Life on the Road with Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Dear Friends,

fpmt.org has now been set up with a page which will house all official updates regarding Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health. Please subscribe to the RSS feed of this page so you don’t miss any news.

https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/rinpoches-health-updates-and-practices.html

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With love,

Your Friends at Mandala

Victoria, Australia — April 2, 2011

From Ven. Roger:

We are on the road in Australia, 45 minutes from arriving at Atisha Centre. When we arrive we will go straight to the gompa which is the first floor of the Great Stupa! Those already there say the space is big and already has a powerful vibe. This morning we spent time in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, Rinpoche’s second visit in three days! This is unusual as Rinpoche hardly ever does the “tourist thing.” Rinpoche said in all his world travels he has never seen anything like it and it is a great place for practice! It is an AMAZING place. The design and layout is really something. So we spent most of the time in the cactus area. So many there! Rinpoche explains the meditation: The designs of the flower petals, the patterns in the plants, etc., this all comes from the mind, based on karma, intention. Rinpoche kept repeating to be mindful how everything comes from the mind. Then we sat on the lawn, visualized a pure land, offered it to the merit field and dedicated extensively. Now we’re still driving in the bush, Rinpoche is doing prayers out loud. Galahs on the road, a kangaroo racing through the fields…it is near sunset.

Aptos, California, USA — March 16, 2011

From Ven. Roger:

It’s Wednesday March 16. Yesterday was the Tibetan 10th, so a tsog day. Rinpoche did Vajrayogini self-initiation at Land of Medicine Buddha in California. The self-initiation started at about 4 in the afternoon. Lama Chöpa was meant to start at 7 p.m., but the self-initiation went on much longer, so Rinpoche gave a break and then we did the Lama Chöpa, and after that, continued the self-initiation. Somewhere in the middle of this, Rinpoche sent a message to some of the Sangha in Rinpoche’s house telling them not to come to the puja as there will be many worms on the road, so better to stay at the house and do the puja there.

Rinpoche finished self-initiation at about 4:30 a.m. and then was not sure whether to drive back to his house (because of killing the many worms that come out on the road due to a lot of rain we have been having). Rinpoche did drive back and stopped the car at the foot of our road (this is now 5 a.m.) and then Rinpoche and Sangha got out of the car and started carefully and delicately removing the worms, placing them in a bucket to be blessed with mantras, circumambulated around relics and then put carefully back in the garden.

We arrived back in California during the rainy season (end of February) and for several days Rinpoche refused to leave the house because of the worms on the road – we were house bound.

Last weekend, Rinpoche gave the lung (oral transmission) of the Golden Light Sutra. In the morning on the Sunday before the lung, we started the extensive Medicine Buddha puja. There was no time to finish the puja, so we stopped, left Land of Medicine Buddha, drove to San Jose where Rinpoche gave the lung, finishing around 10:30 p.m., and then came back to Land of Medicine Buddha to finish the puja. We finished about 3:30 a.m. and then we drove home but had to get out of the car in the dark and rain with torches and clear away the worms  by gently picking them up to be blessed. As usual, we would pick up the worms while Rinpoche held the buckets and recited prayers. This finished around 6 a.m.

Then the other day it was difficult for Rinpoche to drive to the periodontist: Rinpoche and Tsering walked in front of the car, clearing away the worms as I drove very slowly behind.

When you give it thought, it is very hard to drive over the worms squashing them to death.

Rinpoche mentioned even though we don’t have the intention to kill the worms, they are killed and there is some karmic result, just as in the example of Nagarjuna accidentally cutting the head off an ant and having to experience the result later. So Rinpoche is making 10 stupas (about 10 inches [25 cm] high) for the worms accidentally killed.

Bangalore, India — February 2, 2011

From Ven. Roger:

Rinpoche jumped up from his chair suddenly and ran to the center of the restaurant, went on to his knees and quickly tried to protect the cockroach from the waiter about to severely damage it with his foot! The cockroach got away and we were all after it. It ran under Rinpoche’s foot and Rinpoche stood still keeping it under his foot, protecting it and reciting mantras. While this was happening we explained to the six or seven waiters that we were just trying protect the cockroach and bless it.

We are in Bangalore about to go to the airport again after a day with the Indian bureaucracy. It is a long complicated process dealing with the foreign registration office but we had lots of help and at the end Rinpoche was asked if he would go behind the counter and bless all the staff. Rinpoche happily accepted and blessed the staff one by one. That takes time!

Now we are about to leave (or should leave) but Rinpoche met one of the hotel people and is now explaining the story of Atisha. I guess we had better sit down and relax…This will take time.

India — January 31, 2011

From Ven. Roger Kunsang:

It’s time to leave for the airport. Everything is ready and we are on
time. Suddenly, someone turns up sick, they need a puja done … Rinpoche
says he will do it now! Now we are all waiting. Of course, it’s important the
puja is done, it’s just that something always happens at these times when you
need to be somewhere on time.

* 15 minutes later *

Puja is still going on! In these situations Rinpoche seems to have no
concern about the time. He even carefully explains to the person what the
puja is about and what to think. What to do? It’s getting late ….

* half an hour later *

Still at hotel. (It was one of the hotel staff that was sick and is having
the puja done.) We’re trying to leave, but another from the hotel staff wants Rinpoche to
write something so he can frame it in his house as a blessing. Rinpoche
writes something about bodhichitta. It’s getting late, so I think I will have
to rush ahead with the luggage and check in and hope Rinpoche can come soon
after ….

* four hours later *

So we finally get to the airport and still people are asking for things to be
signed. Rinpoche is taking time and care to not only sign, but write
something meaningful. We check in OK. We get to immigration and they say
that because we didn’t register at the Foreign Registration Office on entering
India we cannot fly today!

We entered India within 2 months after departing India, and got permission to
do so, but didn’t realize we had to register at each city we visited, even if
we visited only for one day!

So we can’t fly and have to register tomorrow. Then we should be OK to fly
tomorrow night. Now it is time to relax and have a cup of tea and a nice
samosa! Rinpoche loves a good samosa and this is a really good one!

Varanasi, India — January 22, 2011

From Ven. Roger Kunsang:

6,000 nuns and monks attended His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings and each day the number seemed to increase. Of course there were many, many lay people  as well. After His Holiness taught there was a three day conference on the Vinaya attended by a delegation of monks from Burma, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Taiwan and Tibet. In the opening speech His Holiness mentioned how this was the first time to have all traditions of Buddhism together for discussion! His Holiness said for the past 30 years he has been having dialogue with different religions but this was the first time to have all the Buddhist traditions together. A very historic occasion!

The meetings went very well and we hope to soon have video and audio of the discussions. Many areas concerning the vows (the Bhiksuni ordination, etc.) were discussed.

Rinpoche was keen to make the audio and video available to FPMT sangha.

During the teachings, Rinpoche invited the incarnation of Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche and family to dinner (the incarnation is about 17 years old now). There was Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche’s daughter, Chime Wangmo; her daughter Tara, who left school to concentrate on practice; and Chime Wangmo’s son, Rabjam Rinpoche, who himself is the incarnation of Dilgo Khentse ‘s guru. It was a very nice dinner…not due to  the food, but the company.

During this time Rinpoche did mos [observations] for Lama Lhundrup’s health and advised him to go to hospital in Singapore where he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Now Lama Lhundrup is returning to Kopan, at Rinpoche’s advice, to undergo treatment with the best Tibetan doctors. Khadro-la will also help with her own healing techniques.

Rinpoche teaches Tibetan class the alphabet

Now the teachings are over and we are staying a few days at Valentino’s school in Sarnath. The school is doing very well, Valentino has built a Tara temple and has now offered that to Kopan. About 15 of the Kopan nuns live here. The nuns do continuous recitation of the Tara mantra through the night and the children attending the school take turns to have the mantra going throughout the day. So Tara mantras and prayers are recited continuously without break 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year for as many years as possible into the future! Nice…don’t you think!?

Varanasi, India — January 12, 2011

From Ven. Roger Kunsang:

It’s the first day of His Holiness’ teachings in Sarnath. We are staying in Varanasi, so it’s a 45-minute drive if we are lucky and there is no traffic. We take the back streets due to road construction. They are narrow, busy and full of lots different activity. We come across a little puppy. Rinpoche stops the car and we all pile out to see him. The puppy is lying still on the road, looking dead. The mother is nearby in a very pitiful condition – only bones and limping, upset about her puppy. Rinpoche starts to recite mantras in the middle of the road. We try to keep the busy traffic from running us all over. Indians are very curious to what is happening. A dead dog doesn’t carry much value culturally so it’s interesting for them to see this. The mother of the puppy is frantic, howling and confused. She seems upset and, because she is also starving, drinks the blood of her puppy and then howls and then drinks and then howls.

Teachings are over and we are on the way back, it’s the end of the day. We screech to a halt and all pile out. Rinpoche wants to recite mantras for a buffalo that looks about to die. She’s on the side of the very busy narrow road. The locals say she was hit by a truck a few days back and had been left on the side of the road. She can’t move because perhaps the back legs are broken or worse. Rinpoche spends time blessing her and we give her water and then get back into the car.

Varanasi, India — January 10, 2011

From Ven. Roger Kunsang:

The flight to Varanasi was delayed which is good because we were running late. Rinpoche seemed not at all concerned about the lateness and he even gave a short teaching just prior to leaving Tushita.

We arrived in Varanasi (nice new airport). On the way to the hotel from the airport, Rinpoche sees a chicken alone, about to be killed. We stop and buy it, put it in a little bag, and away we go, Rinpoche reciting mantras.

A few miles down the road, we pass another butcher, this time with many chickens and goats. Rinpoche wants to stop immediately. There is intense discussion with Rinpoche: “If we buy many, where to put them?” Anyway, we buy three goats and one chicken and start driving again ….

Delhi, India — January 9, 2011

From Ven. Roger Kunsang:

His Holiness thanked Rinpoche and everyone in FPMT for helping the Dharma.

It’s a very cold day for Delhi, about 4 ˚C. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in Delhi for a few events including the 30th Delhi Dharma Celebration. Tushita has had the great good fortune to host His Holiness 30 times since the late 70s! Rinpoche says that offering service to His Holiness, especially in this way, “is the most extraordinary, most amazing thing! Most unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable ….”

In the morning we had a small group appointment with His Holiness. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was running late for the appointment and arrived at the hotel just behind His Holiness. His Holiness turned around to find Rinpoche behind and jokingly said,  “You’re behind me, you’re supposed to be in front of me,” and then took Rinpoche by the hand and went into the small meeting room.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche refused to sit in a chair out of respect and devotion for His Holiness.

His Holiness sat on a chair and asked everyone to sit down on the chairs. Rinpoche immediately dropped to the floor with his head not far from the floor. His Holiness joked with Rinpoche but couldn’t get Rinpoche to sit on the chair.

His Holiness asked for the first question (it was about happiness) and His Holiness said that that subject would come in the afternoon talk, but started to explain a little, and then mentioned how much he appreciated Lama Yeshe and Rinpoche and how much benefit the FPMT had been in offering the Dharma. His Holiness said, “I really appreciate … I think it is something marvelous!” and also mentioned how Rinpoche, although he had done so much to benefit others and had many centers, remained a very simple, humble monk! How he was a very good example!

His Holiness spoke to a crowd of 3,000.

Later that day, we had lunch at the center and Rinpoche said he needed to write down his thank you speech. This always happens at the last minute, so Rinpoche dictated and I wrote, watching my watch as we needed to leave! Rinpoche spoke fast and kept slipping in quotes. There were five large pages of praises to His Holiness, and I only just managed to get down most of it in almost unintelligible writing – what a mess! We rushed off to the talk and arrived just in time to meet His Holiness. Rinpoche was on the stage with His Holiness and the talk started. I looked down at my notes (Rinpoche’s thank you speech) – what a mess! I had to get it ready for the end of the talk for Rinpoche to read. I asked Ven. Ailsa to help. It wasn’t easy, especially knowing it  had to be all figured out soon for Rinpoche to read out in front of His Holiness and 3,000 people. Anyway, Ven. Ailsa did a great job, and I managed to get the notes to Rinpoche just prior to the end of the talk.

THANK YOU to Renuka (director of Tushita) to Ven. Ailsa and Ven. Kabir and all the Tushita  staff for putting together a great event – His Holiness was very happy!

Worth a few minutes of rejoicing!

Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal — January 1, 2011

From Ven. Roger Kunsang:

Rinpoche arrived back in Nepal on the fifth of December after a six hour drive to the Seattle airport followed by three flights and 35 hours of travel.  From the airport in Kathmandu Rinpoche first visited the Kopan Nunnery. All 400 nuns lined up with khatags. Following the reception, Rinpoche heads to the gompa and as usual spends time doing prostrations, maybe 20 minutes. He then offered khatags to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s throne and to the altars. Then upstairs and a short talk and tea. Following this we’re back in the car and drive up to Kopan Monastery. Around 350 monks are lined up. The smallest was first (no more than three feet tall and cute, like the little nuns). As Rinpoche moves  along the line they gradually increase in height. Then there are the people doing the course, more than 200 individuals (interesting faces from all over the world) crowding around offering khatags etc. with the Sherpa gaylings leading the way. The nunnery and monastery, and of course the people, take a few hours. Then we arrive in Rinpoche’s rooms where there is some longer talk and tea. Meanwhile a lot of unpacking starts, setting up Rinpoche’s altar, etc.. This is done wherever we go. So that is how the arrival finished following the long flight.

Rinpoche taught for one week of the November course. Around 260 people were in attendance. It is always a very nice and peaceful atmosphere. Then we had to pack again and fly to the borders of Nepal and India, then drive six hours to Kalimpong on a long winding narrow road where people drive like there is no oncoming traffic. On the way we met the Abbot of Sera Je Monastery and had a very late lunch together. We arrived in the evening at the monastery of Domo Geshe Rinpoche (who you may remember the previous incarnation from the book, The Way of the White Clouds), Tharpa Choling. Rinpoche has, with students, sponsored the building of a new Labrang at Tharpa Choling.

His Holiness arrived the next day and there were two days of teachings and then we headed back to Kathmandu where Rinpoche offered teachings to the monks and  nuns of Kopan as well as 80 Westerners who were doing the seven-day lam-rim retreat following the one month November course. Rinpoche also accepted to give the lung of the Sutra of Golden Light which was requested by a young African student who received the Sutra of Golden Light as one of his preliminaries from Rinpoche. Teachings happened every night. Somewhere in all of this there are a few all-day intensive pilgrimages… really interesting ones!

Now it is after midnight and we have to catch a plane tomorrow after lunch. Rinpoche decides it is very important to give a long life initiation to Lama Lhundrup first thing the next morning, then visit the nunnery to see what artwork is needed for the new temple. All this is to be done before we leave at midday. Next we catch a little sleep and then later lots of activity as we need to pack (and that is no small job). Also Rinpoche needs to do preparation for the initiation. I can see we are already way behind schedule and there are always so many last minute things to do! Now it is mid-morning and we have to decide: do we get the flight or cancel? Too many things going on  and not enough time. It is Saturday and the travel agency is closed, no way to see if we can delay or not, so I race into town to the airlines. Internet is down, they can’t help! Cell phones are not working, the signals are overloaded and it is difficult to call out. In the end I manage to cancel the flight but no seats for another week…a bit of a disaster. I get back to Kopan and Rinpoche has finished the initiation and is heading for the nunnery. Back from the nunnery around 7 pm and…Rinpoche’s altar is on fire!

Rinpoche inspects the fire damage.

The rooms are filled with thick heavy smoke, you can’t see anything, it very difficult to breathe, like choking, in the heavy smoke! Try to get to the source of where the fire is. Okay, main altar, three of us start throwing water and wet towels. Get it under control. It is quite a mess and there is damage to holy objects. Rinpoche discovered the fire first and yelled “fire!” The next thing Rinpoche said was…he was the cause as he left candles burning.

Tharpa Choling Monastery, Kalimpong, West-Bengal, India — December 12, 2010

From Ven. Roger Kunsang:

Right now I’m at Tharpa Choling Monastery, the oldest Tibetan Monastery in India, on a rooftop high above where His Holiness the Dalai Lama is talking to the local Buddhist community. There are thousands of Nepali and Tibetan families, hundreds of school kids in their uniforms, and others arrived very early, before 6 a.m. Every possibly place is packed. Especially rooftops!

The rooftop scene at Tharpa Choling Monastery.

Rinpoche finished the Kopan course a little early with an all night Vajrasattva initiation. Prior to that he gave a talk and Refuge to the attendees. As soon as the Vajrasattva initiation finished, 6 a.m., Rinpoche did a short preparation and then gave Red Tara initiation. This finished at 9 a.m. and at 9.30 a.m. we rushed to the airport to fly then drive to Kalimpong.

Tharpa Choling is the monastery of the young incarnation of Domo Geshe
Rinpoche. Lama Zopa Rinpoche recently sponsored the new additions to the monastery with the kind help of students in Singapore.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is teaching here for a few days and then goes on to
Gangtok, Sikkim.

It was interesting to see the Shamarpa at the Long Life Puja of His Holiness
the Dalai Lama this morning. It seems there have been some successful
negotiations. Also present is one of the incarnations of Jamgon Kontrol Rinpoche.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche will return to Kopan in a few days to continue teaching,
there are about 80 students still at Kopan doing a lam-rim retreat.

Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, USA — November 21, 2010

From Ven. Roger Kunsang:

Plastic flowers planted in Washington.

Over the past couple of years Rinpoche has been “planting” plastic flowers (many kindly offered by Ven.Pemba, Esther Ngai and Cham Tse Ling) in the garden of his retreat house in Washington state.

Why would  Rinpoche plant beautiful plastic flowers in the garden? The answer is very simple. The deer won’t eat them and during the winter when it is very cold and  the area gets a lot of  snow, there can still be offerings of beautiful flowers to the holy objects.

Plastic flowers surround Medicine Buddha statue

The large stone Medicine Buddha statue in the garden was made and offered in Indonesia (thank you, Teddy Leo). After receiving the  statue, Rinpoche spent some time carving a smile on the face and reworking the art of the  hair with stone carving equipment. Not an easy job because this stone is very hard.

Currently Rinpoche is doing a short, strict retreat and then we leave for Nepal.   Starting retreat isn’t a simple  process for Rinpoche. Apart from the  normal things such as making tormas etc., there is the “organization work.” Rinpoche always makes an effort to clear up some of that first, this time it  took about  two weeks: letters from students and then FPMT work which can be all sorts of things.

The letters never end, there are always so many, which makes it quite difficult to manage. Sometimes Rinpoche dictates letters to Ven. Holly nonstop for up to 13 hours then move on to other things. Then there is 13 hrs of dictation to rewrite and  put in reasonable order, with additional details such as organizing pujas with the monasteries in India in Nepal, sending protections, blessed pills,  cards, gifts, etc. This can take literally weeks. The  action prior  to retreat is nonstop around the clock. And the range of activities is very interesting and a little overwhelming sometimes. But great if you  are keen to practice patience!

One of the last activities Rinpoche did before starting retreat was making food for ants. Rinpoche had come across two ant hills and wanted to offer them some food. This entailed making tsampa with butter, blessed water and blessed pills and then Rinpoche proceeded to translate a small text on the benefits of offering charity to ants.

Then this early morning, although in strict retreat and not talking,  Rinpoche made “jam” for the neighbors. There was butter with erma (a “zinging” very unusual  tasting herb from the Himalayas),  and also mashed avocados with herbs. Also with the jam came handwritten cards from Rinpoche and many postcards with images of holy objects (such as Boudhanath Stupa) and cute animal cards. The neighbors aren’t Buddhist but kind people.

From my point of view, Rinpoche’s retreats only seem to have one session: the start of the retreat and then days later the session/retreat ends; something I haven’t been able to figure out yet.  Time  is an interesting concept when you are around Rinpoche.