ZaChoeje Rinpoche joins Raghu for a talk on being recognized as a Tulku (reincarnated Tibetan master) by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the true nature of struggling.
“The difference between the enlightened being and the un-enlightened being is: we are all struggling, but an enlightened being stops struggling over the struggles; and we struggle over the struggles. That is the truth of suffering.” – ZaChoeje Rinpoche
In this episode ZaChoeje Rinpoche and Raghu dive into:
- Growing up in India as a Tibetan refugee child, and becoming a monk
- Being recognized as a Tulku (reincarnated Tibetan master) by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
- Moving to the U.S. and founding Emaho Foundation a Tibetan Buddhist center serving the greater Phoenix area
- Retranslating the Buddha’s First Noble Truth (the truth of struggling)
- Disentangling from getting caught in the story of the “Movie of Me” – the fixed idea of who we are
- The role of devotion, faith, and guru in spiritual development through the lens of Tibetan Buddhism
- Connecting with the true nature of the mind as clear light
- An illuminating guided meditation practice on the sky like nature of mind and heart
Raghu & Krishna Das sit down with another Tibetan Master, Mingyur Rinpoche, on Mindrolling Ep. 407
About ZaChoeje Rinpoche:
Za Choeje Rinpoche Tenzin Lobsang Dhamchoe was born in 1968. Rinpoche grew up on a small farm with his grandparents. The local village Lama presented Him the birthname of “Choejor Dhondup (Accomplished Spiritual Abundance)”. As a young boy, Rinpoche discovered a love for Tibetan folk tales and spent many hours reading ancient stories to elders in the neighborhood. His enthusiasm of Tibetan literature inspired him to join the Tibetan Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarnath, Varanasi, India in 1982.
A year into His studies, at the age of 16, His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama recognized Him as the 6th reincarnation of Hor Choeje Rinpoche of Eastern Tibet. He was formally enthroned in 1983 as the 6th Za Choeje Rinpoche at Tehor Khamtsen in Sera Monastery. Under the guidance of His Holiness and Yongzin Ling Rinpoche, He received extensive training in the traditional Tibetan Buddhist method of listening, contemplation and meditation.
In 1985, Rinpoche joined Drepung Loseling Monastic University, in South India, and studied the “Five Major Buddhist Treatises” under the supervision of: Master Khensur Rinpoche Yeshe Thupten, Venerable Shakor Khen Rinpoche Gen Nyima, and Tehor Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Nyima. Graduating first of his class, he received the Geshe Lharampa degree in 1996, after completing the full monastic curriculum.
In addition to Rinpoche’s monastic training, He received hundreds of empowerments and initiations in the Vajrayana tradition from the great Masters Kyabje Lochoe Rinpoche and Kirti Tsenshap Rinpoche. He also received the entire oral transmission of Kan-gyur and Ten-gyur scriptural texts from Master Kyabje Pannang Rinpoche. In 1997, Rinpoche joined Gyumed Tantric College to further his training of highest Yoga Tantra and its ritual practices.
Rinpoche came to the United States for the first time in 1998 to lead the Mystical Arts of Tibet Tour sponsored by Richard Gere Foundation. During summer semester he taught Tibetan Culture and Philosophy at Emory University, in Atlanta. Rinpoche was further invited to speak at many other universities throughout the country.
In 2001, Rinpoche, together with some well wishers and Dharma students, founded Emaho Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he currently resides. Emaho’s main mission is to assist with individuals’ spiritual development, and to support humanitarian projects. Rinpoche has taught in the United States, Japan, New Zealand, and many other countries. His style of conversing, with laughter and openness, generates a comfortable environment for all people. One of most simple yet profound pieces of advice he often gives is “stop struggling against the struggles in life.” His unique skill of teaching, and his ability to apply these teachings into daily lives, has helped many spiritual practitioners throughout the world.
Together with co-author Ashley Nebelsieck, he wrote the book The Backdoor to Enlightenment, which is available in multiple countries and several different languages.
In 2006, Rinpoche made a historical visit to Tehor Region in Eastern Tibet. Thousands of people with 400 horsemen greeted him with a traditional welcome ceremony. The whole village filled with joy as they celebrated his homecoming with several days of picnic and dances. Although his main activity is teaching Dharma, Rinpoche also supports the Monastic and Lay community of the Zakhog region in Eastern Tibet. He travels extensively, teaching throughout the world doing humanitarian projects and supporting individual spiritual growth.
For more information and resources on Rinpoche’s teachings and ongoing offerings, please visit: Emaho Foundation
About Raghu Markus:
Raghu Markus spent 18 months in India with Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass. He has been involved in music and transformational media since the early 1970s, when he was program director of CKGM-FM in Montreal.
In 1974, he collaborated with Ram Dass on the box set Love Serve Remember. In 1990, he launched Triloka Records, which established itself as a critical leader in the development of world music. For 17 years, Triloka was home to such artists as Krishna Das, Hugh Masekela, Walela, Jai Uttal and transformational media projects that featured Ram Dass, Deepak Chopra, and Les Nubians.
Raghu lives in Ojai, California, and is the Executive Director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation. In 2016, he co-founded the Be Here Now Network, where he hosts the Ram Dass Here & Now podcast, as well as his own Mindrolling podcast. He is the producer of Becoming Nobody, a Ram Dass documentary feature film that was released in 2019.
Listen to more from Raghu:
Tune into Ep. 295 of Mindrolling: An Honest Journey with Anne Lamott, Duncan Trussell and Pete Holmes
Check out Ep. 335 of Mindrolling: Courage, Trust, and Love with Ram Dass and Duncan Trussell
Listen to Ep. 289 of Mindrolling featuring lessons from Tibetan teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Tune into Ep. 321 of Mindrolling: Rewriting Our Scripts with Duncan Trussell and Dr. Robert Svoboda to learn about karma and changing false narratives.
For an episode on the inner journey, check out Ep. 216 of Mindrolling: Duncan Trussell, Sharon Salzberg and David Nichtern Live
photo via facebook.com/emahofb