OBITUARIES

Celia Smith writes from Tibet: At 5:20 a.m. on the Tibetan 16th of the 6th month (July 29), Gomang Khensur Kelsang Thapkey Rinpoche, the seventy-third abbot of Drepung Gomang Monastery, passed away at Drepung Monastery in Tibet as the conches called the monks to prayers. After a short and sudden illness we had brought him to his monastery Shitzang Gar Ser in Amdo, Tibet.

Rinpoche had been in New Zealand since May 1987. The best way to touch his most practical and down-to-earth approach is through his advice and teachings. The essence of his approach was this: if there is a mountain of gold and a nugget of gold, we generally consider the mountain to be more precious. In fact, the nugget of gold is of more value, as you can take it with you and make use of it. No matter how precious the mountain is, you can’t take it with you and use it. Like this, no matter how vast and profound a teaching is, if you can’t actually practice it, it is like the mountain – no use. The teaching that you can use, keep in your pocket and take with you is the most valuable!

Over the 12 years I spent studying with Rinpoche, I came to see his complete lack of eight worldly dharmas, his humility and his determination to appear as a simple older monk who didn’t know very much and who looked after everyone. Every day he fed the birds and always reminded us, if we had tantric vows, that we should make actual generosity every day.

Although his knowledge was vast, his approach was immensely practical – to do what one was able to do, not dream about what might be done. Rinpoche always carried a spray bottle of blessed water that contained blessed mani pills from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kalachakra vase water and many other holy substances. It was sprinkled, with prayers recited, the length and breadth of New Zealand to accomplish the benefit of beings.

He did many incense pujas across New Zealand to benefit beings and ripen the Dharma imprints of the non-human inhabitants – from Cape Reinga to the top of the East and West coasts, in both North and South Islands and as far south as Te Aman. He taught in many centers and places around New Zealand, and established two centers: Trashi Gomang in Auckland and Trashi Ge Phel Ling in Wellington.

From the first moment of illness he remained only six days. It was a great blessing for him to be with his family and monastery – we could never have done in New Zealand what was done here. Prayers were done at many centers in New Zealand, in India at Drepung, Sera and Ganden, and in Dharamsala. Here they were done at Labrang, Kumbum , Gar Nying (his family area monastery) and his own monastery Shitzang Gar Ser.

He passed as the conches called the monks to prayers at down following the full moon day – considered to be extremely auspicious. After the breath stopped he maintained the arms folded across the chest in a union position. On the third day the monks found him with his arms dropped, his head thrown back and a small amount of the drops had come from his nose.

After his body was cremated, the bones were gathered together like a tiny complete person. Normally this would have been put into a stupa as it was, but as we in New Zealand were given the ashes on the instruction of his teacher, a different course of action was followed. The cremation smoke had turned toward the south in a pale morning sky while we all waited on dew-wet grass with drafts of burning juniper and cypress smoke in the air.

Life after Rinpoche’s passing has begun and I have spent a month organizing a reliquary stupa here in Labrang to bring back to New Zealand for the benefit of all.

Russell Shipman writes: Rinpoche was born in the Amdo region of Tibet, one of twelve children. Nine of them died within two to three years of birth, and Rinpoche’s mother herself died giving birth at the end of her twelfth pregnancy, when Rinpoche was already 17 years old. When he was a small boy, Rinpoche was sent out into the mountains to herd the sheep. There were many wild animals that liked to breakfast on sheep (and maybe young boys), so Rinpoche used to recite Six-armed Mahakala Praise constantly in the mountains to calm his fear. He told us that he had learned the practice from a rather dashing uncle who was a horse thief. When he wasn’t making off with someone else’s four-hoofed property, this uncle went around reciting Six-armed Mahakala to avoid obstacles to his profession!

By the time he was seven Rinpoche had decided that he wanted to become a monk like his teacher who had become a monk at 9. Once, while in Lhasa, Rinpoche made prayers to become a monk. It is believed that whatever prayers are made in Lhasa will become true. It was a custom that children should not become monks if it was against their parents’ wishes, and due to all the deaths in his family he was the only male child. The villagers thought his wish to take robes was a sellout. He should stay home and help with the family and take over when his was too old to lead anymore.

However, when he was 11 his mother revealed to him that many, many years before, worried about their family’s rather violent family history, she had had a divination done for her only son’s future. Two high lamas predicted that if Rinpoche didn’t become a monk his life would be short, but he would live long if he took robes. It was agreed that he would go home for a year and after that he would be ordained.

At the end of the year he returned to the monastery and was accepted into the religious order. He was 13. Later, during the Chinese Communist takeover of Tibet, 37 members of his extended family were killed and other close relations tortured.