Interviewing Most Venerable Geshe Namgyal Wangchen of Drepung Loseling Monastery about H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche Interview Transcript Drepung Loseling Monastery (November 2007) So to start off with maybe, if possible, you can recollect about how it all first began, how did Rinpoche first come to know about you. If...
Posted in Great Lamas & Masters, བོད་ཡིག | 37 Comments »
The following stunning pictures are of my private altar to Buddha Vajra Yogini. Except for one, all the candles are battery operated so they are safer and do not produce any smoke on the altar. The shrine contains the sacred and beautiful Vajrayogini produced by Kechara and she is 5ft in height. She is...
Posted in Downloads, Gallery | 3 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Datuk May) Being of Chinese descent, the very thought of exhuming an ancestral grave causes great concern and superstitious fear of impending misfortune and inauspiciousness. The inevitability of having to exhume ancestral graves occurred twice before for me but somehow I was not that affected as someone else was going...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Guest Contributors | 26 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Adeline) Introduction Kucha, or Kuchar, was one of the earliest and most prominent centres in the Tarim Basin along the northern branch of the ancient Silk Road. The ancient Silk Road was an important trade route where commerce was carried out and cultural exchange took place. It was...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, China, China 中国, Travel | 10 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Significance to Buddhist Sarnath is considered a sacred place to the Buddhists for being the place where Gautama Buddha first taught seven weeks after achieving enlightenment in the 6th century BC. This first teaching is known in Sanskrit as Dharmacakrapravartana Sutra, Turning the Wheel of Dharma Sutra. The main topic is...
Posted in Asia, Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Travel | 10 Comments »
In a world where China has overtaken the United States as the world’s largest economy arguably, reverberations are being felt in many fields. In the latest move by the European Central Bank, it has exchanged some of its US dollar reserves for Chinese yuan for the first time in its history. For Europe this...
Posted in Current Affairs & News | 10 Comments »
The customs of each country is very unique. As you learn more some traditions endear you and some traditions really surprise you. I am not here to judge any custom, but I am not in agreement with traditions that bring pain to others. The tradition of eating dog meat among some non-Muslim population exists...
Posted in Animals, Vegetarianism & Environment, Food & Recipes | 31 Comments »
In the heart of Indochina lies Laos, a tropical country that was once known as the realm of a million elephants. Today Laos or Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao P.D.R.) boasts a wealth of natural wonders and unchartered rivers, surrounded by mountains and lush green landscapes, making it one of the leading countries for...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Asia, Travel | 8 Comments »
以往來到克切拉禪修林我都沒有太大的感覺,只知在山氣氤氳的叢林中,有一所現代化的禪修中心。它像是美國紐約Loft style 的建築,挑高的天花,偌大的玻璃,沒有披上華麗的外衣,灰灰的磚牆、粗礦的水泥地,靜謐地佇立在山嶺間,不惹塵俗。
Posted in Guest Contributors, Kechara - 13 Depts, 中文 | 5 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Niral) We all go through some form of negativity throughout our lives, and that’s just how life in our world is. During such periods in our lives, we get so caught up in the negativity itself that we forget the fact that we actually control our own minds. In...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice | 16 Comments »
Introduction The Buddhist scriptures from China are great treasures of knowledge, and came about due to the kindness of the Buddhist masters who risked their lives to travel to China in order to spread the Dharma. The hardships that they endured throughout their journeys didn’t stop them from sharing the Buddha’s precious teachings...
Posted in China, China 中国, Great Lamas & Masters, Travel | 11 Comments »
Kiri Vehera Stupa (Kiri Vehera) in Kataragama is one of the sixteen sacred places in Sri Lanka that have been visited by Buddha Shakyamuni (Solosmasthana). Kiri Vehera is unique because it facilitates a close and beautiful relationship between Buddhism and Hinduism. In the 6th century BC, King Mahasena, the previous incarnation of the celebrated...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Asia, Inspiration & Worthy Words, Travel | 9 Comments »
One of my favourite things to do as a child was to spend evenings with my grandmother at the Cantonese opera. The hypnotising colours, customs and sounds at the shows held me spellbound and I would always end up having a score of questions to ask towards the end of the show. In this...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Guest Contributors | 23 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Cambodia or formally known as the Kingdom of Cambodia is located at the Southern part of Indochina peninsula (mainly comprises of 3 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) in Southeast China. Its largest city is Phnom Penh, which is also the capital of the country. The kingdom practises a parliamentary monarchy, the current...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Asia, Travel | 12 Comments »
Dear friends around the world, Here is some good news that will really make your day. This kind of news really inspires people, and gives us hope and strength. This man is really a role model for people all over the world. His actions show us a way of life that is more compassionate,...
Posted in Animals, Vegetarianism & Environment | 27 Comments »
Dear friends around the world, This is a very important article as it concerns every sentient being on this planet. Please read carefully and share with friends. Please contribute to saving our planet and ourselves. I have been a long-time advocate for a meat-free diet, and this has come about not only from the...
Posted in Animals, Vegetarianism & Environment | 19 Comments »
(译文请往下阅读) Dear Friends, Here are some old photos that I would like to share with you. It was my first job at Fotomat in Los Angeles and I was 16 going on 17. It was tough getting that job. I was so worried I would not get the job. But Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen intervened. They bring back bitter and nice memories of those days when I was younger in a huge city. My teenage years in Los Angeles, California. I lived there for eight years in Los Angeles at Thubten Dhargye Ling Dharma centre till I left in 1987 at 22 for India to become a Buddhist monk...
Posted in Autobiography, Me, 中文 | 13 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Dear friends around the world, It is wonderful to know that China recently completed the construction of Nanhai Buddhist College, their version of Nalanda University in India. I am very happy to see that the Chinese government are willing and able to invest billions into the growth of Buddhism, and to...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, China, China 中国, Travel | 19 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) Introduction Since the time of the Buddha, the Dharma that he taught has spread to many countries beyond India. This has resulted in Buddhism adapting and becoming entrenched in many parts of Asia. Each country that Buddhism has spread to have developed their own unique flavour while retaining...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Asia, Travel | 12 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) For a practitioner who truly is interested to practice the Dharma, one must begin with the accomplishment of the preliminary practices, which is known as Ngondro in Tibetan. If the preliminaries are done well and with the right motivation, later practices of Tantra will developing profound realisations, and...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice | 23 Comments »