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Bodhi Tree Center:
A Buddhist Center,
Mandarin Chinese, Asian Languages School, Chinese Cultural Center
Buddhist Offerings:
Shakyamuni Tibetan Buddhist Center
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Miracle of Mindfulness Group
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Kuntse Rinpoche (Thupten Gyaltsen Lama) was born in Tibet and was recognized as an incarnate lama and sent to Dharamsala for his education. He was at the top of his Geshe class at the Institute for Buddhist Dialectics and completed his studies at Sera monastery in India.
He was born in a small village called Batso which is part of Dingre in western Tibet. His parents faced many difficulties when he was born -- their house burned and their cattle and sheep died from disease -- so they decided to have a blessing and divination from Tulshik Rinpoche, who advised that their baby boy must be a reincarnation. After investigation, the boy was enthroned at five years old as the third Kuntse Rinpoche.
He then became a Rinpoche of the Chuwar Gadhen Dophenling monastery. While at Chuwar monastery he learned to read and write Tibetan. As well, he began memorizing prayers, manuals, worship in praise of Buddha, and the performance of rituals of the Chuwar monastery. He was given an examination before the assembly on the 1800 pages he had memorized.
At ten years old, he received the vow of Getsul from the late Tsen Shab Serkon Rinpoche. After that he began to memorize books on philosophy and Tibetan grammatical language.
In 1984, he moved to Dharamasala to receive blessings and advice from His Holiness. His teacher and he were fortunate to have an audience with His Holiness. They were "overjoyed with his blessing and he kindly accepted me to the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (IBD)."
During the first two years, he studied English grammar, reading, and writing, as well as two Tibetan grammatical texts of Thonmi Samboda called The Thirty (Sum chupa), Application of Gender Signs (Ttag jug), Pure Letters, (Dag yik) the correct way to write and use the language. In 1986 at IBD, he completed elementary classes in logic, so-called (sdus grda) the study of the mind (Lorig), the study of the Science of reasoning (Tag Rig), and the study of tenets (dup tha).
From 1987 through 1992, he took a six-year course studying Prajnaparamita extensively using the following principal and subcommentaries as well as supplementary texts based on the fundamental root text of Abhisamaya Alankara by Lord Maitraya.
As part of his studies in Ethics, he learned topics from Lamrim chen mo, and Nagarjuna's Shepi ting yik and received a good result in the final exam of Prajnaparamita ("through my guru's kindness").
He pursued a three-year course of Madhyamika at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics [in Dharmasala].
From 1993 through 1995 he studied the fundamental root text of Madhyamika Karikas by Nagarjuna as well as the following principal and sub-commentaries. 1. Chandar Kirti's Madhyamika Avataran Mula and own commentary of Avatara. 2. The Great Lama Tsong kapa's Auma Gong pa Rabsal /Lakshed Ning po. 3. Penchen Sodak's over view commentaries. Chapter two of the root text of Pramanavertika by Dharma Kirti. 1.2.3. Gyaltsab / Kaydup/ Penchen's commentaries.
He traveled to southern India for further studies. After completing the three-year long course he decided to continue studying to the end, and so enrolled in Sera monastic university for further studies. During the eight years he studied The Five Major Texts, including Twenty Works Pertaining to Maitreya, Six Logical works of the Madhyamika by Nagarjuna and the works written by Aryadeva, Buddhapalita, Bhavaviveka, etc, The Compendium of Right Cognition written by the Indian master Dignaga and The Seven Treatises, by master Dharmakirti, and various Tibetan scholars' commentary on each subject. He learned the principal subjects of the Vinaya: The Partimoksasutra, Caturagama, (lungshe) and Agamamula of Gunaparabha in particular and its autocommentary.
While learning the Abidharma, one chiefly studies the commentaries written by Indian Scholars and particularly the root text composed by the master Vasabandu, the Abidharma kosa, along with its autocommentary.
After six years he took the Gelukpa board exam and earned his Geshe Lharampa. "I always feel this fruitful moment was a result of my Gurus' care and their kindness."
