Lama Zopa Rinpoche News

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching in his cave at Lawudo, Nepal, April 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

In early April 2015, Lama Zopa Rinpoche visited Lawudo, near Mount Everest in Nepal’s Solu Khumbu region, which was the home of his previous incarnation known as the Lawudo Lama. During the visit, Rinpoche taught in the meditation cave of the Lawudo Lama. Long-time student Bill Kane recorded Rinpoche in his cave and has posted the video on YouTube. Rinpoche, who was born not far from Lawudo, talks about his early days.

Watch the video: “Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Autobiography in the Lawudo Cave”:
https://youtu.be/xphlJ0iQBzk

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 at a restaurant near Sera Monastery, India, December 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

While eating lunch on Monday, January 11, Lama Zopa Rinpoche was looking at Ven. Roger Kunsang’s mobile phone when a notification arrived with the news that English musician David Bowie had died. So Rinpoche read the news notification and proceeded to do prayers for David Bowie in the restaurant.

The pop star, who was 69 when he died, had had early contact with Tibetan Buddhism in London in the 1960s. Chime Rinpoche has shared a video remembrance of Bowie coming to meet him.

In addition, Rinpoche recently found out that American student Bob Brintz, who had ALS, had passed away several months earlier. When Bob first contacted Rinpoche, he was paralyzed and unable to speak because of his illness and communicated by blinking. Bob, however, still took refuge and bodhisattvas vows with Rinpoche over Skype. Bob wrote about his Dharma practice in the Mandala article “I Will Be Paralyzed and Happy.”

Rinpoche wanted both of these stories to be shared in a blog.

More information, photos 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 the Lama Chöpa puja at Kopan House, Sera Monastery, India, December 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote a student who was requesting Rinpoche as her guru:

“Begin your day with bodhichitta to make the life most meaningful and beneficial for sentient beings, thus transforming your life from iron into gold, not only with Dharma but with bodhichitta motivation.”

From “Request to Be a Guru and Life Practices,” published on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/request-be-guru-and-life-practices

Rinpoche has created the practice, formerly called Daily Meditation, to help students begin their day with bodhichitta:
https://shop.fpmt.org/How-to-Make-My-Lives-Wish-Fulfilling-The-Method-to-Transform-a-Suffering-Life-into-Happiness-eBook-PDF_p_3539.html

More information, photos 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 making offerings to Khyongla Rato Rinpoche after receiving oral transmissions from him, Osel Labrang, Sera Monastery, India, January 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“… In Buddhism whatever suffering you experience is all temporary. It’s not forever,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche said in the advice “Purifying the Karma of Harming Others,” published on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. “Of course, in Christianity, if you are born in hell it is forever. However, in Buddhism, the mind is not oneness with delusion but is only temporarily obscured by delusion, therefore all the suffering and all the causes of suffering, the delusions, can be ceased. When the delusions are ceased then all the karma, which comes from delusion, is ceased. That’s how you receive everlasting happiness, the blissful state of peace for yourself, and not only that, by ceasing the subtle obscurations, you achieve sang gyä, or ‘buddhahood’ in Sanskrit, the total elimination of all the obscurations and completion of all the realizations. To do this you have to actualize the right path.

“It’s like when you are sick. You have to take the right medicine to recover and not just anything that is called medicine. In the same way, to cease the causes of suffering – delusions and karma, the obscurations – you have to actualize the right path and not just anything that is called spiritual. For that, you have to first engage in listening to a qualified teacher, then reflection and meditation practice in order to actualize the meaning of the path in your heart. …”

You can read the complete advice “Purifying the Karma of Harming Others,” in Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book, on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/purifying-karma-harming-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.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) with the new issue of Mandala, Osel Labrang, Sera Monastery, India, January 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“Things appear as truly existent when we fail to analyze them, but when we do analyze them we can see that everything is created by our mind. There is nobody else who has come and created our problems for us – ‘I’m creating your problems’ – they are all created by our mind. We are the creator,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches in “The Room Before It Is Named,” published in the latest issue of Mandala, January-June 2016.

“That is why in his teachings the Buddha said,

You are your own enemy.
And your own guide.
You are the creator of your own suffering.
And you are the creator of your own happiness.

“As I have mentioned, we are the creator of our day-to-day life’s problems, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second, and we are also the creator of our day-to-day life’s happiness, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second. We need to go beyond this life, however, to past and future lives. We have been born as a human being this time, but we are also the creator of all our past and future states, whether as a hell being or a god or whatever. Just as we are the creator of our own samsara, we are also the creator of our own nirvana – the blissful state of peace for ourselves, freedom from the oceans of samsaric suffering – and our own ultimate happiness, the total elimination of all obscurations and the completion of all realizations, the peerless happiness of enlightenment.

“Everything depends on our mind. Everything, whatever we want, is in our hands. If we don’t want nirvana, if we want samsara, it’s in our hands. If we don’t want enlightenment, if we want hell, it’s in our hands. If we want happiness instead of problems, it’s in our hands; it’s all up to us. It depends on how we use our mind. With our body and speech we do actions that lead to happiness or problems, but it all depends on the creator, our own mind. …”

You can read the entire teaching “The Room Before It Is Named” in the new issue of Mandala available through the FPMT Foundation Store or as a benefit of the Friends of FPMT program.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave this teaching at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, London, UK, July 11, 2014. It has been edited by Gordon McDougall for a forthcoming book based on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings in Leeds and London in 2014, which will be published by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive (lamayeshe.com).

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at Kopan House, Sera Monastery, India, January 1, 2016.
Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave a teaching to hundreds of Sangha and lay students at Kopan House at Sera Monastery in India on the evening of January 1. The Jangchup Lamrim teachings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama had concluded, completing a four-year teaching series with His Holiness on the 18 Great Stages of the Path Commentaries. Earlier on New Year’s Day, there was a long life puja for His Holiness at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. 

Rinpoche has been staying at Osel Labrang at Sera Monastery during the 2015 Jangchup Lamrim teachings. During this time, he has been giving advice and teachings to many groups of students from various FPMT centers around the world in addition to Kopan monks studying at Sera and also to Sherpas and local Tibetans. 

His Holiness gave a talk to Westerners attending the Jangchup Lamrim on December 28, a video of the talk as well as news and photos of His Holiness are available on DalaiLama.com.

Learn more about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his beneficial activities by visiting Rinpoche’s webpage on FPMT.org, where you will find links to Rinpoche’s schedule, new advice, recent video, photos and more.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche doing korwa around 1,000 buddhas at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, December 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“If the mind has sunk down and it is difficult to practice, then you must meditate on death and impermanence. That is very important. It takes care of so many problems, solves everything. It cuts attachment to people, places, and things. You stop clinging,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised a student who felt distracted in his practice.

“If you think that you are going to die today then you won’t waste time, you will make sure that you practice, that you do your meditation. Thinking about impermanence and death helps to not get caught up by attachment. It helps to calm the mind. It cuts through the mind getting distracted by external objects, which wastes so much time. When the mind gets distracted, it doesn’t allow you to meditate on guru devotion or do your practice, so one hour, one day, one week goes past like this, completely wasted. Thinking you are going to die today also helps to develop compassion for sentient beings.

“Reflect on impermanence and death thinking, ‘I am going to die today, even this hour, even this minute.’ It is very powerful and takes care of so many things, so many problems are solved. Even if you are angry with somebody, you will see there isn’t any point continuing to be angry because you might die soon.

“So, think about death, the suffering of the lower realms, and the nature of samsara. Also, think about the kindness of sentient beings and how much they are suffering. Think: ‘I am responsible for freeing them from suffering and bringing them to enlightenment.’ Then, depending on whatever delusion is arising, meditate on emptiness or on the three principles of the path.”

From “Cutting Distractions to Practice,” posted in “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book”:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/lama-zopa-rinpoches-online-advice-book

More information, photos 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 in the garden at Osel Labrang, Sera Monastery, India, December 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“Of course by purifying negative karma collected since beginningless rebirth and by collecting extensive merits, this allows you to have realizations on the path to enlightenment and for your mind to change,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote to a student who offered 100,000 Vajrasattva mantras to Rinpoche. “There is always hope the mind can change, even to achieve enlightenment, so you can achieve a higher rebirth, ultimate happiness, liberation from samsara and enlightenment.

“Vajrasattva practice is so important generally, and especially nowadays in the world, when there is not only global warming, but many other problems. There are so many other dangers—of war and sicknesses, cancer, and so many people whom you know are dying. There are so many sicknesses and other conditions for dying.

“This Vajrasattva practice and other purification practices are the ultimate answer, so everything in the world—what you see, every situation—tells you to practice Vajrasattva. To purify and do Vajrasattva practice is the ultimate answer, to stop the cause to be reborn in the lower realms and the immediate [result] is to have a higher rebirth, to make preparation for death and then to meet the Dharma, to meet the virtuous friend who reveals the path to enlightenment. Then to achieve ultimate happiness, to be free from samsara and to achieve enlightenment for the numberless sentient beings and to free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to full enlightenment.”

From “Benefits of Vajrasattva Practice,” posted in “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book”:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/lama-zopa-rinpoches-online-advice-book

The FPMT Foundation Store offers many resources to support students in their Vajrasattva practice: 
https://shop.fpmt.org/search.asp?keyword=vajrasattva&search=

More information, photos 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 an advance copy of his new book ‘How to Enjoy Death,’ Osel Labrang, Sera Monastery, India, December 2015.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s much anticipated book How to Enjoy Death: Preparing to Meet Life’s Final Challenge without Fear will soon be released by Wisdom Publications. Rinpoche just received an advance copy of the book at Sera Monastery, where he is currently staying. The beautifully printed book is a practical guide for students on how to best help loved ones and themselves during the death process.

“We Buddhists all know about death and impermanence, but when death comes into our lives we often panic and don’t know what to do to help,” said Ven. Robina Courtin, who edited the book. “Rinpoche lays out all the instructions so clearly, one step at a time, for how to help our loved ones: what to do in the months and weeks before death, what to do in the hours before death, at the time the breath stops, and in the three days as well as the 49 days after death, including transforming our loved one’s ashes into a holy object.”

In addition to Rinpoche’s advice, How to Enjoy Death includes the mantras, prayers and practices to be said and done, making it a valuable resource. 

“The essential point of all these practices is not just to help our loved ones die well, but to help them get a good rebirth – everything is geared to that,” Ven. Robina stressed. “As Rinpoche says, ‘Helping our loved ones at the time of death is the best service we can offer them, our greatest gift. Why? Because death is the most important time of life: it’s at death that the next rebirth is determined.’”

For more and to take advantage of a special pre-order offer, visit Wisdom Publications’ page for How to Enjoy Death:
https://wisdomexperience.org/book/how-to-enjoy-death

You can also find links to many resources for time of death on FPMT.org/death.

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 during a Lama Chopa tsog in the garden of the Kopan House at Sera Je Monastery, India, December 20, 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

On December 20, Lama Zopa Rinpoche attended a Lama Chopa tsog in the garden of the Kopan House at Sera Je Monastery. In addition to the Kopan monks studying at Sera, several FPMT geshes as well as many IMI Sangha and FPMT students were also in attendance. Those not from Sera are in South India to attend the Jangchup Lamrim teachings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, currently taking place as Tashi Lhunpo Monastery.

On behalf of the FPMT organization, Ven. Roger Kunsang, Rinpoche’s assistant and CEO of FPMT, made the mandala offering while long life prayers were being recited for Rinpoche’s long life. The puja was also dedicated for long-time student Ven. Thubten Labdron (Trisha Donnelly), who had passed away the day before in Australia.

Ven. Roger Kunsang offering mandala to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kopan House, Sera Monastery, India, December 20, 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

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

After the day’s teachings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, students gathered in the garden at Osel Labrang with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who talked to them before giving blessings, Sera Monastery, India, December 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

“On this very important occasion, not only will we have the opportunity to see all the Buddhas’ compassion, but we can see Avalokiteshvara in the dynamic human form of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a form that allows us to communicate with him directly, and we will receive blessings by hearing his holy speech,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote in 2009 in a message to a center that hosted an annual event with His Holiness.

“There is no question that this opportunity is an incredible miracle, like a dream, because it will definitely lead us to the end of samsara. It not only will bring about the elimination of all the dukkhas, the sufferings of samsara, but it also includes the elimination of the cause, which resides in our own minds: the delusions and karma. Even just seeing [His Holiness’s] holy body has the effect of liberating one from dukkha, planting the seed of liberation from samsara and the seed of full enlightenment. It is an unforgettable memory in this life.

“It is extremely beneficial to remember His Holiness the Dalai Lama (his holy body and holy speech) at the time of death, when the last breath ends. Remembering His Holiness definitely results in a positive reincarnation, where one is able to again practice Mahayana Buddhism and to meet His Holiness once again. This is a very good meditation to rely on at the time of death, rather than dying with sorrow. The moment of death is the most critical moment in our life; it determines our next reincarnation, whether it will be suffering or happy. Also, every moment in our life is important — how we live our life, with what attitude, whether goodhearted or egotistical. So, we should attempt as much as possible to put into practice the advice of His Holiness. This will make our life most productive.”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche giving blessings to FPMT Sangha, Osel Labrang, Sera Monastery, India, December 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

Read Rinpoche’s complete “Message to a Center” on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/message-center

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