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Lama Zopa Rinpoche News and Advice
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre, Kangaroo Island, Australia, May 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
Several photo albums featuring Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s activities around the world have been posted to FPMT.org for students and supporters to look at and enjoy.
Rinpoche toured Australia during May and June 2015, visiting several FPMT centers including De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre, Buddha House and Vajrayana Institute. Rinpoche also attended the teachings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in June that were in the Blue Mountains near Sydney.
Earlier in May, Rinpoche visited Mahamudra Centre, Chandrakirti Centre and Dorje Chang Institute in New Zealand. While there, Rinpoche also blessed the water and beings living in the ocean and performed a puja on Mt. Taranaki in Egmont National Park.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche doing puja at Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand, May 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche was present to help Kopan Monastery through the immediate response to the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal in April 2015. This album not only shows Rinpoche’s compassionate response to the disaster, but chronicles some of the hard work carried out by Kopan’s nuns and monks to provide emergency relief. Just prior to the earthquake, Rinpoche visited Lawudo in the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal, where his previous incarnation meditated.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche led prayers and gave oral transmissions to young monks and Western visitors after the earthquake, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, April 2015. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher
Find more photo albums of Lama Zopa Rinpoche 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.
Lama Zopa Rinopche feeding and blessing goats kept by Paula and Matti de Wijs (picture on right), Amsterdam, Netherlands, July 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
“The I is one; others are numberless,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche reminds students in Cutting the Root of Samsara, Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive’s third volume in a series drawn from the 24th Kopan course in 1991. “There are numberless sentient beings and every one of them is so important and so precious, so kind. Our happiness comes from them, therefore every one of them is so precious. Every one of them is so precious. Just as we think of ourselves as so precious, everyone is so precious like this, more precious than even ourselves. The I is one. We ourselves are just one, so compared to the numberless, precious, kind sentient beings, this I itself, which is one, is completely lost. Even by number, without thinking of the kindness, this one I is completely lost. This I is completely lost. It’s nothing. It’s just like one atom, this one atom is completely lost. It’s nothing. When we compare the numberless sentient beings, this I is nothing. Compared to how important, how precious they are, it is nothing.
“Therefore, anything other than working for sentient beings is meaningless. It’s empty. Anything other than working for sentient beings is empty, meaningless. Therefore think, ‘In my life, there’s nothing to work for other than sentient beings. In my life, there’s nobody to work for other than sentient beings. There’s nobody to cherish in my life other than sentient beings. What sentient beings want is happiness and they don’t want suffering. The happiness they need is the highest happiness, enlightenment. Therefore, I must lead them to full enlightenment. For that I need to achieve full enlightenment myself first. That depends on actualizing the path and that depends on protecting my karma, on practicing morality, not creating obstacles to the path, generating the path.’ …”
Find Cutting the Root of Samsara on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/shop/cutting-root-samsara-ebook
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 the beginning of a teaching at Maitreya Instituut, Netherlands, July 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
A long life puja will be offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the conclusion of the teaching and initiation series at Maitreya Instituut in the Netherlands on Chokhor Duchen (Wheel Turning Day), which is on Monday, July 20. The event is scheduled to begin in the morning local time (GMT+2).
Visit FPMT’s Livestream page for the event to find updates and watch the live webcast as well as recorded teachings: http://livestream.com/FPMT/NL2015
High quality videos of the Maitreya Instituut teachings are being made available on the FPMT.org:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/lama-zopa-rinpoche-teachings-in-netherlands-2015-2/
Links to download the translation of the teachings into French and Spanish in MP3 audio format are also being posted at the above link.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche travels next to Denmark where he will be giving the Medicine Buddha initiation on July 24-25. For more on Rinpoche’s schedule:
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 at Maitreya Instituut, Loenen, Netherlands, July 2015. Photo by Jan-Paul Kool.
“If the self-cherishing thought, the ego, is strong, then the attachment clinging to this life also becomes very strong. The stronger the attachment is, the easier anger arises,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches in Cutting the Root of Samsara, the third volume in the four-volume ebook series of Rinpoche’s teachings from the 1991 Kopan Course and featured in the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive’s June E-letter.
“The happiness of the I becomes so important. In the view of the self-cherishing thought, the I becomes so important, so precious, therefore, my happiness becomes very important. My happiness and this life’s happiness become very important.
“Anybody who does a small thing disturbs us so much. Even birds making a noise when we want to meditate or when we want quiet to have a sleep – even a dog or a bird making a noise outside, or somebody talking – even a small thing becomes a big disturbance. Even if the decoration of the house is slightly wrong in our view, how things are put on the table, how things are decorated – even just a little bit in the wrong way according to our point of view, it’s the wrong way – this becomes very important. There are things in the house put in a slightly different place than where we’d like them. The other person puts them in this place where we don’t want them to be, moving them from there, putting them here, here. It’s supposed to be there, but she moved it here. It’s supposed to be that way because we put it that way. Whatever it is.
“Even a tiny mouse just going on the roof, making a little noise, just some noise, something we’re just able to hear, even a rat just quickly passing through the room. While we’re not expecting rats to run, it comes through. If we expected it, there’d be no problem. If we expected it, if we opened our mind toward rats, there’d be no problem. But if our mind is closed toward the rat, when we’re not expecting it, when we’re not wishing it, then the rat just quickly runs through, close to us, it becomes incredibly terrifying. Terrifying. Incredibly shocking. A big shock. There’s a rat in the house! A big shock! Immediately we want to move into another room or into another hotel where there’s no rat.
“The stronger the self-cherishing thought is, the stronger the attachment to this life, so the worldly concern is there. In the view of that mind, the I becomes so important, my happiness becomes so important. This life’s happiness becomes so important, so when there’s a small disturbance, which is such nonsense to be worried about, it becomes a big upset. …”
Read the entire excerpt from Cutting the Root of Samsara in the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive June E-letter: https://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=1061
You can watch the live webcast of Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at Maitreya Instituut and find schedule updates on FPMT’s Livestream page: http://livestream.com/FPMT/NL2015
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 Maitreya Instituut, Loenen, Netherlands, July 2015. Photo by Jan-Paul Kool.
On July 14, Ven. Roger Kunsang shared on his Twitter page this from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who is teaching at Maitreya Instituut, Loenen, Netherlands:
“Lama Zopa; normally success is what benefits the individual, for our organisation FPMT success is what benefits others!”
UPDATE on Live Webcasts: The long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche on July 20 at Maitreya Instituut will be webcast live. The puja is scheduled to begin at approximately 8 a.m. local time (GMT+2). You can watch the webcast and find schedule updates on FPMT’s Livestream page:
http://livestream.com/FPMT/NL2015
High quality videos from the Maitreya teachings will soon be available on the FPMT.org:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/lama-zopa-rinpoche-teachings-in-netherlands-2015-2/
Links to download the translation of the teachings into French and Spanish in MP3 audio format will also be posted at the above link.
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.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche arriving at Maitreya Instituut, Loenen, Netherlands, July 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang. Maitreya Instituut has recently converted a hotel in Loenen into a very nice Dharma and retreat center.
On July 11, Ven. Roger Kunsang shared this from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who was at the time teaching at Maitreya Instituut, Loenen, Netherlands, on his Twitter page:
“Lama Zopa; happiness and suffering all come from your mind, depends what you do with your mind. Holland Maitreya.”
UPDATE: Some of Rinpoche’s preliminary teachings for the Heruka Five Deities initiation may be webcast live, including today’s (Tuesday July 14). To receive announcements of teachings, visit FPMT’s Livestream page and click the green “Follow” button (you can also watch at this link):
http://livestream.com/FPMT/NL2015
High quality videos of some of the Maitreya teachings will soon be available on the FPMT.org:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/lama-zopa-rinpoche-teachings-in-netherlands-2015-2/
Links to download the translation of the teachings into French and Spanish in MP3 audio format will also be posted at the above link.
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.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Maitreya Instituut thanking sponsors and telling them how important their support of Dharma is, Loenen, Netherlands, July 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is currently in the Netherlands, teaching at Maitreya Instituut Loenen. Over the weekend, Rinpoche gave teachings on the Essence of the Kadam, which you can watch recordings of on FPMT’s Livestream page.
Rinpoche is giving the Heruka Five Deities initiation at Maitreya July 13-19 and will give a long life initiation on July 20. Since these will be highest yoga tantra initiations, they will not be webcast live.
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.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre, Kangaroo Island, Australia, May 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
On July 11 Lama Zopa Rinpoche will begin teaching at Maitreya Instituut Loenen, the FPMT center in Loenen, the Netherlands, on the Essence of Kadam. Rinpoche will teach and offer initiations through July 20.
You can watch Rinpoche teach live on FPMT’s Livestream page:
http://livestream.com/FPMT/NL2015
Only Rinpoche’s teachings on July 11, 12, and the long life puja on July 20 are scheduled to be livestreamed, although other teachings throughout the week may be made available at a later date.
A recent schedule change means that the July 11 and 12 teachings will take place at 4-6 p.m. and 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. local time. The schedule for July 20 remains the same.
The live webcast will also be available in French and Spanish:
- French: http://livestream.com/fpmt-french/Hollande2015
- Spanish: http://livestream.com/fpmt-spanish/Holanda2015
After the event, all the public teachings will be made available as quickly as possible on FPMT’s Rinpoche Available Now page, which will include links to download audio recordings of the teachings.
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 morning prayers in Moscow, Russia, June 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
On July 1, Ven. Roger Kunsang shared this from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who was at the time teaching in Moscow, on his Twitter page:
“Lama Zopa; the chronic disease we have had since beginning less time is the self cherishing mind, put the blame on it and destroy this demon.”
Recordings of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings from Moscow, Russia, organized by Ganden Tendar Ling, can be watched on FPMT’s Livestream page as can Rinpoche’s upcoming teachings from the Netherlands.
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.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking during celebrations honoring his 80th birthday at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, HP, India on June 21, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL via dalailama.com.
An inspiring number of celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday are taking place around the world.
On June 21 in Dharamsala, India, a huge long-life ceremony was offered to His Holiness. Dalailama.com wrote, “At 8 o’clock His Holiness was escorted from the gates of his residence up to the Tsuglagkhang [the main Tibetan temple], where he greeted the assembled guests and took his seat on the throne. Seated before on a line of thrones were the leaders of the Tibetan spiritual traditions: to the right, Sakya Daktri Rinpoche, Menri Khen Rinpoche, Gyalwang Karmapa, Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche, Taglung Shabdrung Rinpoche, and to the left Ganden Tri Rinpoche, Katok Getse Rinpoche and a representative of the Drukchen Rinpoche. Behind them sat abbots and retired abbots of the great monasteries.”
Drolkar McCallum, FPMT North America regional coordinator, waits with others to be part of the procession of offerings during the long life ceremony for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dharamsala, India, June 21, 2015
The long-life offering was presented by the Central Tibetan Administration, the Domay Community and the Gelug International Foundation and presided over by Sakya Daktri Rinpoche. “During the ceremony the Tse-ring Che-nga and Nechung Oracles appeared separately in trance. They each paid their respects to His Holiness and gathered spiritual and political leaders together in front of him to say prayers,” Dalailama.com reported.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche attended the ceremony. FPMT North America regional coordinator Drolkar McCallum was also there and was part of the procession of offerings. Drolkar shared that she “had the honor of offering texts to His Holiness! What a thrill!”
Following the long-life ceremony in Dharamsala, there was the 1st Gelug International Conference, of which Lama Zopa Rinpoche attended the first day. Delegates to the meeting, which included many high lamas and other representatives of the Gelug tradition, discussed preserving the Gelug tradition in the future. His Holiness attended the final session of the conference.
Photos of the Gelug International Conference are on Dalailama.com. Radio Free Asia has a report on the conference in Tibetan and you can see video from the conference on Tibet Online TV.
Beginning of the Gelug international Conference in Dharamsala. Ganden Tri Rinpoche in the center, Ganden Jangtse Choje Rinpoche and Ganden Shartse Rinpoche to left, and Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay to the right, Dharamsala, India, June 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Tibetan prime minister Lobsang Sangay addressing the Gelug conference, Dharamsala, India, June 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
On June 28, His Holiness was in the UK and attended the Glastonbury Music Festival. His Holiness gave a talk to 8,500 and participated in a panel on climate change. He then went on the main stage with American singer Patti Smith and had a crowd of more than 120,000 sing him “Happy Birthday.” Geshe Tashi, the resident teacher at Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London, accompanied His Holiness on stage.
The International Campaign for Tibet is reporting that Tibetans in Tibet are also celebrating His Holiness’ birthday despite Chinese repression.
They report Tibetan man in Amdo saying: “In the summer, Tibetans often take picnics out to the grasslands, away from the urban areas where they are more easily observed by the authorities. So most of the celebrations of the birthday took place in these areas, with friends, family, the local community gathering with large photographs of His Holiness or thangkas of the Bodhisattva of compassion displayed on makeshift thrones with offerings of seasonal fruit, with songs and dances connected to the 80th birthday year.” For more, including photos, see ITC’s report.
ITC also reports that Germany has issued a commemorative postage stamp recognizing His Holiness’ 80th birthday.
Former U.S. President George W. Bush offered His Holiness a birthday cake during a luncheon, which was part of His Holiness’ visit to Texas, U.S., on July 1.
Many video tributes have been created for His Holiness’ birthday, including a short video by the Central Tibetan Administration and the Cambodian Children’s Fund.
Shambala Sun magazine is creating a commemorative issue for His Holiness’ 80th birthday. And there are many more activities and event schedule for this weekend and the following weeks and months of the next year.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with Patti Smith, waving to the crowd of over 120,000 at the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival in Glastonbury, Somerset, UK on June 28, 2015. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL via dalailama.com.
Next week, we’ll share stories on how FPMT centers, projects and services are celebrating His Holiness’ 80th birthday. We’ll also look back at the history of His Holiness and FPMT.
FPMT.org shares news of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like our news updates, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching in a park in Moscow, Russia, June 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Many Russian FPMT students are meeting Lama Zopa Rinpoche for the first time, while he is in Moscow. Others are only seeing him again after many years. Rinpoche’s teachings there, which began on June 30, have been well attended.
As interest in Buddhism continues to grow in Russia, resources in Russian are also increasing. The Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive offers several teachings by Lama Yeshe and other Tibetan Buddhist masters translated into Russian. Links to these free PDFs can be found on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive Russian translations page. FPMT currently offers Russian translations of the Vajra Cutter Sutra and also the Sutra of Golden Light.
Live streaming and recordings of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings from Moscow, organized by Ganden Tendar Ling, can be found on FPMT’s Livestream 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 Lama Zopa Rinpoche News.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching in Moscow, Russia, June 30, 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
On June 27, Ven. Roger Kunsang shared this from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who is currently teaching in Moscow, on his Twitter page:
“Lama Zopa; Kadampa geshes say … Think far, long term, very extensive study with big mind, at same time relaxed, not squeezed.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings from Moscow, Russia, organized by Ganden Tendar Ling, can be watch live and recorded on FPMT’s Livestream page.
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 Lama Zopa Rinpoche News.