On the passing of the Venerable Gen Losang Tsering

Dear Community

Our beloved teacher, Venerable Gen Losang Tsering passed into the Dharmadatu on Monday, October 13^th at 5:22 AM.

We at Dechen Ling Press (DLP) wanted you to know the very deep wish he had for all sentient beings to be free from suffering.  DLP has been one of his many acts of enlightened activity that was motivated by this deep wish. He often said that “there is a need for this material to be from flawless sources so that beings can practice in the years to come. In the future there will be many people who will need these practice texts to be able to realize enlightenment and help other beings.”

He went to enormous pains to make sure the translations were as good as they could be, that you were treated with respect and given the highest quality materials. All of the Dharma books that he personally used, or that he shared with others, were in mint condition even though he used many of them daily. He treated the books at DLP with the same respect and wanted you to have books that were well-cared for, as he often reminded us that “the written word is the Buddha’s enlightened speech. A manifestation of his mind on paper. It is holy.”

We were left with instructions from him to continue the work of Dechen Ling Press and help with the dissemination of the Dharma. We will try to live up to the expectations of our teacher who set a standard that cannot be met except by those who have accomplished what our teacher has. He practiced daily, for hour upon hours, studied and read countless texts and scriptures, and yet still found time to translate and run a non-profit and a publishing company. He also taught the Dharma and performed extensive and numerous retreats, while living his Guru’s instructions. In all of this he did it with only one aim, to end the suffering of all beings.

You were always on his mind and your practice was paramount to him. Not for any selfish or mundane reasons but because he believed that the fastest, most effective way to end suffering was to share the Buddha’s teachings and to practice Bodhichitta.

He taught many of us, stuck in the mire of Samsara with a patience that cannot be fathomed. He truly was a Bodhisattva come to help the ailing world and all that we saw was in accordance with what the texts say of the greatest of them.

We ask those in the community who would wish to pray for the liberation of all beings, to dedicate their practice to this, and to honor and listen to your gurus. This is what Gen La urged us to do and he would be happy to know that his books reached those that practiced the same.

For those of you who wish to perform practices on behalf of Ven. Tsering and his precious rebirth, the following are recommendations from his guru Ven. Gen Lobsang Choephel and Ven. Lama Zopa Rinpoche;

Genla requested us to recite the Mani Mantra (OM MANI PADME HUNG) and Shakyamuni Buddha mantra (OM MUNI MUNI MAHA MUNIYE SO HA), as well as Amitabha Buddha Mantra (OM AMI DEWA HRIH).

Lama Zopa recommends performing Medicine Buddha puja and to recite the King of Prayers, and that it is best if it is done every day for 49 days.  If you desire a copy of those texts you may download them from this link: http://fpmt.org/education/teachings/texts/prayers-practices/

We would like to express our deep and heartfelt gratitude to Ven. Losang Tsering for all that he contributed in his lifetime to the translation, publication and promotion of Buddhist teachings, as well as his unwavering and tireless dedication and practice on behalf of all suffering beings.

if you wish to make an offering towards the construction of Ven.Tsering’s stupa or other projects Gen la supported,  you can do so by using the PayPal link at www. dechenlingpress.org.  Look for the “Donate” button on the bottom of the home page. Please be sure to indicate in the “special instructions” box on the payment page that your donation is intended for that purpose or a specific purpose like his stupa constrction.

You may also send your offering to Dechen Ling Press at 3633 Whitman Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103 USA.  Thank you!