Rinpoche calls the author after noticing they missed teachings. When the author arrives, Rinpoche is clearly annoyed and scolds the students severely for over an hour for taking the dharma teachings and their precious human lives for granted. He explains they behave as if they will live forever without cherishing the opportunity to receive teachings, which are more valuable than any metal. Years later, Rinpoche says he never worried about students leaving after scoldings, as his priority was not giving up on them and getting through to impart the dharma's benefits, even if through bitter medicine. Some students nonetheless mistook the care and love behind scoldings as merely that, and left over time.

1. Conversations With My Guru
Chapter 3: Buddha's Teachings as Medicine
Chapter 3: Buddha’s teachings as medicine
It is 1999.
The digits on the clock reads 8.10pm.
The phone rings.
A familiar voice drifts out from the phone. “Why are you not attending teaching?” It is Singha
Rinpoche.
He does not sound pleased. I make up some lame excuse and he brushes it off.
"Come now,” he says.
My spouse and I arrive and try to sneak in unnoticed. It is extremely difficult as there are less
than a dozen students and the room is small. Lama (that’s what we called him then) – his face is
unsmiling and clearly very annoyed. He says nothing and we all look uncomfortable. Unlike the
usual times, he sits on the floor this time and not on the sofa (teaching throne).
At that time Lama had just begun to teach, so each student had agreed that we would make a
monthly offering to him. We were in effect his “sponsors”. This did not influence him, because
for about an hour that evening, we all received the most severe scolding any of us had
experienced in some time (we were all older than him by at least 10 years).
However, what he said left a deep impression - he told us we were taking the Buddhadharma and
our precious human life for granted. We were ignorant in not realizing we could die at any time
so we behaved like we could live forever, not cherishing the fact that we were receiving
something even more valuable than all the precious metals on Earth. We were receiving dharma
teachings.
I asked Rinpoche recently why at that time, in 1999, he had never seemed concerned about the
fact that the students he was reprimanding might leave or stop making offerings. He said the
thought never crossed his mind. It was important for him that he not give up on us and he had to
be brave and care - and get through to us. And if scolding was the means, he would do that.
Regrettably, the partings did happen. Over the years students and disciples left, mistaking the
scolding to be really that and not realizing the care and love behind it. If ever, you feel you are
being “scolded” by Rinpoche, please try your best to view that as a blessing, a gesture of caring,
a medicine that will benefit – perhaps bitter but beneficial.

2. Tenzin
26 Sep 2021