Rinpoche – Behind the Scenes 活佛背后的故事

As Amitabha’s emanation, Lord Setrap uses his wrathful outer appearance to subdue evil spirits. At the same time, when Buddhist practitioners need help, Lord Setrap will appear as a great hero to help to clear the obstacles.

This true story is about a boy and a snake spirit. This is a classic story of how Lord Setrap dispels evil spirits.

There is a very famous Thai temple called Wat Tham Khao Rup Chang which accepts a lot of short-term monks from the South East Asia region.

A few years back, there was a guy named Ah Hau who was a short-term monk at that temple. He was around 18 years old, very good looking and quiet but was always depressed and unhappy.

Ah Hau was a gentle person, but when he had his ‘outbreak’, he would totally transform into a different person with very terrifying temperament all of a sudden. This started since a few years back when Ah Hau was seemingly possessed by evil spirits without known cause. He had sought help in every religious ways he could but no one was able to help him. Well-known doctors were also not able to diagnose the cause. He even spent a fortune to seek help at China’s WuTaiShan, all to no avail.

Out of desperation, Ah Hau decided to become a short-term monk at the Thai temple, hoping that by being a monk, holding vows and doing spiritual practice days and nights would eventually get rid of the evil spirit. But after becoming a monk for quite some time in the temple and even with the help from the high monks there, his condition was still the same.

Just when he felt hopeless and desperate and was about to give up, Ah Hau met Tsem Rinpoche who came to the temple to do retreat and meditation. When Rinpoche witnessed Ah Hau’s ‘outbreak’ and his whole body moved like a snake, Rinpoche immediately knew that this had something to do with snake spirit. Ah Hau must have somehow offended a snake spirit and the spirit was there for a revenge, not letting go of him no matter what.

When Rinpoche investigated further, Ah Hau finally recalled that he had killed a snake with a stick at his garden back home. After he killed the snake, he played with the dead snake’s carcass, tossing and turning it for the fun of it.  In the end, he threw the dead snake into the drain and left.

Without further delay, compassionate Rinpoche did a divination for Ah Hau and found out that the snake had more than hundreds years’ of practice, and had become a snake spirit.

After so many years of being tortured by the snake spirit, everyone gave Ah Hau a nickname “the snake boy”. Ah Hau never thought that the snake he that killed and mistreated was a snake spirit. Upon knowing that, Ah Hau was terrified and begged Rinpoche to help him to get rid of the snake spirit.

Rinpoche whose main focus is always in benefiting all sentient beings, agreed to Ah Hau’s request. Rinpoche started to ask more details from Ah Hau. Ah Hau told Rinpoche how he had sought many help from doctors and religious masters all over the places and ended up becoming a short-term monk at the temple. Without hiding any details, Ah Hau told every single detail to Rinpoche whom he had never met before and he trusted Rinpoche. At that moment, deep inside his heart, Ah Hau felt a strong sense of hope and his intuition told him that Rinpoche was able to help him, and he then felt much more at ease.

When Rinpoche learned that Ah Hau would be possessed by the snake spirit three times a day and every time Ah Hau would lose his rationality and consciousness, Rinpoche felt the urgency and immediately and personally taught Ah Hau to recite Setrap’s mantra to control the snake spirit from possessing Ah Hau easily.

Rinpoche explained that, due to the fact that the snake spirit had possessed and troubled Ah hau for quite a period of time, the snake spirit had already absorbed his aura and it could not be easily get rid of in a short period of time. Ah Hau must recite Setrap’s mantra day and night to battle the snake spirit. If Ah Hau could complete one million Setrap’s mantra in the shortest time possible, his condition would improve significantly.

Rinpoche was doing retreat in a cave in the temple, and everyday Rinpoche would do 4000 to 5000 Setrap’s mantra, and after that Rinpoche would call Ah Hau to his presence and blow the mantras onto Ah Hau, it lasted around 25 days, according to Rinpoche, because the possession was very strong in this case.

One night, after the puja at temple ended, everyone was exhausted and went back to their room to rest. Suddenly Ah Hau’s roommate noticed something wrong with Ah Hau. Ah Hau curled up at one corner and was not diligent in reciting the mantra like before. Ah Hau’s kind-hearted roommate approached him and reminded him about Rinpoche’s advice on reciting mantra. But before he could finish his sentence, the snake spirit instantly possessed Ah Hau and showed a fierce expression, like wanting to swallow him. Within a few seconds, the snake spirit already had total control on Ah Hau’s mind.

Ah Hau’s body would then move like a snake with his mouth opened widely trying to attack his roommate. His roommate was terrified and screamed for help. Cheah Song Peng who was serving Tsem Tulku Rinpoche upstairs heard the scream and rushed down. He poised himself in front of Ah Hau and followed Rinpoche’s instruction to recite Setrap’s mantra gently but firmly.

In just a few minutes, the fierce snake spirit appeared to back down and escape, and Ah Hau collapsed. After a while, Hau managed to gain his consciousness. Ah Hau’s roommate was really stunned and amazed by the power of Setrap’s mantra.

Ah Hau recalled that the most dangerous incident of possession by the snake spirit was a time when he lost his rational mind and ran up to the top of the temple, wanting to commit suicide by jumping down. Ah Hau said at that time, under the influence of the snake spirit, he felt very depressed and just wanted to end his life once and for all.

At that time, everyone around him shouted at him to wake him up from jumping off the edge, and he could feel that there was a force trying to him back…

But his consciousness was fully control by the snake spirit and he was not able listen to any advise. He shouted back that he must jump down from the building! When he raised his foot wanting to do it, suddenly he felt something hit the back of his head and woke him up, and he changed his mind immediately. Recalling the incident, Ah Hau was very certain that the hit was from Setrap which made him regain his consciousness and saved his life.

After the incident, Ah Hau felt that he had just returned from the brink of death. With the wish of getting rid of snake spirit the soonest possible, Ah Hau recited Setrap’s mantra with even more sincerity and diligence.

After about two months, Ah Hau realized that the snake spirit no longer possessed him. Ah Hau was extremely happy and thanked Rinpoche profusely. Ah Hau did not dream for once that he could get rid of the snake spirit so effortlessly. Ah Hau felt like ages ago when he recalled those days when the snake spirit was possessing him.

There are too many unexplained phenomena in this world, for example the case of Ah Hau and the snake spirit. Ah Hau had traveled all the way to WuTaiShan in China, and to many temples in Malaysia and Thailand, and yet he still could not get rid of his problem. But he was very fortunate to have met Tsem Tulku Rinpoche and had Setrap’s oral transmission given by Rinpoche. This enabled him to get rid of the prolonged disturbance by the snake spirit with much ease. This phenomenon could not be explained by science.

Just such a short mantra can send out such sacred and mysterious power. This proves the undeniable existence of the great Lord Setrap.