Lama Zopa Rinpoche News and Advice

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and others on the top level (so far) of the Great Stupa for Universal Compassion, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

“The most unbelievable way to collect merit in the West is in the center, where you go to receive Dharma teachings, where there is a resident teacher from whom you take teachings and who you regard as your guru, and the students at that center have the same guru, so they are the disciples of one’s own guru, whether the guru is there at the center or far away, they are disciples of one’s own guru,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche taught at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in April 2011. “So at the center making offerings to the students [of the same guru], even just offering a glass of water, or a glass of beer, a glass of whatever is the best beer, a glass of water, if you offer to everybody, can you imagine the merits? Woooooow. Can you imagine the merits? Wow, wow, wow, most amazing. Even if you offer to only one student you create far more merit than making offerings to numberless Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in numberless universes. Offering to all those [is less merit] than offering one glass of water to a student who is the disciple of the same guru as you. So at the center even if you offer to only one person, [you create the] most unimaginable, unimaginable, unimaginable merit. Actually I should add more, I should add on unimaginable many hundreds, even thousands, I should be doing that: maybe the hours today, tonight, are not enough, it is a reality like this. …

“So to be able to come to the center, either giving to students, offering to them, or to the center itself, your time, finances, whatever, every single thing becomes an offering to the guru, and to all the pores of the guru – everybody who comes to listen to teachings, everybody who comes to meditate there, for their use, for their benefit, basically it is for all the sentient beings who come there, to benefit them, so the merits you collect, can you imagine? The merits that you collect are most amazing, most amazing.”

– From Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice “Collect Merit So Easily at the Center”

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 on the path between the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion and Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“When Gelek Rinpoche was living in Delhi, he mentioned during teachings that the poor laborers working outside under the hot sun building roads or doing construction work look up through the windows of the large houses and see the air conditioning and fans,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche shared in Bodhisattva Attitude. “For them it seems like heaven and they think, ‘Those people have so much comfort and pleasure! How wonderful their lives are! They have no problems, only happiness!’ At the same time, the wealthy people living in the houses look down at the laborers and think, ‘Those people working on the road have such a good, simple life with no heavy responsibilities or problems!’ They are attracted to the poor people’s lives because they have so many business and relationship problems and a lot of worry and fear.”

“In a similar way, Kyabje Chöden Rinpoche explained that the mental suffering of the devas is heavier than the physical suffering of animals. 

“Numberless times we have been born and suffered like this in samsara due to ignorance, looking at the aggregates as being the I, the self, when in reality there is no I or self. This is the main wrong concept and from that come three others. …”

From Chapter 6, “Four Wrong Concepts,” of Bodhisattva Attitude: How to Dedicate Your Life to Others by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, edited by Ven. Sarah Thresher and published by Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Learn more about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his beneficial activities by visiting Rinpoche’s webpage, where you will find links to Rinpoche’s schedule, new advice, recent video, photos and more.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing the Green Tara statue in Atisha Centre’s gompa, Bendigo, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

“It is said that there will come a time soon when there will no more qualified teachers to guide us. The teachings will still exist in books, and perhaps our wish to progress on the path will be there, but we will be without guides. And without somebody to lead us to enlightenment it will be impossible because the most subtle subjects can only really be understood, and more importantly realized, by taking guidance from a fully qualified teacher,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches in the first chapter of Perfect Human Rebirth: Freedom and Richness on the Path to Enlightenment.

“Therefore, we must generate the determination to make the most of every moment. At this time, with this body and mind, in this environment, we have a unique and precious opportunity to understand the teachings of the Buddha and to generate the realizations of the path to enlightenment. If we attempt it, there is nothing we cannot do. We need to see this. We need to understand how limitless our potential is and not block our precious chance with delusions of incapability. ‘I can’t do it! I’m hopeless.’

“It is time to have big thoughts – huge thoughts! It is time to make vast plans, to lay out the immense project ahead of us and feel so happy that we can achieve our goal to develop ourselves to our ultimate potential. We have perfect role models in the Buddha and the numberless great yogis who followed him, as well as the precious lamas we have the fortune to be able to take teachings and gain inspiration from, and we have the understanding that we have exactly the same potential as they do. Shakyamuni was exactly like us once; His Holiness the Dalai Lama was exactly like us once. In turn, we can be exactly like them. All the conditions are there. What it needs now is our determination.”

From Chapter 1, “What is Dharma?” in Perfect Human Rebirth: Freedom and Richness on the Path to Enlightenment by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, edited by Gordon McDougall and published by Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

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 during public talk at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 20, 2014. Photo by Kunchok Gyaltsen.

A hard life is very good for learning, it is a teaching, it shows the nature of suffering. Look at it that way, as a teaching, to give you inspiration, liberate you, and free you from samsara. Seeing sentient beings’ sufferings and from that developing compassion leads to bodhichitta and the Mahayana path, which eliminates all the gross and subtle defilements and causes you to achieve enlightenment. Then you can enlighten all sentient beings. These benefits come when you experience hardships or a hard life. So, if you can, think like this.

– Lama Zopa Rinpoche, from the page on “Various Transitions” in “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book,” part of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. 

Learn more about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his beneficial activities by visiting Rinpoche’s webpage, where you will find links to Rinpoche’s schedule, new advice, recent video, photos and more.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche being led to the long life puja by Geshe Doga and Geshe Wangchen, Bendigo, Australia, October 23, 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings from the recently concluded Australia retreat as well as the long life puja can be watched online on FPMT.org. During the final few days of the retreat, Rinpoche gave oral transmission and explanation of several mantras, including the mantras of Ksitigarbha and Vajrasattva.

You can find many mantras and resources on mantras commonly recommended by Rinpoche on FPMT Education Services’ “Mantras” page.

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 writing out the Tibetan alphabet, Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Rather than staying worried, recite mani mantras to purify past negative karma, then there’s no need to worry. Everything dies – everything grows and dies, comes and goes – so our main aim should be enlightenment. All other things are not important.

A Kadampa geshe said, “The suffering we are experiencing now is our past negative karma ripening, so we should be happy it is finishing.”

Take blessed water several times a day, thinking that it has purified our negative karma from past lives, and visualize very strongly these four things being purified: spirit harm, negative karma, sickness and obscurations.

– Lama Zopa Rinpoche, from the “Fears” page on “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ven. Sangpo visiting a park in Bendigo, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

From Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s “Compassion Is of the Upmost Need”:

A Kadampa geshe said, “Holy beings of the land of Dzambu (this world) respond to harm with good actions.” 

When ordinary people are harmed they retaliate with harm. Holy beings repay harm with positive actions. Whoever sees the enemy as the virtuous friend is happy wherever that person is. 

The great Indian scholar bodhisattva Shantideva said in the first chapter of his Bodhicaryavatara: 

“I bow down to the body of him in whom the sacred precious mind is born. 
I seek refuge in that source of joy, who brings to happiness even those who harm him.” 

A free PDF download of “Compassion Is of the Upmost Need,” Rinpoche’s 10 quotes on compassion, is available from the Foundation Store in letter and A4 formats.

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 visiting the relics in the exhibition center at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion’s, Bendigo, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“The terms ‘renouncing this life’ or ‘renouncing suffering’ both mean renouncing the mind that is the cause of the problems, the thought of the eight worldly dharmas. Therefore ‘Dharma’ includes even pragmatic, transient techniques to stop attachment from arising. This is the actual Dharma, the method that immediately solves our confusion and mental illness. Bringing clarity and lack of confusion to our mind is the best way of bringing happiness to our life. Renouncing suffering doesn’t mean we’ll never have stomach or knee pain, a headache or a cold. It doesn’t mean wishing to be free of all pain but wishing to be free from the very cause of all suffering,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches in How to Practice Dharma: Teachings on the Eight Worldly Dharmas, published by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. 

“It has been the experience of these great yogis that we don’t have to wait until our future lives to experience this happiness. As soon as we stop the dissatisfied mind, immediately – immediately – there’s the result, happiness.

“At first we might be nervous about letting go of desire because we normally equate desire with happiness. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite. As soon as we let go of desire we achieve inner peace, satisfaction and happiness; we become independent. Before, we were dictated to and controlled by desire but now we have achieved real freedom.

“We can see in the biographies of the great yogis Tilopa, Marpa, Milarepa, Lama Tsongkhapa and many of those other highly realized beings whose holy minds passed into enlightenment how, even without material possessions, they generated great tranquility and peace and through that were able to realize the great achievements of the path. They didn’t have even the scent of the eight worldly dharmas about them but by completely renouncing desire for this life, they received everything – the best reputation, perfect surroundings and sufficient material comfort.

“In Milarepa’s Hundred Thousand Songs he often says how renouncing this life’s worldly activities automatically stops all the thousands of problems associated with the worldly life and brings great bliss. Without any possessions at all, he led an ascetic life in solitary places. Although he lived like an animal, he spent his life in great happiness, his mind always peaceful, without confusion or problems. He didn’t have even one sack of tsampa but lived on nettles alone. Living without food, clothing or reputation didn’t cause him any problems because of his Dharma practice. He achieved all the high realizations and then enlightenment in that one lifetime, all due to the power of his pure Dharma practice of renouncing suffering, renouncing this life. His mind was incomparably happier than that of the king who has great power and many bodyguards, soldiers and weapons.

“Therefore, it’s completely wrong to think that Dharma only brings happiness in future lifetimes but not in this one. We experience peace and happiness the very moment we begin to practice and live in the Dharma. We feel its effects immediately.”

From How to Practice Dharma: Teachings on the Eight Worldly Dharmas, pp. 144-5, edited by Gordon Gordon McDougall and published by Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Learn more about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his beneficial activities by visiting Rinpoche’s webpage, where you will find links to Rinpoche’s schedule, new advice, recent video, photos and more.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Oz, Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, Bendigo, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche recently showed off his Ozzie side. Taking time to pose for photos, Rinpoche wore his iconic, new Akubra hat, offered to him during the long life puja at the conclusion of the Australia retreat, and stood next to a newly offered and painted kangaroo statue.

Rinpoche painted a mantra on the kangaroo, known as “Enjoyment of the Great Water.” According to Rinpoche, just seeing this mantra purifies 100,000 eons of negative karma. Before Rinpoche painted the mantra, Lynn Miller Coleman painted the rest of the kangaroo and joey. The statue will reside in the bush near the monastery.

Lama Zopa Rinpoch visits with Lynn Miller Coleman as she paints the kangaroo statue, Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger 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.

Elephant making offerings to Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang. While staying at Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave instructions for the large elephant statues in the bush near the monastery and Great Stupa to have offerings.

“… All those who make flower offerings to the stupa will achieve a perfect human rebirth, having freedom and richness. …”

–From Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s translation of “Padmasambhava’s Instruction on Offerings to Stupas,” which details the benefits of prostrating to, circumambulating, making offerings to, and offering service to stupas. 

Elephant with friends and offerings near the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

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 viewing relics of Buddhist masters displayed in the newly remodeled relic room in the exhibition center at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“Impermanence and death don’t wait for us –
Every moment, we are so close to death.

“Every moment of this life is to prepare for death.
Every moment of this life is to free ourselves from suffering.
Every moment of this life is to achieve peerless happiness.
Every moment of this life is to make the greatest purification.
Every moment of this life is to accumulate extensive merit,
with the thought of impermanence and bodhicitta,
and with the practice of guru yoga,
seeing our own mind as one with the holy mind of the guru
and the deity,
which is the wisdom of non-dual bliss and voidness.

“This is crazy Zopa’s advice for
students and friends,
forever,
until enlightenment is achieved.”

–Lama Zopa Rinpoche, from the page on “Impermanence and Death” in “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book,” part of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. 

Learn more about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his beneficial activities by visiting Rinpoche’s webpage, where you will find links to Rinpoche’s schedule, new advice, recent video, photos and more.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Ian Green discussing the art and decorations for the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered this advice to students on the benefits of building a stupa:

“By building a stupa, without words we are continually liberating so many sentient beings. Every day, the stupa plants the seed of enlightenment and purifies anybody who sees, touches, remembers, talks or dreams about the stupa. This includes insects that touch the stupa. The stupa is meaningful to behold, and it liberates many sentient beings, insects and humans, every day.

“When the wind touches a stupa—especially if it has the four dharmakaya relics inside—the wind becomes blessed. Then, wherever the wind goes and whoever it touches, it liberates them from the lower realms, by purifying their negative karma. When rain falls on the stupa, that water liberates any being it touches—all the worms in the ground etc, are liberated from the lower realms. It is similar with dust.

“We can build stupas to inspire people without even teaching Dharma. However many hundreds and billions of years the holy object lasts, it continues to liberate many sentient beings every day, freeing them from the lower realms, causing them to actualize the path, liberating them from samsara and bringing them to enlightenment. After we die, even if we are in another universe, in the hell realms or a pure land, wherever we are, the stupa that we built or helped to build, is continually benefiting sentient beings. It is incredible how we can continually benefit sentient beings by building a stupa.

“From the Flower Garland Sutra:

Whatever one offers [to a stupa], whether it is tiny or big, it causes happiness from beginningless rebirth up to now.

“This refers to temporary happiness and on top of that the cause of ultimate happiness—liberation from suffering and causes of suffering, and full enlightenment, for the sake of all sentient beings. Then we are able to liberate numberless sentient beings from suffering and bring them to enlightenment, so of course this includes achieving worldly people’s small happiness; it is all contained here.

“These are some of the benefits we get by helping to build this stupa.”

From the page on “Stupas” in “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book,” part of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. 

Light offerings projected on to the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

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.