Lama Zopa Rinpoche at long life puja, Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 13, 2016

Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) is consulted every year for advice on practices to clear obstacles for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health and long life. This year she advised that all the students in all the FPMT centers, projects and services come together and offer a long life puja to Rinpoche and do 100,000 tsog offerings. This advice resulted in the beautiful long life puja held March 13 at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore. Khadro-la was not physically present at the long life puja, but the day before she spontaneously composed a prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, which was offered during the puja. The English translation of the prayer, which follows, was read for all to hear, while Rinpoche received the prayer in Tibetan. 

Long Life Prayer for Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Spontaneously composed by Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme

Your holy body’s presence dispels all ignorance
The power of your holy speech overshadows the 84,000 afflictions
Your holy mind is clearly aware of the meaning of the 84,000 teachings of Buddha
By teaching dependent arising you conquer the ultimate truth
Supremely kind Vajradhara, I place you on the top of my crown.

You clarify the instructions and realizations of Buddha’s teachings
Turning the Dharma wheel where it’s never been turned before
Your practice of patience is evidence of Bodhisattva’s deeds.
Your realization of the perfection of subtle dependent arising and
With the precious jewel of your loving kindness, countless sentient beings are liberated.

You liberate countless sentient beings by guiding them
With the understanding of the interpretative and definitive teachings of Buddha,
And the supreme meaning of Buddha’s teachings: emptiness and compassion.
Holy spiritual master, may you live forever.

Due to the blessings of Arya Tara, who liberates from the fears of the three times
May the holy masters live long and their Dharma activities flourish
And always be protected by her spontaneous activities without separation.
Due to the infallible deities of the three roots, may all be auspicious.

Colophon: This long life prayer for Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche was written by Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme (Kandro-la) on March 12, 2016 and presented to Lama Zopa Rinpoche during a long life puja held at Amitabha Buddhist Centre on March 13, 2016. Translated by Yangsi Rinpoche and Fabrizio Pallotti on March 12, 2016.

PDFs of Khadro-la’s long life prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche in English with Tibetan phonetics and Tibetan script, Italian and Spanish are available on the “Long Life Prayers for Lama Zopa Rinpoche” page on FPMT.org:
https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/prayers/

You can watch the prayer being read at 1:35 of this YouTube video of the long life puja.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche reading Khadro-la’s prayer in Tibetan, while Ven. Holly reads aloud the prayer’s English translation at the long life puja, Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 13, 2016

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khadro-la at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, February 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche spent several days at Kopan Monastery in February. Arriving from India, he stopped over at Kopan one day and night before going to Maratika Caves. During that day Rinpoche met with Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) and did practices at Boudha stupa with her.

Tenzin Ösel Hita was also at Kopan on his Revive Nepal project trip. Rinpoche was at Kopan the day after Ösel’s birthday. So Rinpoche had lunch with both Khadro-la and Ösel that day.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khadro-la at Boudhanath, Nepal, February 2016

After spending six days at Maratika, which is a 10-hour drive from Kopan, Rinpoche returned to the monastery. Because of needing to delay his travel to Singapore, Rinpoche spent five additional days at Kopan. 

During this time he went to Kopan Nunnery (Khachoe Ghakyil Ling) and did the ground-breaking ceremony for the new memorial stupa for Lama Lhundrup, which is going to be 110 feet tall. Rinpoche did puja on the site of the stupa and dug the first hole. (For more information and to offer support, click here).  Afterwards, Rinpoche had lunch at the nunnery and did extensive offering practice in the nunnery gompa, offering lights and khatas to the holy objects there.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche breaking ground for the memorial stupa for Lama Lhundrup, Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, February 2016

Rinpoche then went to Swayambhunath and circumambulated the mountain it sits atop, doing many practices, including extensive offerings of wish-fulfilling jewels. The offerings conventionally appear like rice grains, but are visualized like wish-fulfilling jewels and are offered to the many holy objects around the Swayambhunath mountain. Rinpoche also did extensive rejoicing for each holy object there – first rejoicing in the person who had the idea to build it, then in the person who offered money to build it, and then those who worked on making the holy object, and so forth – creating enormous merit.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche having lunch with Tenzin Ösel Hita, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, February 2016

Ösel came back from the mountains where he is helping to rebuild a school and demonstrating sustainable building methods. He stayed at Kopan and met Rinpoche a number of times. 

Also during his time at Kopan, Rinpoche met with David Lascelles, the 8th Earl of Harewood. Lord Lascelles, a television and film producer with a long-time interest in Tibetan Buddhism and the Himalayas, had a Buddhist stupa built on his estate, Harewood House near Leeds, UK. During Rinpoche’s most recent visit to England in 2014, Rinpoche visited the stupa and also blessed the penguins in the Bird Garden at the estate.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with David Lascelles, the 8th Earl of Harewood, Kathmandu, Nepal, February 2016

From Kopan, Rinpoche traveled to Singapore at the end of February and taught at Amitabha Buddhist Centre through mid-March. Rinpoche teaches next in Malaysia, where he will first visit Chokyi Gyaltsen Centre in Penang and teach on the Three Principles of the Path, March 19-20.

For more on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching schedule see:
https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/schedule/

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 during long life puja at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 13, 2016. Photo by Piero Sirianni.

On Sunday, March 13, the official long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered by the entire FPMT organization took place at Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC) in Singapore. About 750 people attended the beautifully arranged puja in person, with hundreds, if not thousands, more students participating from afar. 

The long life puja was offered to Rinpoche to dispel any obstacles for Rinpoche this year. More than 100 representative from FPMT centers, project, services, and national and regional offices worldwide attended the puja and participated in the offering procession. In addition, 43 FPMT centers offered a local Lama Chopa puja with the prayer to the 16 Arhats for Rinpoche over the weekend and 24 centers gathered together to watch the live webcast of the puja in Singapore. (Some centers did both.) Plus more than 200 additional computers streamed the live webcast, bringing the puja into many, many students’ homes around the world.

Watch the YouTube video recording of the long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Singapore.

Ven. Roger Kunsang at the long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Singapore, March 13, 2016. Photo by Piero Sirianni.

On behalf of the FPMT organization, Ven. Roger Kunsang, CEO of FPMT and assistant to Rinpoche, offered to Rinpoche 1,142,515 tsog offerings made for Rinpoche’s health and long life by FPMT centers, projects, services and study groups!

This far exceeded the advice from Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) that prior to the puja, FPMT centers and students were to make 100,000 tsog offerings. Ven. Roger said that the tsog offerings were done during the 15 Days of Miracles and so the merit was multiplied 100 million times.

Geshe Ngawang Tenley, the resident geshe at Kurukulla Center, brought with him an unexpected message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Geshe Tenley met with His Holiness on March 10 in Boston and then convey His Holiness’ advice to Lama Zopa Rinpoche in person during the long life puja. 

“While it goes without saying that Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s continuous waves of activities are of immense benefit to the Buddhadharma and countless sentient beings all over the world, it is important for Rinpoche to think of staying for a long time for the benefit of the Buddhadharma and all sentient beings,” His Holiness’ message said. (You can watch this at 1:25 in the YouTube video “Livestream of FPMT Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Singapore part 2.”)

Khadro-la, who was not physically present in Singapore, spontaneously composed a prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche the day before the puja. The English translation of the prayer was read for all to hear, while Rinpoche received the prayer in Tibetan. (Watch at 1:35 of the YouTube video.)

Tenzin Ösel Hita at long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Singapore, March 13, 2016. Photo by Piero Sirianni.

Tenzin Ösel Hita, the recognized reincarnation of FPMT founder Lama Yeshe, also attended the puja. He offered heart-felt praises to Rinpoche.

“We know how each and every action you do is dedicated to helping sentient beings—every thought, every breath; every sip of water you take is dedicated to sentient beings. We are so lucky to have you in our midst. You inspire us to be better people, and your presence gives us motivation to follow your example. You are constantly helping so many sentient beings from so many different dimensions. It is amazing to see your work in this world.

“Please stay with us for as long as it takes all sentient beings to reach enlightenment. We are willing to follow your advice and work hard to accomplish your dreams, which, of course, are always focused on benefiting in the greatest way, in this life and the next,” Ösel said as part of his praises for Rinpoche. (Watch at 1:40 of YouTube video.)

Then the praises for Rinpoche compiled by Ven. Robina Courtin based on submissions from many centers around the world was read by FPMT board member Paula de Wys. (Watch at 1:48 of the YouTube video.) The last verse of the praises, drawn from the Lama Chopa, was recited by everyone together:

You are the Guru, You are the Yidam,
You are the dakinis and Dharma protectors.
From now until enlightenment we will seek no refuge other than You.
In this life, the bardo, and all future lives,
Hold us with Your hook of compassion;
Free us from samsara and nirvana’s fears,
Grant all attainments,
Be our constant friend and guard us from interferences.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche during long life puja at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 13, 2016. Photo by Piero Sirianni.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was very humble during the long life puja, saying that he’s not of much benefit, but he does what he can. Ven. Roger offered to debate Rinpoche on the point “not being of much benefit.”

“To each of us, it seems like a huge benefit,” Ven. Roger said. He also made the request for Rinpoche to keep teaching a long, long time and to teach on lo-jong (mind training), which had been advised by Khadro-la.

Rinpoche took time to thank many people within the FPMT mandala for their decades of hard work and dedication. Rinpoche offered thanks to Ven. Roger, who has been serving Rinpoche for 30 years, recognizing Ven. Roger’s skill and kindness. Rinpoche also praised the peaceful development of FPMT. 

Rinpoche thanked many others as well, including (but not limited to) Ven. Holly Ansett, who has served Rinpoche for 20 years; Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi, ABC’s resident teacher and abbot of Kopan Monastery; Hup Cheng Tan, ABC’s director of 26 years; all the staff and volunteers at ABC; FPMT center directors, national and regional coordinators, and spiritual program coordinators; and all the people watching Rinpoche on the video stream.

Rinpoche said that there is so much to rejoice in in one’s life and with all the activities going on at FPMT centers, projects and services. He said there is no place for depression with so much to rejoice in. Referring to the saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” Rinpoche suggested, “Rejoicing a day, depression good-bye!” 

Rinpoche with the five dakinis during the long life puja, Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 13, 2016. Photo by Piero Sirianni.

Other lamas and geshes present at the puja include Yangsi Rinpoche, founder of Maitripa College in the US; Lama Felix (Thubten Namdrol Dorje) from Singapore; Geshe Jampa Tsundue, resident geshe at Losang Dragpa Centre in Malaysia; and Geshe Jangchub. Plus more than 70 ordained Sangha attended the puja. 

ABC’s Ven. Tenzin Drachom liberated 1 million animals for Rinpoche’s long life during the long life puja, which lasted 11.5 hours. 

Rinpoche gave the appearance of being very touched by so many FPMT students coming together and making strong prayers. He also seemed extremely happy with the long life praise from Khadro-la and message from His Holiness. 

Watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching given in Singapore on FPMT’s Livestream page:
http://livestream.com/FPMT/SGP2016

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

A student wrote Lama Zopa Rinpoche because he was having a hard time after breaking up with his partner and was finding it hard to practice.

My very dear, precious, kind, wish-fulfilling student,

Thank you very much your kind email some time ago. This time I want to share some quotations with you, so that you can understand more clearly now.

It is said in the teachings [from The Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattva, v. 9]:

The happiness of the three existences (samsara)*
Is like the water dew on the grass: it is in the nature of phenomena; it perishes momentarily.
That which never changes is the sublime state of liberation.
Seeking this is the bodhisattva’s practice.

What this verse is saying is that in the desire realm, form realm and formless realm (i.e., “samsara”), the happiness there is temporary, not ultimate, not everlasting. Why temporary? Because it is in the nature of suffering: the suffering of pain, suffering of change and pervasive compounded suffering (the suffering of pain and change arise from pervasive compounded suffering). This happiness doesn’t last. The example here is “water dew on the grass.” It can drop down anytime. It can disappear at any moment.

We have to realize that. Otherwise, if we don’t realize the nature of impermanence, then the concepts believing in true happiness and permanence then cheat us, cheat our life. That attachment to the wrong concept doesn’t allow us to achieve liberation from samsara: everlasting happiness. Instead, we’re always hallucinating and then always suffer in samsara.

Please recognize what Buddha has taught in the Dharmapada:

The end of all the collections is finished, the end of rising up is falling down (even a mountain has to fall down, like the highest towers in the world – at the end – disintegrate),
The end of meeting is SEPARATION,
The end of living is death.

Then, from the Dharmapada [v. 182]:

This human body is extremely difficult to achieve.
For those who are definitely dying, so difficult to be alive,
(Even more so,) it is so difficult to hear the holy Dharma (because it’s so difficult for Buddha to descend to the world).

Also it is said, perhaps by Milarepa:

The connection of relationships – one always wants company without separation,
But it is definite one will be separated.

Even desiring to abide always in this comfortable bedding without separation,
But it is definite one will leave from here.

Even desiring to enjoy always the enjoyment of happiness/pleasure without separation,
But it is definite one will lose it.

This is my advice for you to not forget in your daily life and normal-life mindfulness meditation.

With much love and prayers,

Lama Zopa

*The words in parentheses were added to the verses by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Scribed by Ven. Holly Ansett, Aptos, California, United States, October 2015. Edited 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 Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has been in Singapore since February 26, when he was welcomed by hundreds of people at the airport. The next day, Rinpoche began his spring teaching tour at Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC) where he led a refuge ceremony and gave teachings to more than 400 people filling four floors of ABC’s seven-story building. 

The following day, Rinpoche led the puja of 1,000 offerings to Maitreya Buddha, which again drew more than 400 people. Beginning on March 2, Rinpoche gave preliminary teachings for the Solitary Hero Yamantaka Great Initiation, recordings of which can be watched on FPMT’s Livesteam page.

Rinpoche continues to give teachings this week. For the most up-to-date information and most recent teachings, please check the FPMT Livestream page:
http://livestream.com/FPMT/SGP2016

On Sunday, March 13, Amitabha Buddhist Centre is hosting FPMT’s official long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, which will have representatives attending from many FPMT centers, projects and services. The puja is schedule for 9:30 a.m. local time (GMT+8) and will be webcast live on FPMT’s Livestream page.

About the importance of this puja, Ven. Roger wrote, “Rinpoche has been quite subtle, but has indicated that there are obstacles for himself this year. Rinpoche also said recently that one of the main things that will help is this long life puja in Singapore with all the FPMT centers and students participating, and prior to the puja, the 100,000 tsog offerings – this was advised by Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme).”

FPMT International Office’s Ven. Holly Ansett shared, “ABC is doing an incredible job arranging and preparing for the long life puja. There are many volunteers, all smiling and happy to help!”

Rinpoche teaching at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

NOTE for FPMT Centers, Projects and Services: There has been an update in the instructions for centers, projects, services, and study groups that are planning to host a long life puja with prayers to the Sixteen Arhats for the benefit of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s long life this weekend. Center staff can access the updated instructions and find the new booklet with the prayers to the Sixteen Arhats in the Member’s Area of FPMT.org.

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Maratika Caves, Nepal, February 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Before traveling to Singapore, Rinpoche spent six days at Maratika Caves (also known as Haleshi), during the 15 Days of Miracles. This holy site is where Guru Rinpoche, with the wisdom-mother Mandarava, achieved immortal life through the practice of Amitayus.

Rinpoche has a strong connection with the Maratika Lama, Khenpo Karma Wangchuk, who takes care of the area. The Maratika Lama is the son of Lama Ngawang Chophel, who was a close disciple of the Lawudo Lama Kunsang Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s previous incarnation. (For more on this important pilgrimage site, see “The Caves of Maratika,” published in Mandala June-July 2008.)

Rinpoche went to Maratika to do some personal retreat. He did several session as well as other practices in the main cave at Maratika and circumabulated the mountain that contains the caves two times.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Sangha doing practice at Maratika Cave, Nepal, February 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

There were several Kopan monks and a Kopan nun also at Maratika, doing long life retreat. Every year Kopan sponsors long life practice dedicated to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s long lives. The monks were able to do a lot of practice with Rinpoche, who joined a number of the retreat sessions as well as led Lama Chöpa with them several times and at night led them in his room in protector prayers, “King of Prayers,” and so forth. Rinpoche gave much advice to them in Tibetan and it was very precious for them to have so much time with Rinpoche.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Osel Dorje Rinpoche at Maratika Caves, Nepal, February 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Osel Dorje Rinpoche, a Nyingma lama, was at Maratika during Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit and spent some time with Rinpoche.

Three Western FPMT nuns also were doing long life practices for Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Maratika. They completed 100,000 butter lamp offerings over 21 days for Rinpoche’s long life along with many hundreds of Rinpoche’s light offering prayer as well as completing 1,000 tsog offerings, hanging prayer flags, and doing long life sutra recitation and Amitayus long life practice. 

Rinpoche also liberated three goats, two of which were sponsored by Ven. Roger Kunsang. Rinpoche took time to explain the motivation for liberating goats, and he blessed cords to go around the goats’ necks.

Rinpoche seemed very happy during his stay at Maratika. Since the visit was during the 15 Days of Miracles, the merit generated due to all the practices was multiplied a hundred million times. We can all rejoice in this!

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Sangha at Maratika Caves, Nepal, February 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Maratika Caves, Nepal, February 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

A student close to passing away wrote Lama Zopa Rinpoche saying she didn’t get to finish her preliminary practices and was not clear what to think and practice.

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

Please read Practicing the Five Powers Near the Time of Death. Not only read, but really try to understand it.

Regarding your question: it’s OK that you haven’t finished the practices. Focus now on practicing rejoicing, doing a mala of rejoicing in yourself, your own merit, and also a mala rejoicing in others, in all sentient beings’ merit. When you rejoice in all your merit, this means all your past, present and future merit. Then, the second one is all sentient beings’ past, present and future merit. The third is numberless buddhas’ and bodhisattvas’ merit – all their past, present and future merit. Rejoice!

Do one mala of rejoicing for each or even three malas. Do not only do them in the morning, but, if you can, also do them in the afternoon and evening time. You can do it like that three times a day or at least two times a day or at least once a day.

You mentioned you were reciting Migtsema mantra (Lama Tsongkhapa’s mantra). When you are doing this, do the whole Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga with a lam-rim prayer, such as “Foundation of All Good Qualities.”

Don’t worry about not completing the other practices, but try to keep any commitments you have taken from initiations.

The other most essential practice at this time is reciting the names of the 35 Buddhas and Vajrasattva practice. Pay more attention now to purifying negative karma collected from beginningless rebirths from having broken pratimoksha, bodhisattva and tantric vows (if you have taken them). It is so important to purify and the 35 Buddhas are very powerful. You can have your hands just in the mudra of prostration and then, if you have received the initiation, visualize your body as Thousand-Arm Chenrezig. Your body as the deity then fills the whole earth. Numberless Chenrezigs doing prostrations to the merit field. However many there are in the merit field, this is all one’s root guru. With that awareness, recite the names. It’s very, very important, as well as with Vajrasattva practice, to do the four opponent powers; it becomes very powerful purification. Without doing with the four opponent powers, then the practice is not so powerful.

In regard to rejoicing: without merit, there is no success, no happiness. There’s no enlightenment – the ultimate happiness – liberation from samsara, but also there’s not even temporary happiness in this life and the next life. Therefore, merit is sooooo precious, unbelievably precious. Think: “I have collected merit from beginningless rebirths up to now.” Rejoice how wonderful it is! How wonderful it is! Rejoicing means your mind feels happy.

You have to know that this human rebirth comes about just one time and this opportunity to rejoice comes almost just one time. Rejoice in the collected merit. It is also extremely rare, so rejoice in all the collected merit from beginningless rebirths up to now so that your mind feels happy. How wonderful it is! How wonderful!

The first time, when you rejoice in all the merit collected from beginningless rebirths up to now, it doubles. When you rejoice the second time, the merit is multiplied by four. The third time, it is multiplied by eight. All the merit collected from beginningless rebirths up to now – wow, wow, wow! So amazing! When you do one mala, can you imagine? When you do two malas or three malas? Wow, wow, wow, amazing, amazing, amazing! Many people may not know how rejoicing is so important. Even most Buddhist people may not know. Even those who practice Mahayana teachings may not know how important it is.

Lama Tsongkhapa said that to collect merit, the best practice is rejoicing. This was in Lama Tsongkhapa’s “Hymns of Experience of the Path.”

When you rejoice in your own merit, it is like this. So in daily life, we should rejoice. One is able to collect more merit. During the second time, when you rejoice is other sentient beings’ merit, by rejoicing in the merit of those whose level of mind is lower than you, you collect double the merit. If your level of mind is the same as theirs, then you collect the same amount of merit. If their level of mind is higher than yours, then however much merit is collected by them, you get half.

For example, I used to explain to people that there is the Maitreya Project that would be 50 stories high if it were built. And there would be not just that large statue, but there would be many statues inside and so many statues outside. If somebody comes along and rejoices in the merit and if that person’s level of mind is higher than ours, then that person collects double the merit. So however much merit we collect, that person collects double the merit. If that person has the same level of mind and then she rejoices, she gets the same merit as we get having built the main statue and all the other statues. If her level of mind is lower than ours, then that person collects half the merit that we collect having built the statue.

For example, if one who doesn’t have bodhichitta rejoices in one bodhisattva, one gets half of the merit that bodhisattva collects in one day in that one second of rejoicing. Without rejoicing, if you are going to try and collect that much merit, it takes 13,000 years. This is according to Dechen Pabongka Rinpoche in the Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. So, by rejoicing for one second – even if you don’t have bodhichitta – you collect so much merit. It’s unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable!

There are numberless sentient beings whose level of mind is lower than yours, numberless sentient beings whose level of mind is the same as yours, and numberless sentient beings whose level of mind is higher than yours. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! When you rejoice, so much merit is collected so quickly and that means more purification; it means quicker freedom from the oceans of samsaric sufferings – not only from cancer – but from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and delusion and karma, and quicker achievement of peerless happiness, the total cessation of all the obscurations and completion of all the realizations: full enlightenment.

It is so important to know how to practice Dharma. I am only talking about rejoicing, explaining how to practice – it is so, so important. For example, there could be one person who lives 100 years – even a Buddhist who relied on Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and practiced the Mahayana teachings – but who doesn’t know about the important practice of rejoicing. However, even if you only live one day but know how to practice rejoicing – wow, wow, wow! The merit collected in that day is so precious. It’s unbelievable, unbelievable, most unbelievable – like skies filled with a billion dollars, filled with wish-granting jewels. It’s more than that. Skies filled with gold, filled with wish-granting jewels is nothing compared to the merit created. It is unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable – can you imagine? Merely owning gold, wish-granting jewels, and zillions of dollars cannot help you to be free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings.

Please think about this and read this over and over so that you are really familiar with it.

With much love and prayers,

Lama Zopa

Scribed by Ven. Holly Ansett, Tso Pema, India, January 2016. Edited 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 the Light of the Path Retreat, North Carolina, US, 2014. Photo by Roy Harvey.

“The daily activities that you are doing, the point is to make them most beneficial for sentient beings, a cause for enlightenment, a cause for oneself to attain omniscience so that one can liberate sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment. Make the activities that you normally do in daily life, anyway – for survival and so forth – make them most beneficial. Make them not only become Dharma, but the purest Dharma, the cause of enlightenment to achieve the cessation of all mistakes of mind and complete all the qualities, the highest success,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches in Living in the Path, an FPMT online and center-based program drawn exclusively from Rinpoche’s lam-rim teachings.

Living in the Path draws many of its teachings from Rinpoche’s Light of the Path retreats. Registration for the next Light of the Path retreat, scheduled for August 14-28, 2016, and organized by Kadampa Center in the United States, has just opened. 

In order to prepare for the Light of the Path retreat, which will be made available thought FPMT’s Livestream channel, FPMT centers and students are encouraged to start doing the Living in the Path program via FPMT’s Online Learning Center. Many modules are available for free. If an FPMT center would like to offer the Living in the Path as a facilitated course, they can contact FPMT’s Foundation Program Coordinator at fpc@fpmt.org for more information.

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 Maratika Cave in Nepal, February 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

On February 27, Lama Zopa Rinpoche began teaching at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore by giving teachings in preparation for giving refuge. The next day, Rinpoche gave teachings while leading a puja of 1,000 offerings to Maitreya. 

Rinpoche’s public teachings and motivational talks are being webcast live on FPMT’s Livestream page. Rinpoche will teach and give initiations at Amitabha Buddhist Centre on the following days:

• March 2-4, at 7:30 p.m. Singapore time (GMT+8)
• March 5-6, at 4:00 p.m.
• March 9-11, at 7:30 p.m.
• And on March 13, at 9:00 a.m., Rinpoche’s Singapore visit concludes with FPMT’s official long life puja for Rinpoche

Recordings of Rinpoche’s recent teachings in Singapore are already available. Please check the FPMT Livestream page often to find the most up-to-date schedule.

Before arriving in Singapore, Rinpoche had been in Nepal, where he visited Maratika Cave and Kopan Monastery.

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 attendant Ven. Sangpo blessing newly rescued goats, Maratika, India, February 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

On February 22, Ven. Roger Kunsang shared on Twitter this photo of Lama Zopa Rinpoche “blessing goats after saving their lives” in Maratika, Nepal, site of the famed Maratika Caves associated with Padmasambhava and long life. 

Rinpoche regularly preforms animal liberations, saving animals in threat of being killed and exposing them to Dharma to benefit their future lives.

Ven. Roger Kunsang, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s assistant and CEO of FPMT Inc., shares Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s recent pith sayings on Ven. Roger’s Twitter page. (You can also read them on Ven. Roger’s Facebook page.)

More information, photos and updates about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche can be found on Rinpoche’s webpage. If you’d like to receive news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche via email, sign up to receive FPMT News. Benefiting animals directly is one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, November 2015. Photo by Bill Kane.

Rinpoche Available Now (RAN), FPMT’s initiative to make Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s most current teachings directly available to all students, has just released “Teachings from the Kopan November Course 2015,” with over 18 hours of video recorded at the famous Kopan November Course in Nepal, a one-month lam-rim course established by FPMT founder Lama Yeshe and current spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1971.

For those unable to watch video, RAN also makes available MP3 audio recordings of the teachings and helpful transcripts to make listening easier.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at Kopan Monastery during the November Course, Nepal, November 2015. 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, Sera Monastery, India, December 2015. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

FPMT International Office has just published the FPMT Annual Review 2015: Serving the World with a Bodhichitta Attitude as a PDF and as an ezine. Please enjoy Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s letter to FPMT students and supporters taken from this year’s review:

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

From Lama Tsongkhapa’s “Three Principal Aspects of the Path”:

Even if renunciation has been developed, 
If it is not possessed by the mind of enlightenment 
It does not become the cause of the perfect bliss of unsurpassed enlightenment. 
Therefore the wise generate the supreme mind of enlightenment.

Swept away by the current of the four powerful rivers, 
Tied by the tight bonds of karma, so hard to undo, 
Caught in the iron net of self-grasping, 
Completely enveloped by the total darkness of ignorance, 

Endlessly reborn in cyclic existence, 
Ceaselessly tormented by the three sufferings –
Thinking that all mothers are in such a condition, 
Generate the supreme mind of enlightenment. 

First of all, we have all experienced this numberless times. Numberless times we have suffered like this, from beginningless time and will continue to unless one realizes the true suffering, the true cause of suffering, the true cessation of suffering and the true path. If one doesn’t get to actualize the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, then one will have to experience these sufferings of samsara numberless times and endlessly. So that means being in the ocean of suffering of the six realms. Already we have experienced it numberless times from beginningless lives, and we will have to experience this numberless times without end.

This is so terrifying, most terrifying, most terrifying! To have to be reborn in samsara again, even one more time, it is most terrifying. To be in samsara even for one more day, even one hour, even one millisecond, it is most horrible, most terrifying, if you realize that samsara is only in the nature of suffering and that being in samsara is like being in the midst of molten iron – the very hot, red, iron fire.

We have been hallucinating in samsara, looking at it as pleasurable. The suffering we experience now in samsara is nothing compared to the suffering of numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts, numberless animals, numberless human beings, numberless suras, numberless asuras and numberless intermediate state beings, not only what they are suffering right now but also what they have suffered numberless times from beginningless rebirths.

Even if renunciation has been developed, 
If it is not possessed by the mind of enlightenment 
It does not become the cause of the perfect bliss of unsurpassed enlightenment. 
Therefore the wise generate the supreme mind of enlightenment.

Swept away by the current of the four powerful rivers, 
Tied by the tight bonds of karma, so hard to undo, 
Caught in the iron net of self-grasping, 
Completely enveloped by the total darkness of ignorance, 

Similarly sentient beings have experienced this suffering numberless times, the oceans of suffering of the six realms. They haven’t received a perfect human rebirth and haven’t met a perfectly qualified Mahayana guru. Some have, but their number is nothing compared to numberless sentient beings who haven’t received a perfect human rebirth, met the Buddhadharma and met a perfectly qualified Mahayana guru who reveals the unmistaken path. So like this, they will have to suffer again in the ocean of suffering of the six realms, again and again, numberless times, endlessly in samsara.

It is said by the great yogi Heruka Kyabje Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo in “Calling the Guru from Afar”:

Thinking of the plight of my pitiful old mothers, pervasive as space, 
Fallen amidst the fearful ocean of samsara and tormented there – reminds me of you, Lama.

Therefore, Lama, please bless me to generate in my mental continuum 
Effortless experience of the profound three principles of the path and the two stages.

Here you can understand what to do, what is the best way to help sentient beings, who are numberless, even to help just one sentient being; so this is the best thing. Here the FPMT organization’s main effort is to create the causes for sentient beings to have realizations of the gradual path to enlightenment and to actualize the gradual path to enlightenment, the gradual method and the gradual wisdom and to achieve dharmakaya and rupakaya, for numberless sentient beings, for every maggot, for every tick, for every mosquito and for every single slug. So that comes from practice, and to practice, first you have to learn the Buddhadharma. So for those who can, then you learn the most extensive philosophy, sutra and tantra, lam-rim and then tantric subjects of your own deity and then the essence of what the guru has taught from the holy mouth.

So like the Kadampa Geshes teach according to the different levels of intelligence, the different capacities, so there are three ways of studying. Similarly we offer that, different levels according to different levels of intelligence and capacity, in order to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings, to be able to work perfectly without the slightest mistake for sentient beings. This is why we offer the Masters Program, the Basic Program, Discovering Buddhism, Buddhism in a Nutshell, Living in the Path and so on, this is besides Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom. Then also we offer social services, such as hospices and many other services. Here it is not only to help the body, but mainly to help the mind. Then in all the centers since they have started, there have been lam-rim teachings continually, offering the essence of the path to enlightenment.

The whole point of FPMT is to bring sentient beings to full enlightenment, to the peerless happiness – the total cessation of all the obscurations and completion of all the realizations. So this is what FPMT has been trying to do, and this is the function of FPMT International Office, to help in that, and also the function of all the centers, projects and services, to be able to benefit in this way to the numberless sentient beings.

When a person has cancer, diabetes or leprosy, but then the person’s nose is crooked, so they try to fix it with plastic surgery, but that doesn’t help cure the cancer, diabetes or leprosy. Or they try to make the wrinkles on their face disappear by spending lots of money, but this doesn’t do anything for the life threatening diseases. People spend so much money and time on something really unimportant, such small things, and have no idea at all, no knowledge at all about the suffering of death, sickness and old age. They don’t know where this suffering comes from, which is karma and delusions, nothing is done for that, nothing is known about that. The root of samsara is the ignorance holding the I as truly existent, as real from its own side, while it is not, while it is totally empty from its own side, from beginningless time. Even having tantra realizations and bodhichitta realizations is not enough, but it is only with wisdom directly realizing emptiness that can directly eliminate the root of samsara – ignorance.

Similarly you don’t have a rhinoceros horn growing from your head or a white-faced monkey’s long tail growing behind you.

So the purpose of the FPMT organization’s existence, it is NOT like that.

Thank you very, very, very much, from the bottom of my heart numberless thanks, by joining my two palms together – numberless thanks and I pray for the success of all the students, all the benefactors, all the volunteers, all the staffs, everybody. Thank you to all the directors of the centers and to every student. We are all here to liberate the numberless sentient beings, our pitiful mother sentient beings, to free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and to bring them to peerless happiness – buddhahood: the total cessation of all the obscurations and completion of all the realizations.

With much love and prayers,

Lama Zopa

Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrapped himself in a blanket to dictate his letter for the 2015 FPMT Annual Review and playfully posed for a few photos. “It was very cold,” explained Ven. Holly, who was scribe for the letter, which was composed during Rinpoche’s stay at Tso Pema, India, in January 2016.

Learn more about FPMT International Office and find past years’ Annual Reviews at https://fpmt.org/fpmt/international-office/.

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.