Bhiksuni Dr. Kim Le Kalsang Tsomo
USA
Vietname
Venerable Bhiksuni Dr. Kalsang was born in South Vietnam, a country afflicted by civil war for many decades. After South Vietnam was defeated in 1975 by the Viet Cong, she lived under the communist regime for 4 years, and determined to make the great escape for freedom. Together with 300+ young, elderly, and infant fellow Vietnamese people, they made their journey by sea on a fishing boat in hopes of finding a better life abroad. The full story of her life and the intense trauma and horrific story of the escape is retold in her book Path of Compassion ( Amazon.com)
Venerable Dr. Kalsang arrived in America penniless, family-less and spoke very little English. Although she had already practiced Traditional Medicine in Vietnam, she had to be re-qualified by the American standard. Healing is her second nature, therefore, with determination and perseverance, she worked hard to obtain all credentials needed to open a private clinic in Winter Park,
During her Chinese medical practice, she recognized that a large population of Floridians wished to have natural healing but could not afford the payment and were not covered by insurance companies for alternative treatments. She tested the democratic process and with many letter of petitions from her patients, lobbied the local Congressman to sponsor an insurance bill in Tallahassee, Florida which was passed just 2 years later.
Coming from a country of war and subsequently tumultuous family dynamics, Ven. Dr. Kalsang understands human pain and suffering. She therefore extend her care beyond the clinic's 4 walls. She traveled world-wide helping people. In Hue, North Vietnam she built a facility for handicapped children; in Nepal a center for the blind people, in India schools for and she provides medical care for the ordained Sangha.
During the past 20 years, she has lead spiritual retreats, dharma discourses, holistic health workshops and qi-gong seminars world-wide. She is a published author of dozens of books on spiritual development and self-healing.
She was the keynote speaker for Women of Peace in Turino, Italy; a featured speaker at the World Congress of Religions in Cape Town, South Africa; interviewed on television and national and overseas radio broadcasts. She was featured on the front cover of Holistic Magazine in Flordia, Oasis Magazine in South Africa, and the Sunday Newspaper in Orlando, Florida, Colorado, Arizona and Oregon.
Although her clinic experience has great success in helping people heal themselves, she also realizes the empty and fleeting nature of power, fame, and money. They are not the true peace and freedom. Many of her auspicious dreams have led her to meet her Chinese Master (Shifu), the late Venerable Hsuan Hua. She requested her teacher to ordain her as a Buddhist nun. However, her teacher advised her to delay her personal wishes and to continue serving humankind. She followed her Shifu's words of wisdom.
A few years later, when Khenchen Gyaltsen Rinpoche visited her Meditation Center. She again requested ordination. This time, her wish was granted and she was ordained her Konchog Tenzin Tsomo. Subsequently, she met Adzom Palo Rinpoche from Tibet. Rinpoche recognized her past life in Tibet with him under the name "Kalsang." Three years later, she took higher ordination as a Bhikshuni ordained in the Chinese/Vietnamese tradition. In early 2009, with the boundless blessings of her Root Guru His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, she closed her clinic, retired and entered into a 3 year traditional Tibetan Retreat.
After the completion of the retreat, Venerable accompanied Khenchen lha to a teaching tour in South America. Subsequently, she spent several months teaching and guiding her students in Peru and Chili until she departed for Malaysia in Aug 2013.
Her life mission is to spread the Precious Dharma, to serve humankind and to evolve spiritually.