Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Looking at old photographs, Khensur Rinpoche recounts his monastic formation in Tibet in this 89-minute oral history recorded at Buddha House in 1988. He describes all-night debate sessions at Jangchup Chöling — answering questions before assembled monks from Drepung, Ganden, and Sera — and the one-hour examinations each monk faced before the Sera Je abbot on return. He recalls receiving full ordination (253 vows) from Trijang Rinpoche on the auspicious day of the Buddha’s first teaching in 1948, and highest yoga tantra initiations including Vajrayoginī at Norbulingka. He also describes Sera’s annual memorization exam — one wrong word meant failure — and a 1950 fever epidemic that killed over a hundred monks while he was away on retreat. An intimate biographical record rather than a formal doctrinal teaching.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 16 RS 1988 01 03.mp3
UUID: 4fcda5fd-f9e2-4ce7-a56c-bc20324f1e52
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Rinpoche's Story (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1988-01-03
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 89.5 minutes
Words: ~3,711
It’s Monday the third of January nineteen eighty nine and I’m talking with Khensur Rinpoche at Buddha House with Tenzin translating. That’s the photo. Yeah. Yeah. This is just the photocopies for me to keep.
Know? They want Africa. African student? American. American.
Yeah. Oh, Negro. Negro. Yeah. You see?
Yeah. Yeah. Here’s Mark. Yeah. Ah.
Gosh. Tien Tsin, you were saying before about those photos, in one of the photos that oh, perhaps we’ll talk later. It’s only sitting in the park, period. Thank you. So this is debating, this photo.
It’s after after first, you know, we have this one. This this one, one class. Is it? Yeah. Whole class.
They’re all they’re frustrating. They listen. Oh, they listen in they always bend down to listen. Yeah. Then after they come back, then around, they stay.
So it’s a seventeen. Yeah. Mhmm. Then they come outside again? Yeah.
Then around then one day, I will teach. Yeah. Discussing? Yeah. Discussing.
How is that? Memorize? Memorize. Memorize. We talk.
Old people. That is? And this one? You said something about this one before. In the same lesson.
Yeah. Different class. Smaller class? Yeah. More advanced class?
In India, they are all together. It is. We we call other duo comes in. Duo comes in there, it’s three class. Mhmm.
They won’t go. Pretty good. So yesterday, we’re talking about. I think we finished that. He He’s doing particular in Jangchup Chöling.
He’s all night, full night, he’s debating answer. Question. Yeah. Answer. Answering?
Yeah. Answering. Rinpoche asked people question. Yeah. He answer.
He give answer. All night? All night. Just him? Yeah.
He’s together. With two. With Different year. Different year? Not one year.
On on this one and next one and next one. Right. Three different One. One. Then another year.
Yeah. Then another year. All night. Yeah. There are many Taza Taza means college.
Yeah. In Drepung, they have many different college. Yeah. Then he one answer, full night. That means full night.
Pardon? Full night. Yeah. Loseling Tsatsang means one college. He want to go to this college, then they give answer.
Then Then other college, Gomang Tsatsang. In Drepung, they have two college, Gomang and Loseling. Gomang? And Loseling. And they have people from those two?
Yeah. Gomang Tsatsang. Gomang? Yeah. Tsatsang.
Tsatsang. This one, two? No, this same. Oh, I’m sorry. Then Loseling Tsatsang.
Loseling? Loseling Tsatsang. L o s e l i n g. Loseling. L i n g, Loseling Tsatsang.
Thanks. Ganden, do you say? Ganden. Changze Tsatsang. They have two, two, two.
Shartse? No. No. Ganden, there are two college. Yeah.
Changze Tsatsang. Then other one. From Ganden? No. It is Then he give one answer in this name, Toshu Tamja.
Tamja means answer. Reply. Reply. Yeah. Yeah.
All Toshi Tamja, they come there was come all Drepung monk and Ganden Tsatsang monk, every Sera monk in the coming. Then he give answer. In front of before them all, with all of them there? With all, yeah. Oh.
Other one, night he give night full. This one separate. Separate to the full night? Yeah. Separate the full night.
Alright. Then this one altogether. Date of? Yeah. No.
It’s nighttime, but not full. But not all night. Yeah. No. I don’t care about.
It’s just good good good student and good teacher, it just cut us now. Toshi Tamja. You know Toshi Tamja? Where? Here.
Toshi Tamja. Toshi Tamja. This is just only good student and good old monk old monk and old monk. Monk. Old monk.
Old monk. Yeah. O l d. Yeah. Old monk and good or with one one other person?
The two. His name. You want his name? Yeah. That’s his name.
Chunze means his name. Uh-huh. Lau means Lau comes in. There are duo comes in, Lau comes in, Charik comes in, many comes in in every monastery. So house.
It’s lauments comes in. Yeah. Lao comes in. So that’s weird. His name just Chunze.
And it comes from that yeah. Yeah. Then Lau Chunze. Uh-huh. Okay.
It’s only Tushitamja, to it’s what? It’s together. To too often? Yeah. Yeah.
Other one. Night night all night. Mhmm. Night all. Mhmm.
Yeah. Common. Different Partner. Partner. Yeah.
Mhmm. Where? Here. What are you looking for? I think here.
Yeah. Dead time for all night. Fun. Yeah. So one time, it was not with with Yes.
This Yeah. Then have to get spillings better. Uh-huh. Chef Cheady. All night?
Yeah. Just all night. Mhmm. Kishinoda, he needed resolve. Kishinoda, his friend.
His friend. Kishinoda. Yeah. Good friend. That’s good.
Come from. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. New Zealand.
It is difficult. It’s very difficult Yeah. Before all these monks. Yeah. It’s difficult altogether coming.
Then if there are no answer, many share me. So many listening. So it’d be terrible if you didn’t answer. Yeah. Yeah.
You could feel really ashamed. You went well? Did it go well? Yeah. Good.
He have a partner. Nineteen eighty eight fifty eight. Nineteen fifty eight? Yeah. Oh.
Gwunjin, now we Jian Gwunjin, then finish, then they will come back. To Sarah? To Sarah. Yeah. Then in Monastery.
There was there is? There were examination. Yeah. Examination. This how many people go in.
They all how They all come back, then examination in Jangchup Chöling. For the ones that went to Jangchup Chöling? Yeah. They have an exam in Sera. Sera Je Monastery abbot.
They live here. Then one person, they answer and question total one one hours for each Each person one hour Yeah. The explanation. With the abbot? Yeah.
What was abbot’s name that time? Did they go to Kimbok? Did they go to Kimbok? Kimbok? I’m not there.
He went to eight, ten. Oh, so different different habit each time. Yeah. But mhmm. He start nineteen forty nine.
Mhmm. In he start. Then first First, that term, Kimbo. Kim? Abbot?
Yeah. Ngawang Jampel. Ngawang? Yeah. Jampel.
G u I G. Yeah. Jampel. Mhmm. Jampel.
Mhmm. Date of nineteen forty nine. One. Mhmm. Then his name, I bought.
Mhmm. His name is but old people called. Sonam. His name was His name Sonam Dorje. We say nickname was again?
Ser Dodo. Ser. Ser. Ser. Means golden.
Dodo means old wrong. Bull. He’s fat. Yellow. But this is the one he examined to examined him.
You know, one year, he he went to. They come back examination. Every eight time, he he went to eight time. Then each the examination, eight time. This is many Abbott change.
So it’s eight Abbott or more? Not eight eight Abbott. Just four and three. Even no. Well, we’ve got two.
Mustn’t be many more. Yeah. Nineteen forty nine fifty one, he started Sonam Dorje. Yeah. First abbot.
Abbot now now Nawa Mongolian one, so far. Mongolian. Mongolian abbot. Yeah. Mongolian abbot?
Yeah. Tendar. His name Tendar. He’s After when? No.
No. Can’t say after Mongolian abbot. His name? Tendar. Tendar?
Tendar. Mhmm. Then after this one, Sonam Dorje. So this should be in here? Yeah.
Okay. This here, nineteen fifty four. Fifty one. In fifty one. Then after Sonam Dorje.
He’s he’s just two year old. Oh, yeah. Then after Yeah. He’s nineteen eighty four fifty. Fifty three.
So this is nineteen fifty one? Yeah. Uh-huh. Otherwise, Rinpoche can write it down, and I’ll get it later when he thinks about it. So I can get it.
Then other one. Means Kamzin’s name. Kamzin. You know? He’s from.
It’s It’s fifty three, fifty four, fifty five. Fifty five. Fifty six. Fifty six. Fifty six, he start.
Right. Fifty five, he start, I think. Mhmm. Then fifty seven Mhmm. He’s home.
No. Fifty seven. Three three years. Then fifty eight, Kimbo. Was in prison for with the Chinese for many years?
No. No. His abode. But after, when the Chinese came, didn’t they put him in prison? That time, nineteen fifty nine.
Fifty eight, he started about I don’t understand how you got the equation. Oh, never mind. Doesn’t it? Doesn’t it? He’s very good.
He come for he come to India. He’s been to India? Yeah. He’s he had been to India. Yeah.
He has been to India. So does the one hour exam each time? Yeah. Then after they come back, the examination doesn’t, So they went around all of them? Yeah.
All of the country. And what do they do in yeah. Yeah. They just antibody. Oh, I see.
Yeah. Same topics? Same same topic. Mhmm. Then after, he won’t go to comes in.
Special. Mhmm. Same topic. When he had been in Sera, nineteen forty five? Forty five, I think.
Yeah. He came in forty five. He came in forty five. And he Forty eight Mhmm. He was he he get a Oh, a a a bhikṣu.
Yeah. A fully ordained monk observing two hundred and fifty three vows according to the Mulasarvastivada, M u l a s a r v a s t i v a d a, tradition, familiar to Tibetan monastic tradition. Discipline. Discipline.
Oh. Oh. Nineteen forty eight. Nineteen forty eight? Nineteen forty eight?
Yeah. Fully ordained monk. Two hundred and fifty three. Two fifty three vows according to Mulasarvastivada. Wow.
Trijang. Trijang. Mhmm. He get from. From?
Get to spell that. One of this. Before he was he got, what, to get to? Before. Yeah.
I think you understand. Oh, you we looked this word up before. I don’t know what you call Never mind. Don’t worry. He’s for two hundred fifty three.
Fifty three. Yeah. K. Before, he novice monk. Alright.
Thirty six precepts according to Prātimokṣa. Alright. Same same same lama. Oh. Oh, the same one that that he gave his first vows.
We gave his vows. I see. Yeah. After we get this one. Yeah.
Again. A full So how many vows are you on there? You? You. Yeah.
This one? Thirty three? Yeah. Thirty six. Thirty six and two hundred.
Two hundred. You’re on two hundred and fifty three? Thirty three. Yeah. You are?
Yeah. In Tibetan, fourth month and fifteenth day. He he he get Oh. Gelong. There’s no other one.
I think this one. Yeah. Two hundred fifty What do call Gelong? Gelong. So date for I’ll write it.
Say it to. Don’t know if I spelled it wrong. That was two fifty three. Was the which day again? Tibetan month.
Yeah. Four fifteenth. Fourth month? Yeah. Fifteenth day.
And our year, nineteen forty eight. Yeah. Mama. It’s day. Holy.
Holy? Not not holiday. Yeah. Holy? Holy day.
Yeah. Holy. What was it? It’s our Tibetan four months. Holy.
It’s very It’s the month of the Buddha’s It’s a first teaching from Buddha in Varanasi. Ah, yeah. Yeah. That day? Yeah.
Good. That’s when the Buddha gave his first in the deer park. Yeah. Thank you. Two times holy it is.
This day? Yeah. This day. Three times. Yeah.
His fast changing. Mhmm. Then his day. In his Enlight. Enlightenment.
Yeah. Understand. Those three. That’s very auspicious day. Good day.
They they turn in monastery. They have many Many months. Many Puja. Many. He’s he was We have other one.
No. Yes, two. Which one? Yeah. Two class.
Oh, yes. Nine. Nineteen forty nine. Yeah. Shum Ningbo.
And he get Corner. Yeah. Long high up. Yeah. His name, how do I spell it?
He first he get a. You know? He get first after initiation. Same time. Yeah, same time.
Initiation as well. Yeah. Plus Guhyasamāja. Oh, what’s this? G u h y a s a m a j a. This is Sanskrit.
Yeah. How do you say it in Tibetan? Again? Sangwa Dupa. Sangwa Dupa.
Sangwa. Sangwa? Dupa. Sangwa. Dupa.
Dupa. And that is secret assembly, a tantric deity of the highest yoga tantra. Mapper. Mapper. From Mapper.
Mhmm. Then he got commitment. Commitment? Yeah. The same time?
It’s not same time, but we both same time. You. So same night time. Same same Similar time. That same time.
Then Vajrayoginī. One Vajrayoginī. Vajrayoginī initiation. Initiation and commitment. Commitment.
Too many. I mean, isn’t it? Is that all with Trijang Rinpoche? Yeah. So that that is was Trijang Rinpoche in Sera Je? No.
No. He’s Ganden. Ganden. Ganden. Shartse.
Shartse. Did did Rinpoche go there, or did he come to Sera Je? He’s usually, he I stay in Lhasa. Norbulingka. Norbulingka.
Usually, he I stay in Lhasa. Norbulingka. Norbulingka. He’s on Dalai Lama teacher. Oh, what’s Oh, god.
Oh, What’s he what’s his other name then? His name? He’s a senior tutor or junior? This one. Mhmm.
Two teacher. One is one is left side, one right side. Mhmm. They’re both old men. They look a little bit alike.
Yeah. Yeah. The one on the left side’s different. Yeah. Mhmm.
Usually, it stay in Lhasa, Nobalinga. So Rinpoche went to Norbulingka? He got initiation in his room. In in In in in his room. In his room.
His room. At? He’s no. Yeah. Then he got many, but some That’s a that’s a guess on the factory men’s company.
Yeah. That’s new. That’s all new. Yeah. Yeah.
That’s all Chinese. Yeah. Guest house. Oh. I think here.
Not not far from Zhou. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. We call it Chölingka. Where on the map of Lhasa is now called as a guesthouse? This was where this was a good building. Ah.
And it was Chölingka means. Linga means Park. Park. Yeah. Then sometime, he get Chölingka, sometime.
Mhmm. Guru Puja commitment in Chölingka. Guru Puja in Chölingka. Uh-huh. Yeah.
Mhmm. The other one’s At that time in the Norbulingka, did they live in the new new palace? The new New palace? Yeah, asking. Nguyen Ling, I see.
Yeah. So there’s a new one built for his holiness. Was he in that one, that new palace? They are many rooms in Norbulingka. There’s many buildings too.
New buildings. But I wondered whether that was in in the newer new building Yeah. That was built for his holiness, the Dalai Lama in about nineteen fifty, or in the old building. They have they have two big building Mhmm. Just before.
Mhmm. And other than many people Mhmm. Live stay. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. So it’s a new summer palace, old summer palace. Khaosang temple. Did it? I don’t know.
It doesn’t matter, really. Don’t want to it’s here. I’m calling it to. Old old. Ah, yeah.
Good. This new summer place and old summer place, this old one. Old one? Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Uh-huh. Not Chinese make. No. Chinese yeah.
Yeah. Chinese didn’t make the new one. No. I think not. But it’s it’s probably wasn’t built properly then.
Yeah. Nineteen fifty. Ah, good. In nineteen fifty, Yeah. At that time.
At that time. Yeah. Were men sick. Mhmm. All what?
How this one. Sometimes all come sick. In Sera, most people all sick. Ah, so that like an epidemic? Maybe epidemic.
Yeah. A big sickness that affects many people. Yeah. It affects many one that’s the Only comes in, they are one and two one day. Die every time.
Every day. What what what was the illness? Fever? Correct. Fever.
They got fever. In Tibet, the gut fever is very bad. If they go fever is bad? Yeah. The fever is very bad Uh-huh.
In Tibet. Why? If they get fever, then maybe probably Die. Die. Oh.
Yeah. Sorry. One rooms, some some night. Two days, one rooms. Two peoples’ nights, one room.
Is that So how many months would have died? Talk more than a hundred. More than a over. Over. More than a hundred.
And people in Lhasa were sick too? Lhasa, they were. It’s just Just for Sera? Just for Sera. Teacher, they went on the term Tashi Chöling.
Dashi? At that time, they won’t go. They went to Have you been in? Don’t think. Where is that?
I feel as if I should know. You know? The middle Left corner. Oh, look. Left.
Left. High? No. Left here. This this one.
Right. That’s right. No. He slept. No.
He slept. Alright. Alright. Okay. Alright.
Really. Mhmm. Alright. Corner second. Yeah.
Middle. Yeah. Middle. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. So he the the two of them Two of them, He’s that term attendant. Oh. The and And They want meditation. Yeah.
Then he doing tea and tea T e n. So they were not there while all the monks were sick. Yeah. That’s good. Yeah.
That’s probably saved them. More than one month. More than one More than one month. Over one one month. And?
Over Gishi? Over Gishi? Oh, above Gishi? Above Gishi? Which when did he become Gishi?
He? No. No. No. In Sera in the old monk examination, memorizing examination.
Mhmm. Every year? Every year. All monks in Sera? All monks in Sera.
Mhmm. Thousand a lot. Mhmm. How long does that last for each monk? One year, they they have big examination memorizing.
One year? Yeah. One time each year? One time each year. Have?
Yeah. They have examination memorized. All months? All months. All months.
Okay. They did an explanation, then finish. If they don’t pass? Yeah. They go.
And he he doesn’t gishi. He doesn’t become gishi? Yeah. He doesn’t he doesn’t pass one examination. Yeah.
Oh, no. Every year. Yeah. In every each examination, one year. Every Must pass.
Yeah. Mhmm. Or he can’t become geshy? If we don’t give the examination, doesn’t become in. Oh, I see.
He he bring or every monk bring a textbook. Mhmm. Mhmm. Tibetan textbook. Mhmm.
Yeah. Yeah. Then they give a board and. Discipline. Yeah.
Yeah. They give. Yeah. Then Yeah. They look.
We don’t look. Only Abbott. Yeah. He ever looking. Yeah.
Yeah. Ever said, oh, he he not fast. They are not looking. You fast, four, three, pitch. What?
Goes through. Goes through? Yes. Three and four, Mhmm. Oh, went then we follow this.
So he starts to read somewhere. Yeah. Opens anywhere Yeah. Into the book, and they have to read. Yeah.
Have to have to memorize. Yeah. Have to memorize. What if they make a very small mistake? What if they get one one word not right?
Yeah. What happens then? They’re in. If one wrong the word one wrong is not put in the past. Oh?
Just yeah. They not pass? Yeah. Even one small word? Yeah.
One small word. Mhmm. That’s very hard. You don’t understand. I think so.
Oh. In when how do you explanation is one page, two page, three page, we look. Then we give the pause and fail. Mhmm. Then after finish, if I have this textbook full, how much they have page?
Two hundred page. Then some on they have secretary, then they give page. Kimbu said, about said, two hundred seventy five page in Denzin. Then they writing on a page. Other book, two hundred forty and fifteen, the many page.
Mhmm. Some some months, thousand thousand page memorized. Then after they give present, how do they how do they give present? Present? Present.
Gift. Gift. Yeah. I give present. This present.
Yeah. Yeah. Present. Who gives present? In Sera Je Tsatsang.
Sera Je Tsatsang monastery. They give present if they pass. Oh, abbot gives present to student. To monk. Yeah.
Then how do we pass? And we look we patch which one which one is most patch this fast. Oh, which memorizes most? Yeah. You have one thousand.
Yeah. I have nine hundred. Yeah. Has eight hundred. Then you first second me in third.
See. I see. So it’s yeah. On the number of marks. Yeah.
We should want here fifteen page we should give. Memorize. Memorize. Minimum. Minimum.
Fifteen. Fifty. Fifty. Yeah. Fifty pairs.
Uh-huh. Right. Then if we don’t give the fifty pairs, then fail. Right. Okay.
That’s each year? Each year. And fast, fast, all monks fast, they give big person. They give clothes, you know, teaching their term yellow cloth. They give yellow cloth, then some cloth, monks dress, then they give some money.
Money too? Yeah. Second, third, fourth, fifth. First five? Yeah.
Then after they give white khata. Khata. Khata. Ah. They only give khata.
Oh. Everyone. Same. The first ones. First one, the special.
Special. Yeah. Then month same color. Yeah. Just color.
Yeah. I don’t like. Many How do they give presents? First meet. We get puja.
Mhmm. After they break tea. Tea? Yeah. Then they someone.
The chapto, you know chapto? They once say, they call first, second, first, second, then we want a stent, we go present, Uh-huh. In the line. In the line. We go line.
Then First one. Second one. The first one. And then all in the line. Yeah.
Not line. He he called me land. Yeah. Then we get up. Oh.
Uh-huh. Not land. Land, but not Yeah. Yeah. And many page memorizing them fast.
Yeah. Do you remember shaking at all the time? One time he fast. Oh. Yeah.
Mhmm. Good. What present did he gain? You know, long. You know?
Very long. Very long. Yeah. It’s very there are many. Yeah.
Silk. Silk. Silk? Silk. Yes.
Yeah. That’s what he got? Yeah. Fifteen. Fifteen.
A little bit. Don’t know. It’s a thin son. Year. That’s enough.
That’s How many? Six hundred. Six hundred. Yeah. Does he remember them now?
Six hundred. Yes. Know nothing about that. Not we don’t look the text. Not all.
No. It’s difficult. Oh, it’s impossible for no. We don’t learn that way. I couldn’t remember anything now.
What about you, Tenson? How many pages do you remember this? I before I get taught first class. Good. Third.
That’s very good. How many do you remember? They give they tend the present. Soap. Then a toy.
Towel. Towel. Towel. Towel. Very good.
How many pages? Maybe three hundred. In one year? Yeah. Tongue in?
Tongue in? Yeah. Yeah. He memorizing tongue in. Oh, that’s funny.
Not hundred twenty five bits. I I I try, but just fifteen page. It’s very difficult. It’s hard one to memorize. Long word.
Long word. Then yeah. Difficult concept, difficult ideas. Yeah. What class does that come in?
Or Yeah. It’s in.