Be Happy I Was Robbed?
Years ago, I was on a train from Delhi to South India (Gaden) and it was a 2 night and 3 day journey. I was accompanying Kyabje Lati Rinpoche and Kensur Jampa Yeshe Rinpoche. We all went to sleep..in the middle of the night we stopped at some station, someone stuck their hands in the window (my window was broken and wouldn’t close) and stole my monk bag with my prayer book/ Buddha pictures, and 600 rupees. That was all the money I had and it was suppose to last around a month. I was distressed. From the commotion, Kyabje Lati Rinpoche woke and I told him what occurred. He couldn’t stop laughing and laughing and laughing AT ME. I was irritated but didn’t dare show it…after he wiped his tears away from laughing so long and loud at me, while I am frustrated about my bag…he got serious and said, now meditate and pray and hope the contents of your bag will benefit the person who took it.
I quieted down and did what Kyabje Lati Rinpoche said after he went back to sleep. I prayed the Heruka, Vajra Yogini, Tara pictures I had pasted into my sadhana book in the bag will be seen by the robber, his family and and neighbours and that they will recieve the imprints of these Buddhas in their minds. I even hope they will place the pictures on their altars as Indians are very respectful of holy pictures no matter how they procured it… I really meditated and prayed this way. And went to sleep feeling much better and released…I learned so much….
I prostrate to the feet of the Glorious Holder of Gaden, Kyabje Lati Rinpoche who embodied everything Tsongkapa advised us to do with our short lives. May we never be seperated from this great being.
Folded hands and bowed head,
Tsem Rinpoche
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
1. Transforming problems into Dharma Path; a simple yet profound quote that we often heard.
2. Taking responsibility is yet another reminder that Rinpoche often mentioned.
3. Karma: the ultimate boomerang effect.
Thank you Rinpoche for this story.
If my bag was being stolen I will definitely reacted with all kind of negative feelings. This article is an eyes opening to me coz I have never thought of praying for someone who had hurt me, this clearly shown how ego I am.
This article has taught me to let go and be selflessness, if I can work toward this Mind Transformation, this will be valuable gift to myself..
Thank you TR
1984 Los Angeles-Left to right: Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, monk assistant to Zong Rinpoche and the 18-year-old Tsem Rinpoche prior to ordination. Read more- https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/me
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
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com
Tsem Rinpoche at Kechara Forest Retreat, Bentong, Malaysia
I loved this story of Rinpoche which I listened to on YouTube. It had stuck in my memory and helped me change my view on my misfortunes as they arise. When karma ripens, something will happen to us as we had sowed the seed previously. However, we need not succumb to the results but instead with Dharma, we can prevent more karma from arising whilst exhausting the current one. Rinpoche’s Guru, Kyabje Lati Rinpoche certainly showed his attainments in cautioning Rinpoche ahead of the event and taught Rinpoche to generate kindness & compassion towards the thief.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this in your blog and may your experience help others transform their mind by turn something bad into positive outcome.
When unfortunate things happened to us, it is very common that negatives emotions disturb our mind causing us frustrated, sad, moody, cursing or even take revenge on it. If we are not able to overcome negative emotions, these will only lead to more and more unhappiness, troublesome and further drag us down to misery.
Only if we are able to change our mind and think the other way round, this particular incident might not that bad at all. Always remember to forgive and be Wise and compassionate.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this with us.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this experience.
I’ll definitely get angry if my belongings were to be stolen. That’s how small our mind and attitude is. Always thinking about ourselves.
From this experience, I learn that we should be compassionate to everyone even if these people stole our things. We should pray that they benefit from it and generate the understanding not to steal in the future.
Likewise, we should pray for the people we don’t like. Slowly, the more we let go, the lesser we are attach to anger and hatred.
[…] https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/funnies/be-happy-i-was-robbed.html […]
感恩仁波切的开示与教诲
很多时候，当我们无论因什么情况下失去了我们视为珍贵的东西，财物，我们总是会伤心或抱怨，倘若是被偷去我被骗去，我们甚至乎会怨恨或报复对方
而透过仁波切的这个开示，我学习到了，当失去时，我们应该静下心来打坐，并祈祷，希望所失去的东西，财务，能过利益与帮助到有需要的人，并祝福
失去的已经失去，牵念不舍或怨恨生气，但既然事实已经发生，我们就不要在掉入在着里，反而依循仁波切的教诲，我们还因此多了一个累积功德的机会及转化我们的心似变的更菩提心
在仁波切的这个开示里，最殊胜的是，这是一份传承，仁波切的其中一位上师Kyabje Lati 仁波切的开示，仁波切在这里传予给了我们，感恩仁波切，无私与大爱的给予我们佛法教诲
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this with us. I always get very angry and sometimes start to curse the person that steals my things. A few years ago my mother explained to me that if the person did not have to, they would not have resorted to stealing. She told me that those things that I have lost due to people stealing them have benefited those people, and we can get it again since we are able to afford. Hence, we should not get angry with those people.
After reading this article it made me understand that it is true that if we can benefit the people that have taken our items, we should just let the matter pass. Not be angry with them as it is because of their environment that has forced them to result into such actions. Instead of being angry, this article taught me that I should pray for them, praying that they will receive the items that they would need in the future, not through stealing but getting the items through trading or buying them.
This is one of those amazing stories of the wisdom and blessings that Rinpoche got by being under these great Lamas. These stories are like little gems that imparts not just wisdom but also a little bit of magic and wisdom that just shows the deep guru-disciple relationship that exists between Rinpoche and these senior lamas. Each of these stories impart such wonderful blessings and the way in which Rinpoche told it makes us feel immersed into Rinpoche’s world.
Unfortunate for all of us, Lati Rinpoche and Kensur Jampa Yeshe Rinpoche had entered clear light. They were great teaches with Lati Rinpoche was the Lama that instructed Rinpoche to come to Malaysia to teach and Kensur Jampa Yeshe Rinpoche was the Lama that enthroned Rinpoche during his tenure as the Abbot of the monastery. It is sad that the older generation of Lamas are passing away. They are some of older generation of Lamas that were trained in Tibet and very few of such great Lamas exist anymore.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this powerful teaching of Lati Rinpoche. There are so many robberies around and how many of us really can think to be compassion to the robbers… This is a very impactful teaching for me to be to learn to be compassion, regardless of who the person is, or to which beings in the six realms. Equanimity… I still have a lot to practice on.
I remembered Rinpoche sharing this story to us a long time ago when I first started volunteering in Kechara back in 2000. To me this wonderful, hilarious story had so many profound meaning but what stood out to me then and now still is that we should not be attached to anything, even to something as precious as our sadhana book cos in the end we cannot take even that to our death beads. Instead we should rejoice, I guess that is why Lati Rinpoche laughed…laughing at how silly us grasp and get easily worked up over something we are attached to.
This teaching we can apply to so many things in our daily life… how we get so easily upset when things don’t go our way and how we react. It is funny when we look back and think about it… all that anger we had, no one else is suffering except us. If we come across a bad situation, we should keep calm and think, and watch our minds. If the problem is solvable, why bother getting upset and ruining our entire day. Thinking of a solution calmly is much better then reacting to it negatively. Laugh about it if you can, rejoice upon it if it is good…hard as it may seem but it is better than having a heavy heart.
Thinking that perhaps the robber may get a blessing is better than thinking the robber robbed “me” and did the robber robbed my belongings or rather my attachments?
As like most people we would be upset and angry if someone stole our belongings. However, Rinpoche will always change something negative to positive. This blog article teaches us to be forgiving, to let go of attachment and to have compassion for those who harm us.
Thank you, Rinpoche, for sharing this experience with us.
What a good post this is that shows how we can and should turn bad situations into positive ones. This is one of the stories I have heard personally from Rinpoche and it has always stuck in my mind. Because of this story, when one of Rinpoche’s students had her bag snatched I remember that she laughed as she recalled Rinpoche’s own account of his similar experience and instead of lamenting her loss, made an aspirational prayer for the snatch thieves.
We owe it to Lati Rinpoche that Rinpoche is here in Malaysia to teach us because it was Lati Rinpoche’s request for our Guru to be here. We are also very fortunate to have Lati Rinpoche’s relics in the Kechara Gompa and every time I see the holy stupa which houses the relic, I am reminded of how totally devoted Rinpoche has been to his Gurus even after they have passed on.
Here is a video of Lati Rinpoche’s relic being invited to Kechara House: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqXBZ-m6DbY
Thank you for sharing the experience Rinpoche, there is always a reason for someone to steal, i hope the robber well and may he receive the dharma soon.
Everyday,there are at least one case of someone’s bag being snatched. This nearly happened to my sister, Pam, too. Thank Buddha she’s alright. She only has a few minor scratches and bruises and the bag wasn’t snatched away.
I will always be mindful with my surroundings and be careful. Will make sure to remind the people around me to do the same too. I will also learn to let go if at all such misfortune befalls me.
Rinpoche is such a perfect Guru. Rinpoche not only teaches us and leads by example, Rinpoche shares His experiences as well!
Thank you, Rinpoche!
it a very good experience..
Hello Rinpoche,
With the simple act of laughter and 1 sentence of advise, Lati Rinpoche presented Rinpoche (and now many others through this blog post) a powerful learning opportunity to be forgiving, unattached to material goods that can be taken from us at any moment and compassion to others…even those who have harmed us.
From this example, I also see that there is always an opportunity to practice Boddhicitta and benefit others. May we all use this learning and begin to identify the many opportunities everyday to progress in our Dharma practice.
Dear Rinpoche,
Thank you for posting this up, my bag was snatched few hours ago and this post really help me to recollect my thoughts.
I will do a prayer for the snatch thieves now.
Hope that you will have a good rest.
Regards,
Anna
I had many similar things happen to me that is somehow related to this post. Sometimes, whenever people would either swipe something from my desk or “borrow” stuff without returning it. This applies to smaller objects such as paper. I will feel frustrated but in the end I just believe that what they stole might have benefited them in one way or another. That makes me happy.
People should feel happy when they are robbed as what is stolen may benefit someone in need.
what a powerful story!
I am humbled reading this post because it reminds me of yet another instance in Rinpoche’s life where forgiveness is learned. Learning to forgive those who ‘hurt’ you teaches you so many lessons about compassion and freeing the other person from the full karma of hurting you, about real generosity and being able to give freely to those who hurt you, and even about how an ‘I’ doesn’t really exist (so therefore there is nothing to hurt).
I fold my hands to Rinpoche for the great guru devotion he has, that has led him to Malaysia to teach us.
Appreciates the mantra, “Catch your mind! Don’t let it be bitchy!”
I struggle with so many things right now but every time I remember this mantra, it helps a lot.
Tsem Rinpoche talks in a way that makes you listen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gaPa6a5TpI&feature=related
Sorry, maybe I should have said, “slogan” instead of mantra.
Lets work and put all effort for the rest of our lives to achieve even the 1% mind of Lati Rinpoche.
“Hatred cannot coexist with loving-kindness, and dissipates if supplanted with thoughts based on loving-kindness.” Please bless me to develop loving-kindness.
Thank you very much for sharing this with us. I really hope that the robber benefited from all the teachings he received from your bag. Hopefully, the power of the prayer books and holy pictures could have change his fate as a robber. May your books and holy pictures bless him and his family. Early this month it was my first time to visit the Gompa. My very first time to see the stupa that contains Lati Rinpochi at the altar of Lama Tsong Khapa, I couldnt stop crying. I dont know why but tears just comes to my eyes. Till Gim Lee had to tell me to stop crying.
Dear Rinpoche
thank u for posting this wonderful experience
I have the habit of losing things and when my things get stolen, my mother used to tell me that it will take away all my misfortunes and barche
from now i will pray that they get benefit from it, instead of misfortunes
thank you for opening my heart