Buddhist dignitary makes historic visit to Bloomington monastery

By Lyndsay Jones, Indiana Daily Student, Nov 8, 2015

Bloomington, ID (USA) -- Cars from Canada, New Jersey, Iowa and other states filled a parking lot surrounding Ganden KhachoeShing Monastery on Sunday.

They had driven for miles to Bloomington and eventually wound up on a gray gravel road to a stone and burgundy painted building. They had driven to see what they considered to be miraculous.

Inside, Kyabje Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche was surrounded by people in all sorts of dress - suits, ties, dresses, Tibetan Buddhist ceremonial headwear. He presided over various ceremonies in the main room of the monastery.

Overlooking the room behind him were three large golden statues imported from Nepal. He had been teaching for the past six days in what one of the monastery’s residents called “a historic event.”

“He is one of the most important people in our lineage,” Jam-Yang Lama, the monastery’s translator, said.

Lama said Rinpoche is important because of who he is today and who he may have been in a past life.

“He was found as the reincarnation of Trijang Dorje Chang,” Lama said. “Traditionally, you have to go under a lot of tests to be found as reincarnated.”

Before he died in 1982, Chang was one of the foremost teachers of Tibetan Buddhism.

According to his website, Rinoche was recognized as Chang’s reincarnation in 1985 by the Dalai Lama.

“Masters (of Buddhism) asked about his past life - gave him multiple choice questions about what things he did as a child, who he studied under - to find out if he was the reincarnation,” Lama said. “There are not many people who can do this.”

Lama said continuous consciousness was a key tenant of Buddhism. At some point, Chang was able to decide to reincarnate - an act Lama said was made out of a desire to continue to help people in this world.

“This is why he is one of the most revered,” ?Lama said.

In the room where he was ending the blessing ceremony that would conclude his stay, Rinoche was surrounded by people. Most of them had come from out of town to see him - and see him they would. Lama said Rinoche had been meeting individually with anyone who wanted a private visit.

“Anybody who wants to see him can,” Lama said.

Rinoche currently teaches and lives in Vermont, where he is the spiritual director of of the Trijang Buddhist Institute. Lama said he chose to visit the Bloomington monastery because of its dedication to Buddhist teachings.

“Being in this monastery is a very special thing,” Lama said. “We actually like Bloomington so much we call ourselves the ‘Hoosier monks.’”

We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot
NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.


Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team


Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv


TOP