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  ARTICLES ABOUT THE CULTURE, RELIGION & PEOPLE OF THE KAILASH REGIONS

 

 
 
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Tashi Kailash

Tashi Kailash(Penpa Tashi) was born in 1973, in a household known as Dosa Chugpo, Purang, Tibet. His late father was Samdup and his mother is Yeshi. He has three brothers and three sisters. "Dosa" is one of the villages in in the Ngari region of western Tibet and northwest of Nepal. "Chugpo" means rich in Tibetan. Before the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Tashi's household was the wealthiest in Dosa, owning a large area of land and a great number of domestic animals. Historically, Dosa Chugpo has always been the most important sponsor of Limi Tulkus Rinpoche. Continuous incarnations of Yogi Senge Yeshi in 12 century have served as one of the leading spiritual teachers of the Drikung Kagyu Order of Buddhism in Ngari regoin.

Gongphur Monastery

Tashi's childhood name was Penpa Tashi. At the age of 12, he was ordained as a monk by Dorzin Wangthang Dorjee, the head of the Drikung Kagyu Order, in Ngar, Tibet. He became a monk of Gongphur Monastery in Purang.

Tashi Kaish is second from the left.Gongphur Monastery had been a place of worship for hundreds of years, but it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution in Tibet. Fortunately, many of its precious contents, such as statues of Buddhas, were deposited in the neighboring village of Limi, in north-west Nepal. In 1985, following a policy change by the Chinese government, Gongphur was rebuilt and the spark of Buddhism has been re-ignited in the region.

Konchok Tashi was one of the first of the younger generation in Purang to become a monk. Under the guidance of an elderly monk named Leles Phuntsok, he studied ritual performances for seven years, serving the pilgrims at the monastery and the villagers of Purang, where the people expect the monks to perform ritual services for all sort of spiritual purposes.

In 1991, Tashi has escaped to India. He knew exactly where he was going and what he wanted to do. On his admission to Jangchub Ling Monastery, the main institute of the Drikung Kagyu Order in India, he took his ordination vow by His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang and took the ordination name of Konchok Tashi.

Tashi Kailash in 90s

Tashi Kailash studied Buddhist philosophy intensively for nine years. He graduated in 2000 and was offered the position of Kyorpon. "Khenpo" is a Drikung Kagyu term, the equivalent of Geshe, in the Gelug Order of Tibetan Buddhism. It is the highest title a monk can earn through studying Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. Those monks who have the title Khenpo usually teach Buddhist philosophy and hold higher positions in the monasteries. "Kyorpon" is the second highest title and the holders also teach Buddhist philosophy and are held in great respect in the monasteries. Tashi Kailash taught both the Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy in the Drikung Kagyu Institute.

Tashi Kailash is very important to Senge Tenzin Rinpoche. Senge Rinpoche was born in 1981 in Purang. His parents and the villagers noticed something special about the child. In 1994, when Senge Tenzin Rinpoche was a young boy, Tashi Kailash witnessed Senge Tenzin Rinpoche's ordination at Gongphur monastery. In 1993, he made a formal report to His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang about Senge Tenzin Rinpoche's significant childhood behavior, in Limi, northwest Nepal. In the same year, Senge Tenzin Rinpoche joined Jangchub Ling Monastery in India and for three years Tashi Kailash became his tutor as well as his servant. In 1994, Senge Tezin Rinpoche was recognized as the reincarnation of Limi Tulku. On the most important occasions in Senge Tenzin Rinpoche's life, Tashi Kailash has been everything to him - tutor, family, servant, etc. In 1996, Senge Rinpoche went on a three-year group retreat. Tashi Kailash looked after all his needs. In 2000, they went together on a pilgrimage to Dolpo in north-east Nepal. For the last four years, Senge Tenzin Rinpoche has been running a Dharma in Taiwan and Tashi Kailash supports and him and helps him with his dharma activities.

Jangchub Ling monastery

A monastic institute such as Jangchub Ling in India has over hour hundred monks and nuns who must be provided with education, food, shelter and all other facilities. The traditional Tibetan system of maintaining a monastic institute doesn't work here because all the Tibetans in India are refugees and own nothing. Therefore, as with all Tibetan monastic institutes and organizations, finding foreign sponsorship has became the key to success in preserving and promoting Tibetan culture. While Tashi Kailash was pursuing his training in Buddhist philosophy, he accompanied a group of monks of the Drikung Kagyu Institute on a world tour to raise global awareness of the Drikung Kagyu Order of Buddhism. The group was very successful and, during the tour, Tashi Kailash was able to meet hundreds of devoted western and eastern Buddhist practitioners and has made many friends all over the world. He was also given opportunities to teach and discuss Buddhism with non-Tibetan Buddhists and non-Buddhists.

Khanpo Ceremonny

This year, 2004, on completion of the Drikung Kagyu Monkey Year Teachings of the Drikung Kagyu Order at Lumbini in Nepal, Tashi Kailash was formally given the title Khenpo in the presence of His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, the respected masters of Drikung Kagyu Order and thousands of monks, nuns and devotees who had gathered from all over the world.

In may 2004, Tashi kailash travelled to Limi, northwest Nepal to organize Senge Tenzin Rinpoch's visit to Limi. For two weeks, he was able to give some Buddhist philosophical teachings to the monks of Limi and to discuss with the abbots of Limi monasteries and the monks about the monastic situation of Limi.

 

Sacred sites at the Mount Kailash  |  Senge Tenzin Rinpoche  |  Ngari: western Tibet  
                                          |  Limi: northwestern Nepal  | Dolpo: eastern Nepal