Monk in line to the Dalai Lama visits Rochdale

Date published: 15 June 2019

Buddhist monk Ahbay Rinpoche, third in line to the Dalai Lama, visited the borough of Rochdale over the first week of June.

Lama Rinpoche gave inspirational talks on health and well-being and the benefits of meditation to local schools including St Edwards, Castleton Primary and Beech House school as well as Fisherfield Childcare Nursery and True Serenity holistic practitioners.

During his visits, Lama Ahbay described the Buddhist idea of the five precepts – abstaining from taking life, abstaining from taking what is not given, abstaining from sensuous misconduct, abstaining from false speech and abstaining from intoxicants to avoid clouding the mind.

He talked to audiences the most important thing is to do your best to have moral conducts; explaining to the children that the more honest, respectful and caring they are, the better protected they would be from all kinds of problems and feel better.

He taught that the five precepts are the minimum that everyone should try to apply, and that it is the most important thing to be selfless, which will obtain the biggest benefits if people avoid words and acts that cause suffering.

Jo Potts from True Serenity said: "Ahbay Rinpoche spent Saturday and Sunday at True Serenity teaching about positive versus negative mind and how to meditate.

"In total his visit to Castleton raised somewhere in the region of £1,200 towards his project. 

"The children who have been swimming at Castleton since his visit are still buzzing about it!"

During his visit to Beech House, Lama Ahbay gave a Khata scarf to one of the teachers, Mr Sartain, which symbolises respect and well wishes in Tibetan Buddhism.

A representative of Beech House School said: “The children asked some very interesting and thought-provoking questions and very much enjoyed the visit.”

Lama Ahbay Tulku Jigme Thupten Tendar Rinpoche was born in Darjeeling, India in 1973.

When he was nine years old, he was fully initiated into monkhood and the tutor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Khabche Ling Rinpoche, gave him the name Thupten Tendar.

When he was twelve, the Dalai Lama identified him as the reincarnation of the hermit Lama Lobsang Tenzin, who lived in a cave and was famous for his supernatural powers. One year later he was enthroned as Tulku in Gaden Jangtse Monastery.

As the hermit Lama Lobsang Tenzin, the animals of the forest, deer and monkeys would come to him and people from all walks of life would seek him out for blessing.

Lama Lobsang Tenzin was the founder of the Yega Choling Monastery in Tibet. At present Lama Ahbay Tulku Rinpoche has full responsibility of Yega Choling Monastery and its monks.

Geshe Lama Ahbay Rinpoche is currently travelling in the west giving teachings on various aspects of Buddhism in order to gain insight into western culture and also gathering donations to help build a new temple in Nepal which will house and educate thousands of Tibetan refugees in exile.

The new monastery will feed, clothe, house and educate refugee Monks up to university standard.