Sonia, Sara and me
Left in red is my cousin Sonia, centre my cousin Sara and me in the white. This was in Los Angeles, California. The girls flew out to meet me. I was so happy to meet them. I was working and living on my own in Los Angeles. Behind me is the Dharma centre Thubten Dhargye Ling I lived at.
My two cousins and myself would ride around in my Volkswagon bug car that I used…it was slow, but it got us around. I drove them all over the city as it was there first time here in Los Angeles. We all were young and didn’t have much money, but we made the dollar stretch and had plenty of fun. I remember the time fondly.
I grew up with these cousins. Sonia lived in Philadelphia but she would be back in Howell, New Jersey couple times a year for holidays, family events, visits and all. I liked when she visited. Sara lived just couple a minutes away from where I lived in Howell. Sara has kept in contact with me for the last two decades. She always kept in contact. Sara with her mom (Aunt Matza) visited Malaysia too. I was real happy to see them here in Malaysia..
Those were the fun days in the 1980’s with my cousins in Los Angeles…
Tsem Rinpoche
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A poem inspired by seeing a picture of my teacher, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche…
In the sport of correct views,
all that is correct is just a view,
without permanence or substance.
As long as we hold onto views,
our sufferings are gathered
to be experienced without end.
Without the strong methods of emptiness
and compassion, bereft of merit,
we sink deeper without respite.
To arise from this samsara is but
a dreamscape on the deluded mind.
Therefore seek the guru, who confers the yidam,
hold your vows and fixate on liberation
free of new creations. Free of new experiences as
there are none.
~ Tsem Rinpoche
Composed in Tsem Ladrang, Kuala Lumpur on July 7, 2014
A poem by Tsem Rinpoche
I was walking past a second hand shop on Western Ave selling old things. They had a Japanese-style clay Buddha which was beige in colour on the floor, holding the door open. I thought the shopkeeper would collect a lot of negative karma without knowing if he kept such a holy item on the floor as a doorstop. So I went in to talk to him, but he didn’t look like he wanted to talk or that he even cared. So I asked him the price and he said US$5. I purchased it so he did not collect more negative karma. I was 17 years old and that was in 1982.
I escorted my new Buddha home and washed it lightly and wiped it. I placed it on my altar and was happy with the Buddha. I would do my meditations, prayers, sadhanas, mantras and prostrations in front of this shrine daily. When I left for India in 1987, I could not bring this Buddha along and gave it to a friend. It was a nice size and I made offerings to this Buddha for many years in Los Angeles. In front of the Buddha I placed His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s photo. I remember I was so relieved that the price was affordable. But US$5 that time was still expensive for me but worth it I thought. But I was happy to have brought the Buddha home. Tsem Rinpoche
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Tsem Rinpoche at Kechara Forest Retreat, Bentong, Malaysia
“We all were young and didn’t have much money, but we made the dollar stretch and had plenty of fun. I remember the time fondly.”
Reading this made me recall about my teenage time, having so much fun with my cousins. They always come to stay with me. Everything seems very easy, straightforward and simple, laugh when happy and cry when sad. When I get older, we chase for our own dreams and fight for our own goals. We became more and more complicated. I feel hard to find truth in people’s heart out there. But it’s a very sweet memory of those days.
What a lovely and warm picture of Rinpoche and his cousins. Rinpoche has that knack to get people to follow his lead and make them comfortable in his presence no matter who you are.
I can imagine how Rinpoche was that time being with cousins, I too have close cousins those days, it is all about funs, hanging around, bullying each otherjoke, laugh, and tease each other, but after grow up, time spending with each other become lesser, and the distance also became further, everyone is busy with their own work and families now.
a past is a past, we can’t go back to that time, but we can treasure that, keep that in heart that once we had each other before. Lives still move on, important is what’s lies ahead and what we do for a better future for us and the people around us.
I don’t have cousins that I am closed to but I am fortunate enough to have sisters and a brother whom I am close to. It reminds me of my younger times where spending quality moments with family are so simple. Memorable moments doesn’t have to be made complicated by money and entertainments. With just the simple ingredients of warmth, care and love, we are able to have so much fun with each other.
This picture reminds me very much of that.
Nice photo. It remind me of my cousins too. I used to spent every holidays, from day one to the last day of holiday with my cousins in grandma’s house.
Now we see each others only once or twice a year, but I get contact and chat with two of my cousins on Facebook recently! One of them is much younger then we yet to have much communication during those days. I am so happy not only because we reconnect with each other, what make me more happier is we share topics on Dharma and religion, even though not in depth communication…Hope we could share more:P
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
Dear Rinpoche, I misses my cousin too, they are in Penang. As I was the only girl in my family, my cousins sisters are like my sisters, and we have still keep the bond between us, and even they have their own families, we still make effort to meet for dinners, birthdays and celebration. I am very glad to have them as cousins…even when I was small they used to take me for movies, etc…and now we are in our adulthood and have become moms, we are still very bonding. As now am in KL, I misses them a lot.
Sara and Aunt Matza are Rinpoche’s closest relatives in US. I thank them for being who they are to Rinpoche. Hope to see them again in Malaysia.
Met Sara and Aunt Matza when they are in Malaysia. They are all very cheerful and Chirpy. It is so nice to Rinpoche’s relative in Malaysia. We have been sending books and gifts to them from time to time and finally we met in Malaysia and I must say Aunt Matza is very proud of Rinpoche to become who he is now. Rinpoche never forget the kindess people given to him.
It is nice to be reminded that Rinpoche had very lovely cousins whose company was fun for Rinpoche and who lit up his life in those early years, years of much suffering.They have kept in touch and Sara and Rinpoche’s aunt paid him a visit last year.
Rinpoche , through these recollections,is reminding us to remember the kindnesses of those who have been kind to us and to repay their kindness.
This leads on to that part of the Lamrim, where we have the sevenfold cause and effect method of generating Bodhicitta.Step one is to recognize all beings as having been our mothers. Step 2 is to remember their kindness. Step 3 is to repay their kindness.
Very nice picture hehe…
I too am fortunate to have cousins that are closely knitted… and even now, we still keep contact with each other very often although it’s usually through messaging lol! I suppose communication technologies do help bring people close together with our busy lifestyle and being busy/ living far away should never be an excuse to not care for others.
Really thoughtful of them to come visit Rinpoche!
Even though Rinpoche went through so much at home, Rinpoche’s cousins always cheer Him up.
If I were to look at my old pictures again, I’d be laughing for a long time!
Yes, I remember Sara, her daughter (if I remember correctly) and Aunt Matza’s visit to Rinpoche last year. Aunt Matza is like an aunt to everyone she meets, warm and friendly. Sara too, is like she’s known all of us for a long time.
It’s good to meet these people who have known Rinpoche since he was young and hear from them the fond recollections of their growing-up together.
I hope Aunt Matza & Sara are well and happy in the States.
No words can truly describe the happiness one has in reveiving old photographs of happy young days to refresh one’s memory. As in Rinpoche’s young photo of himself with his two beautiful cousins, all of them really look so marvellously radiant and happy, with such lovely smiles. Any sadness one has in their hearts will instantly vanish just by looking at their faces of happiness. Those were really the fun days in 1980’s as said by Rinpoche with his cousins whilst practising and living at Thubten Dhargye Ling Dharma centre. Many thanks for sharing such lovely memories of happiness with us, Rinpoche, though in pictures.
It is nice to go through old pictures taken during teenage years. Those were the carefree days, when life was less complicated and less responsibilitites. I am sure Rinpoche misses them to bits as besides Sara, Rinpoche has not seen your other cousins and friends since leaving LA and with some even longer than that (since leaving Howell).
But sometimes even if siblings and relatives are in same country but different objectives and interests in life, they dont see each other too as they just naturally grow apart.I felt the same until dharma brought us all together in my case. Dharma unites.
I can relate to when I become older me and my cousins become distance. They started to have their own families and life… me myself to be blame 🙁 We have different set of interests and priorities in life.
“Dharma unites” -> I like it 🙂
What a sweet, wonderful, photo! Thank you for sharing, Rinpoche!