Hey,
My name is Tze Jian, but all my friend call me TJ. I’m writing coz I want to let you know some good news.

This happen around the time I was going to polytechnic and things werent going so well. My excuse of a dad was beating my mother – come on, I’m not blind okays – and he always stink of alcohol. Then sometimes when my mother asked me to help her do laundry coz she is very pain, I also smell some perfume on his clothes.

My mum is not wasteful so she never buy perfume so I think my ‘dad’ got the smell from someone else. Anyway my mum also cannot do anything because she never finish school. So she scared to leave him coz after that, how she take care of herself? And also how she take care of me? So she just tolerate and hopefully it will get better one day.

I complain to my mum but I thought she was talking a lot of nonsense coz she asked me to be patience and forgive my father. How can I forgive the man who hurt our family like that?!?!! I always think I wish he go to hell. I am quite shame now because he is still my father so I shouldn’t think bad like that about him. But anyway the fact is the fact and at the time I think like that.

Anyways there was no one to help me. So my friend told me about this dharma centre in Geylang and I go there to ask for help. The monk there talk about karma and I thought what kind of nonsense is this!!! Then he asked me to do this practice so I do, coz I mean what is there to lose right. I do for a few months then only after that I find out the practice is banned by Tibetan govt. Can you imagine, I was shocked!! I was thinking how come like that coz after I start chanting then my mum become a bit more brave. She secretly go and get a jobs, then one day she also report my dad to police. They take him away, and now he is in alcohol rehabilitation.

So I don’t know why you ban him but anyway, this is how Dorje Shugden had helped me.

Thanks,
~ Chiu Tze Jian ~

Tashi delek,

I hope my letter finds you well. You don’t know me and I live very far away from you but we both share one special trait – we are practising Buddhists, and have an interest in helping others. I hope that is enough for us to have a common understanding of one another, and to exercise a mutual respect for each others’ opinions

I live in a town where we are fortunate to have a diverse group of Buddhists, because we have a handful of Dharma centres who practise different traditions. For the most part, although we all follow Shakyamuni’s tradition, our paths don’t cross except on major Buddhist holidays like Saga Dawa. So my town’s Buddhists accept each other, and we have no problems.

I am thankful for this because I belong to a tradition that Tibetan politics does not agree with – the practice of Dorje Shugden – and I hear that many of my fellow Dharma brothers and sisters do not share the same privilege as I do. I am not writing to you because I want to convince you to remove the ban. I wanted to write to you, to let you know why I practise Dorje Shugden despite my unwavering love and respect for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

I practise Dorje Shugden because he saved my mother’s life. Since she is the central figure in our home, it means Dorje Shugden also saved my family. One year, we were suddenly informed that my mother’s negative karma from past lives was going to fruition. This news came without warning and things were so urgent because there was a very real chance she could die. When my Lama told me this news, I believed him because in the recent times, she was always falling sick (even though she was normally very healthy), and had been getting into a lot of car accidents that could not be explained. So my Guru gave her the Dorje Shugden practice and she has been doing it ever since.

The effect was quite obvious. She stopped becoming sick and lost a lot of weight which she put on because of her illnesses. Her car accidents also stopped. She became a lighter and happier person. And because she is so important to my family, when she became happier, everyone became happier too. Dorje Shugden saved my mother’s life and I am sure he has saved many other people’s lives too.

He has never asked us for anything in return, which makes me feel that he cannot be bad. I just wanted to let you know about my experience with him because I feel it does not match what Tibetan politics says. From one Buddhist to another, I am not asking you for anything, I only want you to listen to my story. I truly hope you are well. May His Holiness the Dalai Lama live long to spread the teachings of the Buddha in the ten directions, and may your government continue to grow and prosper for the sake of your people.

My best wishes and deepest prayers,
~ Clare Sanderson ~

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Part 3

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Or watch on server | download video (right click & save file)

An incredible teaching by the late Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen about renunciation and describes the six realms of existence that was given in 2008.

This is the first part (Mandala Offering) of a talk given by the much loved Lama Yeshe at
 Manjushri Centre England. Lama Yeshe was instrumental in bringing Buddha Dharma in
general and the Gelug tradition in particular to the west.

Part 2

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Or watch on server | download video (right click & save file)

This is part of a talk given by the much loved Lama Yeshe at Manjushri Centre England. Lama Yeshe was instrumental in bringing Buddha Dharma in general and the Gelug tradition in particular to the west.

Part 3

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Or watch on server | download video (right click & save file)

Lama Yeshe at Manjushri Centre England. Watch this rare footage of Lama Yeshe teaching on Karma.

Questions & Answers

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Or watch on server | download video (right click & save file)

Lama Yeshe giving Dharma teaching at Manjushri Centre, UK. In those days, Dharma teachers and centres were harmonious with each others. How wonderful if today’s situation is also like that!

Enjoyed the footage? Download this video: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Q&A