Setrap Retreat at Kechara House
(By Tsem Rinpoche)
Tonight, in part of my talk at Kechara House’s Setrap Retreat, I explained about Setrap and why we make wrathful offerings to Dharma Protectors. Setrap is the Dharma Protector of Gaden Shartse, and also Kechara House. He is the wrathful emanation of Buddha Amitabha so as an enlightened Being, all of his actions are motivated by compassion. That’s why, when you pray to Setrap, you shouldn’t pray for what you want and expect to get it, because Setrap won’t give it to you if it isn’t what’s best for you. There were many people in the Setrap retreat I was happy to see.
Good luck to everyone.
Tsem Rinpoche
Setrap Puja in Gaden Shartse Monastery:
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
[…] Setrap Retreat at Kechara House […]
Thank you Rinpoche for your surprise visit and the teachings.
Your presence really boost the morale of everyone there especially the new people and the 1st-timers. They were so excited about meeting you. Now some of them continue to come to KH to attend our regular pujas and other activities.
As for me, I felt very ‘blessed’ because I got to touch Rinpoche’s foot..! Well it helps to be your ‘favourite victim’ no?
I know it’s Indian customs but I love it cos I really need lots of blessings from Rinpoche! I’ll never miss the chance to touch Rinpoche’s holy feet (or foot) as it is the highest blessings to me…
Thank you Rinpoche for your patince and care for me, this lazy and stubborn student… Perhaps next time Rinpoche may need to give me a few slaps to ‘wake me up’… oops! Hehe…
Dear Rinpoche,
Please please stay healthy… and continue to teach me and all of us here… We need you, all 13 dept need you, KWPC needs you!
Om Maha Yakcha Tsa Soha,Om Maha Yakcha Tsa Soha,Om Maha Yakcha Tsa Soha-Many thanks Rinpoche, beautiful!!!8-)))
The night before this, while seated before Rinpoche’s throne doing the Guru’s Long Life mantra, I was suddenly overcome with profound sadness thinking how I miss sitting at my Guru’s feet and listening to his teachings. The picture I was staring at on the throne blurred with tears. You cannot imagine how surprised and happy I was to see Rinpoche appear before me the next day, while I was seated at exactly the same spot. You can be sure for the rest of the retreat I’d be able to visualise Rinpoche standing there up at the front together with all the Buddhas. Thank you Rinpoche, your surprise visit meant a lot to me.
Dear Elaine,
very happy for you… Rinpoche also ‘blessed’ your mala lor… wow… how auspicious!
Dear Rinpoche,
After listening to your teaching on Setrap Retreat, i have also decided to listen to the “Dying Process” in youtube. Yes, it is a another topic that i have been avoiding and fear to know. I will work towards my spiritual goal, and request Lord Setrap to help to clear my obstacles to work in Dharma.
Thank you Rinpoche, with folded hands.
Just wish to share this: when I listen to Rinpoche’s talk on “Dying Process”; live in KH1, it hit me very hard as I finally found the answer to my childhood nighmares – when I was very young I always had the same nightmare whenever I’m having high fever – the scary feelings of falling very very deep in a never-ending dark hole.. The feeling was very scary because I couldn’t see anything but keep dropping deeper and deeper…
Now I know that it was my own experience of dying… funny how our mind can ‘trick’ us…
Rinpoche explained this as the process when our own ‘mind’ or consciousness retreating into our ‘very subtle mind’ situated at the area of our heart…
The question on dying had always bothers me even as a child of 5 or 6 years old; when lying on my bed before I sleep, I’ll think about things like where will I go after I die, what will happen to me when I die, etc. and then I would cried myself to sleep… guess I was asking those questions when I passed away from previous life…
Hopefully I’ll find my answers in this life ;p
Doreen, I’ll pray to Lord Setrap for your wish to come thru asap, then again, hopefully you’ll not ‘resign’ from volunteering at KH…! Aiyo… there goes another volunteer… but for the better, so I’ll definitely rejoice for you 🙂
Thanks Rinpoche for the surprise visit and beneficial talks, i feel really glad like i see the real Setrap talking to us.
I confess for what i have done that cause my problems, i surrender to karma, i accept that everything happens because of my own laziness, lack of wisdom and practice.
Setrap, please accept me and lead me to learn more Dharma!
Dear Rinpoche,
Many many Thank You for the teaching last night….. wonderful & we were very blessed to have the opportunity listening to your advice.
Take care, My Guru.
I wish to thank Rinpoche so much for his talk at Setrap’s Retreat last night. It has really helped me tremendously, especially the correct approach, actions & visualization during the puja/retreat. He has certainly answered the questions that had been floating around my head for the past few days. A Big Thank You to you Rinpoche for your great kindness and I will pay attention to what you have said.
I went for the previous retreat only knowing the basics of a retreat. I had full faith in Lord Setrap at that time but I did not know very much what I was doing. Me and my family encountered obstacles and through the blessings of Lord Setrap, our obstacles were cleared very quickly. At that time, I really did not know much about the visualizations, offerings and so on. BUT Lord Setrap still protected me and my family.
So imagine if we know about the significance of a retreat, how to do the rituals correctly and how to visualize correctly. How much more merits we will gain.
As Rinpoche had said earlier, we praise Lord Setrap not for Him but for ourselves to embody the same qualities. What really struck me was that Rinpoche mentioned of how we should not ask Lord Setrap to clear our obstacles but how we should be RESPONSIBLE of it.
What we should do is when performing our retreat, during the offering of black tea (as we are making a direct connection to Lord Setrap), we confess to what we have done and what are our obstacles and by accepting our karma, request Lord Setrap to help us.
Sorry for the lengthy comment but if I may add, what more I learnt today is that whether or not we want the Dharma, it is really up to us. How fast we progress in the Dharma, it is also up to us. How far we want to go in the Dharma, it is also entirely up to us.
I did not know about retreats but I could’ve gone to find out. I did not know how to visualize and again I could’ve gone to find out. The answers are all out there. Rinpoche’s teachings are all over the internet. It is really whether or not we make the effort to find out.
Thank you Rinpoche!