Tales With My Lama: The Famous Pick Game
His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche is well known for the ‘pick game’.
Pastor David has been a student of His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche for over 15 years and within the ‘Tales With My Lama’ series of articles, he explores his spiritual relationship with Rinpoche, sharing anecdotes, stories, observations and little Dharma nuggets. It is all told to inspire others for their own spiritual relationship with their teachers.
The Famous Pick Game
If you are a friend or a student of Tsem Rinpoche, the chances are that you have either heard of or you have been an unwitting participant of Rinpoche’s famous ‘pick game’. It goes without saying that I have been a part of this pick game on many occasions. Normally, the pick game exchanges for those involved – participant and audience – quickly descends into belly-aching laughter and mayhem. In this game, no one is spared. Rinpoche has almost anyone play the game including other Rinpoches and monks, even down to ordinary lay friends and students.
So, what is a pick game? The pick game is a quick and witty exchange between Rinpoche and a participant. Rinpoche asks difficult questions that require the participant to pick between two very difficult choices. The questions are deliberately tailored by Rinpoche to reveal an individual’s likes and dislikes, and along with it, a person’s attachments and aversions, which often reveal the sensibilities, priorities and inner workings of a person’s mind. It is quite simple but Rinpoche with his keen observation is able to decipher every nuance of the manner in which the person answers, something that often says more about the person than the answer itself.
The questions can be phrased like, “Pick! Be married to Mr X and have 10 kids or Mr Y but you have to tell him he is right all the time?”
Or, “Kick your mother or desecrate a Buddha statue?”
Or even, “Slap Ms A and tell her that she is stupid or steal Mr Y’s favourite shoes, wear them and parade in front of him?”
The pick game question does not necessarily have to be just choosing between two people. It can even be between two scenarios that the participant has a strong aversion against. This means that participants have to pick the lesser of two evils. But then again, the pick game in which you have to choose between two people are usually the ones that elicit the most reaction in people. It’s all about pitting one person over another in the most hilarious manner.
It is usually how people react to these choices – facial expressions, how long they take to choose and how they explain their choices, that reveals a lot about the psyche of that person. Rinpoche particularly likes to play the pick game with people who find the choices difficult because they reveal the most. It is as if they were forced to make a real decision. It is from the manner in which the participant answers, that Rinpoche is able to formulate the next question. It is usually the option that was avoided that becomes part of the next question.
The point of this game, beyond the laughter and its entertainment value, is the fact that all of us have attachments, fears, insecurities and all manner of neuroses. However, we express them in very unique ways and the way we answer the pick game reveals how we are inside. With subtle and overt hints of the inner workings of a person, Rinpoche is able to gain a deeper understanding of the participant and thereby able to help that person in the future.
For more interesting information:
- Tales with My Lama: Bigfoot Dreams
- Tales with My Lama: What does Rinpoche like about Liz Taylor?
- Tales with My Lama: Daily Practice
- Tales With My Lama : Laugh Away Your Ego
- Tales With My Lama: Why Rinpoche Has To Suffer
- Tales With My Lama : Larger than Life
- Tales with my Lama – Manjushri
- Tales With My Lama : Audience With Tsem Rinpoche
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
This is just one of the way Rinpoche able to understand the student’s likes, dislikes, attachment and aversion. Then Rinpoche will be able to design the student’s training especially to help with on their spiritual path.
From the first moment where a student meets with his/her Guru, the Guru has already begun to train the student by attacking his/her Ego. This is the job of the Guru. The Guru will risk His relationship with the student in the process just to help the student to change and transform into a better person.
He did not ask for anything in return but for the student to have true happiness and not temporary samsaric happiness. This is why, a Guru is very important on our spiritual path.
First time coming across this game, sound interesting and challenging with difficult questions. Its through the way we answering will some how reveal individual’s behaviour and personality. Rinpoche is able to see the weaker and stronger side of us individually. It is a game of fun and laughter, learning as well even though it reveals each psyche behaviour .
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
I wanna play
Sounds like a fun and interesting game to play and study one’s characteristic. Hope i can join in this game with Rinpoche and all of you guys. Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor David for sharing another interesting highlight????