In his videotaped lectures, Tsem Tulku espouses a view identical to that held by many practitioners of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Many people find it effortless to agree with what he says, simply because what he says generally mirrors their own thoughts on the various matters under discussion. Numerous other people report the same experience, to the extent that he may be said to charismatically embody many faces of original wisdom. However, maybe he would call this "matchy-matchy-poo," as it seems he doesn't keep prisoners for very long. That is a good thing, isn't it?People tend to concentrate on Tsem Tulku's sometimes unorthodox teaching style, or refer to his unconventional lifestyle, but I think if you look a little deeper, you will see he is actually an exquisitely polite human being. A very gentle human being. Sometimes, you have to say things that really excite or disturb other people, so I think he tries to soften those blows with playful humor.
Somebody else might say, "You know... he reminds me of Trungpa," and there is that beautiful fragrance lingering in the air. However, to say that this one reminds you of that one is discouraging to both. To tell the truth, he reminds me of Tsem Tulku.
There are several videos of him teaching available on YouTube -- we embedded one of them here the other day -- and you can get to all of these by clicking here. There are also extensive web sites devoted to his works, and tsemtulku.com is the portal to these.
I do not know that I have correctly expressed what I want to say about this valuable young gentleman, so I will just wish him long life, recommend you seek out his tapes or books, and let the matter take its course.
Blessings to come about in different ways. Before I had the good fortune to encounter the teachings of Tsem Rinpoche, I was one of those people that said that I can just study at home, that I can benefit just by meditating a little bit and reading sutras. I was looking at videos on YouTube under the search 'rinpoche' and I watched a few of the videos that Tsem Rinpoche has on his page. It was after I saw him talk about Lama Tsongkhapa that my life started to change.
ReplyDeleteFor once, all the material I had been reading on my own really sunk in. It seemed like I understood a great deal more than I had before. The words of the guru and seeing/hearing about Lama Tsongkhapa again activated the dormant karmic potentials that I had in me. I reconnected with practices and influences that I had in previous lifetimes, like Manjusri and Green Tara. Ever since then my practices have increased dramatically!
I'm happy to do my sadhanas and offerings and make it a point not to be lazy about practice because I just think back to how my life was before I met Tsem Tulku Rinpoche's teachings--it was dark and unfulfilled. The 'blessings' that I received were being reconnected with gurus and influences from previous lives. Before, I had no daily practice. I feel invigorated to practice now.
My blessings came about in exactly the same manner that Tsem Rinpoche described in one of his Dharma teachings. Exactly! So, now I have full confidence in him as a Dharma teacher. His golden words of instruction have been a real blessing to me. That's all that really matters.