Dear Kelsang Dechog,

Thank you very much for wanting to donate. You can donate by clicking on this link which will take you to a Paypal page: https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=bDaM-XVCOyTL-pySfQV0nlnEVKjuqy2Y56Tt-sFDRHnJOT6uTozZR43xysl61yJaVZRwyVwi5GVPJxva

Thank you.

Dear Lu Yang,

Kechara offers vow talking services online with our Pastors. Please contact care@Kechara.com and let them know you would like to take refuge. They will assign you a Pastor who will go over the procedure and vows and give you further information. After you have been able to digest the information, they will arrange a time and date when we you can take refuge online. So you will be in front of your altar at home, and the Kechara Pastors will guide you how to take refuge online. Once you have gone through the formal ceremony, you have formally taken refuge under Tsem Rinpoche.

Before Tsem Rinpoche’s Parinirvana he gave the Kechara Pastors the procedure for people to take refuge under him, even if he was not physically present. So we can guide you through the process.

As of now, we do not have any resident monks, but some of the Pastors are Sangha-to-be, meaning they are preparing to take ordination as monks/nuns soon.

We truly rejoice in your aspiration to become a monk. Not many people have this wish nowadays, and definitely not someone as young as you. In order to get to a point where you can make that decision in the future, it would be good for you to have a foundational knowledge of the Dharma and practice to transform and become the best person you can right now. Here is an article which lists some of Tsem Rinpoche’s most recommended Dharma books: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/books-that-are-a-must-read.html. It would be good for you to get hold of copies of these books and read them and try to digest as much as possible.

If you have any further questions, please dont hesitate to ask here. We are always here to help. Thank you

Hello Gerry,

Traditionally, prayers are composed by masters who are attained. That way the composition of the prayer itself carries blessings, as does your practice and actualisation of that prayer within your mind.

However, yes you can compose additional motivations or aspirations which you can recite daily after you have completed the traditional prayers, so that your transformation has a more targetted effect to overcome the specific situation you are praying about. These motivations/requests/aspirations cannot replace the traditional prayers however. They can be done in addition to the traditional prayers, as a personal request to whichever deity you are practising.

The Gaden Lhagyama is great! In fact it is the first half of the Diamond Path prayer text, which is the general daily sadhana that Tsem Rinpoche recommended for everyone. The other half of the prayer is to the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden. You can find this text here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/diamond-path. Alternatively, you can get a copy physically if you visit either Kechara House or Kechara Forest Retreat if you are based in Malaysia. I hope this helps.

Dear Luna,

If you set out a proper altar (complete with body, speech and mind representations, as well as many offerings), then with a pure motivation make a promise to refrain from a particular negative action or engage in a positive type of action, then you can take it to be a personal vow. But before you make the decision to do so, you must make sure your motivation is correct and that you can keep your promise.

This isn’t like the traditional vows, which stem all the way back to Buddha Shakyamuni himself. As such the traditionally vows carry their own set of blessings and transmission. If you make a promise to the Buddhas on your own, you can take it as a vow and as long as it adheres to Dharma principles then it will generate merit and help you transform your mind.

However, most actions are actually covered by the various sets of traditional vows. And they also form the basis of recieving higher practices. For example you need the Refuge Vows before recieving the Bodhisattva Vows. And the Bodhisattva Vows are required before recieving the Tantric Vows. For certain practices there are no other vows that you can take. You need to take the traditional vows before you can engage in these practices. I hope this explanation helps. Traditional vows are also explained in details in various texts and by our Gurus, so we understand clearly how such actions transform our minds. This might not be so clear cut, with making a promise yourself and considering it to be a vow. But again, that depends on how much thought you have put into it and how much Dharma knowledge you have. I hope this helps.

Dear Sheetal Rawat,

There are three posts here on this website which may be useful for you to help answer your questions:

1. Tibetan Astrology
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/tibetan-astrology/tibetan-astrology.html

2. The Chinese Zodiac
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/horoscopes/the-chinese-zodiac.html

3. Numerology Calculator
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/numerology/numerology-calculator.html

Unfortunately, at the moment we do not have a dedicated team to help any other questions in regards to this.

Dear Roy,

There can be many different reasons for why you having these dreams from simple subconscious processing of daily life, possibility of spirits, or perhaps even Dorje Shugden just showing you a sign that he is with you since you have been engaging in the practice. The exact reason is hard to tell without more details of what has been happening.

Whatever the case may be, you should just think that saw the form of an enlightened being in your dream. Take it for what it is, and then try not to attribute much more thought to it. Simply continue to practice your daily sadhana, etc.

However, if you hear voices or something tells you do something in the dream, please do message back. You can email care@kechara.com and ask to speak to a Pastor who can help judge what is happening in that case. I hope that helps.

Dear Jigme Khang,

Yes, you can practice the water offering to Dzambala without initiation and also recite his mantra. We have the practice text available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/sadhana-prayers.html#14 Tsem Rinpoche has a teaching available here on the practice, but it is only an audio teaching: https://youtu.be/LuwKcE8SckU.

In order to do the practice properly, you will need quite a few items, such as all the sensory offerings, Dzambala offering set with small Dzambala set, etc. Though you can see the prayers here, the best would be to learn the full bathing ritual in person from someone qualified where you are living. I hope this helps.

Dear Lu Wang,

The concept of no-self is hard to understand. It is one of the core principles of Buddhism and is basically the concept of emptiness also. This topic is very difficult to understand, especially for beginners. For now, I would suggest that you focus on more foundational teachings first. Later, as you learn more, then it will become clearer using logic and analysis. This concept is actually taught within the Lamrim teachings, but done so right at the end of the path. The readon for this is that you need a strong foundation of not only learning, but also practice, purification of negative karma and accumulation of merit to be able to understand the topic fully intellectually, let alone in actual meditation practice.

For now, get a firm understanding of Refuge, learn about karma and rebirth, impermemance, etc. Transform your mind and actions by studying and practicing these teachings first. Then understanding the concept of non-self will be easier for you later on. Thank you.

Dear Lu Wang,

Thank you for your questions.

1. Now that you have learned the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation, you need to put them into actual practice. That means that when you go about daily life, you remember the verses, and the actions of your body, speech and mind should reflect these verses and not the way we usually act. The verses transform our thoughts or our mind, and in turn they should transform our actions too. If you haven’t read the book already, H.E Tsem Rinpoche has written a practical guide to putting the Eight Verses into practice. It is called Compassion Conquers All (available here: ttps://www.vajrasecrets.com/compassion-conquers-all)

2. In regards to laziness or doubts in the Dharma, you should build up you practice and contemplation of taking refuge properly. You can learn about this and how to take refuge properly in the Lamrim. When you understand how to take refuge properly and the benefits in doing so, it will help you overcome laziness and doubts.

In regards to both of these and to learn more about them, you should get yourself a copy of the Lamrim. You can learn everything you need to know about Dharma practice from there. (available here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand)

We have Lamrim classes here in Kechara. They are held once a week, for a durations of two years. You can read the Lamrim yourself, but a lot of it may need to be explained properly in class as it can be difficult to understand. You can follow Kechara’s Facebook page and look out for online courses and classes, or even in-person events if you are based in Malaysia. The next in-take for the Lamrim classes will be in January 2023. (here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/kecharahouse). I hope this helps.

Dear Jigten Rabten,

Methods of divination are accepted within Tibetan Buddhism. For a full explanation of divination within the Tibetan systems, you can watch a teaching by H.E. Tsem Rinpoche here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/tibetan-divination-a-complete-explanation.html

There is one key difference between methods based on the practice of the enlightened beings and other systems however. That is that the methods always give Dharma remedies for each and every problem or question asked, for example what practices or pujas can be done or engaged in to overcome that particular problem or to help the particular situation to be smoother.

In regards to the sortilege sticks commonly found throughout Chinese temples, I am not familar with them so I do not know if they actually give Dharma remedies or not.

According to the teachings given by Tsem Rinpoche, divination is not something that we should rely heavily for small questions/problems. We should follow the teachings of the Dharma and try our best to sort out the issues to the best of our ability. If there is really no way that we can do that, then we can rely on the divination systems of the enlightened beings. Rinpoche talks more about this and relying on actualy Dharma practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/psychics-fortune-tellers-and-how-to-change-your-luck. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Le Nhat Khang,

Thank you for your question. We are very happy to read that you are keeping your practice given by your Guru. Keep practising and do it sincerely with faith and you will see great benefit in your life and spiritual progress.

In regards to the sangsol prayers, if you want to do the offerings to all three, then it’s best to do them separately rather than combine them. Since it is an offering, then it best to do them individually. Because then it’s like making and offering, then using the same thing to make an offering to someone else. From the side of the enlightened beings, they will accept anything we offer them. However, this is more from our side, in being more respectful and mindful of what we are doing.

On a side note, please do note that the sangsol to Dorje Shugden is usually burned outside of the home. In regards to the Guan Gong incense offering, that one I am not sure about as we don’t practice him in Kechara. And the purification incense during which you use the Ucchusma mantra is done indoors. I hope this helps.

Dear Tyler,

Thank you for your question. Yes, if a lama has given you refuge then he is considered to be your guru. You may have other gurus also. However, the lama that gave you refuge is definitely your guru.

It would be good to learn the Refuge Vows and Commitments if you have already taken refuge and keep these as strongly as possible. When we train ourselves in taking refuge properly and keeping our vows and commitments, this is the basis for all other Buddhist practices including the higher teachings. Without a very firm grounding in refuge, high practices will not be effective in transforming our minds.

Here is an excerpt from the Lamrim text we use: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/taking-refuge-by-je-pabongka.html It discusses a little bit about taking refuge. In order to have a thorough understanding of refuge, you should read the section about taking refuge in the Lamrim text known as Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Hello Wong Loo Yang,

Thank you for your questions. Below is some information that may help you:

1. In regards to food offerings, if they are packaged, they can be made during the day, and then cleared at night whenever is convenient. There is no hard and fast rule regarding the timing of making offerings. Alternatively, since they are packaged foods you can make the offering on the altar, and then clear them the next day (provided that the environment won’t make things go bad or there is no danger of pets getting to them and eating them, etc.). On this topic of food offerings, here is short article that you may be interested in: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/a-quick-note-on-food-offerings.html

2. In regards to practices for children, Manjushri or Lama Tsongkhapa is very good. Children who recite Manjushri’s mantra are blessed from a young age, so when they reach adulthood, they are more intelligent, emotionally mature and able to handle life situations very well. These two practices are very good for children and are were recommended all the time by His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche. In fact, we have a Children’s Buddhist Baptism ceremony here in Kechara based on the practice of Lama Tsongkhapa and Manjushri to bless children. They are highly effective.

I’ve taught children myself and have found that those who recite Manjushri’s mantra are more mature, confident and blessed and protected. So perhaps you can recommend that your children can recite the mantra. But please make sure not to force them to recite, as this can strain your relationships with them. Best to approach them gently, explain the benefits and teach them the mantra. Then you should slowly encourage them to chant. That is the best way to get children to recite prayers and mantras.

Here is an article all about Manjushri for your information: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/all-about-manjushri.html If you want to teach them a short prayer to Manjushri, then the Ganglongma prayer will be very good. It is included in the article.

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Lu Wang,

Thank you for your questions. Here are some things which may help.

1. Regarding the Eight Verses, there is a book called Compassion Conquers All by Tsem Rinpoche which is available here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/compassion-conquers-all This gives a very clear and easy to understand explanation of the Eight Verses. I think this may help you.

There are also video teachings regarding the Eight Verses here, which are given in a more traditional and in-depth manner: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/eight-verses-of-thought-transformation.html

2. Chanting mantras like Vajrasattva will have a purifying effect because of the power of the Buddhas. However, the amount of purification that occurs will not be as great as if you did it with the four opponent powers and associatated meditation. Some people just recite the mantra. Though this is beneficial, since you are already reciting, why not add in the four opponent powers and the associated visualisations of the particular practice to make it more effective?

In regards to Vajrasattva practice, this article provides a detailed explanation of how you should engage in it: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/an-important-purification-practice.html

3. In general, all Highest Yoga Tantric deity practices require initiation. However, there are things that you can do to prepare yourself and start doing to create a connection with these deities right now. Tsem Rinpoche has explained this in relation to Vajra Yogini, which you can find in this article: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajrayogini-the-powerful-divine-red-lady.html

I hope this answers help you. If you have any further questions, please do ask. Thank you.

Hello Jery,

Yes, once you have made water offerings, you should respectfully dispose the water somewhere clean, for example outside in your garden. You can even give it to your pets to drink if you have any. If this is not convenient then you can pour the water into your kitchen sink, but your sink should be clean. And it’s not advisable to pour into your bathroom sink, as it’s not respectful.

You can watch a video here, all about water offerings, how to make them, the meaning behind them, the benefits, and many other things: https://youtu.be/5vL4cdFK3Vk I hope this helps!

Dear Namgyal Dorjee Bhutia,

Thank you for your question. The mantra of Dorje Shugden is OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SOHA. You can recite this mantra as many times as you like, whenever you like. If you do prayers every day, then it would be good to include the mantra to get the benefits of Dorje Shugden’s practice.

The following article provides a very good introduction about Dorje Shugden and his practice, which you can follow: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/beginners-introduction-to-dorje-shugden.html

I hope this helps you and you can benefit from Dorje Shugden’s practice. Thank you.

Dear Luna,

Thank you for your question. We actually have an article that has a thorough explanation of the blessing/consecration of images here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/how-to-bless-buddha-images-yourself.html

Yes, you can bless any image of the enlightened beings in this manner, not just statues but even paintings or printed images.

When you do the blessing, you can do the condensed version (its in the article). If you can have only 1 bowl of water for offerings, then that’s okay, but you can lay out other offerings to the best of your situation, such as packaged foods, soft drinks, etc. Any offering that we make from our heart will be accepted by the Buddhas. Using water from the sink tap is okay, as long as it is clean. If you can drink the water that comes from your sink tap, then it’s fine to use it. If you cannot drink the water from the tap, please use any water that you would use for drinking. That would be best.

The blessing text includes use of ritual instruments (vajra and bell). If you don’t have these, it’s fine, not to worry. But do have some rice, which you can throw during the consecration. If you would like to do the medium or extensive blessings, then it is best to follow the altar set up as closely as possible.

The article explains everything, but if you have any questions, you are more than welcome to ask here. Wishing you well. Your image of Dorje Shugden will be very blessed!

Dear Kevin,

It’s wonderful that you have finished one thangka already. You can send the picture to care@kechara.com, please mark the email as attention to Pastor Niral. We are looking forward to seeing it.

For the tsa tsas, either epoxy resin or hydrostone are both very good materials. Both will are good and durable. However, it depends on the look you are going, so it’s up to you. We have used both here in Kechara to make tsa tsas.

You will need to check with the manufacturer of the mould to see if it will last longer with the epoxy or hydrostone. The moulds that we use are made from silicone. But depending on the quanity of tsa tsas that you want to make, a silicone mould will not last for a very long time with either the epoxy and hydrostone. But check with the manufacturer of the mould to confirm.

Hi Ana,

The numbers that indicate a Karmic Debt are 13/4 (summarised as 13), 14/5, 16/7, and 19/1. Each karmic debt number pair is formed by adding the 2 digits in the front double-digit number to come up with the last single-digit number. For instance, the karmic debt number pair 13/4 indicates 1+3= 4.

The calculation of Karmic Debt takes into consideration if these number pairs appear during the process of calculating our core numbers, before they’re reduced to a single-digit number. They include calculation of your:
– Life Path number
– Expression number
– Heart’s Desire number
– Personality number
– Birth day

Only when these 4 number pairs appear, then it will be considered as having karmic debt. You can have one or more karmic debt, and also no karmic debt.

For example, if your birth day has the values of 13, 14, 16 or 19, then these digits are linked to the karmic debt number pairs directly. Since your birthday is is on 13th April, so you are linked with Karmic Debt number pair 13.

Your date of birth is 13.
Reduce 13 to a single digit.
1 + 3 = 4*
The day 13 is reduced to 4.
[This is Karmic Debt number pair 13/4, and when this appears in the calculation, it is considered you are linked to Karmic Debt number 13/4]

For the relevant karmic debt reference, you can check these pages for explanation: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/numerology/karmic-debt-number.html

Dear Tyler,

Thank you for your question. To make multiple mandala offerings, you simply finish one mandala offering and then you repeat. If your mandala set has the rings, then you should use them. However, in some traditions, when you are doing many, many repititions of the mandala offering, you do not need to use the rings every time. So the video you saw of the person just putting all the jewels and rice on the base may have been this.

There is however a part of the offering at the begining where you put a small amount of the jewels/rice on the base and rub the base clockwise and then again anti-clockwise using part of your forearm. This is to purify and bless the set before actually making the offering itself. This could have also been what you saw.

There is a video teaching by Tsem Rinpoche on mandala offerings here: https://youtu.be/ePCXCGo-Jrs

You can also get a small booklet which explains all about mandala offerings here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/the-mandala-offering-of-37-heaps