Meet Kelsang Yangkyi
A practitioner once known as Ginger Beach was ordained by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso as a Kadampa Buddhist nun on May the 24th at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Center in England. Upon receiving ordination, Geshe Kelsang gave her the name Kelsang Yangkyi meaning 'Fortunate Joyful One'.
Yangkyi is the first Coloradoan to be ordained as a Kadampa Buddhist nun. Kelsang Rinzin and Kelsang Jangchub were ordained as Kadampa Buddhist monks in 2004.
Kelsang Yangkyi, what made you decide to take ordination?
"There were lots of reasons, for one Gen Losel has been a major influence on my life. I was like a recluse, but I started to come to her meditation classes and my life started to improve drastically and I didn't just want to hide all alone in my apartment anymore.
The other reasons were, I had a very sick father and mother. They were both suffering from cronic pulmonary heart disease and liver damage. Basically, all of their organs were shutting down. My father died while I was there holding his hand and I saw the fear on his face when he died and I wanted to help him, but there was nothing I could do. My mother died in much the same manner, except I wasn't there and that made me feel even worse. I realized that everybody is going to have to suffer and die including me and there wasn't anything that was going to bring me happiness in samsara. I saw my parents die trying to find happiness in the external world and I didn't want to do the same. I saw the path that Gen Losel was following and was trying to show me how to follow. She is so happy on this path. I saw Rinzin and Jangchub following her and I saw them completely changing. I wanted to follow the same path and I decided that no matter what it took I was going to get there."
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Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
