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Lama Zopa Rinpoche News
Statue of Lama Tsongkhapa at Kachoe Dechen Ling, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s home in California, US, 2015. Photo by Chris Majors.
When training in the graduated path to enlightenment (lamrim), Lama Zopa Rinpoche emphasizes that bodhichitta is most important.
In the video clip below, recorded during the Light of the Path 2016 retreat, Rinpoche notes that although bodhichitta as a topic appears quite late in the lamrim, in fact students should have a bodhichitta motivation for all their activities from the beginning. Even learning or meditating on the initial stages of the path, like guru devotion, should be done with a bodhichitta motivation, and so should all of every Dharma student’s daily activities. “You have to know that,” says Rinpoche.
That bodhichitta motivation is how students move toward enlightenment, Rinpoche explains, and how everything they do becomes a cause for freeing sentient beings from samsara. Rinpoche stresses that those teaching and studying lamrim need to make bodhichitta the emphasis at all times.
Watch Rinpoche teach about the need to emphasize bodhichitta:
https://youtu.be/FrCgwcegKlE
Watch more video from the 2016 Light of the Path Retreat and find links to translations, MP3s, and the complete transcript:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/light-of-the-path-teachings-2016/
Watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche teach LIVE at the Light of the Path 2017 retreat, August 20-September 17:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/lama-zopa-rinpoche-live/
See more videos of teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Rinpoche Available Now:
https://fpmt.org/rinpochenow/
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 makes offerings to the holy objects at Idgaa Choizinling Monastery,
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Want to benefit others?
In the short video below, Lama Zopa Rinpoche talks about how to benefit others extensively, how to collect great merit, and how to reach full enlightenment. The video is an excerpt from his teachings at the 2016 Light of the Path retreat.
“Life is not long, life is short. We live with the wrong concept of permanence … That concept is cheating you,” says Rinpoche.
“How do we benefit others extensively?” he then asks. He answers, “Stop thinking and worrying about ‘When can I be happy?'” He adds that believing in the real “I” leads to anger, and understanding that it is merely labelled by mind puts a stop to reasons for anger and unhappiness.
Watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche on “How to Practice Skillfully and Collect Extensive Merits”:
https://youtu.be/ahVvZKNTQGg
Watch more video from the 2016 Light of the Path Retreat and find links to translations, MP3s, and the complete transcript:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/light-of-the-path-teachings-2016/
Registration for the Light of the Path 2017 retreat closes this coming Friday, August 4. You can register for the retreat at https://www.blueridgeassembly.org/light-path-retreat/. Learn more about the retreat at: https://kadampa-center.org/light-path-retreat-2017/.
Light of the Path 2017 will be live webcast at: https://www.youtube.com/c/fpmtinc/live/. See more videos of teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Rinpoche Available Now: https://fpmt.org/rinpochenow/.
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.
Statue portraying the Buddha during his years as an ascetic, taken during Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit, Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India, January 2017. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Will renunciation bring us happiness or just more suffering?
Lama Zopa Rinpoche discussed this question in his book How to Practice Dharma: Teachings on the Eight Worldly Dharmas.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised that “any action done free from the three poisonous minds of greed, hatred, and ignorance is the cause of happiness … 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 is the result, happiness.”
“At first we might be nervous about letting go of desire,” he explained, “because it’s normal for us to equate desire with happiness. In fact, it is 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, controlled by desire, but now we have achieved real independence, real freedom.”
A statue of Milarepa at Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, California, US, 2015. Photo by Chris Majors.
Citing the example of Milarepa, Rinpoche added, “Living without food, clothing, and reputation didn’t cause him any problems because of his Dharma practice. He achieved all the higher realizations and then enlightenment in that one lifetime all due to the power of his pure Dharma, renouncing suffering, renouncing this life. His mind was happier than that of the king.”
Rinpoche concluded by saying, “It is completely wrong to think that Dharma only brings happiness in future lifetimes but not in this one. Dharma brings peace and happiness to the mind the very moment we practice and live in the Dharma. We feel its effects immediately.”
Flowers at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, 2016. 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.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche offering a mandala, Washington State, US, October 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
What is the most important thing to remember when doing mandala offerings?
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained that, “Many high lamas have made comments on [the mandala offering]. The main purpose is to create merit, so it’s important that your visualization is good quality and most extensive. Otherwise, there is not much reason to do it. Lama Tsongkhapa explained mandala offerings in the Lamrim Chenmo. The key thing regarding mandala offerings is to visualize clearly and as much as possible. The essence is clear and plenty, to create merit.”
A photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama offering a mandala, taken at the home of Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington State, US, 2015. Photo by Chris Majors.
If we visualize well, what happens?
Rinpoche said, “All the enjoyments in all the realms is the result. … [You should] visualize offerings on every atom (like Samantabhadra) and then from each of those atoms, beams are emitted and carry mandala offerings that fill the sky and become numberless. Everything you visualize should be big, huge!”
Rinpoche concluded,”I heard that one lama takes more than an hour to visualize the mandala. This is a great lama. … The more you can visualize, the more merit you create!”
Offering a mandala at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, March 2017. Photo by Bill Kane.
Find the complete teaching here:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/mandala-offerings
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 shopping in New York City, US, 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Can shopping go along with Dharma?
In 2009, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave some advice on how to make shopping a virtuous activity.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche shopping in New York City, US, 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Rinpoche said, “When you do shopping, watch and prepare your motivation. When you are in the shop, either do it to fulfill the wishes of the guru or to benefit and serve other sentient beings. The ultimate purpose is to fulfill the guru’s advice. So, you buy these things to survive so as to fulfill the wishes of the guru or benefit sentient beings. This way it becomes an antidote to attachment, becomes a virtuous activity, Dharma, and collects extensive merit.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche shopping for stuffed toys in New York City, US, 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Find the original teaching here:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/restaurants-and-shopping
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 talks with a visitor, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, March 2017. Photo by Bill Kane.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche talked in 2008 about our good fortune: being able to choose happiness. What is the source of this good fortune? Teachings on how to create the causes of happiness.
“What people believe in the world, the more common people, those who don’t have the Dharma,” he explained, “is that the cause of happiness is external: the five sense objects and external things together. But achieving that doesn’t mean they always achieve happiness, it doesn’t mean that. Only if the cause of happiness is there, then they will experience happiness. Therefore, they have a totally wrong belief, a totally wrong understanding of the cause of happiness … The actual cause of happiness is our own mind, the positive mind and positive actions.”
He went on to say that, “People who understand the cause of freedom have freedom in everyday life. For us, this time we have met the Buddhadharma and we understand, so we have freedom. By knowing karma and the mind, how happiness and suffering both have to come from the mind, we are able to stop creating suffering … and to achieve happiness.”
He added,“If we understand karma, we have freedom … We have freedom every day. No matter what activities we do with our body, speech, and mind, they become the cause of enlightenment, they become the cause to achieve the happiness of future lives and then the cause to achieve liberation from samsara and the cause to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings.”
First day of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings at Idgaa Choizinling Monastery, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Rinpoche concluded by saying, “Once we have understood karma, we have full freedom in our life. Whatever happiness we want to achieve is in our hands. So, we are unbelievably fortunate. We must realize how fortunate we are, how unbelievably fortunate, how unimaginably fortunate, having this wisdom, this Dharma wisdom. We are unbelievably, unbelievably fortunate. For most human beings in the world, it’s not like that.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche looking at the 8,000 Verse Prajnaparamita in the gompa at Guru Rinpoche’s place of holy speech, Jangsarbu lhakhang, Paro, Bhutan, June 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Read the entire teaching here:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/lectures-18-19-pilgrimage-and-power-holy-objects
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.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama being offered a mandala by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the Jangchup Lamrim teachings, Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, India, December 2015. Photo by Rio Helmi/JCLRC.
On July 6, the 82nd birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is being celebrated around the world by Tibetans and Western students of the Dharma. As the spiritual guide for six million Tibetans, as Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s guru, as a recipient of the Noble Peace Prize, and as a promoter of each individual’s universal responsibility toward humankind and the environment, His Holiness serves as a living symbol for world peace.
A collection of long life prayers composed by His Holiness’s late tutors His Holiness Ling Rinpoche and His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche is available for students to recite on this special day. Below is a short extract:
O our gurus, and your line of lamas, for whom we have the deepest gratitude,
You who are the repository of the three: secret powers of body, speech, and mind of innumerable buddhas,
Who manifest in a miraculous way to each devotee according to his capacity,
To you, who are the wish-fulfilling gems, the source of all virtues and good qualities,
We offer our prayers with intense devotion
That our protector of the great land of snows,
Tenzin Gyatso, upholder of the Dharma, the great ocean,
May live for a hundred eons.
Pour on him your blessings
That his aspirations may be fulfilled. …
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is a devoted student of His Holiness and service to His Holiness is an important aim of FPMT. For over twenty years, FPMT International Office has taken responsibility to help offer a long life puja to His Holiness every year on behalf of the entire organization. Long life pujas, in addition to maintaining harmony between students and following our teachers’ advice, is an important means for accumulating the merit needed for our precious gurus to stay in the world for a long time.
We wish His Holiness’s a very happy and healthy birthday. May all His Holiness’s holy wishes come into fruition immediately and may he remain and teach us for a very long time!
His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Ven. Roger Kunsang, Dharamsala, India, March 2015. Photo by the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
A variety of devotional images of His Holiness the Dalai Lama are available through the Foundation Store:
https://shop.fpmt.org/Cards-Posters_c_529.html
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 and Deepthy Chandrashekhar, FPMT India national coordinator, Bangalore, India, December 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
The Buddha guides us, Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, through the guru, and the guru is like a magnifying glass through which we receive the Buddha’s blessings. In the video below, Lama Zopa Rinpoche talks about the importance of the guru.
And how should we serve the guru? Lama Zopa Rinpoche discussed the question in his book The Heart of the Path.
First comes “devot[ing] ourselves correctly to the virtuous friend with thought,” said Rinpoche, “and we then naturally devote ourselves correctly with action … Correct devotion to the guru with action comes easily as a result of correct devotion with thought.” That means, he explained, “seeing the guru as Buddha.”
Referring to serving the guru directly and working in Dharma centers, he commented, “Doing any work that our guru has advised us to do has great benefit, making our life highly meaningful.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s attendants Ven. Tendar, Ven. Sangpo, and Ven. Sherab in the kitchen at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, November 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
He added, “Even if we’re not doing the actual work of teaching Dharma, by working in a Dharma center we are providing the conditions for many other people to practice the holy teachings and follow the infallible path to enlightenment. If we frequently think about this in our everyday life, our mind will be very happy.”
Board of FPMT Taiwan meeting with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, May 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
And referring to other activities, Rinpoche said, “We should constantly remember our guru in our heart and do our work for him. This itself is guru yoga practice. All the work we do from morning until night then becomes Dharma practice. It is also enjoyable and each day we are happy!”
With young helpers, Ven. Holly Ansett livestreams Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings at Idgaa Choizinling Monastery, Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
The short video below is an excerpt from Rinpoche’s teachings at the 2016 Light of the Path retreat.
Watch the video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche discussing the importance of the guru on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Dv21rTAgWiQ
Read the full teaching on serving the guru in chapter 15 of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s book The Heart of the Path, available at the Foundation Store:
Hard copy: https://shop.fpmt.org/Heart-of-the-Path–Hard-Copy_p_814.html
Ebook: https://shop.fpmt.org/Heart-of-the-Path-eBook_p_2360.html
The complete teachings from the 2016 Light of the Path retreat can be found here, including links to the transcript, MP3s, and translations:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/light-of-the-path-teachings-2016/
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 and Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) in the woods at the base of the trail to Taktsang Monastery, Bhutan, May 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has commented several times on environmental issues, including climate change. What has he said?
In 2006, Rinpoche, concerned about climate change, saw the film An Inconvenient Truth, and made the following comments:
“Every sentient being, regardless of religion or nationality, including creatures of the land and sea, all [want] to be free of the impure substances, pollution, and the atomic bomb that are harmful to all of us and the environment. … This includes beings such as nagas and worldly gods who are also involved in the elements, and who are harmed and even destroyed due to these man-made pollutions, harmful chemicals, and other things that are damaging the earth and air. [Those] who think only of personal profit without consideration for others and the environment are causing great danger to all of us—the country we live in and this whole world …
“Your happiness depends on others, and others’ happiness depends on you. We all have to live in this world, so we need to be harmonious and happy in a healthy way. No matter who you are or where you are, we all have a responsibility to protect this world.”
The view towards Taktsang Monastery in the mountains of Bhutan, June 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Rinpoche added in a letter to a student in 2006 that “global warming must also be related to there being a lot of factories. I think smoke from certain materials, certain bad and impure substances, affect global warming. … We must try and abandon the ones that are proved to affect global warming. From one’s own side, we should try to do this and make less pollution, then that’s our contribution to peace, without adding to the destruction of the world …”
Chipmunk at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington State, US, June 2015. Photo by Chris Majors.
In 2009, Rinpoche shared some additional thoughts on climate change. He said, “Regarding global warming, usually the real cause, karma, isn’t talked about. The reality is: nothing happens without relating to the mind. People think, ‘This is a natural disaster,’ but it doesn’t happen without a cause, and the main cause is karma … of course, there are conditions, such as pollution from cars, etc., that we commonly understand. But we have to understand there IS a reason, and that is our past negative thoughts and actions. … We don’t normally talk of karma in a general situation regarding the environment, but it is important to educate people.”
In conclusion, Rinpoche noted, “Regarding the environment, anything well proven scientifically is worth following through. [Nevertheless], the main thing is to understand how things come from the mind, how things are dependent arisings, how things are the consequence of past actions. So, the conclusion is that those people undertaking retreat, serious meditation, etc. can help the environment, can bless the earth.”
Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, where Lama Zopa Rinpoche often stays, Washington State, US, 2015. Photo by Chris Majors.
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 blesses a cat, Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Renate Alyaudinov.
During Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s May-June 2017 visit to Russia, Rinpoche took an entire day—May 31—to bless animals. The animal blessing was organized and hosted by Save Tibet Russia. It was well attended, with hundreds of people and animals in attendance: cats and dogs of course, but also tarantulas, birds, rodents, and snakes. Cats from a local cat shelter were brought in as well, in hopes some homes could be found for them, and Rinpoche blessed all of the shelter cats. It was reported that several cats found new homes.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing animals and birds, Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Renate Alyaudinov.
During the two hours Rinpoche spent at the event, he gave a short but compelling teaching on the whole path to enlightenment, as well as oral transmissions of mantras. He also recited mantras on a loudspeaker so that the animals would hear them from him and receive the transmission. The organizers had set up an altar just the way Rinpoche likes them, with the Kangyur, relics, and statues on it. After the blessing and the mantras, the animals were all taken around it to absorb its blessings. Then Rinpoche blessed all the animals with blessed water and relics he had with him, as well as a prayer wheel. The heartwarming event was livestreamed.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing dogs while other animals wait their turn, Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Renate Alyaudinov.
Early in his teaching at the event, Rinpoche explained the importance of both morality and charity, saying, “Why do we have a human rebirth? Why? Not animal rebirth, why do we have a human rebirth this time? Especially the perfect human rebirth … Why we are living in a house and have food, and clothing, and enjoyments, that is because in past life we made charity … The omniscient one explained in the teachings that from pure morality comes higher rebirth: … having a human shape of body, that comes from pure morality. And then all wealth, all enjoyments come from charity.” One form of charity is the giving of mantras and blessings.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing a cat, Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Rinpoche explained the benefits of blessing animals during his teaching, saying, “The Buddha explained all the benefits of mantra… The mantra is to liberate them from suffering. Just having heard mantras plants the seeds of a fully awakened mind, the total cessation of obscurations and the completion of realizations; mantras plant seeds for that.”
Ven. Sangpo, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s attendant, examines an unusual pet during Rinpoche’s animal blessing event, Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Renate Alyaudinov.
On the Chenrezig mantra in particular, Rinpoche added, “Chenrezig, Compassion Buddha’s mantra, this mantra OM MANI PADME HUM … in one text it is mentioned, the benefits of Chenrezig mantra, if you see Chenrezig mantra OM MANI PADME HUM it becomes your last rebirth in samsara. If you see OM MANI PADME HUM therefore in Solu Khumbu [where] it is carved in rock, you come up this way and go down this way so [walking] becomes circumambulation, rocks are carved with OM MANI PADME HUM and many different mantras, so much unbelievable benefit to the people and even animals, therefore so many rocks are carved…”
Pets come in all shapes and sizes… Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing animals, Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Renate Alyaudinov.
Rinpoche continued, saying, “[The mantra] plants seeds of enlightenment in their minds, the kind, precious mother dogs, cats, all these. You visualize Chenrezig like a mountain, a snow mountain, then nectar and beams are emitted with loving kindness to you, to your mother precious dogs, cats, all sentient beings, then to those who are sick, who are dying now, think that Chenrezig sends beams, nectar and beams, to you and to precious dogs, cats, and people who are sick or dying, and to all the six realm sentient beings. Think that.”
This blue-eyed beauty seems quite happy to receive a blessing, Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
During his evening teaching later, Rinpoche talked about the importance of caring for animals and being kind to them. He said that, as Buddhists having animals, it is important that we make their lives beneficial, giving them Dharma names, taking them around holy objects, blessing them with mantras, and so on.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche during the animal blessing event, Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Renate Alyaudinov.
According to Rinpoche in his book Liberating Animals from the Danger of Death, sentient beings can experience purification of their karma and avoid the lower realms in the future as a result of such practices. Rinpoche says there: “When the Buddha gave teachings to 500 swans in a field, in their next life they were born as human beings. They became monks and all became arya beings, able to achieve the cessation of suffering and the true path. So the result is unbelievable, just by hearing Dharma words.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing animals with mantras on the way to Darkhan, Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
See more photos of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit to Russia here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pGb9sPVNFRntUESB6
Watch videos and find transcripts from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching in Russia:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/lama-zopa-rinpoche-teachings-in-russia-2017/
Benefiting animals is one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT. Read about it here:
https://fpmt.org/fpmt/vast-vision/#animal
and: https://fpmt.org/tag/animals/
Get Liberating Animals from the Danger of Death as an e-book or in a print copy from the Foundation Store and support FPMT International Office:
https://shop.fpmt.org/Liberating-Animals-eBook_p_2334.html.
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 teaching venue in Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave a week of evening teachings in Moscow, May 27 through June 3. Ganden Tendar Ling, the FPMT center in Moscow, organized the teaching event, which was held in a large public hall and livestreamed.
Rinpoche began his first day of teachings on the topic of death and dying, drawing from his book How to Enjoy Death. The Russian edition of this book was officially launched during his visit.
Rinpoche ended up teaching on this essential topic for most of the three-day period, in place of the planned Kadampa teachings. Ven. Holly Ansett reported that this was “an exceptional teaching on integrating the five powers in this lifetime as well as at the time of death.” She added that on the last day he taught one verse from the Kadampa teachings.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche during teachings in Moscow, listening to question from audience being translated from Russian to English, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Approximately 700 people attended the first day of teaching. On the second day, a residential retreat began, led by Ven. Olivier Rossi, Ganden Tendar Ling’s visiting teacher. This gave attendees an opportunity to go deeper into practice with Ven. Olivier, who led prayers and meditations, conducted Q&A sessions, and reviewed the material taught by Rinpoche. Between 500 and 600 people attended the retreat and the following days of Rinpoche’s teachings.
Ven. Olivier Rossi explaining the teachings, Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Renate Alyaudinov.
From June 1 to June 3, Rinpoche gave preparatory teachings and conducted a Medicine Buddha initiation. While Rinpoche was in Moscow, the city experienced a severe thunderstorm with hurricane-strength winds, which was responsible for the deaths of sixteen people. Hundreds of trees were blown down, and one smashed a car in front of the venue where Rinpoche was teaching. There were no injuries among those attending the teachings.
The first day of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings in Moscow, organized by Ganden Tendar Ling, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Renate Alyaudinov.
Rinpoche walked each day both ways between the venue where he taught and the Christian monastery where he was staying. It is a route where there are beggars, and Rinpoche made offerings to them every day with great respect, holding out his gifts with both hands. To each person, he requested that they use the money for food and not alcohol. Sometimes he offered food directly. The beggars quickly recognized Rinpoche and became happy every time they saw him. And people from the retreat also began giving to the beggars because Rinpoche, in one of his teachings, said how important it was to help people in need.
More than fifty volunteers contributed to making the week of teachings with Rinpoche a success. According to Ven. Holly Ansett, “The whole event was really well organized. Everything worked out very well—very successful, and very harmonious!”
Rinpoche and students in Moscow, including Elena Bartanova from St. Petersberg, coordinator of Aryadeva Study Group, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Watch videos and find transcripts from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching in Russia:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/lama-zopa-rinpoche-teachings-in-russia-2017/
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 second day of his teachings in Moscow organized by Ganden Tendar Ling. Russia, May 2017, Photo by Renat Alyaudinov.
While Lama Zopa Rinpoche was in Kalmykia, Russia, in May 2017, a traditionally Buddhist area of Russia settled centuries ago by migrants from Mongolia, he stayed at the former home of Geshe Tenzin Dugda (Tib.’brug-sgra), a Tibetan geshe who lived in Kalmykia for many years. Lama Zopa Rinpoche had known Geshe Dugda in the 1960s.
Geshe Tenzin Dugda in Kalmykia, 2011. Photo courtesy of kalmykia.eu.
Geshe Dugda (1938-2012) was part of the first generation of Tibetan exiles who fled Tibet in 1959 to follow His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile. He left Tibet at the age of 20, and later helped rebuild Drepung Gomang monastery in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. After years of dedicated work rebuilding the monastery as well as completing his studies, he received the geshe lharampa degree, the highest academic qualification in the Gelugpa tradition. In 1995, Geshe Dugda moved to Kalmykia on the advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, becoming the first geshe in the small republic. He spent 17 years helping to revive Buddhism in Kalmykia, including building temples and bestowing numerous teachings and initiations. He gained large numbers of Dharma students, not only from Kalmykia, but also from other regions of Russia. He continues to be revered in Kalmykia for his warmth and kindness as well as his contributions to the restoration of Buddhism. When Geshe Dugda died, he remained on his meditation seat for four days.
The house where Lama Zopa Rinpoche stayed in Elista, where Geshe Dugda lived. This is his altar. Elista, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche spoke about Geshe Dugda on May 30, 2017, during his teachings in Moscow, mentioning that Geshe Dugda had been present when Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe first met Zina Rachevsky in Ghoom, near Darjeeling, India. Here is what Rinpoche said:
There were two monasteries in Ghoom, one built by the Indian government, I don’t know the story, and the one where the monks who came from Tibet lived. One time my teacher, Lama Yeshe, was there in the room with my teacher, other teacher, who helped me in Tibet become a monk at Domo Geshe’s monastery and … brought me to India.
Later on, one monk who lived in Kalmykia and taught, was leading vinaya practice, reviving sojong in the monastery, he taught Dharma for so many years in Kalmykia, he was there, he spoke English few words, he thought the lady was my friend, her name was Princess Zina Rachevsky… [Kopan] started from her. The monk Dugda opened the door a little bit, saying, “Oh, here is your friend”. She came with blond hair, wearing a Tibetan sweater sold at the Darjeeling bus station, simple sweater, blonde hair, she came inside. Actually she didn’t come for us, came for Domo Geshe who had passed away, because she read Lama Govinda book, three books, he went in Tibet and met Domo Geshe, told his story, so she came to look for Domo Geshe.
Zina Rachevsky, possibly 1967. (Photo used with permission of the estate of Zina Rachevsky.)
But Dugda, the monk, misunderstood, and thought she was my friend. Lama Yeshe put big mug, then big kettle, then offered full, she drank, that day she drank completely. Since from that time for many years I never saw her drink Tibetan [butter] tea … she came for one hour to discuss, I knew some English words and I tried to translate for Lama Yeshe. Then after one month she invited us to Darjeeling to her house … nine months we lived like that, then she went to Sri Lanka, from Buxa, we were supposed to go to Sri Lanka to start a Dharma center, but that time relation not good with India so we didn’t go. Then Lama said go to Nepal, then started like that Kopan Monastery, Lama built Kopan and I built Lawudo at the same time. From there we started one month course. … This is because we met the first student, Princess Zina Rachevsky … .
Started from Geshe Dugda who lived in Kalmykia, taught many students, he died two or three years ago, he would have been so happy to meet me in Kalmykia but he died before I came. I felt sorry about that.
The meditation seat of Geshe Tenzin Dugda where he sat in meditation after passing away in 2012. Elista, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Watch videos and find transcripts from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching in Russia:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/lama-zopa-rinpoche-teachings-in-russia-2017/
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.