Why Setrap in Kechara?
A question from my blog:
Rinpoche, why did you choose Setrap for kechara House to practice? I heard that when you were young, you really like Pelden Hlamo. So why do you give Setrap to all of your students? From Losang B
Dear Losang,
This is a really good question. Pelden Hlamo is connected to me from my previous lives and She has a very special place in my heart since I was young child. I was very drawn to Her naturally. I would do thousands of Her mantras along with Manjushri and Avalokitesvara on my own when a child. My parents didn’t like it at all and tried to stop me many times, but I did it in secret. The oracle lady in Dharamsala told me to always practice Pelden Hlamo as she is connected to me. Wow..what a blessing..to be connected to Pelden Hlamo.
When I just see Pelden Hlamo’s painting I get very excited, have to prostrate to Her and fold my hands as a child. I would sit in front of Her painting for hours and do Her mantra whenever I can get away from home. The local Mongolian-Kalmuck Temple had a thangka of Her and other protectors such as Mahakala and Kalarupa…but She was very exciting to me.
When I joined Gaden Shartse Monastery, the whole Monastery worships/propitiates Setrap. So I figured when I started my dharma centre I would want it affiliated with Gaden Shartse Monastery so whatever we practice in Kechara would be the same as in Gaden Shartse. Everything and anything Gaden Shartse practices is time tested by thousands of great monks for the past 600 years so THEY CANNOT BE WRONG. So Kechara will have the same practices as in Gaden Shartse so Kechara members will be on the right track and confident in what they are doing.
Secondly, if I was to have people do pujas, it was easier when they went to Shartse, it would be the same as in Kechara. Lastly after I have died, Kechara would be connected to Gaden Shartse and protected by Gaden Shartse binding them together as they have the same practices. My people in Kechara would be spiritually safe being connected to Gaden Shartse with the same practices when I am not here anymore. I want all who are associated with me/Kechara to be safe and ok after I am dead. I owe it to everyone and I care too much not to make sure of that. So if they are in Setrap’s hands, THEY WILL BE SAFE…VERY SAFE AND THAT BRINGS COMFORT TO MY MIND.
I am not a perfect being or have many great qualities, but I do care about my people and others very very very much. So many trust me, but I am not worthy of such trust, so if I place the people who trust me into infallible practices such as done in Gaden Shartse Monastery, then I KNOW EVERYONE WILL BE OK. I know genuine, true and pure dharma will enter all those who are associated with Kechara. I am not without fault, but the so many of the great monks in Gaden Shartse are so highly realized and I trust them. So if they do Setrap, I trust Setrap. Whatever practices they do, I trust them…All practices in Kechara House must come from either HH Dalai Lama, HH Panchen Rinpoche, HH Kyabje Zong Rinpoche and Gaden Shartse Monastery. There are many other excellent and genuine practices in all Monasteries/lineages/teachers, but I am not familiar with everything, but I am familiar with Gaden’s. So I offer my friends what I am familiar with and that is with respect to all practices and traditions.
I also I cannot just give practices I like, perhaps the practices I like do not ‘suit’ or have affinity with the majority of the people I am associated with. So I cannot give practices to people just because I like it or practice or it’s appropriate for me. I have to share what I think would be good for them…..Their spiritual benefit is the most important factor in all my decisions in anything I do.
I heard many amazing stories on how Setrap helps and is very swift from old holy monks…I was very inspired to bring Him to others. I also met Setrap Himself through an oracle monk taking trance in Gaden years back and I WAS AMAZED AT SETRAP’S ENERGY AND PRESENCE.. I know if I introduce Him to people, he is the real deal and would benefit so many many many people. I know from the Gaden Shartse monks/my gurus that Setrap is a fully enlightened being…so will be a perfect object to have as a protector.
Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, Kenusr Jampa Yeshe Rinpoche, Kyabje Lati Rinpoche, Thepo Rinpoche, Drayab Loden Sherab, Kensur Konchok Tsering Rinpoche, Geshe Jinpa of Pukhang House, Geshe Norbu, Gaden Tri Rinpoche, Sharpa Choeje Lobsang Nyima, Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, Kari Kensur Rinpoche, Nyeakri Gyuto Kensur, and the hundreds of monks in Gaden all rely on Setrap…Setrap must be very special…and He is….all these lamas prove to me Setrap is an unexcelled and potent Dharma protector. Hence, in Kechara House, He is our protector just like in Gaden Shartse Monastery. In Kechara we do a wonderful prayer to Setrap composed by His Holiness the Great 5th Dalai Lama-I really like that prayer so much. If the great Fifth Dalai Lama can compose a prayer to Setrap, then Setrap is very special..as 5th Dalai Lama is a Buddha and cannot make mistakes….
Our Setrap Chapel in Gaden Shartse was blessed by so many high lamas and blessed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama also…I have brought many to visit the Setrap in Gaden Shartse as it’s very holy. Now we have a very blessed and large Setrap statue in Kechara due to the hard work and devotion of so many. This Setrap statue is highly blessed as he was invited from the depths of our hearts.
Those were my primary reasons.
Much luck to you…TR
P.S. I am not qualified in any way to make up teachings and just pass it to others. Therefore a lineage/source of the practice is very important. When you have a lineage or source, you can rest assured the practice will bear results and you have nothing to worry about. When people trust you, you must hold their trust sacred and give them back what is genuine and real. They have only one spirituality and we cannot ruin it for them..hence a lineage is of the utmost importance. Anything from Gaden Shartse Monastery come from Tsongkapa or His illustrious disciples, so NOTHING CAN EVER BE WRONG WITH THAT no matter how strong our delusions may be.
See: http://blog.tsemtulku.com/questions#comment-17112#comment-17112#comment-17112
I don’t really practice Setrap, I practice Amitabha as a protector. But it’s the same thing. With Chinese sweet and sour instead of yak butter. Amitabha is a powerful protector, one day I was walking down the street reciting Namo Amitofo when a crazy person in an SUV tried to hit me. He came by three times and missed three times. I’m not Chinese or Tibetan even. I own a mongolian yurt but I am not mongolian either. I’m native american irish and austrian with some Pennsylvania dutch mixed in for flavor.
In the short Amitabha sutra it says over and over again that if one is mindful of Amitabha that not only Amitabha will protect them, but all Buddhas will protect them.
I wasn’t really greedy for protection when I started Amitabha practice I was just wanting a calm meditative experience. I had no idea that it would save my life over and over again.
But its true what you say about not always getting what you want but what is really best for your practice. At first Amitabha practice was quite calming and helped my meditation a lot… and I really liked it then my life became kinda like up and down like a roller coaster, but the goal is to be mindful on the ride… because the bliss is in the crazyness too.
The sukhavati is in the dukkha right or wrong?
I guess if I had gotten everything I wanted I wouldn’t have known Rinpoche.
The 46 Auxiliary Bodhisattva Vows:
#9. Not teaching someone another aspect of the Dharma which he wishes to learn and which you are qualified to teach, but which is not your own personal practice or interest
In my opinion, doesn’t follow that one’s personal practice should be the same as their students’.
I like setrap puja. thanks for our Guru for introduce Setrap to us
I have a story to share about faith in Setrap and its mantra. My son was playing in the playground few weeks back riding his bicycle. Suddenly he was approached by a stray dog and he was afraid the dog might come straight at him and hurt him. My son uttered Om Maha Yatcha Tsa Soha a few times as he panicked. In moments the dog just turned the other way and left him alone. He came back telling me what happened and he was shocked that reciting Setrap’s mantra worked to protect him as I have always told him. We can rely on Setrap .. Setrap has his own ways to help us truly
Dear Rinpoche,
Thank you for bringing the Setrap practice to Kechara House.Thank you for thinking of how much it will benefit us now and in the future if we have a lineage Protector practice that comes from Gaden Monastery, thus forging strong ties of Kechara with Gaden, making it our Mother monastery and linking us to all of its over 600 years of lineage practices and chiefly to Tsongkapa’s lineage teachings.
Setrap practice is very popular in KH, as can be seen from the crowds that attend the weekly Setrap puja and the Setrap retreats. Setrap has helped innumerable people in clearing their obstacles. Hence the help and protection of this Dharma protector is constantly sought by so many.
Thanks Rinpoche for introducing Setrap practice to us.
Though Rinpoche said, “Pelden Hlamo is connected to me from previous lives, has a very special place in my heart since a young child, I would do thousands of her mantras along with Manjusri and Avalokitesvara on my own and in secret due to parents objection, and most of all….. to be connected to Palden Hlamo.” Yet when Rinpoche joined Gaden Shartse monastry, the whole monastry worships/propitiates Setrap. Perhaps, in all faithfulness and with solid as a rock devotion to his own monastry, Rinpoche decided that he would want his own dharma centre to have the same protector’s practice as that of gaden shartse monastry. As expressed in his thoughts, he is convinced that “being a fully enlightened being, with a 600 years of time-tested perfect practices by thousands of great monks at gaden shartse, Setrap will be a perfect object to have as a potent dharma protector of Kechara, and that brings comfort to my mind.” Hence, in Kechara House, Lord Setrap is our dharma protector just like Gaden Shartse Monastry to benefit many,many people!
How Fortunate am i that able to known Setrap and Rinpoche in this life.My first impression to Setrap is i thought Setrap is Hindusim budhha, and never seen such similiar image before, i felt frignten. After share by Alan, i naturally recite Setrap Mantra until now.The incident happen in yr 2006 was built up my strongest confident on Setrap –Setrap really ALIVE and be ready help us! In Yr2006, my husband -Alan and i driving back from KL to JB after a trip from Thailand. It was a heavy raining day. When our car drove near to Melaka area, I was sleeping and suddenly I was awakened by the car giant strong shaking, I saw Alan in the attempt to control the steering wheel and he looked scared which i never seen before. I feel like a snake car skidded off the runway, the wheels can not be close to the ground. Alan yelled as he strained feel that the car has been rushed forward out of control. My brain at that moment was empty, my eyes look forward and I saw SETRAP Tsa Tsa, automatically we recite Setrap Mantra!repeating and repeating….Miracle happen !maybe less than a minute, i just felt very fast suddenly the whole car is stable and under control, so amazing ! is Setrap saved us! Now i will share Setrap to our friend, family member or anyone who would like known more about Setrap…I truly felt that SETRAP will protect us and ready there when we in need..
If Setrap is relied upon by Gaden Shartse for the past six hundred years Rinpoche must have felt it will be more than sufficient also protect all of us. In Kechara protector practises have transformed many people some people loved to gossip fell silent, some feel a deep sense of peace and it calms their minds. The benefit from propitiating Setrap are so many so trust in Dharmapala Setrap-Chen
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“Hum,this sandalwood cudgel from the forest in Malaya, In the land of India which from its three doors Dispatched millions of armed forces which subdue demons, is offered to the hand of the great Dharmapala. Accepting it, act to conquer and grind to dust, enemies and obstructers hateful toward Buddha’s Precious teachings and myself the yogi/yogini, together with all the forces in this very instant!….”
Setrap Puja (Mon & Tues 8pm -9.30pm) at KH gompa is always well attended. Many people experienced results after engaging in the practice sincerely for a period of time.
Besides attending the group practice at KH Gompa on a weekly basis, any one wishes to take on this as a personal daily practice, can get a Setrap box set from our Souvenir Shop on the ground floor.
I personally has practiced Setrap Puja since 2006 and I vouch for the effectiveness in solving any problems. We are indeed very lucky and grateful for Rinpoche to bring this sacred practice to Malaysia and to the rest of the world via this blog.
I urge all who read this to practice Setrap daily and for those fortunate enough to be in Malaysia to come to Kechara House Monday (English Puja) and Tuesday (Mandarin Puja) to participate and learn this scared practice. We will be more than happy to share.
Thank your Rinpoche for bringing the sacred protector to KL.
It is such a blessing to be connected with Setrap. For me, Setrap has helped me get out from the sadness and depression due to miscarriage. It has also helped me to have a smooth delivery of Wen Xin last year. I still remember Rinpoche is so kind at that time to do Setrap prayer for my safe and smooth delivery. So compassion of him.
It also helps me to remove a lot of my obstacles and I can learn and do Dharma.
Thank you Rinpoche, thank you Setrap. May more people will be blessed and protected by Setrap.