Lama Zopa Rinpoche News

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at the 100 Million Mani Retreat in Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, August 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“Lama Zopa: If you are wise, practice rejoicing in others’ and one’s own good karma. Feel a sense of joy in others’ good deeds and actions.”

– From Ven. Roger Kunsang’s Twitter page, posted on August 30, 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, Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, August 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche arrived in Australia this week. Rinpoche is at Chenrezig Institute in Queensland, giving a public teaching on September 6 and offering a Great Chenrezig initiation on September 7-9.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche arriving at Chenrezig Institute, Eudlo, Queensland, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

Rinpoche travels to the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion near Bendigo, Victoria, for the CPMT meeting, September 13-19. Afterwards, Rinpoche remains at the Great Stupa for a public talk on September 20 and the month-long Bodhicaryavatara and Rinjung Gyatsa retreat, September 25-October 23.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s opening and closing talks at CPMT 2014 will be live streamed as well as his public talk on September 20 and the retreat at the Great Stupa. 

Visit Mandala‘s blog for news and updates from the CPMT meeting.

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, London, UK, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

 “People use the word ‘happy’ a lot, but what they think is happiness is not real happiness, it is suffering. Therefore, I mentioned that the best happy life, living with compassion, has great meaning. With compassion you can really have a happy life. Happiness can be on different levels. If sentient beings have compassion then they are able to achieve enlightenment and liberate sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings.”

— Lama Zopa Rinpoche, from the page “Compassion Quotes” on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the 100 Million Mani retreat, Idgaa Choizinling Dratsang, Ganden Monastery, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, August 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche arrived in Mongolia earlier this week for the 100 Million Mani retreat organized by FPMT Mongolia. The retreat, which is being held at Idgaa Choizinling Dratsang, Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, began on August 17 and runs through September 18. This is the second year of the retreat. Rinpoche is teaching at the retreat August 27-September 1. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at the 100 Million Mani retreat, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, August 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Last year several hundred Mongolians and about 70 non-Mongolians attended the retreat, which was regarded as a complete success. A total of 108,939,500 mani mantras were recited. Rinpoche appeared very pleased with the retreat and requested that it be done every year.

Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, August 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

FPMT Mongolia has several centers and activities in Mongolia, including Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling, the center located in central Ulaanbaatar, and Golden Light Sutra Center in Darkhan. FPMT Mongolia also oversees Drolma Ling Nunnery in Ulaanbaatar and several other socially focused programs.

You can find more stories and photos from the 100 Million Mani Retreat in Mongolia and on FPMT Mongolia on Mandala.

Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT activities, teachers and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you have news you would like to share, please let us know.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Geshe Tashi, resident geshe at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, visiting the the Tibetan Peace Garden next to the Imperial War Museum in London, UK, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has offered much advice on creating peace in the world. You can find much of this advice posted on the “Lama Zopa Rinpoche Advice” page on fpmt.org. 

Rinpoche encourages students to recite the Golden Light Sutra to help create the causes of peace. Of its benefits, Rinpoche said, ”The holy Golden Light Sutra is the king of the sutras. It is extremely powerful and fulfills all one’s wishes, as well as bringing peace and happiness for all sentient beings, up to enlightenment. It is also extremely powerful for world peace, for your own protection and for the protection of the country and the world. Also, it has great healing power for people in the country.”

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 Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, April 2014. Photo Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“When you have in mind the thought that death can come today, if something suddenly happens, it is not a shock,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche instructs in his book Bodhisattva Attitude: How to Dedicate Your Life to Others. “It is not a shock at all because your mind is prepared. You have already trained your mind by thinking very strongly about death first thing every morning and keeping that awareness throughout the day. That helps you to be at peace and not have fear when you face a life-threatening problem or something similar.

“If your mind has not become Dharma because you haven’t trained in the thought of impermanence but instead have always thought, ‘I am going to live for a long time,’ and done all your activities with attachment to this life, then if something opposite to that suddenly happens and the reality of life – its impermanence – is shown, all of a sudden, while you are planning billions of things, you get an incredible shock.

“You may know Buddhism and have memorized the hundred volumes of the Buddha’s teachings (Kangyur) and the two hun­dred volumes of commentaries (Tengyur) and be able to explain and recite them by heart, but your mind has not thought about impermanence. You may know by heart all the root texts, the five great treatises, along with the tantric texts and commentar­ies and be able to explain them, but your mind has not thought of impermanence. Because you have been living your life with the concept of permanence, the day something happens and the reality of life is shown, it is a shock and there is incredible fear. Suddenly you see that you don’t want to die. It is not that you don’t want to die because you want to benefit sentient beings. I am not talking about that. You don’t want to die for fear of what will happen after death. You don’t want to die because of fear. You don’t want to lose this body. You don’t want to lose your possessions, property, belongings or family. Your mind is clinging to these things and because of that, there is great fear.

“Meditating on impermanence is the very beginning of Dharma, but look what happens if this meditation is left out or if you thought it wasn’t important because emptiness, shunyata or some tantric meditation was more important.”

You can read more from the chapter “The Teachings: Cutting the Concept of Permanence” from the book Bodhisattva Attitude: How to Dedicate Your Life to Others by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and published by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. 

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Ven. Sangpo at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, April 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“Calling the Guru from Afar” begins:

LA MA KHYEN
Lama, think of me.
LA MA KHYEN
Lama, think of me.
LA MA KHYEN
Lama, think of me.

SANG GYÄ KÜN GYI YE SHE DE CHHEN CHHÖ KUR RO CHIG
The wisdom of great bliss of all buddhas, one taste with the 
dharmakaya, 
DE NYI DRIN CHÄN LA MA KÜN GYI RANG ZHIN THAR THUG
Is itself the ultimate nature of all kind lamas.
LA MA CHHÖ KYI KU LA NYING NÄ SÖL WA DEB SO
I beseech you, Lama, dharmakaya,
DI CHHI BAR DO KÜN TU DRÄL ME JE SU ZUNG SHIG
Please guide me always without separation, in this life, future 
lives, and the bardo. …

FPMT Education Services offers an audio version of Lama Zopa Rinpoche chanting the long version of this profound and moving prayer. Education Services also makes available the prayer as a downloadable PDF booklet: “Calling the Guru from Afar and Practicing Guru Devotion with the Nine Attitudes.”

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Vens. Sherab and Sangpo at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, April 2014. Photo Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“I would say that compared to others, our lives have been most fortunate,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche instructs in his book Bodhisattva Attitude: How to Dedicate Your Life to Others. ”First of all, many of us have heard the heart of the Buddhadharma, the very essence of the 84,000 teachings of the Buddha, the very precious teaching on the stages of the path to enlightenment (lam-rim) many times. We have even heard this from His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself, who is the real living Chenrezig, the Compassion Buddha manifested in the human form of a monk – the aspect that can most perfectly guide us. Just that alone is most amazing and inexpressible. It is the most unbelievable, rare, fortunate and precious thing that could have happened to us this life.

“Then we have met many other great teachers and unbelievably qualified virtuous friends who preserve the whole entire Buddhadharma – the Lesser Vehicle, Mahayana Paramitayana and Mahayana Tantrayana teachings. Particularly, many of us older students have met and received teachings and initiations from Lama Yeshe, who was kinder than all the numberless past, present and future buddhas and whose holy name is extremely rare and difficult to express.

“So really, if we look at what has happened to us so far in this life, it is most amazing to have met many qualified virtuous friends who can reveal the complete path to enlightenment from their own experience. Can you imagine how most unbelievably fortunate our lives have been?”

You can read more from the chapter “The Teachings: Everything Depends on Your Attitude” from the book Bodhisattva Attitude: How to Dedicate Your Life to Others by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and published by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. 

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Vens. Sangpo and Sherab doing prayers for the future retreat center Land of Joy, UK, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“A retreat place is not for gaining power like black magic, it’s not for a honeymoon or holiday. Also it is not a place in which to be spaced out,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised in 2007.

“The whole purpose of a retreat place is to subdue the mind and to actualize the lam-rim up to enlightenment. It is a place for a holiday from negative karma, a holiday from the three poisonous minds and the self-cherishing thought, a holiday from the self-grasping of the person and phenomena, a holiday from the wrong concepts: non-devotional thought towards the guru up to the subtle dual view of white, increasing, attainment.”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of the 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 during his visit to the UK, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“Guru devotion is the quickest way to collect the most extensive merit, the means to achieve enlightenment,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche once told a group of students at Kopan Monastery. “Of course, the main thing is having the right motivation, bodhicitta, but having a pure mind of guru devotion, with no negative mind arising toward the guru – which is very heavy negative karma – is also very important.

“A negative attitude, such as a thought of giving up respect, even just thinking, ‘What is the use of this teaching?’ creates negative karma; one breaks the samaya vows. A kind of pollution comes, and whatever you offer becomes negative and can invite sickness or obstacles. So, I think, the most important thing is keeping samaya, not doing any wrong thing, not letting heresy arise, having negative thoughts, or losing faith. Lost faith is very heavy. Also, it is important not to break the root pratimoksha vows.

“So much emphasis is placed on guru devotion because, with very strong guru devotion, there is no hardship in following the guru’s advice; it becomes so easy to follow any advice given. …”

You can read more from this teaching on “Guru Devotion” on the page “Advice on Guru Devotion,” part of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive’s “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice book.”

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 visiting a park in Leeds, UK, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

“Bodhichitta is thinking to benefit all sentient beings, to free them from suffering and to bring them to full enlightenment, therefore we have to achieve enlightenment, therefore we do this practice, this action, so in this way all the time we are dedicating for other sentient beings. So this child you are taking care of is one of the sentient beings,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote to a student who was concerned about her Dharma practice after having a child. “We always dedicate our practice for the most precious sentient beings, from whom all our happiness comes – all our happiness from beginningless rebirth up to now, even this small happiness, comfort, even if we are feeling hot but then serenely the wind blows on our head and we feel cool, so even including that, or if we are thirsty and we find water to drink.

“All the future happiness, not only samsaric happiness, pleasure, but ultimate happiness, liberation from samsara, full enlightenment, peerless happiness, the state of omniscient mind; so all of that we receive from numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts and numberless animals – that means from numberless fish in the ocean, even the large ones, the whales, then also the smallest ones that we can’t see with our eyes, but only with a microscope; every single ant, every single bird, every single butterfly, every single cockroach – they are numberless in each realm, not just in one universe but there are numberless universes, so each universe has numberless [beings]. We receive all our past, present and future happiness from numberless human beings, numberless suras, numberless asuras and numberless intermediate state beings. All the past, present and future happiness we receive from every single sentient being.

“That includes your child. So all your past, present and future happiness, everything comes from this child. Therefore the child, your baby, is the most precious, most kind, most wish-fulfilling one to you, and as well as that, every single other sentient being – every insect in the house and outside in the forests, on the ground, in the water, and flying in the sky. Therefore, the best Dharma is to cherish the sentient beings and to serve them, to free them from suffering and bring them to happiness. …”

You can read the complete advice ”Taking Care of Your Child with Compassion,” a new addition to “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Online Advice Book,” on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website.

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