About Lama Tsultrim Yeshe
Lama Tsultrim Yeshe (John Samuelson) has been a student of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche since 1989. He completed the first three-year retreat at Karme Ling Under the direction of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche earning the title “Retreat Lama.” He took novice monk vows in 1994 from Tai Situ Rinpoche and fully ordained monastic vows in 2008 from Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche.
Lama Tsultrim Yeshe, second from left, with Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, center, and other Lamas with who also did three-year seclusive retreats at Karme Ling Retreat Center in upstate New York. Location of the photo: Namo Buddha, in Nepal.
Lama Yeshe is the resident Lama at the Hay River Karma Thegsum Choling located in Western Wisconsin. He travels throughout the country to other Buddhist centers to teach and lead retreats, as well as holistic learning centers like the Omega Institute.
He worked for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for 8 years as a prison Chaplain. He continues to do volunteer work in the prison teaching meditation, Buddhism and giving guidance. He has gained valuable experience working with inmates in a medium security prison. Many of them having difficult and abusive childhoods, anger management problems, and high levels of anxiety and stress.
Lama Yeshe has a BS degree in Sociology from the University of Oklahoma and did graduate work in Sociology at the University of Minnesota. He taught Sociology 4 years at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
He has also worked doing construction, building new houses and remodeling, and before that, furniture reupholstery. He likes woodworking, building and working with his hands. The Hay River KTC is in a stone building he built, with some help from friends, in 1977 as a shop. It was later remodeled, with the help of volunteers from the center, and converted into its present form.
Lama Yeshe has lived at his present location, a farmstead built in the 1890’s, near Ridgeland Wisconsin since 1971.
Lama Tsultrim Yeshe is available for meditation instruction and personal consultation. This can be set up with him personally; the Lama can be reached at (715) 949-1407 by phone, or at [email protected].
THE HEALING POWER OF FORGIVENESS.
About the video
Lama Yeshe recently presented a weekend program at the Gainesville KTC on The healing Power of Forgiveness, offered in its entirety here.
This series was inspired by his work as a prison chaplain where he would often hear inmates say “I wish I could forgive myself” or “I wish my family would forgive me.” What the inmates usually left out was forgiving those that had hurt them, their enemies.
These three types of forgiveness will be covered during the program: forgiving yourself, having those you have hurt forgive you, and forgiving those toward whom you have anger and resentment.
The sessions include teachings, meditation, and discussion.
The four meditation sessions are Tong Len practice: loving yourself, forgiving yourself, working with people you want to forgive you, forgiving people who have harmed you.
Emotional Healing: A Buddhist Perspective
About the video
Lama Yeshe took part in a program in Newtown, Connecticut in March of 2013: Sandy Hook Promise: Violence, Loss and Emotional Healing: A Buddhist Perspective at Congregation Adath Israel.
The panel consisted of Lama Yeshe, David Kaczynski (brother of the Unabomber), James Knoll IV (forensic psychiatrist) and Lama Kathy Wesley (3-year retreatant).