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About Dorje Shugden => General Discussion => Topic started by: Namdrol on September 30, 2012, 01:12:09 PM
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Lama Osel said he sometimes asked Lama Yeshe to give him a sign, maybe he did ask about Dorje Shugden and Lama Yeshe gave him a sign, thus he decided to stay away from his own Buddhist organization which denounces Dorje Shugden? Just a wild thought.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9574777/Tibetan-lama-reincarnation-rediscovers-himself-in-Ibiza.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9574777/Tibetan-lama-reincarnation-rediscovers-himself-in-Ibiza.html)
By Fiona Govan, Madrid
6:32PM BST 28 Sep 2012
As a toddler he was identified as a reincarnation of a Tibetan lama, sent to a monastery in India where he was locked away from the outside world and worshipped as a god.
Osel Hita Torres has swapped his monastic robes for a life on the party island of Ibiza.
Now, aged 27-years-old the Spaniard who was recognised by the Dalai Lama as Lama Tenzin Osel Rinpoche, has swapped his monastic robes for a life on the party island of Ibiza where he plays bongo drums, chills out to trance music and dreams of becoming a documentary film maker.
Osel Hita Torres has spoken out about his extraordinary childhood and his decision to abandon life as a spiritual leader, thwarting the dreams of his parents and the Tibetan monks who guided him until he left the monastery shortly after his 18th birthday.
Interviewed for a BBC Radio Four documentary entitled "The Reluctant Lama" he described how he was taken away from his parents and sent to a Tibetan monastery in southern India.
A search for the reincarnation of Lama Thebden Yeshe, who died in 1984, led his devotees to Spain and to baby Osel, the fifth child of two of his Spanish followers in whom they detected "a certain meditative self-containment".
He was taken to Sera monastery in India where aged only 14 months he picked out former possessions belonging to Lama Yeshe, including his sunglasses, thereby confirming the reincarnation, which was then endorsed by the Dalai Lama.
His parents, Maria and Paco were thrilled at the idea that their son had been chosen as the vessel for Lama Yeshe's spirit.
"For them it wasn't something negative," Mr Torres told the BBC. "It was a huge opportunity – like sending their kid to Yale or Oxford."
But over the years he started to wonder whether he was a true Buddhist at all, a feeling that culminated when he read Herman Hesse's Siddhartha.
When he turned 18 he asked if he could leave the monastery and return to his family in Spain.
"I got a huge amount of letters and phone calls and people coming to visit me, just telling me that I made a huge mistake, that I lost a huge opportunity, that was my destiny, my purpose, blah-blah-blah, whatever." said Mr Torres, who after years of a shaved head, now sports a mop of hair, bushy sideburns and a goatee beard. A large tattoo decorates his left shoulder.
But he admitted that he still feels a closeness to the Lama he is worshipped as a reincarnation of.
"Sometimes I ask Lama Yeshe to give me a message or a sign or something. And many times he does.
"So I don't know if he's outside or if he's inside. I don't know, but he's one of my best friends."
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It is most interesting that Lama Osel manifest such insecurities and indecisiveness... I reckon it is a mere reflection of our own insecurities and indecisiveness and hence we recognize it as such. Surely a highly attained being such as Lama Thubten Yeshe does not have such negative thoughts in his mind stream.
The question now is to ask ourselves WHY? Why does such a highly attained Lama does what he does or manifests the things he manifests. Sure an attained person cannot "lose" or "un-attain" themselves. Hence the onus is on us to figure out the deeper meaning behind it. Especially for the students of Lama Thubten Yeshe. Could it be linked to the practice of Dorje Shugden or lack of? That is the age old question isn't it?
Whichever way one looks, it is clear that it points to the practice and how the students have created the karma for their reincarnate Lama to be distant from them. It is not the Lama that chooses this. Even if Lama Osel would like to be close to his students again, the students do not have the karma to be close to him. Such is the cause and effect of karma and how karma works even without us choosing to belief!
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Thank you Namdrol for sharing this unfortunate news. To a large extent I agree with Positive change , that it is the choice made by his ex students to abandon and turn their backs on their protector Dorje Shugden and as such a choice not made out of ignorance , to break their samaya with their guru.
On the other perspective , one which i rather prefer , is that Lama Osel too has the right to make the choice to "leave". Why should the choice be ONLY for the students and not the Lama? Especially , since they have created the karma for their reincarnate Lama to be distant from them. What is the point for him to stay? It should come as no surprise that Lama Osel is doing what he is doing , well at least he has NOT chosen to LEAVE by taking rebirth ! Which is quite common for reincarnate or highly attained lamas , when conditions are not conducive for them to turn the dharma wheel.
His ex students should seriously reconsider their decision in abandoning their protector practice.
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You know what? On a deeper level, I dont think the headline is so far from the truth. Who is to say Lama Osel isnt teaching people Dharma when hes chilling on the beach? If he were in robes, could he reach out to and help the people who are out on the beach getting pissed every night? No, theyd never accept him.
So perhaps its time for us to stop thinking of everything from FPMTs perspective, and start thinking about the people Lama Osel is helping. It may have been FPMTs loss for giving up Dorje Shugden, and therefore breaking samaya with their teacher and losing Lama Osel, but for those people on Ibiza, its their gain.
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Thank you Namdrol for sharing this article on Osel Rinpoche.
I must agree with Positive change and Benny especially. What hit me the most is the mention that 'why can the students leave but not the Lama?' How can we always expect our Lamas to be ever compassionate when we are always rejecting that compassion?
What can be seen here is that the students are expecting things of their Guru and not the other way around... allowing other matters to actually cause the separation between them and their Guru, Lama Osel is such a pity. What Lama Osel is really doing is teaching his students a lesson... if you can abandon the practice your Guru gives you, why cant the Guru abandon too? There shouldn't be any double standards, and if the students so easily let go of the practice they receive, what else is there left to teach?
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Well, the good part is that he says he feels a special connection to Lama Yeshe as that tells me that deep down, he knows he's the incarnation of Lama Yeshe. His conflict with himself could be just a divine play as he has other plans up his sleeve.
Perhaps, he needs to manifest this way because his time to manifest as a Lama is not here yet. There are many possibilities and I heard many High Lamas would usually have doubts about whether they are the unmistaken incarnation or not. When the obstacles clear, they will manifest the prayers and aspirations of their previous lives.
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I don't know if you can access this outside the UK:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01mx2sm/The_Reluctant_Lama/ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01mx2sm/The_Reluctant_Lama/)
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@Dharmadefender Nice perspective. Although I still do believe that Lama Osel's actions is a combination of both reaching out to more people AND many broken samayas.
I mean it's just so odd. If my lama trusts me enough to give me Dorje Shugden's practice, he passes away, the political wave takes over me, I stop practicing Dorje Shugden, I meet my lama's reincarnation, where I am no longer holding the Dorje Shugden practice.
Imagine, for Lama Osel's case... this situation is multiplied for his whole center.
That's for the broken samaya side, whereas for reaching out to more people... I'll let Lama Osel take over:
"Personally, my job is to find new ways in which to discover the true nature of our being. There is no separation between myself and FPMT – we are all working together in so many aspects and terrains. Humanity is our office. Besides, I don’t really qualify very much in Buddhist studies, because I didn’t finish them, so working together is the clue.
So I’m trying to find a different way for this future generation. One of the ways is through music, movies and audio-visual techniques. In a movie you can condense so many different stories. You can put in music, you can put in different situations and messages. Even just the sunset can be enough to give you peace to find a moment of meditation in yourself. There are so many different millions of possibilities in movies.And not just movies, but documentaries actually going somewhere and interviewing people who may have reached a level on their path where they are at peace with themselves, and so much more….!!!"
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It could be that Lama Osel is spreading the Dharma in his own ways, to suit a new crowd of the younger generation that would not generally be attracted to Buddhism in the first place. Therefore by doing music, film, and appealing to the people through what they like, then Lama Osel is able to impart teachings onto them that way. It could be that this is what today's world needs therefore high lamas, like Lama Osel, have to manifest in this way, to best benefit others. Afterall, high lamas and tulkus reincarnate with an aim to be of most benefit and maybe in this form, Lama Osel would be of most benefit to others. Anyways, never question or doubt the actions of your teacher for if you believe in reincarnation and the continuum of the mind, you know that whatever Lama Osel is manifesting, you can be sure he is definitely in the know of it.
Also, if his students do not create the merit or the causes for their lama to come back to them, obviously it won't happen. Ultimately, cause resembles effect.
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Here is the full article from the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19702122 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19702122)
Must read!
Osel Hita Torres - The reluctant lama
By Jolyon Jenkins
BBC, Presenter of The Reluctant Lama
A Spanish toddler identified as the reincarnation of a revered Buddhist lama spent his entire childhood in an Indian monastery. But at the age of 18 he returned to his family in Spain. Still hailed as a teacher, he is more comfortable on the beaches of Ibiza.
When he was two, Osel Hita Torres was enthroned as a reincarnated Tibetan Buddhist lama.
He was dressed in robes and a yellow hat. Grown men prostrated themselves in front of him and asked for his blessing.
No-one was allowed to show him affection unless he initiated it. He had his own special cutlery.
"It must have been tempting to take advantage of that sometimes and act badly," I say to him now.
"Yes," he replies. "I was a tyrant and an obnoxious spoiled brat. I was pretty bossy, let's say."
Even by Tibetan Buddhist standards, two was a young age for enthronement, and Osel was not even Tibetan - he is Spanish.
We are speaking in Ibiza, in the courtyard to his mother's villa. Osel is 27 and no longer a lama.
Osel would like to become a documentary maker. He has swapped the rigours of monastic life for playing the drums on the beach, and chilling to trance music. He is not sure he is still a Buddhist.
Because of his bad experiences with the media, he hardly ever gives interviews. But he is relaxed and charming to me, and philosophical about his extraordinary history.
He was born in Granada, the fifth child of Maria Torres.
Maria had converted to Buddhism and was a follower of Thubten Yeshe, a charismatic and extrovert Tibetan lama who was travelling the West in the 1970s.
Yeshe was no ordinary lama. He visited Disneyland and was half in love with Western culture.
His young Western disciples were drawn by his Eastern exoticism. Some believed he could read their minds.
But Lama Yeshe had heart problems, and he died in 1984 in a Los Angeles hospital, aged 49.
His followers were distraught. A few months later, Maria became pregnant with Osel.
"It made me feel very special, the fact that he had chosen me as his mother” ~ Maria
In Tibetan Buddhism, lamas who achieved a high level of enlightenment are able to choose what happens after their death - whether to be reincarnated and, if so, where.
The conviction grew among Lama Yeshe's followers and former colleagues that Yeshe had chosen to be reincarnated in Spain, in little Osel.
They detected in Osel a certain meditative self-containment. The way he acted reminded them of Yeshe. A baby like Osel appeared in another lama's dreams.
Osel was taken to India for testing, where he picked out Lama Yeshe's former possessions, including his sunglasses. The Dalai Lama confirmed that Osel was Lama Yeshe's reincarnation.
Osel went to live in a monastery in southern India and had little contact with his parents. It was a strange way to treat a toddler but Osel feels no resentment.
"For them it wasn't something negative, it was a huge opportunity they were giving the kid, like he's going to Yale or Oxford."
I met Maria at a Buddhist temple on Ibiza. I put it to her that her name is appropriate for the mother of a God. She does not reject the idea. "At the beginning, yes, it was something like this."
The fact that Lama Yeshe had come back in her son was good news.
"It was a reason for celebrating. It made me feel very special, the fact that he had chosen me as his mother. I thought that I was not going to have any more suffering during my life, just because of that. I wanted to share my son with the rest of the world, because it's not my son."
But did she not miss him? She says she was not clingy.
"Maybe because I don't really need to have my children by my side all my time, it was something I could deal with very easily."
But having a lama in the family was disruptive for her other five children as they all travelled the world, trying to stay reasonably close to Osel when he was very small.
Osel's Western disciples barely saw him as a little child at all. They detected in him wisdom, compassion and a detachment from emotional needs that allowed him to develop on a spiritual path - and stopped him missing his parents.
"When you were treated in this very deferential way, how much did you think to yourself secretly 'This is crazy'?" I ask him.
"For me it was completely normal," he says.
"But at a certain point in my life, around 15-16, I didn't feel comfortable with it...
When he was nine, he sent a cassette tape to his mother where he pleaded to be allowed to come back to Spain.
Instead his father, Paco, went to live in the monastery with him, and his younger brother, Kunkyen, went to join him as a monk.
"When I turned 16-17, I was dying to get out."
The turning point came when he read Herman Hesse's Siddhartha, and he started to wonder whether he was a true Buddhist.
Osel finally decided to leave the monastery when he was 18. On his 18th birthday, he had a momentous conversation with his mother, which she described to me. "He said to me, 'If I decide not to go back to the monastery, can someone force me to go back?'"
"No", she told him. "Well, I'm not going back," he said.
But the monastery wanted him to return.
"I got a huge amount of letters and phone calls, and people coming to visit me, just telling me that I made a big mistake, that I lost a huge opportunity, that was my destiny, my purpose, blah-blah-blah, whatever."
Maria was also put under pressure but she supported his decision, and still does.
Life outside the monastery was difficult for him to start with - discos and girls were baffling and scary. One of his Buddhist sponsors living in Canada arranged for him to go to school there. He then went to Madrid where he did a degree in film studies. He would like to become a documentary maker.
Sometimes Osel seems like a living disproof of the old Jesuit saying, "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man." The Tibetans had him from two till 18, but the pull of the West was stronger.
"What music do you like?" I ask him. "Reggae, I like drum-and-bass, I like trance, psychedelic trance, stuff like that. Hip-hop also."
In Lama Yeshe's organisation, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), they still see him as a teacher. He tries to accommodate them with what wisdom he can muster, but his advice tends to be light on Buddhist theology, with generic suggestions like, "When we see people in the centre, it's nice to always say hello."
His future is uncertain, caught between cultures and traditions. He lives on Ibiza but Spanish is only his third language, after Tibetan and English. He has taught Tibetan classes, he doesn't have a full time job but has been making a documentary for the FPMT.
He and Kunkyen feature on a recording that combines Tibetan chanting with Western trance music. He seems to be moving back towards the FPMT and even talks about returning to head the organisation.
"Maybe when the spiritual director decides to retire, then I can take over."
As the spiritual director?
"I'll probably just be maybe the co-ordinator. Not spiritual. I don't know, maybe some day. Slowly I am getting some interest towards Buddhism."
Maria is still a convinced Buddhist. "Do you still think he's a reincarnated lama?" I ask.
"Yes," she says. "What he isn't, is a traditional lama and it is what he doesn't want to be."
She has no regrets. "I never ask this question to myself, because it's not possible to go back. I always think everything has sense. What's happening now is the best it can happen, because it's what's happening."
Buddhists do not really do regret.
Osel himself still believes in reincarnation, and that Lama Yeshe could have chosen whose body he would come back in. He is just not sure it is him.
"Are there ever occasions when you feel a little bit of Lama Yeshe in you?" I ask.
"Yes, sometimes," he says. "Sometimes I ask Lama Yeshe to give me a message or a sign or something. And many times he does give me a sign or a message.
"So I don't know if he's outside or if he's inside. I don't know, but he's one of my best friends."
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I say Lama Osel's story is one difficult to grasp from within the tibetan buddhist "circle", but it is certainly not difficult to understand from "outside".
And indeed, most people "outside" can relate much easier to someone who apparently "gave up" his life as a monk to play music in Ibiza (hey he did not end up working in a post office or something... no offence to post officers).
What do we think most people would pick as a life: monkhood or Ibiza forever-holiday life?
Who are we to know how Lama Osel will turn this around to a very inspiring journey for many to reflect upon and maybe reach a spiritual life themselves?
Who are we?
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From how I see it, it is pretty clear that Lama Osel is Lama Yeshe, but for him to manifest in this way is only due to broken samaya because Kalu Rinpoche does the exact same thing as well, referring to his previous incarnation as a friend/mentor/uncle. They may or may not be lying about the whole deal of forgetting to be who they are supposed to be, but in any case, it is very clear that Lama Osel will not teach anytime soon. He has however, leaked out many signs that he does remember who he is and he is Lama Yeshe and have said things like "I am FPMT and FPMT is me" so if he can say that then it means that he is Lama Yeshe, without a doubt. However, his choice of appearing and manifesting, as if he was being forced to be in the monastery and denying that he is a tulku, i'd imagine, would disappoint many of his ex students who expected a traditional lama to teach them and guide them. Perhaps, this is a return of the disappointment that he had when they betrayed him to join the Dalai Lama's camp. If you wanna say that Lama Osel is just a normal boy, how can it be explained that he has a close relationship with Lama Zopa? odd is it not? If he was a normal kid, he wouldnt be able to connect with Lama Zopa so well. It can only be that he is a tulku, the real deal, unable to manifest due to broken samaya.
Perhaps with his turning around story, Lama Osel is trying to gently remind his students that they should turn around too and remember Lama Yeshe, his advice and his practices instead of following the crowd. Sounds like that to me, more or less. But lets see if they get the hint.
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There is no doubt that Lama Osel is the reincarnation of Lama Yeshe. He was confirmed to be the reincarnation by HH Dalai Lama himself.
He had no problems staying in a monastery in India, and away from his family, from a very young age. He was alright with this until the age of 16 -17. What made him decide to quit monastic life then? Could it have been that around that time, FPMT had turned against Dorje Shugden, thus breaking samaya with their Lama, Lama Yeshe, who had been a devoted practitioner of Dorje Shugden?
I sincerely hope that Osel will return soon to take his rightful place as the successor to the great and compassionate Master, Lama Yeshe. Meanwhile, it will be wonderful if he can spread the Dharma , through music and the movies.
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I do not know if Osel Hita will return to FPMT as their rightful next successor after Lama Zopa passes... this is something FPMT needs to sort out themselves especially with so many broken samayas just from condemning other centers' Lamas and practices...
However I am sure Osel's Dharma is deeply strong in him and I think he definitely will continues to spread the Dharma in his own creative way...
(http://)
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Kopan monastery picture... posted up by Osel Hitta... I guess this was when it all started and everything was beautiful and harmonious... no bans, no prejudice, not judgmental Buddhist freaks policing other people's centers etc...
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Though it is a clear sign that Lama Osel is the reincarnation of Lama Yeshe, it may not be seems to be his time yet to return to FPMT nor to appear as a Lama due to the broken samaya of FPMT students. Since there's no cause for him to continue with FPMT for now even he may wants to (may be...), I would look at he may be spreading dharma in his own creative and unconventional ways in Ibiza where it is the land of parties, fun, beaches and clubs for many! Why not? That's where most people there need help too.
It is not the end for FPMT students yet, if they could only see the other side of what their Lama is doing now and it is the reflection of their mind too. Let's all hope...
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Personally, it is indisputable that Lama Osel is the reincarnation of Lama Yeshe. For those of us who believe this to be true, Lama Osel must have a reason for manifesting in this way, even though it is difficult to understand for most of us. Lama Yeshe was controversial in his time, so it does not surprise me at all that he is manifesting in this way. His dharma heart is always there though as can be seen in his care for Lama Zopa when Lama Zopa was ill and the photographs I have seen of Lama Osel in the monastery.
I can’t wait for this new generation of Shugden Lamas like Lama Osel, HH Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche and HH Zong Rinpoche to come into their own. I think it is just a matter of time.
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You know what? On a deeper level, I dont think the headline is so far from the truth. Who is to say Lama Osel isnt teaching people Dharma when hes chilling on the beach? If he were in robes, could he reach out to and help the people who are out on the beach getting pissed every night? No, theyd never accept him.
So perhaps its time for us to stop thinking of everything from FPMTs perspective, and start thinking about the people Lama Osel is helping. It may have been FPMTs loss for giving up Dorje Shugden, and therefore breaking samaya with their teacher and losing Lama Osel, but for those people on Ibiza, its their gain.
This is true... In his infinite wisdom, Lama Osel is perhaps using our degenerate times to spread the Dharma. He certainly has not denounced Buddhism. In fact he is most likely using skillful means to impart the Dharma. Even if his students action has caused him to be distant from them, it does not mean he still cannot turn the wheel of Dharma. In fact, the very fact that he is still continuing in this life means there has to be a point to his being in this physical form in this life... and from this very logic, I reckon Lama Osel is certainly a revolutionary teacher to keep an eye on.
I would also like to share this beautiful picture of Lama Osel and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. If a picture were to paint a thousand words, surely this one speaks volumns!:
(http://gobeyondwords.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/osel-and-lzr.jpg?w=500&h=333)
A shorter article on the same interview by Fiona Govan, Madrid (The Daily Telegraph)
link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9574777/Tibetan-lama-reincarnation-rediscovers-himself-in-Ibiza.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9574777/Tibetan-lama-reincarnation-rediscovers-himself-in-Ibiza.html)
Tibetan lama 'reincarnation' rediscovers himself in Ibiza
As a toddler he was identified as a reincarnation of a Tibetan lama, sent to a monastery in India where he was locked away from the outside world and worshipped as a god.
Now, aged 27-years-old the Spaniard who was recognised by the Dalai Lama as Lama Tenzin Osel Rinpoche, has swapped his monastic robes for a life on the party island of Ibiza where he plays bongo drums, chills out to trance music and dreams of becoming a documentary film maker.
Osel Hita Torres has spoken out about his extraordinary childhood and his decision to abandon life as a spiritual leader, thwarting the dreams of his parents and the Tibetan monks who guided him until he left the monastery shortly after his 18th birthday.
Interviewed for a BBC Radio Four documentary entitled "The Reluctant Lama" he described how he was taken away from his parents and sent to a Tibetan monastery in southern India.
A search for the reincarnation of Lama Thebden Yeshe, who died in 1984, led his devotees to Spain and to baby Osel, the fifth child of two of his Spanish followers in whom they detected "a certain meditative self-containment".
He was taken to Sera monastery in India where aged only 14 months he picked out former possessions belonging to Lama Yeshe, including his sunglasses, thereby confirming the reincarnation, which was then endorsed by the Dalai Lama.
His parents, Maria and Paco were thrilled at the idea that their son had been chosen as the vessel for Lama Yeshe's spirit.
"For them it wasn't something negative," Mr Torres told the BBC. "It was a huge opportunity – like sending their kid to Yale or Oxford."
But over the years he started to wonder whether he was a true Buddhist at all, a feeling that culminated when he read Herman Hesse's Siddhartha.
When he turned 18 he asked if he could leave the monastery and return to his family in Spain.
"I got a huge amount of letters and phone calls and people coming to visit me, just telling me that I made a huge mistake, that I lost a huge opportunity, that was my destiny, my purpose, blah-blah-blah, whatever." said Mr Torres, who after years of a shaved head, now sports a mop of hair, bushy sideburns and a goatee beard. A large tattoo decorates his left shoulder.
But he admitted that he still feels a closeness to the Lama he is worshipped as a reincarnation of.
"Sometimes I ask Lama Yeshe to give me a message or a sign or something. And many times he does.
"So I don't know if he's outside or if he's inside. I don't know, but he's one of my best friends."
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I just came across this picture on facebook... look at the background!!! Osel Hita... aka Lama Osel in front of the camera... doing what he wants to be doing now.. in film and production. Notice what is in the background! Imagine thousands if not millions getting the blessings of the Buddha images... if this is not a skillful way, I dont know what is!
(http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/c148.0.403.403/p403x403/229828_537683452924560_1574662291_n.jpg)
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Though it is a clear sign that Lama Osel is the reincarnation of Lama Yeshe, it may not be seems to be his time yet to return to FPMT nor to appear as a Lama due to the broken samaya of FPMT students. Since there's no cause for him to continue with FPMT for now even he may wants to (may be...), I would look at he may be spreading dharma in his own creative and unconventional ways in Ibiza where it is the land of parties, fun, beaches and clubs for many! Why not? That's where most people there need help too.
It is not the end for FPMT students yet, if they could only see the other side of what their Lama is doing now and it is the reflection of their mind too. Let's all hope...
To me, it is more than clear to me that Lama Osel is Lama Yeshe's reincarnation and they are one and the same. Lama Osel may not be wearing robes, but he is certainly doing the work of his predecessor without a doubt. He is still doing Dharma even though its not in a form that his ex students might like or is comfortable with. I dont think there is a contradiction with that because no matter what it is still Dharma. Dosent really matter what form he is doing but if he is doing something that is to benefit the Dharma centers, then it is Dharma. I really hope that his students are more appreciative of him making the effort to help finance FPMT, instead of lamenting on how he's not around for them anymore, although it does seem that Lama Osel want to see how they would react if he said what he did in some recent interviews such as this one.
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If we look at the new wave of tulkus.. They appear to be rebel, samsaric, uncoorperative and so on... Just to name a few Kalu Rinpoche, Gomo Tulku, Lama Osel are the few who truly represent what the youth are these days. It might seemed like they abandoned their duties as a spiritual figure but nevertheless, no matter how rebel they are, most of them were "recognised" and completed the monastery study to the age of 18yo. If they are any ordinary lay person, they would have run away!
Now, the manifestation is a clear sign that this is the time that the dharma is degenerating. Even the high lamas had to manifest this way to clear obstacles for the people to receive dharma. On the other hand, each of them played a significant role to attract youth of that kind so they can be near them and learn the dharma someday. This is definitely the compassionate actions of such highly lama to benefit people of today who only interest in music, party and material things. There will come a day when dharma is so widely spread and the lucky ones would still get benefited by pure dharma because we are still very lucky to have such noble lamas return and living among us.
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If we look at the new wave of tulkus.. They appear to be rebel, samsaric, uncoorperative and so on... Just to name a few Kalu Rinpoche, Gomo Tulku, Lama Osel are the few who truly represent what the youth are these days. It might seemed like they abandoned their duties as a spiritual figure but nevertheless, no matter how rebel they are, most of them were "recognised" and completed the monastery study to the age of 18yo. If they are any ordinary lay person, they would have run away!
Now, the manifestation is a clear sign that this is the time that the dharma is degenerating. Even the high lamas had to manifest this way to clear obstacles for the people to receive dharma. On the other hand, each of them played a significant role to attract youth of that kind so they can be near them and learn the dharma someday. This is definitely the compassionate actions of such highly lama to benefit people of today who only interest in music, party and material things. There will come a day when dharma is so widely spread and the lucky ones would still get benefited by pure dharma because we are still very lucky to have such noble lamas return and living among us.
I do share the same sentiment with DharmaDefender and Barzin. Whatever Lama Osel is doing now may seem to be so "wrong" in the eyes of many. But how can anyone normal, know the real intention and motivation behind the action of a highly attained Lama?
In this degenerate era, there are just too much distractions going on. I think if we were to ask someone to just unplug themselves from all the "fun and action", they're currently having and start praying and chanting, it will be a shock to them. Well, there's nothing wrong with having fun and action, because that's the way it is these days. The world we live in today teaches people that success = rich and rich = success. Therefore people chase after money thinking that they can only be happy if they have lotsa money, and that money can bring much enjoyments and pleasures.
Hence, the true motivation behind what Lama Osel is doing remains to be seen. I am quite sure such a learned Lama like Lama Osel knows what he is doing. He may not be wearing his robes anymore but that doesn't mean he has joined the world to "enjoy". Maybe it's just his way of bringing Dharma into the lives of many who are just too "busy" to be bothered about being spiritual. Instead of waiting for them to come, he joined them to give them the Dharma in a very skilful way.
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There are many many many other young Tulkus in the Monasteries that the Western and more or less the Eastern worlds do not know about. They are quiet, study, fulfill their duties, hold their vows very well and are humble. They do their practice, serve the monasteries and their gurus. There are perhaps nearly over a hundred of these.
Why focus on a few that always wish to manifest themselves 'differently' and you have doubts in them.
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There are many many many other young Tulkus in the Monasteries that the Western and more or less the Eastern worlds do not know about. They are quiet, study, fulfill their duties, hold their vows very well and are humble. They do their practice, serve the monasteries and their gurus. There are perhaps nearly over a hundred of these.
Why focus on a few that always wish to manifest themselves 'differently' and you have doubts in them.
Thaimonk has a point here. If it is a generation thing then all tulkus of this generation would manifest in the same way and be modern and all. But why only them? Lama Osel and Kalu Rinpoche both share the same problem: their ex students broke samaya and engaged in activities that contradict the teachings of the previous Kalu Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe. So from there we can see a pattern. Not much can be gained from Gomo Tulku, but from the other two tulkus, what is happening is very clear: the tulkus cannot manifest the way that they did in their past life solely due top broken samaya that their previous students put them through and to me, it is not something bad or good, its just how they choose to present themselves. If some people feel that their Lama has disappointed them, they should really think and focus and regret that they have disappointed their lama by turning the gompa into a political batteground or simply just disregarding the lama's practices and advice. But of course, who wants to admit that they are wrong? In holding on to be right, they lose Lama Yeshe. At least Kalu Rinpoche still teaches in robes.
FPMT better wake up before it is too late.