Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Cleaning Houses
Joy has been a student of His Eminence the 25th 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 – Cleaning Houses
In my last article, I wrote about Rinpoche conceptualising Dharma houses. In this story, I shall share with you again just how much Rinpoche cared and how Rinpoche’s kindness was beyond ordinary.
One of the things that Rinpoche used to do when we first started living in Dharma houses was surprise visits and inspections. It was always exciting as well as scary because most of the time we were very busy working so our houses were not exactly clean and tidy. Hence, whenever we suspected that Rinpoche would be paying us a visit soon, we took a few hours off to clean the house, our rooms, our altars – everything – because nothing escaped Rinpoche’s attention and sharp eyes! The whole group ran helter-skelter every time, to clean up before Rinpoche came to visit. And usually, knowing us ‘clowns’, Rinpoche was very kind and would give us a hint that he wanted to come and visit and maybe, if we were lucky, an entire day of ‘warning’ before he actually came.
But the inspections were not just about cleanliness. Actually, during the visits, Rinpoche observed and checked to see if there was anything to improve in our homes to help us live more comfortably. Yes, Rinpoche really cared and wanted us to be happy in our living space. When Rinpoche visited, Rinpoche usually came with a carload of food, groceries and gifts for everyone. It was like Santa Claus coming to visit but better!
The first thing Rinpoche always did was to check our altars and give us advice on how we could make them better or nicer, or what Buddhas statues and images we could invite home. Sometimes, if we were lucky and had the merits, Rinpoche even gave impromptu Dharma talks in our homes. That was the best gift Rinpoche gave us when visiting and those were such a blessing.
We were always so nervous because it was not just anybody coming to our house but our Guru who also happened to be a very high lama. So of course, we wanted to make sure everything was perfect and that our house was fit for our Guru, who is the embodiment of the Buddha, to visit. It was also a humbling experience because Rinpoche sat with us, sometimes ate with us and we saw how simple and humble Rinpoche was. Rinpoche accepted whatever refreshments we offered and he sat with us talking, joking and sharing the Dharma. Rinpoche wanted to relate with us and to really connect with the students.
When inspecting our houses, Rinpoche observed and made a mental list of what we needed. If certain things needed fixing or painting up, Rinpoche arranged for it to be done. Sometimes, Rinpoche even bought furniture for the students. Who else would do something like that? Not even all parents would go to that trouble for their own children but this was the extent of Rinpoche’s kindness and care. In this way, Rinpoche cared for every single detail and aspect of our lives if we allowed him.
And all this was done because Rinpoche wanted us to practise the Dharma well and to transform ourselves. Rinpoche used to tell us that to do Dharma now, during this day and age, is really rare and difficult due to so many distractions. The more the world becomes materialistic, the more degenerate our spirituality becomes and the lesser the interest in Dharma. Rinpoche wanted to show us ‘clowns’ that even though we are like ‘wild monkeys’, at least we are taking that extra step to do Dharma work. Hence, Rinpoche always gave us his all; his love and care to ensure we were okay and that we were living in a good environment, making sure we were comfortable and always alright so we could focus on doing Dharma work.
So inspecting our little Dharma houses was like inspecting how we were doing in our spiritual practice. In essence, how we took care of our homes, our rooms, our altars, and how clean they were, was all a reflection of our state of mind. For this reason, Rinpoche would also visit non-Dharma houses where some of his closer, older students lived as it allowed Rinpoche to gauge where our state of mind was at. Rinpoche was especially particular about the cleanliness of our altars and the space around it because that is the space we sit to do our sadhanas (daily prayers) and to invoke upon the Buddhas. Hence it is important to keep it clean and tidy at all times. Just like how we cleaned our house because Rinpoche was coming, the same should be done for our altars because we are inviting the Buddhas to come every day when we do our sadhana. This was how Rinpoche asked us to think and to treat our living spaces.
Whenever Rinpoche saw a student’s house was dirty and messy, especially if the student was someone unable to clean their own home (perhaps because they had no time, were too old and were living on their own), Rinpoche would arrange a group of us to help clean that student’s house. This was to show support and care to that student, and to let them know that they were not alone and forgotten. A clean house attracts positive vibes and that helps the person’s mindset, to focus better when they do their practices so that they can gain results from it.
Cleaning a Dharma student’s house does not just benefit the student but also benefits those who are actually doing the cleaning. Cleaning a Dharma student’s house can help us collect merits and purify our own karma, because we are focusing out and helping someone who does Dharma practices, and that is why the merits generated are more than cleaning any other ordinary person’s home. Over the years, Rinpoche arranged for many students’ houses to be cleaned and re-organised, to basically help the student live in a cleaner space because it was affecting the person’s mind. Clearing out the clutter in our homes also helps us clear out the clutter in our minds so we can focus better. Somehow we feel fresher and more revived after our house is cleaned. That is why Rinpoche was quite particular about how clean we maintained our homes and spaces around us.
These are just some of the many things that Rinpoche did in caring for his students. It was not just about teaching the Dharma; Rinpoche’s care really extended all the way out, right up to our personal living conditions. That is why it behooves us to maintain our living space well, to appreciate the effort Rinpoche put in to make us feel comfortable by maintaining the cleanliness of our homes. That is the least we can do. And from there we can make our clean homes an offering to the Buddhas who we invoke daily when we do our sadhana, as Rinpoche explained. With the right motivation and attitude, it becomes easy to collect merits every single day just from maintaining the cleanliness of our homes.
For more interesting information:
- 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
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Thank you Joy for this sharing of Rinpoche with us . Through reading this post we have a better understanding of Rinpoche. Inspecting the cleanliness of altar and the surrounding of homes is more or unless teachings or training us . With the right motivation and attitude, when we invoke daily doing our sadhana, it becomes easy to collect merits an offering to the Buddhas. Rinpoche extended all the way out, teaching the Dharma as well as seeing students living conditions and welfare. We are so fortunate to have Rinpoche as our teacher who cares more than Rinpoche himself.
Thank you Rinpoche , may Rinpoche have a swift return , continue turning the wheel of Dharma.