Welcome the Golden Child - Phuntsok Rinpoche to Malaysia

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Birth Name : Tenzin Nyudrup

Birthdate : 28 October 2002, also the auspicious day on which Buddha

descended from Tushita Heaven

Parents : Apey Karsang Phuntsok and Dolma Choezom

Place of Birth : Tsum, along the northern Himalayan border of Nepal

Ordination : 12 January 2006 at Amaravati, India by HH the 14th Dalai Lama

Ordination Name : Tenzin Phuntsok

The reincarnation of the Great Mahasiddha Geshe Lama Konchog - Phuntsok Rinpoche accompanied by Geshe Tenzin Zopa visit Malaysia from 14th-18th April, 2007.

In conjuction with the visit, LDC organised a Public Lecture today @ 2pm on THE TRADITION OF REINCARNATION: FINDING THE GOLDEN CHILD - PHUNTSOK RINPOCHE by Geshe Tenzin Zopa.

I arrived at LDC at around 1.40pm and the center was crowded with people coming here to listen to the lecture and to seek blessing from the Golden Child. I managed to get a seat at the main gompa. Due to the big turnout, latecomers got be seated outside under the tent to listen to the lecture.

Before the lecture get started, LDC Director - Lilian Too (The international renown Feng Shui Master) asked everyone to be seated to listen to the lecture and when The Golden Child appeared, we should remained seated as he will going round to give blessing instead of us lining up to get his blessing due to the big crowd.

Ven. Tenzin Zopa gave a brief lecture on the reincarnation of Lama Konchog and the spiritual & ordinary methods used to search for the reincarnated Lama as it will take days or weeks to provide a details account. He gave the lecture in English and it was translated to Mandarin by Ven Dechen.

1) The Mala Test

One of the tests used to identify tulkus involves getting potential candidates to choose from a range of objects. The tulku would be the one who picks an object, which could be a prayer implement, that belonged to him in his previous life and hidden amongst all the items.

During the search for Rinpoche, Ven Tenzin Zopa was advised by Khensur Losang Tsering Rinpoche, the ex-abbot of Sera Je University to quietly observe the children between the ages of one and two at the place where Geshe-la had meditated for more than twenty years during his lifetime.

So, while wearing some malas around his wrist and neck, including a crystal mala that belonged to Geshe-la, Ven Tenzin Zopa walked around the villages in Tsum valley, showing them discretely to children of those ages.

None of the children reacted unusually to him or the malas until he reached Apey’s family. Apey’s son, Tenzin Nyudrup, was only one year old then. The boy grabbed all the malas from Ven Tenzin Zopa’s wrist and wore them all on his neck. Then, one by one, he removed the malas from his neck until only the crystal one was left and refused to be parted from it.

Neither Apey and his family nor Ven Tenzin Zopa and his party of five were able to persuade the little boy to return the mala. He screamed loudly and held the mala tightly around his neck with his left hand. Even as he slept, he held on to it with an iron grip. Whenever he sensed someone trying to remove it, he would awaken, screaming and crying loudly.

So the mala stayed around his neck for three days and nights. In this time, Ven Tenzin Zopa had no choice but to return to Kathmandu - without the mala - but with some suspicion that the boy might truly be Geshe-la’s reincarnation and a great feeling of joy and hope.

2) Signs Observed in Tenzin Nyudrup

Tenzin Nyudrup shows many unusual inclinations and behaviour for a boy of his age. Besides having great compassion for sick and poor people, he is always respectful of Buddha images and stupas. Choosing to sleep alone since he was two, he also likes to recite the mantra of compassion Om Mani Padme Hum before going to sleep. If he wakes up and can’t sleep, he lies in bed chanting bodhichitta prayers until the sun rises and it’s time for him to rise.

Sign No. 1

Even at the age of one, the boy would pay special attention to a particular box at home, attempting to grab it whenever he passed. This box was personally used by Geshe-la to store antique scriptures that he kept with the family.

Sign No. 2

Since the age of one, Tenzin Nyudrup’s first self-appointed task of the day was to water an apple tree behind the house. He did this without fail, even during the freezing winter months at around 6am everyday. This apple tree was planted by Geshe-la himself about 20 years ago.

Sign No. 3

The boy was very attached to Geshe-la’s vajra and bell which was kept with the family. He would search for and find the implements, often ringing the bell loudly.

Sign No. 4

Tenzin Nyudrup was very attached to a big wool coat, which belonged to Geshe-la and kept with the family, often falling asleep in the coat.

Sign No. 5

At the age of two, for many times over many days, Tenzin Nyudrup would look and point towards a cave, where Geshe-la had used to do strict retreat, saying “Gompa, Gompa” (translated loosely as temple) and ask to be brought there. Later his grand aunt Ani Choedron had to bring him to the cave and even stay there forweeks because he refused to leave.