A Tsongkhapa Garden for Rachel
Alex and Ashlee have been my students for many years and they have been very instrumental in leading Manjushri Kids Class. Rachel is their daughter.
Young Rachel is an active member of Manjushri Kids Class and was a strong participant in Lamrim recitation, one the recent pujas done in Kechara House before the renovation of the new gompa started.
I was informed that Rachel recited in total 319 chapters of the Lamrim. She recited these chapters from Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand: A Concise Discourse on the Path to Enlightenment.
Day 23 – 100 times
Day 24 – 70 times
and the remainder chapter counts accumulated from Day 1, 3, 10, 12, 13, 16 & 22
It is very good to see that children can contribute to Dharma too if they wish to. I am very proud of her.
Below is the sms sent by Wendy who delivered my gift to Rachel:
Dear Rinpoche,
I have delivered the Tsongkapa Garden from Rinpoche to Rachel. Alex was around when I delivered it. Ashlee is away on business trip in Jakarta. The garden was placed on Rachel’s altar in her bedroom together with her other tsa tsas and pendants.
Alex told me that yesterday, Rachel and him saw this Tsongkapa garden at KP Bangsar and was thinking using the idea of the garden to make a Tara Garden.
Rachel was very shy and did not say anything. When Alex asked her whether she liked the garden, she nodded her head. Below pix of Rachel and her Tsongkapa garden on her altar.
Thank you.
Wendy
Rachel is very shy and intelligent. Seems to be attracted to the dharma very much. She is quiet but very alert. I appreciated her participating in our pujas recently. Remember she is only ten years old but she is so disciplined to participate in the pujas. No one forced her. Wow!!
Fantastic sweet little girl!
Tsem Rinpoche
(Shin, thanks for the post and write up above)
Dear Rinpoche,
These are the home made cup cakes offered by Rachel Tan (Alex’s daughter) to Rinpoche together with a card.
Regards,
James
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
At 10 years old, Rachel has more diligence and wisdom then me. I rejoice for her. May I be more like Rachel.
Time and time again, we see shining examples of children who show great intelligence, commitment and kindness to the point where they could show some adults a thing or two!
I’m actually stunned that Rachel, at just ten-years old, managed to make so many recitations of the Lamrim; I certainly have never known any ten-year old who could sit still for five minutes, let alone show such focus and mental discipline.
Rachel’s apparent humility when receiving a gift in recognition of her efforts is also very impressive, and I hope she grows to develop her practice in the Dharma and finds true happiness along her spiritual path.
Kind regards,
Sandy
Rachel Tan, a ten year old daughter of alex and ashlee who has done a total 170 times of lamrim recitation for the lamrim recitation retreat last month. For her achievement Rinpoche has presented her a Lama Tsongkapa gaden set and she was thrilled upon receiving the gift and she offered a candle to Tsongkapa. Her parents are very proud of her. Her parents are volunteers in Manjushri kid class in Kechara house,thus she must have been influenced and nurtured by her parents to do dharma work at a very young age so that she will be able to convince and bring people to dharma practice in the future.
She has 2 pet dogs one belongs to her younger. She loves her dogs feed them play with them and take them out for walk. When children learn to love animals and take care of them from young they can develop compassion for others in their lives.
Rachel is certainly fortunate to have Alex and Ashley as parents. Rachel also has tremendous merits to meet Tsem Rinpoche. Hope Rachel will nurtured to be the next generation to carry on upholding dharma and continue the legacy of Kechara World Peace Centre. I am really impressed how both Alex and Ashley are bringing up their kids to learn dharma so they could become beneficial and make their children’s life meaningful.
Parents should enroll their kids for Manjushri Kid Class to start them young in dharma education. Also kids could start from introductory class and participate in arts. For more information visit http://www.kechara.com
I got barbie dolls as a kid! Houses for barbie dolls, clothes for barbie dolls, cars for Barbie dolls and even boyfriends for Barbie dolls. Anything Barbie, you name it, my sisters and I have. No wonder we are so fashion crazy now. Even now I got a Queen Amidala Barbie looking doll, but she is collectible 🙂 Hehe. She has beautiful outfits too.
So imagine what the gift of Dharma can do for our kids. Rinpoche knows that too. He conceptualized this Tsongkhapa garden so that it can be given to young practioners. So that they start practicing from young.
According to Rinpoche, this can only happen if parents are practicing the Dharma as well. If parents wish is to see their kids grow up to be a good, respectable person, do Dharma. The gift of Dharma to our children is the most precious gift one can ever give. No money, education can ever replace that because sometimes due to our karmas, we might end up with monster kids. Even the greatest parents can end up with monsters. Give them the Dharma and one may rest in peace. Dead or alive.
Rachel is a very shy girl, every time when she came to my house or we went to her place especially during Chinese New Year, she will be very quiet and always stick to her parent. In Chinese Tradition, girls are always very shy; guess maybe she has the inheritance of this gene. Lolx.
It is very good to receive dharma knowledge during young age, especially during when their brain’s absorption power still very strong, it will be easier for them to learn and absorb. Alex and Ashlee are very kind to have let their children enter into dharma in that early age, I’m sure with the dharma knowledge they’ve learned, and it will be very useful to them in the future.
As a parent, I cannot help but be in awe of both Alex and Ashlee who have obviously brought up their daughter, Rachel in the right way, with Dharma. For someone as young as 10, to be this passionate and interested in Dharma, it is truly a blessing, and something to rejoice about.
When they start young, they have their whole lives ahead of them to being better people who work to benefit others. They become greater individuals.
I am so inspired after reading this blog post and all the comments. I will definitely get my own daughter more involved in Dharma and continue to find ways to help her get interested. I should never stop trying even if there is little response or no response. I should never give up.
Dharma is the best gift I can ever give my daughter, or anyone, for that matter. This is the only gift that can help them, life after life.
Thank you for being such wonderful examples of a Dharma family. A family that makes Dharma their way of life is definitely the most supreme of all.
THANK YOU and I am sure Rachel is enjoying her Tsongkhapa Garden very much.
Alex and Ashlee has been a very dedicated teacher in MKC. Their children are following their footsteps and what so fantastic here is that their children started in Dharma at a very young age. It always impresses me to see the whole family involved in the dharma and that is the direction that I will head to. Rachel is a very shy girl but intelligent. She’s not only set as a role model to a lot of the children but to the adults too. Their lovely parent must have nurtured them very well and this is a very good example to expose the children at very young age into dharma. Nurturing them from young will definitely make them habituate dharma is just a spontaneous act in their life. I really rejoice and Rachel could be the future MKC teacher like their parent, who knows?
The Manjushri Kids Class (MKC) was instrumental in bringing our whole family into Dharma and closer to each other. As 2 of the pioneer teachers, Ashlee and I try our best to use our limited Dharma knowledge and present it in a way that the kids can relate to at home and at school. Rachel together with many kids in MKC showing signs that Dharma is having positive influence in their mind and behaviour. Every Sunday afternoon for the last 2 years since MKC started, we no longer waste precious time walking aimlessly in the shopping malls. Instead we are at MKC in KH2 learning Dharma and having a fun!
Dear Parents, love your kids truly. Send them to MKC and start them young. We at MKC are dedicated in nurturing your kids’ inner beauty!
Rinpoche’s ‘Dharma is for everyone’ is bearing fruits. We see more and more young families whose kids have no qualms about coming to pujas or doing prayers together with their parents.
During my time, adults don’t really think that temples and prayers are for kids and kids shun such smoke filled un-kid friendly places as well.
10 yr old Rachel is a student of our Manjushri Kids class while her parents are the dedicated teachers.
She must have received blessings to volunteer on her own to recite the 319 chapters of the Lamrim text. The text, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand is a thick volume and would have deterred a lot of adults, not to mention children whose std study books are a fraction of this.Rachel has such abundance of merit to be doing this and will inspire other kids to follow.
Rachel is a very good kid. She never refuses the Dharma. Teacher Alex has really brought her up very well as a person as student of Tsem Rinpoche. I have never heard of a normal kid being able to recite 319 chapters of the Lamrim. She is a no excuse kid. She does what she is told to do. She looks very happy from the picture of her and the Tsongkhapa garden. I hope that she will be an insperation for the other kids to work harder for the Dharma! If she does that, she will help many people. So keep on being hardworking Rachel!
Terima Kasih Rinpoche!
Rachel is the hope of the next generation in Kechara and in the greater cause for Buddhism in Malaysia. With this Dharma seed planted and maturing from a tender age, she will be a beacon of hope and leadership in bringing Rinpoche’s Teachings and Kechara for the current and future development as the entire organisation is moving towards the realisation of KWPC. As the earlier comments have commended, Alex and Ashlee have been instrumental in the shaping and progress of Rachel and a model for other aspiring & current parents to bring up their generation in the Dharma. Sadhu!
Ashlee and Alex have been in the Dharma for many years. I believe due to their prayers and dedications, their children Rachel and Xander have the good fortune to be in the Dharma at a very young age. Both kids are the pioneer students of the Manjushri Kids class when it was incepted. And Alex and Ashlee are both Manjushri teachers, very active in the education committee. It just shows that through the accumulation of merits, Rachel can accomplish so much in the recent Lamrim recitation, much more than any adult would have done, and she is just 10 years old. Merits accumulation is an important part in one’s spiritual journey. It is through the daily practices, such as one’s own sadhana, studying the lamrim, committment to dharma work, attending pujas, or carrying direct assignments from Rinpoche, that one can accumulate vast amount of merits to propell one’s spiritual journey. Rachel sure got those extra booster ! Congratulation to Rachel!!
Rinpoche always mention that if we are transformed we will be able to bring our beloved family and other to Dharma as our actions speak louder than words. So it must be Ashlee and Alex, the parents who engaged in spiritual path have inspired and attracted their kids to follow them in the secred way in such a young age.
Rachel, a little girl who fortunate to be in Dharma family and with the naturing and support from parents she is in Dharma in her young age.
Manjushri Kids class (MKC)is the support arm that guide the kids to be kind, caring with right attitude. Bring your kids to join the class so that they can start their spiritual journey in early age like Rachel.
Wan
Rachel voluntarily participated in the recent Lamrim recitation which is one of the pujas to be completed before the commencement of the renovation on Kechara House new gompa.
Many adults, when invited to come for dharma teaching or puja , would say they are not ready or they don’t have the time. Rachel proves them wrong. She is exposed to dharma at the tender age of 3 through her parents. Look how easily it is for her to engage in the dharma !
Rachel’s parents, Alex & Ashley , are pioneers in starting the Manjushri Kids Class at KH.
Every Sunday from 2PM to 4PM, MKC teachers Alex, Ashley, Ling & Gim Lee will give dharma claseses to children from 3 to 4 years old . MKC’s syllabus includes basic dharma learning, art & craft, participation in KSK’s food packing and monthly animal liberation. The teachers strive to provide an all round character development for the children with the aim to nurture the children into adults with solid moral values and caring attitude towards all others.http://www.kechara.com/kechara-house/education/kids/
Rachel has very good merits to have parents who are involved in the dharma , my hope for her is that she will grow up her whole life being surrounded by the dharma. I do rejoice for her. I only encountered the holy and powerful Lam Rim teachings in my mid twenties and she is only 10 and she already has exposure to it, happy for her.
To have dharma early in life really helps us to change the course of our lives and gives us a much wider perspective about life. Manjushri Kids class is really fun for young children to see one of their activities click on the link below
http://www.kechara.com/arts/news/clay-colouring-fun/
Dear Rinpoche,
As much as I have read about you and your encounters in life, I have yet to meet you. But after seeing the difference you have made to so many lives, I can’t help but to feel excited about looking at things from your perspective.
I am glad that even young Rachel sees something that most people fail to see. And I am glad that in this world, there are also people who loves the animals as another living being, sharing the same soil, air and the abundance of the earth.
Life is indeed beautiful if we could all examine the true essence of living. And I guess every human being in life exists for a reason, a purpose and everyone has a role to play in making life wonderful!
Even though I have been brought up in a family subscribing to a different faith and belief, but I feel that there are many common things in life that we all share.
I do hope that everyone will come to see the different side of life and how beautiful we could make it to be if we actually know how. And there are just too many ‘little things in life’ that is just too important to be overlooked 🙂
Dearest Rinpoche,
Rachel is indeed a girl with a big heart. Her acts of kindness, consideration and generosity are reflected in her daily gestures – in the way she greets and treats everyone, young and old. She is always ready to help – be it in our Manjushri Kids Class, other Kechara activities, like a big sister looking after the younger kids, getting things ready, helping to set up the class, etc. She is also very creative and good at arts and crafts.
Seeing her doing her part, reciting the Lamrim at our recent puja is truly inspirational. She does it wholeheartedly, with lots of positive energy, quiet determination and discipline! That really spurs me on and I am sure the rest of the participants as well!
I am so happy for her! She really deserves the beautiful Lama Tsongkhapa Garden as I do know she always make prayers for all of us and has everyone’s well being in her heart. She is a great example to us all – she may be quiet and shy but her actions speaks louder than words!
Thank you very much Rinpoche for giving her such a wonderful present and for giving us a spiritual abode, opportunities to practice, and guiding us!
Dear Rinpoche,
We’re really blessed to have met you. Throughout the 7 years, you have nurtured us to transform and practice dharma. Now, it is utmost fortunate that our kids have the opportunity to be expose to dharma at such young age.
You have continuously showered us with prezzies, love & care and now even our kids get prezzies.
I’m just so amazed how Rinpoche recognizes everyone’s effort including the kids’ effort in KH. Rachel is extremely happy to have receive the Tsongkhapa Garden especially since it is from Rinpoche. It is very nice of Rinpoche to reward her. She is also very thrilled that Rinpoche has blogged about her. It helps build her self-esteem & confidence as she is very shy.
She is indeed very incline towards dharma. Ever since watching the video “Earthlings”, she has committed to be vegetarian and only consume meat once a week. She loves animals very much.
I know that with Dharma, she will be ok growing up.
Thank you Rinpoche.
Rachel’s reading of the Lamrim without prompting reflects well on Alex and Ashlee’s Dharma parenting and ultimately on HE Tsem Tulku Rinpoche’s guidance as their Guru. This is but one example of how Rinpoche’s years of hard work in a country with no mass Buddhist consciousness is bearing fruit in the growth of young Dharma families whose children grow up with Dharma foremost in their minds. As a parent who has a child who is benefiting from the Dharma, I humbly thank Rinpoche for creating the conditions for the wholly beneficial Dharma to be available and accessible to Buddhist families in our country and beyond. The next generation of Buddhists are growing up with Dharma knowledge and Dharma practice! When KWPC manifests, it will be an institution to continue this legacy and ensure that this precious lineage pervades. Thank you Rinpoche!
Beautiful photo of Rachel with a colorful garden!