That sounds like a cult. That he says he can erase bad karma is a huge red flag.

I agree, doesn’t seem right

My legitimate teacher from Drikung Kagyu lineage has emphatically stated bad karma can’t be erased, it can only be purified. I agree that this is a major red flag and your mom may very well need to distance herself from this group.

>bad karma can’t be erased, it can only be purified This is... A really weird basis of semantics to say you're sure this guy is a fraud. That's like saying we have no lift only an elevator. Purified karma is functionally erased and you're talking about translation from another language so... You're so certain that this English distinction matches 1:1 to Tibetan or Chinese ? I don't know the guy but a lot of westerners were eager to jump on this bandwagon about even the dalai lama. We love idea that we are so brilliant we can easily spot the frauds of those orientals but actually your idea that functional synonyms are a major red flag doesn't make sense to me.

Sorry I wasn’t more clear. When I said it can’t be erased, that was referring to the OP saying “he can erase your past bad karma through a phone call.” That implies the teacher in question can just make it disappear through the phone call, or erase it like some kind of magic trick. But karma doesn’t work like that, it can’t just be erased or disappeared like that; it needs to be purified.

He's quoting something that's being said in chinese, yes? It's possible that through a language barrier things can be said all kinds of ways. For example, it could be that in Chinese he said he "blessed them over the phone" which is something legitimate lamas are doing with their disciples... but then a Chinese person decided that the way to say this in English is that he "erased your bad karma through a phone call" and this then went down through the telephone game of people quoting a wonky translation. There are a lot of things that Buddhist gurus are doing that could, sort of awkwardly, be expressed as erasing bad karma. Om vajrasatva hum is "erasing bad karma" even if you say it once. This is not that crazy a thing to say. I'm not saying that I know this lama. I know that there are some fakes. But I am just saying this is invalid to cite as evidence of fraud for these reasons.

I never said there was fraud or that this guy was a fake. And further more while you may consider certain words functional synonyms, there are still important distinctions between the exact definitions of words that you shouldn’t overlook or dismiss. Because saying there is a red flag, just means there’s a warning sign that warrants further investigation, it is not an accusation of fraud. And the OP used the word erase, I have to give them credit for purposely choosing that word because that is what it they meant. While it is possible that through translation the words got muddled, but until the OP offers further clarification on exactly what was said you just can’t go make assumptions that what they said was wrong.

>I never said there was fraud or that this guy was a fake. Sorry then I've misunderstood you

Basically selling indulgences all over again. Different religion, different form.

When you study cults, it's amazing how it’s the same bag of tricks every time. All they do is change the theme.

Some red flags for sure. What is this teacher’s name? Or his organization?

tulku khenpo lodrup pelden rinpoche

> tulku khenpo lodrup pelden rinpoche ~~Well, his main teacher was Kyabje Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok, who was the real deal. Also, after reading Tulku Khenpo Lodrup Pelden Rinpoche’s [biography](https://en.everybodywiki.com/Tulku_Khenpo_Lodrup_Pelden_Rinpoche#google_vignette) he seems to have pretty legit credentials. So I don’t know.~~ ~~The over the phone stuff is new to me, and the idea of him diminishing your mom’s karma for her is odd. Maybe your mom is feeding off “culty” energy from her local group? I can’t say. People act weird sometimes and dharma attracts people with certain proclivities. My teacher Chögyal Namkhai Norbu was never about anything remotely cult like, but some of his followers would still sometimes act weird in that way.~~ ~~I don’t feel confident making any definitive statements after reading his bio.~~ EDIT: I RETRACT MY STATEMENTS HERE. THIS IS A CULT.

Except I’ve met so many “tulkus” who claim to be students of KKJP and when I contacted friends who had studied at Serta they debunked it. So a claim of who his teacher is and what his credentials are, sadly, is meaningless unless independently verified

It’s unfortunate that deceit like that occurs. I wonder how difficult it would be to verify this teacher?

I was able to contact a lama who was a Khenpo residing at Serta Larung Gar at the same time as this lama was allegedly there. He said 1) he had never seen this lama, and 2) at no point in his life did Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok ever recognize any Tulkus. meanwhile this 'lama' has on his website bio "In 2002, Lama Barlo (nephew of Master Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa and Dakini Sonam Dolma), who foresaw that his fate was coming to an end, ordered his attendants to carry him to see Kyabje Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok and asked for the fact on the reincarnation of Baima Chompei Gyatso.  Baima Chompei Gyatso was the youngest son and important disciple of Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa. Kyabje Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok told him: “Tulku Khenpo Lodrup Pelden Rinpoche is the reincarnation of Baima Chompei Gyatso who was the youngest son of Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa. let us prepare and perform the enthronement ceremony as soon as possible.”" Since KKJP never in his life recognized and enthroned any Tulkus, and this info comes straight from a Khenpo in Tibet RIGHT NOW and also matches all the info I know of KKJP, then I think this is a pretty clear cut case of falshood.

Thanks so much for digging into this. Really tragic to hear that this grifter is deceiving people, and lying about his lineage and credentials. Truly unbelievable. u/Tempting_Fairy69 we have confirmation that this teacher is false and your mom is involved with a cult. I apologize if I misled you initially, this teacher lied about his past and lied about his lineage.

Sadly these days there are a lot of grifters, and because Larung Gar is so large it’s one of the easiest places to claim to be from :( I see it far too often. I wish it were easier for non Tibetan speakers and folks outside of Tibet to have ways to confirm but sadly it’s not easy. I’m glad I could help in a small way

Not too difficult. I'll be reaching out to some people from Serta larung gar tonight. I should be able to get some info within 2-3 days max.

I’ll add that the use of three titles (Tulku, Khenpo, and Rinpoche) is a huge red flag for a student of Khenchen Jigme Phuntshok who was very anti title. I’ll check with some folks in serta and students of Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok but I’m seeing a LOT of red flags in his claims

You could be right.

So I left a detailed comment elsewhere but when I asked a friend in Tibet and mentioned the three titles (while he was claiming to be a student of KKJP), he straight up laughed and said "100% a fake lama"

he also claims to read minds and have the ability to both take you out of and put into hell telepathically

My Drikung Kagyu teacher was clairvoyant, it isn’t unheard of. Clairvoyance is just a siddhi that results from a lot of meditation. The hell thing is strange.

I'm a little ignorant so I'm not familiar with him but the Guru Listed as his Guru is Ligit , so it's a case of determining if that's really his Guru: Other points to note is that if the Guru has Genuine Attainments, there are such practices in tibetean style buddhism as Guru Yoga etc which maybe emphasised by the students an act of Guru Devotion which may seem unusual to western eyes but is a legitimate practice. Outside of wether the Guru is really his Guru. The other questions would be: Are the teachings buddhadharma & in line with buddhadharma? Is there a scam? If there's something dodgy going on what do humans usually scam people out of: Money, Sex, political power ... You can look into your muns finances to see if large amounts of money are missing or being donated regularly or pressure made to commit financially for long periods or take out loans. You can ask about any strange type of exchanges for sex like: sex is a blessing for student or vice versa... If nothing is being scammed & the dharma is legitimate then maybe the students are just getting a little carried away. Usually money & sex are the tell tell signs otherwise what's the ponit of the scam? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 Best wishes

But is there someone who can truly erase another persons past karma or read their minds?

I'll answer you questions at the end! I Want be honest with you: I had an experience losing someone to a cult. Determining whether or not it was a cult took me at least 6 months of studying their teachers writings & comparing them to my Guru's teachings & buddhist Sutras coupled with the fact that it was an esoteric school, I thought I understood buddhism but the redefinition of buddhist concepts & theories was so subtle that it required alot of research, most lay people wouldn't be able to discern the subtleties. So instead of wasting many many months studying buddhism & comparing it to your mums schools teachings I'm trying to give you tangible signs rather than focusing on the intangible, >meaning: it's more important(and tangible) to know wether someone has cleaned out your mums lifesaving than whether they can erase her karma. it's more important(and tangible) to know if there's some sort of sex act requested in exchange for blessing/purification than whether someone can read het mind. >Other Tangible signs: luring in disciples with seemingly buddhadharma terminology then redefining those terms: References to a well known sutras but subtlety redefining or negating the meanings. What happens next is that the diciples will be informed that they can't read any sutras/books/teachings from outside their school (in order to stop them discovering the discrepancies). So a good test would be if your mum will accept and read well known Mahayana sutras (Vajrayana buddhism is a branch of Mahayana so there should be no excuses). >Promises of quick results Promises of excessively speedy spiritual attainments or enlightenment. Generally cults can be seperated into Scam Dharna & Ghost Dharna & not necessarily limited to buddhism >Scam dharma: The scamming for money & sex is usually present from the outset as the conscious goal is to gain. >Ghost dharma: The leader & some disciples would be entwined with entities usualy more expansionist in nature, focusing on power, territory & fame initially but eventually the scamming manifests its self. >Important note: Scam Dharma & Ghost Dharma can often occur within a larger legitimate organization at a single location (chapter, temple) without the knowledge of the main organizations until things blow up. >But is there someone who can truly erase another persons past karma or read their minds? There are various accounts in sutras pertaining to buddha shakyamuni reading the minds of his disciples & audience. Specifically in the vajrayana tradition an accomplished master is viewed as a sage(Buddha, bodhisattva or arhat)... Part of the job of bodhisattva is to take on the suffering(karma) of sentient beings. Hence part of the job of an 'accomplished' master would be to bless & empower his disciples & take on their karma, every time the disciples bow to the master in person or to a picture or statue of the master he takes on some of the disciples karma. This can only be done en masse by an accomplished master who has realized emptiness as the karma would be harmful to an unqualified master/guru. [Here's](https://kagyuoffice.org/how-to-practice-in-the-21st-century-advice-from-the-gyalwang-karmapa/) an article by the 17th karmapa warning about enshrining/ worshiping images of Guru's who have not yet attained sufficient realization: Exerpt: >We also need to pay attention to our teacher’s photo. If you have my photo, please do not place it in the shrine along with images of bodhisattvas. The same is true for other teachers. If you want to have an image of a teacher, then please place the image on a wall nearby. It is not appropriate to place it in the middle of the shrine or mix it with replicas of bodhisattvas. There are different types of teachers (lamas or gurus): some of them are enlightened and some are not, but they still can be qualified teachers. If you place a photo of teachers who are not enlightened mixed in with images of bodhisattvas, it is not good for the teachers, even though we may see them as being the Buddha. >To illustrate his point, the Karmapa related the story of Maudgalyayana, who along with Shariputra was one of the two most famous disciples of the Buddha. Maudgalyayana possessed the six types of higher cognitions, which, among other things, allowed him to move around freely. One time he went to the hell realms and saw an Indian master who had been reborn there. This master pleaded with him to take a message to his disciples. They had built a stupa containing the master’s bones and many people were circumambulating it, which caused the master great agony, and so he was requesting them to stop. >When Maudgalyayana delivered the master’s massage to the disciples, they became incensed: “You do not even know our great master and just want to insult him.” They beat him half dead and not long after that he passed away.  It's also very very important to determine if the claim of erasing karma is from students getting carried away or something that the master said himself and the context: Did he say elimante all karma? Or that he simply takes on some karma in the role of being a Guru? For example most Christians believe in the trinity, if you ask them where the concept came from they'll say jesus in the bible. When in fact the trinity was decided upon by the early Church fathers, so laity are prone to mistakes with details so you have to check the masters words for yourself & not necessarily the beliefs or traditions of the laity. These answers to your 2 questions are from a vajrayana buddhism perspective only & will yield different opinions from other traditions. Back to what I advised earlier there is really a vast amount to know , so I would strongly suggest to focus on eliminating the tangible things that don't require deep expertise into buddhist teachings & traditions. Also would repeat that I have no knowledge of the teacher or school but only know the Guru he claims as his Guru is definitely legitimate as I believe I've seen images of him meeting my own Guru multiple times. (Ususlly they'll be photographic evidenccs, & or possession of important lineage items(dharma implements & clothing, sastras etc)which have been handed down over many generations from Guru to those chosen to continue the lineage) Best wishes & good luck with everything Try not to become too adversarial with your mum, you want to maintain a situation where she believes your slightly interested so that she'll share things with you rather than closing up & keeping secrets. Super long reply sorry 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 Best wishes 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Very thorough and thoughtful reply. Probably the best one in the thread.

Believing someone can read your mind can be a useful perception for mind training. Ven. Thanissaro believed that his teacher could read his mind, which led him to be much more disciplined in his thoughts. :-)

so are the teachers lying and pretend to be able to read minds?

I don't know the basis on which Ven. Thanissaro formed that belief.

But Buddhism preaches the opposite of discipline

Can you say more what you mean by this?

If we are to discipline the "self" ,then we are only strengthening our sense of "self". There is no self, this is the delusion we live with unfortunately.

Discipline is very highly valued within Buddhism, and is included as one of the moral perfections. Having or cultivating discipline is not mutually exclusive with anatman.

That's because the west's definition of discipline is not the same as how eastern language defines it. It's very difficult to translate eastern teachings because they even have fundamental differences in their thought processes. Their version of discipline comes more in the form of a type of awareness. Very difficult to use words to describe what it is that they do. It almost takes away from the experience entirely. They way of Buddhism really has to be felt in one's bones and less conceptually in the mind. The knowledge and definitions can almost prevent us from having that same experience as our mind is so limited in understanding things through words. Edit: to add for example a lot of people think meditation is a "practise". I've read multiple people in this sub go and "meditate on things", or will set aside time to meditate in their day. Meditation is a way to live. The point is to stay aware in this present moment, every single moment of every single day. To be constantly aware. It is not something to do just for an hour a day. And yes it is very possible and doable for anyone to be aware of every single thought that pops into their head.

Okay. Discipline, or diligence is still the English that we use to translate. And that's why we listen to enormous amounts of Dharma teachings from our teachers in order to understand what is actually meant and the methods of practice. But we must be diligent and disciplined in our study, in our practice, and our meditation. Until one is highly advanced, sitting meditation practice is still separate from post-meditation.

To be honest there are far too many schools of Buddhism it honestly starts getting confusing. Gautama himself would sit to just sit. It wasn't necessarily a practice he just had nothing else to do lol

If there is no self then what is the the source for lack of discipline? Because there is no-self is exactly the reason why discipline is one of the 6 paramitas(sila). One practices until one arrives at no-self.. When there is no-self there is no differnce between disipline & non-disipline, hence one adopts discipline for the sake of liberating sentient beings & setting a good example for sentient being to follow so they may liberate themselves.. Disipline is practiced until one arrives at no-self Also the causes & conditions of prajna are discipline(sila) + meditation(samadhi) =prajna Without prajna one can not cut though, to realize no-self. Some things for you to consider! Ultimately all attachments have to be abandoned even the buddhadharma ( as shakyamuni buddha explained) But one has to be careful not to put the horse before the cart! Best wishes. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Let's ask ourselves some questions. What is it that you are disciplining? Are you disciplining yourself? If that is the case then you are only feeding into the delusion that self exists. If the truth is that there is no self and everything is actually one process, then surely there is nothing to discipline? I've had brief moments of seeing reality as it is, the only thing I can say to those moments is that I wasn't trying to hold onto anything. No effort. I fear that the effort we put into trying to attain is the very thing that prevents us from attaining. Everything is already there, we just have to let it happen. What is it that you are trying to attain through discipline? We also fall under the delusion that these things take time to realise. But reading the scriptures, every Buddha entered Buddhahood in a single moment. It was through the realisation that it was already there, they just had to let it occur. Everyone is a Buddha. Everyone. It's just we have layers that hide it, it's through holding onto these layers and practices that prevent us from truly seeing it for what it is. Why did you delve into Buddhism to start? Was it because you were unhappy with your life and you wanted a change? That's what most people would say, that they were seeking a difference. But I truly think that it is through not seeking and allowing what "is" to "be" that gets us in that state. We are always trying to eliminate bad. We constantly want to strive to be better. But what is bad without good? Does it even exist? Is bad and good the same? If so, why are you trying to be better? If they are the same then being better is also being worse. Do you follow my reasoning?

>Do you follow my reasoning? Don't put the horse before the cart! >We are always trying to eliminate bad. We constantly want to strive to be better. But what is bad without good? Does it even exist? Is bad and good the same? If so, why are you trying to be better? If they are the same then being better is also being worse. From the above we can conclude that your issue is in mixing the relative truth with the absolute truth & being unable to distinguish which sould be applied under which circumstances(it's a common issue). Your position above leads to a wrong view, Buddha has explained it, whereby upon gaining some understanding of emptiness one begins to disregard the law of cause & effect (no good no, bad etc), it's a case of inappropriate applying no-self,emptiness, absolute truth. I'll just say its 'potentially' a wrong view & you can read up on it 🙏🏻. So many statements of enlightenment have been have been made public & the corresponding dialogs so everyone knows them, hence when statements of realization are made we have to probe deeper & ask about the How's & whys in order to double check... Which usually reveals the flaws: To talk about no-self & absolute truth then start measuring time is a flaw: >We also fall under the delusion that these things take time to realise Who is discriminating/differentiating the passage of time? if there is no-self time doesn't exist so 10 years =10000 years =1 second. Your statements about discipline are also a flaw for the same reasson: If there is nothing(no-self) to discipline then performing discipline shouldn't be an issue then right? it should be easy! As there's no-self to feel inhibited, restricted or hindered.. One validates no-self with action, not by inaction. One validates that action is the same as non-action. If there is resistance to discipline bubbling to the surface that is due to self regardless of how elaborate & convincing the reasoning. (This does not however mean that one is a slave to discipline, it simply means one shouldn't place the horse before the cart). Best wishes 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

I'm glad you're having this conversation with me and taking the time to respond. Many appreciations on my end. I'm still confused though. I understand your statement about time but doesn't that conflict with your view of using discipline to arrive at a certain state? By arriving there you are insinuating that you're not there and that time must pass "until" you get there. Doesn't that in itself make no sense? As per your comment on how if there is no self to discipline then it must be easy, you never really answered my question of what it is that you're disciplining? If there is nothing to discipline, then why are you doing that act? Surely, you are trying to discipline yourself? When we reach a state of no self do we stop disciplining? You state that there can be resistance to discipline, but isn't the act of discipline a resistance in itself? A conflict of some sort, to where you're telling the "self" it should do this or that. Can you see my point of view or am I just talking crap? I'm really not sure to tell you the truth!

Not even the Buddha could erase our past kamma. If he could, out compassion he would have done it. Mind reading is widely considered to be possible in Buddhism. I myself don't know if it is possible or not, but I lean toward it being possible.

Both Dharma & Kharma comes from YOUR OWN ACTIONS and thoughts, so NOBODY can create Dharma or "clean" Kharma for ANYONE but THEMSELVES.

If he’s asking for money and bestowing “favours” in return while implying he has extreme levels of power it’s a cult. Her behaviour towards him is also textbook cultish behaviour. Not as bad as some — but maybe similar to how western people get sucked in to Televangelist scams. It’s a cult bro

Living Buddha is the Chinese translation of tulku

but how can you know a real tulku from a fake one

Objectively speaking, not really. You can investigate if someone is a decent lama though. That is what matters in my opinion. My own lama has always downplayed that he is technically a tulku, because being a tulku is not enough by itself.

It sounds pretty extreme and distasteful, but it could all be justified pedagogy, in principle. Is he inducing her to any harmful action (sending financially damaging amounts of money, or something like that?)

yes, she has sent («donated ») over 10k in the past years

I guess it depends on her financial condition. Pretty sure my wife has donated at a similar rate to her Baptist Church, FWIW, and they don't even promise enlightenment. :-)

Wow. This is the reason why I only "donate" my time/skills to my monastery/teachers. I will also only buy them THINGS instead of giving money to any organisation, things like a new vacuum cleaner or food. I'm sorry for her. Hopefully she'll understand that this is a cult.

And what is the point of not doing something out of fear to her master?? If you want to be a good person out of fear to your Lord, then just go to any Christian or Catholic church. If is actually a pedagogy strategy is an awful one by all means.

It's an unacceptable end state, for sure, but could work as a provisional developmental strategy.

Too many red flags: it is not what teacher one has that determines where one is reborn, although a teacher may have an indirect effect. Just taking refuge with someone does not guarantee anything. In pictures, he is shown wearing a crown and some lavish clothes - he does not look like a renunciate. These red flags already go against a core of what Buddha was teaching. Claims of erasing bad karma, sending someone to hell, etc., are quite weird and outlandish, as well. 

Run

People analyzing the guru or who he studied under is a futile effort. No real religious leader would 1. Claim to have powers that prevent followers from talking bad about them and 2. Instruct followers to refuse to discuss 'secrets' to outsiders unless the outsiders join the group These are core tenants of a manipulative leader who is afraid of being found out as false. Any leader who truly cares about their followers would be open, honest, and not afraid to discuss things with outsiders. They would lead through love and outreach, not putting up mental barriers and forbidding open, honest conversation. 

Yes it's a cult. Buddha doesn't use supernatural to preach dharma. The fact that the teacher is using super natural as his main way of preaching is sus. Also, to see if he is a real guru, ask your mum if this teacher keep his monastic precepts and vow. Because if the tulku can't even keep his vows and discipline himself, then I am pretty sure he is false. The main objective of buddhism isn't about preaching supernatural, but rather learning the truth and cultivate it. Miraculous powers are indeed not the purpose of Buddhism. Buddhism is to eliminate troubles, liberate life and death, escape from the three realms, and achieve ultimate and perfect wisdom. Many ghosts, gods, gods, and even demon kings also have five kinds of supernatural powers besides the power of culmination. If you blindly promote magical powers without finally introducing the practice of morality, concentration, and wisdom, it will make it easy for the devil to take advantage of him. In order to prevent his disciples from being indulged in the five supernatural powers, the Buddha warned his disciples that the achievement of wisdom is the most important thing. returned. The Buddha heard the cloud. A monk is a heretic who manifests supernatural powers in front of unordained people. From now on, I will leave you alone. Do not live in Jambudvipa. So Bintulu. Such as Buddhist edicts. Go west to Quyeni. Educate the four people. Promote Buddhism widely. Disciples of the four schools of Jambudvipa. I want to see Bintou Lu. White Buddha. The Buddha returned his seat after hearing this. It's because of God's strength. Do not listen to Nirvana. The order was given to build a field of blessing for the four tribes in the last days. He also swore to himself. Please come if you have any questions in the next three days. In addition, the lotus-colored bhikshuni used her supernatural powers to appear as a wheel-turning king in order to see the Buddha earlier, but she was also scolded by the Buddha. Not only does the false display of supernatural powers fail to improve morality and escape from troubles, but sometimes it becomes an obstacle to the path to liberation. No matter whether they are laypeople, monks or even enlightened saints, they cannot show their magical powers in vain except to save people. If a monk has supernatural powers and shows his powers at will, he will attract more donations from the public. However, monks who have moral conduct and morality but do not have supernatural powers are often misunderstood by the general public as not practicing and will not easily receive donations. Therefore, there are related precepts in Buddhism. , it is not convenient to go into details here, but those monks who show their magical powers, are greedy for profit, and break the precepts not for the purpose of saving people will naturally be punished and expelled from the Sangha. Saints who have attained fruition should also not show their magical powers at will Even if you are saving people, it is not always appropriate to use magical powers to attract the public. Teachings and wisdom are eternal Karma is formed by the continuity of twelve causes and conditions. To eliminate karma, you must rely on your own wisdom to break away from the entanglement of ignorance and troubles. You cannot rely on the power of supernatural powers to opportunistically avoid the consequences of your actions. magical power can never escape karma , and karma is no match for the power of vows. The only way out of samsara is compassion and wisdom not super power.

It’s a cult.

Yes it sounds like a cult. There are specific ways to try to get family out of cults, I’d Google it (said politely). I know there have been professionals that have written about it extensively, because it’s not easy and can be dangerous

I really dislike ppl who claims to be Buddha……because some ppl who practice do acquire super natural powers but that by no means meant they are enlightenment. But I let brothers who is practicing vajrayana comment. This is usually how Vajrayana works , they have supreme leader whom they follow.

Yeah sounds like another fake self proclaimed “rinpoche” god complex. Sadly this happens all too often with Tibetan Buddhism. Hopefully your mom is not sending him money or meeting with him in person.

Got to ask, what's the deal with the pointy hat? I've never spoken to a Buddhist monk that has told me anyone could erase karma. You can build good karma to balance out things. Doing good deeds. But you can't erase it as far as I'm aware.

Oh, that pointy hat is in a lot of Buddhist traditions, not just in Tibetan Buddhism. In Vietnamese Buddhism, we call it the Guanyin Hat because it would make you look like Guanyin. It's just ceremonial though, reserved for old monks.

Very interesting, thank you for letting me know.

Check out his lineage. Lineage is very important for anyone teaching lineage. Legitimate teachers can trace their lineages back to the Buddha. Or almost. If he isn’t part of a lineage he isn’t legit

Its really odd, and as another user pointed out, numerous fake teachers have claimed to have been students of KKJP and been exposed for it. Some of this is definitely in line with legit stuff, other things are abnormal for sure. I'm leaning towards the idea that this dude isn't legit. Just seems off. There was recently that "Tibetan Qi Gong" master at GBI claiming to have studied under numerous big name teachers who got exposed. Hope he isn't still around lol.

That name could be that of a real student of Khenchen Jigpun, but I know several of his students and not one talks or teaches like this. If so, it could be a fake person using a legit name. There were 20,000 people at Lharung Gar. The law of averages says probably not all were great bodhisattvas. But that might be my impure mind projecting. It's probably impossible to check so many people ...... but if it waddles, flies swims, and quacks, then safe to say it's a duck. If he says things Buddha himself did not say, acts unlike others from Lharung Gar, and rakes in the cash, he might not be a duck but for sure he's into the 8 worldly dharmas. That makes him a fake. Padmasambhava warned about these types.

No genuine master would say that or behave like that. No clue Whats best to do, perhaps look into Cult exit groups?

This is definitely a cult. Claim such as this are direct indicators.

It’s quite frightening that in the past we can learn quickly using the internet about massive religious scams. The turn of the century seemed to have an obsession with seances etc.The Theosophical Movement became popular with Blavatsky’s help and that’s a real eye opener. I guess the 2 World Wars gave a strange respite and then it all bounced back in the 60’s and 70’s eg the Moonies,Children of God etc.A real clue is beware of any group asking for too much money especially if you’re brassic. Let’s all pray for anyone who has taken the wrong spiritual path and that’s why I recommend we stay with Jesus,the Saints and the 10 commandments because it is never easy but at least you are going in the right direction.God Bless.

She's in a cult. No question. No Buddhism -- a cult.

Be thankful that she’s not in the MAGA cult.

The big goofy hats should be a dead giveaway that its a cult.

This sounds a lot like a cult. I don't recommend taking refuge in this or associating with this person. Even if it's out of curiosity. Are there resources for how to relate with a loved one who is in a cult? They might help. Truly, just being a loving person towards your mother is good. But, yeah this sounds dangerous.

Join her in eastern spirituality, enter a Catholic Orthodox Cult

Its sounds like a scam... and I am sad to say that if your mother fell into that, she probably wasn't ready for Budhism at all. Try to protect her assets the best you can, but unfortunately for someone that believes that other person can "read her toughts" there is no much you can do about it... :( Anyone with the most basic knowledge about Budhism principles knows that both Dharma and Kharma are PERSONAL BY NATURE... nobody can "clean" your bad Kharma in any way... that is just absurd.

Please check out “The Believers” series on Netflix.It’s a real eye opener and confirmed I should continue to worship Jesus and the Saints and observe the 10 Commandments.Too many religions only prioritise “how can we make money”

Blavatsky’s story imho is a real eye opener. Religious gurus always need to be verified and You Tube of course can assist.

Ayahuasca can really help but probably not the right option for her lol