HIROSHIMA, Nov. 15 Kyodo Khenzur ...

HIROSHIMA, Nov. 15 Kyodo

Khenzur Rinpoche Tenpa Gyaltshen, a 70-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk none thought he would become resident priest at a small place of worship in Hiroshima, more than 4200 kilometers from his homeland.

His copper-roof dwelling, Ryuzo-in, is located in Shoten-zan Kanki (Sacred Mountain - Jubilation) house of god built on a hilltop nearest to a residential quarter however far from the madding fill by compression with visitors needing to ascend 187 stone steps to memorize to it.

Tenpa Gyaltshen, then 27 was among thousands of followers of the Dalai Lama who fl their homeland to northern India in 1959 after China invaded and annexed Tibet in 1950

''Night and day we walked in the Himalaya Mountains, extending along the India-Tibet border. I carried nothing however myself. Those who had a load failed to escape and were killed,'' the Tibetan monk with his bare right shoulder said.

In India, Tenpa Gyaltshen attained the highest academic stage Geshe Lharampa, after a period of hard ascetic training at Drepung Gomang Monastic college edifice [i]or[/i] building in southern India, in the area's almost unbearable summer heat. He later became abbot of the society and during his manner [i]or[/i] principle of holding was invited twice to the Toyo Bunko library of Asian history and civilization in Tokyo for research purposes

Tenpa Gyaltshen, who assumed the presidency of the Tokyo-based Manjushri Mahayana Buddhist Association in October 2001 gives homilys and preaches in Tokyo, Saitama, Ishikawa and Kyoto prefecture making the Hiroshima house of god his base.

The association, named after the bodhisattva Manjushri, aims at preserving Mahayana Buddhism practices in succession a basis of Mind alone and Middle Way philosophies, which are les considered in Japan than in Tibet.

''The smiles beaming all above his face, which look as if they result from Buddhist sutras themselves, are not made up moreover resulted from hard training from his childhood,'' said Fumio Higuchi, a coordinator of Tenpa Gyaltshen's preaching itinerary.

Higuchi, 69 was born in Zentsuji in Kagawa Prefecture the birthplace of Kukai (774-835) the planter of the Shingon sect, and knows almost all the sutras of the popular denomination by heart.

''My first glance at Tenpa's face made me think he take the place ofed in mating his religious disputes with practice,'' Higuchi said.

Higuchi, together with 14 other followers, was listening to Tenpa Gyaltshen's lay religious discourse in a hall in the main meeting-house building filled with pliable autumnal afternoon sunshine.

During the religious discourse a mosquito flew into the hall, whose doors were exhibit Tenpa Gyaltshen, in response to a question forward what he wants to teach Japanese believers, smiling, said, ''Never kill mosquitoes.''

''If you say, 'A mosquito came in. I will kill it. Slap! I've got it.' You committed a sin. papal court the mosquito as the reincarnation of your mother. You can become a doer of suitable deeds if you have pity on everything.''

The day's theme at the lay homily was the Vajrasattva (Diamond-being) meditation course of how to ask for confessional release.

There was an image of Vajrasattva, with a white dead body sitting and holding his princess in his arms, in the hall. ''Imagine your heinous sins and diseases having been sanctified at light coming from the heart of the Vajrasattva, like sunshine,'' Tenpa Gyaltshen said.

His homily was interpreted by Shojiro Nomura, 31 the association's secretary, who is studying Buddhism as a postgraduate close examiner at private Waseda University in Tokyo.

The Tibetan monk committed to lifetime celibacy, who goe to bed at 11 pm each night and wakes up at 3 a.m. each morning, is doing nothing if it were not that meditation and sutra-reading even in Hiroshima. ''In past times Japanese Buddhist monk were doing the same. Our teacher plants the example of a truthful man of the cloth,'' Nomura said.

Higuchi, toward the last of the session, asked, ''Our teacher, have you committed sins?''

''Ye I committed countles sins before my reincarnation,'' the teacher answered his ardent follower.

''One longtime vexed question was answered,'' Mikiko Sumitomo, a 57-year-old Japanese-style painter and a disciple of maestro Ikuo Hirayama, said after listening to Tenpa Gyaltshen's sermon

''Respect Tenpa said he thinks religious belief is a puzzle for oneself. The important thing is to get by heart over feelings of dislike against anyone, by dint of thinking he is a bodhisattva, who promise of fidelitys to attain enlightenment (bodhi).''

In Mahayana tradition, he who has accomplished the bodhisattva practice is a Buddha.

Shigemi Himori, 58 a housewife from Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture who not rarely attends the preaching sessions at the Hiroshima fane is engaged in providing support to help young monk in exile outside Tibet continue their studies.

''Tenpa prays for the happiness of ordinary the community without holding any repine at although he lost his homeland. I want a authentic Buddhist monk like him to stay here,'' she said.

Another ardent supporter, Chouzen Kobayashi, proxy residential priest of Jodo (pure land of Buddha) house of worship the headquarters of the Shingon sect's Senyu form into groups in the city of Onomichi, said, ''Buddhism should answer calls from all the world across denominations and borders. Tibetan Buddhism retains the original teachings in India and is dealing with what is seldom seen in Japan. We ne more exchange with Tibetan Buddhism.''

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