SINGHA
THEKCHEN NAMDROL RINPOCHE
Fulfilling the Vows of a Previous Life
Singha Thekchen Namdrol Rinpoche had not always been a Lama, despite his strong affinity for Buddhism from a young age. Born in Singapore as a typical Chinese boy named Felix Lee, Rinpoche embarked on his Buddhist studies under a Thai monk, Venerable Phra Mahathongkum, at the tender age of seven. In the course of Rinpoche’s training, his teacher foretold that his future spiritual teachers would don “red robes”. However, Rinpoche did not think much of it as Tibetan Buddhism was not widely known in Singapore then. Following the Venerable’s passing seven years later, Rinpoche went on to learn about Chinese Mahayana Buddhism in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Soon after, at the age of 15, Rinpoche began to experience a series of mysterious dreams – he was instructed by a Buddhist master to fulfil the vows of his previous life: to teach those who did not have teachers.
Deep
Connections
He was advised by his root guru, the late Geshe Lama Konchog, that he would benefit more people if he did not undertake monastic vows. Following the instructions of Geshe-la, Rinpoche also started a dharma centre — currently Thekchen Choling (Singapore) — that would attend to the needs of both the lay and ordained Sangha.
Enriching Our Lives through the Dharma
Today, Singha Rinpoche is the Spiritual Director of the various Thekchen Choling centres in Singapore, Malaysia (Kota Tinggi, Malacca) and the United States (Syracuse). Despite being a highly accomplished Buddhadharma practitioner, Rinpoche retains his humble and unassuming air. Described by many as down-to-earth, sincere and jovial, his ability to connect with people from all walks of life has contributed to the large growth in the number of students and disciples. Through his skilful use of lively and relatable examples to expound the Buddha’s teachings, Rinpoche teaches and guides us wholeheartedly on how to infuse Buddhadharma practice into our daily lives and make the teachings come alive for us.
Continuous Blessings from
Lineage Gurus
Rinpoche’s main Gurus include His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, His Eminence the 5th Dagri Dorje Chang, His Eminence the 6th Kyabje Jhado Rinpoche, His Eminence Kyabje Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, the late Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Lama Lhundrup (now reincarnated as His Eminence Thubten Rigsel Rinpoche) and the late Geshe Lama Konchog (now reincarnated as His Eminence Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche).
On 24 Oct 2014, Rinpoche was officially recognized by Lama Zopa Rinpoche as a high Gelug Lharampa reincarnate. This was confirmed by Lama Zopa’s Guru, Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche, who is also the Guru of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Click here to see the Letter of Appointment from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, FPMT.
On 10 April 2017, Rinpoche was conferred a new official name by Kaybje Jhado Rinpoche, the former abbot of Namgyal Monastery. Hence, Rinpoche is now known as Singha Thekchen Namdrol Rinpoche (previously known as Namdrol Rinpoche).
