Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching tour of Southeast Asia continues in Malaysia. In mid-March Rinpoche arrived at Chokyi Gyaltsen Center (CGC) in Penang after a 10-hour drive from Singapore. Rinpoche went straight into the center’s gompa and did an hour of extensively offering divine cloth (khata) to each of the holy objects there.

“Rinpoche really, really, really likes Chokyi Gyaltsen Center’s gompa,” Ven. Holly Ansett, who is traveling with Rinpoche, told Mandala. “It has incredible statues – all magnificent and arranged so neatly and beautiful with extensive offerings. The art of all the statues is all exceptional and the holy objects in the gompa are all sort of pulsating with these colored incredible lights.”

Two days after Rinpoche arrived, Rinpoche asked Geshe Deyang, who is the resident geshe at CGC, to arrange a Most Secret Hayagriva tsog kong, an extensive offering puja that is 10-12 hours long. Geshe Deyang is an expert in Hayagriva ritual and has done a lot of Hayagriva practice. He was one of the monks who for many years was part of the Hayagriva monks at Sera Je Monastery who do this puja once a month for FPMT. 

The Most Secret Hayagriva tsog kong requires hundreds of tormas. Fortunately, Geshe Deyang had already prepared them to be ready if Rinpoche made the request for the puja. The puja went all day until after dinner, attended by Rinpoche and about 30-40 ordained Sangha. “It is an extremely powerful puja,” Ven. Holly shared. “Very elaborate. Rinpoche was extremely pleased for it to have happened.”

The weekend of March 19-20, Rinpoche gave a public teaching on the “Three Principles of the Path,” which was attended by over 400 people. The center had advertised the teaching in the local Chinese newspaper, which brought in many new people. They rented a large venue and installed an elaborate altar with many extensive offerings. 

“Geshe Deyang managed all the altars and set up, and took great care that everything was perfect, elaborate and beautiful,” Ven. Holly said. “All the center members worked incredibly hard to create this event, and you could really feel it.”

The center took good care of the 45 ordained Sangha from around the world in attendance. They had a chef cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for them. The center also arranged places for Sangha to stay, rides to the teachings and sightseeing on days off.

After the public teachings, Rinpoche gave the Most Secret Hayagriva initiation to about 250 people over a few days. Geshe Deyang took care of all the elaborate tormas. Tenzin Ösel Hita and Gomo Tulku came to take the initiation, which was extremely precious. Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi from Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Geshe Tsungdu from Losang Dragpa Centre and Geshe Tenzin Zopa were also there. Each day of the initiation stretched late into the night. The last day of the initiation ended at 4 a.m. at which time Geshe Deyang and the center staff and volunteers had to pack up everything in the the rented venue – the altar, extensive offerings and so forth – working until 7:30 a.m.

While in Penang, Rinpoche also did an extensive Medicine Buddha puja that took all day.

The day Rinpoche departed from Penang for Kuala Kumpur, Rinpoche stopped to see the 99-foot (30.2-meter) tall bronze Kuan Yin statue at the Kek Lok Si Temple. Rinpoche did prostrations and practices in front of the statue until dark and then went to a restaurant to have dinner with many of the center staff and volunteers, about 40 people. Rinpoche and the entourage left at 10 p.m. to drive to Kuala Lumpur.

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.

Dr. Goh Pik Pin, director of Losang Dragpa Centre and president of Kasih Hospice Service, asked Lama Zopa Rinpoche during his recent visit to Malaysia, “The Malaysian economy is going down and our money is losing value. Is there any practice we can do to make our Malaysian economy better?”

You know the story of the four harmonious brothers. The country completely changed. Rain came at the right time – not too much and not to little – and the crops grew. 

The king thought he had caused it, and the ministers thought they had. They thought to ask a sage in the forest why there was that development in their country. The sage said, “It is not due to any of you. It is because in the forest there are four harmonious brothers.” An elephant practiced the five precepts and spread it to other elephants; a monkey practiced the five precepts and spread it to other monkeys; a rabbit practiced the five precepts and spread it to other rabbits; a bird practiced the five precepts and spread it to other birds.

The elephant was a manifestation of Chungawa, Shakyamuni Buddha’s younger brother. One was a manifestation of the Buddha’s attendant, Ananda … the rabbit was a manifestation of Shakyamuni Buddha. By their keeping morality, rains came at the right time and crops grew.

[It would be good] if you are able to take the eight Mahayana precepts for one day. First, you take the lineage from Geshe-la or somebody. You take the lineage and then you can take it at your home. Especially, if you take them on the Buddha’s special days [Buddha Multiplying Days], it multiplies merit one hundred million times. If you make charity of one dollar to a beggar, it is one hundred million dollars of charity; if you do one prostration, then it is one hundred million prostrations. If there is a moon eclipse, it increases seven hundred thousand times; a sun eclipse, one hundred million times. That is one way to help the world, to help the country.

Reading the Golden Light Sutra brings so much peace to the world and Malaysia. Also, the Arya Sanghata Sutra.

Scribed by Ven. Joan Nicell, Malaysia, April 2016. Edited for inclusion on FPMT.org.

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.

A message from Ven. Roger Kunsang, assistant to Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the CEO of FPMT, Inc.:

Dear Friends,

The special long life puja offered to Rinpoche in Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore went very well. I think this was due to so many people making the effort to come, and so many making the effort to participate in some way in the puja. ABC staff and students made such an excellent effort in organizing and hosting the event.

Some of the highlights:

As you know it was Khadro-la’s (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme’s) advice for Rinpoche’s health and long life that we were following. Khadro-la wanted to come to Singapore to attend but couldn’t come as His Holiness was returning to Dharamsala from America, and she needed to be there. We informed Khadro-la the day before the puja that it was happening, and Khadro-la sent a prayer for Rinpoche’s long life that spontaneously came to her. Khadro-la asked that Ven. Holly read it to Rinpoche in the puja.

All 171 FPMT centers, services, projects and offices were represented in the long life puja. In a long line with gifts, their representatives slowly approached Rinpoche, requesting long life. At the head of this line was a life-size long life statue of Amitayus. Offering it on behalf of the FPMT Board, International Office and the entire FPMT was Tenzin Ösel Hita, Karuna Cayton, Massimo Corona and Ven. Holly.

Tenzin Ösel read out a heartfelt praise and request to Rinpoche that he himself composed. 

Paula de Wijs read out the heartfelt praise on behalf of the entire organization, compiled by Ven. Robina Courtin on the basis of many submissions from the FPMT family.

Rinpoche commented that he was very pleased and moved at the number of students who attended from all around the world.

The puja lasted eleven and a half hours! It was a very big warm family event! THANK YOU everyone!

After the puja, over the next day Rinpoche went through every single card, letter and gift that had been offered. At one stage the whole room was filled with offerings that Rinpoche then started to give away. All of the offerings Rinpoche dedicated to: water turning prayer wheels in Namche Bazaar, Nepal; Ngari Khamtsen; Dhakpo Khamtsen; Osel Labrang; an elevator for His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Sera Lachi; H.E. Ling Rinpoche’s geshe examination; Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund; Holy Objects Fund; Social Services Fund; Lhungtok Choekhorling Buddhist Monastery; Lawudo Retreat Center for the building of the Lotus Light Palace of Guru Rinpoche temple.

Thank you also to all who participated in the tsog offerings dedicated for Rinpoche’s health and long life.

roger

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.

“It’s also mentioned in the Meeting of Father and Son Sutra that compared with the merit of practicing the five paramitas – patience, charity, morality, perseverance and concentration – for ten eons, listening to teachings on emptiness collects much greater merit,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche says in “Teachings on the Heart Sutra,” an excerpt of a March 2000 teaching now available through the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

“It is unbelievable to practice the paramita of morality for ten eons or even for one lifetime, even for one year, to live in pure morality. To practice the paramita of morality is so difficult. To live in pure morality, the paramita of morality, not just in one life but even for one year it’s very difficult. By examining our own mind, by looking at the world, at others, by even examining our own mind, it’s very difficult.

“Now here, practicing all five paramitas for ten eons, if we just think of how hard that is and of course also how much merit we collect, no question, there is so much merit, inconceivable merit, just with each practice – charity, morality, patience, perseverance and concentration – with each one, we collect inconceivable merit, no question. But when we compare practicing these paths for ten eons, that itself is unbelievable, inconceivable merit that we collect, but if we compare just listening, just hearing, just listening [snaps fingers] to teachings on emptiness, this collects far greater merit than those previous ones, practicing the five paramitas for ten eons.”

Read more from “Teachings on the Heart Sutra” on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/teachings-heart-sutra

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.

“It is said that even rising a doubt about emptiness, even rising a doubt, even that breaks samsara in pieces,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche says in “Teachings on the Heart Sutra,” an excerpt of a March 2000 teaching now available through the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

“It’s so powerful, unbelievably powerful, even rising doubt, when you do analysis into emptiness thinking that this may be empty but not completely. Thinking maybe this is empty, so even arising a doubt like this, even not completely thinking it’s empty, not generating full faith that it’s completely empty but even thinking that maybe it’s empty. Even rising this thought, this doubt in the emptiness, even that breaks our suffering realm, the samsara, the circling one, circling from this life to the next life, then circling from that life to the next life. This circling, this samsara, this container of all these life problems and foundation of the next life problems, this samsara that we have now, the container of all the problems of this life and the foundation of all the future life problems.

“Even rising a doubt like this is so powerful that it breaks our samsara into pieces. Even the rising doubt in emptiness harms our samsara. It harms the root of samsara, the ignorance, even just thinking, without full faith that it is empty, but thinking that it may be empty.”

Read more from “Teachings on the Heart Sutra” on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/teachings-heart-sutra

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 wrote a letter to to one old student who had broken her arm:

My very dear precious one, most kind one, most dear one, wish-fulfilling one,

How are you? I hope you are well. I am sorry your arm is broken; I will pray for you.

Your breaking your arm is to remind you of the shortcomings of being in samsara – it is exactly like a teaching that you must be free from samsara, liberated from samsara. It is another form of teaching. It is like the guru explaining suffering; it is like the guru reminding you of the suffering of samsara.

It is said in the Kadampa teachings [by Geshe Kharag Gomchung] that:

Bad conditions – these are the guru explaining the nature of samsara and how you need to be free.
The obstacles are persuading you to create virtue.
Sicknesses and spirit possession are the broom cleaning away negative karma.
Suffering is the manifestation of emptiness.

Thank you very much! Take care of your life with bodhichitta, to make it the most beneficial for sentient beings. Even if you have only an hour to live or one day to live, make it the most beneficial for sentient beings.

Thank you very much, I hope to see you soon!

With much love and prayers,

Lama Zopa

Scribed by Ven. Holly Ansett, Sera Je, India, January 2016. Edited for inclusion on FPMT.org.

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.

On March 25, Ven. Roger Kunsang shared on his Twitter page this brief teaching from Lama Zopa Rinpoche:

Lama Zopa; Merely thinking of helping someone! … Is far, far, far greater, infinitely greater, than making offering to buddhas!

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 webpage. If you’d like to receive news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche via email, sign up to receive FPMT News.

A student asked Lama Zopa Rinpoche for advice after having a mastectomy and experiencing great physical difficultly while on chemotherapy.

My very dear, precious, kind, wish-fulfilling student,

Please recite the Vajra Cutter Sutra a few times. Also, I will do some prayers and recitations for you now.

Also, please recite Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s name mantra. If you have a thangka or statue, think that Buddha is actually there. Buddha sends nectar with much loving kindness and it purifies you completely. All your disease and spirit harm and where all sickness comes from – delusions and karma – gets purified totally. What has been collected from beginningless rebirths gets completely purified. Recite the name mantra and think this very strongly.

Also, think strongly about the quotations from the Kadampa Geshes, such as the quotation that the bad conditions one is experiencing now are like one’s virtuous friends. Look at it that way, think of it that way.

Then, the next one is “This suffering is a manifestation of emptiness.” Meditate on emptiness. “The ‘I’ is not truly existent” – that is the meditation.

The next meditation is “It is a dependent arising.” (Mainly think about subtle dependent arising, the Prasangika-Madhyamaka view.). So this means: “What is ‘I’ is nothing, except for what is merely labeled – what exists in mere name – by the valid mind on the merely labeled aggregates.”

You can do other meditations on emptiness that are effective for you. Spend a little bit of time on each point. Meditate on how the “I” exists in mere name, merely labeled by the valid mind on the valid base – the aggregates – that is also merely labeled by the mind. Meditate on that.

Then, experience this cancer that exists in mere name, merely labeled by the mind.

Nothing exists from its own side. No cancer exists from its own side. The object also – the cancer itself – exists in mere name, merely labeled by the valid mind. “What I believe as real cancer does not exist at all from its own side; it’s totally empty from its own side.” Meditate on that.

The other thing is to do tong-len. You have probably already received teachings and advice on this, so you can use the Lama Chöpa verse [v. 95] or Nagarjuna’s verse or other different ways.

This is the best meditation to purify from where cancer comes, from the obscurations collected from beginningless rebirths, and to collect more than skies of merits. Each time when you take the suffering of others and the causes with compassion and with loving kindness, and then give away one’s body, possessions, three times’ merit and all the results up to enlightenment, you collect more than skies of merit. Numberless times! Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! That’s very, very good. It makes you achieve enlightenment in the quickest way; it makes you able to free the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings quicker. It means that it’ll be much faster for you to bring sentient beings to full enlightenment: sangye, the cessation of all the obscurations and the completion of all the realizations.

If you can come to India, there is geshe who used to live in Dharamsala called Geshe Tobgye. He is very old and he used to heal many people of cancer by giving mantras. In the meantime, do this practice.

With much love and prayers,

Lama Zopa

Scribed by Ven. Holly Ansett, India, January 2016. Edited for inclusion on FPMT.org.

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.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has arrived in Malaysia and over the weekend taught at Chokyi Gyaltsen Center in Penang on the “Three Principles of the Path.” Through April 19, Rinpoche will teach and give initiations at the three FPMT centers in Malaysia, including Losang Dragpa Centre in Kuala Lumpur and Rinchen Jangsem Ling Retreat Centre in Triang. 

Unfortunately, there will be no livestreaming video of the teachings with Rinpoche in Malaysia. (The teachings from Singapore, however, are available on FPMT’s Livestream page for Singapore.)

Rinpoche travels to Hong Kong after Malaysia to give teachings organized by Mahayana Buddhist Association (Cham Tse Ling) beginning on April 28. These teachings are expected to be livestreamed.

To receive updates on the video livestreaming of Rinpoche’s teachings, visit FPMT’s Livestream page and click the green “Follow” button in the upper right hand corner:
http://livestream.com/FPMT

More information about Rinpoche’s teaching schedule can be found here:
https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/schedule/

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

A student in prison wrote Lama Zopa Rinpoche to ask Rinpoche to be his guru.

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,

Thank you very much for your kind letter. I accept. I am not qualified, but I accept to do what I can.

Please find enclosed the practice that is my advice to do every day. Also, I am sending you some past advice I have given to people in prison, maybe you have read this already.

The way to think is that being in prison can be like being in retreat. People live outside of prison, with all the opportunities and having freedom, but they often don’t practice Dharma. You should think that even though you don’t have freedom, it can be like being in retreat. Being in prison gives you time to meditate on the path to enlightenment; to do purification practices, to purify past negative karma collected since beginningless time; to collect extensive merit; and to meditate on the lam-rim – the graduated path to enlightenment – such as renunciation, the sufferings of samsara, the six realm sufferings, bodhichitta, emptiness and so forth. It gives you time to understand that we have to free the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and to do that we must purify our defilements, which are the causes of suffering, which have caused one to be in prison. Also, we need to collect extensive merit and actualize the path. To do that, we need to meditate on the lam-rim and to have experiences of the lam-rim, such as the six realm sufferings, especially the sufferings of the lower realms and so forth.

The idea is to spend your time in prison practicing Dharma; then there will be great success as it becomes a place of retreat and gives you the opportunity to have mental freedom for yourself. In this way, there is not just the happiness of this life, but the happiness of future lives and liberation and enlightenment.

The main thing is to have peace of mind wherever you practice Dharma and to achieve happiness now and in future lives for oneself and for the numberless sentient beings. This is not just temporary happiness, but ultimate happiness – liberation from the oceans of samsaric sufferings in the six realms, ultimate freedom. And not only that, but the peerless happiness, the total elimination of all the obscurations and completion of all the realizations. You will be able to free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and, not only that, bring them to full enlightenment, the peerless happiness.

This is the purpose of being in prison, the ultimate purpose of one’s life in prison. You should know this. It gives yourself, by your mind, total freedom – freedom to achieve enlightenment.

If you can get some Dharma books to study (maybe you can ask Liberation Prison Project if they can send them to you) such as books on the lam-rim, lojong, The Wheel of Sharp Weapons, a commentary on the Heart Sutra, a commentary on the “Eight Verses of Mind Training” and on the “Seven-Point Mind Training” and so forth – read and study these books. [Note: These specific links are offered by the editors.]

The main thing is for you to not see all this – not having freedom – as an obstacle. You should think that you have the best freedom to free yourself and all beings from samsara by practicing the path. This is the BEST OPPORTUNITY!

Please try to think this way.

With much love and prayers,

Lama Zopa

Scribed by Ven. Holly Ansett, Kachoe Dechen Ling, California, United States, November 2015. Edited for inclusion on FPMT.org.

Liberation Prison Project (LPP) is an FPMT international project dedicated to supporting students in prison who wish to study Dharma. Find more Mandala archive stories about LPP online. 

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.

Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) is consulted every year for advice on practices to clear obstacles for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health and long life. This year she advised that all the students in all the FPMT centers, projects and services come together and offer a long life puja to Rinpoche and do 100,000 tsog offerings. This advice resulted in the beautiful long life puja held March 13 at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore. Khadro-la was not physically present at the long life puja, but the day before she spontaneously composed a prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, which was offered during the puja. The English translation of the prayer, which follows, was read for all to hear, while Rinpoche received the prayer in Tibetan. 

Long Life Prayer for Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Spontaneously composed by Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme

Your holy body’s presence dispels all ignorance
The power of your holy speech overshadows the 84,000 afflictions
Your holy mind is clearly aware of the meaning of the 84,000 teachings of Buddha
By teaching dependent arising you conquer the ultimate truth
Supremely kind Vajradhara, I place you on the top of my crown.

You clarify the instructions and realizations of Buddha’s teachings
Turning the Dharma wheel where it’s never been turned before
Your practice of patience is evidence of Bodhisattva’s deeds.
Your realization of the perfection of subtle dependent arising and
With the precious jewel of your loving kindness, countless sentient beings are liberated.

You liberate countless sentient beings by guiding them
With the understanding of the interpretative and definitive teachings of Buddha,
And the supreme meaning of Buddha’s teachings: emptiness and compassion.
Holy spiritual master, may you live forever.

Due to the blessings of Arya Tara, who liberates from the fears of the three times
May the holy masters live long and their Dharma activities flourish
And always be protected by her spontaneous activities without separation.
Due to the infallible deities of the three roots, may all be auspicious.

Colophon: This long life prayer for Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche was written by Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme (Kandro-la) on March 12, 2016 and presented to Lama Zopa Rinpoche during a long life puja held at Amitabha Buddhist Centre on March 13, 2016. Translated by Yangsi Rinpoche and Fabrizio Pallotti on March 12, 2016.

PDFs of Khadro-la’s long life prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche in English with Tibetan phonetics and Tibetan script, Italian and Spanish are available on the “Long Life Prayers for Lama Zopa Rinpoche” page on FPMT.org:
https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/prayers/

You can watch the prayer being read at 1:35 of this YouTube video of the long life puja.

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

 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche spent several days at Kopan Monastery in February. Arriving from India, he stopped over at Kopan one day and night before going to Maratika Caves. During that day Rinpoche met with Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) and did practices at Boudha stupa with her.

Tenzin Ösel Hita was also at Kopan on his Revive Nepal project trip. Rinpoche was at Kopan the day after Ösel’s birthday. So Rinpoche had lunch with both Khadro-la and Ösel that day.

After spending six days at Maratika, which is a 10-hour drive from Kopan, Rinpoche returned to the monastery. Because of needing to delay his travel to Singapore, Rinpoche spent five additional days at Kopan. 

During this time he went to Kopan Nunnery (Khachoe Ghakyil Ling) and did the ground-breaking ceremony for the new memorial stupa for Lama Lhundrup, which is going to be 110 feet tall. Rinpoche did puja on the site of the stupa and dug the first hole. (For more information and to offer support, click here).  Afterwards, Rinpoche had lunch at the nunnery and did extensive offering practice in the nunnery gompa, offering lights and khatas to the holy objects there.

Rinpoche then went to Swayambhunath and circumambulated the mountain it sits atop, doing many practices, including extensive offerings of wish-fulfilling jewels. The offerings conventionally appear like rice grains, but are visualized like wish-fulfilling jewels and are offered to the many holy objects around the Swayambhunath mountain. Rinpoche also did extensive rejoicing for each holy object there – first rejoicing in the person who had the idea to build it, then in the person who offered money to build it, and then those who worked on making the holy object, and so forth – creating enormous merit.

Ösel came back from the mountains where he is helping to rebuild a school and demonstrating sustainable building methods. He stayed at Kopan and met Rinpoche a number of times. 

Also during his time at Kopan, Rinpoche met with David Lascelles, the 8th Earl of Harewood. Lord Lascelles, a television and film producer with a long-time interest in Tibetan Buddhism and the Himalayas, had a Buddhist stupa built on his estate, Harewood House near Leeds, UK. During Rinpoche’s most recent visit to England in 2014, Rinpoche visited the stupa and also blessed the penguins in the Bird Garden at the estate.

From Kopan, Rinpoche traveled to Singapore at the end of February and taught at Amitabha Buddhist Centre through mid-March. Rinpoche teaches next in Malaysia, where he will first visit Chokyi Gyaltsen Centre in Penang and teach on the Three Principles of the Path, March 19-20.

For more on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching schedule see:
https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/schedule/

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.