bodhisattva is free from the bondage of things, but does not seek to be delivered from things. Samsara is not hated by him, nor is Nirvana loved. When perfect Enlightenment shines, it is neither bondage nor deliverance." – Prunabuddha-sutra (this is a comment I copy and pasted from some web I found)
if a bodhisattva doesn't disapprove of samsara, why do they even bother saving beings from it? If everything is the way it should be. Is this even true? Can you tell me the validity? Thank you
Question asked by Lee Shuin
Hello Pastors!
I have a questions about:
I haven't receive any empowerment yet but I can read Tibetan.
Sometimes, my friend had ask me how to pronounce or read some mantra because he is not good in Tibetan.
I try to read this for him but suddenly happen one thing that made me worry that he repeat after me.
Because it's really same with transmission but I don't have any thoughts that I transmission for anyone.
It's just simply that I want to help him about how to read this mantra.
So, my questions here:
Is it OK for me to help anyone about this like my friend?
How I should help people read the Tibetan mantras or texts without mistakes?
Thank you very much.
Question asked by Kok lee
Tashi Deleg Pastors!
I have some questions about:
What's benifits of reciting, chanting and reading Udānavarga Sutra or Tibetan Dhammapada?
In the daily Dorje Shugden sadhana composed by Kyabje Tsem Dorje Chang that I have seen Rinpoche include two extra mantras after main mantra and before entourages mantra.
What's meaning for Rinpoche to include these two mantra? Can we include other mantras forms of Lord Shugden?
What's best form of Lord Shugden to due with Legal cases like Visa Appeal, paperworks,…etc?
How should we visualize Dorje Shugden during mantra recitation to resolve these our legal cases difficult?
Thanks.
Question asked by Rojal Poudel
are we allowed to eat garlic and onion?
Question asked by Da Wei
Hi pastor
Can you recommend a practice for me?? I don’t know which practice good for myself. Thanks !
Question asked by Lena
Please I would be grateful if you could tell me what are the way to live for a person with karma 14 & 16
Thank you
God Bless you
valdeiral@yahoo.co.uk
Question asked by Jana
Hello pastor, I am a gay man and I want to ask something. I heard we can pray to deities like Green Tara or Red Tara for worldly benefits too and I have heard experiences like people asking Guan Yin for children or love and getting their wishes fulfilled. So I do want to ask as I am a layman who is searching for love, would praying to these deities bring me a male partner and would they accept homosexuality? please help, thanks
Question asked by BB
I am fairly new to Buddhism. I was I introduced to Buddhism from a former boyfriend. I read once in a book that a teacher is someone who introduces someone to Buddhism, which is the path to enlightenment, is this statement true? Would he be my guru? If not, how could I find a teacher?
Question asked by chan
Hello Pastor: I am very confused please kindly let me know "Om Mani Dehwa Hri" Amitaba Buddha mantra can help soul going to Buddha Land or not? But if a dead person lost consciousness how can she/he prays?
Is Amitaba Buddha light is RED in colour? If so a soul should follow red light at death? Or yellow light? Or Blue?
Which way is the best way to purify bad karma? Does it depends on very bad karma or light ones?
Which one for light karma vs very bad karma?
Please kindly advise. Thanks so much for your kindness. Om Mani Pad Mehum.
Question asked by Khang
Tashi Deleg Pastors!
I have questions about one situations:
I hope you can make me understand this.
I'm not so lucky that I can't be stay near to my Guru and therefore, it's quite difficult for me to consulte with my Guru's about my own problems in need.
One day, I have request one Lama to perfom Mo for my problems and it's come out that I need to do various practices such as Tara, Prajnaparamita sutra, Protector daily to solve my problems. So I did it for a while until lucky for me and very moving for me that one of my friend visited my Master and from friend that i can contact with my Guru and I had been consult with Him again about my problems. And my precious Guru advices me should focus in Guru Yoga Migtsema and Lord Dorje Shugden.
For sure is my faith in my Guru never shaking and I will follow His instructions all the way.
It's just one things that I concern about this is Mo result from the Lama who is perform Mo for me and what I should do with it now?
Could I stop Mo advices from this Lama to focus in what's things should do from my root Guru advices me?
Do these effect me anything?
Thank you so much.
Question asked by Mariam
Hello Pastors!
I have questions about Trakpo Sumtril practice:
Could we recite and practice daily of Trakpo Sumtril without empowerment or permission?
How's we should visualize during recite Trakpo Sumtril mamtra for non-initiation?
Could you list which kind of deities that we can do without permission or empowerment?
Thank you so much.
Question asked by Shree
Hello Pastors!
Do you have any prayer or mantra to Lord Hayagriva that we can recite without empowerment or permission?
Is Lord Hayagriva is protector or Yidam?
What's kind of obstacles that we can invoke lord Hayagriva for help and blessing?
Thank you so much.
Question asked by Charlene
Hello Pastors
I will now include a link to an article written by Doctor Matthew William King about Dorje Shugden and how the Mongolian viewed Dorje Shugden (his article is 38 pages long).
https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/202104/1/10.1515_asia-2019-0036.pdf
His article speaks about Dorje Shugden prior to Pabongka Rinpoche and his teachings on Dorje Shugden.
How the great Lamas in Mongolian saw Dorje Shugden and the texts they wrote about him prior to Pabongka Rinpoche by decades.
I hope this can be of service to all of us who follow Dorje Shugden.
Pray for the swift return of our beloved Tsem Tulku Rinpoche.
Question asked by William
Hello Pastors!
I have questions about this prayer compose from H.H DalaiLama:
Could we invoke Nechung now as Enlightenment Dharmapala during H.H compose like this for Nechung?
How do you think about this prayer?
Thank you.
༄༅། །གནས་ཆུང་ཆོས་རྒྱལ་ཆེན་པོའི་འཕྲིན་བསྐུལ་བཞུགས་སོ།།
Encouraging the Activity of Nechung, the Great Dharma King
by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
བདེ་གཤེགས་རིགས་ལྔའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་སྒྱུ་འཕྲུལ་གར། །
deshek rik ngé yeshe gyutrul gar
Illusory dance of the wisdom of the sugatas of the five families,
བོད་ཁམས་སྐྱོང་མཛད་བསྟན་སྲུང་དྲེགས་པའི་གཙོ། །
bö kham kyong dzé tensung drekpé tso
Chief of the haughty guardians of the teachings, protectors of Tibet,
འཕྲིན་ལས་རྒྱལ་པོ་སྤྲུལ་ཡུམ་བློན་པོར་བཅས། །
trinlé gyalpo trul yum lönpor ché
King of activity, together with your emanations, consort and ministers,
བདག་ཅག་གདུང་བའི་དབྱངས་ཀྱིས་ཉེར་བསྐུལ་ན། །
dakchak dungwé yang kyi nyer kul na
We invoke you now with a melodious song of yearning.
སྔོན་ཚེ་རྒྱལ་དབང་པདྨ་ཀ་ར་དང་། །
ngöntsé gyalwang pema kara dang
In the past, the most powerful of the victors, Padmākara,
པད་དཀར་འཆང་བ་རིམ་པས་བཀའ་བསྒོས་ཤིང་། །
pekar changwa rimpé kagö shing
And the Holder of the White Lotus commanded you in turn,
འདའ་དཀའི་དམ་ཚིག་གཉན་པོ་རབ་བསྒྲགས་པ། །
da ké damtsik nyenpo rab drakpa
And proclaimed the grave samayas, so difficult to transgress.
མ་གཡེལ་མ་གཡེལ་རྡོ་རྗེའི་དམ་ཚིག་དགོངས། །
ma yel ma yel dorjé damtsik gong
Do not forget! Do not forget! Recall your vajra commitments!
བདག་ཅག་རྨོངས་དང་ཆགས་སྡང་ཕྱོགས་ལྷུང་གིས། །
dakchak mong dang chakdang choklhung gi
In our ignorance, attachment, aversion and prejudice,
ལས་འབྲས་མ་བསྲུངས་སྤྱི་དོན་རས་སུ་བོར། །
lé dré ma sung chidön ré su bor
We fail to observe karmic laws and ignore public welfare.
དམ་ཚིག་འགལ་སོགས་བསམ་སྦྱོར་ནོངས་པ་ཀུན། །
damtsik gal sok samjor nongpa kün
All errors in thought and deed, such as transgressions of samayas,
སྙིང་ནས་འཆགས་ཤིང་སྡོམ་ན་བཟོད་མཛོད་ལ། །
nying né chak shing dom na zö dzö la
We sincerely confess, and vow to avoid in future. Please forgive us!
བསྟན་དང་བསྟན་འཛིན་སྐྱེ་འགྲོའི་བདེ་སྐྱིད་དང་། །
ten dang tendzin kyendrö dekyi dang
Cause the doctrine and its holders to flourish, increase beings’ happiness,
བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་སྐུ་ཚེ་མཛད་འཕྲིན་སྤེལ། །
tendzin gyatsö kutsé dzetrin pel
And extend the lifespan and enlightened activity of Tenzin Gyatso.
གངས་ལྗོངས་རྒུད་པའི་ཉེར་འཚེ་མྱུར་ཞི་ནས། །
gangjong güpé nyertsé nyur zhi né
Swiftly pacify the devastation that has plagued the Land of Snows,
ཆོས་སྲིད་རང་དབང་དགའ་སྟོན་སྒྲུབས་ཤིག་ཀྱེ། །
chösi rangwang gatön drub shik kyé
And institute a celebration of spiritual and temporal autonomy.
མདོར་ན་བསྟན་སྲུང་མཐུ་བོ་ཁྱོད་ཉིད་ལ། །
dorna tensung tuwo khyö nyi la
In short, O mighty guardian of the teachings,
སྙིང་ནས་བསྐུལ་ཞིང་འདོད་དོན་གཉེར་གཏོད་ན། །
nying né kul zhing dödön nyer tö na
As we invoke you sincerely and entrust you with requests,
གློག་ལྟར་མྱུར་བའི་རྣམ་བཞིའི་འཕྲིན་ལས་ཀྱིས། །
lok tar nyurwé nam zhi trinlé kyi
Through your fourfold activity, as swift as lightning,
བསམ་པའི་རེ་བ་སྒྲུབ་ལ་མ་གཡེལ་ཞིག །
sampé rewa drub la ma yel zhik
Do not fail to fulfil all our hopes and aspirations
ཅེས་པ་འདི་ཡང་འདི་གའི་གཞུང་ལས་སྤྱི་མགྲིན་ནས་བསྐུལ་ངོར་པད་དཀར་འཆང་བའི་སྐྱེ་མིང་འཛིན་པས་འཕྲིན་ལས་གཉེར་གཏོད་ཀྱི་སྨོན་པ་དང་བཅས་བོད་རབ་ལོ་དགུ་བརྒྱ་སུམ་ཅུ་སོ་དྲུག་ཆུ་སྟག་ཟླ་བ་དང་པོའི་ཚེས་གཅིག་ལ་སྦྱར་བའོ།། །།
Thus, the one who holds the name of a rebirth of the Holder of the White Lotus composed this, together with aspirations for entrusted activity, on the first day of the first month of the year of the Water Tiger, the Tibetan year 936,1 at the unanimous request of the government.
Question asked by Anonymous
Hi, I have a concern regarding the Liberation at the Palm of your hand.
On page 415 and 417, it discusses the male state as being better. On 417 it even says that you should dislike and detest the female state. Why is that so?
Question asked by Nhat Khang
Hello Pastors!
I'm have questions about one situations:
I'm Dorje Shugden practictioner myself and I love to share with everyone Dorje Shugden when they have trouble or difficult in their daily life but I have one thought during I observe environments situations around me.
Nowadays happened that alot of Lamas from other lineages come to my country is Vietnam to spread teachings.
One of them is no problems or even never remind about lord Dorje Shugden issues with Tibetan Government until when Nyingma lineages comming to my country like Dudjom or Mindroling and they start to dig up this situations again make so much difficult for whom start to have faith in Lord Dorje Shugden. Some of my friends now start to give up and turn back to against me after even they was help by lord Protector.
During situations that I also can not share about Lord Dorje Shugden much like before because even people ignore proves and witnesses to blinds faith in these political.
Some truly use mind and hearts to thinks.
Some without mind and to hearts to judge in faith.
My questions here that:
Do I share about Lord Dorje Shugden who need guide and really understand Him? Just different here that I will not always public with people to share about Him when they ask help for anything but only need to that I will do.
Can I share about Lord Setrap or more public about Palden Lhamo instead? When people meet me publics and ask me ways can help them.
P/s: I'm not Rinpoche, Geshe, Genla or pastor and I'm just a normal Dharma Practictioner because people used to visit my small main Tsongkhapa alter and small in the corner is Protector chapel with various main Gelug Dharmapalas and they really get help and come back to ask me for advices with their problems.
Unfortunately in my country, we haven't much Gelugpa centers, temples, or Gelug monastic Sangha here and so it's extremely difficult for me to introduce any center with Gelug practices and Protectors for them.
Finally, I need to share them with general practices in Gelug tradition in my limit no more.
This is all for my situations.
Thank you so much.
Question asked by Kinga
My date birth is 1987,15,march..
And I am interested doing business
What type of business suits me la?
Question asked by Bill
Tashi Delek Pastors!
I have questions about Food offerings to Hariti practice:
As a lay person, could I engage the practice food offering to her?
Maybe, I can not do the practice food offering to her all the times same with Monastic Sangha due to my busy life but I have wish to offering food to Mother Hariti 1, 2 or 3 times each weeks.
Is it OK for me to do this?
Thank you so much.
Question asked by Sirius
Hey pastors, I just passed through a difficult week where mi practice declined till almost nothing, I want to know how should I approach situations like that? What can I do to increase faith and maintain a consistent practice?
Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 13 of the Malaysian Copyright Act 1987, allowance is made for “fair dealing” for purposes such as non-profit research, private study, criticism, review or the reporting of current events. The Operator and author(s) of TsemRinpoche.com, a not-for-profit blog, do not claim ownership on the intellectual property rights of the contents, images and/or videos reproduced in this article. Any subsisting intellectual property rights shall belong to the legal owner of the contents, images and/or videos.
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
Meet the Pastors
Serving the community. Tirelessly
Combining the responsibilities of the ordained and the appearance of a layperson, pastors are the connection between the sangha and the everyday practitioner. They are ordinary people who have taken an extraordinary step in dedicating their lives towards sharing the Buddhist tradition. As laypeople holding vows, pastors will make the Dharma accessible to more people, giving them guidance and sharing knowledge. The pastors are usually present at Kechara House and available for consultation anytime. For more information, contact house@kechara.com.
Pastor Chia (sangha to be)
As a pastor, Chia will dedicate his life to befitting others through spreading the works of Tsem Rinpoche and Dharma to many people, through the use of pujas, rituals, counseling and sharing of his knowledge.
Ordained as a Pastor in 2011, Chia Song Peng has had a rich and varied Dharma career. He has held a core position with the Kechara Paradise retail outlets, served as a personal attendant to Tsem Rinpoche, embarked on various pilgrimages and received initiations into higher yoga tantric practices. He is accomplished in many pujas and has a deep understanding of the Dharma.
As a pastor, Chia has dedicated his life to befitting others through spreading the works of Tsem Rinpoche and Dharma to many people, through the use of pujas, rituals, counseling and sharing of his knowledge.
When Chia first met Tsem Rinpoche, he was asked if he wanted to become a monk, however even though this was his aspiration he informed Tsem Rinpoche that he would do so at a later date. For Chia, as he has is already in the Dharma full-time, it would be best if he became ordained. Tsem Rinpoche has reminded Chia from time to time to work towards becoming a monk and he promised that he would do so in the future.
Kechara began from nothing to become a growing Dharma organisation with major projects such as Kechara Forest Retreat, so Chia thinks that this is the perfect time to become ordained as a monk. Recently Tsem Rinpoche asked Chia again if he would like to be ordained, this time Chia said yes.
Pastor Khong Jean Ai (sangha to be)
Jean Ai wishes to become a vessel that holds the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa to benefit future generations, inspiring others to live by the Buddha’s teachings.
Jean Ai met His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche as a young child and through her parents' involvement with Kechara over the years, she has never known a life without His Eminence. Jean Ai was a regular volunteer of Tsem Ladrang during her childhood and teenage years. After graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Warwick in the UK and working at the London Probation Service, she returned to Kuala Lumpur to join Tsem Ladrang's e-division. There she managed kechara.com, responsible for the weekly Kechara e-newsletter, including content generation and editing. Since then she has joined His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche’s writing team, responsible for executing Rinpoche’s personal instructions and managing his correspondence.
Having visited a nunnery in India in 2004, Jean Ai remembers noticing how happy and purposeful everyone was. She had a feeling of familiarity and the sight of the robes comforted her. Immediately, Jean Ai messaged her mother who told her to ask Rinpoche’s advice. Rinpoche told her to complete her secular education so that when she taught the Dharma her words would carry the credibility and weight of a university degree, something she completed with the motivation that some day she wanted to become a nun.
Through her ordination as a nun, Jean Ai wishes to become a vessel that holds the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa to benefit future generations, inspiring others to live by the Buddha’s teachings. Through this she hopes to repay the kindness of her parents and her Guru. Above all she wants to abide in a state free of suffering, and she wants this for others as well.
Pastor Shin Tan (sangha to be)
For Shin, this is a great step forward to being fully committed to the cause of others and repaying others’ kindness through sharing the Dharma with others.
Before joining Kechara, Shin worked as a lecturer and provider of content and
e-learning content solutions for various start-ups. Whilst providing training to educators teaching students in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at various colleges, she was invited to attend a Dharma talk given by His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche at Kechara House. This event rekindled her interest in Tibetan Buddhism, as she recalled the joy of accompanying her parents to teachings as a teenager.
Joining Kechara Media & Publications in 2006 as a volunteer, Shin assumed a full time position there as a Marketing Executive, with the aim of making His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche’s teachings available to more people around the world. Shin is now a member of the Tsem Ladrang Team, who takes care of His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche’s secular matters, enabling Rinpoche to focus on teaching the holy Dharma.
Shin states that when she decided to join Kechara full time, she had already decided to be of some benefit to others and spend the rest of her life doing only that. Working closely with His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche, seeing his tireless effort in helping others and spreading the Buddhadharma through the Gaden tradition despite tremendous challenges has made her realise that the next logical step is to become ordained as she has the opportune conditions to study with her Guru. For Shin this is also a great step forward to being fully committed to the cause of others and repaying others’ kindness through sharing the Dharma with others.
Pastor Adeline Woon (sangha to be)
Since finding her spiritual home here in Kechara, Adeline has made dharma work her life’s mission and wishes to dedicate herself fully towards the benefit of others.
Adeline stumbled across His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche's blog towards the end of 2010 and has been following his blog and Facebook page ever since. Since graduating from Dharma Drum Buddhist College Taiwan with a Masters of Arts in Religious Studies in July 2012, she returned to Malaysia and joined Kechara as a Senior Education Executive. Adeline was attracted by His Eminence’s straightforwardness and impressed at Kechara's growth under his guidance. To Adeline, His Eminence is someone who walks the talk, keeps his promises and sincerely cares for others displaying an excellent example of guru devotion, qualities that she seeks to develop herself.
Since finding her spiritual home here in Kechara, Adeline has made dharma work her life’s mission. It was in May 2013 that she officially requested His Eminence for ordination as a nun to dedicate her life fully for the dharma. According to Adeline, become ordained means that she is being true to her calling to live according to the dharma and be of benefit to others.
This however can only be achieved by meeting and studying under her root Guru. Adeline has been fortunate enough to have met with hers - His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche.
Pastor Niral Patel (sangha to be)
It is Niral’s motivation for full ordination to better himself, learn the teachings of our lineage in order to preserve them for future generations. He wishes to benefit others, just as he has benefited and is still benefiting from Tsem Rinpoche’s explanation of the Dharma.
Niral was born and raised in the UK, having graduated with a BA in Anthropology, he was working as a Financial Administrator for a Serviced Apartment & Hotel company as well as a Management Services company before stumbling across His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche’s Youtube channel, entirelyby accident. It was through His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche’s teachings that he began to understand the importance of practicing the Dharma, in order to benefit himself and others around him.
Having been in contact with one of Tsem Rinpoche’s long time students in the UK, he was encouraged to visit Kechara in late 2012 for a 10 day visit. At the end of the visit Tsem Rinpoche requested Niral to come to work at Kechara, to which he agreed.
Niral moved to Malaysia in February 2013 to work as an education coordinator at Kechara House, assisting the Education Division in the creation and implementation of the new education syllabus, teaching teenagers during the Kechara Sunday Dharma School. Ever since meeting Tsem Rinpoche, he has always been encouraged by Tsem Rinpoche to do more Dharma work and strive to better himself. It is with that in mind, that Niral has requested monastic ordination.
It is Niral’s motivation for full ordination to better himself, learn the teachings of our lineage in order to preserve them for future generations. He wishes to benefit others, just as he has benefited and is still benefiting from Tsem Rinpoche’s explanation of the Dharma.
Pastor Tan Gim Lee (sangha to be)
Gim Lee’s main focus is to guide and help anyone who steps through Kechara’s doors through Dharma sharing, counselling, performing pujas and other Buddhist services. She wishes to repay Rinpoche’s kindness by spreading Lama Tsongkhapa’s holy teachings and inspiring others on the spiritual path.
She discovered Kechara by chance in 2006 and started to participate Kechara's activities almost immediately especially the retreat to collect 10 million Migtsema recitations. In April 2006, when Gim Lee met H.E. Tsem Rinpoche and first listened to his teachings, she wept uncontrollably. Though she could not understand it at the time, she had finally found her perfect teacher. She is especially touched by Tsem Rinpoche's compassionate method of teaching by setting his own examples.
Having joined as a staff of Kechara House responsible for housekeeping in 2009, Gim Lee is now one of Kechara House's Front Desk Managers predominantly based in the retreat centre in Bentong, Pahang. She also teaches the Sunday Dharma Class and moderates Dharma discussions on Tsem Rinpoche's blog chat.
The many teachings she has received from Tsem Rinpoche have changed her priorities in life. She found answers to her questions about the purpose of life, and she has realised that the way to overcome the sufferings of pain and anger is by following the path of compassion and wisdom as taught by Lord Buddha. These realisations have led to her request to be ordained as a Sangha member.
As pastor now, and later as a Buddhist nun, Gim Lee's main focus is to guide and help anyone who steps through Kechara's doors through Dharma sharing, counselling, performing pujas and other Buddhist services. She wishes to repay Rinpoche's kindness by spreading Lama Tsongkhapa's holy teachings and inspiring others on the spiritual path.
Pastor Loh Seng Piow (sangha to be)
Loh Seng Piow developed a strong wish to help Rinpoche in spreading the Dharma to the world. With that determination, Loh Seng Piow chose not to pursue his PhD degree in Cambridge University (for which he had been offered a place), resigned from his research job, and joined Tsem Rinpoche as full-time Dharma worker, and has never looked back since.
Back in 2001, Loh Seng Piow had no inkling of just how involved in Dharma he would become. As a Masters degree-holder in Engineering, Loh Seng Piow was working as a research engineer in Singapore when he met His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche. Rinpoche’s talk left a strong impression on him and after a few encounters with Rinpoche, Loh Seng Piow started developing websites for Rinpoche and Kechara.
Loh Seng Piow was trained in science, but soon realised that there were many questions that science could not answer. At the same time, he also felt that science and technology are not the solution to human problems, as humans are much better off compared to thousands years ago, yet the problems in this world are still the same, if not more, and we do not seem to be happier than our ancestors.
Loh Seng Piow soon realised that the Dharma is the ultimate solution to human problems, and that the methods used by His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche are very suitable for this modern era. Loh Seng Piow developed a strong wish to help Rinpoche in spreading the Dharma to the world. With that determination, Loh Seng Piow chose not to pursue his PhD degree in Cambridge University (for which he had been offered a place), resigned from his research job, and joined Tsem Rinpoche as full-time Dharma worker, and has never looked back since.
Meeting Rinpoche was a very refreshing experience for Loh Seng Piow, as he never knew Dharma could be so unconventional yet maintain its essence. As Rinpoche’s personal attendant, Loh Seng Piow has had many incredible moments with Rinpoche and considers himself extremely fortunate because he sees real Dharma in action, both on and off the throne. It challenges him to practice Dharma 24/7. In this way, Rinpoche has blown away his old and persistent way of thinking, which was very much focused on the outer rituals of Dharma.
Having seen that Tsem Rinpoche truly embodies what he teaches, Loh Seng Piow is convinced beyond doubt that it is possible to develop our minds to a higher state, and ultimately achieving enlightenment. All these factors have propelled Loh Seng Piow to take a step further in his Dharma career to become ordained as a pastor in order to be even more effective in sharing and disseminating the Dharma to benefit others.
Pastor Yek Yee
Naturally an introvert, Yek Yee has transformed what was once her weakness into her strength; making what was once impossible now eminently possible.
Independence was forced upon Kok Yek Yee from the tender age of nine, when she had to juggle between work and school to make ends meet. Always the introvert, Yek Yee had few friends and had difficulty expressing herself. So it was unexpected when she chose a career in journalism.
Yek Yee excelled as an award-winning reporter with Guang Ming Daily and Nanyang Siang Pau. Her articles garnered her a fanbase, and in writing, she found an outlet for the thoughts and feelings that she could not verbalise. However, despite her success, Yek Yee was not satisfied. Temporary happiness was not what she was looking for – success, money, relationships, or fame was not the key.
In her search for happiness, Yek Yee met H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, who told her “don’t retaliate with your speech, but use your power of writing to express yourself”. This led her to join Kechara Media & Publications as a writer; subsequently she was appointed Senior Editor as well as a Liaison to His Eminence.
Yek Yee now holds a core role in Kechara Care, giving advice, tours, counseling and teachings to whoever walks through their doors. Through courage and determination, she has transformed what was once her weakness into her strength; making what was once impossible now eminently possible.
As a Pastor, her patience and open-mindedness developed through her journey with Kechara will bring comfort and solace, and her new-found ability to nurture and teach others will bring hope to many.
Pastor Lanse Chiah
Having been a Pastor for a year, Lanse wishes to continue with her integral duties by renewing her vows again.
Lanse graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Jinan University in Guangzhou, China in 1999 and became a part-time lecturer for several years, teaching western medicine in a Traditional Chinese medical college in Kuala Lumpur.
For a long time, Lanse remained an atheist, subconsciously searching for a spiritual guru as she sought answers to questions she harboured in her mind, questions that had led her into a state of depression during her time at university. As such, she would often read philosophical books in her search for answers.
Lanse first came to know of Kechara in 2007, through her friend of over 10 years, Pastor Yek Yee. She was surprised to see a complete transformation in Pastor Yek Yee, whom she had always known as a non-spiritual person. The first book by Kechara that Lanse chanced upon was the Chinese version of Be Greedy. Naturally, Lanse was skeptical at first, thus she read the book in an attempt to find mistakes with the philosophy. However, she couldn’t find any and was left impressed by how logical the explanations in the book were.
In March 2009, Lanse joined Kechara Media & Publications (KMP) part-time to carry out Chinese translation and help with transcription. The following year, she contemplated upon whether to pursue a full-time medical or a Dharma career, finally deciding on the latter. Lanse came to realise that, although both careers share the same motivation of easing people’s sufferings, she felt that her work in Dharma could lead to a greater contribution for the sake of all sentient beings in a deeper, spiritual sense.
Having been a Pastor for a year, Lanse wishes to continue with her integral duties by renewing her vows again.
Pastor Han Nee
It was not until she witnessed how Rinpoche brought peace and comfort to her dying mother, that she realised she also wanted to touch others with the Dharma.
Lim Han Nee, a mother of two, is a retired secondary school principal. She retired in December 2000 after a 30-year career in education. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Education at Leicester University in the UK, at the end of 2001.
After gaining her master’s degree, Han Nee considered further options of embarking on a doctorate in education or spending her years in retirement, travelling and visiting family. At the same time, she was also in search of her spiritual path. She had begun exploring Theravadan and Chinese Mahayana Buddhism for answers to questions she had.
In December 2004, Han Nee attended a teaching retreat on the topic of the Lamrim and White Tara held by His Eminence Gelek Rinpoche. As the retreat proceeded, she found her questions were being answered. Then in June 2005, Han Nee was introduced to Kechara by her sister, where she met her spiritual guide, His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche, who has recently told her that she must go all the way in the Dharma for the benefit of others.
Han Nee had been a school guidance counsellor for nearly twenty years. However, it was not until she witnessed how Rinpoche brought peace and comfort to her dying mother, that she realised she also wanted to touch others with the Dharma.
A member of Kechara’s Puja Team, who conduct sponsored pujas in Shabten Khang, Han Nee is also a member of the Education Division with the portfolio of Content Development. Apart from this, Han Nee is also a member of the weekly Kechara Chat Time team.
Pastor David Lai
In 2014, with a sincere wish to benefit others, David decided to be ordained as a Buddhist pastor to continue serving the spiritual needs of the organisation.
David Lai has been a student of His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche for over a decade now and was one of the founding members of Kechara. He joined Kechara as a full time staff in 2005 and has been working in various departments beginning with the Kechara Paradise outlets.
Right from the beginning, David had been advised by His Eminence to go into writing. Overcoming various hurdles, David finally began his literary career with the publication of his first book and autobiography, There’s No Way But Up in 2009. The book charts his spiritual journey from his childhood and culminates in the meeting with His Eminence.
The positive feedback from this book led him to write various other publications like Vajrayogini and Other Power Places in Nepal – a pilgrim’s guide of Nepal, Tales My Lama Told Me – a book on short stories and Conversations in Love – a book on relationships. These books continue to inspire and bring people onto the Dharma.
Besides writing, David has found his passion in sharing the Dharma since his earlier days working in the Kechara Paradise outlets. Over the years, David has received innumerable teachings from His Eminence, ranging from public teachings to personal instructions and advice. He is known to passionately share these teachings whenever he can and to whomever he meets. In 2014, with a sincere wish to benefit others, David decided to be ordained as a Buddhist pastor to continue serving the spiritual needs of the organisation.
Pastor Henry Ooi
After following Rinpoche as a Dharma student for all these years, learning and practicing the Dharma, Henry knows the importance of the pastors’ role in Kechara founded by Rinpoche. He wants to become a pastor to serve Rinpoche, to serve Kechara, and to serve the public.
Born in 1952 in Penang, Henry moved to Kuala Lumpur in search of work after he finished his Form Five studies in 1969. He worked at different types of jobs and it was when he was jobless in 1997/8 that he met His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche at the house of his cousin, Ruby (now Dato’ Ruby Khong), when Rinpoche was giving a dharma teaching. At that teaching Henry was awed by how Rinpoche taught Dharma with simple yet profound explanations.
With the kind guidance, teachings and Dharma practices by Rinpoche including instruction to engage in their first spiritual retreat, Henry and his wife Angel started a small business that soon became profitable. A few years later after Kechara House Buddhist Association was founded, Rinpoche started to enrol students as liaisons and that was when Henry and Dato’ Ruby offered themselves. Later more students were elected as liaisons that saw the birth of Liaisons Council. The Liaisons Council is now known as the Board of Directors of which Henry is one of its members.
Currently Henry is the Project Director, overseeing the construction and completion of projects in the Kechara Forest Retreat. Prior to this appointment he was the Head of Department in Kechara Paradise retail outlets of which he served for about ten years. He still remains as its company director as well as director for most of the companies within Kechara. He served one term as vice president of Kechara House Buddhist Association from 2012 to 2103.
After following Rinpoche as a Dharma student for all these years, learning and practicing the Dharma, Henry knows the importance of the pastors’ role in Kechara founded by Rinpoche. He wants to become a pastor to serve Rinpoche, to serve Kechara, and to serve the public. As he aspires to be a monk as he grows older, being a pastor of Kechara will pave the way for his aspiration. Henry believes that as one gets older in life, one should have already prepared for the imminent, death. And what a beautiful death it will be, to die in Kechara Forest Retreat in a monk’s robes. This is the kind of death that Henry wants. But before the imminent death happens, Henry wants to continue working in Kechara Forest Retreat, serving the community and whoever comes into it in whatever way he can. And when he is not physically anymore to serve others, he will request instructions from Rinpoche to enter into retreats in Kechara Forest Retreat.
Pastor Patsy Gooi
All that Patsy wants now is to spend the rest of her life doing dharma work, dharma practices and being of benefit to others.
Formerly a full time housewife with plenty of free time, Patsy had the great fortune to visit Gaden Monastery and meet H.E. Tsem Rinpoche almost twenty years ago. That one week stay in the monastery changed her view of life. Prior to that, she had no spiritual inclinations but meeting Rinpoche stirred something inside her, and she realised that there was more to life than just eating, sleeping, shopping and having fun. Rinpoche’s approach to dharma was logical and practical but most importantly, he stressed that we should always focus out and work towards benefitting others. Rinpoche made dharma easy to understand and his advice was and still is, to “change inwardly, not outwardly.”
In 2009, after years of practicing and applying what she had learned from Rinpoche’s teachings, Patsy decided to set up a Kechara retail outlet in Penang to share the dharma with others. She knew that Rinpoche’s teachings were very applicable to the people of our time and that his activities would benefit others just as they had benefited her. She also wanted to repay the kindness of her Guru who had constantly helped and guided her. Today, Kechara Paradise Penang is not just a dharma shop but also organises puja sessions, animal liberation and dharma talks.
In 2010, again with Rinpoche’s blessings, Patsy set up the Kechara Soup Kitchen Activity Center in Penang. Saddened to see the plight of the homeless and urban poor on the streets, Patsy decided to practice “compassion through action” as taught by Rinpoche in the most active way she knows. Today, together with her team of volunteers, Patsy feeds the homeless and urban poor four times a week and provides basic food provisions to many hardcore poor families on a monthly basis.
All that Patsy wants now is to spend the rest of her life doing dharma work and dharma practices, and that she may be of benefit to others.
Pastor Albert Ratchaga
In 2008, Albert Ratchaga began working as a part timer in Kechara Paradise, but as he learned more about the works of Rinpoche and Kechara, Rinpoche’s kindness and compassion touched him deeply. He realised that his work gave his life more meaning and decided to join Kechara full time.
Through his work as a sales executive, Albert was able learn more Dharma from Rinpoche's teachings and use this wisdom to assist those who entered his store to overcome their problems, thus improving their lives.
Albert soon developed a deep wish to follow in Rinpoche’s footsteps and in 2016 was ordained as a Pastor to continue benefitting and serving others.
Dear Anonymous,
If you wish to practice Palden Lhamo and not Dorje Shugden, that is fine. Both are enlightened Dharma Protectors, so there will not be any unfortunately circumstances. And yes, you can switch.
However, and this is the main point, once you have chosen which Protector to practice, you have to be consistent. If you are not consistent and perhaps keep switching between the two, you will not experience the most benefits from either practice. The purpose of Dharma Protector practice is to get benefits in both worldly and spiritual life to help us, however we must be consistent and commited to our practice to get the real benefits. If you would like to practice Palden Lhamo instead, that is wonderful. But it would be best to stick to Palden Lhamo’s practice from now on and do it consistently.
You can take refuge in front of your altar (which would include an image), that is very much done when you can’t attend the ceremonies at Dharma centres, etc. Here is Kechara, we have a service in which we take you through the Refuge ceremony only if you cannot attend our events physically. During the ceremony, you would be in front of your altar at home. You can email Care@Kechara.com if you are interested.
Other vows are different. For example the 8 Precepts need to be received in person or online for the 1st time. Then after that you can take the 8 Precepts whenever you want in front of your altar or image, as you already have the vows. Other vows, such as the layman vows, monastic ordination, Bodhisattva vows, etc, need to be received in person from someone holding those vows.
I hope this helps.