In Search of a Reincarnated Master (The Recognition of Acho Rinpoche III)

On 23 Nov 2007, we paid our respect to H.H Dudjom Rinpoche at his residence in Nepal. My mobile phone suddenly beeped, indicating a message sent from Singapore. It was from H.E Konde Rinpoche III. He asked me if I could meet him, for he had a little question for me. I replied to him that I would meet him when I returned to Singapore.

On the very night when I returned to Singapore, I went to see him at his residence, with a few fellow practitioners. He gave me a surprise! He told me that I am a reincarnation of a late Nyingma Dzogchen master – Acho Rinpoche II. So, he gave me the official recognition of “Acho Rinpoche III”.

H.E Konde Rinpoche is a Nyingma Dzogchen practitioner, whose root guru was the late Achang Dodan Rinpoche, a renowned and accomplished Dzogchen master. Konde Rinpoche was ordained as a monk since young, and he is the current abbot of the Horthang Monastery in Qinghai, China. He left China some years ago and is now residing in India, following H.E Dzogchen Rinpoche.

Konde Rinpoche told us that he had a vivid dream. In the dream, Achang Dodan Rinpoche instructed him to present a Guru Rinpoche crown to someone. When he woke up from his dream, he knew that it had a very special significance. He prayed to the Nyingma protector – Single Knot, for an advice on who should the recipient of the crown be. He must be someone with a very special karmic connection. Later, in his meditation, he had a vision of me. He knew then that I must be the owner of this crown. He consulted a few other Rinpoches, including the 70-year old Kade Rinpoche of the Horthang Monastery and his grandfather who was also an accomplished practitioner. All of them confirmed his vision.

On 1 Dec 2007, H.E Konde Rinpoche held a simple and yet solemn enthronement ceremony at my home, in recognition of my status of a reincarnated Nyingma Dzogchen master, Acho Rinopche III. In Feb 2008, H.E Dzogchen Rinpoche, the current lineage holder of the Nyingma Dzogchen, also recognized my status as a reincarnated master in the Nyingma Dzogchen lineage.

I used to have frequent dreams of my returning to Tibet. I saw a temple in which my body of previous life was being enshrined and worshipped by the believers. I also knew that I had repeatedly taken rebirths in the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. My karmic connection with Tibetan Buddhism is indeed very profound. However, I have not been actively searching for my past identities all these years. Names and forms are never important to me; I find actual practice and attainment far more important. Although I did not pursue the name and form, they came to me somehow. I understand that the time has come for me to help more sentient beings, for a practitioner who has aspired to bodhicitta shall bear the responsibility of performing the Buddha activities. So, I accepted the faith presented to me.

Giam Eng Leng, Lotus Robe, Acho Rinpoche, Living Buddha, are just illusory names in a dream. “Rinpoche” or ‘Living Buddha” are but an expedient method that “I” will be using in this lifetime to help the sentient beings. I am just a tiny leaf which is carried by the wind to wherever it brings me. I recalled a song that I used to sing when I was young, the lyrics of which suddenly appeared in my mind – “Although I have never been to Qinghai, it came into my dream every night. Mt Kala decorated by white clouds rises tall into the sky. The Yellow River and Yantze River seem to be originating from the sky…”


Acho Rinpoche
Singapore

Japan Hit by 9.0 Magnitude Earth Quake on 11 Mar 2011

We dedicated the merit generated from our prayer tonight to the People of Japan who suffered from the major earthquake hitting Japan on 11 Mar 2011 - may Buddha bless them.

There is an increasing number of disasters occurring in the world today. Some people thought that we Singaporeans are very fortunate because Singapore is almost free of natural calamities. Although we live in a land free of major crisis, it will be meaningful if a crisis helps to engender a sense of impermanence in us.

The Japanese live in constant fear of earth quakes. In 1923, a 7.9 magnitude earth quake killed 140,000 people in Kanto, Japan. The People of Japan live in fear every day, worrying about Japan being completely flattened by earth quakes one day. In fact, the earth is rocked by tremors every second daily, but most of them went unnoticed. Major earth quakes are expected to occur once every hundred years. But in the two recent decades, major earth quakes occurred frequently, including the big tsunami hitting Indonesia (Aceh), the major earth quake hitting China (Wen Chuan), New Zealand (Christchurch), Taiwan (921) and Japan (Kobe), causing the loss of millions of lives. The People of Japan live in fear of earth quake daily; it will be great if they can turn their fear into a strong sense of impermanence which could propel them into a vigorous practice of the Dharma.

On the contrary, Singaporeans live in a land free of major disasters and tend to take things for granted. Most people do not seem to have a sense of crisis when major earth quakes hit other countries, for they seemed too remote. Some people seemed to worry more about having paid for the tours to Tokyo or Hokkaido and insisted on going on the tours. They did not seem to consider the possibility of losing their lives in an earth quake. When impermanence or a major disaster strikes, one could perish immediately regardless of whether he is a president, a prime minister or a billionaire.

I watched the news yesterday and I found the earth quake hitting Japan appeared similar to the scenes depicted in the movie "2012". The tsunami was 10 meter high and it swept away people, boats, cars, trains, houses standing in its way. Had you been there on the spot, you would have felt completely helpless and realized that mankind is just too insignificant in the face of mother-nature!

Sakyamuni Buddha said, if you simply enjoyed the materialistic wealth of your life but know nothing of the Dharma, you are simply wasting your time, your life and the resources on earth. We should turn our sense of impermanence into a motivation for practice. Practice with vigour till you reach the state of enlightenment, and you will be able to help the rest of the sentient beings. Do not just live your life as a routine, day after day, year after year, wasting your valuable time - your entire life will just pass you by in a blink of eye! Bodhisattva Shamanthabhadra gave a good analogy – we are just like a fish living in a fish tank, where the water level in the tank recedes gradually. One day, we will suddenly realize that the water in the fish tank has completely run dry and our life will soon come to an end. In fact, our death will come sooner than expected.

Two nights ago, while I was driving home from work, I suddenly felt that my neck became stiff and I could not turn my head. When I reached home, I could not alight from my car because my left leg became too stiff to move. I had to massage my leg for awhile before I could start dragging my feet home. At night, half of my body became too stiff to move. On the following day, Japan was hit by a major earth quake! Initially I thought I was having a surge in my blood pressure, but the doctor advised me that my blood pressure was actually normal. My body was very stiff and I felt very uncomfortable throughout the period. Fortunately the stiffness suddenly disappeared today; it came and went like a gust of wind! This is just impermanence!

While the news of Japan earth quake was reported widely, I got a SMS from Dharma Brother Liang. He informed me that his wife fell on her way to a hospital for a check up. Her elbow was dislocated and her bone was fractured. She is now being hospitalized. Like I said, anything can happen at any moment. Impermanence is staring at us right in our face! Please practice your mind-training and do not succumb to your hatred, lust and ignorance – do not be deceived by your own thoughts. The fall can be fatal! I had survived several falls, thanks to the blessing of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Dharma Protectors. One day, I went to a hawker centre for my breakfast. Someone dropped his bowl of noodles on the floor. I stepped on the spillage and slipped. I was flung a few feet away from the spot and landed with my back on the floor. Fortunately I survived the accident unscathed. Some people could end up with broken limbs after a fall. We had a Dharma Sister who fell in Malaysia in the past and needed to rest at home for the next one year. Some even died from their falls.

You should not assume that you are still young and you still have plenty of time – you will not know when you will die. You could get into your bed tonight but you may not be able to wake up the following day to put on your pair of slippers again. Do not assume that you still have plenty of time. When tsunami or earth quake strikes, there is no more time left. Do not waste your time on frivolous matters or arguments. When a disaster land on you, your four elements (earth, water, fire, wind) will decompose and you will not even have time to repent. I hope all of you can turn a sense of crisis engendered by the Japan earth quake into a sense of impermanence, and practice with vigour!

The Japan earth quake is not totally unrelated to us. I was born in Japan in one of my past lives, as a Vajrayana practitioner. So, Japan is one of my homelands. My feelings for Japan and Tibet are equal. Tibet is one of my past homelands too. I was born in Tibet as a practitioner in one of my past lives. The trail of practice is non-erasable. The Japan earth quake saddens me. I felt as if my homeland is destroyed. However, this cannot be helped due to the collective karma of the sentient beings. I hope the People of Japan can rise from the devastation, and the mind of people will turn towards virtue, in order to avoid future crisis. If the mind of people continues to turn towards evil, crisis will just continue perpetually. There are still many people buried underneath the rubble. We pray to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the enlightened ones to help the People of Japan, help them return to their homes, help more people practice the Dharma and transform the collective bad karma into good karma.

Date: 12 Mar 2011

X-Tour: Hainan Island '2010

In Jun 2007, we set off for The Horizon of the World (Hainan Island). We hardly travelled to the same place within a short span of just 3 years, based on our past practice. However, Nan Hai Guanyin (Avalokitesvara of the Southern Sea) showed His power again. On 12 Dec 2010, 14 of us set off for yet another X-Tour, to The Horizon of the World. Why 14? It could well be a wonderful arrangement planned by the spiritual world in silence…

My company happened to organize a 4-day work related retreat in early Dec in Haiko, China. So, the rest (13 members) planned to join me on the 4th day, the last day of my retreat. We arranged to meet in Haiko and set off for the southern part of Hainan Island for the tour.

Ho, our tour guide in 2007 during our last visit to Hainan Island, came to my hotel, Hong Yun Hotel, to bring me over to Haiko Hotel, to meet the rest. They had touched down at the Mei Lan Airport and had checked into Haiko Hotel. Ho told me that he had some interesting experience lately with some of the Singaporean tourists who came to Hainan Island. Some of them kept staring at him at the airport when they met him, puzzling him. Later, they showed him our X-Tour book entitled “The Horizon of the World (Hainan Island)”, with his photo featured in the same book. So, he has become famous among Singaporean tourists now!

This was our repeat visit to Hainan Island. Ho planned a somewhat different itinerary for us this time, giving us some new experiences. We travelled by the Hainan Island Centre Route, visiting the Betel Nut Valley (Li-Miao Cultural Village), An Ding Bird Park, Southern Bay Monkey Island, Ya Long Bay Tropical Rainforest, all of which were eye-opening experiences…

When we arrived at the Confucius Temple in Wen Chang, the temperature dropped from 28ºC to 8ºC, making all of us shivering in cold - we had to do an impromptu shopping at a local shop for additional winter gears. When we arrived at Haiko Volcano Park, we saw the local guide shivering in cold too. However, when we reached the top of the hill where I offered incense and performed a ceremonial dance as offering to the Volcano God, the freezing chill suddenly disappeared into thin air! The temperature instantly rose and the weather suddenly became warmer, and we had to start stripping the additional layers of winter gear one by one…

Well, we could not possibly forget about mentioning the Nan Hai Guanyin alright. We put up at the Nan Shan (Southern Mountain) Hotel for one night and we paid respects to the Nan Hai Guanyin. When we arrived at Nan Shan, a Sanskrit syllable “A” appeared in the sky, formed by clouds. When we visited the 33 Guan Yin Temple and during our practice of Guan Yin Prayer, all of us wept before the 33 statues of the manifestations of Guan Yin; it was as if a child had finally returned to the warm embrace of a mother long separated. At the same temple, we made offering of wine to the Fifth Senior (God of Fortune). We suddenly noticed that there were 14 pieces of mattress being laid on the floor before the Fifth Senior. All 14 of us, the Vajrayanists, had one mattress each! We knelt on the mattresses and offered Er Guo Tou (wine) to the Fifth Senior, praying for his blessing for all sentient beings residing in Hainan Island.

Amitabha Buddha!


Acho (Lotus Robe)
25 Dec 2010 on Christmas Day

More pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/BuddhaEyeAlbum/HainanIsland2010#

Inauguration of a New Nyingma Dzogchen Centre in Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia

First, I would like to express my appreciation to those who joined the mind-training tour to Ipoh (13-14 Nov 2010). Without you, I think the exceptional phenomenon (a special rainbow appeared above the clouds, unlike the usual rainbows seen after rain) would not have occurred. Next, I would like to thank Dharma Sister YM for helping to arrange the two-day trip, making it possible for everyone to participate in the event.

As a matter of fact, every mind-training tour was truly beyond my control. I have repeated this many times that regardless of the length of each trip or its location, it was arranged by the holy beings in advance where they would decide on the details; I am merely a seed on the chessboard being moved around.

The merits accumulated from every mind-training tour are simply inconceivable! I could only say this: in the Diamond Sutra, it is said that “When you were given all the jewels in the world and you offered them all to the Buddha, you would accumulate immeasurable merits.” However, the merits accumulated from a mind-training tour will far exceed the merits you gained from offering all your jewels to the Buddha. It is simply inconceivable! To me, it cannot be measured in monetary terms, and it far exceeds the value of time, possessions etc in this world. You will know it one day, even if you disagree now, that the merits generated from participating in a mind-training tour cannot be measured against your money, time or even your life! It is said in some of the sutras that when you just lift your head up to take a glance at an image of Avalokitesvara, you will have already planted a seed of immeasurable merits in you.

The Indian friends who came forward to receive my blessing during the inauguration ceremony including the rest had their problems. Guru Rinpoche gave everyone blessing and removed their problems, including alleviating their illnesses. That was the power of Guru Rinpoche! I was just an instrument through which He gave the blessing. Everyone who received the blessing had a seed of enlightenment planted in him, and had his karmic obscuration eradicated to some extent. I tried my best to help them eradicate their karmic obscuration, and grant them fortune, and hopefully they will understand the true meaning of practice in future.

I overheard Droma telling Alice over the phone that there were about 200 participants on the day. News travelled fast in the neighbourhood on free vegetarian meals being offered. In the end, lots of people came. Initially, I expected only a few coming forward to seek blessing but the queue gradually grew longer and longer. Konde Rinpoche said to me, “It must be tough for you.” Actually, it was Guru Rinpoche who gave the blessing, not me. It was simply inconceivable!

Even our visit to the Guan Di Temple was arranged beyond my control. Before the trip, one of my colleagues sent me an email informing me about a famous and historical Guan Di Temple in Ipoh. When the old temple was demolished, the statue of Guan Gong was lost until a medium came forward to convey the message that Guan Gong wanted to make a comeback. Finally, they found the statue in one of the committee members’ house. They converted a private house into a new temple and brought back all the statues of Guan Gong, including the historical one that is blackened by smoke over the years. Because it has been very responsive to those coming forward to seek help, it has attracted lots of believers coming forward to seek help, including the locals and foreigners from Singapore, after the temple opened for barely half a year. Its interesting story was also reported in the local newspapers. When I read the news in Singapore, I knew that I must come to the temple and give it blessing, in order to help Guan Gong help more people.


When we arrived at the Guan Di Temple, Guan Gong appeared before me to seek blessing. The abbot of the temple chatted with us for quite awhile, telling us many stories related to the temple. Initially, he thought we were just an ordinary group of devotees no different from the rest who came to just pay respect and seek help. A special rainbow appeared in the sky after the blessing was given to the temple. The rainbow kept changing in shapes and colours, and finally appeared like a Buddha Eye. The abbot was clearly moved by the unusual phenomenon.

There was a terrifying thunder storm at night, with continuous lightning strikes that were very deafening which lasted quite awhile. Actually, that was the manifestation of the Dharma protectors. It was just inconceivable! They welcomed our arrival and thanked us for helping the sentient beings there.

The new Nyingma Dzogchen centre is located quite far from Ipoh. The committee members told me that they could not imagine the speed at which the centre was built. Someone donated a piece of land at first, but the rest of the funds were still inadequate; they were short of everything. Later, Dharma Sister YM suggested to KH to invite me to grace the inauguration ceremony, and I casually accepted the suggestion. When they heard that I would be visiting the centre upon its completion, they worked fast and furious, and strangely, funds started flowing in including the helpers.

Due to my heavy work commitment in Oct – Nov, I could not squeeze out my time to go visit the centre. So, I told them that I could not fulfil my promise. When they heard that I could not make the trip, they felt despaired. Suddenly, the funds stopped flowing in too. They thought maybe the time was not ripe yet for the centre to be built. Later, I told them that I could now make the trip, they immediately felt the resumption of the power of blessing. They felt confident when they saw the image of Guru Rinpoche enshrined in the temple which seemed to be smiling all the time. I told them that the power of blessing from Guru Rinpoche was hardly found in most places, but the presence of Guru Rinpoche at their centre was clearly felt. They said they knew it and they had taken pictures of mythical orbs surrounding the whole centre, which were similar to those orbs pictures we took in India. How inconceivable! These orbs were actually the manifestation of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who came forward to protect them, for the people here cherish this centre. All the deity statues in the centre looked joyful - they are happy!

When the committee members heard that I would be coming to the centre, they felt encouraged and the funds automatically continued to flow in once again. Everything was completed within a very tight schedule. They said that they just could not imagine it - it must be the help from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas or it could not possibly have happened that way. They were full of joy! I told them, “You should practise well, for this is an exceptional centre planned by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Make good use of it for your practice.”

Conflicts and confrontations among members of a centre are inevitable because of the negative propensities in everyone. As long as everyone starts practicing mind-training, all problems can be resolved over time. Do not succumb to these conflicts and confrontations. Practice well and you will be able to succeed in your cultivation. I commended their great efforts and I felt touched by their faith in the practice. I hope to see everyone practice mind-training. No one could succeed in cultivation immediately. So, do it gradually, and one day you will succeed in the training. When that happens, you will change your current perceptions and develop a positive mind set that will make you a joyful person. Finally, you will feel joyful regadless of whether tehre is rainbow in the sky or not, whether there is an inauguration ceremony or not - it does not matter! You will feel joyful everyday, you will love to practice, and no matter what happens, it just does not matter!

Konde Rinpoche said that he could give dharma discourses in Tibetan but not Chinese. He said that I had given many teachings including the Seven Verses of Mind Training, Preliminary Teachings of Dzogchen, and many other sutras. He would like to see me teach at the Kuala Kangsar centre, teaching the students about mind-training. I do wish that when the time is right, after my retirement, I could spend more time there. I don’t wish to build temples because I feel that a true temple is in my heart. I think, one day, when I wish to build a temple, I am confident that money and land will not be an issue. Actually, someone offered a piece of land to Konde Rinpoche in India for temple building; I don’t think there will be any issue.

Danzen Daji Rinpoche told me, “You should go full time into the propagation of the Dharma. As long as you are willing to do so, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will render their support.” To me, temple building is a non-issue. There will be people willing to donate money and land for temple building – no problem. The only concern is "What is the correct way of practice?" "How can one succeed in his cultivation, eradicating his negative propensities, lust, hatred and ignorance?" With or without a temple is immaterial. One could succeed in his cultivation with or without a temple. How you train and eradicate your negative propensities and purify your mind, speech and action, eradicate your lust, hatred and ignorance are far more important. I am not particularly interested in temple building. When the time is right, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will certainly help and the Dharma protectors will help to push things forward; it could happen very quickly - no problem! Om Mani Padme Hom.

By Acho Rinpoche on 20 Nov 2010

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqjEzPtn3iE

More Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/BuddhaEyeAlbum/Ipoh2010Malaysia#

Address of Centre: Lot.1669, Plot N, Kawasan Perusahaan, Jalan Perak Textile, 33000 Kuala Kangsar, Perak. Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia.

Reflection (向内看，改变自己)

This book entitled “Meeting A Himalayan Master” is related to a very famous book published years ago entitled “A Master in the Himalayan Mountain”. Master Veda is just the student of the author of the latter book, Master Rama. ““A Master in the Himalayan Mountain” gave an account on the learning journey of Master Rama who learnt from many masters who stayed in the Himalayan Mountain; all his masters were adepts in spiritual practice.

There were many practitioners who read “A Master in the Himalayan Mountain” in their early stage of cultivation. They were deeply influenced by the teachings that brought great joy to its readers.

The author of “Meeting A Himalayan Master”, Chen Ting Yu, first met Venerable Ananda, a Theravada monk, in New Delhi, India. This monk was the only person who was experienced in the exploration of the origin of Ganges River, and a great guide to help find the various Himalayan practitioners. The author felt very uncomfortable with Venerable Ananda initially due to his unconventional style, for the latter seemed overly passionate and talkative, who laughed aloud and walked briskly; so unlike the strict behavior of monks in general. The author was also curious about the reason why Venerable Ananda was so passionate about his search for the Himalayan masters. The author revered Venerable Ananda.

She asked him, “Venerable Ananda, why do you laugh so much and look so happy all the time?” Venerable Ananda told the author that he used to be an angry monk in the past, despite his efforts in recitations and prostrations daily, in search of happiness. Finally, he realized that the true source of happiness is within him, not without. He had been blaming others for their faults and, therefore, failed in his practice.

Where is the true source of happiness? Actually, the secret of happiness does not lie in requesting others to change but rather, requesting ourselves to change instead. The key point lies in “reflection”. It is that easy. You can do it.
The greatest gain of the author from her India trip was to have learnt about “reflection”. “Reflect inward, and understand oneself. Do not attempt to understand others but ourselves,” she said. You do not need to care too much about others but just try to understand yourself better. She said that the greatest yogi was born in India – Sakyamuni Buddha, who reflected inward and succeeded in attaining a full enlightenment.

The famous spiritual leader in India at present was Master Veda, who inherited the Himalayan Yoga School from his teacher, Master Rama, and became the caretaker of the yoga centres founded by his teacher. He said, “I am 75 years old but my forehead is wrinkle-free because I know the secret of the Himalayan facial cream!” The secret is – the mind of Master Veda is wrinkle-free. The practice of yoga is the reason for a wrinkle-free mind, for yoga beautifies the mind and frees it of wrinkles.

Most people tend to think that the bending of one’s body is the practice of yoga, and yoga only means physical exercises. But Master Veda said, “I really don’t know how to put my leg above my head! The true yoga is mind training.” We talked about mind training all the time, and that is the true yoga practice. Yoga practice does not mean putting your leg above your head, or attempting some difficult physical postures. Yoga means mind training.

Master Veda said if we want to practice truly, we must “achieve an inner success, in order to achieve an outer success.” Without the inner success, the outer success will never happen. This was a line often repeated by Master Veda that really touched her heart. The author had become a frequent grumbler due to work pressure all these years, not knowing what she truly wanted and not cherishing too many things in her life. However, Master Veda never asked her about her problems in her work, but only told her gently that the actual problem came from within her, not without. But she failed to see the point until she suffered too much in her work that she finally realized - the external world was a mere reflection of her own inner mind.

This is what I often said too. When you see the ugliness in your outer world, do not blame others but yourself. The external ugliness is a mere reflection of your inner mind. It is just like the experience of Venerable Ananda who used to be an unhappy man in the past, who found the rest offensive and himself constantly going against all odds. He felt great pain in life until he realized that the source of pain actually came from within him.

Actually, the secret lies in “changing oneself but not others.” So, when Venerable Ananda finally decided to face his own problem, he felt relieved and learnt to live at present; that is similar to one’s attaining a “sudden enlightenment”. He became a happy man ever since.

I have finished reading the whole book which talks about “mind training”. So, when you feel unhappy, do not blame others but to reflect inward and change yourself. When you have succeeded in changing your inner self, you will succeed in your undertakings in the outer world. However, at that point, you will realize that actually, the outer world has not changed – you are still you, I am still me, he is still him and your work is still your work… The same issues will continue to exist but you will find them somehow changed; you will now feel happy, joyful and peaceful. Everything you see seems beautiful. Everyone you meet seems to be a Buddha or a Bodhisattva. You will no longer blame others and accuse others of their faults. Your inner mind has changed, and the rest is just the reflection of your inner mind.
There is nothing new mentioned in this book. It is only about “reflecting inward, not outward”. That is what we have been talking about all the time. There is no other teaching. The Himalayan master only spoke about this teaching. If only you could master this teaching, you too can become another Himalayan master one day. What Master Veda wanted to share in this book is, in fact, very simple. But you are only lacking in one thing – “I can’t do it!” Your mind is still running wild, flip flopping, and you simply point your finger at others and put the blame on others when you are unhappy, forgetting to reflect inward. When you reach the end of your present life, you will feel regretful of your wrong behavior. By then, who can help you? I don’t know of anyone who can help you by then. So, before your present life comes to an end, please start reflecting inward and change yourself.