Thubten Yeshe
Encyclopedia
Thubten Yeshe was a Tibet
an lama
who, while exiled in Nepal
, co-founded Kopan Monastery
(1969) and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
(1975). He followed the Gelugpa tradition, and was considered unconventional in his teaching style.
Lama Yeshe was born near the Tibetan town of Tolung Dechen, but was sent to Sera Monastery
in Lhasa
at the age of six. He received full ordination at the age of 28 from Kyabje Ling Rinpoche
. Jeffrey Paine reports that Lama Yeshe deliberately refused the geshe
degree, despite having studied for it:
Sera Monastery did award him an honorary geshe degree in the early 80s. He also used to joke that he was a Tibetan hippie: "I dropped out!"
and thence to the Tibetan refugee camp at Buxaduar, India
. There his teacher Geshe Rabten entrusted to his care a younger monk, Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
. The two would work together throughout Lama Yeshe's life.
In 1965 Lama Yeshe began teaching Western students, beginning with Zina Rachevsky, who sought him out at the Ghum Monastery in Darjeeling. The number of students continued to grow, eventually resulting in the founding of the several institutions mentioned above. At this time, the Tibetan religious community considered the teaching of Westerners to be undesirable. Paine reports criticism from other Tibetans calling Lama Yeshe a "paisa lama," i.e., one interested primarily in money.
s. After spending his childhood and youth in Nepal receiving a traditional education for a Gelugpa tulku, Lama Osel subsequently chose to attend a western secondary boarding school in Canada and is currently attending university in Spain. He has expressed discomfort with others' expectations as to his role in life and is committed to spiritual discovery in a post-modern context, as are other young tulkus, in particular Osel Hita's close friend the 23rd Gomo Tulku.
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
who, while exiled in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, co-founded Kopan Monastery
Kopan Monastery
Kopan Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery near Boudhanath, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal. It belongs to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition , an international network of Gelugpa dharma centers, and once served as its headquarters.The monastery was established...
(1969) and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition is a network of Buddhist centers focusing on the Gelugpa tradition of Tibet. Founded in 1975 by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, who began teaching Buddhism to Western students in Nepal, the FPMT has grown to encompass...
(1975). He followed the Gelugpa tradition, and was considered unconventional in his teaching style.
Lama Yeshe was born near the Tibetan town of Tolung Dechen, but was sent to Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located north of Lhasa. The other two are Ganden Monastery and Drepung Monastery. The origin of the name 'Sera' is attributed to a fact that the site where the monastery was built was surrounded by wild roses in...
in Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
at the age of six. He received full ordination at the age of 28 from Kyabje Ling Rinpoche
Ling Rinpoche
Kyabje Ling Rinpoche was a Tibetan buddhist scholar and teacher.Born in Tibet, northwest of Lhasa, he also was the 97th Ganden Tripa and senior tutor to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The Ganden Tripa is the spiritual head of the Gelugpa Sect, the largest sect in Tibetan Buddhism. Kyabje Ling...
. Jeffrey Paine reports that Lama Yeshe deliberately refused the geshe
Geshe
Geshe is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks...
degree, despite having studied for it:
Sera Monastery did award him an honorary geshe degree in the early 80s. He also used to joke that he was a Tibetan hippie: "I dropped out!"
Teaching western students
With the Chinese invasion in 1959 Lama Yeshe made his way to BhutanBhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
and thence to the Tibetan refugee camp at Buxaduar, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. There his teacher Geshe Rabten entrusted to his care a younger monk, Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
Not to be confused with Geshe Lhundub Sopa Rinpoche, Geshe Tenzin Zopa, Lama Zopa Tharchin , and Geshe Lobsang Zopa ...
. The two would work together throughout Lama Yeshe's life.
In 1965 Lama Yeshe began teaching Western students, beginning with Zina Rachevsky, who sought him out at the Ghum Monastery in Darjeeling. The number of students continued to grow, eventually resulting in the founding of the several institutions mentioned above. At this time, the Tibetan religious community considered the teaching of Westerners to be undesirable. Paine reports criticism from other Tibetans calling Lama Yeshe a "paisa lama," i.e., one interested primarily in money.
Lecture-based published books
A number of books have been compiled from Lama Yeshe's lectures. His books include Introduction to Tantra, Wisdom Energy, The Bliss of Inner Fire, Becoming Vajrasattva: The Tantric Path of Purification, and Becoming the Compassion Buddha, all of which are available from Wisdom Publications. Wisdom will also be publishing an extensive biography of Lama Yeshe that has been compiled by Adele Hulse. Some free transcripts of his teachings are available from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, http://www.LamaYeshe.com including Becoming Your Own Therapist, Advice for Monks and Nuns (with Lama Zopa), Make Your Mind an Ocean. The LYWA also offers videos of Lama Yeshe teaching.Personal
In 1974 Lama Yeshe entered into a celibate marriage with a now-deceased Australian disciple, apparently for the purpose of obtaining an Australian passport which, it was thought, might have allowed him to visit Tibet. His intended journey took place in 1982.Reincarnation
In 1986 his reincarnation was identified in the person of a Spanish boy named Osel Hita Torres (b. 1985), who for some time was known as Tenzin Ösel Rinpoche. In theory this would have made Lama Yeshe the first in a line of tulkuTulku
In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
s. After spending his childhood and youth in Nepal receiving a traditional education for a Gelugpa tulku, Lama Osel subsequently chose to attend a western secondary boarding school in Canada and is currently attending university in Spain. He has expressed discomfort with others' expectations as to his role in life and is committed to spiritual discovery in a post-modern context, as are other young tulkus, in particular Osel Hita's close friend the 23rd Gomo Tulku.