Lama Zopa Rinpoche News and Advice

Lama Zopa Rinpoche circumambulating the stupa in the backyard of Kachoe Dechen Ling, California, November 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“The stupa in the backyard of Kachoe Dechen Ling, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s home in California, was built for Rinpoche’s dog – called ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ – to circumambulate,” shared Ven. Roger Kunsang, Rinpoche’s long-time assistant. “Rinpoche was very skillful to not mention it was the for the dog until the stupa was finished.”

You can read Rinpoche’s advice on circumambulation, featured in Mandala July-September 2009, to learn more about this powerful practice for accumulating merit and purifying negativities.

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche choosing flower offerings for Kachoe Dechen Ling, California, September 21, 2013. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

Watch video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche shopping for flower offerings. Kachoe Dechen Ling, Rinpoche’s house in California, has many holy objects surrounded by beautiful and carefully arranged flower offerings. In this video, Rinpoche walks around a garden center with some of the flowers he’s picked out.

You can watch more videos of Rinpoche on “Lama Zopa Rinpoche Video” page.

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche doing prayers, sitting on the floor in his room at Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, California, November 2, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“Lama Zopa: you can study Dharma a long time but if you don’t give up attachment you’re not practicing Dharma … Cause of happiness.”

– From Ven. Roger Kunsang’s Twitter page, posted on September 7, 2013

Ven. Roger Kunsang, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s assistant and CEO of FPMT Inc., shares Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s recent pith sayings on Ven. Roger’s Twitter page. (You can also read them on Ven. Roger’s Facebook page.)

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing mantras, Kachoe Dechen Ling, California, October 21, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessed the mantras to go into some statues “just after lunch – night time, 7:30 p.m.,” said Ven. Roger Kunsang, Rinpoche’s assistant and CEO of FPMT. “Dinner’s around midnight or after.” 

Vens. Tsering, Sangpo and Sherab with Rinpoche, Kachoe Dechen Ling, October 21, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Vens. Tsering, Sangpo and Sherab rolled the mantras for the statues offered during a long life puja and set up the consecration ceremony with Rinpoche. 

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ven. Roger Kunsang arriving at Land of Medicine Buddha, California, September 21, 2013. Photo by Chris Majors.

From Ven. Roger Kunsang:

Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, California, October 31, 2013 — 

Sunday, October 13, 5 p.m., Rinpoche is giving the Amitabha long life initiation in San Jose at Gyalwa Gyatso Buddhist Center. Good timing as usually initiations with Rinpoche are late-night events or even all-night events. As this is a long life initiation, it should be given in the morning. Well, it started in the morning, at about 10 a.m., and with no break for lunch, it was still going into the evening. All the students attending seemed happy and relaxed even though they missed lunch. Rinpoche taught throughout the day, and only when evening came did he start the initiation … and finished it quite quickly!

As Rinpoche always says the main benefit is in the lam-rim/motivation prior to the initiation. His Holiness the Dalai Lama often says the same. One of the main reasons for giving the Kalachakra initiation, His Holiness says, is to get a lot of people in one place to hear the lam-rim teachings that happen prior to giving the Kalachakra. “[It’s] my business,” His Holiness says. “I offer Kalachakra initiation to get as many people here as possible for the lam-rim. If I just offer the lam-rim, most won’t come, just the Sangha.”

Rinpoche started the preparation at about 8:30 a.m. At around 10:30 a.m., the motivation for the initiation started. At around 6 p.m., Rinpoche had been sitting without food for nearly 10 hours, so I cut up a banana and offered it to Rinpoche while he was teaching. (We have to be careful of Rinpoche’s sugar level going to low.) Rinpoche ate two small slices and quickly continued the initiation.

Rinpoche was giving the Amitabha initiation sitting on a chair, the same aspect as Maitreya. Rinpoche did this because the initiation was given to him by His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, one of the main high lamas of the Sakya tradition, while sitting in a chair. His Holiness Dujom Rinpoche, the main high lama of the Nyingma tradition, gave the initiation to Chogye Trichen Rinpoche while sitting in a chair. Sitting in a chair giving the initiation is part of this tradition, and actually, most of the people at Gyalwa Gyatso Center were receiving the initiation sitting in chairs!

Lama Zopa Rinpoche preparing for Amitabha long life initiation at Gyalwa Gyatso Buddhist Center, California, October 13, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

In the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, Lama Zopa Rinpoche was giving the Heruka Body Mandala commentary at Vajrapani Institute in California and was to give the Amitabha initiation later in Texas where student Dr. Chu Nan Lai and the Chinese community there had requested the initiation. After finishing at Vajrapani, Rinpoche said to me near the end of the Heruka commentary, “I have to receive the Amitabha initiation before I can give it!” His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche was teaching in Boston at the time, so Rinpoche said he would request the initiation from Rinpoche so he could give it in Texas.

The difficulty was that there was very little time (a few days) before Rinpoche had to give the initiation in Texas and we had so much luggage (mostly texts) and there was only Rinpoche and me. It was complicated for a number of reasons, mainly because arrangements were last minute. So this was the plan: I made the arrangement for Rinpoche to fly alone across the US to Boston where at the airport Tim McNeill was to pick up Rinpoche and drive straight to where Chogye Trichen Rinpoche was waiting to give the initiation to Rinpoche. As soon as the initiation was finished, Tim had to drive Rinpoche straight to the airport in Boston and then Rinpoche alone would board the flight to Houston, Texas where I would meet Rinpoche. I wrote all the details down for Rinpoche as Rinpoche had not flown alone before. I was nervous about doing this, but there seemed no choice.

Amitabha Buddha thangka. Image courtesy of FPMT Foundation Store.

The next day it all happened. Rinpoche flew to Boston and arrived in the morning. The initiation happened immediately, and as soon as it finished, Rinpoche was driven to the airport and on the flight from Boston to Houston, Texas. I was in Houston waiting at the airport with Chui Nan Lai and many students for Rinpoche to arrive on his flight. It was late night and Rinpoche was on the last flight (in fact, the airport was closing). The flight landed and everyone came off. But there was no Rinpoche. People got worried, but I said its OK as Rinpoche is always the last off the flight because he always waits till everyone else leaves. We waited. I was getting worried, so we asked the flight attendant, and she said there was no Tibetan lama on the flight! Then we spoke to another agent and she checked what happened. She said something happened in Cincinnati as Rinpoche had to change flights there. (This was the part I was worried about, but I had given Rinpoche a note explaining the details of the transit, so was hoping it would be OK.) Rinpoche had missed his connection in Cincinnati and had been put on a later flight and that flight was landing now in another airport on the other side of Houston.

We all rushed and drove across the city hoping to get there in time to meet the flight. When we arrived, the flight had landed and the airport was closing, but there was no Rinpoche in sight! Students split up and went in different directions searching for the lost Rinpoche who had to give the newly acquired Amitabha initiation the next day. We couldn’t find Rinpoche anywhere … so strange! So we went outside the airport to look. I went into the park close by. Now it was late at night, so dark … small nervous freak-out happening … but suddenly I came across Rinpoche sitting cross legged in the dark under a bush! I was very relieved, but at the same time couldn’t help but ask Rinpoche why he hadn’t stayed in the airport where we could find him easily; we were all really worried. Rinpoche said simply, “You found me didn’t you!”

Next day the initiation happened and all were very happy.

Rinpoche and I were then scheduled to fly to Nepal for the November course. This was at the end of a long international teaching tour. Actually, it began several years before (when Lama Yeshe passed away) and hadn’t stopped. It just went on and on. From one center to another, we barely had two or three days between centers; it was a really grueling, hard day’s night that never ended; days and nights merged; weekends didn’t exist; years went by. I would always be asking Rinpoche to consider rest, to just take one day off, even a few hours at night, but Rinpoche would always ignore me. After some years, I asked Rinpoche what does “rest” mean to Rinpoche? Rinpoche said, “Abiding in virtue.” After that, I think I gave up on the rest issue and the phrase that immediately arose in my mind so vividly was “this is the bodhisattva’s way of life!”

Ven. Roger Kunsang, Land of Medicine Buddha, September 21, 2013. Photo by Chris Majors.

Anyway, we were now in Houston and Rinpoche said to me, “Maybe you need a little holiday.” I was really surprised to hear Rinpoche say this. It had been many years constantly on the road and suddenly Rinpoche was talking about me having a holiday. Rinpoche said we could stop in Hawaii on the way back to Nepal and stay two days at our center there. It was really hard to believe, but of course I made the arrangements. We arrived in Hawaii and the center directors Molly and Danny picked us up and we drove to the small center on the big island. It was supposed to be a relaxing time, but it got busy almost as soon as we arrived with pujas for people. Tormas had to be made, and I was the torma maker. So the weekend was busy. We were scheduled to leave on a flight Monday morning very early. Sunday evening, just after it got dark, Rinpoche said, “Oh! I forgot about Roger’s holiday, where shall we go? So we drove along the coast in the dark, and Danny and Molly pointed out the nice beaches as we drove, which you couldn’t see in the dark, and we returned to the center after 45 minutes. So that was the holiday. We left early the next morning. Rinpoche seemed very happy that Roger had had his holiday: 45 minutes’ drive in the dark. (I’m not complaining … it was just shorter than I thought and the lights were out.)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an organization dedicated to preserving Mahayana Buddhism through offering the Buddha’s authentic teachings and to facilitating reflection, meditation, practice and the opportunity to actualize and directly experience the Buddha’s teachings. Sign up to receive news and updates.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Land of Medicine Buddha, California, September 21, 2013. Photo by Chris Majors.

“Lama Zopa: when I am requesting someone to help a Dharma project, I am not only aiming to benefit the receivers but also the donors as well.”

– From Ven. Roger Kunsang’s Twitter page, posted on October 13, 2013

Ven. Roger Kunsang, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s assistant and CEO of FPMT Inc., shares Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s recent pith sayings on Ven. Roger’s Twitter page. (You can also read them on Ven. Roger’s Facebook page.)

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at long life puja, Land of Medicine Buddha, California, September 29, 2013. Photo by Chris Majors.

Lama Zopa: very important to write down what you want to practice at the time of your death. Otherwise death comes and u freak out!

Lama Zopa: what makes death very difficult – worldly concern … 8 worldly dharmas … attachment! What helps … Good heart!

– From Ven. Roger Kunsang’s Twitter page, posted on October 13, 2013, during the preliminary teaching before the Amitabha long life initiation at Gyalwa Gyatso Buddhist Center, California

Ven. Roger Kunsang, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s assistant and CEO of FPMT Inc., shares Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s recent pith sayings on Ven. Roger’s Twitter page. (You can also read them on Ven. Roger’s Facebook page.)

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

Vens. Tsering, Namgyal, Sangpo, Sherab and Roger guiding the large Namgyälma mantra board through the waves while a dolphin swims by in the background, California, October 26, 2013. Photo by Ven. Holly Ansett.

When Lama Zopa Rinpoche stays at Kachoe Dechen Ling, his home in Aptos, California, Rinpoche regularly goes to the ocean to do prayers and practices to benefit the ocean and all sentient beings living in it. Rinpoche and Sangha take a specially made board with the Namgyälma mantra on it and submerge it in the water so its blessings are spread throughout the ocean. Often the mantra board is lowered on ropes into the water from a pier. It has also been pulled along by a boat.

Rinpoche on the beach doing prayers and mantras for blessing the ocean while Sangha move the mantra boards through the waves, California, October 26, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Most recently, however, Sangha took two mantra boards directly into the frigid cold waters of the Pacific Ocean while Rinpoche said prayers and mantras on the beach. One of the mantra boards taken out is new and very large. 

Namgyälma mantra boards in action in the Pacific Ocean, October 26, 2013. Photo by Ven. Holly Ansett.

During the recent long life puja for Rinpoche at Land of Medicine Buddha, Rinpoche was offered a 5-by-7-foot (1.5-by-2.1-meter) Namgyälma mantra board. The board was designed by Peter Griffin, a sculptor in the UK, and made from resin and fiberglass cast from a mold. Pam Cayton organized the creation of the large mantra board.

The huge Namgyälma mantra board being presented to Lama Zopa Rinpoche during the long life puja, Land of Medicine Buddha, September 29, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

The older and smaller mantra board, also designed by Peter Griffin, measures 3-by-4-foot (0.9-by-1.2-meter) and is quite heavy. 

Older mantra board

“The Namgyälma mantra is extremely powerful,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches. “[It] is the main mantra to purify and liberate beings from the lower realms, purify negative karma, and help those who are dying or have died by chanting it in their ear or placing it on their body.”

Rinpoche’s advice continues:

“For instance, if this mantra is placed on a mountain, the entire mountain becomes blessed and any people, animals or insects who touch or climb the mountain are purified of negative karma and liberated from the lower realms. If you hang this mantra as a banner, then even the shadow from the banner purifies the negative karma of anyone who comes in contact with it. Similarly, if this mantra is hung in your home, everyone in the house, not only people, but all of the animals and insects, will be purified of their negative karma and liberated from the lower realms. And it is excellent to have this mantra on your car, on the inside roof, on the passenger side visor, or on the outside of the car. This way, every time someone enters your car they are blessed by the power of this mantra. Also, any animal that touches the car, is killed in an accident, or is run over by the car, including extremely tiny insects that you can’t see, they are completely purified.”

The FPMT Foundation Store offers many protection items with the Namgyälma mantra including cards, decals and amulets.

Vens. Sangpo and Holly with smaller mantra board, California, October 26, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“By having this mantra on the car, or house window, then even the shadow will bless sentient beings. The dust, wind, water and rain that touches it with the Namgyälma mantra becomes blessed so that any person or animal or insect who comes in contact with the dust, wind, water or rain becomes purified,” Rinpoche said.

“I suggest that you give copies of this mantra sticker to other people in your community and explain the benefits of it. We need to print more Namgyälma stickers, many different sizes for others to use in the car, home, motorbike, bicycle, etc.”

You can read more about “The Benefits of Namgyälma Mantra” in an article from Mandala August-September 2008. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an organization dedicated to preserving Mahayana Buddhism through offering the Buddha’s authentic teachings and to facilitating reflection, meditation, practice and the opportunity to actualize and directly experience the Buddha’s teachings. Sign up to receive news and updates.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Robbie Solick, Santa Cruz, California, US, September 30, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

How far are we ever from our guru? Lama Zopa Rinpoche by chance met Robbie Solick, an early student of Lama Yeshe and Rinpoche, while out on the street in Santa Cruz. Rinpoche’s assistant Ven. Roger Kunsang said that Robbie took the Vajrasattva initiation in 1972, the first time Lama Yeshe gave it.

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Land of Medicine Buddha, California, US, September 21, 2013. Photo by Chris Majors.

From Ven. Roger Kunsang’s Twitter page, posted on October 5 and September 15 respectively:

Lama Zopa: your Guru gives you teachings and then puts you in the situation so you have to practice that… Lojong.

Lama Zopa: In samsara always difficulties arise, the cause has been created, so take hardships as ornaments and have courage and endurance.

Ven. Roger is Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s assistant and CEO of FPMT Inc. He regularly shares Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s recent pith sayings on Twitter. (You can also read them on Ven. Roger’s Facebook page.)

Learn more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), and Rinpoche’s vision for a better world. Sign up to receive news and updates. 

Flowers offerings at Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, California, October 18, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Beautiful flowers and gardens surround Kachoe Dechen Ling, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s home in California. The flowers are part of the many, many offerings at Rinpoche’s home and are due to the inspiring vision of Rinpoche, the work of gardener Nancy Davis and the daily care of resident Sangha, especially Vens. Anet and Namgyal.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Nancy Davis, Aptos, California, September 30, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

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

Dagri Rinpoche making offerings to Lama Zopa Rinpoche during long life puja, Land of Medicine Buddha, California, September 29, 2013. Photo by Chris Majors.

You can watch video of the entire long life puja offered to FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche, including the special dance of the five dakinis (begins at 53:00). The long life puja was held on Sunday, September 29, 2013, at Land of Medicine Buddha (LMB).

According LMB’s news page: “Lama Zopa Rinpoche said in a conversation with Dagri Rinpoche that he enjoyed the long life puja very much and was very pleased for several reasons. Firstly, the dakini dance was very good, unlike anything he has seen before. Secondly, a lot of old students came. It is very good they were there.”

The offering of the long life puja with the five dakinis is one of the practices that centers can undertake according to advice given by Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health and long life.

Tenzin Ösel Hita, the recognized reincarnation of FPMT founder Lama Yeshe, attended the long life puja and offered Rinpoche praises that Tenzin Ösel had composed. 

The long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche was offered by FPMT Inc. Board of Directors and FPMT North America with logistical support from local FPMT centers and projects. 

Thanks to Ven. Tenzin Jangchub for doing the live stream of this event and providing the recorded video to FPMT.

Photographer Chris Majors captured the long life puja. You can see all of his photos from the festive and beautiful day on Chris’ Flickr page.

Learn more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), and Rinpoche’s vision for a better world. Sign up to receive news and updates.