Rinpoche – Behind the Scenes 活佛背后的故事

This happened more than 10 years ago, in 1999. This baby was having serious health problems, jaundice etc. which were life threatening, Rinpoche did a lot of blessing, pujas, prayers for the baby a few times a week, sometimes with the help of the protector, and finally the baby was healed.

“Something” was following Kelvin for many years, and it literally wanted to take his life. He and his wife took a leap and faith to trust H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, and after months of hard works, things started to come their way. ”

一些”东西”跟着Kelvin许多年了，”他”甚至想要Kelvin的命。Kelvin和妻子最终决定相信詹杜固仁波切所说的，过了几个月的辛苦…

written and sent to my family on July 9, 2010 (my 34th birthday)

Dear my beloved family,

Attached are some pictures of grandma’s funeral, her remains is now placed forever in Miao Hsiang Lin temple in Penang , next to grandpa.So this is it, the final chapter of the oldest generation of the Loh family is officially closed. And from now onwards, most likely we will not meet each other again, it may sound negative, but that’s reality, no reason to gather together for Chinese New Year, no reason for you to come back to Penang , no reason for some of us here to go visit you overseas, that’s reality. We have had great time together, especially at grandpa’s old house in Sungai Ara, now only memories left, impermanence the true nature of this world.

So I would like to share some words with all of you.

Grandma’s passing was very peaceful, it was a miracle. Grandma was diagnosed with 4th stage cancer, she died of cancer, but on the final day of her life, July 3rd, she ate a whole big bowl of porridge BY HERSELF, and she got up and CHANGED HERSELF, and she went to sleep, and passed away WITHOUT A SIGN, without heavy breathing, without suffering. You can ask around, which terminal stage cancer patient could pass away in such a peaceful painless manner? 

And this is exactly what my Tibetan Lama His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche has requested the protector Setrap to help, a few weeks ago when He came to Penang specially to bless grandma, that if grandma were to pass away, please make it painless and peaceful, and we now saw it happening with our own eyes. Besides, Tsem Rinpoche also requested the Tibetan monastery in India to perform powerful pujas for grandma a few weeks ago: Vajrayogini and Lama Chopa pujas, both very powerful pujas done by hundreds of fully ordained monks dedicated to grandma, and Rinpoche sponsored all the pujas Himself.

If you remember, about 1 year ago, grandma fell down and was diagnosed with brain haemorrhage, she was wheel-chair bound and already seemed like she couldn’t make it, but my Lama told me it was not her time to go yet, and He asked me to do prayers to the protector Setrap. And what happened after that all of you know, grandma recovered miraculously as if nothing had happened, she could walk, eat, talk, and was as alert as before, and what’s even more surprising was, during the next check-up she went to, the scan showed that the haemorrhage had disappeared altogether.

Sorry to say, singing a few praises and songs to the Divine certainly did not and could not have helped grandma, THE DHARMA DID.

His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche is a high Tibetan Lama reincarnated for over 17 lifetimes now, if He can control his own death and reincarnation to come back again and again for so many lifetimes, helping grandma’s death and rebirth is “easy” for Him.

All of you know that I am grandma’s favourite grandson, I loved grandma the most too, and I have repaid her kindness with the best gift – a good death and a good rebirth. I have been graduating from university for ten years, I could have worked in a decent job and earn lots of money and gave grandma, bought her new house, nice clothes, I could have gotten married and produced beautiful great-grandchildren for grandma, but if I did those things, today it would have meant nothing to grandma already, NOTHING AT ALL. But I chose to do Dharma, because Dharma work collect merits, and only with the merits I could save grandma for this life and also her future life; it is also with those merits that I could request a high being like Tsem Rinpoche to come and bless grandma. I am no one special, I am not holy, but my Dharma work collect tremendous merits, thus I could transfer those merits to my beloved grandma.

I am not trying to brag about myself here, that’s not my purpose. My real reason of sharing these with all of you is to show you how you could really love your loved ones in the ultimate way. I will continue my Dharma work, because I still have my dad, mom, brother, sister-in-law, nephew…they are my immediate family, I can do the same thing to help them like I did for grandma, because of the merits. I wish help my relatives like you too, but you are far and most likely we will not meet ever again, so the best is for you to help yourself, and I have already shown you how, by the example of grandma’s miraculous good death.

You may ask, how to collect merits? The simple rule of thumb is, working and living for ourselves exhaust our merits, while working and living for others collect merits. So we check our daily lives, we work, we earn money, we live, for who? For ourselves or for others? We may say that we are working very hard to take care of our children, and we do not harm others, and we think that is good enough. It is NOT. To put it in a crude but absolutely true way, animals like horses and cows also work, they also have children and take care of them, and horses and cows also do not harm others, so do horses and cows collect merits? No they don’t, so do we, if we live solely for ourselves.

So, working for others will collect merits, Dharma is not limited to Buddhist work, they key here is not the religious label, but the motivation behind it, you could be an atheist but you are thinking and working to benefit others every day, then you also collect merits.

Do look at the pictures I attached, and contemplate for a moment, this could and will definitely happen to our next loved ones, one day they are alive, next day they are dead, next day only their bones are left, next day they are placed in an urn, only memories left, when all that happen, have we done anything to help them, if we say we love them?

I thank you my family, for all the love and care, for all the fun we had, from now on I wish you well, and it is not an empty wish, I share with how to really live a meaningful life and truly benefit our loved ones.

Like I said, I am not forcing any doctrine onto you, I have shown to you beyond doubt that Dharma worked, Dharma saved grandma, and Dharma benefitted grandma ultimately, I only wish you could gain the benefits too, because you are my family and I love you.

Thank you, and really wishing you all the best. Please do share this email with those in the family that do not have email access, or who are not listed in this email.

Love,
Piow

(grandma passed away on July 3, 2010)

In mid-June 2010, Rinpoche went all the way to Penang just to bless and do puja for my grandma

Rinpoche performing a powerful tantric puja to bless Grandma, and He also sponsored powerful Vajrayogini and Lama Chopa pujas at the Monastery for grandma

Rinpoche blessing grandma with holy items

Grandma passed away on July 3rd

Grandma’s ashes will be inside this urn forever

Grandma and grandpa in the 1930s, like us, they also had dreams, and they had also been through happiness, sadness, anger, joy…just like what we are going through now.
But today, all those were gone forever, all those meant nothing at all.
Only one thing is worth rejoicing, that grandma has taken a good rebirth to continue the Dharma path, and that is only possible with the blessing of –
His Eminence Tsem Tulku Rinpoche

November 17, 2008

During the first few weeks of Rinpoche’s stay in Kathmandu, one evening Rinpoche went to Vijeshwari Vajrayogini Temple, and on the way back to Thamel, Rinpoche took a rickshaw and the rickshaw driver was a nice man called Batri, Rinpoche bought Batri a large bag of rice and some vegetables. During the following few weeks we also met Batri on the street a few times and used his rickshaw service, Batri is always pleasant and helpful, and never greedy, in fact he is always looking out for Rinpoche on street because he is grateful and likes Rinpoche a lot, and he refers to Rinpoche as “the tall one”.
 
Today Monlam and I met Batri again on Thamel street, and Rinpoche asked us to go to Batri’s house to check out his living condition. Batri’s house is 5 mins away from Thamel, he rented the top floor of a house, more like the attic. The room is extremely small (see pics), and has a very low ceiling of 4 feet. An adult cannot stand upright inside room. On top of that, Batri, his wife Sunitha, their two sons and two daughters, aged 16, 12, 10 and 5 respectively, in total 6 persons, all have to live in the small room, 3 on the bed and 3 on the floor. Cooking is also done in the room. The whole family has stayed in this rented room for 7 years.

 
Batri is 42 years old, and has been driving rickshaw for 5 years, before this he was selling bangles etc at Durbar square, where he learned some basic English from the tourists. He never went to school.
 
On average Batri earns 1500RP (RM68) per month, sometimes more sometimes less, depending on seasons. His monthly expenses are as follow:
 
room rental + electricity = 550 RP (RM25 per month)
rickshaw rental = 3000RP (RM136 per month)
4 children’s school fees = 4×250 = 1000RP (RM45 per month)
food = 1000RP (RM45 per month)
 TOTAL = 5550RP (250 per month)
 
So it is really difficult for the family to make ends meet. Batri has not been paying school fees for 2 of his 4 children for a year because he cant afford the school fees of RM12/month per child. And since the room is so small, Batri’s 16 year-old son always feels bored and prefer to go out loitering around, this is worrisome because he may be influenced by some bad street gangs.

 
After finding out Batri’s situation and discussing with a few of us: Paul, Wan, BK, Monlam, SP here in Kathmandu, Rinpoche decided to sponsor Batri to move to a bigger place to stay, preferably 2 rooms, 1 for sleeping and 1 for cooking, then we will monitor the progress and give him more material assistance as time goes by. It was also suggested that Rajkumar gets involve to help. After the discussion, Rinpoche did some prayers and announced that today is the beginning of Kechara Soup Kitchen – Nepal Chapter, and Batri’s case will be the first case, and although it is only one person, we will generate the cause and merits to help more and more people in the future.
 
In the evening, Rinpoche asked Monlam and myself to go grocery shopping with Batri, we bought him 10kg rice, some dhal, beans, tea, soaps, cooking oil, sugar, salt, toothbrush, toothpaste, blankets, total around RM 250, and Monlam and Batri delivered these things to Batri’s house, Batri and his wife were extremely moved, his wife couldn’t hold back her tears, she said they have given up any hope of receiving any help from anyone, and today’s offerings are like gifts from god.

Rinpoche’s kindness and compassion is without boundaries, be it in Inida, Nepal or Malaysia.

Wong Kok Thai (fondly known as Fat Monk) is Rinpoche’s long-time student of more than 10 years, Fat Monk is a dedicated member of Tsem Ladrang and he is very good in handywork and official related issues, while his wife Wan is a liaison of Kechara and a manager of Kechara outlets. They have a 2-year-old daughter Damey, and yesterday Damey and Wan’s mother came from Thailand, and Fat Monk’s mother is also visiting them, so Rinpoche went to Toys’R'Us to buy toys for Damey, like child car-seat, tricycle, dolls, musical keyboard etc. Besides, Rinpoche also asked his students to buy rice, vegetables etc for the two mothers for their stay in Malaysia.

high quality baby car-seat

assemblying tricycle

finally…

for some of us, not even our fathers are doing this…

Wan and happy Damey with her new toys

Fat Monk and Wan’s family with the gifts from Rinpoche

Tsem Rinpoche cuts his hair around once every 2 weeks, and Rinpoche’s favorite place is the India barber shop across Ladrang, just 3 minutes walk away. The barber that always serves Rinpoche is a young gentleman from India, he is in his late 20s. Few months ago Rinpoche chatted with him and found out that he was going away for a few weeks to get married in India, so Rinpoche gave his around RM200+ as a wedding gift. The barber was very grateful. 

Last night Rinpoche went to cut his hair again and found out that the barber’s wife is coming to visit him next week, and Rinpoche asked more details, about how she is coming, how much the airfare is etc., and Rinpoche asked him if his boss is helping the wife’s visit in anyway, the barber said no. After finishing his haircut, Rinpoche gave the barber RM1,300 for the airfare of his wife. The barber was shocked, and had tears in his eyes when receiving the money from Rinpoche.

Nobody would want to part with their loved ones and go so far away to work, unless they have no choice. Rinpoche said he will continue helping this gentleman, as life is not easy for him.

This is just examples of what Rinpoche does always, giving help to strangers who is in need, regardless of their backgrounds, and asking for nothing in return…

Rinpoche making candle offerings to Buddha on the balcony on Mid-Autumn night, Rinpoche always makes offerings to the Buddhas day and night…

This was the room Tsem Rinpoche stayed in 1992 when Rinpoche first came to Malaysia, it was a room offered by Mama How (read more here: http://www.kechara.com/news/kechara-moments/before-kechara-there-was-mama-how/)

Few weeks ago a few ladrang staff and volunteers went to clear the room, since the house was going to be sold, and in the pictures that were taken, many orbs were observed, it is said that orbs are attracted and always hang around people/places with positive energy. (Photo courtesy of CK Liew)

The same room before it was cleared

This photo was taken in 2002 when Tsem Rinpoche went to Kechara Paradise to bless a thangka…they were using a film camera back then.

Last night Rinpoche and a few assistants went to a hospital to do a blessing puja for a Kechara House member’s mother who is seriously ill, Rinpoche also offered a Vajrayogini statue to the couple asking them to paint and make offerings to Vajrayogini as a dedication to the mother. They couples and family are very moved by Rinpoche kindness of coming to bless their beloved mother.

Update: The mother had passed away peacefully the day after Rinpoche went to hospital to do the puja

This photo was taken in November 2008, when Tsem Rinpoche was staying in Nepal for some time. On that day we visited Naropa Cave by the river in Pashupati and Rinpoche did puja by the river.

Someone from down south came to have an audience with Rinpoche in Tsem Ladrang yesterday, he is a friend of one of Tsem Ladrang’s staff. After meeting Rinpoche, he told the staff that he was having heart problem, but after meeting Rinpoche, his heartbeat became normal and he didn’t feel the stress anymore. Amazing…

 Yesterday Rinpoche visited Kechara House new prayer hall with a few Ladrang liaisons 

What the new prayer hall will look like in a few weeks’ time…

In downtown KL there is this popular stall of herbal drink managed by an old couple, they have been selling this cooling herbal drink for many years along Jalan Pasar, near the old Pudu Jail. Last night Rinpoche was driving around town and saw this stall again, Rinpoche last saw it many years ago, so Rinpoche ordered 20 packets of herbal drinks to be given to his students who are always working till late nights, this drink is famous for cooling the body from staying up late. Rinpoche also asks the ladrang to continue to buy this drinks a few times a week for his students.