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Mandala
Lama Yeshe
Lama Thubten Yeshe gave this talk on how to integrate emptiness with everyday life at Vajra Yogini Institute, France, September 5, 1983.
What is emptiness? Emptiness (shunyata) is the reality of the existence of ourselves and all the phenomena around us. According to the Buddhist point of view, seeking reality and seeking liberation amount to the same thing. The person who doesn’t want to seek reality doesn’t really want to seek liberation, and is just confused.
If you seek reality, and you think that it has to be shown to you by a Tibetan lama, that you have to look for it outside yourself, in another place – maybe in Shangri-La! – then you are mistaken. You cannot seek reality outside yourself because you are reality.
Perhaps you think that your life, your reality, was made by society, by your friends? If you think that way, you are far from reality. If you think that your existence, your life, was made by somebody else, it means that you are not taking the responsibility to understand reality. You have to see that your attitudes, your view of the world, of your experiences, of your girlfriend or boyfriend, of your own self, are all the interpretation of your own mind, your own imagination. They are your own projection: Your mind literally made them up. If you don’t understand this, then you have very little chance of understanding emptiness.
From Mandala October-November 2007
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Robbie Solick, Santa Cruz, California, US, September 30, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
How far are we ever from our guru? Lama Zopa Rinpoche by chance met Robbie Solick, an early student of Lama Yeshe and Rinpoche, while out on the street in Santa Cruz. Rinpoche’s assistant Ven. Roger Kunsang said that Robbie took the Vajrasattva initiation in 1972, the first time Lama Yeshe gave it.
Learn more about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his beneficial activities by visiting Rinpoche’s homepage, where you will find links to Rinpoche’s schedule, new advice, recent video, photos and more.
Foundation Service Seminar, Jamyang Buddhist Centre London, October 2013. Photo courtesy of Tara Melwani’s Facebook page.
A successful FPMT Foundation Service Seminar wraps up on Saturday, October 26. The gathering drew more than 40 people from 17 countries for five full days of sessions on skillfully offering service within the FPMT mandala. Jamyang Buddhist Centre London hosted the event, which was put together by FPMT Education Services.
A collection of FPMT regional coordinators, center directors, spiritual program coordinators, center board members, resident Sangha, interpreters, touring teachers and study group coordinators participated in the seminar, organized around the Four Means of Drawing Sentient Beings. With time for reflection and meditation, participants were led through sessions focusing on various aspects of the Four Means, which are:
- Giving (resources, Dharma, protection from harm, loving kindness)
- Speaking kind words
- Teaching according to the level of the student
- Practicing what you teach
Following the Foundation Services Seminar, many participants are attending a three-day training in order to lead the seminar in their home region, country or center. In this way, they will be able to share inspiration and guidance on skillfully offering service with hundreds of people actively engaged at FPMT centers, projects and services around the world.
Mandala will offer a full report on the gathering in our next issue, January-March 2014.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Machig Labdron, orginator of the Chöd practice
The Tibetan word “chöd” means “to cut off” or “to slay.” The traditional practice of Chöd cuts off self-cherishing and grasping at a truly existent “I.” It creates the conditions under which one can develop the mind of conventional bodhichitta, which holds others as more dear than oneself, and the mind of ultimate bodhichitta, which sees reality as it truly is. Attributed to the great Tibetan yogini Machig Labdron, and the only practice that made its way back to India from Tibet, it is an extremely effective and quick tantric method for attaining realizations of the path to enlightenment.
In this teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains the essence of Chöd, the “real Chöd” that everyone can practice in everyday life.
When somebody tells you something that really hurts your mind, that is the most beneficial thing for your mind because it goes straight in your heart and touches your ego.
This is what shows you, like a mirror, like a teaching from the Buddha, one’s own mistaken thoughts, especially the ego; it shows that there is ego, and because there is ego, it hurts.
If there is no ego, then it would never hurt. When people say what your mistakes are, or say words which hurt you, that is the real Chöd practice. This is what makes you see your “I,” the emotional “I” – in Western psychological terms – the object of ignorance, the root of samsara, which is holding this “I” as truly existent. …
From Mandala June-July 2007
Liberating about 200 worms, the Netherlands, August 2013
Two Dutch FPMT students, April Elzenga and her daughter Tara, have been liberating worms for “the Great Enlightenment and the perfect health and very long lives and remaining to teach until samsara ends, especially for Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche.” They write that they plan to do animal liberation practice with worms regularly. As of August, they had liberated about 1,700 worms.
Animal liberation is one of the practices for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health and long life that have been advised by Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme). More information is available on the page “Rinpoche’s Health – Official Updates and Practices.”
The FPMT Foundation Store offers products on animal liberation practice, including the book Liberating Animals.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings 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.
Image: Dreamstime
Lama Zopa Rinpoche at long life puja, Land of Medicine Buddha, California, September 29, 2013. Photo by Chris Majors.
With bushfires raging in New South Wales, Australia, one can turn to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice page “Disasters of the Elements.” The advice includes Rinpoche’s practices for dispelling fire, a “Letter Regarding the Disasters of the Elements,” a PDF of the heart mantra of Arya Vairochana and a story about a fire at Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s house.
The FPMT-affiliated Kunsang Yeshe Retreat Centre in the Blue Mountains is currently closed due to fires burning in the area. The Liberation Prison Project Australia office is also under threat.
Kunsang Yeshe Retreat Centre shared on their Facebook page: “We hope that a worst-case scenario will not eventuate but in preparation we have packed up all our holy objects, images, shop stock and Centre admin papers etc which will be relocated to a safe location on Tuesday morning. … For now, please continue to offer your prayers for those who have lost homes, the creatures who have lost their lives, for those who will continue to battle the fires and for those who offer hope and inspiration to all of us.”
Conditions are expected to worsen on Wednesday, the BBC reported.
You can find more advice from Rinpoche concerning fires in the “Lama Zopa Rinpoche Online Advice Book” on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website.
Learn more about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his beneficial activities by visiting Rinpoche’s homepage, where you will find links to Rinpoche’s schedule, new advice, recent video, photos and more.
Butter lamps in the darkness, Dharamsala, India. Photo by Himalaya/Dreamstime.
We never know how our words and actions will ripple out into the world. But if we hold a strong motivation to be of benefit, we might help or inspire someone. Mandala recently received a letter from Colin, a prisoner in California, who was profoundly touched by “I Will Be Paralyzed and Happy,” a piece written by Bob Brintz, a man paralyzed by ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Bob’s ability to keep a happy mind demonstrates the amazing potential we all have to change our way of thinking.
Colin writes:
My name is Colin and I am a Buddhist inmate, currently serving time at the Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Blythe, California. Recently, I found your latest issue of Mandala magazine [July-September 2013] sitting on a bookshelf in our facility chapel. Inside, I found the article by Bob Brintz titled “I Will Be Paralyzed and Happy.” I found so much power, depth and hope in this man’s words. I felt that I needed to write you right away and share my thoughts.
Bob’s situation sounds so painful and scary. And yet, he sounds so full of love and peace. This man is truly a Noble Warrior and he inspires me to change my old ways and strive harder to be a more virtuous and compassionate person. His words have softened my heart and opened my mind to a greater degree.
Praise be to Bob for generously giving all of us gifts of insight, hope and inspiration.
Thanks, Bob.
Sincerely,
Colin
Colin found this story due to a collaboration between Mandala and the Liberation Prison Project that sends nearly 500 copies of the magazine to prisoners around the world.
Find out how you can help prisoners by becoming a Friend of FPMT, donating to the Mandala Magazine for Prisoners Fund and by supporting the Liberation Prison Project.
Cover of latest “Roots of Wisdom,” Root Institute’s newsletter
Bodhgaya, India, is the sacred location of the Buddha’s enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. Root Institute, the FPMT retreat center located just a 15-minute walk from this holy site, offers students many opportunities to study, practice and offer service.
The latest edition of Root’s newsletter, “Roots of Wisdom,” shares inspiring teachings, stories and interviews that give a flavor of the beneficial activities happening at the center, including an account of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa’s recent visit and impromptu teaching on the nature of the mind.
Root offers a full spiritual program from October through March for students of all levels. Ven. Antonio Satta is mong this year’s teachers featured in the newsletter. Ven. Sarah Thresher, Glen Svensson, Jimi Neal, Kay Cooper and Gordon McDougal are also teaching or leading retreats this year at Root.
In addition, the newsletter features advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche; an interview with Geshe Jamphel Gyaltsen, a lharampa geshe from Sera Je who has been staying at Root and who will be going to Nalanda Monastery in France to become a resident teacher; and updates on Root’s charitable projects: Shakyamuni Buddha Community Health Care Programme, the Maitreya School and Tara Children’s Project.
For more information on Root Institute, visit rootinstitute.ngo.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Aptos, California, September 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues to rebuild strength and skills that were affected by the stroke he manifested in 2011. Rinpoche practices writing to improve his right hand dexterity.
Rinpoche is writing the mantra that is on the “Buddha’s Teaching on Our Lives Card,” which is available in the FPMT Foundation Store.
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 at Land of Medicine Buddha, California, US, September 21, 2013. Photo by Chris Majors.
Lama Zopa: Once you know Buddhism you become wish fulfilling to the world.
– From Ven. Roger Kunsang’s Twitter page, posted on September 22, 2013
Ven. Roger is Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s assistant and CEO of FPMT Inc. He regularly shares Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s recent pith sayings on Twitter. (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 for Lama Zopa Rinpoche News.
Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling’s new logo
Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling in Copenhagen, Denmark, shared their new logo with Mandala. The logo was drawn by Sonam Sherpa.
The Danish center wrote, “maybe other centers who see it will become reenergized about their own processes of developing logos according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wishes.”
Advice from Rinpoche on logo design is available for directors of FPMT centers, projects and services in the “Center FPMT Affiliates Area” of fpmt.org.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of over 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Students Martha Vizcaya and Myriam Monroy with Geshe Lobsang Kunchen, Bogotá, Colombia, April 2013. Photo by Martha Patricia Compean.
After three years of waiting, the students of Centro Yamantaka welcomed Geshe Lobsang Kunchen, a lharampa geshe from Sera Je Monastery, to their new center building in Bogotá, Colombia. In this video, made at the request of the students of Centro Yamantaka and Mandala, Geshe Kunchen talks about his early life in Tibet, why he went to India, and how he eventually arrived in South America.
The video is available in both English and Spanish subtitles. (To watch with subtitles, view the video on YouTube.com, then click the “CC” button and choose English or Spanish.)
From Mandala October-December 2013