Lama Zopa Rinpoche News

Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, September 2018. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s care for animals is well known. What’s perhaps less well known is Rinpoche’s creative whimsy with animal statues and the signs he has created for them.

At Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, in a remote part of Washington State in the US, Rinpoche has many animal statues placed on the property with signs that share thoughts about practicing lamrim, or the graduated path to enlightenment.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, September 2018. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

A  parrot on a fence says, “I have been waiting to see you from beginningless rebirths and I never have. That means I won’t see you again, because there is nothing to see.”

A dove on a fuel tank says, “I have been in retreat from beginningingless rebirths, not only this life, but endlessly. I don’t see any people and I don’t speak except to hallucinations.”

And an owl says, “I have been meditating for many lifetimes. Nothing exists that you believe is real. Wow!”

Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, September 2018. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Two ducks in rainboots have two signs that say the following:

“Why don’t you practice wisdom? Look at everything as empty, as they are empty in reality. Then you can liberate all sentient beings and bring them to enlightenment.”

“Why don’t you practice bodhichitta? To not only enlighten yourself, but enlighten all sentient beings.”

A dog, decorated with butterflies, says, “I want to achieve enlightenment quicker than you. Because I am offering myself to every single sentient being, for their enlightenment.”

And a raccoon near the Medicine Buddha statue says:

“I want to announce to all the sentient beings, whether I want to be living in this tree or to be out, to be free from this. It is in my hands. So like this, it is the same for you people, whether you want to be in samsara or to be free from samsara. To be in samsara means experiencing the oceans of samsaric suffering or to be free from that forever, not just for seven days’ vacation, not like that. So it is totally in your hands. It is up to you, what you do with your mind, how you use your mind. Thank you very much.”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with animal statutes at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, September 2018. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Watch recorded video teachings from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, including recent teachings at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Kurukulla Center, and Maitripa College, online:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/

More information, photos, teaching schedule, and updates about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche can be found on Rinpoche’s webpage on FPMT.org. If you’d like to receive news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT via email, sign up to FPMT News.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Kurukulla Center staff and volunteers, and Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive and Wisdom Publications staff, Massachusetts, US, August 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

“There are no words to adequately describe the immense feelings of blessings, love, and bliss that everyone experienced in the presence of our beloved teacher Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche,” Margaret Anderberg, a fundraising volunteer at Kurukulla Center, in Medford, Massachusetts, US, wrote about Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit to the FPMT-affiliate center in August 2018.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at Kurukulla Center, Massachusetts, US, August 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

On August 18-20, Rinpoche offered helpful and poignant teachings as well as Red Tara and Varjasattva jenangs to about three hundred people in a beautifully arranged large tent, which was set up for the event in Kurukulla Center’s stupa garden.

Students traveled to the teaching event from far and wide—from New York to Florida, as well as from Canada and many other countries.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche presenting Kurukulla Center director Sean Gonzalez with a thank you gift, Kurukulla Center, August 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

“One visiting student from out-of-state came to me at the reception table and expressed his gratitude for Kurukulla Center providing this incredible opportunity for him to receive teachings from Lama Zopa Rinpoche in person,” Margaret wrote. The visiting student told Margaret, “I have been a student of Lama Zopa Rinpoche for years and I could not afford to travel to India or Singapore to attend his teachings. This is so incredible. Thank you so much!”

Margaret also wrote that “Sean Gonzalez, Kurukulla Center director, received a similar message from visiting Sangha members, thanking us for not charging for the teachings and thus making the Dharma accessible to them.”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Wisdom Publications staff, Kurukulla Center, Massachusetts, US, August 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

During the events, Daniel Aitken, the new director of Wisdom Publications, in nearby Somerville, Massachusetts, offered Lama Zopa Rinpoche copies of Wisdom’s books, including Rinpoche’s new book The Four Noble Truths: A Guide to Everyday Life and the forthcoming Mahamudra: How to Discover Our True Nature by Lama Yeshe. Wisdom staff also recorded a podcast with Rinpoche in the center’s gompa.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive’s Nick Ribush and Wendy Cook, August 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, based in Lincoln, Massachusetts, also had an opportunity to make a special offering to Rinpoche. David Zinn, LYWA’s digital imaging specialist, made a beautiful little photo album containing twenty of the more than 1,550 photographs from the Archive’s upcoming Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe, which he and director Nick Ribush offered to Rinpoche.

“We at Kurukulla Center are immensely grateful for our tremendous supporters and volunteers,” Margaret wrote, “all of whom helped create the causes and conditions for this wonderful event to happen, helping the Buddhadharma to flourish, and bringing greater peace and happiness to many sentient beings worldwide.”

Watch recorded video teachings from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, including recent teachings at Kurukulla Center, Maitripa College, and Amitabha Buddhist Centre:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/

For more information about Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, visit their website:
http://www.kurukulla.org/

FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche after arriving in Singapore, September 2018. Photo courtesy of Amitabha Buddhist Centre’s Facebook page.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has arrived in Singapore for teachings at Amitabha Buddhist Centre.  A throng of students from Amitabha Buddhist Centre welcomed Rinpoche at the airport with khatas and flowers.

Rinpoche will be in Singapore for three weeks of events. On Thursday, September 13, Rinpoche offers the gold crown to the center’s incredible Thousand-Arm Chenrezig statue.

On September 15-16, 22-23, and 29, Rinpoche will give commentary on Lama Chopa (Guru Puja) practice. On September 19, Rinpoche will give a teaching on mind training, and on September 26, Rinpoche will confer the Amitabha Obtaining the Pure Land initiation. Teachings that are unrestricted will be video streamed live. Students can sign up to receive notification when the live stream begins.

Rinpoche traveled to Singapore from Dharamsala, India, where Rinpoch visited Tushita Meditation Centre. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche being welcomed by Amitabha Buddhist Centre at the airport, Singapore, September 2018. Photo courtesy of Amitabha Buddhist Centre’s Facebook page.

Details on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings at Amitabha Buddhist Centre:
http://www.fpmtabc.org/2018/event/lzrvisit.php

Links and information to watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche teach live:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/lama-zopa-rinpoche-live/

Watch recorded video teachings from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, including recent teachings at Kurukulla Center and Maitripa College, online:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/

More information, photos, teaching schedule, and updates about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche can be found on Rinpoche’s webpage on FPMT.org. If you’d like to receive news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT via email, sign up to FPMT News.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kurukulla Center, Medford, Massachusetts, US, August 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered thanks to all the FPMT centers, projects, services, and students who did practices requested by Rinpoche to benefit Tibet and for the success of fulfilling all of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s wishes. 

I felt that we need to help, as we are His Holiness’ disciples.

Of course, “guru”—that means all our happiness, past, present, and future up to enlightenment, came from the guru: His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Every single pleasure, happiness, came from His Holiness. His Holiness has guided us from beginningless rebirths, now, and in the future. Can you imagine the kindness of the guru? The kindness of the guru is like the limitless sky.

I felt to help Tibet, so I suggested these prayers:

• The Mantra Promised by Tara
• The Four Mandala Offerings to Tara

I want to say a billion, zillion, numberless thanks, really from my heart, to everybody who did the prayers to help His Holiness, to help Tibet to receive soon freedom. So thank you very, very much. Thank you so much.

This is the most extensive way to collect merit and the most powerful purification—fulfilling the guru’s wishes.

It is said by Sakya Pandita, “For a thousand eons, you make charity of your heads and your legs to other sentient beings. Then even the merits, you dedicate for sentient beings.” You do like that for a thousand eons. “But all those merits you collect in one second when you fulfill the guru’s wishes and the guru’s advice.”

You collect all those merits in one second. The guru’s path, if you fulfill all those, one-thousand-eon merits you collect in one second. When you fulfill the guru’s wishes and advice, this is also what happens.

Then also it is said in tantra, Kadam Tigle, “As fire burns wood and in one second it becomes ashes, like that the glorified guru if you are able to please, if you please the guru, the heavy negative karma gets burned by that. By following the guru, by pleasing the guru, it is burned in one second.”

It gets purified in one second. The heavy negative karma collected from past lives and now gets purified in one second. Oh, it is so powerful, this happens.

I think that’s all. Thank you very much.

Watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche Offering Thanks: 
https://youtu.be/DPiIR8NN6fQ

Rinpoche made the request in June 2018 that 50,000 recitations of the Mantra Promised by the Arya Mother Liberator Herself and 500 Four Mandala Offering to Tara pujas be done by July 12.

FPMT centers, projects, services, and students completed 340,941 mantra recitations and 7,298 Four Mandala Offering to Tara pujas! 

Rinpoche recorded the video message of thanks on August 20, 2018, in Boston, Massachusetts, US.

Watch teachings from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, including recent teachings at Kurukulla Center and Maitripa College, online:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/

More information, photos, teaching schedule, and updates about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche can be found on Rinpoche’s webpage on FPMT.org. If you’d like to receive news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT via email, sign up to FPMT News.

Students and staff from Maitripa College and FPMT International Office greeting Lama Zopa Rinpoche upon his arrival at their shared building, Portland, Oregon, US, August 11, 2018. Photos by Mandala staff.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave an oral transmission of the 8000 verse Prajnaparamitra Sutra over the weekend of August 11-12 at Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon, US. More than 200 students attended the event, including fifteen ordained Sangha members as well as students from other US and international centers and several FPMT center directors and spiritual program coordinators. 

Video recordings of Rinpoche’s teachings at Maitripa are available online:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/maitripa-college-portland-2018/ 

It had been more than four years since Lama Zopa Rinpoche last visited Portland, Oregon, to give teachings. Maitripa College president Yangsi Rinpoche oversaw the details of the well organized event. Volunteers took good care of event attendees. On the second day of teachings, all ordained Sangha were offered a special dinner.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Maitripa College, Portland, Oregon, US, August 2018

On Monday, August 13, Lama Zopa Rinpoche had lunch at FPMT International Office, which is located in the same building as Maitripa College. Rinpoche gave International Office staff members signed copies of “The Method to Transform a Suffering Life into Happiness (Including Enlightenment)” and discussed the practice’s benefits.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche talking to FPMT International Office staff about “The Method to Transform a Suffering Life into Happiness (Including Enlightenment),” Portland, Oregon, US, August 2018

On August 15, His Holiness the Sakya Trichen Ngawang Kunga, who was also in Portland, visited Maitripa College. At the request of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, His Holiness offered an oral transmission of a short Chenrezig practice associated with Thangtong Gyalpo in the Maitripa gompa. Then His Holiness, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and Yangsi Rinpoche had dinner together in the International Office board room. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche making mandala offering to His Holiness Sakya Trichen while Yangsi Rinpoche looks on, Maitripa College, Portland, OR, August 2018

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches next at Kurukulla Center in Massachusetts, US, August 18-20. Rinpoche is scheduled to teach on the Seven-Point Mind Training and will give Red Tara and Vajrasattva initiations. The teachings will be livestreamed. Please check the Kurukulla Center calendar for teaching times.

Find links to watch Rinpoche teach live here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/lama-zopa-rinpoche-live/

Find out more about Kurukulla Center and Rinpoche’s teachings August 18-20:
http://www.kurukulla.org/

For more on Maitripa College:
http://www.maitripa.org/

More information, photos, teaching schedule, and updates about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche can be found on Rinpoche’s webpage on FPMT.org. If you’d like to receive news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT via email, sign up to FPMT News.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Yangsi Rinpoche and Ven. Sangpo visiting a park in Portland, Oregon, US, 2014. Photo by Ven. Holly Ansett.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches at Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon, US, on Saturday and Sunday, August 11-12. Rinpoche is scheduled to give an oral transmission of the 8000 verse Prajnaparamita Sutra on Saturday and a Medicine Buddha jenang on Sunday.

The transmission and preliminary teachings will be streamed live, beginning Saturday at 4 p.m. local time (UTC-7).

Find links to watch Rinpoche teach here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/lama-zopa-rinpoche-live/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Portland, Oregon, US, 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

The following weekend, Rinpoche will teach at Kurukulla Center in Boston, Massachusetts, Friday, August 17-Sunday, August 19.

Rinpoche is scheduled to teach on the Seven-Point Mind Training and will give Red Tara and Vajrasattva initiations.

Friday’s teaching, which will be livestreamed, will begin at 7 p.m. local time (UTC-4). Teachings on Saturday and Sunday are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Video recordings of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings from Portland and Boston will be available to view at any time on the Rinpoche Available Now page on FPMT.org, where you can also find video recordings of all of Rinpoche’s recent teachings:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/

Learn more about Maitripa College and Rinpoche’s teachings August 11-12:
https://maitripa.org/

Find out more about Kurukulla Center and Rinpoche’s teachings August 17-19:
http://www.kurukulla.org/

More information, photos, teaching schedule, and updates about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche can be found on Rinpoche’s webpage on FPMT.org. If you’d like to receive news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT via email, sign up to FPMT News.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ladakhi Lama, the attendant of the previous great Khunu Lama Rinpoche, Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India, March 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

The Buddha’s teaching on the four noble truths are essential to our understanding and practice of Buddhism. Lama Zopa Rinpoche provides clear instruction on this fundamental teaching in his new book The Four Noble Truths: A Guide to Everyday Life, just published by Wisdom Publications.

Here we share a short extract from a longer excerpt published on Wisdom’s blog. In the excerpt, Rinpoche discusses actualizing bodhichitta and offers examples of twentieth century Tibetan masters, including the following. 

… The late Kyabje Khunu Lama Rinpoche, a learned and pure practitioner of bodhichitta, was tutored by the great Buddhist masters in Tibet on philosophy and other types of knowledge. During the early days of Tibetans arriving in India after the Chinese takeover of their country, Khunu Lama Rinpoche lived like a yogi, dwelling with the Hindu sadhus in Varanasi along the Ganges River. One day, clothed like a sadhu—wrapped up in plain cloth and looking unwashed—Rinpoche went to a local Tibetan monastery to ask for a small room. The monks there did not recognize Rinpoche and said no room was available. Rinpoche slept outside on the bare ground, the way the beggars did.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama was visiting that place at the time and knew what was happening, so he went directly to where Khunu Lama Rinpoche was and requested teachings and commentary on the Bodhicaryavatara. Word quickly spread that a great bodhisattva was living there, and soon long lines of people gathered seeking advice from Rinpoche.

Kyabje Khunu Lama Rinpoche was able to recite by heart passages from any root text of the Buddha’s teachings and any of the commentaries. His mind was so robust and totally clear it was most amazing. His holy mind was like the entire Buddhist library.

I once went alone to Rinpoche to request a commentary on the Bodhicaryavatara. Rinpoche declined on that occasion but gave me the complete oral transmission of that text. Rinpoche then told me to translate the Bodhicaryavatara, even though he knew others had already translated it. “You translate,” Rinpoche said to me, advising me that before translating one must know the language and the subject well. I have not yet done the translation, but hope to do so sometime in the future.

I once attended teachings by Rinpoche that went on for a whole day with no break. Rinpoche then approached the wisdom chapter of the Bodhicaryavatara, an unbelievably precious teaching for one who seeks freedom from samsara. However, the minute Rinpoche started teachings on that chapter, I fell asleep. Until that moment I was wide awake. But when Rinpoche began the commentary, sleep overcame me. Some unbelievably bad and heavy negative karma from my past life must have caused that. Imagine—at the wisdom teaching that will bring liberation, I fell asleep!

After the teaching, Rinpoche gave some kambu, which are apricots in a bottle, that I think were from Ladakh. As he gave me the apricots, he said, “Subdue their minds.” I think that that was the last advice I received from Rinpoche. “You have the responsibility to subdue their minds.”

I have not yet subdued my own mind, so I do not know how to subdue the minds of others. But I try to offer advice when I am asked to give teachings. …

Read the entire excerpt from The Four Noble Truths by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, edited by Yeo Puay Huei, on Wisdom Publications blog:
https://wisdomexperience.org/blog/201806/exchanging-self-others

The Four Noble Truths is available for purchase from the FPMT Foundation Store:
https://shop.fpmt.org/The-Four-Noble-Truths-_p_3107.html

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation, and community service.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche doing prayers with Geshe Sopa Rinpoche a month before Geshe Sopa passed into clear light meditation, Deer Park Buddhist Center, Wisconsin, US, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

A student in severe pain wrote to Lama Zopa Rinpoche seeking advice. Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained how to experience the pain for all sentient beings.

It’s very good to think that you are not the only one in pain. My sister has so much pain in her knee all the time, for many years. Also, generally in the world numberless people have so much pain in the hips or in the knees. Geshe Sopa Rinpoche took the aspect of having pain in the knee, but he had an operation and one leg got better, but the other leg was still painful. Geshe-la took that aspect.

There are many people in the world who have pain, not only you, so it’s very good to think this way:

Through my experience of this pain, may all mother sentient beings—the numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, suras, asuras, and intermediate state beings—be free immediately from all disease and spirit harm, including hip and knee pain. May they be free from the cause of the pain, delusion, and karma, and not only that, may they all achieve buddhahood as quickly as possible.

In this way dedicate your pain to all sentient beings.

Recite this like a prayer or a mantra, just like reciting OM MANI PADME HUM or any mantra. This is the best practice to purify all your defilements and negative karma collected from beginningless rebirths, and not only that, to also collect the most extensive merits.

Dedicate to the numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, suras, asuras, and intermediate state beings. In this way you collect the most extensive merits and this causes you to achieve enlightenment, so you are very fortunate, unbelievably lucky.

This advice is from one great yogi called Choje Götsangpa. This is his practice and advice.

This advice, “Experience the Pain for Others,” is from “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book,” published in May 2018 on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/experience-pain-others

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation, and community service.

Vens. Michael Lobsang Yeshe and Thubten Lhundrup offering tsog to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, May 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche sent these words of encouragement and advice in a handwritten card to the monks at Nalanda Monastery.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ven. Sonam Yeshe and Pik Pin Goh from Malaysia, Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, Bendigo, Australia, April 2018. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche spent over two months visiting Australia earlier this year. We’ve created a new photo gallery sharing images from the time he spent at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Atisha Centre, and Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery in Victoria; Buddha House in South Australia; Chag-tong Chen-tong Centre in Tasmania; and Chenrezig Institute in Queensland.

Rinpoche spent six weeks leading the Bodhicaryavatara (A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life) and Rinjung Gyatsa Retreat at the Great Stupa, giving more than sixty teachings. Video recordings of these teachings are available, as well as teachings from Chag-tong Chen-Tong Centre and Chenrezig Institute on FPMT.org’s “Rinpoche Available Now” page. In addition to video recordings, unedited transcripts and audio files from the teachings are also made available on this page.

See new photos from Rinpoche’s visit to Australia:
https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/gallery/australia-april-may-2018/

Find video recordings and unedited transcripts from Rinpoche’s recent teachings:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with elephants, Bendigo, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche sent the following advice to a student who had slowly drifted apart from his son until there was no contact between them. The student had also lost two partners to cancer.

It is very good if you keep a lot of the eight auspicious signs. Keep different kinds—cloth, thangkas or wooden ones—all together or separate. Also there are many images of the four harmonious brothers, so you can try to get different kinds and have them around.

Offering elephant at The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, November 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Yes, it is karma, that is the basic thing. The eight auspicious signs and the four harmonious brothers are for protection from harm and for success.

Do your practice well. Abandon negative karma as much as possible and practice good karma. Especially transform your mind from ego, from self-cherishing, to cherishing others and if possible into bodhichitta.

This advice, “Father and Son Estranged,” is from “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book,” published in June 2018 on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/father-and-son-estranged

A wall hanging of the eight auspicious signs is available from the FPMT Foundation store:
https://shop.fpmt.org/Wall-Hanging–Auspicious-Symbols-_p_2055.html

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation, and community service.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ven. Lobsang Konchok, and Ven. Thubten Tendar cooking dinner for a few students from Buddha House, Adelaide, Australia, May 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

In July 2016 Lama Zopa Rinpoche sent the following advice to a cook at a Dharma center:

The essence of the Mahayana teaching is to let go of the I and to cherish others who are numberless. Even by cherishing one sentient being, that brings enlightenment to you. That means you are able to free all sentient beings from the oceans of suffering and bring them to the peerless happiness, buddhahood—the total cessation of obscurations and completion of realizations.

That is why even if one insect falls in the water, to arise compassion and help that insect is so important. Or if an animal, such as an ant, is attacked by another animal, to help rescue it with compassion. Also to help even one person with problems, with suffering, for example, to help rescue someone or to help someone who is suicidal, to help them not to be suicidal.

It is said in the Chenrezig sutra Well-Condensed Dharma, that you don’t need to follow many Dharmas, only one, which is compassion. If you have compassion then the whole Buddhadharma comes, which means in your heart, all the understanding of the words and all the realizations. The conclusion is that if there is compassion you can achieve enlightenment. Without compassion, no enlightenment.

Ven. Sangpo making the chili for the potato pancakes, Vienna, Austria, September 2017. Photo by Markus Igel.

Relating to cooking, it is very important. As you know, cooking gives so much happiness to sentient beings. What I have heard from Kopan is that the food is very good and even if people don’t like the meditation course, they stay.

So that helps them and even if they do not understand the teachings or the meditations, they stay, and it leaves a positive imprint in their mind. Besides that, they achieve everlasting happiness, nirvana. This is one example related to the Kopan courses in Nepal or the Tushita courses in Dharamsala.

I like to make food for people because it pleases their mind very much. When you know how to make different food delicious, one of the greatest benefits is that you can invite your gurus and make food for them. They enjoy it and you collect the greatest merit and this becomes the greatest purification.

That means especially by pleasing the guru it becomes a quick way to achieve enlightenment. So many negative karmas get purified on the way. By making delicious food, you make the guru happy.

Ven. Lobsang Sherab making potato pancakes, Vienna, Austria, September 2017. Photo by Markus Igel.

Before you made the food offering you would be reborn in the hells but by offering food and pleasing the guru you will be reborn in the pure land, or at least have a perfect human body, meet Dharma and actualize the path, and then achieve enlightenment.

This benefit is not only relating to food, it’s anything that pleases the guru. Previously you would have been reborn in the lower realms, but if you please the guru you will be reborn in the pure realm, or become a human, become a monk. It changes from second to second, your whole karma changes your rebirth.

This is something you must keep in your heart and not forget. This is the way to make your life most meaningful.

This advice, “Cooking as Dharma Practice,” is from “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book,” published in April 2018 on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/cooking-dharma-practice

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation, and community service.