My birth place is Durmra Kyabar, a remote area in Ladakh। My parents are Tsewang Norbu and Tsering। They had four children and I am the youngest.
I have two sisters: Tashi Dolma and Tsering Yang Kyid, and my brother’s name is Tsering Phuntsok।
According to the Luna calendar, I was born at down on the 22nd of the second month of the year Fire-Sheep, and I was given the name karma Jampal Palwo। I obtained the precious human rebirth will all the eight freedoms and ten endowments, I believe that this achievement is the result of observing a pure moral discipline, practicing the six perfections and also of my stainless aspiration prayer in the past lives. My birth – horoscope revealed that I was a monk in my previous life and should become a monk in the life.
Geshe Tsultrim
Soon after I was born, mu father started to face health problem caused by fluid building up in his body, and he passed away three months after I was born। So my mother started carrying the responsibility of both father and mother. The great hardship that she underwent in order to raise us children and uphold the entire family is really unforgettable.
One of the facts that clearly illustrate the principle of cause and effect is that two siblings, although they were born to the same parents, their characteristics including their interests like hobbies are different। This is because the Karma that they accumulate in their past is different, and this is an example of our being today is solely result of our actions in the past।
My brother and I are completely different in terms of our interests in the toys that we played when we were children। My brother like to play with vehicles, he did not have any modern toys like cars and trucks, so he used to make vehicle-shaped toys out of hold shoes and pull them with rope while making the sound of a truck. When he grows up, he became a good driver.
My interest was monastic ritual objects। After I saw the monk performing rituals in the temple, I made drums and other ritual objects out of empty tins and started performing “ rituals “, and I enjoyed this game very much। When I grew up, ritual objects and rituals and ritual performance became part of my life.
I spend three year in the joy of playing and mother loves care। Then from the age of four to ten, I went to the primary school in Kyakar learning reading and writing Tibetan.
When I was ten years old, Kyabje Danma Lochoe Rinpoche invited to Santemling Monastery by Kyabje Rizong Rinponche to give month’s teachings on Changchup Lamrim .
My uncle Karchen Ngwang came for the teachings and stayed in our house।
It was during my winter school vacation that my uncle took me to the teachings with him. At the teachings, Lochoe Rinpoche gave Yamanda initiation. My uncle took me initiation but there was a restriction fro receiving initiation. Karpon Me Kalon, a head of the local people was standing at the entrance of the teaching hall and saying to some people “ you can “ and some people “ you cannot “ . When we reached there, he said to me “you cannot “. My uncle said “You are right but the child is already here, I will take the responsibility of him reading the Six Sections”. Because my uncle’s promise to make me to fulfill the commitments, I was able to receive the initiation. When my uncle was about to return back to his monastery after teachings, he said to my mother “I have taken the responsibility for the child’s commitment to read the Six-sections. He has to become a monk otherwise he won’t be able to do it properly. So now I must take him with me to make him become a monk.”The Rinpoches were staying in the Mani Temple and my uncle took me to them to Offering Hair . Kyabje Denma Lochoe Rinpoche received my hair and granted me the name Tsultrim Tharchin.
As being the youngest child, I was closer and dearer to my mother that it was very difficult to separate with her. However, separation ends a meeting is the nature of the reality, so I left my mother and ser off for Dekyi Monastery with my uncle and a yak carrying my luggage and offerings to the monastery. Traditionally, I am belonged to Samten Ling Monastery but here I joined Dekyi Monastery because my uncle who was a Kachen of Dekyi Monastery had the commitment to make me to read the Six-section everyday.
At the time, the head of Dekyi Monastery was a Geshe named Tsepel from Drepung Gomang. Afterward, Geshe Tsepel said that when he was the head of Dekyi Monastery, every time when a new monk joined the monastery, he went to the naturally formed statue of Palden Lhamo and prayed her to bless the new monk to enable him to go to Drepung Gomang to become a good geshe. As he prayed, I left Dekyi Monastery soon and joined Drepung Gomang. This happened one year after my arrival at Dekyi Monastery: Some disagreement occurred between my uncle and some monks. In order to solve this problem, Kyabje Shartul came to Dekyi Monastery and transferred my uncle to Trikser Monastery and my uncle sent me to Drepung (Is located in the Indian state of Karnataka.
The nearest city is Hubli which is an hour’s drive from
Drepung Gomang Monastery ).
The Studies I did
In 1978, Ajo Dorje and Lobsang Yignyi, Two monks from Drepung Gomang came to Ladakh to raise fund for the construction of new hostel of Ngari Khantesem. They came to Delkyi Monastery and stayed with Ven Ngawang Namgyal. Ven Ngawang was our neighbor, so on that day I went to his house. Geshe Tsepel. The head of monastery came to see the two monks because they were from the same monastery. The two fundraisers said that since Delkyi Monastery was belonged to Drepung Gomang, the monastery should sent a young monk to Drepung Gomang to inherit the traditional linage, and they said that Ven Ngawang Nyima, the abbot and other head lams of Gomang actually instructed them to bring one or two monks from each of the monasteries that is belonged to Drepung Gomang to continue the traditional linage. Because of their statement and with the suggestion of Ven Tsepel, the decision to send me to Gomang was made on the sport. My uncle said that if I was sent to Gomang, one of the two monks should be my teacher to take the responsibility to care of me, and Ven Lobsang Yingyi agreed to be my teacher. So in 1979, this spiritual master of mine took me to Drepung, one of the tree biggest seats to Buddhist Studies.
At the time, the head of Dekyi Monastery was a Geshe named Tsepel from Drepung Gomang. Afterward, Geshe Tsepel said that when he was the head of Dekyi Monastery, every time when a new monk joined the monastery, he went to the naturally formed statue of Palden Lhamo and prayed her to bless the new monk to enable him to go to Drepung Gomang to become a good geshe. As he prayed, I left Dekyi Monastery soon and joined Drepung Gomang. This happened one year after my arrival at Dekyi Monastery: Some disagreement occurred between my uncle and some monks. In order to solve this problem, Kyabje Shartul came to Dekyi Monastery and transferred my uncle to Trikser Monastery and my uncle sent me to Drepung (Is located in the Indian state of Karnataka. The nearest city is Hubli which is an hour’s drive from Drepung Gomang Monastery ).
Rimpoche
Then I started my 21 years extensive studies for Geshe Degree. I was very fortunate to be able to study under some of the most celebrated masters of the day including: Ven Tsultrim, the great monastic scholar from Amdo, whose fame was pervasive in all the three great seats of studies, Drepung Tripa Tenpa Tenzin, Ngari Geshi Ngawang Changchup, Gungri Geshi Khenrap Sangpo, Kyabje Dragom Rinpoche, Geshe Lharimpa Tenpa Gyaltsen, Geshe Lhraimpa Tsutrim Phuntsok, Khensur Ngawang Nyima, Khensur Lobsang Tenpa, Amod Geshe Yoden, Ven Sherap and many others.
During this time, I also studied Tibetan calligraphy, Tibetan grammar and other Tibetan literatures from many great monastic scholars in the monastery.The remarkable events during my time are:
In 1988, at the age of 21, I received Nyen Tzok ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the assembly hall of Ghadan Shartsi.In 1985, I got the opportunity to perform debate on the topic of Lorig in front of His Holiness Dalai Lama.
HH Dalai Lama
In 1998, Gedun Namgyal who was the chanting master of Drepung Gomang in Tibet before Chinese invasion gave a month’s special training on the techniques of chanting to five of us. At the end of the training, under the nomination of the teacher, the abbot of the monastery offered me a kathar for awarding Chanting Leader.
In the Chanting Master election of the monastery in 1999, I was elected as one of the candidates, but I had to withdraw from this because then I had already accepted the invitation of Kyabje Khanpo Rinpoche to teach either in Dekyi Monastery or Trikse Monastery after I gain Geshe Degree.
In 1999, at the age of 33, I completed all the five great treaties of Buddhism and after passing all the examinations, I received Geshi Lharimpa Degree.
My teaching services to the society In June 1999, under instruction of Trikse Rinpoche, I came to Trikse Monastery to offer the monastery my services as a teacher. There I taught the young monks Bhuddist dialect studies, Tibetan Grammar and calligraphy.
Besides teaching, I also wrote brief histories of the of the branch monasteries of Trikse and also short biographies of some of the great masters in the history of the monastery.
In June 2001, because of the firm request of the directors of the Ladakhie Nun’s Association, I started to carry the responsibility as the head lama of Trikse Nunnery।
In April 2995, I completed my responsibilities in Trikse Monastery।
In June 2005, because of the request of the head nun of Leh Nunnery and also of the director of Ladakhie Nun’s Association, I started my responsibility as the teacher in Leh Nunnery. Since them I have been teaching Buddhist Dialects, Tibetan grammar and calligraphy as this nunnery.
In order to make contribution to the promotion and preservation of Buddha dharma and benefit the people more effectively, in June 2005, Lirki Geshe Lobsang Santem and I established a Dharma Center called Shri Nalanda Dharma Center in Leh, Ladakh. Since then I have also been carrying the responsibility as the teacher for the various Dharma classes that are being offered in and trough the center.Since my return to Ladakh in 1999, while offering the services mentioned above, I have been frequently invited to give lectures, impart teachings and supervise retreats in various places in Ladakh like monasteries, villages, schools, institutes and public teaching halls.
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