Chung Han posing with Big Love , the biography of Lama Yeshe. Photo from Chung Han’s Instagram page.

Lee Chung Han passed away at age 43 on October 22, 2023 in Malaysia from leukemia. 

Below we share an obituary for Lee Chung Han and also a special interview with Gomo Tulku Rinpoche detailing the close friendship and mutual support he shared with Chung Han right up until the time of his passing. 

Obituary of Lee Chung Han

Submitted by Chung Han’s family

The late Dato’ Lee Chung Han—beloved son, husband, father, friend, leader, colleague, teacher, and disciple—lived a life full of selfless acts. Just as his smile has lit up rooms and hearts, his ever giving spirit has illuminated all of us, even those whom he’s never met.

At his wake, his many school friends, colleagues and business associates came to rekindle fond memories and to pay tribute to someone special for his character and faith and the impact he had on their lives. 

He excelled academically and socially in Kuen Cheng Chinese Primary School and Garden International School in Malaysia, and later in Epsom College, London School of Economics, and Oxford University in the UK. He began his career in CIMB Investment Banking, followed by Air Asia, Tunes Group and Lotus Ltd ( F1 racing). He then went into the mineral mining industry. He was elected as President of the Alumni of the Oxford University Business School and a board member of the SME and Entrepreneurs Business Award. 

Despite his busy work schedule he involved himself in several environmental activities. He initiated the activist group “Save Pulau Langkawi Gunung Raya Forest Reserve” which is 93 acres of virgin rainforest. He was a board member of Universal Clear Light which had begun Global Tree Initiative. In his compassion for animals he supported the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary in Pahang state, which provides protection for the wild elephants. 

He took his community obligations earnestly when he was appointed President of the Taman Pantai Residents Association, where he lived and grew up. He was a committee member of a community run garden in the city called Kebun-Kebun Bangsar. 

Early into his working career he was drawn into Buddhism and soon became a loyal and devoted student of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. 

Much saddened by the death of his guru in April 2023 he traveled to Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu to pay his respects. A few weeks later he joined the FPMT delegation in Dharamsala to offer a long-life puja to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the following private audience with His Holiness..

To those who have known and met him, Chung Han came across as a kind hearted, considerate, intelligent man who cherished his family, Sangha, friends and his Dharma brethren and sisters. 

In keeping Han’s light alive his friends and family are providing Orang Asli families in the state of Pahang, Malaysia with better access to water—the most essential element of life. More than 40 wells, which include water pumps and storage tanks, complete with piping systems are being provided to clusters of Orang Asli households. 

His legacy of selflessness will live on in us, through our acts of compassion and generosity.

Gomo Tulku, Chung Han, Chung Han’s wife Tze Hua and Tenzin Osel Hita having lunch with Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Malaysia, 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

An Interview with Gomo Tulku Rinpoche 

When did you meet Lee Chung Han? Can you tell us about your relationship and history?

In the beginning of 2016, I was on a short vacation in Asia when I received a call from Lama Osel, saying he would like to join me. He arrived after a few days and later also proposed a trip to Malaysia at the invitation of a friend in Kuala Lumpur. At first, I declined the invitation as I had no clue who this friend was but interestingly this friend was persistent and kept inviting the two of us to visit him. He also offered to travel together to Penang, where Lama Zopa Rinpoche was going to give the Hayagriva Initiation. If I remember correctly, I still refused the offer but he requested a third time, at which point I felt I needed to know this person and so I agreed to his invitation. That’s how I first met Chung Han.

From then on our relationship quickly evolved to a friendship that spanned more than seven years, until his passing. Both of us being staunch Buddhists and having a shared interest in business, he kindly allowed me to work alongside him in his mining endeavor.
During my time in Malaysia, I would sometimes wake up as early as 3:00 a.m. to visit mining sites with his team and geologists, driving for around 4 hours only to walk for a few more hours in order to explore potential sites. I also participated in his weekly company meetings and gained valuable insights into the business. I attended many of his meetings with politicians, businessmen, government officials, and royal family members. He was someone with big ambitions and, as a result, he was also involved in various industries. I was sort of his right-hand man and the C-suite support for his company SMGB. Working with him in 2016 and 2017 really felt like I was going through an MBA course, if not more.

After I left working with SMGB we kept up our friendship and continued to support each other. I helped organize pujas and prayers for him and when the pandemic hit in 2020 and 2021, he was there in solidarity with I Saved A Life, a nonprofit I founded, contributing to its emergency response projects in India.

When did you hear that he was having health difficulties?

On September 23, 2023, one of his cousins called me with the news of his situation. Having confirmed with his brother, I immediately booked the earliest flight to Kuala Lumpur and visited him. During my stay there I managed to see him a few times, with our last meeting occurring 12 days before he passed away.

Can you tell us about the support you offered to him while he was at the end of life?

As a friend, I offered my time, jokes, and affection but also, in my capacity as a Rinpoche, all the Dharma support I could provide. I offered advice on certain practices and how to navigate his thoughts and facilitated connections to receive blessings and guidance from prominent Rinpoches. Our connection deepened further during his hospital stay. We reminisced, shared laughter, and even shed tears together. In those precious moments, I arranged FaceTime calls with Khensur Lobsang Delek Rinpoche, Jhado Rinpoche, and Tsa Woesel Tulku. During these calls I translated their Tibetan guidance into English for him. It was a beautiful moment to witness him expressing his gratitude to the great masters in Tibetan, repeatedly saying, “Thugje che” with folded hands just
before ending the calls.

Could you tell me about his life and the impact he had on others?

While his family is better positioned to answer this question, to me he was a friend always willing to help, a businessman full of creative ideas, and a genuine optimist. His commitment to Dharma was equally strong, engaging wholeheartedly in pujas, Dharma activities, and charitable projects. Additionally, I recently learned from his parents that he was the one who brought them to the Dharma. This is noteworthy as, in Asian families, it tends to be the other way around.

I would like to end by saying I’m truly grateful to Chung Han for his friendship and kindness, for giving me a place to stay when I was in Kuala Lumpur, for supporting my charitable projects, for all that he showed me about business and, most of all, for his unwavering faith in the Dharma, especially in Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Grateful thanks to Gomo Tulku Rinpoche for sharing these intimate details of his friendship with Chung Han.