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Lama Zopa Rinpoche News and Advice
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Washington, US, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
“Why retreat on the lam-rim? Because of every single teaching of Buddha, of all three vehicles, even one syllable appears as an instruction, as the practice of one person to achieve enlightenment. Not even one syllable should be left out of Buddha’s teachings. The main goal of every single word of Buddha is to tame the mind, because your heart and mind is the creator of all the suffering of samsara, including the three lower realms. So when you transform your heart, you are the creator of your happiness and peace, liberation and enlightenment,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote to students of FPMT’s Basic Program.
“Why specifically lam-rim retreat? Because it has a very special presentation to subdue the mind. The cause of all suffering of all sentient beings, from where all the suffering and problems come from, now and in the future, is the mind. If you analyze throughout your life, you will see this clearly. You can also understand this from what Buddha said:
“Do not engage in any harmful actions;
Perform only those that are good;
Subdue your own mind —
This is the teaching of the Buddha.
“Whatever you do, if it does not subdue the delusions, it is not Dharma.”
You can read more from “Benefits of Retreat on Lam-rim” by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and other advice on the “Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche” page.
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.
A statue of Amitabha Buddha carved from the highest quality marble and newly situated at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
A nun wrote to Lama Zopa Rinpoche with questions about practice and expressing her concern at not being able to find time to study and do her practice commitments while she was working at a Dharma center. Here’s part of Rinpoche’s response:
“… The whole essence to making decisions in life is to analyze according to the benefits. What brings you to enlightenment quicker? What brings more benefit to other sentient beings? Don’t get caught up in the words: ‘These are commitments,’ ‘these are preliminary practices,’ or ‘I don’t get time to do this because I have to work for the center.’ Don’t get caught in these labels. You should put your life, and so your main effort, into whatever is most beneficial for sentient beings, what brings enlightenment quickly. That means you can only judge the benefit by thinking of the lam-rim. Without the lam-rim, there is no way to judge what is most beneficial for sentient beings or most beneficial for bringing you to enlightenment quickly.
“Two important things in the lam-rim are bodhichitta and guru devotion. In my view, from what I hear and see in the texts, everything depends first on the practice of guru devotion. So, it seems your decision should be on that basis, because that is the root of the path to enlightenment. As you know, by meditating on the eight advantages of devoting to the guru and disadvantages of not devoting correctly to the guru, making mistakes, from that you can understand the beginning of the path to enlightenment. What the lam-rim and the lineage lamas emphasize is following the guru’s advice. This is what the texts say is the very first thing to think of when making a decision. They say this is the most important thing. Then, do other things on that basis.
“It all depends on what is more beneficial for others. The first thing to think of in particular is fulfilling the wishes or following the advice that’s given by the guru. Otherwise, you may think you are missing out on some practice or study because you are doing a lot of work at the center. If you forget to think of the guru’s advice first, and try to do something that you feel you are missing out on, you can do it, but you may not get much result. …”
You can read the entire post “Time for Practice” on the page of advice “Balancing Dharma Work with Wordly Work,” part of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book compiled by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
Learn more about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his beneficial activities by visiting Rinpoche’s homepage, where you will find links to Rinpoche’s schedule, new advice, recent video, photos and more.
Members of the Nepal Buddhist Federation including many senior monks from Kopan Monastery.
In 2006, for the first time in the history of the Nalanda Tradition, Nyingma, Kagyü, Sakya and Gelug traditions have formed an umbrella organization called Nepal Buddhist Federation (NBF).
Among many other projects, NBF is organizing a regular broadcast of Dharma teachings on television and radio in Nepal.
Each of the four traditions offered toward this project, the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund was delighted to make an offering to these efforts. Kopan Monastery has been very involved with the various projects of the NBF with many senior monks serving as members.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is committed to supporting the projects of the Nepal Buddhist Federation. Earlier this year, US$6,187 was also offered to the Rime Chirim Tendo Chenmo Monlam, a prayer festival for Saka Dawa dedicated to the healthy and long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the heads of the four Tibetan Buddhist schools, all other great masters, as well as for world peace.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, London, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
“Whatever we are doing, in our everyday life or our Dharma practice – listening, reflecting and meditating – our basic motivation, our attitude, has to be compassion,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche taught during the 24th Kopan Course in 1991. This teaching is featured in the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive’s June 2014 E-letter. “Here we’re not just talking about partial compassion, compassion toward somebody who loves us or a friend – except when that friend has a problem – but compassion to strangers and enemies as well. Compassion toward all sentient beings should be the motivation for why we study the Dharma, why we do anything. That should be our motivation as much as possible for every action we do every twenty-four hours.
“Compassion is so important in order to achieve peerless happiness, full enlightenment, for the sake of all sentient beings. Even without talking about enlightenment, just concerning our day-to-day happiness, there’s the need for compassion. Happiness in our daily life depends on compassion; peace in our daily life depends on compassion, on us having compassion toward others and others having compassion toward us. Generally speaking, happiness depends on each other.
“Why does each of us need to generate compassion? First of all, what other sentient beings want is happiness; what they do not want is problems, suffering. And that is dependent on conditions, on whether we have compassion or not for them, whether we stop actions that disturb them, that give them harm, and whether we do actions that benefit them. Without compassion, with the ego, the self-centered mind, the self-cherishing thought, out of that mind we do actions that harm them. So others’ peace, others’ happiness is also dependent on our own attitude, our own actions. That’s why we all need to develop compassion. …”
You can read the entire teaching “Why We All Need to Develop Compassion” and sign-up to receive the monthly E-letter from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive by visiting the Archive’s website at https://www.lamayeshe.com.
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 and Sangha making prayers in front of new Amitabha Buddha statue at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has offered new advice this week to bring peace to Israel and Palestine:
“1. [The] Golden Light Sutra – this is the best one to read at this time; this brings healing for the whole area,” Rinpoche’s advice begins. “It helps to not be controlled or have the country taken over by another, it gives power to the leader. I checked and it is more powerful to have the Sutra of Golden Light recited by the monks in the monastery, it is more effective. So sponsor Gaden Lachi (Gaden Shartse and Jangtse together) to read the Golden Light Sutra. Request the monks to deeply dedicate for Israel and Palestine to have peace. …” You can find the complete “Advice Regarding the Israel and Palestine Situation” as a PDF.
FPMT Education Services has created a page for the Sutra of Golden Light, which contains advice on the benefits of the sutra, links to PDF downloads of the sutra in 14 languages, and audio MP3s of an oral transmission of the sutra by Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche.
In the advice, Rinpoche suggests recitation of the White Umbrella Deity (Sitatapatra) praise. FPMT Education Services makes available “A Praise and Repelling Practice of Sitatapatra” and “The Supreme Accomplishment of Sitatapatra” as PDFs.
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 blessing a baby upon arriving at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, London, UK, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Lama Zopa: practicing Dharma is giving yourself happiness!
– From Ven. Roger Kunsang’s Twitter page, posted on July 11, 2014
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 homepage. If you’d like to receive news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche via email, sign up to Lama Zopa Rinpoche News.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Washington state, US, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
While staying near Madison, Wisconsin, US, Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered advice for the wildfires that were burning in Washington State, close to a number of students’ homes. Ven. Roger Kunsang, Rinpoche’s assistant and CEO of FPMT International Office in Portland, Oregon, scribed this advice for students eager to help:
1. Lama Zopa Rinpoche said that it is best to visualize the Lama Chöpa merit field and a great stream of nectar coming from the merit field and putting out the fires and especially helping the insects and animals who are suffering and perishing in the fire. This is best done in the context of doing the whole Lama Chöpa, if you have time.
Showers of nectar pour down purifying the negative karma of the suffering sentient beings, those who are suffering from the fire, and in general, the six realms sentient beings who are suffering, as well as those who have been harmed or destroyed in the fire. Also, the nectar is pouring down and changing the karma and the minds of the nagas, dergye (harmful spirits) and landlord beings, changing their negative minds, in order to not harm anymore.
It’s very important that one has one-pointed refuge in the merit field while doing this practice and one recites the mig-me mantras while doing this visualization.
2. Doing protector prayers is very good, especially tea offering to dergye as they control the elements, so it is important to appease them. But you can’t just offer tea and do nothing with the mind; you have to generate great bliss and emptiness.
3. If possible, do the extensive Medicine Buddha practice by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama.
When doing these practices, it is important to do them with good concentration and the motivation of bodhichitta.
Colophon: Scribed by Ven. Roger Kunsang, Madison, Wisconsin, US, July 2014. Lightly edited by Mandala.
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 offering a khata to a photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on His Holiness’ birthday, Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds, UK, July 6, 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
More than 200 people attended the teachings organized by Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds. According to Ven. Roger Kunsang, “Rinpoche’s teachings were stressing the importance of emptiness.”
“We ordinary beings who haven’t realized emptiness don’t see things as similar to illusions,” Rinpoche told Ven. Thubten Chodron during an interview in 2005. “We don’t realize that things are merely labeled by mind and exist by mere name. Generally speaking, we don’t see the mere appearance of the I until we become enlightened, because whenever our mind merely imputes something, the next second the negative imprint left on the mental continuum by previous ignorance projects true existence. In the first moment, the I is imputed; in the next it appears back to us as real, as truly existent, as not merely labeled by mind.
“Until we achieve enlightenment we have this appearance of true existence. Except for the meditative equipoise on emptiness of an arya, all other consciousnesses of sentient beings have the appearance of true existence. During an arya’s meditative equipoise on emptiness things don’t appear truly existent. It is without the dualistic view (in two senses, first) not only is there no appearance of true existence, but there is no appearance of subject and object. This wisdom mind and its object are inseparable, like water put in water. The arya’s meditative equipoise on emptiness hasn’t completely eliminated the dualistic view from the person’s mindstream forever, but it has absorbed it temporarily. That is how the wisdom meditates on emptiness. It realizes emptiness directly, becoming inseparable from emptiness. …”
You can read more from the “Interview on Emptiness” on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
Video recordings of Rinpoche’s teachings in Leeds, UK, are available at: https://new.livestream.com/
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 at long life puja for Geshe Sopa Rinpoche at Deer Park Buddhist Center, Wisconsin, US, July 20, 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
“[T]here’s no outside enemy. There’s a reason why people give harm to us, get angry with us or criticize us. There’s a reason, there’s a cause for that, and that cause is our mind,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche instructed. “For anybody, in any situation, even if a mosquito is biting us, the cause is our mind – attachment, anger, and of course no question about the root, ignorance. There’s no question, that’s the root. Ignorance – the concept holding things, the I and the aggregates as truly existent, which means the self-cherishing thought – that’s the real root.
“In the past we harmed others with these negative thoughts. We made mistakes, we did unrighteous actions and harmed others. What is happening now is the result of that. This mosquito biting us, that person who doesn’t like us even from the first time he saw us, that person who scolds us, even that unknown person who gets angry at us though we’ve never met before – all these things are just results, just creations of this mind. They are caused by this mind, by these negative thoughts, especially the self-cherishing thought.
“Actually, all these things are just like tools used by the people who are angry at us or who criticize us. All these things are like tools. The real enemy is our own self-cherishing thought, this ego, this ignorance, which causes anger, attachment and these delusions. The other things are like tools, like the stick that an angry person beats us with. The real reason is our own negative thought.
“It is very helpful to remember this when somebody is angry with us, scolding us or talking about our mistakes. If we can remember this at that time; that the situation is a tool, used by these negative thoughts. This is happening now because in the past we harmed that person, we did some wrong action to that person. The harm they are doing now is just a tool. The main enemy is our own negative mind.”
From Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching “Don’t Get Angry at the Stick,” given at Kopan Monastery in 2008 and recently posted on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche teachings at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pomaia, Italy, June 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
“After waking up in the morning, the first thing to do is to feel happy that you haven’t died yet,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche taught at Osel Shen Phen Ling, an FPMT center in Missoula, Montana, US, on August 31, 1997. This teaching, given prior to a White Tara initiation, has recently been posted on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. “‘Even last night, many people in this world died. This morning, they are no longer human beings with the opportunity to practice Dharma. So far, I haven’t died. I didn’t die last night. This is a miracle! Life is full of so many obstacles – the inner obstacles of afflictive thoughts – the 84,000 delusions that shorten our lifespan and cause death – and the external obstacles of many sicknesses and dangers. I’m so fortunate to still have this opportunity to practice Dharma.’
“The meaning and purpose of your life is to be useful and bring happiness to other beings. We have this responsibility. Why do we have this universal responsibility for the happiness of all living beings? Because if we have compassion, then we won’t harm sentient beings and they will only feel peace and happiness in our presence. It all depends on what we do with our mind. If we don’t have compassion then we are only concerned about ourselves and our own happiness, due to thoughts of self-cherishing, anger, and other negative emotions that cause us to harm other living beings, directly or indirectly, from life to life. Therefore, we have full responsibility for the happiness of all beings. (Include people in your family, people who you work with, friends, enemies, and then all sentient beings. Feel this purpose of your life and your universal responsibility first thing in the morning before doing anything else. This is very important.)
“Think to yourself, ‘I have a perfect human body; I’ve met my guru who guides me on the path to enlightenment; and I’ve met the Buddhadharma, which explains the path and methods, the causes of happiness and of suffering, what is liberation and what is samsara, what is real happiness and peace and what is illusory happiness. I’m extremely fortunate!’ Rejoice – feel very happy and appreciative. Then think, ‘Therefore, I’m going to practice sutra and tantra as much as possible on the basis of correct guru devotion.’…”
Visit the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive to read the entire teaching “The Meaning and Purpose of Life,” which covers reasons for taking White Tara initiation, universal responsibility and advice on making life most beneficial.
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 leaving the house where he was staying in London, next day was the flight London to the USA. … Rinpoche is gesturing how much he enjoyed staying there and thanking the kind family who offered their house,” shares Ven. Roger Kunsang, London, UK, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
New photo albums have been added to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Photo Gallery, where you can see Rinpoche in action as he travels around the world. Since April, we’ve added seven new albums.
Rinpoche visited Buddha Amitabha Pure Land in Washington State and Maitripa College and FPMT International Office in Portland, Oregon, in April. Rinpoche taught at Kadampa Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, and then led the Light of the Path retreat in May. He then visited Kachoe Dechen Ling in Aptos, California, which included trips to the beach and Land of Medicine Buddha.
Rinpoche spent most of June at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in Pomaia, Italy. The Italy photo album includes beautiful photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to ILTK and Livorno. Then in July, Rinpoche traveled to Leeds and London, UK.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama offering a khata to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Livorno, Italy, June 15, 2014. Photo by Olivier Adam.
Remember to check the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Photo Gallery for new photo albums as Rinpoche continues his tireless travels to benefit all beings everywhere.
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 offering body, speech and mind mandala to Geshe Sopa Rinpoche during the long life puja for Geshe Sopa, Deer Park Buddhist Center, Wisconsin, US, July 20, 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Over the weekend, Lama Zopa Rinpoche departed from London after a successful series of teachings and initiations. Rinpoche traveled to Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, Wisconsin, where he attended a long life puja offered to Geshe Lhundub Sopa Rinpoche. Jangtse Chöje Losang Tenzin Rinpoche, several other geshes, Sangha and lay students, both Tibetan and Western, were also in attendance.
Long life puja for Geshe Sopa Rinpoche at Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, Wisconsin, US, July 20, 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Geshe Sopa Rinpoche has led an extraordinary life. Born in 1923 in Tsang, Tibet, to farmers, he eventually became an accomplished scholar at Sera Je Monastery in Lhasa, where he taught many important future teachers, including Lama Yeshe and Jangtse Chöje.
Geshe Sopa Rinpoche during long life puja, Deer Park Buddhist Center, Wisconsin, US, July 20, 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
In March 1959, Geshe Sopa Rinpoche fled Tibet and went into exile in India. In the early 1960s, His Holiness the Dalai Lama sent Geshe Sopa Rinpoche to the United States. He joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1967 and trained many prominent scholars of Tibetan Buddhism. At the same time, he continued to serve as a teacher for Tibetan teachers, including Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Yangsi Rinpoche. Deer Park Buddhist Center, which Geshe Sopa Rinpoche founded, hosted the first Kalachakra initiation given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the West in 1981.
Geshe Sopa Rinpoche is now 93 years old and quite frail. “Geshe-la is not talking anymore and always has his eyes closed,” shared Ven. Roger Kunsang, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s assistant. “Geshe-la seems to be constantly in meditation.” During Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit to Deer Park, he did prayers with Geshe-la.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche doing prayers with Geshe Sopa Rinopche, Deer Park Buddhist Center, Wisconsin, US, July 20, 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
In 2012, Wisdom Publications released Geshe Sopa Rinpoche’s autobiography, Like a Waking Dream. In it, Geshe Sopa shares detailed memories of his youth and early days in the Tibetan monastic system and offers a first-hand perspective on exile and establishing Tibetan Buddhism in the West. In coordination with the publication of the autobiography, Mandala published remembrances and essays by more than a dozen students of Geshe Sopa.
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.