Question: Rinpoche, who do you think are the greatest hopes as leaders of the Buddhadharma in the future?

Question: Rinpoche, who do you think are the greatest hopes as leaders of the Buddhadharma in the future?

Answer: That’s a very important question. I don’t know much about what’s happening in Theravada Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, or the Chinese Mahayana Buddhist traditions. And the little I know about Tibetan Buddhism is totally my own narrow one-sided projection and opinion.

But as a follower of the Buddha, I do worry about the future of Buddhism. The next generation of young Tibetan Buddhist leaders need to do a lot better than they presently are if they are to help secure that future. And when I say “young” leaders, I obviously just mean younger than me.

When I look around, two who really stand out for me are Khenpo Tsultrim Lodro and Khenpo Sodargye of Serta Larung. I did not grow up with them and have no personal familiarity with them. But over the years, they have both really grabbed my attention.

In fact, when I talk about these two, even from my narrow biased perspective, I do hope people will pay some attention. I am arrogant, proud and very jealous and competitive. So coming from me, people should really take it to heart when I say I have only the highest regard for these two khenpos, because I do not say such things lightly or easily.

Too often these days, we hear of young emerging tulkus in ways that initially fill us with hope, only to hear something later that makes us want to avoid even being near them. Yet these two khenpos have really demonstrated their worth for some time now. Their fame, reputation and the sheer number of their followers are enough to corrupt anyone who is corruptible. But that doesn’t seem to be happening. Aside from some envious remarks from a few jealous people, I haven’t even heard anything dodgy about these two.

They are obviously learned, but they also seem to ‘walk the talk’ and truly live what they preach. Besides, they don’t have tag names like “holiness” or “high reincarnate lama” and they are not born into special, privileged families. Rather, their incredible achievements in study, practice and teaching are entirely through their dedication and tireless work for the Buddhadharma.

I genuinely hope and pray that they both live long, that their health will be good, and that their activity will flourish. These are the kinds of people who will shatter the hearts and minds of many of those spoiled, uneducated, completely uninformed “holiness” incarnates who do nothing.

Sadly, whenever there are such great beings as these khenpos, there will always be jealousy and envy. For example, I recently read on a Tibetan website that, in response to the demolition of buildings in Sertar Larung, some Tibetans mockingly asked where their great protector Gesar was, and had he been given so much alcohol that he was too drunk to help.

To those who, from jealousy, mock Gesar and these khenpos, I have this to say: When the Serta Larung demolition began for whatever reasons, Khenpos Tsultrim Lodro and Sodargye firmly told their followers not to react at all. So no single cry of anger was heard and no harsh word uttered through the whole demolition.

That is the practice taught by someone called Sakyamuni Buddha – not to slander when slandered, not to respond to harsh words with more harsh words, not to beat others when beaten. And as disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha, this is what Khenpos Tsultrim Lodro and Sodargye and their followers actually achieved at Serta Larung.

If that attainment is not the protection of Gesar of Ling, then I don’t know what is. Personally, I would knight Gesar of Ling as the very highest of all protectors for this accomplishment.

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