Hecelus Tan does his first Manjushri Retreat!
I am so happy to share about this meritorious young person who spent his free time on a retreat. A retreat helps us get ‘closer’ to a particular aspect of enlightenment by a particular Yidam in this case Manjushri. By getting close to a Yidam, we get tap into that quality within us. We use a Yidam to tap into our own enlightened nature. Doing retreats has many benefits dependent on which Yidam but in general we can be blessed with:
Purification
Gaining wisdom
Gaining merits to better understand the dharma
Perfecting our knowledge and attainments of the real nature of samsara
Creating causes to understand and practice The Three Principal Paths
Creating merits to be able to gain attainments
Gaining attainments
Increasing life span
Perfecting positive qualities of the mind
Accumulating merits for loved ones
The above are to name just a few. I rejoice Hecelus has engaged in a retreat and set up such a sincere and beautiful shrine to Manjushri. It brings great joy to my heart. I hope Hecelus does a Manjushri retreat yearly. I hope it becomes a tradition for him yearly to do himself such a good deed. Retreating is such a wonderful way to recharge and get in touch with our true nature dormant within each of us. What better way than with Manjushri.
I pray Hecelus will study, practice and engage in Dharma more. It will be tremendous benefits. The Three Jewels will never let us down.
Tsem Rinpoche
Dear Rinpoche,
Hope Rinpoche is well and that everything is going very smoothly in Singapore.
This is just to update Rinpoche that our teenaged Kechara member, Hecelus Tan, has finished his personal Manjushri retreat in Jamyang House.
He spent his school holidays to do his retreat and completed 535 malas of Manjushri’s mantra in one week.
The original plan was for him to do his retreat at the KH gompa, but the retreat requiures a fixed altar set up and fixed seat throughout the period of his retreat. The gompa is not really suitable for him, so he decided to move his retreat venue to Jamyang House.
Now, he is nearly 15 years old. He is very independent. He set up his retreat altar and decorated everything by himself.
Pastor Chia offered his own Manjushri statue for Hecelus’ retreat, and he very generously told me that after Hecelus finished his retreat, he then gave the Manjushri statue to this boy.
So nice 🙂
Love, Yek Yee
Hecelus’ altar for his Manjushri retreat
Hecelus in front of the altar
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Dear All
I would like to share with you the sacred prayer of Manjushri – A Concert Names of Manjushri (’Jam-dpal mtshan-brjod, Skt. Mañjuśrī-namasamgiti), which consists of 160 verses and mantra sentences. One version is translated by Alexander Berzin, a scholar, translator, and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, and the other one is from FPMT.
Valentina
Such a lucky boy as he has connections to Manjushri, wonderful as the benefits that Rinpoche has mentioned are worth having. I have been reciting the Ganglongma and doing 10 mala rounds of Manjushri mantra daily for quite some time now. I do enjoy doing it because the prayer is quite lovely and exposes on Manjushri’s qualities. I find his name very beautiful too. My ‘dhi’ recitations have become much better, I rarely have to pause for air.
Rejoice! Hecelus is very inspiring and is the example for all of us to follow!
Wow, Hecelus is truly inspiring.
At such a young age so determine and independent.
How many young people would request for a retreat during their school holiday? He is different and so spontaneous.
He definitely has a strong imprint in doing so.
Rejoice…
He is showing a great example for the young one.
Nowaday, most parents are working. And they have very less time for their children. Whenever there is a school holidays, parents will try to bring their children away for vacations and to have some family time together. Children will be excited about this. I have never heard of any school children that will request to do a retreat during school holiday.
Well Hercules, you are special. You did something different that beneficial for yourself and set a good example for others young boy and girls of your age. Keep up the good work.
Rejoice on completion of your retreat.
Hecelus could have been a dharma practitioner is one of his previous lives and in this life, he is reconnecting. I feel it is important that in this life, when I have all the necessary conditions, to learn and practice dharma so as to create the cause for me to take a good rebirth.
I have seen him in Kechara Paradise dharma retail outlet in Viva Home when he attended the Setrap Puja conducted weekly there on Monday (in Chinese).
one night, i went back home(Jamyang house) and i went to talk to Pastor Yekyee. Suddenly she told me that was a very young boy doing Manjushri retreat in our house. And i walked towards the young boy. He sits on the bed and doing some reading. He was polite and friendly. I was shocked and definitely impressed. Such a young boy did retreat by himself and decorate the altar so nicely by his own as well.
Manjushri is very good to everyone. I rejoice for this boy. Hope Hecelus will engage more in Dharma.
Rejoicing…
I have a chance to talk to this young man once before. He have no different compare to other boys, but he’s very into Dharma. I asked him why, and he replied : Don’t know…. Cute !!
It’s very fortunate to meet Dharma in such a young age. Dharma is not pray prayers, Dharma is not saying praise to the god. Dharma is philosophy teaching for us to be more happy and we able to face all the difficulty we will face in the future. Dharma teaches us to be brave, strong, harmonious, loving kindness to other.
By doing any retreat of any enlighten mind. We are actually creating the course for us to be like them.
What Hecelus had done is like a mirror to reflect how we should done earlier in our life time, unfortunately many people are still far behind from his spiritual path included myself.. sigh~~
I Rejoice to hear of his completion of the retreat.
At this age when most young people spent their holiday having fun and playing games, Hercules sets a good example for the younger generation to follow. I am happy for Hercules. At this age, he is able to reconnect with his spiritual path and may he be closer to the dharma in the future. May he also inspire and bring his friends into the dharma.
Wow, i’m simply amazed at this boy! Such a young age he is already consistently engaging in retreats and understanding the benefits of it. I rejoice totally that Kechara is able to educate, provide a platform for these young kids and guide them to the right path. Also, the Kechara members and staff are always ready to advise, help until completion. So actually to take the initiative to do a retreat is possible in our busy life styles… I am very happy for Hecelus Tan, to be able to connect with dharma at such young age and may he continue that and gain attainments in this very life time.
It is so wonderful to see young people spending time to develop their spiritual path and inner peace instead of frivolous activities. He is also very fortunate that he has a conducive place to do his retreat ie Jamyang House. It is Rinpoche’s foresight to have dharma houses as the housemates can support each other and now has benefited someone like Hecules too. May there be more young men like him. I rejoice for you Hecules!
Very exciting post to read…
I is heart-warming to see that at a young age, Hecelus is taking the opportunity to awaken his imprints and revive previous connection he might have had with Manjushri.
How meritorious he must be to find help from Kecharians and Pastor Chia and have a mind that values the retreat over worldly activities.
This little 15-year-old boy is very determined and independent. At such a young age, he requested Pastor Yek Yee to let him do Manjushri retreat at Jamyang house for a week during his school holidays. How many young kid would spend their holidays doing retreat? I guess very few. He set up nice altar and i remember he told me he would only buy food that he likes (mostly are expensive) to offer up to Buddha, he told me that when he does offering to Buddha, he would offer the best. I’m really rejoice for Hercelus, may you be closer to dharma and be benefited and eventually brings dharma to others.
When the first day Hecelus Tan came to Jamyang House set up his own retreat altar, I am really amazed and inspired by his passionate to this retreat. Look at him, I really believed that previous life imprint is exist. To him everything like nature, cannot believe it.
Few week after he had finished his retreat, I asked him how he feel? Hecelus is quite happy and told me he become more focus and learn than before while in school. He told me he will do again and again in school holiday.
He enjoy his retreat very much!
Amazing he did so much mantra in a week. To engage in Dharma in this age is not easy. So many distraction, movies, outing with friends, video game, tuition, “kia su” school learning projectssss…facebook etc. Hecelus spent his holiday in a most meaningful and determine way, if he can begin to influence his friends, that would be nice.
i am also very happy for this boy!!
How wonderful!
Thank you rinpoche kindly advise,I will continue my Manjushri retreat yearly during school holidays.I also want to thank you Pastor Yek Yee and some Kecharian take care on me.I will design my shrine with another theme next year.May Rinpoche long life, kechara and kecharian growth.
Hi Hecelus,nice to meet you. It is an incredible thing for a 15 year old boy to be so committed into Dharma practices. I, a 15 year old boy also, sincerely bow to you as a respect to your genuine commitment into Dharma practices. I hope one day we will meet at Kechara Gompa or any Kechara’s activity and have Dharma as a topic for discussion!
I am extremely happy for Hecelus. Most people include myself go through more than half of this lifetime before we even get connected to Dharma. Learning and practicing Dharma without a doubt positively influences our mind, which shapes out thoughts and judgements and helps us make proper choices. How wonderful that Hecelus should start on the right path at his age and can look forward to many years ahead of serving the dharma and living a life of true happiness.
[typo]…which shapes our thoughts…
What a nice young man to inspire us all 🙂 May his retreat blessed his family and all the people around him.
I rejoice in Hecelus Tan, i am amazed that a young school going children at the age of 15 taken the initiative to participate in doing Manjushri Retreat, im really blown away at how much his desire to do the retreat.
For many of this age, they are indulge in enjoyment of trip, tour, spending the day playing games and hanging out with the schoolmates, but Hecelus stands out from the rest, he choose to spend his holiday doing retreat. I
saw the sincerity of his commitment towards his retreat as i was doing my water offering retreat together as well. Hard to believe, but trully amazing young Dharma boy he is.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.