Master Hongyi – The Maverick Patriarch of the Chinese Buddhism

By | Sep 16, 2022 | Views: 1,615

HY000
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Adeline Woon)

It’s intolerable to see
The continual endless suffering
Of all living beings
[When its source is their delusion];
And it’s unbearable to witness
The Sage’s teaching in decline
[Where it once was well established
For over a millennia].

– – –

Outside the long pavilion walkway,
Along both sides of an old path,
There grow the most fragrant wild grasses
Whose vivid green blends into the sky.
[It’s always there to teach
And ready to be realized,
With sound,
With no sound.]

– – –

While the evening wind chases a flute’s song,
The setting sun slowly turns away…
Within the wide expanse of sky,
And all corners of the earth,
Who truly encounters another?
[Without saying a word,
By just ringing a bell,
They naturally
Understand each other.]

 

Introduction

A portrait of Master Hongyi

A portrait of Master Hongyi

The history of Buddhism is the history of virtuous individuals who have connected with and explored the Three Jewels – the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. They have come from all walks of life; from commoners to royalty, artists to scientists, and nameless wanderers to renowned achievers.

Despite their differences, they are bound by the ancient profound wisdom of the Buddha and the noble character of Dharma.

And while many have developed an appreciation for the Three Jewels, rarer still are those who have taken the selfless step of completely renouncing secular life and joining the Sangha order, spending their lives achieving the Truth. One such person was Master Hongyi.

Born into a wealthy and illustrious family, Master Hongyi made a name for himself as an especially gifted artist. At the peak of his artistic and personal life, he renounced the material world and embraced the robes of an ordained Buddhist monk.

Master Hongyi dedicated the rest of his life to Buddhist practice and became one of the most prominent monks of 20th Century China.

The well-known adherent of the Vinaya path of Chinese Buddhism tradition, Master Hongyi

The well-known adherent of the Vinaya path of Chinese Buddhism tradition, Master Hongyi

He was a well-known adherent of the Vinaya path of Chinese Buddhism tradition, a talented multi-disciplinary artist and a charismatic teacher. Although he was also called Wentao (文涛), Guanghou (广侯) and Shutong (叔同), Hongyi (弘一) is the name by which he is most commonly known.

Master Hongyi was a master of painting, calligraphy, music, drama, song writing, acting, poetry and seal-carving. His early life, when he was known as Li Shutong, coincided with what is often referred to as China’s ‘transitional period’ between the 1890s to 1911, which saw the collapse of China’s last imperial dynasty.

This ‘transitional period’ was also marked by the rise to prominence of reformers who emphasised the social and political relevance of culture. Their goal was to reform the nation through the expression of Chinese culture through reimagined lens.

 

Life as Li Shutong, Master of Arts

Li Shutong in his youth. After becoming ordained as a monk, he took the name Hongyi.

Li Shutong in his youth. After becoming ordained as a monk, he took the name Hongyi.

Master Hongyi (弘一大师, October 23, 1880 – October 13, 1942) was born Li Shutong (李叔同) to wealthy parents in the northern commercial city of Tianjin. The well-educated family was originally from Hongdong County, Shanxi and had migrated to Tianjin during the Ming Dynasty.

Li Shutong’s grandfather was a wealthy banker and salt merchant while his father, Li Shizhen (李世珍), was a scholar and devoted reader of Chan Buddhism and the works of Ming Neo-Confucian thinker, Wang Yangming (1472-1529).

His mother had a much simpler upbringing – she was a farmer’s daughter from Pinghu in Zhejiang Province. She was his father’s fourth wife in the multi-courtyard household, and was only 20 when he was born; his father was 68.

Master Hongyi’s father passed away when he was just four. Living under her eldest son’s roof, his mother struggled to maintain her position while navigating the complicated dynamics of the household. Li Shutong, however, was fortunate that two of his elder half-brothers took him under their wing in his early years. He was able to receive a good education and a solid grounding in the Confucian classics.

The young Li Shutong mastered the art of calligraphy and after his ordination as Master Hongyi, he continued to engage in this artistic tradition. This calligraphy, produced during the period of his life when he was known as Master Hongyi, reads from right to left

The young Li Shutong mastered the art of calligraphy and after his ordination as Master Hongyi, he continued to engage in this artistic tradition. This calligraphy, produced during the period of his life when he was known as Master Hongyi, reads from right to left “Zijing Qixin” (自净其意). It means “to cleanse one’s mind” and is an extract from a famous verse.

Li Shutong exhibited precocious intelligence and talent, and became exceptionally good at calligraphy, seal-carving and poetry. He also displayed an early preoccupation with religion, memorising ritual texts recited by Buddhist monks at family memorial services.

“When I was only five years old,” he wrote in an essay published in 1937, “I often met monks and many of them performed religious services at our home. By the time I was 12 or 13, I could already recite rituals of exorcism.”

Although there were clear signs that Li Shutong was inclined towards study and contemplating Buddhist philosophy before he was ordained, he was by no means a hermit or a recluse. In 1897, when he was only 17, he was wedded to a girl older than him by two years in a marriage arranged by his mother.

1905年,弘一大师(李叔同)赴日留学前,在天津自宅与其兄下围棋留影。左为弘一大师。

This rare picture was taken in 1905. Li Shutong (left) is seen here playing chess with his elder brother (right) at their Tianjin home before he left to Japan to further his studies.

It was a loveless marriage that Li Shutong did not enjoy. The couple had three sons together, the eldest of whom passed away at a young age.

Li Shutong took part in various political reform movements during his teenage years, and the volatility of the political environment compelled him to move in 1898 to the relative safety of Shanghai with his family.

In 1901, he enrolled at Nanyang Public School, which would later be known as Jiaotong University. Li had joined the Union of Shanghai Calligraphers and Painters the year before, and it served to showcase his prodigious talents in calligraphy, literature and painting. His reputation spread not only for his creative accomplishments but also for a love affair with a famous Shanghai beauty Xie Qiuyun (谢秋云), to whom he wrote this poem:

Recalling my frivolous past,
I regret indulging myself in sensual pleasure…

japanese

Li Shutong during his time in Japan, when he studied at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts.

Li Shutong used many pen names throughout his life, choosing a new one whenever a particularly momentous event occurred. When his mother passed away in 1905, Li Shutong changed his name to Li Ao (“Li who mourns for his mother”) and left for Japan, where he was already very well-known.

At the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in Ueno Park, Li studied Western oil painting under a leading Japanese oil painter, Kuroda Seiki (1866-1924). He also studied piano and composition, and composed many songs using the Western harmonic-melodic models.

In 1906, he took on the role of editor at Little Music magazine. In the magazine’s preface written January 3, 1906, Li Shutong produced an intense effect of being downhearted and trapped while contemplating the fate of the nation in the final paragraph:

An anxious moon and a desolate wind accompany the uneven sounds of a reed pipe. China’s uncertain future hangs in the balance. In the corner of a tavern I sit alone, the evenings pass by like years. I pick up my pen but can’t write a word, reduced as I am to weeping tears.

Li Shutong's charcoal drawing titled 'Maiden'

Li Shutong’s charcoal drawing titled ‘Maiden’

Despite his penchant for drawing, painting and music, Master Hongyi attracted the most attention for his works in the field of drama.

He was a skilled amateur performer of Chinese opera. In 1906, he formed the Spring Willow Society with a number of overseas Chinese theatre enthusiasts in Tokyo and often played the female lead in a drama troupe co-founded with the overseas Chinese student community.

The following year, the Society performed a number of plays, including Black Slaves Cry to Heaven, based on Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novels, as well as La Dame aux camélias and Uncle Tom’s Cabin, translated by Lin Shu. These plays took the Tokyo drama world by storm and their performances were a roaring success acclaimed by both Chinese and Japanese critics.

he formed the Spring Willow Society

A group picture of the Spring Willow Society members

Li Shutong left the Spring Willow Society in the winter of 1908 to focus on painting and music. He also met his lover, Yukiko, who bore him a son and a daughter. In March 1910, he graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and returned to Tianjin with their children. He took up a position as a teacher of drawing at the Zhili Normal Technical Institute in Tianjin.

Li settled into long-term employment in 1912 at the Hangzhou Zhejiang Province First Normal College as a music and art teacher. The college was relatively new and at the forefront of China’s emerging education reformation. Li Shutong also taught art history while continuing with his calligraphy, music composition, painting, seal-carving, poetry and songwriting.

"A Half-naked Woman" by Li Shutong, collected by CAFA Art Museum, China

“A Half-naked Woman” by Li Shutong, collected by CAFA Art Museum, China

The 1912 stock market collapse exacted a severe toll on the Li family fortune; Li Shutong and his two half-brothers found themselves on the brink of bankruptcy. He moved back to Shanghai in the spring and taught music at East Shanghai Girls’ School. He also became actively involved in several newly-formed literary societies in the early days of the new Chinese republic.

Master Hongyi with his students, Liu Zhi Ping (left) and Feng Zikai (right), before entering into a retreat in 1918.

Master Hongyi with his students, Liu Zhi Ping (left) and Feng Zikai (right), before entering into a retreat in 1918.

Li Shutong was appointed to Tianjin’s Bei-yang Advanced Industry School and took various art-related jobs to support his growing family. As one of the leading figures who introduced modern – in this case, ‘Western’ – elements into the Chinese arts scene, Li Shutong was actively engaged with leading arts figures in Shanghai’s booming creative circles.

He was the first Chinese art educator to introduce nude models in his painting classes, as well as the first teacher who taught Western music in China. Some students whom he personally groomed, such as contemporary Chinese artist, educator and musician Feng Zikai (丰子恺), and Singaporean artist Chen Wenxi (陳文希), went on to become accomplished artists in their own right.

 

Ordination

Li Shutong holding his 21-day fasting diary

Li Shutong holding his 21-day fasting diary

It was during this period that Li Shutong came into more meaningful contact with Buddhism. In 1916, he undertook a 21-day fast at a temple in Hangzhou to experience for himself aspects of the spiritual path. This would lead to his embrace of the ordained life not very long after.

A mid-life transition to monkhood was a very unusual thing in early 20th Century China, particularly for an upper class, highly educated and professionally successful person like Li Shutong. Though he had shown a penchant for both solitude and abruptness, these were traits associated with his artistic pursuits rather than his social interactions.

Li Shutong’s decision to renounce secular life was relatively sudden; most spend years thinking about the commitment and engage in it one step at a time. He instead took refuge in the Three Jewels in 1917 and was ordained a Buddhist monk less than two years after his first encounter with monastic life.

Those two intervening years were the fundamental pivot point of his life. They were the transition from secular life to a spiritual one, dedicated to practising and propagating the Buddha’s teachings, particularly those on code of conduct (Vinaya).

There is a couplet that reflects his state of mind after becoming a monk:

Truth and error in history are only a fleeting dream,
A word of scripture redeems the soul.

In 1918, he was just 38 and a well-known figure on the arts scene. After becoming a monk, Li became known as Master Hongyi and practised only calligraphy. He developed a simple and unadorned, yet unique style that remains widely treasured today.

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Li Shutong received his ordination vows at Hangzhou’s well-known Lingyin Monastery (灵隐寺). Here is a tale of Li Shutong’s transition.

In 1916 he was feeling very uncomfortable with himself, such that he sought relief. To address this ailment of shenjing shuairuo (神經衰弱), which in Europe and the United States was called “neurasthenia” and described there as a modern disease of intellectual workers overcome by the tensions of the new age, Li Shutong had read in a Japanese magazine of a method of self-cure involving a graduated diet during a twenty-one day period of seclusion at the coldest period of the year. During the winter break from his job as music and art instructor at the Zhejiang Province First Normal College in Hangzhou, Li Shutong made arrangements through friends and took quiet lodging at a local Buddhist monastery beside West Lake, the Dinghuisi (定慧寺), located at Hupao (虎跑). This monastery is sometimes known as Hupaosi.

Arriving on December 14, 1916, he was given a guest room in the abbot’s building. He later described this period as the first opportunity he had to observe Buddhist monks within their own habitat. Earlier he had come into contact with troupes of monks hired to carry out memorial and consecration rites, who had come to his family compound in Tianjin, beginning with the rites that followed the death of his father. As he notes:

“Although from the age of five sui onward I often met monks, on those occasions I often saw monks who came to our home to chant scriptures and carry out worship and repentance rites. I even studied the fang yankou (放焰口) at age twelve or thirteen. But I never lived together with “having the Way” monks, and I didn’t know what it was like inside a monastery, nor what monks’ lives were like. When I went to Hupao Monastery, I saw their sort of lives. Not only was I very glad, but moreover I came to admire their way of life.”

When Li Shutong was around eight, one of the female relatives in his household began studying with a learned monk in Tianjin, and she began to chant some of the basic prayers, such as the Dabei zhou (大悲咒, Great Compassion Incantation). Li Shutong also would chant with her and soon memorized a number of these foundational works. Although they were forgotten later on, perhaps these early practices as a child formed a kind of hidden basis for a later affinity with Buddhist monastic life.

As an adult, he also had enjoyed casual strolls through accessible monasteries near his Hangzhou lodgings. But this experience at Hupao was different. He had the opportunity to observe on a daily basis a monk— not the abbot or other senior figure, just an ordinary monk in the monastery— whom he found admirable, who seemed to reflect in his countenance a kind of happiness that had entirely eluded the famous artist.

According to the diary that Li Shutong kept while in residence at Hupao (a peculiarly obsessive and self-regarding document that in some ways is vivid witness to his self-diagnosis), for these three weeks he continued some usual practices, mainly reading and calligraphic work. But his interest had been piqued, and he engaged this monk— who lived on the upper floor of the building where Li Shutong was quartered— in conversation, after which the monk introduced him to some Buddhist texts. The experience moved him in unforeseen ways. As he later wrote:

“Even though I only lived within the monastery precincts for a bit more than a half- month, my heart was utterly joyful. And I enjoyed eating their vegetarian food. After I returned to school, I asked the workers to prepare dishes in that style for me to eat. It can be said that the near cause for my becoming a monk was this time in which I went to Hupao to fast. By the second half of Minguo 6 [1917], I had decided to eat [only] vegetarian food. Then during that winter I sought out many scriptures, such as the “Chapter on Puxian’s Acts and Vows” [from the Huayanjing], the Lengyanjing, the Treatise on Arising Trust in Mahāyāna – many Buddhist scriptures – and in my room I also gathered together images of Buddhist figures such as the bodhisattvas Dizang and Guanshiyin, and I burned incense before them every day.”

During this same period, he regularly visited a friend, the somewhat reclusive and brilliantly learned philosopher Ma Yifu 馬一浮 (1883-1967), for instruction and conversation on Buddhist views. Li Shutong’s student at the time, the later very famous artist and essayist Feng Zikai 豐子愷 (1898-1975), sometimes accompanied his teacher to Ma Yifu’s house and listened quietly; he reports that the conversation was far over his head.

Step by step, Li Shutong’s mind turned toward the notion of a Buddhist inflected life. Early in 1918, roughly a year after the fast at Hupao, he made the ritual commitment to enter the Buddhist community as a layperson by taking refuge in the Three Jewels (the sanbao guiyi 三寶皈依 rite). This ceremony was presided over by a senior monk, the teacher of the monk whom he so admired at Hupao. He began gravitating more and more toward Buddhist life, spending school holidays in the Hupao monastery rather than visiting family or going on outings. There was something about it that suited him. As he tried on the clothes and customs of this world, they began to feel comfortable.

Two years after the fast, he left his teaching position at the end of the academic year, moved into the monastery at Hupao, and then “left home” (chujia 出家), which is the initial stage in becoming a monastic in the Chinese Buddhist tradition. While some novices take a year or so to get accustomed to monastic life and memorize the basic daily liturgies before committing to receive the full monastic precepts (“ordination”), Li Shutong immediately sought out the opportunity to make this commitment. Only a month after joining the Order, he was able to go through the preparatory training and then the full ordination rites at the largest monastery in Hangzhou, the Lingyinsi. Thereafter, he was known by the monastic names Yanyin (演音) and Hongyi (弘一).

(Source: Zhe, J., Goossaert, V., & Ownby, D. (2017). Making Saints in Modern China. New York (N.Y.): Oxford University press.)

 

Life as Master Hongyi, Patriarch of the Vinaya School of Chinese Buddhism

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For Master Hongyi, the three milestones that mark his passage from ordination as a novice monk to full ordination as a bhikshu took place in fairly close succession.

The adoption of a vegetarian diet was the first step in changing his daily activities to align with Buddhist teachings. Master Hongyi noted that it was the vital turning point to establishing a new life as an ordained monk.

He let go of his lay identity and success to lead a life guided by the 250 monastic precepts of behaviour. These range from serious transgressions such as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct and lying about one’s attainments, etc., to auxiliary transgressions such as those covering acts like walking, sitting and even one’s eating posture.

In addition, Master Hongyi also took the Bodhisattva Precepts which include fundamental Mahayana vows to seek liberation in order to aid all sentient beings. Precepts and vows are similar but not identical:

  • Precepts (rules): for the most part, to restrain and to control one’s speech and behaviour
  • Vows: to direct one’s inner life and to establish aspirations that give defined meaning to one’s actions

Precepts and vows are central to a Buddhist life. In many of Master Hongyi’s writings, one can see very clearly how these two aspects became the main focus of his life after he embraced the path to Enlightenment.

Master Hongyi studied and practised the Vinaya all his ordained life. His interest was not limited to clarifying the Vinaya but extended to restoring its central daily practices, such as the taking of two meals before noon, which had largely fallen out of practice in China at the time.

This was a significant departure from the life Master Hongyi had led up to that point, a life which was characterised by hedonism and a lack of restraint. The calligraphic works he created during his ordained life reflect his departure from that existence, to his concerns with vows made by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to aid all sentient beings.

 

Significant Events in Master Hongyi’s Ordained Life

Love Is Compassion

Stage photo from Spring Willow Society

Stage photo from Spring Willow Society

Both Master Hongyi’s wives were baffled with his decision and understandably reluctant to let him go. His Japanese wife was especially confused because he had once told her she was the ‘search of his life’ and that they were destined to be together.

An arrangement was made for them to meet and she asked him, “What is love?”

To her, the nature of love was to hold her beloved to her heart. It was difficult to let him go as she really loved him. However, Master Hongyi’s perspective of love had grown beyond that basic manifestation of love.

His answer was short and simple, yet profound: “Love is compassion.”

According to Buddhist teachings, true love is the ever-open hand that lets go of attachment and traditional perspectives of the beloved, and instead gives freely and equally to all.

 

An Advocate of Compassion

An illustration from the Pictorial Series on Protection of Life

An illustration from the Pictorial Series on Protection of Life

Master Hongyi authored the famous Poem & Pictorial Series on Protection of Life (《护生画集》) that expressed his mindful practice of the precepts and his message of compassion in every facet of life.

His exhortations were not just for others; Master Hongyi, the Maverick Monk, practised what he preached, inspecting his seat or bed closely before sitting or lying down, lest he harmed the smallest insect.

He would chant Amituofo (Amitabha Buddha) to bless any bug he found before releasing it. This was his way of advocating the importance of valuing the sanctity of life, no matter the size of the earthly vessel within which it was contained.

 

Attitude Towards Basic Needs

Master Hongyi had a remarkable attitude towards food, as captured in this commonly recounted tale:

One day Xia Mianzun, a well-known educator of that time, saw the venerable monk eating a simple dinner of a single dish of pickled vegetables. Feeling sorry, Xia Mianzun asked, “Don’t you think that the pickled vegetables are too salty?” Venerable Hongyi replied, “A salty taste has its own appeal.”

After dinner, the monk poured himself a glass of water. “Why not drink a cup of tea?” Xia asked, “Water is so bland.” Smiling, Master Hongyi replied, “Blandness has its own taste, too.”

The way the Master viewed food revealed not only that he had truly integrated Dharma into his daily life, but also how joyful a life of Chan can be.

Guo Beiping's oil painting of Master Hongyi

Guo Beiping’s oil painting of Master Hongyi

He was also known for his great frugality. For example, he would repair and keep using ragged robes and shoes, worn towels, old bedding and other personal items instead of replacing them with new ones. He would politely refuse any offer of new or better replacements simply because he was truly content with the little he had, not out of pride or stubbornness.

As an ordained monk, he saw no need to exchange what he felt was adequate with something that could be used to benefit others.

 

Cherish Our Blessings

Master Yinguang

Master Yinguang

Once, Master Hongyi stayed with Master Yinguang (印光大师), the 13th patriarch of the Pureland School of Chinese Buddhism, for seven days and spent time observing his practice of Dharma in everyday life.

When they were having a meal together, Master Hongyi emulated Master Yinguang’s practice of adding water to the food scraps in his bowl at the end of a meal and drinking the food ‘juice’. Master Yinguang responded by saying, “Yao xi fu ah!” (We must cherish our blessings!)

In the Mahayana teachings, it is said that gratitude for what we have, however small, is one of the fundamentals that gear us towards higher spiritual attainments, compassion, bodhi mind and wisdom.

A simple act like washing down one’s food can therefore become a Dharma practice that can be aligned with the path to Enlightenment.

 

Virtue of Humility

As Li Shutong, he was arrogant and proud of his background and achievements but reborn as Master Hongyi, he would humbly ask student monks for advice to improve his teaching of Dharma. Instead of rationalising his apparent faults, Master Hongyi would ask for his students’ feedback, humbly and without defending himself when a student monk was displeased with him due to a misunderstanding.

This was contrary to the usual expectations that a master is always perfect and flawless, and any apparent faults they may have must be rationalised without any doubt.

Once, Master Hongyi requested to be Master Yinguang’s disciple. Upon receiving the request, the latter humbly declined and thought it was more appropriate that they become Dharma co-practitioners and learn from each other’s virtues, so as to make up for each other’s faults.

Master Yinguang taught,

Constantly maintain a humble and repentful heart; even if one has upheld true cultivation, one should still feel one’s practice is shallow and never boast. One should mind one’s own business and not the business of others. Only look after the good examples of others in-stead of bad ones. One should see oneself as mundane and everyone else as Bodhisattvas. If one can cultivate according to these teachings, one is sure to reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss [Amituofo’s Pure Land]…

…Whether one is a layperson or has left the home-life, one should respect elders and be harmonious to those surrounding him. One should endure what others cannot, and practice what others cannot achieve. One should take others’ difficulties unto oneself and help them succeed in their undertakings.

While sitting quietly, one should often reflect upon one’s own faults, and when chatting with friends, one should not discuss the rights and wrongs of others.

In every action one makes, whether dressing or eating, from dawn to dusk and dusk till dawn, one should not cease to recite the Buddha’s name. Aside from Buddha recitation, whether reciting quietly or silently, one should not give rise to other improper thoughts. If wandering thoughts appear, one should immediately dismiss them.

(Source: “印光大師留世之作.” Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology. STUST. Accessed May 26, 2020. http://faculty.stust.edu.tw/~tang/Mahayana/teacher/master.htm.)

Later, Master Yinguang was revealed to be a manifestation of the Mahastamaprapta Bodhisattva (Dashizhi Pusa), to whom Master Hongyi was particularly attracted. This made such an important lesson of humility even more significant!

 

Song of the Triple Gem: A Collaboration

Master Hongyi (left) and Master Taixu (right) with whom he collaborated for the song

Master Hongyi (left) and Master Taixu (right) with whom he collaborated for the song “San Bao Ge” (Song of the Triple Gem).

Master Hongyi composed the music for the song San Bao Ge (《三宝歌》, Song of the Triple Gem) and had Master Taixu compose the words for it. The Chinese Buddhist community has since adopted it as an anthem. Master Taixu, being a great Buddhist education reformer, used the lyrics of this song to remind fellow Buddhist practitioners that ‘Buddhism is for the world’.

Master Hongyi’s encounters with the great masters of his time clearly show that the interest and focus of his ordained life never deviated from propagating Buddhism and preserving the Buddhadharma for the generations to come.

 

San Bao Ge (《三宝歌》, Song of the Triple Gem)

Or view the video on Youtube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvPgTXdxCb8

 

《三宝歌》

人天长夜 宇宙黮黯 谁启以光明
三界火宅 众苦煎迫 谁济以安宁
大悲大智大雄力 南无佛陀耶
昭朗万有 衽席群生 功德莫能名
今乃知 唯此是 真正皈依处
尽形寿 献身命 信受勤奉行

二谛总持 三学增上 恢恢法界身
净德既圆 染患斯寂 荡荡涅槃城
众缘性空唯识现 南无达摩耶
理无不彰 蔽无不解 焕乎其大明
今乃知 唯此是 真正皈依处
尽形寿 献身命 信受勤奉行

依净律仪 成妙和合 灵山遗芳形
修行证果 弘法利世 焰续佛灯明
三乘圣贤何济济 南无僧伽耶
统理大众 一切无碍 住持正法城
今乃知 唯此是 真正皈依处
尽形寿 献身命 信受勤奉行

English translation

Song of The Three Jewels

Night is endless, man’s world is dark, who lead us to the light
Who will free all living creatures from the scorching fire
Mercy wisdom and Great Might, Namo Buddhaya
You are lighting up my hearts and warming my body
Follow you, then I know, it is just the time
From now on, believe in you, offer all my life

Here we have “two truths” and “three studies” farming grand Dharma
Bondless pious deed help me enter land of Nirvana
Cause and impermanence decide all, Namo Dharmaya
You can uncover all the truths and as sun shining bright
Follow you, then I know, it is just the time
From now on, believe in you, offer all my life

Obey discipline, show the kindness, paragons from Linshan
Spiritual progress does good to the world
Buddha lamps never die
Men of virtue so many, Namo Sanghaya
You can command the people to guard the sublime
Follow you, then I know, it is just the time
From now on, believe in you, offer all my life

 

The End of His Life

By early 1942, austerities and fasts began to take their toll on Master Hongyi’s health and by mid-May, his health was deteriorating rapidly.

Three days before he passed away at Busi Temple in Quanzhou, Fujian Province on October 13, 1942, Master Hongyi wrote his last brushstrokes of calligraphy: “Sorrow and Joy Comingle”, “Worldly Sorrows and Joy Are Intertwined”, or “Sorrow or Joy Are Inextricably Bound to Each Other” (《悲欣交集》, Beixin jiaoji).

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His state of mind was revealed through the strokes of these Chinese characters. The word “sorrow” (悲) closely resembled his facial expression and his life. Despite Master Hongyi’s great accomplishments in many fields of the arts, he was alone.

He believed that there were three stages in human life: material, intellectual and spiritual. Intellectual life is the life of ordinary intellectuals. Spiritual life refers to the religious realm.

Material, intellectual, spiritual; beauty, profundity, deity. These are largely associated with abstinence, composure and wisdom in Buddhism.

Abstinence refers to the abandonment of the materialistic life. Composure stands for deep meditation, tranquil and remote, which finally leads to the attainment of wisdom. The image of Venerable Hongyi being sorrowful and joyful (欣) represented the interplay between the various aspects.

The paranirvana of Master Hongyi

The paranirvana of Master Hongyi

Beyond Master Hongyi’s transformation that shocked his family and peers, it is indeed incredible that he is now celebrated as much for his accomplishments as a monk as he was for his contributions to the artistic and cultural world.

By the last stage of his life, not only were his teachings remarkably clear and powerful, but his fluent calligraphy had been pared down to a distinctive style that remains the graphic look of Chinese Buddhism for many. It embodies a sense of purity and calmness associated in China with Buddhist cultivation.

These qualities were developed, not descriptors of this great monk in the years before he became a monk.

 

Poetry and Legacy

Li Shutong also wrote the famous poem Farewell (《送别》, Song Bie) that was later made into the widely sung The Farewell Song (《送别歌》, Song Bie Ge).

《送别歌》

长亭外 古道边 芳草碧连天
晚风拂柳笛声残 夕阳山外山

天之涯 地之角 知交半零落
一觚浊酒尽余欢 今宵別梦寒

English translation

The Farewell Song

Outside the long pavilion, along the ancient route, fragrant green grass joins the sky,
The evening wind caressing willow trees, the sound of the flute piercing the heart, sunset over mountains beyond mountains.

At the brink of the sky, at the corners of the earth, my familiar friends wander in loneliness and far from home,
One more ladle of wine to conclude the little happiness that remains; don’t have any sad dreams tonight.

He arranged the lyrics to the melody of the mid-19th Century song Dreaming of Home and Mother by American composer John P. Ordway. When Ordway’s work was introduced into Japan, musician Kyuukei Inudou (犬童球渓) translated it, with a few modifications, into the Japanese version titled Loneliness on a Journey (《旅愁》) that was published in 1904. Li Shutong was introduced to this melody when he was studying in Japan between 1905 and 1910. He was moved by its melody and wrote Farewell in 1915 based on Ordway’s original work when he returned to China.

Later, the Beijing-based progressive-metal rock band, The Tang Dynasty, recorded a rock-version of The Farewell Song on their second album, Epic.

 

Song Bie, performed by the Tang Dynasty

Or view the video on Bilibili at:
https://www.bilibili.com/video/av200834435/

 
A special 130th anniversary celebration of Master Hongyi, showcasing his calligraphy and painting works, was held in 2010 in Shanghai. It was sponsored in part by the Pinghu Municipal Government and attended by a granddaughter of Hongyi.

 

Important Works

  • Collections
  • Happy Stones
  • Li Shutong’s Seals

 

Articles

  • How to Paint (《圖畫修得法》)
  • An Introduction to Watercolours (《水彩畫法說略》)

 

Lyrics

  • The Farewell Song (《送别歌》)

 

Music

  • Childhood Memories
  • Song of Three Jewels (《三宝歌》), Master Taixu lyrics

 
Sources:

  • http://www.pacificbuddha.org/chinese-poetry
  • http://www.khenposodargye.org/2016/03/chapter-seven-pravrajya-ordination-and-practice/
  • https://moonpointer.com/new/2009/09/a-full-bright-moon-radiant-with-compassion/
  • http://animperfectpen.blogspot.my/2009/02/li-shutong-and-writing-lifes-stories.html
  • The Poetry of Sculpture, Weishan Wu, World Scientific, 2008
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songbie_(song)
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Yi
  • http://faculty.stust.edu.tw/~tang/Mahayana/teacher/master.htm
  • Making Saints in Modern China, edited by David Ownby, Vincent Gossaert, Ji Zhe

 

For more interesting information:

 

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Pastor Adeline Woon
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About Pastor Adeline Woon

Adeline Woon is a Buddhist Pastor and a Sangha-to-be in Kechara who enjoys learning and sharing the Dharma with others. Due to her deep interest in Buddhism from a young age, Adeline enrolled herself into the Dharma Drum University in Taiwan, where she graduated with a Master in Religious Studies in 2012.
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2 Responses to Master Hongyi – The Maverick Patriarch of the Chinese Buddhism

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  1. Jacinta Goh on Jan 2, 2023 at 4:17 pm

    Now, I know the composer for this song 三宝歌. It’s Master Hong Yi! 💕

    I heard this song for the very first time when I attended a Buddhism event in Kuala Lumpur. KS Tan, my hubby (my boyfriend then) brought me there and thanks to his active involvement in Buddhism, I slowly came to know more about Buddhism and Kechara later on. Besides Rinpoche, he was the one who changed my life then. However, I must have somehow created the cause for it too, because Rinpoche said before, ‘It’s not fated but it’s due to causes and conditions’.

    I like the tune of it. Very cheerful and motivating tune (at that time I do not understand the meaning of this song as my Mandarin is limited) 我的中文水平还是挺有限的😆

    Thank you Pastor for sharing this article. I learnt that Dharma realisation can happened in any period of our life, not only when we are young. Also. I learnt that we have to apply Dharma in all aspects of our life from how we eat, sleep to how we react with others and especially in how we think. I admit, in this juncture of my life, practicing is not easy, let alone practicing it seriously. Everytime I have to remind myself to try. Try and try. I can’t emulate Master Hong Yi but I can draw the inspiration from Him. Thank you Pastor for this post.

  2. Samfoonheei on Sep 22, 2022 at 1:25 pm

    Master Hongyi, a multitalented Buddhist Monk famous for being a talented writer and musician . He was one of the most celebrated and admired Buddhist monks in modern Chinese history. Born in wealthy family yet he choose to he was ordained as a Buddhist monk. Already, even as a child, developed an extraordinarily where he could memorised Buddhist text. Master Hongyi dedicated the rest of his life to Buddhist practice and became one of the most prominent monks of 20 Century China. Interesting read.
    Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor Adeline for this sharing of a great Lama Master.

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  • Samfoonheei
    Thursday, Dec 19. 2024 01:34 PM
    Since those days in school , I have heard of these Bermuda Triangle. Will get exicted hearing interesting stories of the mysteries of these area. The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, is a region between Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico in the North Atlantic Ocean. Over the past several centuries, more than 50 ships and 20 planes have disappeared in the area. Recording to some researchers that a parallel universe exists in the Bermuda Triangle region, causing a time or space warp that sucks the objects around it into a parallel universe. Interesting. The Bermuda Triangle, known for its mysterious disappearances. In recent years there have been several incidents in the Bermuda Triangle that have captured media attention. Interesting,ships and airplanes that seemed to have disappeared without a trace which has earned it the name ‘Devil’s Triangle. Since then nothing extraordinary has happened in the last 60 years. Some had mentioned that there are large deep ocean craters on the sea floor of the Bermuda Triangle. Could it be possible no one knows but there’s also others theory as well. Scientists still cannot solved these mysteries disappearance, were there the existing of aliens or something else.
    Thank you Rinpoche and Cindy Hew for this great sharing.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/science-mysteries/the-mysterious-bermuda-triangle.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Thursday, Dec 19. 2024 01:33 PM
    Visiting Dorje Shugden’s grotto in Kechara Forest Retreat is a must see place . A beautiful hugh statue of Dorje Shugden was installed ,Rinpoche also placed hundreds of Holy mantra stones, around Dorje Shugden grotto, for everyone to do circumambulation around Dorje Shugden. So as visitors could able to do candles offerings as well. We Malaysians are so fortunate to learn about Dorje Shugden if not beacause of Tsem Rinpoche. Dorje Shugden has tremendous power to help us helps us in whatever way we need in our resources and in our spiritual journey. He is an emanation of an enlightened being and that he manifested in a worldly form. As an emanation of Manjushri, Dorje Shugden has the ability to open our minds to universal wisdom.There’s so many benefits when we rely on Dorje Shugden sincerely. A wish-fulfilling Shrine that will help everyone regardless of race and religion.
    Thank you Rinpoche .

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/a-wish-fulfilling-shrine.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Thursday, Dec 19. 2024 01:32 PM
    Interesting blog .Chinese folklore features a rich variety of ghosts, monsters, and other supernatural creatures. According to traditional beliefs a ghost is the spirit form of a person who has died. Ghosts are typically malevolent and will cause harm to the living if provoked. Many Chinese folk beliefs about ghosts have been adopted into the mythologies. But centuries of physics research have found nothing like this exists, which is why physicists say ghosts can’t exist. And so far, there is no proof that any part of a person can continue on after death. Ghosts or spirits do exist in this world. There’s several myths still widely circulated even there’s a decrease in rituals and rites. Chinese communities all over the world use a variety of methods to protect themselves from ghosts, or whatever. Spirits and ghost are everywhere even day time its only we can’t see. As long as they are not disturbed ,its alright. Doing prayers and dedicated to them is the best choice. In Buddhism when we takes refuge in the Buddha, practises the Dharma and supports the Sangha, we are protected from many different types of spirit. Tibetan Buddhism is one of the most powerful to counter all forms of ghostly and spirit disturbances.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this interesting blog.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/science-mysteries/the-world-of-chinese-ghosts.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Thursday, Dec 19. 2024 01:31 PM
    Anila Thupten Chonyid a nun and good friend of our Guru Tsem Rinpoche have left footprints in Tsem Rinpoche’s heart. A knowledgeable and humble nun that had sponsor Rinpoche for years studying and life as a monk in Gaden India. Anila had a huge powerful impact on Rinpoche. Tsem Rinpoche Bio Research Team had an apportunity to visit and interview this kind nun.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/current-affairs/anila-thupten-chonyid-carmen-kichikov.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Wednesday, Dec 11. 2024 06:42 PM
    The great master of sutra and tantra, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, a Gelug Lama was a strong practitioner of Dorje Shugden. He was also a disciple of the third Trijang Rinpoche, junior tutor of the 14th Dalai Lama. Famous as a sharp analyst and master of philosophical debate, as well as a Tantric practitioner. At a young age , he went to Lhasa studied effortlessly and became renowned as a powerful debater. Living a simple lifestyle with shabby robes, he was well known throughout the three great Gelug monasteries of central Tibet. As a master of philosophical debate who possessed an extraordinary memory and he became renowned for healing activities. He had inspired had many Western disciples throughout the West ,in Tibet and India and gave many empowerments and teachings. H.H Kyabje Zong Rinpoche was an incredible Gelugpa master who returned to our world lifetime after lifetime to lead sentient beings out of samsara. Merely listening to his voice from the video is a blessing.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this great sharing

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/kyabje-zong-rinpoches-advice-on-dorje-shugdens-practice?
  • Samfoonheei
    Wednesday, Dec 11. 2024 06:28 PM
    Reading this post again regarding this huge Buddha statue in Thimpu, Bhutan. Construction began in 2006, as in the post, it was completed only in 2015. The completed work is one of the largest Buddha Statue in the world located in the southern mountains of Bhutan. At 177 feet (54 m) this gigantic Shakyamuni Buddha statue houses over one hundred thousand smaller Buddha statues which are made of bronze and gilded in gold. It has become a must-visit tourist destination in Thimphu Valley, Bhutan. Having a Huge Buddha Statue has benefited thousands of people just looking at it . Merely by looking is a blessing. Would love to visit this stunning Buddha statue to see for myself .
    Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/art-architecture/buddha-at-thimpu-bhutan.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Wednesday, Dec 11. 2024 06:27 PM
    Yading, Daocheng County is a county of western Sichuan Province, China. A visit to Daocheng Yading is worth visit. As it has the very beautiful lakes Milk Lake, Pearl Lake and Wuse Lake as well as the three holy mountains named Chenrezig, Jampayang and Chenadorje. Having a population of about 33 thousands where many of them are many Dorje Shugden lamas, geshes and Dorje Shugden practitioners in Yading. H.E. Gyara Rinpoche a reincarnation of a great master in the Drikung Kagyu lineage has been visiting different villages in Yading, giving and sharing Dharma teachings to thousands people there. Gyara Rinpoche an incumbent of Shar Gaden Monastery, India and had studied under H.E. Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche and many other erudite lamas. An erudite scholar, Gyara Rinpoche received many teachings, instructions, initiations, commentaries and empowerments of both Sutra and Tantra .As in the post Gyara Rinpoche gave Dorje Shugden’s life entrustment initiation to thousands monks and lay people in Yangting Dechen Ling Monastery. Other than the Dorje Shugden sogtae, Gyara Rinpoche also gave Lamrim teachings and Guhyasamaja initiation in Yangding Monastery. Looking at the people in those pictures tells all. Apart of that Gyara Rinpoche also gave a logical explanation of the Dorje Shugden controversy and the unlawful ban imposed by the CTA, to create awareness of the truth behind the Dorje Shugden controversy.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing of a great Lama.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/gyara-rinpoche-gives-dorje-shugden-sogtae.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Wednesday, Dec 11. 2024 06:24 PM
    It was H E Kyabje Gangchen Rinpoche that first recognised our Guru Kyabje Tsem Rinpoche as a tulku back in 1987. Lama Gangchen Tulku Rinpoche was an important Tibetan Italian lama of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. He was the last generation of lamas from the ‘old Tibet’. At a young age he was recognised as the reincarnation of the lama healer Kachen Sapen. He was a direct disciple of the greatest lamas of the Gelugpa school of the twentieth century, such as Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, who taught him Tibetan medicine, healing methods and astrology. He worked tirelessly as a spiritual teacher and healer. He travelled tremendously throughout India, Nepal, Sikkim, Europe and finally settled in Italy. Lama Gangchen has travelled extensively ,providing healing and gave teachings worldwide. He has also led many pilgrimages to some of the most important holy places of different religious and spiritual denominations in the world. He founded numerous centres all over the world. Kyabje Gangchen Rinpoche has worked tirelessly for many decades to promote world peace and had received many awards and recognitions for his work. Lama Gangchen will remain in the hearts of all those who met him as a teacher of great love and profound wisdom.
    Years back our Guru Kyabje Tsem Rinpoche did sent students to Kyabje Gangchen Rinpoche ’s centre in Albagnano, Italy with many offerings and updating projects of Kechara as well.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this great sharing

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/respects-to-kyabje-gangchen-rinpoche.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Wednesday, Dec 11. 2024 06:17 PM
    nteresting read of how a common nomad boy became an Oracle Lama. Reading the biography of a selfless Dorje Shugden Oracle Lama again had me understand more. Venerable Choyang Kuten Lama became a renowned oracle, who had contributed greatly in Tibet’s history. Choyang Kuten Lama was a respected oracle for a manifestation of enlightened Dharma Protectors Dorje Shugden, and was told he would be very beneficial to beings in the future. During the Chinese invasion he remained in Tibet although the situation was tense, helping countless people escape safely to India. As the situation worsened in Tibet in 1959 Kuten Lama escaped life not only as an oracle, but also contributing in various ways. Giving the Tibetan community lengthy advice and even Dharma teachings. He also served his countrymen in difficult times in Tibet and in refugee camps in India regardless of the tradition or school of Tibetan Buddhism. He raised funds for monks’ quarters in many monasteries including Gaden, Drepung as well as other Nyingma and Sakya monasteries.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing .

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/the-selfless-dorje-shugden-oracle.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Wednesday, Dec 11. 2024 06:15 PM
    Awesome life’s story and legacy of Ondor Gegeen Zanabazar the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu of the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia and his profound impact on Mongolian Buddhism. Zanabazar a man of all trades was a prodigious sculptor, painter, architect, poet, costume designer, scholar and linguist .He was a descendant of Chingis Khan, born into a prominent Oirot Mongol family. Considered to be a living reincarnation of one of the important earlier Buddhist leaders in Mongolia. Zanabazar showed signs of advanced intelligence, linguistic abilities, and religious devotion from an early age. He is much revered for his contributions to Buddhist learning and for his reforms of Mongolian Buddhism. He was best known for his intricate and elegant Buddhist sculptures. Viewed as one of Mongolia’s most prominent historical figures, celebrated for propagating Tibetan Buddhism throughout Mongolia to this day.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing of the first high saint of Mongolia.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/zanabazar-the-first-high-saint-of-mongolia.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Tuesday, Nov 26. 2024 03:00 PM
    Due to the Dorje Shugden controversy many practitioners are still oppressed due to their choice of religion. Yet there are complaisant, and obliging people too who barely understand the situation, poorly informed of the issue and behave in a way they knew what’s going on regarding the ban on Dorje Shugden. There are many good bits of wisdom and worthy words in this article. Well-intentioned people make mistakes, lots of them. Mistakes must be expected and being held accountable for. Oppression will still exist no matter how compassionate sharing with others. If we are willing to risk making mistakes we can still do something. We must constantly try to find out ways to use our privilege to push forward the voice of the oppressed. Do not allow ourselves to be immobilized by lack of knowledge.
    Thank you Rinpoche and Sarah for this sharing.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/inspiration-worthy-words/ten-counterproductive-behaviors-of-well-intentioned-people.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Tuesday, Nov 26. 2024 02:58 PM
    Inspiring read of Scott Neeson a most influential person in the movie industry,walked away from Hollywood to start a charity. Left everything he had built,been famous, wealthy and living a life of luxury for the sake of those children living in the slump in Cambodia. He decided to leave Hollywood behind and moved to Cambodia and founded Cambodian Children’s Fund . It was on a trip to Phnom Penh, Scott saw hundreds of children and their families living and working on the Steung Meanchey garbage dump, one of the most toxic environments. It was a moment that changed his life, helping thousands of vulnerable children and their families escape a world of forced labour, child trafficking and desperate poverty into safety and independence. From being a self-serving person, to an extremely giving person truly inspiring. Scott has been living in Phnom Penh where his journey still captivates, inspires and bewilders people from all over the world.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this inspiring post

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/current-affairs/from-hollywood-to-landfills.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Tuesday, Nov 26. 2024 02:56 PM
    Vairochana Shugden, pacifying form of Dorje Shugden is revered by many for his ability to purify one’s negative karma, pacify natural disasters and calamities. And is especially efficacious for overcoming illness and disease as well. Shize or Vairochana Shugden is the emanation of Dorje Shugden who embodies the enlightened activity of pacification. Shize’s practice is very effective in helping us to receive prophecies or develop clairvoyance. Shize’s practice is excellent for calming ourselves down and increasing our merits. His practice results in our minds becoming much happier and being alleviated from depressions. Wow we can also rely on Shize’s practice to overcome serious illnesses. It can also be engaged where the area, there are a lot of natural disasters. On the whole its practice has many benefits. When we do the practice correctly, with good motivation, Shize will bless and guide us.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this great teachings on Shize who is a direct emanation of Dorje Shugden who is none other than the enlightened Manjushri.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/downloads/shize-a-practice-for-healing-and-long-life.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Tuesday, Nov 26. 2024 02:55 PM
    Interesting article. I never thought meditation can help oneself quit smoking without consumption of medication or drugs. According to an article in The Buddhist Review, not smoking is a result of developing calm and reducing clinging through authentic Dharma practice. Mindfulness-based interventions can help people learn to pay attention to and work with negative feelings, cravings, and other symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. By focusing on our breathing the mind becomes calm and single-pointed. Many are aware of the health risks and addictive properties of nicotine that are harmful. Buddhism is very effective to inspire transformation in people. Good read of how a Yale psychiatrist bringing together neuroscience and Buddhist practices to help people overcome their addictions. Thank you Dr. Judson for the great research work.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/current-affairs/quit-smoking-with-buddhist-way.html
  • Samfoonheei
    Tuesday, Nov 26. 2024 02:52 PM
    Trode-khangsar a 400 year old Dorje Shugden Temple in Lhasa, had me having great memories. Having a privileged to visit it in May 2019,with my Dharma brothers and sisters. It such a Holy Temple with great stories behind it . Located in Lhasa, that is over 300 years old which is dedicated to the controversial protector deity Dorje Shugden. The Temple is a Gelugpa monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, built in the 17th century by the Fifth Dalai Lama. The Great 5th Dalai Lama composed a praise to Dorje Shugden and created a statue to honour and recognize him as a Dharma protector as apology. Trode Khangsar itself is now registered as a national heritage memorial. That’s awesome as more and more people will get to know about this Holy temple. Merely by looking at those fading murals and Holy statutes is a blessing for all who came to visit this Trode-khangsar. A place worth visiting.
    Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.

    https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/trode-khangsar-a-400-year-old-dorje-shugden-chapel-in-lhasa.html

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5 years ago
Dharmapalas are not exclusive to Tibetan culture and their practice is widespread throughout the Buddhist world - https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=193645
One of our adorable Kechara Forest Retreat\'s doggies, Tara, happy and safe, and enjoying herself in front of Wisdom Hall which has been decorated for Chinese New Year
5 years ago
One of our adorable Kechara Forest Retreat's doggies, Tara, happy and safe, and enjoying herself in front of Wisdom Hall which has been decorated for Chinese New Year
Fragrant organic Thai basil harvested from our very own Kechara Forest Retreat farm!
5 years ago
Fragrant organic Thai basil harvested from our very own Kechara Forest Retreat farm!
On behalf of our Puja House team, Pastor Tat Ming receives food and drinks from Rinpoche. Rinpoche wanted to make sure the hardworking Puja House team are always taken care of.
5 years ago
On behalf of our Puja House team, Pastor Tat Ming receives food and drinks from Rinpoche. Rinpoche wanted to make sure the hardworking Puja House team are always taken care of.
By the time I heard about Luang Phor Thong, he was already very old, in his late 80s. When I heard about him, I immediately wanted to go and pay my respects to him. - http://bit.ly/LuangPhorThong
5 years ago
By the time I heard about Luang Phor Thong, he was already very old, in his late 80s. When I heard about him, I immediately wanted to go and pay my respects to him. - http://bit.ly/LuangPhorThong
It\'s very nice to see volunteers helping maintain holy sites in Kechara Forest Retreat, it\'s very good for them. Cleaning Buddha statues is a very powerful and effective way of purifying body karma.
5 years ago
It's very nice to see volunteers helping maintain holy sites in Kechara Forest Retreat, it's very good for them. Cleaning Buddha statues is a very powerful and effective way of purifying body karma.
Kechara Forest Retreat is preparing for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations. This is our holy Vajra Yogini stupa which is now surrounded by beautiful lanterns organised by our students.
5 years ago
Kechara Forest Retreat is preparing for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations. This is our holy Vajra Yogini stupa which is now surrounded by beautiful lanterns organised by our students.
One of the most recent harvests from our Kechara Forest Retreat land. It was grown free of chemicals and pesticides, wonderful!
5 years ago
One of the most recent harvests from our Kechara Forest Retreat land. It was grown free of chemicals and pesticides, wonderful!
Third picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal.
Height: 33ft (10m)
5 years ago
Third picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal. Height: 33ft (10m)
Second picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal.
Height: 33ft (10m)
5 years ago
Second picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal. Height: 33ft (10m)
First picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal.
Height: 33ft (10m)
5 years ago
First picture-Standing Manjushri Statue at Chowar, Kirtipur, Nepal. Height: 33ft (10m)
The first title published by Kechara Comics is Karuna Finds A Way. It tells the tale of high-school sweethearts Karuna and Adam who had what some would call the dream life. Everything was going great for them until one day when reality came knocking on their door. Caught in a surprise swindle, this loving family who never harmed anyone found themselves out of luck and down on their fortune. Determined to save her family, Karuna goes all out to find a solution. See what she does- https://bit.ly/2LSKuWo
5 years ago
The first title published by Kechara Comics is Karuna Finds A Way. It tells the tale of high-school sweethearts Karuna and Adam who had what some would call the dream life. Everything was going great for them until one day when reality came knocking on their door. Caught in a surprise swindle, this loving family who never harmed anyone found themselves out of luck and down on their fortune. Determined to save her family, Karuna goes all out to find a solution. See what she does- https://bit.ly/2LSKuWo
Very powerful story! Tibetan Resistance group Chushi Gangdruk reveals how Dalai Lama escaped in 1959- https://bit.ly/2S9VMGX
5 years ago
Very powerful story! Tibetan Resistance group Chushi Gangdruk reveals how Dalai Lama escaped in 1959- https://bit.ly/2S9VMGX
At Kechara Forest Retreat land we have nice fresh spinach growing free of chemicals and pesticides. Yes!
5 years ago
At Kechara Forest Retreat land we have nice fresh spinach growing free of chemicals and pesticides. Yes!
See beautiful pictures of Manjushri Guest House here- https://bit.ly/2WGo0ti
6 years ago
See beautiful pictures of Manjushri Guest House here- https://bit.ly/2WGo0ti
Beginner’s Introduction to Dorje Shugden~Very good overview https://bit.ly/2QQNfYv
6 years ago
Beginner’s Introduction to Dorje Shugden~Very good overview https://bit.ly/2QQNfYv
Fresh eggplants grown on Kechara Forest Retreat\'s land here in Malaysia
6 years ago
Fresh eggplants grown on Kechara Forest Retreat's land here in Malaysia
Most Venerable Uppalavanna – The Chief Female Disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni - She exhibited many supernatural abilities gained from meditation and proved to the world females and males are equal in spirituality- https://bit.ly/31d9Rat
6 years ago
Most Venerable Uppalavanna – The Chief Female Disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni - She exhibited many supernatural abilities gained from meditation and proved to the world females and males are equal in spirituality- https://bit.ly/31d9Rat
Thailand’s ‘Renegade’ Yet Powerful Buddhist Nuns~ https://bit.ly/2Z1C02m
6 years ago
Thailand’s ‘Renegade’ Yet Powerful Buddhist Nuns~ https://bit.ly/2Z1C02m
Mahapajapati Gotami – the first Buddhist nun ordained by Lord Buddha- https://bit.ly/2IjD8ru
6 years ago
Mahapajapati Gotami – the first Buddhist nun ordained by Lord Buddha- https://bit.ly/2IjD8ru
The Largest Buddha Shakyamuni in Russia | 俄罗斯最大的释迦牟尼佛画像- https://bit.ly/2Wpclni
6 years ago
The Largest Buddha Shakyamuni in Russia | 俄罗斯最大的释迦牟尼佛画像- https://bit.ly/2Wpclni
Sacred Vajra Yogini
6 years ago
Sacred Vajra Yogini
Dorje Shugden works & archives - a labour of commitment - https://bit.ly/30Tp2p8
6 years ago
Dorje Shugden works & archives - a labour of commitment - https://bit.ly/30Tp2p8
Mahapajapati Gotami, who was the first nun ordained by Lord Buddha.
6 years ago
Mahapajapati Gotami, who was the first nun ordained by Lord Buddha.
Mahapajapati Gotami, who was the first nun ordained by Lord Buddha. She was his step-mother and aunt. Buddha\'s mother had passed away at his birth so he was raised by Gotami.
6 years ago
Mahapajapati Gotami, who was the first nun ordained by Lord Buddha. She was his step-mother and aunt. Buddha's mother had passed away at his birth so he was raised by Gotami.
Another nun disciple of Lord Buddha\'s. She had achieved great spiritual abilities and high attainments. She would be a proper object of refuge. This image of the eminent bhikkhuni (nun) disciple of the Buddha, Uppalavanna Theri.
6 years ago
Another nun disciple of Lord Buddha's. She had achieved great spiritual abilities and high attainments. She would be a proper object of refuge. This image of the eminent bhikkhuni (nun) disciple of the Buddha, Uppalavanna Theri.
Wandering Ascetic Painting by Nirdesha Munasinghe
6 years ago
Wandering Ascetic Painting by Nirdesha Munasinghe
High Sri Lankan monks visit Kechara to bless our land, temple, Buddha and Dorje Shugden images. They were very kind-see pictures- https://bit.ly/2HQie2M
6 years ago
High Sri Lankan monks visit Kechara to bless our land, temple, Buddha and Dorje Shugden images. They were very kind-see pictures- https://bit.ly/2HQie2M
This is pretty amazing!

First Sri Lankan Buddhist temple opened in Dubai!!!
6 years ago
This is pretty amazing! First Sri Lankan Buddhist temple opened in Dubai!!!
My Dharma boy (left) and Oser girl loves to laze around on the veranda in the mornings. They enjoy all the trees, grass and relaxing under the hot sun. Sunbathing is a favorite daily activity. I care about these two doggies of mine very much and I enjoy seeing them happy. They are with me always. Tsem Rinpoche

Always be kind to animals and eat vegetarian- https://bit.ly/2Psp8h2
6 years ago
My Dharma boy (left) and Oser girl loves to laze around on the veranda in the mornings. They enjoy all the trees, grass and relaxing under the hot sun. Sunbathing is a favorite daily activity. I care about these two doggies of mine very much and I enjoy seeing them happy. They are with me always. Tsem Rinpoche Always be kind to animals and eat vegetarian- https://bit.ly/2Psp8h2
After you left me Mumu, I was alone. I have no family or kin. You were my family. I can\'t stop thinking of you and I can\'t forget you. My bond and connection with you is so strong. I wish you were by my side. Tsem Rinpoche
6 years ago
After you left me Mumu, I was alone. I have no family or kin. You were my family. I can't stop thinking of you and I can't forget you. My bond and connection with you is so strong. I wish you were by my side. Tsem Rinpoche
This story is a life-changer. Learn about the incredible Forest Man of India | 印度“森林之子”- https://bit.ly/2Eh4vRS
6 years ago
This story is a life-changer. Learn about the incredible Forest Man of India | 印度“森林之子”- https://bit.ly/2Eh4vRS
Part 2-Beautiful billboard in Malaysia of a powerful Tibetan hero whose life serves as a great inspiration- https://bit.ly/2UltNE4
6 years ago
Part 2-Beautiful billboard in Malaysia of a powerful Tibetan hero whose life serves as a great inspiration- https://bit.ly/2UltNE4
Part 1-Beautiful billboard in Malaysia of a powerful Tibetan hero whose life serves as a great inspiration- https://bit.ly/2UltNE4
6 years ago
Part 1-Beautiful billboard in Malaysia of a powerful Tibetan hero whose life serves as a great inspiration- https://bit.ly/2UltNE4
The great Protector Manjushri Dorje Shugden depicted in the beautiful Mongolian style. To download a high resolution file: https://bit.ly/2Nt3FHz
6 years ago
The great Protector Manjushri Dorje Shugden depicted in the beautiful Mongolian style. To download a high resolution file: https://bit.ly/2Nt3FHz
The Mystical land of Shambhala is finally ready for everyone to feast their eyes and be blessed. A beautiful post with information, art work, history, spirituality and a beautiful book composed by His Holiness the 6th Panchen Rinpoche. ~ https://bit.ly/309MHBi
6 years ago
The Mystical land of Shambhala is finally ready for everyone to feast their eyes and be blessed. A beautiful post with information, art work, history, spirituality and a beautiful book composed by His Holiness the 6th Panchen Rinpoche. ~ https://bit.ly/309MHBi
Beautiful pictures of the huge Buddha in Longkou Nanshan- https://bit.ly/2LsBxVb
6 years ago
Beautiful pictures of the huge Buddha in Longkou Nanshan- https://bit.ly/2LsBxVb
The reason-Very interesting thought- https://bit.ly/2V7VT5r
6 years ago
The reason-Very interesting thought- https://bit.ly/2V7VT5r
NEW Bigfoot cafe in Malaysia! Food is delicious!- https://bit.ly/2VxdGau
6 years ago
NEW Bigfoot cafe in Malaysia! Food is delicious!- https://bit.ly/2VxdGau
DON\'T MISS THIS!~How brave Bonnie survived by living with a herd of deer~ https://bit.ly/2Lre2eY
6 years ago
DON'T MISS THIS!~How brave Bonnie survived by living with a herd of deer~ https://bit.ly/2Lre2eY
Global Superpower China Will Cut Meat Consumption by 50%! Very interesting, find out more- https://bit.ly/2V1sJFh
6 years ago
Global Superpower China Will Cut Meat Consumption by 50%! Very interesting, find out more- https://bit.ly/2V1sJFh
You can download this beautiful Egyptian style Dorje Shugden Free- https://bit.ly/2Nt3FHz
6 years ago
You can download this beautiful Egyptian style Dorje Shugden Free- https://bit.ly/2Nt3FHz
Beautiful high file for print of Lord Manjushri. May you be blessed- https://bit.ly/2V8mwZe
6 years ago
Beautiful high file for print of Lord Manjushri. May you be blessed- https://bit.ly/2V8mwZe
Mongolian (Oymiakon) Shaman in Siberia, Russia. That is his real outfit he wears. Very unique. TR
6 years ago
Mongolian (Oymiakon) Shaman in Siberia, Russia. That is his real outfit he wears. Very unique. TR
Find one of the most beautiful temples in the world in Nara, Japan. It is the 1,267 year old Todai-ji temple that houses a 15 meter Buddha Vairocana statue who is a cosmic and timeless Buddha. Emperor Shomu who sponsored this beautiful temple eventually abdicated and ordained as a Buddhist monk. Very interesting history and story. One of the places everyone should visit- https://bit.ly/2VgsHhK
6 years ago
Find one of the most beautiful temples in the world in Nara, Japan. It is the 1,267 year old Todai-ji temple that houses a 15 meter Buddha Vairocana statue who is a cosmic and timeless Buddha. Emperor Shomu who sponsored this beautiful temple eventually abdicated and ordained as a Buddhist monk. Very interesting history and story. One of the places everyone should visit- https://bit.ly/2VgsHhK
Manjusri Kumara (bodhisattva of wisdom), India, Pala dynesty, 9th century, stone, Honolulu Academy of Arts
6 years ago
Manjusri Kumara (bodhisattva of wisdom), India, Pala dynesty, 9th century, stone, Honolulu Academy of Arts
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Videos On The Go

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  • Our Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir speaks so well, logically and regarding our country’s collaboration with China for growth. It is refreshing to listen to Dr. Mahathir’s thoughts. He said our country can look to China for many more things such as technology and so on. Tsem Rinpoche
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    Our Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir speaks so well, logically and regarding our country’s collaboration with China for growth. It is refreshing to listen to Dr. Mahathir’s thoughts. He said our country can look to China for many more things such as technology and so on. Tsem Rinpoche
  • This is the first time His Holiness Dalai Lama mentions he had some very serious illness. Very worrying. This video is captured April 2019.
    6 years ago
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    6 years ago
    This dog thanks his hero in such a touching way. Tsem Rinpoche
  • Join Tsem Rinpoche in prayer for H.H. Dalai Lama’s long life~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYy7JcveikU&feature=youtu.be
    6 years ago
    Join Tsem Rinpoche in prayer for H.H. Dalai Lama’s long life~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYy7JcveikU&feature=youtu.be
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    6 years ago
    These people going on pilgrimage to a holy mountain and prostrating out of devotion and for pilgrimage in Tibet. Such determination for spiritual practice. Tsem Rinpoche
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  • Get ready to laugh real hard. This is Kechara’s version of “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane!” We have some real talents in this video clip.
    6 years ago
    Get ready to laugh real hard. This is Kechara’s version of “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane!” We have some real talents in this video clip.
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A section for you to clarify your Dharma questions with Kechara’s esteemed pastors.

Just post your name and your question below and one of our pastors will provide you with an answer.

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CHAT PICTURES

Look at how attentive of the members during Dharma talk. It is through hearing, contemplation and practicing Dharma, one is able to eradicate delusions and march towards liberation. 28/9/2024 Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
2 months ago
Look at how attentive of the members during Dharma talk. It is through hearing, contemplation and practicing Dharma, one is able to eradicate delusions and march towards liberation. 28/9/2024 Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
Pastor  did dharma sharing on KFR retreat puja, purification after retreat and karma. Kechara Penang weekly puja. Pic taken by Siew Hong.
2 months ago
Pastor  did dharma sharing on KFR retreat puja, purification after retreat and karma. Kechara Penang weekly puja. Pic taken by Siew Hong.
Under the guidance from Pastor Seng Piow, Kechara Penang Study Group members completed our weekly Dorje Shugden Puja. 28th September 2024 by Jacinta.
2 months ago
Under the guidance from Pastor Seng Piow, Kechara Penang Study Group members completed our weekly Dorje Shugden Puja. 28th September 2024 by Jacinta.
Sponsors' packages nicely decorated nd offered up on behalf. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
2 months ago
Sponsors' packages nicely decorated nd offered up on behalf. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
Completed Dorje Shugden puja cum recitation of Namasangiti on 14th September 2024. Kechara Penang Study Group, uploaded by Jacinta.
2 months ago
Completed Dorje Shugden puja cum recitation of Namasangiti on 14th September 2024. Kechara Penang Study Group, uploaded by Jacinta.
Known as Merdeka Day (31st Aug 2024), our Kechara Penang members celebrated this day with Dorje Shugden and his entourage by doing a DS puja together with recitation of Namasangiti. Uploaded by Jacinta.
2 months ago
Known as Merdeka Day (31st Aug 2024), our Kechara Penang members celebrated this day with Dorje Shugden and his entourage by doing a DS puja together with recitation of Namasangiti. Uploaded by Jacinta.
24th Aug 2024, Kechara Penang Study Group members have completed weekly puja. A variety of kuihs and fruits were offered up on behalf of sponsors. By Jacinta
2 months ago
24th Aug 2024, Kechara Penang Study Group members have completed weekly puja. A variety of kuihs and fruits were offered up on behalf of sponsors. By Jacinta
At the point of the passing, the only thing that will help us and our loved ones is the Dharma. Hence, try to chant mantra, do pujas, giving alms and etc during this period. Bereavement puja by Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
4 months ago
At the point of the passing, the only thing that will help us and our loved ones is the Dharma. Hence, try to chant mantra, do pujas, giving alms and etc during this period. Bereavement puja by Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
Bereavement puja by Kechara Penang Study Group. May the deceased has good rebirth and the family members find solace in the Three Jewels. Thanks to Rinpoche for He always taught us about practising compassion through action. By Jacinta
4 months ago
Bereavement puja by Kechara Penang Study Group. May the deceased has good rebirth and the family members find solace in the Three Jewels. Thanks to Rinpoche for He always taught us about practising compassion through action. By Jacinta
Thanks to Sharyn, the florist came and arranged on the spot! What a lovely and colourful bunch flowers attractively arranged to Buddha as offerings. 2nd Penang DS retreat of the year (2024), uploaded by Jacinta.
4 months ago
Thanks to Sharyn, the florist came and arranged on the spot! What a lovely and colourful bunch flowers attractively arranged to Buddha as offerings. 2nd Penang DS retreat of the year (2024), uploaded by Jacinta.
As usual, a retreat will not be complete without nice tormas. Pastor Patsy and our dear Penang members ~ Swee Bee, Tang, Jasmine and Siew Hong came together as a perfect and united team in completing it. Penang DS Retreat 17-18th Aug 2024 by Jacinta.
4 months ago
As usual, a retreat will not be complete without nice tormas. Pastor Patsy and our dear Penang members ~ Swee Bee, Tang, Jasmine and Siew Hong came together as a perfect and united team in completing it. Penang DS Retreat 17-18th Aug 2024 by Jacinta.
A picture that says all. Thanks to Pastor Seng Piow, 12 retreatants and 51sponsors that make this event a successful one. See you all in our next retreat. Kam Siah. A simple yet full of gratitude note by Choong, uploaded by Jacinta.
4 months ago
A picture that says all. Thanks to Pastor Seng Piow, 12 retreatants and 51sponsors that make this event a successful one. See you all in our next retreat. Kam Siah. A simple yet full of gratitude note by Choong, uploaded by Jacinta.
Offerings being set up, getting ready to start the first day of Kechara Penang Group's retreat. By Jacinta
4 months ago
Offerings being set up, getting ready to start the first day of Kechara Penang Group's retreat. By Jacinta
As H. E. The 25th Tsem Tulku Rinpoche had mentioned a retreat is time taken away from our ordinary, daily, mundane activities specifically to focus on deeper meditation, deeper meditational practices to gain some benefits.  Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
4 months ago
As H. E. The 25th Tsem Tulku Rinpoche had mentioned a retreat is time taken away from our ordinary, daily, mundane activities specifically to focus on deeper meditation, deeper meditational practices to gain some benefits. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
Retreat started for the second half of the year, 17th Aug 2024. We have new participants and those regulars. Thanks to Pastor Seng Piow and Choong for organising it. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
4 months ago
Retreat started for the second half of the year, 17th Aug 2024. We have new participants and those regulars. Thanks to Pastor Seng Piow and Choong for organising it. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
10th Aug 2024. Kechara Penang Study Group completed DS puja, led by Siew Hong. Uploaded by Jacinta.
4 months ago
10th Aug 2024. Kechara Penang Study Group completed DS puja, led by Siew Hong. Uploaded by Jacinta.
Thank you Pastor Seng Piow for the dharma sharing and leading today's puja 3rd August 2024. Pic by Siew Hong and uploaded by Jacinta.
4 months ago
Thank you Pastor Seng Piow for the dharma sharing and leading today's puja 3rd August 2024. Pic by Siew Hong and uploaded by Jacinta.
Puja sponsorships packages of RM100, RM 50 and RM30. Really appreciate the continuous support for our Penang DS Chapel. 28/7/2024 By Jacinta
4 months ago
Puja sponsorships packages of RM100, RM 50 and RM30. Really appreciate the continuous support for our Penang DS Chapel. 28/7/2024 By Jacinta
Completed weekly puja at Penang DS Chapel. 27th July 2024 by Jacinta.
4 months ago
Completed weekly puja at Penang DS Chapel. 27th July 2024 by Jacinta.
For those Penang members who were back in Penang, instead of having a weekend off, they chose to go to Penang DS centre and did a DS puja for the benefits of all beings. 20th July 2024, Saturday. By Jacinta
4 months ago
For those Penang members who were back in Penang, instead of having a weekend off, they chose to go to Penang DS centre and did a DS puja for the benefits of all beings. 20th July 2024, Saturday. By Jacinta
So proud of Penang Kecharians for attending initiations given by Venerable Chojila at Kechara Forest Retreat, Bentong on 20th - 21st July 2024. Against all odds, many of us made it there. (Not in the pic Mr. Teo and Sunny) By Jacinta.
4 months ago
So proud of Penang Kecharians for attending initiations given by Venerable Chojila at Kechara Forest Retreat, Bentong on 20th - 21st July 2024. Against all odds, many of us made it there. (Not in the pic Mr. Teo and Sunny) By Jacinta.
Wishing all sponsors' wishes be fulfilled and thanks for supporting our Kechara Penang Puja packages on 13/7/2024. By Jacinta
4 months ago
Wishing all sponsors' wishes be fulfilled and thanks for supporting our Kechara Penang Puja packages on 13/7/2024. By Jacinta
#throwback 13th July 2024, Kechara Penang Study Group completed DS puja. We have special guest that day, Paul, a long time senior Kecharian with his friends. By Jacinta
4 months ago
#throwback 13th July 2024, Kechara Penang Study Group completed DS puja. We have special guest that day, Paul, a long time senior Kecharian with his friends. By Jacinta
Beautiful offerings arranged by Choong. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
5 months ago
Beautiful offerings arranged by Choong. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
7/7/2024 Kechara Penang weekly puja completed. Kechara Penang Study Girup by Jacinta.
5 months ago
7/7/2024 Kechara Penang weekly puja completed. Kechara Penang Study Girup by Jacinta.
This week's puja offerings sponsored by a few people and we hope their wishes be fulfilled. Pic taken by Choong and uploaded by Jacinta.
6 months ago
This week's puja offerings sponsored by a few people and we hope their wishes be fulfilled. Pic taken by Choong and uploaded by Jacinta.
29th June 2024. Kechara Penang Study Group completed weekly Dorje Shugden cum Manjushri Namasangiti. Pic taken by Choong and uploaded by Jacinta
6 months ago
29th June 2024. Kechara Penang Study Group completed weekly Dorje Shugden cum Manjushri Namasangiti. Pic taken by Choong and uploaded by Jacinta
Need a dose of spiritual nourishment or perhaps any spiritual protection? Do take up our Kechara Penang food/candles offering packages. Do not hesitate to contact our member Choong for more info. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
6 months ago
Need a dose of spiritual nourishment or perhaps any spiritual protection? Do take up our Kechara Penang food/candles offering packages. Do not hesitate to contact our member Choong for more info. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
Different food offerings offered on Penang Kechara Chapel's altar behalf of the sponsors. May sponsors' wishes be fulfilled. Great effort from Choong Soon Heng, one of our Kechara Penang dedicated members who thought of this way for people to generate merits while clearing obstacles. Uploaded by Jacinta.
6 months ago
Different food offerings offered on Penang Kechara Chapel's altar behalf of the sponsors. May sponsors' wishes be fulfilled. Great effort from Choong Soon Heng, one of our Kechara Penang dedicated members who thought of this way for people to generate merits while clearing obstacles. Uploaded by Jacinta.
These are some of the offerings offered on behalf of our sponsors. We have different offerings packages which one can choose from or just simply sponsor our weekly puja in dedication to our loved ones. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
6 months ago
These are some of the offerings offered on behalf of our sponsors. We have different offerings packages which one can choose from or just simply sponsor our weekly puja in dedication to our loved ones. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
We hope you enjoyed our pictures, as much as we enjoyed our Wesak Day together in Penang. Let us carry the energy and enthusiasm we experienced so far and inspires many more. Happy Wesak Day! 22/5/2024 KPSG by Jacinta
7 months ago
We hope you enjoyed our pictures, as much as we enjoyed our Wesak Day together in Penang. Let us carry the energy and enthusiasm we experienced so far and inspires many more. Happy Wesak Day! 22/5/2024 KPSG by Jacinta
Puja offering packages. Thanks to those who sponsored the puja. May all your wishes be fulfilled. KPSG by Jacinta
7 months ago
Puja offering packages. Thanks to those who sponsored the puja. May all your wishes be fulfilled. KPSG by Jacinta
Colourful altar with plenty of offerings. We had DS puja with Praise to Buddha Shakyamuni as we celebrate this special day of Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Parinirvana. KPSG by Jacinta
7 months ago
Colourful altar with plenty of offerings. We had DS puja with Praise to Buddha Shakyamuni as we celebrate this special day of Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Parinirvana. KPSG by Jacinta
Some of the activities done during the Wesak Day Celebration in Penang. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
7 months ago
Some of the activities done during the Wesak Day Celebration in Penang. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
Wesak Day Celebration in Penang!Buddha's Bathing Ritual. 22/5/2024 Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
7 months ago
Wesak Day Celebration in Penang!Buddha's Bathing Ritual. 22/5/2024 Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
11/5/2024 Saturday @3pm. After puja, all members helped out clearing the offerings and we shared out the blessed food offerings with our families, friends and even animals. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
7 months ago
11/5/2024 Saturday @3pm. After puja, all members helped out clearing the offerings and we shared out the blessed food offerings with our families, friends and even animals. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
11/5/2024 Saturday @3pm. Activities during puja. Members chanting Dorje Shugden mantras. We've completed Dorje Shugden puja cum Namasangiti. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
7 months ago
11/5/2024 Saturday @3pm. Activities during puja. Members chanting Dorje Shugden mantras. We've completed Dorje Shugden puja cum Namasangiti. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
11/5/2024, Saturday @3pm. Activities : Offerings of khata to Rinpoche, garland of flowers to Dorje Shugden and a new Tibetan butterlamp being offered on the altar. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
7 months ago
11/5/2024, Saturday @3pm. Activities : Offerings of khata to Rinpoche, garland of flowers to Dorje Shugden and a new Tibetan butterlamp being offered on the altar. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta
Today we have an inaugural cancer free diet talk and info sharing by Mr. Ooi. Mr. Ooi is a Penangite and like any other man, he has a family to provide for. From colon cancer stage 4,he is now known as a cancer-free man. Learn more about his story and his acquaintance with Dorje Shugden here https://youtu.be/x7i-yXJBUwM?si=A-5O0udxjg52iS58
8 months ago
Today we have an inaugural cancer free diet talk and info sharing by Mr. Ooi. Mr. Ooi is a Penangite and like any other man, he has a family to provide for. From colon cancer stage 4,he is now known as a cancer-free man. Learn more about his story and his acquaintance with Dorje Shugden here https://youtu.be/x7i-yXJBUwM?si=A-5O0udxjg52iS58
Kind-hearted sponsors sponsored these kuih-muih & flowers for today's puja @ 4th May, 2024. Should you wish to contribute these or sponsor our weekly puja, do contact us for more details. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
8 months ago
Kind-hearted sponsors sponsored these kuih-muih & flowers for today's puja @ 4th May, 2024. Should you wish to contribute these or sponsor our weekly puja, do contact us for more details. Kechara Penang Study Group by Jacinta.
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Dorje Shugden
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