Yes.
Q: Where were you born?
I was born in Katmandu, Nepal in 1968.
Q: How and when did you decide to become a monk?
Maybe when I was about five years old. In Tibetan families, every month when the new moon comes, in order to remove obstacles, we make prayers. And so monks come into our homes. I always liked to participate and join in with them. I said I would like to become a monk. Early on, my parents told me when I was a child I used to remind my parents, "Now you have to do this; now you have to do that...." So they thought I would be good for running the family. But later on, I myself said that I wanted to become a monk. Later they sent me to a local school for six months. After that, one day Lama Yeshe came and brought lots of western toys. At the same time he brought a letter from Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche saying (I was) recognized.
Those two things came together so they gave up.
Q: How old were you when the letter came?
I was about six. So they waited for about one year.
Q: Who was your predecessor who you were recognized as being a reincarnation of?
I was recognized as the reincarnation of Geshe Nga Wang Gendun.
Q: He was Tibetan?
He was Tibetan. I think he was very simple, and a very qualified scholar and practitioner. He was from Sera Je Monastery and the Tsangpa kamtsen (house)--the same as Geshe Sopa. But he was respected in all the three major schools--Sera, Ganden and Drepung Monasteries--he was very qualified.
Q: What part of Tibet was he from?
He was from Tsang, the same as Geshe-la. And within Tsang, he was from Shang--the same as Geshe-la. He was from Shang Ganden Cho Khor Monastery, just like Geshe-la. I think it's a little strange that when he was first in Shang Ganden Cho Khor, a small monastery, when he was young, he was a little bit naughty. During that time, as a kind of punishment, they sent him away to study at Sera Monastery! Just like that another one of Geshe-la's students, Geshe Rabgye-la, was also naughty at first and punished and sent down to study at Sera Je. Before 1959 he went to do retreat. After he finished his Madhyamika study, he went to do more retreat in the mountains in Tibetan. Later he came to Dharamsala. He was a very successful yogi during the period of the 1970's. They were very sad when he passed away. If he had spent a few more years, he would have reached enlightenment. So, both those were punished!
Q: Are you the first reincarnation of Geshe Nga Wang Gendun? Or was there someone before him in the line?
Traditionally, I am the first one. Someone told me that during the time that Geshe Nga Wang Gendun was at Sera Monastery........ At Sera Je when they study philosophy they follow one kind of category. There is one famous scholar called Jetsun Chokyi Gyaltsen. There is a saying that Geshe Nga Wang Gendun is reincarnation of him. But this is not officially recognized through a ceremony and this sort of thing.
Q: Who are some of your teachers?
My very first teacher when I was in Kopan Monastery who taught me the Tibetan alphabet was Lama Lhundub. He taught me how to read and memorize, and all those things I did in Kopan. So through him. Then later when I was staying in Kopan I had a class with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and maybe twice from Lama Yeshe. Later on when I went to India to Sera, I had two main teachers: Khensur Rinpoche and another Khensur Rinpoche. Both of them are called Khensur Rinpoche. But one Khensur Rinpoche is from the Tantra College--Khensur means ex-abbot. And the other one is the ex-abbot of Sera Je. So I studied most of the time with two Khensur Rinpoche-s. During my visit to America in 1989, I studied with Geshe Sopa about Abidharma. These days I am studying both English and philosophy with Geshe-la.
Q: What year did you go to Sera?
From Kopan I went to Sera when I was ten years old. I spent about 3 years in Kopan Monastery. After that I went down to Sera when I was age 10.
Q: How did you meet Geshe Sopa-la?
Right before I left Kopan for Sera, Geshe-la came to Kopan and spent a few days there. Also, we met in my parents' house. During that time when I first met Geshe-la, during his days in Kopan there were so many mosquitoes, and they were so bothersome to Geshe-la. So, all the time at his bed time, I would go and fix the net, and all that stuff. In Kopan we have so many very strong mosquitoes.
Q: Did Geshe-la know your family?
Yes. This is a strange one. My father before was a monk, again from Sera Je Tsangpa Kamsten, and a student of Geshe-la's. My father and Lama Yeshe were classmates. So my father and Lama Yeshe had such a close relationship, since they grew up together and studied together. My father was Geshe-la's student and also the student of Geshe Nga Wang Gendun. In the time around 1959, Geshe Nga Wang Gendun got kind of sick, he was a little ill. During that time my father took care of his last life. He took care of all those things.
Q: Was your father in the film that was made about you getting your Geshe degree?
Yes.
Q: After you were at Sera, you were continuing your studies, and then you received your Geshe degreee
Yes.
Q: What age were you when you completed your studies?
I skipped a year, and the rest was just as scheduled. Usually the tulkus complete their studies up to Madhyamika class, and then maybe they will take Vinaya for one year and Abhidharmakosa for one year. The system is like three years. If you want to become a Geshe earlier, they will allow you to if you are a tulku. Kind of more relaxed. This is the tradition way. But when I became a Geshe...... Usually you are always in a queue in the Lharampa Geshe class. Sometimes you will be there seven years, five years...you go by queue. Each year they will send like two to Lharampa. The rest they will keep. So you will be finished studying all, but you will be waiting. Later on, His Holiness thought this was wasting time a little, and maybe they could study more something else. So there was a lot of discussion during the time about the possible need to change the situation. Maybe don't need to follow as before. There was a lot of talking back and forth. So finally His Holiness said there would be a very tight (strict) exam, and this would be taken care of by Ganden Tripa. So he decided that if you were ready to take this exam, after reaching the Lharampa class, you could take it at anytime, you didn't have to wait for the queue. He made a statement like this. This was only held for three years. So, I joined the last year to take the exam. So it took one year less.
Q: How old are you now?
In the western way, I am 30; Tibetan way I am 31. Last time I was so confused here. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was teaching me some astrological things to check something. He brought me a long text in which you can check your years and your good luck and all those things. So the calendar that Rinpoche brought was maybe last year's calendar, not this year's. So we checked, and Rinpoche asked what is your astrological animal sign. I said Monkey, and we checked and it said I was 29! I said, "No, it can't be. Even in the Tibetan way I am 30." Rinpoche said, "No, no. That is wrong. You are 29." I thought, no, going back two years is too quick! I thought, "It can't be!" Then we were talking and Rinpoche said this astrological text is all the same. Then later we were talking to Geshe Tabkay-la, and I told him I had gotten a little confused, since Rinpoche said I was 29 years old. Geshe Tabkay-la said we should check. He said, "Oh this was last years (calendar), not this years!" So I came back to 31!
Q: Is Tibetan your first language?
Yes.
Q: What other languages do you speak?
I speak Nepali and Hindi.
Q: Do you speak a little French, a little Spanish?
I speak a little French, a little little Spanish.
Q: How did you learn English?
At Kopan. In Kopan, we always invited the teachers who told us the most stories. Later when I got back to Sera, I totally forgot, and couldn't understand anything. Then, later on, during Jose Cabezon's stay in Sera, we tried to speak to improve. We did that for about one year. Later on, in 1989 when I visited here, I tried to study a little more English. During that time I didn't study that much but became familiar to hear English. So when I went back after visiting in 1989, I tried to listen to the news all the time. The Voice of America starts at 4:30 with the news in English. Even though I didn't understand all the time, I just put on the 4:30 news. I tried just to absorb. I didn't try to understand that much. I think this helped very much to hear it all the time. Sometimes in the evening at 8:30 there was the Voice of America news in Tibetan. So I could compare. That was more interesting. I could understand a little, but not every word of the subject. So when I went to Dharamsala, Kopan in Nepal, when I met western friends I tried to speak. So something like that way.
Q: What does your name Yangsi Rinpoche mean?
Yangsi means reincarnation. I think this name first came when I was in Kopan. Lama Yeshe always called me Yangsi Rinpoche. In Sera though they don't call me Yangsi Rinpoche they call me Tsangpo Rinpoche. Yangsi Rinpoche...who's that? Now it's divided: in Kopan all the western friends say Yangsi Rinpoche and Tibetans at Sera say Tsangpo Rinpoche. So I think this Yangsi Rinpoche name came from Kopan. Yangsi is reincarnation. Rinpoche is precious. Precious what? Precious reincarnation, no! Still suffering! Reality suffering name.
Q: What text have you been teaching us from? How did you choose it?
I'm not really teaching from a specific text. Sundays is not really from a text. It is kind of lam rim (stages of the path) thought training, which I think is very good. We really need it. I am not really going from a page from here to here. It is what comes in my mind and is really useful. It is what helps me and I am hoping is what helps others. Usually it is a little weird to teach the whole lam rim, the whole subject is kind of the same. Basically, it is kind of lam rim.
Q: Every time you come, it looks like you bring the same book with you.
The book is what I started on Thursday nights. It is the Fifth Dalai Lama's Jampe Shal Lung. It is still packed over there. One time in Dharamsala His Holiness gave this Jampe Shal Lung teaching. It is not a huge text. Lam Rim Chenmo is huge, but this is a summary, collecting it. When His Holiness taught this, I felt many things more close, more familiar.
Q: Would that be translated, the Sacred Voice of Manjusri?
Manjusri's Transmission.
Q: Did the Fifth Dalai Lama receive this directly from Manjusri? Is it a lam rim text?
It is a lam rim text. I am not sure historically if he received it like that, but the name is like that.
Q: Would you call your style of teaching the experiential style? Nyams tri?
A little bit nyams tri.
Q: What impressions do you have of Buddhism in the United States? What do you think about it?
I think thought training..... In America there is a lot of psychology, psychology, psychology. This and thought training are very related, very close. Also, I think in America people take notes during the teachings. You really study. I think there is a lot of analyzing. I think studying and analyzing is very strong here. I think it is very good. I am just speaking generally. I see people studying and knowing, and really trying to find the real meaning. Also, even if one spends one or two hours, there is a feeling that "I got something". This is good. This is very interesting for me.
Q: What do you think of doing social activities, action and activism as a part of Buddhist practice for lay and ordained persons--related to the environment, poverty, hunger, shelters for homeless, etc.?
All those are very good. Working in a nursing home. Some of my friends say they can get a job earning a lot of money but it is no good; it is only for money. They say they need to work to benefit others, being helpful. So, anything helpful for the environment, or humanity, it must involve. Even though we are practitioners of Mahayana, sometimes it seems the Christians are really helping, in reality. And sometimes Tibetans it is only the mouth, there is a feeling of shame. I think maybe later this kind of idea of not just a good heart inside, but in reality, physically also being involved in this kind of helping people, the poor, I think this is more important.
Q: You recently returned from Washington DC where His Holiness the Dalai Lama was teaching on mind training. Is there anything that you would like to share with us about his message?
Beautiful museums over there! He was teaching the Eight Verse Thought Training (by Langri Thangpa). What to share? I think we share the whole, everything! During the last question and answer session, someone asked what to practice. He said that there are many different lamas who differ in their very own style. Some lamas say you should recite maybe 1000 mantras, or kind of purifying. He said this is very good, and he is not criticizing that. But his own style is to study more, understand more, then you will learn more. The things which you are doing.... Sometimes you think, "Yes, yes. I know. The first reason is this, the second reason is this, the third reason is this." This is one kind of doing. Another way is thinking, "Oh he is a Rinpoche, and he said to do so I must do." This is the division into two ways of doing. So if you do like the first way--I must do--this is really clear; there is a big difference. This is a big improvement between those two. For me this is important too. In reality I need to be not just traditional, but reality--what is there-- (to act based on knowing). You know what I mean. I hope we share that.
Thank you so much for your time and everything.
You bet 'cha!