Minam Rinpoche was born in Ga Xiong village, a beautiful and pristine place in Nangchen, to a family of herdsmen and spent his early years at his birthplace.
Minam Rinpoche was ordained at fourteen years old at Ka Trashi Monastery in the Drikung Kagyu Tradition. Here he received the teachings, transmissions and ritual instructions of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage. He also entered into retreat and completed the preliminary practices of the Mahamudra Ngondro and went on to complete his five-year college education at the Drikung Kagyu Institute Of Buddhist Studies.
On sight of HH The Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, spontaneous Guru devotion arose in him. On completion of his studies and under the guidance of his Guru, he completed the traditional three year three months retreat on Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa.
The late Adeu Rinpoche, a realized Lama, on the request of HE Choegon Rinpoche was responsible for his search and HH Chetsang Rinpoche confirmed his eventual recognition. (pic of Wamlung) He was enthroned as the Tulku of Wamlung Monastery in 1997.
Minam Rinpoche’s Vision
The test of a Tulku is seen from his activities.
He believes that it is through education that the shackles of superstition can be removed and true Dharma seen and practised. His teachings are simple and focus on cultivation of compassion and understanding. He encourages simple practices maturing towards higher practices.
Minam Rinpoche feels particularly responsible for the betterment of the people of the Nangchen district and to this end, he has successfully established Norling Library, which caters to the education and welfare of the area. It also serves as a reference library for scholars and researchers.
Norling Library is now fully functional and serves as a field of merit both in Nangchen and abroad.
His talent as an artist is expressed in his calligraphy. His success in combining Tibetan and Chinese calligraphy can be seen in his unique depiction of auspicious mantras and symbols. They are concise representative symbols of Dharma besides being practical decorative art. Being such, displaying them in one’s home is auspicious.
He has authored, compiled and published a booklet on the various Tibetan scripts which has won many praises. The beautiful varied scripts were penned in his own hand and serves as a testimony of the beauty of the Tibetan language. Limited editions make this a collector’s item.
As a reflection of his expertise, he was invited and participated in the Tibetan Language and Literature Conference in March/April 2003 attended by many renowned international language scholars.
Minam Rinpoche was ordained at fourteen years old at Ka Trashi Monastery in the Drikung Kagyu Tradition. Here he received the teachings, transmissions and ritual instructions of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage. He also entered into retreat and completed the preliminary practices of the Mahamudra Ngondro and went on to complete his five-year college education at the Drikung Kagyu Institute Of Buddhist Studies.
On sight of HH The Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, spontaneous Guru devotion arose in him. On completion of his studies and under the guidance of his Guru, he completed the traditional three year three months retreat on Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa.
The late Adeu Rinpoche, a realized Lama, on the request of HE Choegon Rinpoche was responsible for his search and HH Chetsang Rinpoche confirmed his eventual recognition. (pic of Wamlung) He was enthroned as the Tulku of Wamlung Monastery in 1997.
Minam Rinpoche’s Vision
The test of a Tulku is seen from his activities.
He believes that it is through education that the shackles of superstition can be removed and true Dharma seen and practised. His teachings are simple and focus on cultivation of compassion and understanding. He encourages simple practices maturing towards higher practices.
Minam Rinpoche feels particularly responsible for the betterment of the people of the Nangchen district and to this end, he has successfully established Norling Library, which caters to the education and welfare of the area. It also serves as a reference library for scholars and researchers.
Norling Library is now fully functional and serves as a field of merit both in Nangchen and abroad.
His talent as an artist is expressed in his calligraphy. His success in combining Tibetan and Chinese calligraphy can be seen in his unique depiction of auspicious mantras and symbols. They are concise representative symbols of Dharma besides being practical decorative art. Being such, displaying them in one’s home is auspicious.
He has authored, compiled and published a booklet on the various Tibetan scripts which has won many praises. The beautiful varied scripts were penned in his own hand and serves as a testimony of the beauty of the Tibetan language. Limited editions make this a collector’s item.
As a reflection of his expertise, he was invited and participated in the Tibetan Language and Literature Conference in March/April 2003 attended by many renowned international language scholars.
Dechen Choekhor in Lhasa (was raining but everyone sat through the puja)Minam Rinpoche has worked tirelessly towards the flourishing of Buddhadhamma which has seen him spending a great deal of his time in many lands. His travels have taken him to America, Europe, Thailand, Taiwan, mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore. These travels have brought him insight and better understanding of what more he can do.
Health care around Norling Library is neither adequate nor affordable. Certainly a far cry from what we are used to. Health education is even far worse. A clinic now stands proudly beside the main gates of the Library.
With this new facility, the locals as well as those from the far off villages can benefit. All that is left now is to stock the clinic with basic medical apparatus and medicine. Of course, volunteer medical staff would complete the picture wonderfully.
Norling Library
Norling Library is a four storey building which stands proudly in the town of Yushu. Books in various languages, which include Chinese, Tibetan, English, Arabic and Malay among others, fill the shelves covering a broad range of subjects from religion, art, culture and philosophy.
The most popular is the children’s reading room, which is very well stocked thanks to the generous sponsorship of many individuals. (picture of Children’s section)Judging from the throngs of children who seem to make this their favorite place in town, more book sponsorship may not even satisfy their voracious reading appetite.
With the welfare of children ever close to his heart, he noticed that the children of Yushu were dangerously roller skating on the roadside and even the roads. Here there are no proper sidewalks and even for adults, walking is fraught with danger from the vehicular traffic. To provide the young ones an outlet for their youthful exuberance, Rinpoche started to construct a skating rink in front of the Library.
Unfortunately, the construction is now delayed due to an unfortunate event. With new funds, this project will proceed.
Visiting Norling Library
Visitors are always welcomed to Norling Library.
In fact, this part of Qinghai is a delight for anyone who chooses to drop by. The sight of the endless high plains is a joy to behold. The many chortens and prayer flags that dot the landscape are reminders of the freshness of the Buddha’s teachings. This is the spiritual heartland of Buddhist spirituality.
If you choose to go by road, you will pass one of, if not the highest road pass in the world. Don’t forget to take a photograph because it is not often that you get to reach 4824m. You will also get to relive history as you see the countryside through Princess Wenchen eyes on her journey to Tibet 1400 years ago.
Rinpoche encourages all to visit Norling library. Visitors never fail to comment of his warm hospitality. You may however expect to feel embarrassed by the extreme care he extends to ensure your stay is comfortable.
Fearing that guests may be not be used to the local toilets and lack of modern conveniences, he has just finished building a new shower and toilet. Believe this, this toilet and shower room is the best in Yushu and probably for the next 200 kilometers.
Wamlung Monastery and its Restoration
Wamlung Monastery sits on a hill that resembles a Buddha in meditation posture. The monastery rests on the Buddha’s palm. A WAM letter, the seed letter of Vajrayogini was found inscribed on a rock nearby, thus its name. Snow capped mountains surrounds this beautiful spot.
Founded by Gyalwang Dechen Dorje, the place was initially without water. The problem was solved after he made retreat and offerings. Water oozed out of the ground. This event is considered a terma treasure and immensely auspicious. This water stopped when the monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution but it resumed when it was rebuilt in 1989.
Many outstanding masters were trained here including the previous Minam Rinpoche.
One of his first tasks our Minam Rinpoche undertook was the restoration of Wamlung monastery which had come under disrepair. With limited funds, the main shrine hall and construction of the retreat quarters were successfully completed in 1998.
Before that, the student monks were living and studying in rather dilapidated conditions. They had no permanent living quarters. Classes were conducted in the shrine hall as there were no proper classrooms. Things improved when Rinpoche offered finance and education for the monks.
A few months ago, the shrine hall suffered irreparable damage. A new one is planned and this is on the top of Rinpoche’s priorities and urgency.
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