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Lama Zopa Rinpoche greeting Khyongla Rato Rinpoche, who is 97 years old, before the long life puja offered to him at Tushita Meditation Centre, Dharamsala, India, February 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
During the 2018 retreat in Australia, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave advice on the main activities to actualize the lamrim. Here is a small excerpt from this teaching:
Lama Tsongkhapa asked Manjushri, “What is the quick way to actualize the lamrim path?”
Manjushri answered, “Three things need to be done. Collecting merits and purification is the first.”
The usual thing is purification by Vajrasattva and so forth, but Vajrasattva is not the only one; there is Samayavajra in particular for the negative karma collected with the guru. But, as I mentioned, the most powerful is what the guru said to do, [to follow] the guru’s wishes, to do that. Pleasing the guru, as I mentioned, is the most powerful way to purify negative karmas and defilements, purifying the obstacles to realizing the path to enlightenment.
Then, with compassion, with a sincere heart, doing hard work for sentient beings, like the bodhisattvas, doing hard work for sentient beings and doing hard work for the Sangha with a sincere mind, with devotion, a sincere mind. Those are the most powerful—as I mentioned yesterday, following the guru’s advice, pleasing the guru’s holy mind, as I mentioned the other night.
Of course, Vajrasattva is known in all the four sects. It is common, but you don’t have to think only of Vajrasattva, “Oh, I need to do three months Vajrasattva,” to have the conditions for that. No, there are so many ways to purify.
As I told the stories the other night, things can change in a minute. In a minute your life, the whole thing, can change—a higher rebirth or lower realms—so then collecting merits. Again the same thing: mandala offering is very common in all four sects, mandala offering with clear meditation. Yes, but of course, again fulfilling the guru’s wishes, pleasing the guru, is, again, collecting the highest merits. Now here it is similar. …
Watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche teach on “Three Main Activities to Actualize Lamrim which Are Found in Lama Chopa”:
https://youtu.be/BsfMxCZxEAE
Colophon: Excerpted from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, April 10, 2018. Simultaneously transcribed by Ven. Joan Nicell. Lightly edited by Laura Miller, March 2019.
Find complete videos of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s recent teachings:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/
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.