Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Khensur Rinpoche’s missed bell, misplaced clap, and bruised knees — this 62-minute session is a candid oral history of his earliest days as a new monk at a Tibetan monastery, with Jampa translating. He recounts a communal tea-gathering where, unfamiliar with monastery custom, he failed to run for tea at the kitchen bell and drew scolding looks from senior monks. That same evening, an accidental extra clap during a chanting ritual caused a senior figure to slap the wrong student entirely. A threatened brawl with older monks is defused by bystanders. The session closes with a formal punishment ceremony: both the monastery disciplinarian and Rinpoche’s own teacher beat the young monks with sticks — procedure required both to act. Told with warmth and occasional humor.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 41 RS 1990 05 20.mp3
UUID: 385ea426-87f8-4d59-9e39-cebfbf9004b5
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Rinpoche's Story (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1990-05-20
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 62.4 minutes
Words: ~3,721
One two three four five six seven eight nine ten. This is Sunday, the twentieth of May nineteen ninety, and I’m about to do some work on Khensur Rinpoche’s life story with Jampa translating. This is a general term, meaning there’s some special gathering usually to do usually to do some type of puja, but it’s not any particular puja. Just means a it’s a general term. Oh, so it just means a gathering rather than a puja?
It’s a general term for different types of pujas. So the general — it covers any type of puja, but it’s a general term for an offering ceremony. So this must have been my That’s right. So that’s right. Okay.
So, was it. I mean, this tsog offering would be just like the usual gathering together for puja, and then they would have — serve tea — and then the patron would come around and give everybody some money, and they would have thenthuk noodle soup. And soup. So it was usually a sponsored one. Was it patron sponsored?
Yes. So it’s what really means, it? The the. So so this this spelling is pretty far off, it appears. Oh.
Should be. Oh gosh. That’s it’s. Yeah. T s o g Yeah.
J a. Means gathering together and having tea. Means tea. Means gathering. Oh.
Gathering together for tea. Good. Must have been expect of the new monks that they had to do the tea And the. That’s right. Yeah.
So the new monks would the new monks would serve the tea. You know? I mean, let’s say, didn’t go. Can I, you know, like, you don’t? Oh, he didn’t he didn’t know.
He was very he was brand new, so he didn’t know the way to go about serving the tea. So he didn’t serve tea at this time. It’s like me with my students. No. Someone slept.
I’m — but from my side. I went to Bodh Gaya. Uh-huh. But this is the first time he had gone, so he didn’t know what to do. So he didn’t serve tea.
Was Rinpoche the only really new one there then? There then? Yeah. Were other new monks also. He wasn’t the only one.
But they must have known more about it then. Sarpa sapat. Yeah. There were others who didn’t who also had never been been there before. It must be good to get into this.
So so did Rinpoche actually go to the puja? Or he just stayed sitting? Yeah. He didn’t he he went, but he didn’t serve. Oh, he went, and he just sat there as if Yeah.
This was the first time he had gone. So he just He just stayed sitting down. Can I check? The first two times, he didn’t serve tea. So then the older monks told him off.
I’m gonna say you didn’t go. Uh-huh. Yeah. He went. Then the older monks said So that’s not right.
It what what they must have said is you didn’t serve tea. So what during the course of the offering, they — there’s a bell that rings. A bell? It’s a bell rung at the kitchen. Oh.
Meaning that the tea is ready. See. And the monks the new monks should come get the tea. They have to run out. At the bell.
So they ran out to go get the tea to bring it back. And because Rinpoche was new, he didn’t run out. And there was very there was too few monks who went to go get tea, so they rang the bell again. And and then the older monks gave him a fierce look. Why didn’t you go to get tea?
To serve the tea? That’s why they gave him a very fierce looks at him. Yeah. They were very — This is during the puja? Roll call? Yeah.
Yeah. During. During. During. Said, why didn’t you go ring the bell?
Yeah. That’s right. Why didn’t you why didn’t you go to get the tea? Good. It makes it a lot clearer.
Was it was this a lot? What is it at lunchtime? Or would I have asked that question? What time part of the day was this? Yeah.
Yeah. Tea and. Is that evening? Yeah. Then they started chanting topa topa, one of the prayers.
Is that We started chanting one of them. The chagpa chagpa meaning. Just explain. This is when I I was having trouble understanding. When recite so when they recite after having drink after having drunk the tea Yeah.
They recite the Heart of Wisdom Sūtra. Oh. And at the end of the Heart of Wisdom Sūtra, they clap their hands three times, and this is called chagpa, the clapping of their hands. Clapping of their hands. We clap one short clap and another twelve claps.
Yep. This is. It’s not with the heart of wisdom sūtra. It’s It’s not. So he thinks it might be the where they I have I don’t know what the the English translation is.
It has something to do with a lion. Yeah. “Senge” — and in this, they clap their hands twelve times. Oh. So I I don’t know what the trans I So what one long and then twelve short?
What Did You said one long before, didn’t you? So there’s many many clappings. There’s groups of clappings of three, and then you chant some more, and you clap another three times. And then the part where you just keep time by clapping. So this and it’s a when they came to end one of the groups of clappings, when they clapped their hands, Rinpoche didn’t know when they were going to finish.
All the monks, everyone else had to finish clapping, and and he clapped one more time because he simply didn’t know. I said, I clapped twelve or thirteen times. And so the the one of the teachers got up and began to walk up and down the aisles and who who was it that clapped? And there was this one joker who he expected had done it, had clapped the extra time, and he he went up and and and slapped that that joker. Oh, okay.
And then he got and also also he got he said, why didn’t you go he said to to why didn’t you why didn’t you go get tea? And he was he was very upset during this whole this thing. He really gave him a lot. He really scolded him. Who?
The gedag? Yeah. The teacher scolded Rinpoche for not going to go get tea. Why didn’t you go get tea? Why didn’t yeah.
So he scolded Rinpoche for that, but he didn’t scold him for the clapping he No. Didn’t know that. No. No. No.
They said, who did it? No one said anything. And he took it for granted. Was the joker. This one joker.
No. Yeah. It was I’ve got twelve claps, thirteen claps, nineteen claps. So he was pumped. Yeah.
So it’s twelve. A group of twelve in. Tap one extra time. Oh, that’s alright. So forget about the nineteen.
Yeah. I know. Because usually, I could just say somewhere that there’s many other parts where there’s different groups of clapping. You said that. We clap one short now.
Yeah. Okay. Yes. It is correct. Good.
He didn’t know who had done the extra clapping. It’s me. So Rinpoche didn’t — so it wasn’t — it was a it wasn’t exactly a teacher. It was someone who was an important figure in his district house. Oh, I see.
It wasn’t the disciplinary yet. Or or it wasn’t a teacher. It was someone who important in the district house. So this guy who stood up was asking who who who clapped the extra time, and he couldn’t see very well. So he was going up very closely to all the monks, and he got to the joker, and he thought he just thought that he was the one who did it, he slapped him.
But Rinpoche didn’t say. So that was this during that ceremony or afterwards when they were — The tsog? The tea gathering? No. It’s in the Kapsu. Yeah.
This was during the tsog. Yeah. Oh. The tea offering, tea gathering. Why should I go?
I won’t go. That’s right. Is that right? Yeah. And so they they kept on, and Rinpoche said, no.
Where did they want him to go? WRAs. Mhmm. The last section of my chapter. Just to go wandering outside.
With them? It was in Yondung. It in Yondung. They do this when they just go for a walk out outside with together with them. Business — I’m not going.
They were they were quite tough. Thugs. What tough boys were they? Yeah. Bigger than him.
They were the higher class. You’re in upper class. Then then Rinpoche’s friend came with a huge Tibetan door key, which we got more details about. But was that later, or was that at the same time? Same time.
So that same evening? So he his room share’s friend knew all about what was happening. And he brought this great big Tibetan door key, and he attacked all the Joker’s friends with it. Is that right? Said, come on.
Come on. And they kept saying no. Then then they just hit the the one leader. He hit the one leader. The joker?
With the with the key. The joker himself that had the slap in the face. Just a so it it just threw he threw the key at the joker. Yeah. I quite I understand it all.
Mercy on the joker. And we were all They made to fight, but they didn’t fight. They pretended to fight? They didn’t fight. They didn’t fight.
Yeah. They didn’t. They were going to fight, is it? Nothing. Thinking about fighting.
Maybe should tell this bit again. And there are many monks. So it’s just that there many monks who gathered around, and they kept saying, don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t, and they they kept them apart. So they actually didn’t fight. Oh, I see.
But they they probably would have fought if the man said On top of — Mabo Mena? If the Maybe maybe they would have. Yeah. Oh, so so people ran and told him when they’re going to fight, not not they are fighting. Mhmm.
They they might fight. Mhmm. Yeah. There were many monks around, and they kept saying, don’t fight. Don’t fight.
Oh, don’t don’t fight. Don’t fight. But is it the disciplinarian, or is it the same month from the dev deal comes and by the time the I’ve got the disciplinarian question mark came, this joker and his friends had run off. Then they came they kept the cups Well, who should we call? Disciplinary didn’t come.
Pardon? The disciplinary didn’t come. Maybe Rinpoche could tell this bit again because, well, I had great trouble trying to understand the translation. So they just there are many monks around, and they kept they said not to fight. Don’t fight.
Don’t fight. And that and they didn’t fight. You know? That was the end of Did someone come up, though? You mean Somebody come up to see what was happening?
Some monks came to see what was happening. Just some more monks. That’s all. Okay. So I’ll just cross all the There wasn’t any important person.
Alright. So and and then suddenly, the joker and his friends just went off then? They did. They did. Yeah.
It just went away. Okay. So I’ve got the next morning. Is that right? They had to go for debating, or was it the same night?
Yeah. Next morning. So Rinpoche’s friend went first. Then the the second day after the afternoon So So they said he came to him and said, if you go down this road, then they they’ll they’ll they’ll grab your keys and give it to the They’ll they’ll take your keys and give it to the the kamtsen district house teacher. Oh, they took they took his friend’s keys and gave it to the camps and teacher.
Is this a very big About foot. About Yes. Nine inches. It’s a hit on the head. What did he do?
Let’s see. He had a knife. Took time he had a yeah. He had a knife. He might have had a knife.
So we were attacking presuming they didn’t know about the knife. They took his knife and gave it to the kamtsen gang. Is it knife, or is it the key? From the kamtsen sign. Demi.
They stole this key. It’s not a knife. Knife. They trouble trouble, like, They probably had a friend probably had a knife, but they took his key. Ah.
Tea. The comedians, friends, took his key. Mhmm. Was this outside? Outside.
Just in one of those sort of little alleyways, streets. So they were waiting for him when he came back when he was leaving. Mhmm. When he was when he was going home from the afternoon debate, they were waiting for him on along the path, they took his key. I wish I didn’t said it wasn’t.
It wasn’t probably it wasn’t or not. They stole his key, and then his friend came to tell him Oh, I see. That they that they had stole his key and gave it to the the the Khamsin means the district house. Khamsin is the the Khamsin teacher, the district house teacher. In the district house.
The m is in the office. It’s better to say key. Just a noun. Key. Key.
Alright. Don’t say noun. Means the the place So So curry curry just means a ritual. Ritual. A ritual.
So this is this this means this just means the place where they perform, A place of gathering. A place where they do rituals. A place of gathering. A place where they make offerings. Just means the place.
Oh, I see. Okay. Then at that time, there was a. Must be kitchen hand of some sort. See this word is this word says, it means I guess, what would you call him?
It’s the person who who who disciplines anyone who does things bad who does bad thing. He’s the actual one who inflicts the punishment. Oh, I don’t know. Like an excuse. The actual.
Nice. So I I would just call him the disciplinary. I think that would be satisfactory. Looking after kitchen and everywhere, he brought No. He was in the kitchen.
So he he was he helped in the he he was he was the he worked alongside with the the teacher of the of the district house in keeping the the the discipline regime. All over the the jail. Yeah. And the. So you say about three feet.
I said a meter, but maybe Yeah. That’s good. Yeah. About eight sentient beings? I can see.
Is it probably less than eight centimeter? Don’t know. That’s the least you would. Because any because he placed them there. These five people have been fighting.
So what happened to your Jampa? Was that correct? What was your just saying? Yeah. He did he just set the sticks down.
The the sticks or whatever, the pieces of wood down. Yeah. And then After they finish their initial recitations? Any prayers? Like, they do a text recitation at the beginning.
At the very beginning. At the when they gathered together, they did the recitations. And he began to describe that these people had done this, and then they did this and did this. He told them to come here. Oh.
And so he’s he’s you know, you’ve done wrong, and and he began to beat the boys with his sticks. This is right at the beginning of the puja, after the text recitation. After the prayer recitation, he called them, and then he beat them. Oh, they both did. The khamtsen teacher and the disciplinarian, they both did. Both beat them., and they both did. Both beat them.
Yeah. So anyway, he did — Rinpoche doesn’t think he did much wrong, but anyway, he got beat too. That happens. Yeah. About about six hundred.
So there were the lamas, the geshis, and the and the. They were the two classes. Right? I’m quite sure. Refers to just the, intermediate monks who were still in the process of study.
They hadn’t become Geshe’s yet. So that’s the intermediate students and the Saba means just the brand new students. So that’s what that means. First, his friend his friend got beaten. Then secondly, Rinpoche got a bit got got a beating.
And the others And they were hit all sorts, like, on their knees, their head, their shoulders, and the backside too? Wherever it hurt most. And wherever they tried to cover up. As they tried to cover each wherever they were hit, they’d cover that up and then they’d get beat somewhere else. It’d be brutal.
They didn’t actually bleed, though. You know, I’ve got something Trapped. Trapped. Trapped. Great deal.
Alright. So that was Jampa Khedrup. Jampa Khedrup? Yeah.
K h e. Maybe k h e. K h e d r u p. So was he older than Rinpoche? Must have been there longer.
Rinpoche? Have probably the same. But he’d been at the monastery long time. Know, Is it? They’re the same class?
Oh, they’re both new boys. They’re both new. Oh. He was very sweet. He liked to joke around.
Jampa Khedrup? Mhmm. This was Rinpoche’s friend, wasn’t it? Yeah. Yeah.
And he was also a joker. Oh, I see. He was was he was he was very He was also — what is it? — or he, literally, brave. He was very brave. Know.
I got a better word than brave, but, anyway, he was very assertive. I don’t know. Great guy. I don’t — what for a few years. Great. Great.
So reluctant. Okay. So the other joker was in an older class, and he was had a different name. Yeah. In So he was in the upper class.
So The other three — the milkshake got beaten to his feet and his head and around his eyes. Is that right? I don’t think they would be I don’t think they would do that. They’re on my head. The other three rounds are really gonna And and you see flashes and sparks?
Colors? Red. I don’t know. Red, did you say? Yeah.
That’s all I remember she said. Red. Maybe red to see red flashes. Red flashes. The same amount of punishment?
From the Mhmm. Mhmm. Some Are the bony bits, does it refer to the bones? Maybe the joints. I don’t know.
Maybe joints. I’m not sure. I’d have to look that up in the dictionary. It’s like an elbow. The the the bony.
It does. I think it means joint. Do you? Joint. I’m not sure.
They hit you on your joints, I think. But I’m just guessing. And the word “tsig” — “tsig.” Yes. Maybe it might be t s i g.
T s i g. Would you continue and they had to say It’s not a puja. It’s a It’s a it’s a like, every evening, they gather for prayers. Prayer gathering? Yeah.
And, of course, they didn’t. They had some — they had beginning recitations. Yeah. And then they were beaten. Okay.
And then they all go away, or did they did the gathering continue Then then then then did it was finished. The the the gathering was dispersed. So it wasn’t didn’t last very long, that gathering? Wasn’t it long? It’s I mean, literally.
I mean, yeah, it’s pronounced differently than it actually. It wouldn’t it what it’s been referred to. So it’s Dharma. So it just means he was in the this teacher was in the in the Avadharma class. Oh, I see.
And Oh, that’s interesting. The truth is referred to something like he was virtuous the virtuous person in in in the abdominal class. That’s way of referring to his teaching. So but it’s pronounced c h I m a h I n t, Tiddhis? T So there was the the what you got?
The what the regime of the Komsen, the district house was if you got beat by the by the disciplinarian then your teacher also had to beat you. Right. That was the regime or the tradition or something? It was the routine. The routine.
Yeah. The procedure. The procedure. That’s right. Wouldn’t have been proper if his teacher hadn’t beat him, if the once the disciplinary had beat him.
So they had to stick very much to the procedure. Kept the the the comes in teachers and kept their power up. Otherwise, they would lose power. Interesting. It said my friends and I had the same teacher, but did the the the other joker and his friends also have the same teacher?
Just his friend with the kid. Yeah. They troubled the. You know, the because they had different teacher. Oh, so it was just his one friend Yeah.
His friend had same teacher. Yeah. But there’s others that had different teacher. Same teacher. So the just the two of them.
Mhmm. We too. His his teacher So his, yeah, his teacher called them both because, I mean, once the disciplinary had beat beat them, it was quite the procedure that that they’d be called by their teacher. So he he beat them again and said, don’t do that again. Yeah.
He he beat them again, told them not to do it again. Did he beat them as badly as the foot of the other? It wasn’t. It was a very thin stick. It didn’t hit him very hard either.
So but he he had to beat him because the disciplinary beat him, but he didn’t beat them hard. Yeah. That’s right. So it it was very painful for him to bend his knees because they were so bruised, though, walking down the steps rather than bend his knees. He slid down he slid down on his back.
So it was really the knees that was the sore part?