Simdha Dzogchen buddhist Center
Simdha Monastery supports over 400 monks, nuns, and retreatants. Its sister organization, the Simdha Dzogchen Center, is helping to support the community in Tibet, both within the monastery and the countryside, with basic needs such as health care and education, as well as the restoration of the Simdha Monastery main temple.
Located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the center was founded in 2011 by Simdha Getok Tulku Namdak Choeying Rinpoche to act as an international bridge supporting Simdha Dzogchen Sangchen Tashi Choeling Monastery's activities while spreading the teachings of the Buddha.
H.H. Kyabje Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche visited and performed Blessing Ceremony at Simdha Dzogchen Buddhist centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 4th December 2011. It was indeed a meaningful and memorial occasion for Tulku Namdak Rinpoche to have met his guru after leaving Shechen Monastery many years ago. It was also a blissful ocassion for the centre to have a well-known and highly respectable Rinpoche visit to Simdha centre and perform the Blessing Ceremony even before its official opening.
For your information, Simdha Monastery in Tibet is closely associated with Shechen Monastery and this association stretched over few hundred years. As mentioned by Kyabje Rabjam Rinpoche, it is very important to follow an authentic teacher whose lineage is pure, proper and unbroken. He unequivocally pointed out that authenticity of the teacher is the cornerstone of thetrue teachings of Buddha.
Rabjam Rinpoche hoped that NSDBS can grow by having more Buddhist centres in the future and help Tulku NC Rinpoche to spearhead the spread and preservation of the authentic teaching of Buddhadharma in order to help all sentient beings. This can only be realized with continuous effort, support, understanding and co-operation of everyone.
"A Summary of H.H. Kyabje Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche’s Speech"
I am very happy to be here today at your newly opened dharma center.
The connection between Shechen and Simdha goes way back. You must be aware that there was a time when Shechen Monastery was completely run down, teacherless due to the unfortunate deaths of so many senior teachers. At that time, Simdha Monastery was of great help, especially the late Ogyen Tenzin Rinpoche. So this connection between the two goes back hundreds of years, and it will go on for hundreds of years.
I am extremely happy that Rinpoche and Simdha Monastery have founded their first center outside of Tibet. I hope and pray that they will have many branches all over the world.
Lineage and authenticity are of utmost importance when speaking of the Tibetan vajrayana buddhist traditions, and, as you know, the lineage of Simdha Monastery and Rinpoche dates back hundreds of years. Rinpoche has also studied at Shechen and, before that, at Mindrolling.
Thus, I’m sure that Rinpoche will give the appropriate practices and teachings here, so that people may come to follow the complete path, rather than simply worshiping or practicing merely temporarily.
I’ve visited many centers all over the world, but especially in Asia, and while some have large followings, people get stuck on this idea of empowerment. One empowerment after another, one mantra after another, but they never progress. They have hundreds of malas, hundreds of mantras, but not any mind training, which is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings. The dharma center ought to be a place where people come to learn how to deal with their negative emotions, how to get rid of those emotions. The more often they come here, the more they practice, the better people they will become; thus, the dharma center will benefit many beings.
I request that you go in that direction. Focus on learning the dharma, putting it into practice, and utilizing it whenever you go through difficulties in life.
There are a lot of challenges in life, so take the teachings you have learned and keep and practice them so that you’ll be ready to face those challenges.
I think there’s really not much else to say now, except that I really am very happy, so thank you Rinpoche, and thank you all.
Since 2009, Tulku Namdak Rinpoche has been traveling the world to give teachings and promote Simdha Monastery, go on pilgrimage, and participate in various retreats in Australia, England, France, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, China, and Bhutan in his travels, including a 2011 trip to Tibet where he had the good fortune to reunite with disciples from his previous incarnation.