Ep173: Dreaming Tulku - Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche
Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche is a Dzogchen master, teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, and author of over 15 books.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche recounts his gruelling journey fleeing Tibet across the Himalayas, his years in refugee camps and monasteries in Nepal and India, and his eventual arrival in the United States.
Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche discusses his love of poetry, the cultural divide between Tibet and America, and why he still experiences nightmares about his time as a refugee.
Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche also reflects on his recognition as a tulku, explains tantric dream yoga techniques, how to find a guru, when to reveal secret teachings, and gives his opinion on Westerners who use the title ‘Lama’.
Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
00:53 - Crossing the Himalayas
03:28 - Arriving in Nepal and life in the refugee camp
06:02 - Gruelling travel across India
10:21 - Arriving at Drepung Monastery and death of the monks
12:24 - Learning English in Seattle
15:50 - Love of poetry and published as a poet
19:22 - The poetry of Dzogchen and Mahamudra
21:39 - Cultural divide between Tibet and America
23:51 - Connecting to Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’
25:45 - Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche shares a religious poem
28:00 - Nightmares about Tibet
33:02 - Dream yoga techniques
38:08 - How Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche learned dream yoga
39:39 - Being recognised as a tulku by Trulshik Rinpoche
42:44 - Politics and nepotism in the tulku system
44:23 - Motive to help sentient beings
46:47 - The weight of having a title
49:47 - A warning to Western lamas
50:47 - Opinion of Western lamas
53:01 - Religion is not art
58:50 - Why is tantric Buddhism so popular?
01:03:07 - Powerful techniques of the vajrayana
01:05:40 - How to find a guru
01:10:41 - The importance of samaya
01:13:08 - Differences between students from different countries
01:14:19 - Shy to be a Buddhist
01:19:12 - How to keep Buddhism alive into the future
01:21:36 - When to share secret teachings
Previous interview with Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche:
To find out more about Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James