An Interview With Tsechu Rinpoche

Karma Gon, Oct.14, 1994

Translated by Rinpoche's attendant, Lama Kalsang.

Q:Rinpoche, could you please explain the significance of the stupa, why is it a Kalachakra stupa and why was Spain chosen as a site?

A: When Pedro, who is originally from Spain and now lives in Denmark, visited Kham in East Tibet, he passed by Karma Gon, the monastery of the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. There is a Kalachakra stupa there and Pedro liked it very much. He took a picture of it and wanted to build a similar one in Spain. When he and Ole started a center here they decided to call it Karma Gon. Pedro invited Tenga Rinpoche and they both decided to build a Kalachakra stupa here. Then, Tenga Rinpoche was unable to come to Europe for some time, and when I visited Copenhagen in 1991 Pedro asked me for help. I contacted Tenga Rinpoche who asked me to build the stupa.

Q:What is the benefit for the people who participate in this event?

A:The ancient meaning of the Kalachakra stupa goes back to Buddha Sakyamuni who said that anybody who builds a stupa or makes a statue which represents him, with a lot of devotion to the Dharma and to him, will become like him. Great merit will be accumulated and a seed of wisdom will be planted in everybody involved.
The stupa benefits the whole world. The wind touching the stupa carries the blessing to all sentient beings and purifies a lot of negativities. The stupa will be of great benefit, especially here in Europe, where there have been many wars, and people fighting and killing each other.
Inside the stupa there are different relics, books, the whole Kanjur1 and Tenjur2, a Kalachakra mandala, many other mandalas, also many tsatsas3 and statues of Chenrezig, 1000-arm Chenrezig, Amitayus, Taras and so on. For that reason, circumambulating the stupa and making offerings is very beneficial and brings a lot of merit and purification. This is very important.
Even more important is to have devotion and faith in the Dharma. Without devotion there is not much blessing. The stupa has many meanings and a lot of qualities but we don't have time now to explain all the details.
The most important is your devotion to Lama Ole. Dharma activity, working in the meditation centers and the devotion to H.H. the 17th Karmapa, Thaye Dorje and H.E. Shamar Rinpoche, all these things make me very happy. I make wishes all the time for the development of the Dharma centers, and for good relationships between Dharma friends, this is very important.

Q:Lama Ole and Hannah are the first Westerners to whom the transmission of the Kalachakra is passed on. Why were they chosen?

A: Lama Ole's Dharma activity has grown a lot over the years. He has centers everywhere now. Europe is very powerful, everybody has strong devotion to the Dharma, to H.H. Karmapa, H.E. Shamar Rinpoche and to Lama Ole. There is a lot of promise for further development of the Dharma activity in the future. H.H. the 16th Karmapa told me that the Dharma is now moving to the West, to America and Europe and he made strong wishes for that.

Q:We would very much like for Rinpoche to come to America and teach.

A: I will definitely come to America but at this point I cannot say exactly when. In 1993 I started building the Buddha Dharma Center in Kathmandu. After my first visit to Europe in 1987, many students started coming to Nepal. It is very important to me that they can stay close by, that's why we decided to build the Center. Construction in Nepal, unlike in the West, is very time consuming and the project is taking longer than expected. Especially completing the interior with all the statues and paintings takes quite some time.
I am very happy that Dharma activity in America is going so well. It is important that there is a good connection and friendship between the centers.
Kagyu Life is very good and I wish it will develop well.
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1. Kanjur is the collection of Buddha's direct teachings.
2. Tenjur is the collection of the commentaries to Buddha's teachings written by Indian masters.
3. Small clay statues representing different enlightened aspects.