Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. At five years old, Khensur Rinpoche was already being called a lama by his villagers — a sick neighbor had recovered near him — one of the vivid early memories he recounts in this 41-minute autobiographical session recorded at Buddha House. Moving through his Tibetan village childhood, he describes the local economy (potters, carpenters, traders who rented pack animals for two-month journeys to Lhasa), the Chinese paper currency then in circulation, and how homes were built from stone foundations and packed-earth walls. He covers traditional wool chubas, the seasonal housing of animals, and the Wongdu headman system of village governance. The session closes on Tibetan New Year: the chemar offering of tsampa, sugar, and butter, and the auspicious verse interpreted as a wish for happiness and liberation from cyclic existence.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 19 RS 1988 03 23.mp3
UUID: 7e043da3-e2dd-4d9d-a848-e4fc2707ccd0
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Rinpoche's Story (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1988-03-23
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 40.8 minutes
Words: ~3,188
Thursday, the twenty third of March nineteen eighty nine. Proofreading with Khensur Rinpoche at Buddha House. Bull. Right. I think Jampa might give us some heads before.
Mhmm. And the female. So is male. Is a female. It’s a cross between a bull and a tree.
To castrate them. So all the villagers, they’re all there were there were different occupations within the village. Not all the people were farmers, but even the people who weren’t farmers still had animals of their own. They might have just sheep and goats as compared to the farmers who probably traditionally have yaks and and the larger types of animals. But all the no matter what the type of occupation, all the villages have some type of animal.
For example, different occupations within the village. There were the potters. So there were carpenters. And potters. There are also traders, shopkeepers.
There are individuals who rented out animals for transport purposes, you know, when making journeys to Lhasa and things like that, there were people who just that was their main business, was involvement in transporting, renting out animals. So they were they were paid in money. Isn’t sure about the actual price, but this he was saying that it was it let it would often take two months to go from his village to Rinda to Lhasa. It would take, you know, two months perhaps to go all the way to Lhasa, so you couldn’t — no one could just rent one horse. You couldn’t go by yourself because you had to take along many supplies if you’re gonna make the journey.
So it involved a like an expedition. And so many, many horses, many packed animals. And then, of course, then some people would rent them just for a ten day journey or a fifteen day journey. And how much it cost would depend upon what you know, all the supplies they’re carrying, what you know, how much how many horses. Usually, they were transporting some kind of goods.
So so, you know, how much this is, how much this would be, which is not sure, but the money was very precious because there wasn’t much money, actual actual currency around in that area. So, yeah, I mean, he he came up with a figure of forty or fifty of the local currency, but how? Chinese currency. The Chinese currency. In those days, they weren’t using today’s currency. Were many different types.
Call the Chinese currency, they would call it just Chinese currency. One was called one was called, I think means without collar without collar. One was called. So this was this had to do the name was taken from the the pictures which which appeared on the currency. And one of them the picture of the person was didn’t have a collar, so they called this collar this currency.
Didn’t have a Collar? A collar. Like a shirt collar. Paper currency. Currency.
It was actual yeah. Nothing. Nothing. Just strings were Bigger than bigger than one inch in diameter. And then there was the one type where the picture of a person was bent or hunched over.
Previously, they didn’t have an actual currency. They didn’t have but then, so they they they began to use, coins. And then, one of the first coins was a a copper coin. One another type of coin they then used called daim. It’s a very big coin.
They use a good Chinese paper currency. The custom for payment on these for renting the animals was both there were there were situations where you paid before and those who took payment afterwards. The trader was transporting a great deal of tea, and he would pay in tea. They would pay according to the number of animals and the length of time they journey. This isn’t a journey, but the actual way of presenting the the payment, there was no particular tradition ceremony.
So says that they have that same tradition as far as presents. That when someone gave you a present, you didn’t immediately look at it. You set it aside. And then when the person had left, then you wouldn’t look at what you gave. You wouldn’t immediately look at it.
The stones. And because they everyone saw this and and because the person got well after that, they said they thought Rinpoche was a lama. They they said yeah. Because the person got well, they thought, oh, he must be a he must be a great lama. In this context, the word lama has the idea of some great power.
So yeah. A lama was someone who was a a re recognized reincarnation. So this person didn’t have to be a monk. It wasn’t necessarily a monk. Sick person became after this incident became well very quickly.
And he was probably about five. He remembers him. He he used to play a lot, so he was probably about five. Just remember, just has the big memories that his earliest memories are he that he used to like to make to play with the ritual offering cakes, and they used to like to to go to the pujas and listen to the chanting of the pujas by the lamas. Those are kind of earliest vague memories that he has.
This has this big idea before that, but this is one of the first memories we have. Proper spelling would be for this would be k h y o n g l h a. Means god, and then means red. So something like the red god. Means means god.
It means? God. God. G o g o d or Oh. It’s m.
Means red. Yeah. It might it might be more you know, what you know, a red colored horse that we might call what? A roan or something like that? You’d have to check that.
I you know, just they call they just would use the word red. But Would you think it comes back into two Yeah. It’s two two different words. Two. Yeah.
But So the so this means that the is a a female. So they they would they added this prefix of of and means, like, divine, something like that. So it was a very good horse. They would they they added this this prefix, this suffix, and then then the second name of Kyungmo, the the just simply means female. Always just means female.
Multicolor The the horses were were named after after their marking. Black, they’re they’re called black, and they’re red. They’re called red. And they had a white blaze. They’re called white blaze.
So they were generally named after the their markings. The Tongshing, t h o n g s h I n g, means pine tree on page five, the middle of the page. They they dig out a so first, they would they would they would dig out the foundation of the walls, which and they would they would put a layer of stone, which would be about maybe six inches. And that would that would bring it up to ground level. And then then they would then they would build a wall of about two feet stone as the as the base as the basis for the wall.
Then they would place a a a frame a wooden frame and place the dirt in the frame and pound it down. And this is the way they would proceed to build up the wall. They would use wooden forms and put dirt in there and pack it down hard. It says here that the foundation layers of stone about two feet high. That’s correct.
But thin layer of thick wood. Remember there was no there’s no wood. They would use a a timber over the to support the over a doorway or a window. Other than that, there was an. Yeah.
So it was the walls were made only of below would would be the stone, and then above would be only earth. Some other some other areas outside of his area, they they built the walls out of stone. These days, they’re using cement. Now they’re using India in the same way they now they’re they’re using cement in the same way they use cement in India to build houses. Most of the village villagers would come to help, but not all.
The ones that I ask, well, why didn’t those who didn’t come? Why why didn’t some of them come? He said, well, they didn’t like perhaps they didn’t like your family, so they wouldn’t come help. It’s sort of a there wasn’t any payment made for when people helped you build your house. It was sort of a return that you would when they built their house, you you would help them build their house.
The only person that that would be paid would be the carpenter. They they would be paid. But, generally, when someone did build the house, they would supply tea and tsampa. They would make tsampa which is a combination of barley flour and butter and drink tea and yogurt. Perhaps on the third paragraph, page six rather than where it says eighteen horses, six or seven zomos rather than maybe leave the s off and just say six or seven zomo.
I’m not sure if that’s that would be from the standpoint of English usage is correct. dzo is the is the male of species, and zomo is female. Was used for field work. Households in the village, they would bring their animals in at night, and they would stay inside. Animals would you know, how many floors they had in their house would depend upon the wealth of the family, but the animals always stayed on the ground floor.
The animals that gave milk would stay inside, like the cows, the zomos, the female goats, they would stay inside. The dzo wouldn’t stay inside. Also, the dzo would not stay inside. They they might have a separate building for the some kind kind of outbuilding to keep the dzo in. We generally associated, were kept by the nomads, not by the herders, and so they would not stay inside.
Also the horses, in the summer, many of the horses would go up to the summer pastures and then they would be kept in tents at night. But of course in the winter, when the horses were brought down, all the horses would be kept inside. There would be pens or enclosures for the animals outside without any roof. There was no other there was no other buildings outside of the main house, and but there would be these. The grains would be kept on the second floor where the people live.
They’re very big wooden boxes or clay pots. Those things would be kept in animal skin. They both wore chubas. The men and women wore chubas, and they were made out of wool. And the men’s were usually white, and the women’s were black.
The women’s were much you know, they were much bigger fitting than the men’s. Even when they tied them at the waist, then the chuba would billow over the belt at the waist. They closed at the high waist. Main article of clothing that they wore, and they wore these in the summer. In the winter, they would wear a chuba of sheep’s wool with perhaps some material on the outside.
Material would be covered with some material, but on the inside, it would be it would be lying in the sheep’s wool. The sheep skin. We would perhaps have some nice material on the outside and then be lined with wool. It would help, this full skin. Many of them, I think it is.
Nowadays, many of their clothing are quite similar to the Chinese. Younger people are dressing more like the Chinese rather than the traditional chuba dress. It should be spelled w a n g Mhmm. D u. Okay.
And the means I mean, literally, it just means power, and means to to collect. So, like, it’s the collection of the power or or control. Control. Means control or power, and then do means to collect, so so bringing bringing together control or power. The Wongdu head — the head person — had much power. Things that might happen causing a fine would be: they could be fined for fighting, for allowing their animals to go onto another person’s field, stealing.
District head. This was just a village head, and that would be taken care of by the village head. By the district head. But killing the person. Literally, this means Literally just means power, and means to collect.
So the person who’s who’s the center of the power or something like that. So maybe once a year, the village there would be a village gathering, and only men would come, and they would discuss, what had occurred during the year, condition of the crops, what the different people that had, caused problems during the year and then they would have a big meal and have a a good time. And this would generally take up all the money that was that was made through fines during the course of the year. Would spend a few days making preparations for the scattering, and then they would come together, and then they would discuss the various problems of the village, the conditions of the crops that had occurred during the course of the year. And they would have quite a great feast.
And if it time, they would elect the new headsman, but that occurred maybe every four or five years. The election. Come to a consensus of who was the best person to take over as as the headman. They didn’t actually vote pages, kind of discussed it, then finally one person would come out. That’s by way of consensus.
The person is always male. The person person is male. Really have to be honest. They have to be interested in spiritual practice and be somewhat wealthy, but may be honest. The heads person would it there was a person who was in charge of the district.
It’s called a. And the some and the heads person would would often go visit the Potong. They usually had a very working close working relationship. No definite term of office. Just until he decided — for one reason or another — he might have asked to be excused, but there was no definite term.
It was — I mean, this pönpo was a district position, a full time position, and it lasted one year. So there’ll be a new pönpo every year. He didn’t stay in his position very long. One person lived in Rinpoche’s house, Rinchen Dondrup, who was mentioned before, one of Rinpoche’s relatives who lived at his home. He became the Wongdu after the head village person, during the time Rinpoche was living in his village — that his relative took over after that particular head person. Spelling should be n y e n y u n g n y e.
Two separate words? Yeah. Well, I mean, this is a special ritual, so it would be capitalized. Namche. That’s right.
Gunchen. That’s right. Gunchen not NGA. Yeah. Na.
Na means five. What? G a means five, and che means great. Five. Yeah.
So it was didn’t need you to hand out again. The word five refers to the fact that according to the Tibetan calendar or the calendar, the festival would take place on the twenty fifth. That’s what the five stands for. The good place of Jongkhang Ji is Tse Guthum, which is t h s e g u t h o n g. Took place mainly to commemorate the the the defeat by the Buddha of the non-Buddhist through his display of miraculous powers.
Can’t remember this occasion. And after after the Monlam prayer festival, there there occurred the festival called Tshog Chu Tshog Chu, t h s o g c h o. And this would take place at Gyalwa Rinpoche’s monastery.
Monastery. This is the this is the Dalai Lama. Gyalwa Rinpoche is another name for the Dalai Lama. And Gyalwa is spelled g y a l w a.
Gyalwa Rinpoche. This is just another name for the Dalai Lama. So the, I mean, New Year, according to the Tibetan calendar, is on the first month, the first day of the first month, first day of the first month. There’s no such thing as a Buddhist calendar. But, I mean, there is the calendar, for example, the the astrology according to Kālacakra, the wheel of time.
But so this there’s no particular Buddhist calendar. So the the Tibetan New Year is on it’s on the first first day of the first month. And within the text on moral discipline set up by the Buddha, it does specify certain days, for example, when the bi-monthly confessions are to take place, when the summer retreats are to take place. But these dates have been worked out in accordance with the Tibetan calendar. So there’s no particular Buddhist calendar.
It’s called chemar. Chemar. Chemar, c h e m a r.
So chemar, c h e m a r. This is the mixture of tsampa or barley flour and sugar and butter. And then the would be offered to the to the Three Jewels.
One would take a pinch to offer to the Three Jewels. One would recite auspicious words. The words of auspicious that they would recite would be translated, me me me me me may fortune, happiness, and and and all good be be brought together. May may all may fortune complete good. Is it there?
Yeah. May you have all good things, fortune. May you have all good things, fortune, and good, and complete happiness, and then may you attain liberation. This would be the auspicious words that you recite. Dewa means happiness.
LEG, l e g, means goodness. Goodness, fortune, and happiness. P h u n t s o g. Phuntsog.
Phuntsog. Tashi lege phun do dang dewa tob bar shog shog. Tende dewa toba. Tende dewa toba shog.
Then it means general I mean, this doesn’t this is what it’s being interpreted as. It doesn’t actually mean that mean, the happiness without any type of suffering. Yes. Dewa, meaning bliss or happiness. This is a rough interpretation.
And and it talks So then the then the the type of happiness which is we talked about here is the bliss. The type of happiness we’re just talking about here is the bliss, yeah, of freedom from cyclic existence. The free the bliss, which is the freedom from cyclic existence. No. This is what they’d be interpret he’s interpret he’s interpreting this line.
The word just means bliss. Then then means to obtain. Means to obtain. And means something. May you may you you attain the bliss, which is the which is freedom from cyclic existence.
Begin again. We can discuss a bit about the founder. He founded thirteen monasteries.