Joy has been a student of His Eminence the 25^th Tsem Rinpoche for over 15 years. Through the years, Joy has witnessed Rinpoche’s compassion and the unconventional methods he uses to benefit others. Some of the short stories she shares will tell interesting miraculous events that Rinpoche will not mention due to his humility. She hopes these stories will serve as an inspiration in your own spiritual journey.

Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Painting Buddha Statues

After reconnecting with Rinpoche in 2001 or 2002, Rinpoche invited me to Kechara Paradise, his Dharma shop in SS2, Petaling Jaya (a suburb of Kuala Lumpur) to try my hand at painting. I had no idea I would be painting such a small item – a Tara tsa tsa – and when I arrived, I wondered how Rinpoche expected me to paint such a small statue.

And how did Rinpoche even know I could paint? I mean, I had started painting all the way back when I was in school, but it was not anything like fine art. So I figured Rinpoche was trying to put me to the test to see if I had the skill, and I really did want to do a good job painting the Tara.

Unfortunately however, it did not turn out so well…quite the opposite in fact! Or so I thought. So much so that when I handed over the “completed” work to Rinpoche’s assistant at the time, I told her it was really bad and that I did not think I could paint anymore. His assistant would have told Rinpoche what I said, and Rinpoche did not call me back to paint anything for quite some time. I thought to myself, “Phew! I sucked so Rinpoche’s probably not going to ask me to paint again.”

One day however, Rinpoche asked a few of us to meet him at Kechara Paradise. When we arrived, Rinpoche directed Pastor Chia to show another Dharma volunteer and me all of the Buddha images that were kept in storage. Rinpoche told us that he wanted us to learn how to paint the statues in the traditional style used by Tibetan artists and that we only had a few weeks to finish them all. We were flabbergasted because neither myself nor the other volunteer knew how to paint, let alone in traditional Tibetan style. Pastor Chia and another of Rinpoche’s assistants were assigned to teach us at the time. They, too, had to paint and embellish the jewels on the Buddha images alongside us.

After only one lesson and a 30-minute crash course, we were put to the test. There was no such thing as practising until you were confident because there was no time. Due to the very tight deadline, we had to practise as we painted each and every statue. The reason for the tight deadline was that someone had sponsored all of the Buddha statues. Their sponsorship was considered a puja for them and the statues needed to be given out to people as soon as possible. Hence the sooner we finished the statues, the sooner the sponsor would be able to complete his puja and clear his obstacles.

At the same time, the many lucky people who would receive these statues for free would be greatly benefited by having a Buddha image, not to mention being overjoyed. Especially back then, inviting a Buddha statue into one’s home was not common among Malaysians; most people would not spend a few hundred Ringgit on a Buddha statue, preferring instead to spend a few thousand on something branded. That is just how we were back then because we did not have the Dharma; because Buddhism is not in our roots here in Malaysia, Rinpoche had to deal with ignorant clowns like us, and had to educate us on the fundamentals of Buddhism such as the benefits of having Buddha statues.

Thus, over the years, Rinpoche has explained how any Buddha statue with the appropriate iconography can aid us in our spiritual practice. They are literally road maps to enlightenment; each implement they carry, their posture, and the gesture (mudra) made by the deity has a meaning.

For example, suppose the statue is of your yidam (assigned meditational deity). In that case, it is very literally the path to your enlightenment because yidams assist us in combating our most formidable enemy – our ego. So the larger the Buddha statue, the better because the number of atoms in the Buddha image corresponds to the amount of merits you will accrue every time you make offerings. As a result, size really does matter when it comes to Buddha statues.

With such a large project at hand, the other volunteer and I shared a small room for the next month, painting and then correcting our work. It became like a small retreat, with us painting all day and into the night. At the time, we had no idea that all of the statues had already been sponsored. We were just painting them as instructed, we did not know that Rinpoche planned to distribute them all on behalf of the sponsor once they were finished. We just assumed Rinpoche wanted them finished so they could be displayed in the shop rather than hidden and collecting dust in storage.

As I painted, I discovered many things. I had to focus and keep my hand steady to paint as accurately as possible, so I had to learn how to quiet my monkey mind, my chaos. It was a lesson in awareness. Control of my mind, body and speech. I realised that when you are painting, you need to concentrate so you will not talk as much as you usually would. Excellent practice for reducing idle chit-chat! As a result, it forces you to calm down and concentrate on what you are doing. Painting is not for people who have a short attention span. They will not enjoy it. However, if you want to practise patience, especially with yourself and techniques to calm the mind, painting is excellent. That is why it is said to be therapeutic. I recall when Rinpoche gave us this assignment I was dealing with some issues and my mind was not in a good place. I assume Rinpoche knew this and that is why he gave me this assignment.

Two very old pictures taken before HD cameras and smartphones. Left: painting the statues at Kechara Paradise, our first Dharma outlet. Right: me and the other volunteer. Painting was a therapeutic experience for the both of us.

Also, because we were cleaning, painting, and beautifying images of enlightened beings, it was a way to help us purify our negative karma and collect tremendous merits, particularly of the body. A single assignment from Rinpoche had multiple benefits. That is how skilful Rinpoche was and how much he cared. Rinpoche always considered how an assignment can benefit us to the fullest and on as many levels as possible. He would think about it and tailor the project to our personalities and issues, allowing us to overcome our limitations and win. Rinpoche always said that whatever assignment he gave was designed to make us win. However, it was up to us to put in the effort, have faith, and just do it!

Fast forward to 2021. As it comes to a close, I must have painted over a thousand Buddha statues by this point. I never imagined, having never taken a formal art class, that I would have ever been able to paint with such precision and detail. I definitely never thought I would be painting so many Buddha statues and actually enjoy doing it for so long.

Rinpoche was always excited when beautifying Buddha statues. He paid close attention to all the details because everything done in relation to a Buddha statue is an offering to the Three Jewels. Typically, Rinpoche would ask to me propose ideas of how to paint a particular Buddha statue. If Rinpoche liked the idea, he gave his approval. Sometimes, he even added to the idea to make it even better. In this picture, for example, Rinpoche was inspecting a Vajra Yogini statue. Rinpoche then gave us further instructions on making her look more spectacular.

So when people are amazed that I can paint, to be honest, I am equally surprised. I owe it all to my Guru, His Eminence the 25^th Tsem Rinpoche. I am amazed by Rinpoche’s capacity to care for us so deeply that he would devote his time and life to assisting and training us to be the best versions of ourselves. Giving us new skill sets and self-confidence that we can achieve anything if we put in the hours, hard work, discipline and practice. Rinpoche gave us hope and a sense of purpose when we did not have any. Rinpoche, thank you for showing us what we can be if we put our minds to it. Nothing is impossible.

For more interesting information:

• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Looking for That Switch!
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Taboo Words
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Cooking For Rinpoche
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Vajra Yogini or Anger?
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – The Assignment
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Change Karma
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Creating The Causes
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Buddha Images and Imprints
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Food and Dharma
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Spreading Dharma in Jonker Street
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – What’s the New News?
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Mission Impossible
• Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Tsem Rinpoche, My Protector

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