Anlage Publishing

Orgyen Kusum Lingpa

"Ha, ha, ha!"

Kusum Lingpa or “Lama Sang”, as he is affectionately called, is a Tibetan Lama who came to America in 1993. He has been a very controversial teacher due to his very blunt and gregarious nature but Lama Sang is nonetheless regarded as a very powerful Tibetan Buddhist Lama who miraculously survived many brutal tortures under Communist rule. Having been hung by his collarbones and having his fingers smashed with a hammer, he is credited to have survived these ordeals only due to his ability to remain in the “natural state”.

Due to his gregarious and entertaining mannerisms, Lama Sang has come to be known as one of the craziest yogi’s who ever lived. A noted translator, John Petit had this to say about him.

He is what my wife and I call a "bad-ass Lama"-you might say, the Miles Davis of lamas. He may look and act strange by anyone's standards but there is an impeccable artistry about him, all the way down to the dowdy polyester floral-pattern skirts and ladies-gardening-group hats he wears, or the K-Mart ladies pocket books he sometimes carries his cash in and out of empowerments. If you ever saw it you'd have to admit there was nothing "queer" about it except for the uncanny feeling that HE was making fun of YOU with such displays...with Kusum Lingpa, you either wake up and get an intuitive understanding of Dzogchen right away, or you run away in a state of anxiety. There is no "Middle Way" with him.

Due to his infectious energy, Kusum Lingpa was soon adopted by many of the Hollywood elites. He had a special way of attracting them due to his very eccentric, playful and accessible nature. The notable director, Oliver Stone helped him to set up a center in California and there are many stupas and organizations across the country which began as a result of his work. Orgyen Kusum Lingpa is a “treasure revealer” and specializes in the dealing of “empowerments” which often inspire genuine realization in others as well as benefiting the larger progress of mankind. Because of the associations with monetary value, Lama Sang’s empowerments often became a focus of criticism by his detractors. Sangye Khandro, founder of the Light of Berotsana Translation Group, also describes her experiences with Lama Sang and the confusion about his financial dealings;

The most difficult experience was translating for Kusum Lingpa, whom I really love and have a strong connection with to this day… when he first came to the States he was like a crazy, wild man and it was always difficult to say what he was saying without changing it and without putting my personality in, which you are not supposed to do… In comes this lady, who is very proper, and she sits down. He didn’t even say hello. He just said, ‘So, how much money do you have?’ and I had to translate that. It was difficult because he had no social skills. I don’t want this to come off as my saying bad words about Rinpoche. All the money he gets goes to the Dharma. It is only for Dharma. He doesn’t even own a watch. He is really a character, but every single penny he ever gets goes towards building stupas, supporting hundreds of lamas and nuns and poor people. He is really a beautiful, beautiful master and a crazy yogi.

The misunderstandings that surrounded Lama Sang eventually became an issue for the Dalai Lama's office who found it necessary to warn some Americans about adopting Kusum Lingpa as their teacher. In response to an email from one specific person, the Dalai Lama’s office replied with the following statement. "Kusum Lingpa had been a genuine spiritual teacher when he first arrived from Tibet. But lately there has been some controversy surrounding him. For that reason I would advise you to seek some other lama's guidance in your spiritual pursuits," Regardless of the controversy, Lama Sang continued to maintain an affectionate group of followers who appreciated his reverence and his basic integrity. His centers continue to operate across the country and he is still adored by many followers. In reference to the widespread controversy, Kusum Lingpa had this to say about the business of fundraising and Tibetan Lamas.

This is the Lama game. It's all about business because I need your money to build stupas and monasteries. That's what I did before when I asked for money and here are the photos to prove it. Ask anyone here who's come to Tibet with me. At least five hundred people in Golok depend on me for employment, food, clothes, books. This is what Tibetan lamas do. They all want your money. Don't be stupid! Most of them are nobodys! I am not a great Lama. Penor Rinpoche - he has 5000 monks. He is a great Lama. Dodrup Chen Rinpoche is a great Lama. The rest are a bunch of lying shits!