Lama Zopa Rinpoche News and Advice

Tsog offering during Lama Chopa, Tushita Meditation Centre, Dharamsala, India, September 2018. Photo by Simon Houlton.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche received a question from a student who was experiencing many obstacles to Dharma practice. In addition to doing the practice of the Thirty-Five Buddhas of Confession and Vajrasattva practice, Rinpoche advised doing mandala offerings:

… Yes, there are some people who have many obstacles when listening to teachings, and when they don’t meditate, then nothing happens. For some people it is like this, and it means there is an obstacle to practice.

It is also very good to do mandala offerings. The mandala offering is very important and at the end of Jorcho preliminary practice, when you make the mandala offering, make a request for the three great purposes.

SPECIAL REQUEST FOR THE THREE GREAT PURPOSES

I prostrate and go for refuge to the guru and the Three Rare Sublime Ones: please bless my mind.

Please bless me and all mother sentient beings to immediately cease all the wrong concepts from disrespect to the spiritual friend up to the subtle dual appearances of the white appearance, red increase, and dark near attainment.

Please bless us to immediately generate all the right realizations from respect for the spiritual friend up to the unification of no more learning.

Please bless us to immediately pacify all outer and inner obstacles. (3x)

The first request is to pacify all the wrong concepts up to subtle dual view of the white, red, and dark visions, next is to generate all the correct realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment, and the third request is to pacify the outer and inner obstacles.

Outer obstacles are, for example, when you don’t have freedom and you are told by the king, the government or your parents to do something else, like go into the army or kill others, especially to engage in negative karma. Inner obstacles are diseases and also the delusions. Therefore, doing mandala offerings is very important in your life. Then dedicate the mandala. You have to visualize according to the commentary, that is best, and then you collect unbelievable, unbelievable merits, and you dedicate that merit to achieve these three things. That is very, very important, otherwise if you don’t do that, nothing changes.

You should think these obstacles are good and that they arise because of the benefits of practicing Dharma. Think you are experiencing the past karma now; that your past negative karma is finishing. That is a good thing, it is the benefit of practicing Dharma. It is a good thing.

It is very important if you can think that whatever problem you have, you are experiencing that problem for numberless sentient beings. You are experiencing all the suffering and the cause of the suffering—the delusions and karma—for sentient beings, so you receive that from them and then they achieve dharmakaya. This is unbelievable, unbelievable, most unbelievable purification and a quick way to achieve enlightenment. It’s a quick way to enlighten sentient beings, for them to achieve enlightenment. So mostly take the suffering.

Also give your body as a wish-granting jewel, as numberless, so make charity to all those six-realm sentient beings. Then give your possessions and all your past, present, and future merits to numberless sentient beings, so they receive all the happiness. They receive the happiness of this life and of future lives, and ultimate happiness, liberation from samsara, peerless happiness, enlightenment, so they receive everything. Then rejoice. When you give your body, possessions, and merits as a wish-granting jewel, then everything becomes wish-fulfilling for all the sentient beings. The main thing is that they achieve all that happiness, liberation, and enlightenment.

It is very good to do this as much as possible—taking other sentient beings’ sufferings and giving your happiness, your merits etc., to others. It is so good. Spend more time taking others’ sufferings, experiencing the suffering of others, the numberless sentient beings.

This can change your karma. It is a most unbelievable, most unbelievable way to collect merit and a quick way to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings. This is most powerful purification, and it can change your karma the more you do it.

Read Rinpoche’s complete advice “Purifying Obstacles to Dharma Practice,” posted on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website in January 2019:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/purifying-obstacles-dharma-practice-0

The FPMT Foundation Store makes available the Lama Chopa Jorcho practice book and commentary by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on this heart practice: 
https://shop.fpmt.org/search.asp?keyword=jorcho&search=

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 greeting Khyongla Rato Rinpoche, who is 97 years old, before the long life puja offered to him at Tushita Meditation Centre, Dharamsala, India, February 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

During the 2018 retreat in Australia, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave advice on the main activities to actualize the lamrim. Here is a small excerpt from this teaching:

Lama Tsongkhapa asked Manjushri, “What is the quick way to actualize the lamrim path?”

Manjushri answered, “Three things need to be done. Collecting merits and purification is the first.”

The usual thing is purification by Vajrasattva and so forth, but Vajrasattva is not the only one; there is Samayavajra in particular for the negative karma collected with the guru. But, as I mentioned, the most powerful is what the guru said to do, [to follow] the guru’s wishes, to do that. Pleasing the guru, as I mentioned, is the most powerful way to purify negative karmas and defilements, purifying the obstacles to realizing the path to enlightenment.

Then, with compassion, with a sincere heart, doing hard work for sentient beings, like the bodhisattvas, doing hard work for sentient beings and doing hard work for the Sangha with a sincere mind, with devotion, a sincere mind. Those are the most powerful—as I mentioned yesterday, following the guru’s advice, pleasing the guru’s holy mind, as I mentioned the other night.

Of course, Vajrasattva is known in all the four sects. It is common, but you don’t have to think only of Vajrasattva, “Oh, I need to do three months Vajrasattva,” to have the conditions for that. No, there are so many ways to purify.

As I told the stories the other night, things can change in a minute. In a minute your life, the whole thing, can change—a higher rebirth or lower realms—so then collecting merits. Again the same thing: mandala offering is very common in all four sects, mandala offering with clear meditation. Yes, but of course, again fulfilling the guru’s wishes, pleasing the guru, is, again, collecting the highest merits. Now here it is similar. …

Watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche teach on “Three Main Activities to Actualize Lamrim which Are Found in Lama Chopa”:
https://youtu.be/BsfMxCZxEAE

Colophon: Excerpted from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, April 10, 2018. Simultaneously transcribed by Ven. Joan Nicell. Lightly edited by Laura Miller, March 2019.

Find complete videos of Lama Zopa 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 arriving at the teaching venue during the 100 Million Mani Retreat at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, October 2017. Photo by Piero Sirianni.

During a teaching given at the 2017 100 Million Mani Retreat held at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how we incorrectly see things.

In the text it says that rabrib, or defective view, is like when you have a vision of hair falling down while you are eating food. There is no hair falling down, but you have a vision of that. It is like when you close your eyes—not totally close them, but close them a little bit when the sun is shining—and [it appears as if] there is all kinds of hair going around. So it is the same for rabrib. It appears to you, but it is not there. So that is the example.

The I, action, object, six sense objects, forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, senses, everything, even though it is merely labeled by the mind, it doesn’t appear to me or to you, it doesn’t appear as it is—merely labeled by the mind. Right now, it is merely labeled by the mind. Right before this second, it was merely labeled by the mind. But when it appeared to you, it appears from its own side, existing from its own side, as the real one.

Everything—I, action, object, hell and enlightenment, sense objects, senses—as the Heart Sutra says, all that—elements, the four noble truths, the twelve links—so the real one appearing from there, never came from your mind, nothing to do with your mind. Not merely labeled by the mind, not even came from your mind, just from there. Do you understand what I’m saying? It is a total hallucination. It is decorated, projected there by the ignorance.

It is exactly the same as the hallucinated rabrib. It appeared real, but it is not there. What appeared real to you, what you one hundred percent believe, is not there. This is the same, your daily life—your car, your house, Lama Tzong Khapa Institute—what you see as real is not there.

It is the same as rabrib, as I described—what you see with eyes not completely closed, then you see all these things—but it is not there. It is like when you don’t recognize a dream as a dream. You believe it is real. You see a mirage, you believe the mirage is water, but there is no water. You understand?

While you are walking—real trees, real sky, real road, real pizza—all this, everything is rabrib. You have to meditate like that. You have to practice awareness. …

Watch more from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching on the defective view in this video clip:
https://youtu.be/9BmWT0nDIQc

Colonphon: Excerpted from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, October 13, 2017. Simultaneously transcribed by Ven. Joan Nicell. Edited by Nicole Parisi-Smith and Laura Miller, August 2018.

Find complete videos of Lama Zopa 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 during a puja on Losar, Kopan Monastery, February 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on what to think anytime you are doing a puja:

When doing any puja, you can think, “I am doing this puja for any sentient being who needs this puja.” So motivate for everyone, not for your work or for yourself, and not for money. Then doing the puja becomes Dharma, because of the pure motivation, because of your thought to benefit others.

Then also dedicate for people who are dying or sick, or for anyone who needs it. So all those people who are in so much need for prayers, the puja is for all of them. Whatever you do, try to benefit sentient beings, not just recite prayers.

The whole Buddha Dharma comes to this: to not harm others, and then to benefit others. Just having the mere thought to benefit someone is better than making offerings to numberless Buddhas.

If you follow the mind, which is unsubdued, that harms you and harms numberless sentient beings from life to life. If you practice the good heart, then it only benefits you from life to life.

How do the Kadampa Geshes practice the holy Dharma? They give up their lives for numberless sentient beings, thinking about what is the best for sentient beings. So even when facing sickness or death, think about whatever is of most benefit for sentient beings.

Colophon: Scribed by Ven. Holly Ansett, US, March 2018. Lightly edited by Laura Miller.

See new photos of Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Nepal and India. Find all photo albums of Rinpoche:
https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/gallery/

Find complete videos of Lama Zopa 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 teaching at the Light of the Path 2016 retreat, Black Mountain, North Carolina, US, August 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

In August 2016, during the Light of the Path retreat, Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised students to check carefully when meditating on emptiness.

When many people meditate on emptiness they say that nothing exists. Do you understand? Nothing exists. [When you do that] you are not meditating on emptiness. You are meditating that things don’t exist even in mere name, doesn’t exist, nothing, doesn’t exist. Sorry to say this.

I’m sure I do that a lot. I think I do that a lot if I don’t check well. I think when I meditate I do that normal mistake: even in mere name doesn’t exist, complete nihilism, emptiness meditation that is nihilism. You understand?

Remember this: when you meditate on emptiness check to see whether you are meditating on nihilism or not. Make sure. Keep it in mind. Write it down.

This is a suggestion bringing up my own mistakes. Whether it is really meditating on emptiness, whether meditating on nihilism or not, you have to check.

The Prasangika view of emptiness has to be unified with dependent arising. Dependent arising has to be unified with emptiness. That is the Prasangika view of emptiness, the right view, of renunciation, bodhichitta, and emptiness; it is the right view. …

Watch more of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice on meditating on emptiness in this video clip:
https://youtu.be/NGvh-62rWh4

Colonphon: Excerpted from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings at Light of the Path 2016 retreat, Black Mountain, North Carolina, US, August 16, 2016. Simultaneously transcribed by Ven. Joan Nicell. Edited by Nicole Parisi-Smith and Laura Miller, August 2018.

Find complete videos of Lama Zopa 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 at teachings organized by Gendun Drupa Center, Martigny, Switzerland, November 2018. Photo by Olivier Adam.

During the 2018 retreat in Australia, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained how to find a guru, captured in this excerpt and video clip:

As I mentioned, even if you don’t have a guru but study, at least a short teaching, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, it’s so clear. That is so important. Then you know what you have to do if you want to follow a guru, if you want to practice. Then you know what to do.

Otherwise it is like looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend. You do the same thing—you make looking for a guru like looking for boyfriend or girlfriend. You do some teachings or initiation, then if you don’t like it, you give up, you throw out—not in the garbage, you can’t do that—but it is like that. Then you do it many times like that in this life.

You’re basically following people you know, they guide you, “Go to this lama, go to that lama.” Then another lama comes along. You don’t know how to practice. You don’t try to study. You don’t know that there is something to study. It’s just a very short time. Then another lama comes, just short time, comes and goes, disappears in the sky, ha-ha. Kind of like that. …

So you must read and study. Generally, people don’t know there is something to study, that there is something to read. They don’t know that. Maybe other people don’t tell, so you don’t know. So it is like that.

If you read, then you know whether you can [have them as your guru] or not. Then you see. All the benefits you come to know and all the shortcomings if you make mistakes. You have to be careful, most careful.

Last night I mentioned that just being famous, or just because the guru has many disciples, that alone that doesn’t mean [that you should have them as your guru]. In the West and in Chinese countries, they are very attracted to that, very attracted. Immediately you follow that. Then one without reputation, without many disciples, you give up. Then one with many disciples, very famous, you follow. It is kind of like that.

Many people are like that, because they don’t understand Dharma. Also I’m not saying everyone like that you can’t trust. I’m not saying that. But that alone is not the reason that you can trust them.

Kyabje Zong Rinpoche used to say, “If they are famous, they should be famous in the monasteries,” not just in the West, but famous in the monasteries—Tibetan monasteries, large monasteries. Nyingma and Kagyu have large monasteries. Gelug has Sera, Ganden, Drepung. That many people there trust them, it should be like that.

That is what Kyabje Zong Rinpoche said. He was one lama from who I received many teachings. He was Lama Yeshe’s guru as well. Kyabe Zong Rinpoche himself, and of course many others like him, were very famous in the monasteries. And now many people have known them for many years. That you can understand.

But even in the monasteries, there are many lamas and geshes with many thousands of disciples, so learned in philosophy, still it doesn’t mean you should make a connection with them as a guru immediately to receive teachings and initiations.

Watch the complete teaching “How to Find the Guru” from Lama Zopa Rinpoche:
https://youtu.be/VL5_XcvnPVI

Colophon: Excerpted from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, April 19, 2018. Simultaneously transcribed by Ven. Joan Nicell. Lightly edited by Laura Miller, February 2019.

Find complete videos of Lama Zopa 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 and monks doing incense puja, Kopan Monastery, February 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche sent this advice about developing a good heart to a student who had been offering healing classes at a center for twenty-five years.

As you know, caring for sentient beings, compassion for sentient beings, cherishing sentient beings, opens the door [to limitless qualities.] As it says in Lama Chöpa [LC92] by the great enlightened being Panchen Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen, and as the Buddha also said,

The mind that cherishes mothers and places them in bliss
Is the gateway leading to infinite qualities.
Seeing this, I seek your blessings to cherish these transmigratory beings
More than my life, even should they rise up as my enemies.

This is the best Dharma practice to help others and the best meditation, the best way to practice, the best healing. To develop the good heart and let them practice this is the best psychology, the best meditation, the best Dharma, the best everything. It is the quick way to achieve enlightenment, the quick way to free sentient beings from obscurations and bring them to full enlightenment quickly.

Below are two stories, examples of this. There are many other stories, many that I don’t know, these are just examples.

Asanga meditated in a cave for twelve years and tried to achieve Maitreya Buddha, but nothing happened. After twelve years he came down and saw a wounded dog covered in maggots on the road. He felt unbearable compassion, so he cut flesh from his thigh in order to pick up the maggots and put them on his flesh. He thought if he picked them up with his fingers he might hurt them, so he thought he must pick up each maggot with his tongue. He closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue to pick up the maggots. Suddenly in front of him was Maitreya Buddha, not the wounded dog.

Before, his mind was obscured and he only saw a wounded dog, but after generating unbelievable compassion he purified so much negative karma he had collected in the past. It was unbelievable purification, by generating compassion, and then he was able to see Maitreya Buddha. He immediately grabbed Maitreya’s robes and asked Maitreya Buddha why he had not come sooner, as he had tried to meditate for twelve years in the cave. He asked why he hadn’t seen Maitreya, and Maitreya Buddha replied, “I was there the whole time, but you could not see me. You know the place where you spat in the cave? That’s where I was.” Then Maitreya showed him the stains of spit on his robes.

The other story is about the great yogi Ngagpo Chöpawa who was going to Odi for the tantric practice of action. On the way, near the river, he saw a lady who was completely black in color, covered with leprosy and with pus coming out of her sores. She could not walk and asked him to take her across the river, but he ignored her.

After some time, his disciple Getsul Tsimbulwa came. He was not a gelong but a getsul, with thirty-six vows. The woman asked him the same thing, to take her across the river. Even though he was a monk and was not meant to touch women, he felt unbelievable compassion the minute he saw her, and immediately carried her across on his back. Because he generated unbelievable compassion for her, even though she was dirty and covered with leprosy, even without crossing the whole river, his negative karma was purified and in the middle of the river he saw her as Dorje Pagmo, an enlightened deity and she took him to the pure land of Dagpa Kachö.

Since our mind is ordinary, obscured, there are many things we see as ordinary, when they are not.

From Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice “The Advantages of Cherishing Others,” posted in January 2019 on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/advantages-cherishing-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 offering a khata to a photo of Lama Yeshe at Losang Dragpa Centre, Malaysia, 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Six weeks after Lama Yeshe’s passing in 1984, Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered a personal tribute to his guru, Lama Yeshe. Here’s an excerpt from “Our Heart Jewel, Our Wish-granting Gem,” first published in Wisdom, #2 1984:

For those of us who have received teachings directly from Lama Yeshe, he was incomparably kinder than all the buddhas of the three times. He took care of us like babies, not only by giving teachings. Lama was more than a mother, more than a father to us, suffering as he did in everyday life for us.

He not only looked after our present life, but our future life also. He led us, helped us make preparation for happiness in this life all the way up to enlightenment.

For all of us it is the greatest sadness that Lama has passed away. We have lost our heart jewel, our wish-granting gem. The remarkable aspect that we can see, that we can communicate with, that we can hear advice from: this has gone.

I think it must be the greatest sadness not only for us, but for many other people also, Tibetan and Western, who are not his disciples; people who have just talked to Lama, or met him briefly when he was traveling, at different times and different places all over the world. Or for those who have only read Lama’s teachings or just heard his holy words. Even those who never saw Lama but only heard his voice on a tape recorder. All these people who have felt Lama’s great warmth, his special character, his great loving kindness, his unbearable compassion; I think Lama’s passing must be a great sadness for them, too.

Lama had such great will, such incredible dedication to work for others. He planned great projects, for the benefit of others and to spread the teachings. Not only did he have the visualization of all this but he was able to actualize it; he accomplished his plans, ensured that they were done, he didn’t just imagine them.

There are many learned lamas and geshe, all bearing the name “holy being” and practicing and teaching Dharma, in the East and in the West. And of them Lama is known to be very special; his actions unbearably compassionate, so excellent. The way Lama gave teachings to Western people especially: so suitable, exactly what was needed, perfect for each individual person.

When the sun rises the darkness of the earth is dispelled. In the same way the darkness of ignorance and problems in the mind of so many sentient beings around the world have been dispelled by the sun of Lama’s teachings. Because of him these past few years, since we first met the Russian princess Zina—so much Dharma has spread to dispel the darkness of ignorance. …

Read more from Rinpoche’s tribute to Lama Yeshe:
https://fpmt.org/mandala/archives/older/mandala-for-1984/wisdom-2-1984/our-heart-jewel-our-wish-granting-gem/

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.

Cover of Wisdom, Number 2 1984. Photo of Lama Yeshe by Ueli Minder, taken in Geneva, Switzerland, 1983.

The Tibetan New Year, Losar, falls on February 5 this year. For FPMT students, this day has additional significance as it commemorates the anniversary of the parinirvana of Lama Yeshe, who co-founded FPMT with Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Lama Yeshe’s heart stopped beating just before dawn on Losar, March 3, 1984. He was forty-nine years old.

In 1959, Lama Yeshe fled the Chinese Communists in Tibet, going into exile in India. He survived tremendous hardship living as a refugee monk in Buxa Duar, where Lama Zopa Rinpoche became his student.

Then in 1967, the two lamas began teaching Western students, leading to the establishment and flourishing of Kopan Monastery in Nepal and the FPMT organization throughout the world.

As part of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice on how to celebrate Losar and the Fifteen Days of Miracles, Rinpoche recommends that centers host events to introduce new students to Lama Yeshe. These events might include students who knew Lama Yeshe sharing their favorite stories, watching videos of Lama teaching, or reading stories about Lama.

In that spirit, we’re highlighting Wisdom, Number 2 1984. Wisdom was the precursor to Mandala magazine. Its second issue, published not long after Lama Yeshe’s death, commemorated Lama. The issue included some of the last teaching from Lama Yeshe, a report on his passing, and tributes from Tibetan geshes as well as from Western students.

These words from Lama Yeshe’s teacher Geshe Lhundub Sopa Rinpoche, who knew Lama Yeshe at Sera Je Monastery in Tibet, reflect on Lama Yeshe’s goals and achievements:

“… During these past years Lama Yeshe has done so much beneficial activity for so many people, especially in the West. In fact, these two teachers, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa, have done such a wonderful job. The result is everywhere in the West—so many centers, so many students who follow the teachings seriously.

“And because of all this activity the students have such a wonderful opportunity to meet other teachers, to receive many, many instructions and teachings. Even in Tibet we didn’t have that kind of opportunity! To have high lamas teaching all the time and giving high initiations, to have all this available is very, very rare.

“So, when I see what has happened in the past few years, it makes me really happy, and I feel such admiration for Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa and for their students. It is very difficult to follow a new religion coming from a different culture. It is not easy to accept and to follow deeply, but I see so many of you people are doing so, enthusiastically and with faith. I am really amazed when I see all this, and I rejoice and am very happy. …”

You can read the complete tribute from Geshe Lhundub Sopa Rinpoche:
https://fpmt.org/mandala/archives/older/mandala-for-1984/wisdom-2-1984/we-should-be-very-harmonious-and-try-to-help-each-other/

Find all the article from Wisdom, Number 2 1984:
https://fpmt.org/mandala/archives/older/mandala-for-1984/wisdom-2-1984/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice on practices for Losar and the Fifteen Days of Miracles:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/ideas-and-advice-for-losar-and-the-fifteen-miracle-days-of-chotrul-duchen-2019/

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 Ven. Paldron, Root Institute, India, December 2018. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Root Institute director Ven. Paldron shares news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s recent visit to Bodhgaya, India:

FPMT Spiritual Director Lama Zopa Rinpoche arrived in Bodhgaya, India, just before His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings started on December 22, 2018. Our hearts almost stopped beating at Root Institute when Rinpoche and the entourage missed their connecting flight in Delhi. We were delighted when we heard that they were confirmed on the following flight. A few years back, Rinpoche, after missing a connecting flight, decided to spend time elsewhere instead of visiting Root. So we rejoiced that this time we had created the karma for Rinpoche to visit and stay with us!

The children of Maitreya School, a social service project of Root Institute, were very fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to recite the Heart Sutra twice in front of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a very august audience, including rinpoches, tulkus, and high lamas. His Holiness was happy to see the children once again and was touched by their heart-felt recitation. The students were able to offer His Holiness khatas. Rinpoche was also very pleased to see the children reciting the sutra.

Ganden Tri Rinpoche, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Dagri Rinpoche, and many other lama doing puja, Root Institute, India. Photo by Bill Kane.

Rinpoche very kindly requested Root to host a Hayagriva puja on December 30 to which many high lamas, including Ganden Tri Rinpoche, Jhado Rinpoche, Kelsang Rinpoche, Khadro-la [Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme], and many young tulkus (reincarnate lamas), geshes and Sangha attended. During Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s stay at Root Institute, Rinpoche also met individually with many of his gurus and made offerings to them, as well as met with young tulkus and other lamas.

Rinpoche also participated in the long life puja for His Holiness on December 31, organized by Namgyel Monastery and other Tibetan organizations at the Kalachakra grounds. Rinpoche was able to offer to His Holiness a beautiful Dharmachakra on behalf of the FPMT organization. Later that day, Rinpoche very kindly attended the Lama Chopa tsog puja in Root Institute’s big gompa with protector prayers and purification practices to close out 2018 and to usher in the New Year. Rinpoche did further extensive protector prayers at the start of the New Year to remove all obstacles ,often going late into the night and the early morning.

Front row: (from left) Pema Wangmo, director in training, Tushita Meditation Centre; Ven. Thubten Dekyong (Tsen-la), director, Maitreya Buddha Project, Bodhgaya; Lama Zopa Rinpoche; Ven. Tenzin Paldron, director, Root Institute; Ven. Tenzin Kunphen, spiritual program coordinator, Root Institute. 2nd row: Capucine Redon, coordinator, Tushita satellite study group in Goa; Ven. Tenzin Legtsok, director, Sera IMI House; Renuka Singh, director, Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre; Archhana Kombrabail, acting director, Tushita Meditation Centre; Ven. Tashi, meeting notetaker; Adriana Ferranti, director MAITRI Charitable Trust; Shanti Yajnik, director, Choe Khor Sum Ling. Back row: Phil Hunt, MAITRI Charitable Trust; Ven. Kabir Saxena, chairman, Maitreya Project; Deepthy Chandrasekhar, national co-coordinator, FPMT India; Drolkar Maree Court, spiritual program coordinator, Root Institute.

On the last day of the India FPMT national meeting, January 3, Rinpoche graced us with his presence, offering teachings and blessings in the small gompa. Rinpoche emphasized the importance of centers and the work they do and the necessity of working harmoniously and compassionately.

Rinpoche invited several high lamas to lunch, including Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche, who spent New Year’s afternoon with us answering questions, His Eminence Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, and other high lamas. On one such occasion Ling Rinpoche made an impromptu visit to the Shakyamuni Buddha Community Health Care Clinic and blessed the staff, medicines, and the clinic. We were very grateful. We were also delighted that Dagri Rinpoche taught at Root early in the year giving us a Lama Tsongkhapa and Medicine Buddha jenangs and teachings on the Heart Sutra. Lama Zopa Rinpoche invited Dagri Rinpoche to lunch on several occasions, and it was wonderful to see their joyous faces together.

Lunch offered after puja, Root Institute, India. Photo by Bill Kane.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche made regular visits to the Mahabodhi Stupa during the evenings—doing circumambulations, reciting prayers, making extensive offerings and dedications, and also giving short teachings. Rinpoche’s offerings would include eight to ten trays of flower offerings (or about 80 small plates of flowers). Rinpoche also offered twelve monk’s begging bowls full of fresh fruit, robes, and khatas to the Buddha statue in the main temple.

Rinpoche kindly gave two public teachings aimed particularly at the Indian staff (although everyone was invited) about the necessity of a good heart and living a life in service to others and rejoicing in the opportunity to be working at a Dharma center.

Offering robes to the Buddha statue at the Mahabodhi Stupa, Bodhgaya, India. Photo by Bill Kane.

In front of the Nagarjuna statue at Root on Sunday, January 13, Rinpoche gave an extensive, inspiring, and very precious teaching on emptiness and dependent arising and how by clinging to the notion of an inherently existent I—ignorance—we continually create the root of samsara and our own suffering. As long as we do this, Rinpoche reminded, we are a slave to the I and to samsara and can never experience freedom or liberation. Therefore, it is important for us to be mindful of this erroneous notion of I that we are clinging to every moment of our life reminding ourselves that this I is empty, not truly existent and seeing the unfolding of events in our life as a dream.

Rinpoche repeated this theme during a magnificent Heruka Lama Chopa offering on January 16 in the big gompa, which lasted over four hours!  During this marathon session Rinpoche did protector prayers, purification practices interspersed with teaching reminders about our motivation, guru devotion, and emptiness.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the Mahabodhi Stupa, Bodhgaya, India. Photo by Bill Kane.

A special and big thank you to our wonderful and extraordinary team of volunteers and staff for their dedicated, compassionate, creative, and inspiring service to meet all the needs of the center during this incredibly busy and blessed time period.

We are incredibly grateful to all that Rinpoche has given to all sentient beings at Root so far. We pray for Rinpoche’s long, healthy stable life and that we continue to receive Rinpoche’s teachings, blessings, and advise so that we too can become quickly enlightened for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Read more about His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s recent teachings in Bodhgaya, in a new online feature story by Cynthia Karena:
https://fpmt.org/mandala/in-depth-stories/his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-teaches-in-bodhgaya/

Learn more about Root Institute by visiting their website:
https://www.rootinstitute.ngo/

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 petting Shamatha the cat who had jumped up onto Rinpoche’s throne, Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal, December 2018. Photo by Bill Kane.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave the following advice to a student who had asked Rinpoche how to benefit a very sick twenty-one year old cat.

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one, I heard you wanted very much to come here but you have a cat that is twenty-one years old and is very sick, so you couldn’t come. I understand, that’s very good taking care of the cat.

It’s good to recite the Maitreya Buddha mantra in the cat’s ear. That causes the cat to never be reborn in the lower realms, to have a higher rebirth, and to meet the Dharma. Also recite Medicine Buddha mantra, Chenrezig Buddha mantra, Milarepa Buddha mantra, and Lotus Pinnacle of Amoghapasha mantra: OM PÄDMO USHNISHA VIMALE HUM PHAT. Recite these mantras several times each day.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at an Animal Blessing Day organized by Ganden Tendar Ling with relics, circumambulation of holy objects and altar table, and more, Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Also recite the Three Principal Aspects of the Path and different lamrim prayers. The most important thing is to take the cat around holy objects. If you can, make an altar on a table and put many holy objects on the table, piled up—tsa-tsas, buddha statues, pictures, and texts, then take the cat around, on the same level as the altar. Put pictures of buddhas, statues, and tsa-tsas, as many as possible, then go around that.

However many holy objects are there—one hundred or one thousand— each time the cat goes around the holy objects, it creates that many causes of enlightenment. It is good to have many tsa-tsas there and to take the cat around them as much as you can before he dies, otherwise there is nothing much you can do.

Here is a powa pill. When the cat dies, put it on his crown with butter and honey.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche reciting mantras for a very sick elderly cat, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pisa, Italy, October 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

It is very kind of you to take care of this cat for twenty-one years. Perhaps the cat could also be a recent family member, for example, if your father or mother died, or sometimes it could be your wife from a past life. It could be anything.

Please continue to make your life most meaningful for every sentient being with bodhichitta. Thank you very much. I hope to see you soon.

This advice, “Practices to Benefit a Cat,” is from “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book,” published in December 2018 on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/practices-benefit-cat

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 water offering, preta offering, and offering to Dzambala near the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, April 2018. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave the following teaching during the retreat at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Australia in April 2018:

Whatever you do to please the guru, just there [by doing that], without even doing many hundreds of thousands of prostration, your karma changes. If you’re going to be reborn in the lower realms, in the hell realms, just in that minute [that you please the guru], [your karma] changes to being born in a pure land, perfect human rebirth. You have to know this, and practice mindfulness.

Because of the guru’s kindness, it is like this. Whether you are with the guru or whether you are far away, it doesn’t matter. Just within that minute everything changes without needing to go through all these preliminary practices. You understand? You have to pick up the point. Like my teacher Geshe Rabten, you have to keep your mind always on the one thing that brings you to enlightenment quickest, that frees you from samsara quickest. Your whole life you meditate, meditate, but it is not sure [the result].

You have to understand the most important point—the profit in your life, not talking business profit but Dharma profit, the biggest profit, Dharma practice—the quickest way to achieve enlightenment and become free from samsara. You have to know this and practice this example, whether you are close to your guru or whether you are far.

By pleasing the guru all the buddhas become pleased. By fulfilling the guru’s holy wishes and advice, every day, every hour, minute, second, living in the vow, monk or nun or lay vow, whatever, I’m just giving different examples. In this way you fulfill the guru’s holy wishes and advice. Then also pleasing the guru by doing retreat, that retreat the guru advised, then with each mantra you recite, you get closer, very quickly, you become closer to liberation. You become free from samsara. Each time as you recite what the guru advised you, you get closer to enlightenment, each time you recite the mantra.

Even this work is fulfilling the guru’s wishes, advice. So the work you do—each step you walk in order to fulfill the guru’s wishes and advice, building a monastery, shopping, or whatever—each footstep you make, you become further from samsara and closer to enlightenment, closer to being free from samsara, and closer to bringing all sentient beings to enlightenment. Teaching Dharma, talking to people, or talking to the workers, whatever, doing what the guru advised, wishes, in each second you are further and further from samsara, instead of closer you become further from samsara and closer to enlightenment, to being able to free sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment. All that, closer and closer. Everything that is fulfilling the guru’s wishes and advice, for you the benefit is like that. …

Watch the complete teaching by Rinpoche on “The Most Essential Thing to Achieve Enlightenment”:
https://youtu.be/gbqxWtQenq4

Colophon: Excerpted from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, April 8, 2018. Simultaneously transcribed by Ven. Joan Nicell. Lightly edited by Laura Miller, February 2019.

Find complete videos of Lama Zopa 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.