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Lama Zopa Rinpoche News and Advice
Lama Zopa Rinpoche and others walking toward Trulshik Rinpoche’s monastery, Thubten Choling, Nepal, April 2017. A little above the monastery, where retreat huts are visible, is where Zina Rachevsky did her retreat. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
In the late 1960s, Zina Rachevsky requested Dharma teachings from Lama Yeshe—and that was the beginning of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching Westerners and the planting of the seed that became FPMT. The story is told in detail here. In 1973, Zina Rachevsky undertook a retreat in Nepal near Junbesi, in the Solu Khumbu District. During the retreat, she fell sick, and despite taking medicine, died within a few days.
Ven. Bu Norbu, who helped Zina at the time of her death, Nepal, April 2017. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
While visiting lower Solu Khumbu in April 2017, Lama Zopa Rinpoche went to Thubten Choling, the monastery founded by Trulshik Rinpoche, which was very close to where Zina did her final retreat and passed away. There, Rinpoche heard a first-hand account of Zina’s passing. Rinpoche met with Ven. Bu Norbu, an elderly monk from Thubten Choling who was there at the time. He told Rinpoche about how he had been a friend of Zina and helped her when she was staying above the monastery with her daughter Rhea. He was present when Zina died.
Vens. Roger, Tenzin Legtsok, and Ailsa Cameron were able to walk with him up to the site where Zina’s hut had been, although it is no longer there. A new retreat house is under construction on the same site, with a spectacular view of forested hillsides stretching down to the river valley far below.
With Ven. Legtsok translating, Ven. Bu Norbu told the story of Zina’s passing. This is what he shared as recorded by Ven. Ailsa Cameron:
Ven. Bu Norbu, who was around thirty years old at the time, knew Zina and her daughter, Rhea, well. Zina would shave Bu’s head, and Rhea would tease him by sneaking up on him while he was reading his text and scattering the pages. When Zina suddenly became ill with stomach pain, Trulshik Rinpoche was away in Tengboche, in upper Solu Khumbu. When contacted, Rinpoche sent a message that Zina should take medicine for her illness. Zina had a plentiful supply of Western medicine, which she took, but her condition rapidly deteriorated over the following two days.
Shortly before Zina died, the military police, who had heard that Zina was seriously ill and close to death, came to the retreat house to ask what would be done with Zina’s money and possessions. Rhea, only seven years old at the time, spoke nicely to the police, explaining that there was nothing to worry about as everything had already been given to two Western monks (one of them the American monk, Ngawang Chötak) staying at the monastery. Bu said about Rhea, “She was very brave and clear when she spoke to the military police.”
Bu explained that Zina died sitting up, reciting mantras, and holding a mala in one hand and Rhea’s hand in the other. He added, “Zina was unlike other people.” After Zina’s breath stopped, she remained in meditation for three days, still sitting upright. Bu said that during that time she looked alive.
After three days Zina’s face sagged and its color changed, and her body began to smell. Her body was then carried across the valley to be cremated at Thubten Choling’s consecrated cremation site, which has a mandala etched on a large stone and earth brought from many holy cemeteries in India.
Zina Rachevsky with Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche before her ordination, 1967. Photo via Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
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 Geshe Lozang Rinchen and dogs in front of Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery (a branch of Kopan Monastery), Solu Khumbu, Nepal, March, 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
New photo albums have been added to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Photo Gallery, where you can see Rinpoche in action as he travels around the world! Visit FPMT’s website to see a new photo album showing Rinpoche’s March-April visit to Nepal. Albums from 2017 can be found at:
https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/gallery/#2017
Rinpoche spent the beginning of the year in India, visiting Root Institute, Maitreya School, and Maitri Charitable Project in Bodhgaya; going on pilgrimage to the ruins of Nalanda University and the stupa at Sarnath; and being offered a long life puja at Yulo Koepa (Tara Temple) in Sarnath, which is a project of Kopan Nunnery. In late February, Rinpoche returned to Kopan Monastery in Nepal for Losar (Tibetan New Year) and the March enthronement of Thubten Rigsel Rinpoche, the reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup.
Rinpoche then spent time at Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, which is a branch of Kopan Monastery and next to Sagarmatha Lower Secondary School, in lower Solu Khumbu District. Rinpoche blessed the children who are students at the school, which is overseen by Kopan Monastery and supported by FPMT’s Social Service Fund. Rinpoche made a visit to Thubten Choling Monastery in Junbesi. Then he went to Maratika Caves in Khotang District.
Children of Sagarmatha Lower Secondary School lined up on the assembly ground with Lama Zopa Rinpoche in background. The older children look after the younger ones. Chailsa, Nepal, March 2017. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Rinpoche has most recently been teaching in Mongolia. [Please see “CORRECTED–Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Mongolia: Update,” to read the corrected version of this post on Rinpoche’s Mongolia visit.]
More information, photos and updates about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche can be found on Rinpoche’s homepage. If you would like to receive news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche via email, sign up to Lama Zopa Rinpoche News.
A mother and daughter offer khatas to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Penang, Malaysia, April 2016. Photo by Bill Kane.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche often talks about mother sentient beings—but what does he say about actual mothers?
Rinpoche wrote to a student in 2014 about how to think about her mother, saying, “The way to think is that you received all the past happiness from beginningless time from your mother, and on top of that all your present happiness, and on top of that all the future happiness. Not only this life’s happiness, but ultimate happiness, liberation from samsara—the total cessation of all the obscurations and the completion of all the realizations—full enlightenment.”
He added, “Your mother is most kind, most dear, most precious, your wish-fulfilling one, therefore from your side offer her every single benefit that you can, because she is the most important one!”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche blesses a mother and baby, Land of Medicine Buddha, USA, October, 2015. Photo by Bob Cayton.
Continuing, Rinpoche said, “Your mother is cherished most by numberless bodhisattvas, not just by one bodhisattva, but by numberless bodhisattvas … For the numberless bodhisattvas, your mother is more precious than the whole sky filled with wish-granting jewels—not only filled with dollars and diamonds but with wish-granting jewels … Now the buddhas, Shakyamuni Buddha and all the buddhas cherish your mother most, more than Buddha himself … Numberless bodhisattvas cherish her most, they work for her.”
Rinpoche concluded, “Therefore you can see how important it is for you, due to your connection with your mother this time, every single benefit that you can offer her—this is the best offering to numberless bodhisattvas and numberless buddhas. You can see that even offering a small benefit to her is the best offering!”
A child receives a blessing during the Maitreya Relic Tour, Mullumbimby, Australia, 2012. Photo by Andy Melnic.
Read the full teaching here:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/your-mother-most-kind-most-dear-most-precious
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 Danzan Ravjaa Rinpoche, the 9th reincarnation of the Lama of the Gobi, Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
CORRECTED, May 11—This post has been corrected. We apologize for the errors that appeared in this blog as it was originally published on May 10.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche—who has been touring Mongolia this month, giving teachings, blessings, and initiations—visited Dolma Ling (Dulmaling) Nunnery in Ulaanbaatar on May 2.
The Dolma Ling existed long in the past, but was partially destroyed in the 1930s along with many other religious sites in Mongolia. Greater religious freedom in the 1990s led to initial steps to re-establish the site, and in 2001, the temple and grounds were offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The nunnery’s original building, which is unique and beautiful, is still to be found at the site, and is awaiting restoration.
Rinpoche spent time talking with the Dolma Ling nuns about improvements needed at the nunnery, and discerning next steps for moving forward.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche standing in front of the original building of the historic Dolma Ling Nunnery, Mongolia, 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche meeting with nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery, Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Dolma Ling is located on the same land as the Lamp of the Path soup kitchen. This much-needed social service project offers lunch to more than eighty homeless people a day in a small building.
“The soup kitchen is small but very inspiring! Particularly in the winter, it seems to be a lifesaver for the many homeless people in this area, which is quite a poor area and a long way from other services,” Ven. Holly Ansett reported. “The project grows its own vegetables during the short spring/summer growing season, which was very heartening for us to see.”
On May 3-4, Rinpoche and about twenty-five others, including several monks and the abbot from Idgaa Choizinling Monastery (ICM) in Ulaanbaatar drove for close to seven hours into the Gobi Desert (southeast towards China). Halfway there, Rinpoche and the group stopped for a picnic lunch; monks from ICM had come the day before to set up a beautiful ger (a Mongolian tent or yurt) for the group where they offered lunch. Although a sand storm made getting from the vehicles into the ger a bit tumultuous, once inside, everyone found it very cozy. The ger was set up in a place called Choyr. In the past, there was a monastery there with 1,500 monks, but this was destroyed in the 1930s. Not far away was a very blessed rock carving of Hayagriva Garuda Vajrapani. Thus Choyr is considered a holy place. The area was under the ocean millions of years ago, and the rocks there are unusual and known for containing fossils.
Monks of Khamar Monastery offering mandala to Rinpoche. Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
The next day the group visited Khamar Monastery, which is located in a desert—very stark and dry, with not a tree in sight. When Rinpoche arrived, the monks were doing Tara practice; they quickly offered Rinpoche a mandala offering. Rinpoche also met Danzan Ravjaa Rinpoche, who is the 9th incarnation of the Lama of the Gobi. Rinpoche also visited the small nunnery next door to the monastery.
Next Rinpoche went to Shambhala land—an area of stupas, temples, and other monuments reputed to be a gateway to the legendary Shambhala—to visit caves where past meditators stayed in retreat.
From there, Rinpoche and the group headed back to Ulaanbaatar. As they drove, they passed many herds of wild horses, goats, sheep, cows, and camels. Rinpoche stopped a number of times to bless the animals. He had a portable loudspeaker and, in the hope of leaving imprints, recited many prayers and mantras, such as the long and longest Chenrezig mantras, the Medicine Buddha mantra, the Maitreya Buddha mantra, the Namgyälma mantra, and lamrim prayers.
Wild mares that Rinpoche blessed in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab
“Many times the animals actually listened, ears pricked. When we stopped to bless the wild mares, for example, they actually ran up to the side of the car where Rinpoche was reciting so they were close. It really seemed that they wanted to be able to hear his voice,” Ven. Holly said.
On the way back to Ulaanbaatar, the group stopped at the same ger as before for a late lunch, and the monks from ICM requested an oral transmission from Rinpoche. He gave a short teaching and oral transmission in the ger of the Four Mindfulnesses, a teaching by Manjushri to Lama Tsongkhapa. Rinpoche gave the teaching and transmission in Tibetan, and they were translated into Mongolian and English. The group left the ger as the sun was setting, and the whole sky turned red. “It was an incredible sight,” reported Ven. Holly, “The desert views were breathtaking!” The group arrived back at FPMT’s center in Ulaanbaatar at midnight.
In a ger (yurt) in Choyr in the Gobi Desert, Rinpoche giving an oral transmission of the Four Mindfulnesses, a teaching by Manjushri to Lama Tsongkhapa, Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
On May 6, Rinpoche went to visit the FPMT center in Darkhan, in Northern Mongolia, the Golden Light Sutra Center (GLS), which is a four-hour drive north towards the border with Russia. On the way were beautiful mountain landscapes, though with hardly any trees. Again, the group saw many animals, including wild horses, sheep, goats, and cattle. Rinpoche stopped over and over to bless animals, and the drive took extra time due to this. The group was accompanied by the abbot of ICM as well as Geshe Thubten Zopa from Sera Je Monastery. Geshe-la is assisting the tantric college at Ganden Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, and also teaches at the FPMT center in Ulaanbaatar, Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling. While in Darkhan, Rinpoche had a short meeting with the board of GLS center, a short TV interview, and enjoyed both lunch and dinner with the governor of Darkhan province, and with the city governor who is on the GLS board.
The next day Rinpoche visited Ganden Tara Monastery and gave oral transmissions of the Thirty-Five Buddhas and Seven Medicine Buddhas, and a prayer to spread the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa to the thirty or so monks. Rinpoche then gave a public talk to more than 300 people. In the talk, he gave advice on how to meditate on emptiness, including how to do one’s daily activities with the mind in emptiness and live one’s whole life doing all activities from this mind.
Leaving Darkhan, the group drove the four hours back to Ulaanbaatar, again stopping a number of times to bless the many animals along the road.
Rinpoche’s teachings before the Great Chenrezig Initiation at Idgaa Choizinling Monastery—organized by Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling—will be streamed live on FPMT’s YouTube channel, on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Facebook page, and on FPMT’s Facebook page.
The live-streamed teachings are scheduled for:
- May 10, 7 p.m. local time (GMT+8)
- May 11-12, 6 p.m. local time (GMT+8)
Watch here on FPMT’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/fpmtinc/live
PLEASE NOTE: Live webcasts of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings are now on YouTube. We will no longer be streaming Rinpoche’s teachings from Livestream.com. Please bookmark this YouTube link for live video of the teachings in Mongolia and Rinpoche’s other future live-streamed teachings:
https://www.youtube.com/c/fpmtinc/live
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 visiting Khamar Monastery in the eastern Gobi Desert, Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
You can watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche teach live from Mongolia May 10-12!
Rinpoche’s teachings before the Great Chenrezig Initiation at Idgaa Choizinling Monastery—organized by Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling, the FPMT center in Ulaanbaatar—will be streamed live on FPMT’s YouTube channel, on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Facebook page, and on FPMT’s Facebook page. The live-streamed teachings are scheduled for:
- May 10, 7 p.m. local time (GMT+8)
- May 11-12, 6 p.m. local time (GMT+8)
Watch here on FPMT’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/fpmtinc/live
Rinpoche arrived in Mongolia in late April and has traveled into the Gobi Desert, visiting sacred sites and a monastery there, and then to Darkhan, Mongolia’s second largest city, where Golden Light Sutra Center is located.
Rinpoche last visited Mongolia in 2013 when he taught for several weeks at Idgaa Choizinling during a month-long 100 million mani retreat, hosted by FPMT Mongolia. Read about the visit in “Rejoicing in the 100 Million Mani Retreat in Mongolia,” from Mandala January-March 2014.
PLEASE NOTE: Live webcasts of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings are now on YouTube. We will no longer be streaming Rinpoche’s teachings from Livestream.com. Please bookmark this YouTube link for live video of the teachings in Mongolia and Rinpoche’s other future live-streamed teachings:
https://www.youtube.com/c/fpmtinc/live
Rinpoche’s schedule of teachings can be found here:
https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/schedule/
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 in Mongolia, April 29, 2017. Photo by Ueli Minder via FB.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has arrived safely in Mongolia, traveling from Nepal. Rinpoche is staying at the FPMT center in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, called Ganden Do Ngag Shedrub Ling Center. He will also be visiting the Golden Light Sutra Center in Darkhan, Mongolia.
The FPMT center in Ulaan Bator, Mongolia. Rinpoche’s room is on the top floor. May 1, 2017.
Rinpoche was greeted by enthusiastic supporters on his arrival in Mongolia, enjoyed a vegetarian “Mongolian hotpot” with his hosts, and met with Dharma center members and their children.
Rinpoche with the children who attend the Dharma classes at the center in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. May 2017.
While in Mongolia, Rinpoche is expected to give Dharma talks, a Great Chenrezig Initiation, and a long life initiation. Dharma center members are planning to offer him a long life puja.
Rinpoche’s schedule of teachings can be found here: https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/schedule/.
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 in front of Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, Chailsa, Nepal, March 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
In March 2017, Lama Zopa Rinpoche visited the village of Chailsa, in Solu Khumbu, Nepal. Among various activities there, he visited Sagarmatha Secondary School. More than two years ago, FPMT took on the commitment of sponsoring this school, which has about 120 students, with its Social Service Fund. Kopan Monastery oversees the management of the school.
Chailsa is in Solu Khumbu, north-eastern Nepal, the district where Lama Zopa Rinpoche was born and where many Himayalan Buddhists live. Chailsa is in the southern part of the district near Salleri, the district headquarters. The area is remote but still reachable by jeep—a day-long drive from Kathmandu over difficult roads.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how to do water bowl offerings to the children of Sagarmatha school. Chailsa, Nepal, March 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Rinpoche blessed the school and was welcomed by the children with a traditional dance. He gave a talk to them, giving them an explanation of how to do water bowls. He also sponsored a picnic for the children and their teachers. The school provided prizes for the children’s exams, which Rinpoche handed out. Rinpoche and Kopan are working to identify the needs of the schoolchildren so they can ensure that the necessary donations are organized.
Schoolchildren offering Lama Zopa Rinpoche a traditional dance. Chailsa, Nepal, March 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
In the village, Rinpoche gave a lung and some commentary for the Vajrayogini three-year retreat privately to some students, one who is planning to soon do the retreat. He also gave a short commentary to the local gompa keeper of the torma gyatsa practice. Finally, he offered an Amitabha long life initiation with teachings.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche offering an Amitabha long life initiation, Chailsa, Nepal, March 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Rinpoche also visited Thubten Shedrup Ling. This monastery, located in Chailsa, is under the care of Kopan Monastery, which took it over in 2004. It has only a few dozen residents, and with the help of Kopan, it has been partially rebuilt. It offers an opportunity for young people to receive a monastic education, to live in their vows in a monastic environment, and study and practice the teachings of the Buddha.
Rinpoche is also trying to locate land in Chailsa on which to keep goats and other animals whose lives have been saved.
On the trip, Rinpoche also went to Thubten Chöling, a large monastery built by the late Trulshik Rinpoche in the 1960s in Junbesi, which is near Salleri and on the Jiri-Everest trekking trail.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with the monks and nuns of Thupten Chöling Monastery doing prayers in front of the Holy Body of Trulshik Rinpoche. Solu Khumbu, Nepal, March 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
One of the greatest living masters of the Nyingma and rime traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, Trulshik Rinpoche, who passed away in 2011, was one of Rinpoche’s gurus. While at Thubten Chöling, Rinpoche offered to sponsor a portion of the costs of a stupa being constructed there. He paid his respects to Trulshik Rinpoche’s holy body (which is in a mandala house above the altar), made prayers, and made offerings to each of the approximately 400 Sangha present. Rinpoche’s assistant, Ven.Roger, requested the Sangha to do an extensive Medicine Buddha puja for Rinpoche’s health and long life, following the advice of Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme).
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) enjoy a vegetarian meal at Root Institute in Bodhgaya, India, January 2017. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche cares deeply about animals and uses every possible opportunity to bless them with prayers, mantras, holy objects, and other means. A short video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing sentient beings in a lake in Washington State, US, appears below.
Rinpoche also avoids eating other living beings. He is a vegetarian and often urges his students not to eat meat. He gave the following advice in 2014.
Rinpoche said, “About meat, I would like to say, please reduce eating meat, as it does so much harm to others and even to one’s own body. This is not just belief, it’s now even accepted scientifically. If you can avoid meat, it’s so good. Wow, wow, wow!”
Rinpoche blessing the vegetarian lunch offered to all after his long life puja in Sarnath, India, January 2017. Photo by Paolo Regis.
Rinpoche focused on avoiding meat as the most compassionate approach, saying, “All the buddhas and bodhisattvas will be so happy with you, just as a mother loves her beloved child, cherishing her child so much. When her child does something good that makes the mother so unbelievable happy. So if possible, abandon meat or cut down eating meat. The conclusion is that if less people eat meat, that means more animals won’t suffer from being killed. That’s the benefit, so please think about this.”
Rinpoche also advised considering carefully the teachings of the lamrim. “Don’t think about the pleasure of eating [meat] without thinking about reincarnation, karma, and the lower realms. Instead of just thinking about the pleasure of eating meat, think about the suffering of the animals when they are being killed, and think of yourself being at the butcher’s place, about to be killed. How does that feel? If you’re about to be killed, like the animals, how does that feel? Do you like that? If you really think Dharma is to not harm sentient beings, then don’t eat meat, or at least eat very little.”
Vegetables for sale, Nepal, 2017. Photo by Ivan Siarbolin.
Rinpoche added that one can remain healthy without meat, explaining, “Not eating meat is OK. So many young people in the West don’t eat meat and are still healthy; they can supplement their diet with other things. So many people [are vegetarian] now, young and old, and its increasing more and more.”
Watch Rinpoche bless living beings in Omak Lake in Washington State, US, on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/zoFxyLZPUiQ
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.
Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Bhutan, May 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
During a road trip from Washington State to California in November 2016, Lama Zopa Rinpoche chanted a guru devotion prayer along with a CD that was playing in the car. See the video of him chanting below.
Rinpoche frequently speaks about the importance of guru devotion. In his book The Heart of the Path, he explains the real meaning of “guru.”
“When we think about what guru really means,” says Rinpoche, “we have to think about the absolute guru. We have to go beyond the conventional guru to the absolute guru, the real meaning of guru. And what is the absolute guru?” Rinpoche answers, “It is the dharmakaya, the transcendental wisdom of nondual bliss and voidness. It is eternal, with no beginning and no end … This dharmakaya pervades all existence; there’s no place that the dharmakaya, the holy mind of the buddhas, does not cover.”
Tenzin Ösel Hita giving a spontaneous speech requesting Lama Zopa Rinpoche to have a long life, at a long life puja offered to Rinpoche at the Tara Temple, Bodhgaya, India, January 2017. Photo by Paolo Regis.
Rinpoche goes on to quote the text Ornament of Mahayana Sutras (Skt: Mahayanasutralankara), by Maitreya Buddha, who writes:
Just as the innumerable beams of the sun mix to perform the one activity of illuminating the world, in the uncontaminated sphere of dharmakaya the innumerable buddhas mix to perform the one activity of illuminating with transcendental wisdom.
Rinpoche explains the quote, saying, “In the dharmakaya the countless buddhas mix to perform the one action of guiding sentient beings, of making the transcendental wisdom of omniscient mind appear in the minds of sentient beings.The dharmakaya, the absolute guru, is the completely pure holy mind … When sunlight dispels eternal darkness, we see objects clearly. When the buddhas dispel our inner darkness, our minds are completely illuminated.”
“It is helpful,” Rinpoche concludes, “to remember this quotation from Maitreya Buddha when we begin each session of guru yoga practice.”
Watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche chant a guru devotion prayer on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/h4UQ_QtJDzk
Read the full teaching in chapter 19 of The Heart of the Path by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Purchase the book from the Foundation Store and support FPMT’s International Office and its Dharma activities.
Hard copy: https://shop.fpmt.org/Heart-of-the-Path–Hard-Copy_p_814.html
Ebook: https://shop.fpmt.org/Heart-of-the-Path-eBook_p_2360.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 in New York City, US, 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Do we have to go to a retreat center or a faraway country to really meditate?
Way back in 1979, Lama Zopa Rinpoche responded to this question with a teaching on how to practice Dharma in the city.
Rinpoche said, “We don’t have to live in a hermitage in order to generate the realizations of the steps of the path … The whole thing is mind, so whether we are in the city or in the country, or while we are working, there is a way to gradually generate the realizations of the steps of the path to enlightenment.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche in New York City, US, 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Rinpoche explained, “Each day, while we are working, living with our family, living in the city, we can leave impressions of the stages of the path to enlightenment in our mind, by making sessions of one hour or half an hour each day, similar to those who live in the hermitage … Do some sessions in the morning or evening, then in the daytime, in the break times, be aware—constantly watch the mind; watch the actions of the body, speech, and mind. As much as possible practice lamrim in the break times, and by watching the mind we know what action the body is doing, what action the speech is doing, what action the mind is doing, we are able to recognize. Then also we find out when delusion is arising or not arising; we recognize whatever the delusion is and when it is about to arise. While it is arising, remember the teachings and the different meditations, and apply them …
Lama Zopa Rinpoche walking in New York City, US, July 2016. Photo by Nan Meng.
“Try to remember bodhichitta and practice bodhichitta … Whatever activity we are doing, try to relate it to the practice of bodhichitta. If our daily activities are not possessed by attachment, clinging to the happiness of this life; if we watch the mind and control the unsubdued mind with the meditation techniques, then the motivation is not possessed by the attachment clinging to the happiness of this life and all our actions become Dharma, the cause of happiness.”
Rinpoche concluded, “Then as we remember bodhichitta, as we relate with the practice of bodhichitta, any activity that we do with the practice of bodhichitta—all our work in the factories, on the ships, or in business—becomes the cause to achieve enlightenment. If our activities are done with the motivation of bodhichitta, they become the bodhisattva’s practice. So even if we live far away from the guru—in the city or with our family—there is a possibility of doing this.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing a dog on a city street, New York City, US, 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Find the original teaching here:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/practicing-lam-rim-householder
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 Geshes Namdrol Phuntsok and Jangchub Gyalmo, Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, November 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Kopan Nunnery has its first two geshemas. They are Geshe Namdrol Phuntsok and Geshe Jangchub Gyalmo, who graduated with their Geshe degrees in 2016 after an intense program lasting more than twenty years. Lama Zopa Rinpoche met with them in November 2016 at Kopan Nunnery to congratulate them—and to watch them debate philosophy, a skill they honed during their years of study (see video below).
His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the first Himalayan geshemas at their graduation ceremony, Drepung Monastery, India, December 2016. Photo by Olivier Adam.
While many people have commented on the great benefits the geshemas will bring to others by teaching and mentoring, what benefits will their studies bring to them?
In a letter sent to a student in 2014 on the merit of in-depth Dharma study, Lama Zopa Rinpoche pointed out that those who follow their guru’s advice to undertake serious study create tremendous merit. Speaking directly to such students, he stated that this merit “means unbelievable, most unbelievable imprints are left on your mind. It means even if you don’t actualize the path in this life, because of doing this study and purifying so much, in the next life you will meet the Buddha’s teachings and be able to learn, because you have purified so much past negative karma and obscurations. This helps to achieve a higher rebirth, a perfect human rebirth, to meet the Dharma again and to become so expert and through that to have realizations through practicing, and not only that, to be able to go to nirvana and to enlightenment. That is so great!”
Watched by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Geshes Namdrol Phuntsok and Jangchub Gyalmo debate a monk at Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, November 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Rinpoche continued, saying, “That means each time we are studying, we are fulfilling our Guru’s wishes, so we are becoming closer to enlightenment each time. We become closer to being free from samsara, and closer to enlightenment. So this is what has been happening all these years that you have been studying, doing homework, attending classes, these are the benefits of that. So you have gained unbelievably, so much … Therefore you should rejoice, it is most unbelievable, your whole life should be filled with incredible joy and happiness.”
Kopan Nunnery’s two new geshemas with Rizong Rinpoche, former Ganden Tripa, Nepal, November 2016. Photo by Mukhiya Ghale.
“Among all the sentient beings,” Rinpoche concluded, “the amount of people who are Buddhists is so small. Then from those who are Buddhist, those who have the opportunity to study are very rare. Then to be able to find a qualified teacher who can teach philosophy, it’s so, so rare. So you can rejoice, it’s unbelievable.”
Join Lama Zopa Rinpoche in rejoicing at the graduation of the geshemas. Watch them debate in front of Rinpoche and Rizong Rinpoche, former Ganden Tripa (head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism), at Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, in November 2016:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SexrtqnobdM&feature=youtu.be
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 Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) in Bhutan, May 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Every year Ven. Roger Kunsang, on behalf of the FPMT organization, checks with one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s gurus or Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) to determine what practices should be done to help create the conditions for Lama Zopa Rinpoche to have good health for the coming year. Khadro-la has recently advised that some prayers need to be recited, together with the completion of a number of pujas.
The prayers Khadro-la advised are the Vajra Cutter Sutra and the Dependent Arising: A Praise of the Buddha (Tendrel Topa).
We are requesting everyone to join in and keep track of their recitations of these prayers during the rest of this Tibetan year! At the end of the Tibetan year (i.e., just before Losar 2018) we will ask everyone to send us the number of prayers recited and will offer the total number of accumulated recitations to Rinpoche. It would be very beneficial if all FPMT centers, projects, services, and study groups can arrange regular recitations of these prayers.
Please use the following dedication (ideally, in addition to the usual FPMT dedication prayers):
For Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche to always have perfect health and to always be free of obstacles; and for all Rinpoche’s Dharma projects around the world to be highly successful, including all FPMT centers, projects, and services.
Offering tsog at the long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the last day of the Kopan November course. The five dakinis are also shown. Kopan Monastery, Nepal, December 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
The pujas advised by Khadro-la will be offered in a number of monasteries every month until the end of this Tibetan year. Any contributions to help cover the costs of the pujas will be greatly appreciated. Donations can be made to the FPMT Puja Fund.
In addition, there will be an extensive long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, on April 23, 2017. Everyone is welcome to attend!
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.