Lama Zopa Rinpoche News and Advice

Lama Zopa Rinpoche talking about the previous Lawudo Lama in his meditation cave, Lawudo, Solu Khumbu, Nepal, April 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

On April 4, Ven. Roger Kunsang shared via Twitter that FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche was boarding a helicopter bound for Lawudo Gompa and Retreat Centre, located in the mountainous Solu Khumbu region of Nepal. Lawudo is where Rinpoche’s previous incarnation Lawudo Lama Kunsang Yeshe meditated for 20 years, and it is also near to where Rinpoche was born.

Rinpoche’s visit is big news as his last trip to Lawudo was in June 2008. Not only is Rinpoche’s presence there very important to the Sherpa people in the area, Rinpoche is returning to an essential location in FPMT’s history. “Lawudo is the heart where FPMT started,” Rinpoche has said. Online, you can read the story of Rinpoche’s 1998 visit, “The Lawudo Lama Returns,” and other Mandala stories on Lawudo. 

In addition to blog posts on FPMT.org, photos of Rinpoche from his visit to Lawudo are being shared over social media and many can be seen by visiting Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Facebook page. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche boarding the helicopter for Lawudo, Nepal, April 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Mahabodhi Stupa, Bodhgaya, India, March 2105. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

During the 25th Kopan course in 1992 Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave a concise explanation of dependent arising, the way in which things exist:

Lama Tsongkhapa says, “By seeing the meaning of the dependent arising, emptiness, it stops the root of all the samsaric beings’ sufferings, ignorance, concept of true existence.” Whatever exists – hell, enlightenment, samsara, nirvana, I, action, object, everything – whatever exists, all these are dependent arising. By depending on the base, the mind which labels and the label, depending on these things, then the I exists, the action exists, the object exists, hell exists, enlightenment exists, samsara exists, nirvana exists, impermanent phenomena, permanent phenomena, all these things exist. All these things exist. So, depending on these three – base, mind, label – depending on these things then it exists. Depending on these things, all these things exist or arise.

Excerpted from the transcripts of the 25th Kopan course (http://bit.ly/25th-kopan-course) made available by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Lightly edited by Mandala 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 in front of the Nagarjuna statue at Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India, February 2015.

While staying at Root Institute in Bodhgaya, India, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained a verse from Lama Chöpa that he had written out to be put in front of the large Nagarjuna statue at the center. The verse Rinpoche wrote out is as follows:

Samsara and Nirvana lack even an atom of inherent existence
And cause and effect and dependent arising are infallible
I seek your blessings to discern the meaning of Nagarjuna’s thought —
That these two are mutually complementary and not contradictory.*

WATCH: Video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche speaking on a verse from Lama Chöpa

FPMT Education Services has created many resources to enrich your practice of Lama Chöpa, including a new webpage with videos of Rinpoche chanting the tunes. You can also read Rinpoche’s commentary on this important practice.

*Lama Chöpa verse 108, published by FPMT Education Services, 2013

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 arriving at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, April 1, 2015. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

After spending several months in India, FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche returned to Kopan Monastery in Nepal on April 1. A few days later, Rinpoche traveled to Lawudo Gompa and Retreat Centre in the mountainous Solu Khumbu region of Nepal. Lawudo is where Rinpoche’s previous incarnation Lawudo Lama Kunsang Yeshe meditated. 

In May, Rinpoche begins a teaching tour that spans New Zealand, Australia, Russia, the Netherlands and Latin America. For details on teachings events with Rinpoche, visit Rinpoche’s schedule page on FPMT.org. 

Rinpoche arriving at Kopan Monastery, April 1, 2015. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

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.

Students of Maitreya School listening to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India, March 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

In March 2015, Lama Zopa Rinpoche dictated this letter to the students of Maitreya School, Root Institute’s free school benefiting local impoverished children in Bodhgaya, India. Rinpoche wrote the letter after the school master explained that the main problem the children faced was parents drinking and fighting. Rinpoche asked that this letter be translated into Hindi, framed, put on the wall, and read and explained often to the students.

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

I understand the so-much suffering and problems at home: parents that drink so much alcohol without control and then fight all the time. That makes you all so sad. It can be also very, very scary. And it is not just one time, two times, three times; it is often. It might be like that for you.

Their problem is not only that they don’t have external, outside-world, general-world education, but that they don’t have inner education. The Sanskrit word for this is “Dharma.” And not just understanding Dharma, but practice and attainment, especially the attainments of patience, contentment, compassion and so forth. They do not have these qualities. They didn’t get to achieve these qualities and that’s because they never learned, because nobody explained.

We can see with the eyes their life problems – so much suffering and no happiness. This is a very good example for us. As you are young, you have to grow up in a positive way, not a negative way. It is so much suffering for them, but for you, seeing their life – the unbelievable suffering, fear and chaos – is great education. For you, it is great inspiration not to live your life like them. If you live life like them, soon you will grow up and will have to have a family; you will have children and so your life will be unbelievable suffering – fighting like them and drinking alcohol. Having a family is supposed to be a happiness, but with life so uncontrolled, there’s much fighting, sadness, fear, and so many other negative things. There are even things couples don’t have to fight about, but because of drinking, even if there is not so much reason to fight, they find small reasons to fight about and harm each other. All this happens every day. Not only you the wife or you the husband suffer, but it also bring so much suffering to your family, your children. Your life will become like this or worse.

Students circumambulating the stupa at Maitreya School, Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India, March 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Therefore, your life is in your hands; it’s up to your mind. If you develop compassion for others and wisdom, especially Dharma wisdom – inner wisdom, inner education – then as much as you develop those, you will have so much happiness. Even though your parents suffered so much, you will grow up with so much happiness. When you have a family and children, you will all have so much happiness. You won’t bring suffering to your family. By developing compassion to others and wisdom, this inner wisdom, you will bring so much happiness to yourself, your husband, your wife, your children. Then, your children will become a great example to their children. They will know what brings suffering, so they will not bring suffering to their children; they will bring happiness. Each generation becomes a great example of how to bring peace and happiness.

I want Maitreya School to help to bring peace and happiness, to bring wisdom light to life, not bring darkness, but to bring the sun – wisdom light – and as a result, bring peace and happiness. That is my real aim for the school. It is not just school. Even in the Western world there are kindergartens, colleges, universities where you can learn so many things, but the mind never changes. The mind, which produces happiness and suffering, never changes; and the mind is used only to produce suffering, not to produce happiness. That happens because developing compassion, the good heart and wisdom is limited.

Even though you are children, it is so important to practice kindness day and night, not to harm others, and on top of that, to benefit others. Even if you can’t benefit, at least pray and dedicate your merits for others to have happiness, harmony and the success of their wishes according to Dharma. This way, nothing becomes negative karma, negative action, but instead it becomes the cause of peerless happiness, total cessation of obscurations, and the completion of realizations.

Try, beginning in childhood, to practice the good heart, to be kind to others – and not only to people, but even to insects and animals. This way, you become a good human being by not harming others and only bringing greater and greater peace and happiness not only to yourself, but also to your family, society, country, and world. And you bring the same to the six types of living beings – hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, suras, asuras – and intermediate state beings. Not only do you bring temporary happiness, but you bring ultimate happiness, like the sun shining. Show respect; treat others like yourself or more important than yourself. Of course, you need compassion and wisdom, otherwise, even if others have eyes, you make them blind – in other words, you cause suffering to others.

Thank you very much, with much love and prayer.

My sincere advice is to pray to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He is Buddha in an ordinary human form that appears to us. Pray from the heart that your parents have peace, harmony, and no more fighting. Pray that they get Dharma happiness, the peerless happiness, cessation of obscurations, and the completion of all the realizations. Even praying sincerely to His Holiness can help. Don’t just pray only one time, no, pray every day. You need to pray all the time.

Transcribed by Ven. Sarah Thresher, Root Institute, March 2015. Edited by Mandala 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 making a request to His Holiness the Dalai Lama during the Jangchup Lamrim teachings, South India, December 2014. Photo by Bill Kane.

In early 2014, Lama Zopa Rinpoche translated this special quote from the Stainless Sky Sutra into English:

“Ananda, the Tathagatas do not appear to the sentient beings, but the virtuous friend completely appears and reveals the Dharma and plants the seed of liberation; because of that, cherish the virtuous friend as more special than the Tathagatas.”

Scribed by Ven. Sarah Thresher, Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India, February 19, 2014.

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 Mahabodhi Stupa in Bodhgaya, India, February 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

“March 27 was Rinpoche’s final night in Bodhgaya and so we went to the stupa to offer robes to the Buddha at the Mahabodhi Stupa,” said Ven. Sarah Thresher, who has been sharing news about Lama Zopa Rinpoche beneficial activities in Bodhgaya over the last two months. “After offering flowers, incense and music and circumambulating the stupa once, Rinpoche went to the inner shrine to make prayers in front of the main Buddha image. Robes were offered along with five-color silk khatas and bowls filled with food.

“The stupa was already closed by the time we left the shrine (it closes at 9 p.m.) but instead of walking to the exit as we usually do, Rinpoche very deliberately walked to the Bodhi tree and sat down to pray, instructing the Westerners to read the dedication prayer from the Chöd in English and then chant the Tibetan, while the monks read the prayer of the path of Guhyasamaja. No sooner did we start the prayers than a strange mist-like vapor seemed to fall from the tree, which gradually turned into a very delicate rain.

“Rinpoche has been in Bodhgaya for two months now and tonight was the culmination of a constant stream of prayers, practices, teachings and blessings. A week ago, a Nyingma meditator commented to me how important it was that Rinpoche was in Bodhgaya: ‘This is one of the holiest places in the world,’ he said, ‘the blessings and presence of high lamas like Rinpoche keep it that way.’

“After finishing the prayers we left the stupa and Rinpoche once again patiently, respectfully and generously made charity to each of the beggars. Before getting into the car to leave, Rinpoche mentioned the ‘nectar that fell from the Bodhi tree’ as the final prayers were being made was ‘a good sign’ and ‘auspicious.'”

Mahabodhi Stupa, Bodhgaya, India, February 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

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 Sujata, where Buddha practiced austerities for six years, India, March 2015. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

“Many former pandits and yogis from India, Nepal and Tibet, so many, achieved full enlightenment within some years by practicing and integrating their life with this practice, the Guru Puja (Lama Chöpa),” Lama Zopa Rinpoche said during the 25th Kopan course in 1992. “In this teaching it is mentioned, ‘Please grant me blessings to be able to hold the banner of liberation by avoiding the thought, the mind seeing samsara, which is like unbearable prison, as a beautiful, joyful, pleasant, happy park by keeping the treasure, the three higher trainings and the the arya beings’ wealth.’

“First, if it is described a little, just briefly, avoid the mind seeing samsara, which is like unbearable prison, as a pleasure park. The city is not samsara, the mountains are not samsara, the farm, fields are not samsara, cars are not samsara. So, what is samsara? Samsara is this consciousness, this mind which experiences so much suffering – this is samsara. This body which experiences so many problems – this is samsara. Now, the association of this body and mind, this which is the container of all the problems, which feels hunger, thirst, hot and cold, which experiences all these problems – this is what is called samsara, which in English means ‘circling.'”

Excerpted from the transcripts of the 25th Kopan course (http://bit.ly/25th-kopan-course) made available by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Lightly edited by Mandala 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 teaching at Sujata, India, March 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

During March 2015, Lama Zopa Rinpoche taught at Sujata, India, the site where Buddha practiced austerities for six years before later attaining enlightenment at the site of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya. Ven. Roger Kunsang shared some brief quotes from the teaching:

“First, you don’t harm others, that’s the basis. Then as much as you can, benefit others. 

“As long as you hold onto the fire, the pain will not stop. So as long as you hold on to the ’I,’ the suffering will not stop.”

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 giving the oral transmission of the Vajra Cutter Sutra at the Mahabodhi Temple, Bodhgaya, India, March 2015. Photo by Ven. Losang Sherab.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has been at Root Institute in Bodhgaya, India since February 2, taking every opportunity to engage in round the clock meritorious activities and offer blessings to many people and animals. Rinpoche has also been visiting the students of Root’s Maitreya School, a free school benefiting local impoverished children, and recently commented:

“Some people have a very good education. They attend kindergarden, primary and secondary school, whilst some even attend university and get the highest qualifications, but they use it for negative things like masterminding war. We should use education to work on our inner minds as well as our academic knowledge to benefit others, not destroy them.”

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 giving the oral transmission of the Vajra Cutter Sutra at the Mahabodhi Stupa, Bodhgaya, India, March 2015. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

“When you go to bed, when you go to sleep … this is what you are about to do when you get back to your room. Or maybe here! Maybe, if I continue a little bit, then maybe here!” Lama Zopa Rinpoche joked during the 41st Kopan course in December 2008.  

“It is mentioned by Lama Tsongkhapa that when you go to bed, first wash your feet. I think washing the feet helps the mind to be fresh, to be not heavy, not sleepy, where you can’t wake up. The mind is clearer.

“Then, you go to bed in the position when the Buddha was passing away, on the right side in the position of a lion laying down, not sleeping flat on the bed. Your two legs are stretched out, the left leg put on the right, laying down in the position of a snow lion. It is said that with this method you wake up easily, so as to not waste your life, to not have a very drowsy, very heavy sleep. It is very easy to wake up to do practice.

“When you go to bed, think of light. Generate virtuous thoughts until you fall asleep. Generate virtuous thoughts in meditation.

“Also, when you’re about to fall sleep, you have to have the intention, the motivation, not to be overwhelmed by sleep, and without the delay of getting up. That is mentioned in the teachings. It is also mentioned in the teachings that there are three parts of the night: the upper part of the night, the middle part of the night and the lower part of the night. So, for those upper and lower parts of the night, practice Dharma, virtue, don’t sleep. In the middle part of the night, sleep. That also helps with your health. In the early part of the night, practice Dharma, and also in the lower part of the night, in the early morning, get up and do practice. In the middle part, sleep. That way, you don’t waste your life.

“For example (I’m not making this definite, I’m just using an example) let’s say you want to get up at four o’clock to begin your practice, to not be overwhelmed by sleep. To be able to get up at that time in the early morning to begin the practice, you have to have that kind of motivation, to wake up at that time, to have that kind of energy, of inspiration.

“That’s what mentioned in the lam-rim teachings. It’s said that you should be like a deer living in the forest. It doesn’t have a house and there are many enemies, so when it sleeps, it is a very light sleep, it keeps its ears up. It is a very light sleep because it has to be careful. It’s explained in the teachings like that. It means to not waste your life but instead to get up early in the morning to be able to begin your practice.

“Because you went to bed remembering the Buddha’s position, even when you go to bed, you don’t forget the Buddha. That helps. When you do that every night, that helps when you die. One day when you are in the situation where you suddenly die, or even if you are gradually dying, because you have done this all the time, it is easy to remember the Buddha at that time, and you don’t get reborn in lower realms. You’re totally safe if you remember the Buddha at that time. The mind is always in virtue, it is never separated from virtue, from Dharma, so it helps with that. …”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives more advice on sleep yoga (see Lecture 9) in the transcripts of the 41st Kopan course (http://bit.ly/41st-kopan-course), lightly edited by Gordon McDougall and made available by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. This excerpt was further edited by Mandala 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. 

Ksitigarbha, Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, California, US, November 2014. Photo by Chris Majors.

A student of Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote: “The reason I’m writing is that I feel that I do not progress, I feel blocked, seemingly blocked by myself. I have clear moments where I have the motivation and plans for practicing, but always I seem to step back. Never progressing.”

My dear student,

What you explained in your letter is the same as myself – I plan to practice, but then it doesn’t happen.

All the problem is because of not having meditated well on impermanence and death. You should read Heart Spoon by Pabongka Rinpoche and other things on impermanence and death.

Think: “Today children died in their mother’s womb, even after the consciousness took place on the fertilized egg; other children died just after being born. Many young, middle-aged and old people also died. Not only those with cancer died. Many people are dying every day from car accidents, from heart attacks. People suddenly die in so many ways. Therefore, I could be dead at any time. Any year, any month, any week, even today, I could die. After death there are only two ways: rebirth in the lower realms or in the higher realms. There’s no third option.”

Like a waterfall or like waves on the ocean, negative karmas come one after another. It is difficult to practice pure Dharma, to create pure virtue. Many times things are done thinking they’re virtue, but they don’t become Dharma, even some [outwardly looking] Dharma practice.

Also, we don’t practice compassion; we don’t practice patience. Anger and heresy arise and destroy merit depending on who you get angry with. If a non-bodhisattva gets angry with a bodhisattva, they destroy 1,000 eons of merits from making offerings to Buddha and so forth for each second they get angry. If you get angry with a buddha – wow, wow, wow! It must be hundreds of thousands or millions of eons of merit that get destroyed. And then there is the guru, the most powerful object, more powerful than numberless buddhas. Giving rise to heresy or anger with the guru for even one second destroys so many eons of merit in that one second. Even Buddhists don’t pay attention to these practices of patience and compassion.

The other thing is that even if some Dharma practice that collects merit is done, if it’s not dedicated to enlightenment for sentient beings, it can be completely destroyed by anger, heresy, ill will and so forth. Even merit dedicated to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings, if it’s not sealed with emptiness, the merits become weaker. It needs to be sealed with emptiness. For example, if there is a huge rocky mountain, even if trucks take away many loads of dirt, the rest of the mountain is there.

Seal with emptiness by reciting the following dedication: “Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me and those collected by numberless sentient beings and numberless buddhas, which do not exist from their own side at all but are totally empty, may the I, which does not exist from its own side but is totally empty, achieve the state of omniscient mind, which does not exist from its own side but is totally empty, and lead all the sentient beings, who do not exist from their own side but are totally empty from their own side, to that state of omniscient mind, which does not exist from it’s own side but is totally empty, by myself alone, who does not exist at all from its own side but is totally empty.”

With much love and prayer,

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Scribed by Ven. Ailsa Cameron, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, December 2013. Lightly edited by Mandala 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.