Lama Zopa Rinpoche reciting mantras to a young buffalo that he liberated for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Kopan monks and nuns, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, August 2021. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues his video teachings on thought transformation from Kopan Monastery in Nepal. Here is a summary of the most recent teaching:

Rinpoche begins this teaching by reminding us that we are so fortunate to have received a precious and perfect human rebirth. While it is precious, it is also fragile and can be ended at any time with death. In this precious life we have received teachings on how we should not harm any sentient being, and not just the ones we love and like to help, but including those we don’t like such as mice, rats, spiders, cockroaches, and mosquitoes. When mosquitoes come near your ears you become very concerned with the real I, which doesn’t even exist in mere name. This has been happening since beginningless rebirths. So much suffering, including all wars, comes from believing in the real I! Even spiders and ants suffer due to believing in the real I.

The pandemic and all of the disasters of the world are happening because of ignorance. This all comes from the mind. Therefore, you have to take care of the mind: don’t let it go berserk. If you don’t want to suffer, if you don’t want bad things in the world, if you don’t want problems with the environment, if you want to make a happy world, then take care of the mind.

Rinpoche shares several stories about how great bodhisattvas are able to manipulate the elements or perform actions that look like miracles. They are able to do this due to their minds. Whether you make the world more peaceful or not depends on your mind. Rinpoche also shares the story of how the young incarnation of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama said, “I’m the one who works for all beings” to the lama Keutsang Rinpoche when he came to check whether the four-year-old child recognized him. Rinpoche expressed being moved to tears when he heard that His Holiness had said that as a young child.

Rinpoche then discusses verses 5.4-5.5 of Bodhicharyavatara:

Tigers, lions, elephants, bears,
Snakes, and all enemies,
The guardians of hell beings,
Evil spirits, and likewise cannibals,

Are all fastened
By fastening only this mind.
They are all subdued
By subduing only this mind.

Rinpoche urges us to write these verses down in our prayer books so we will see them every day. Especially when we are angry or selfish, or when we have so much attachment. When we subdue our minds, everything is subdued. When we have control over our minds, we are free from fear. By controlling our minds and making them free from attachment and anger, from the self-cherishing thought, and from the ignorance holding the I as real when it’s not, then, all those who would otherwise harm us are subdued.

We produce all the suffering we experience with our mind, so the solution for problems, harm, enemies, and fear is to pacify the mind.

Verse 5.12cd of Bodhicharyavatara says:

If you subdue the mind of anger alone,
It is like you have subdued all your enemies.

And as Nagarjuna said:

If you kill your anger,
You kill all your enemies.

We have to learn this if we want to bring peace and happiness to the world. Otherwise, you just talk, talk, talk. Everything depends on whether you control your mind or not. Rinpoche translates verse 5.3 of Bodhicharyavatara as:

If you fasten the elephant of your mind
With the rope of remembrance all the time,
All fears will become nonexistent
And all virtues will come into your hands.

By subduing the mind, which is like a crazy elephant, you can achieve anything you want. Whether or not you experience samsara or nirvana, hell or enlightenment—this all depends on whether or not you control your mind.

Verse 5.17 of Bodhicharyavatara says:

If someone doesn’t know the supreme principal of the Dharma,
The secrecy of the mind,
Even if they wish to achieve happiness and destroy suffering,
They will wander in samsara without meaning.

and verse 5.18cd:

Except for conduct protecting the mind
What is the use of so many conducts?

Rinpoche explains that all the capacities of the mind are based on keeping the higher training of morality. He shares the story of how Lama Yeshe stopped a fire with his mind. He also shares a story about how Geshe Lama Konchog saved a child, who all the doctors said was going to die, by the power of his mind through doing puja. The West needs to learn that world peace comes from the mind, not from outside influence.

Discussing the verses below, Rinpoche says that when you don’t keep and protect your vows and your practice of morality, you will be criticized by all the buddhas, and your friends will scold you. You will even criticize yourself! But if you keep pure morality, all the buddhas will praise you and all of your prayers will succeed.

Chen Nga Lodro Gyaltshen, a Kadampa geshe advised in Dulwäi Lung:

Anyone who does not protect their vows
Will be put down by all the buddhas.

All the devas will criticize them as thieves.
Their friends will scold them.

They will even put themselves down.
They will also naturally be worthy of being criticized.

Their bad reputation will pervade all directions.

They won’t hear the holy Dharma.
Even if they hear it, they will quickly forget it.
They won’t generate the realizations of the grounds and paths.
While regretting, they will die and go to evil migrations.

In dreams, they will see vicious things
And, with suffering, they will be killed.

The devas will not protect them.

When they are in the presence of holy beings,
They will be scared and feel regret for their mistakes.

Since humans and non-humans will examine them,
They will be able to quickly harm them.

They will be unable to find enjoyments without difficulties.
They also won’t achieve what they wish.

Those who keep pure morality
Will be praised by all the buddhas
And all their wishes will be fulfilled.
Apply what was explained before to them.

During the dedications, Rinpoche shares the story about a young buffalo he recently liberated and named Bodhichitta. This buffalo showed great devotion to Rinpoche and sat down at Rinpoche’s feet when Rinpoche recited mantras. The buffalo had tears in both eyes during the recitation. You can read Rinpoche’s explanation of why he liberated this buffalo and also watch a short video of Rinpoche reciting prayers for him. 

We invite you to go deeper into the topics presented here, plus many others, by watching Rinpoche’s video and reading the full transcript of Rinpoche’s teaching.

Watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching “Don’t Let Your Mind Go Berserk”:
https://youtu.be/4z0txtA354g

• Read the transcript of Rinpoche’s teaching
• The Eight Prayers is a collection of prayers which is commonly recited in the Gelug monastic communities for the recently deceased. King of Prayers, the extraordinary aspiration of the prayer of Samantabhadra, is commonly recited to bring benefit to those who are sick or have just passed away, and for the success of a virtuous project.
• Find Rinpoche’s Teachings on Thought Transformation translated into Spanish, Italian, French, Chinese, and Russian
• Dedication verses for COVID-19 Crisis Teachings

Watch more from the video series Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Teachings on Thought Transformation during the Time of COVID-19 and find links to videos in transcripts, MP3s, additional practice advice, and more:
https://fpmt.org/fpmt/announcements/resources-for-coronavirus-pandemic/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche-for-coronavirus/

Practice advice from our teachers, Dharma study-from-home opportunities, and more can be found on the page “Resources for the Coronavirus Pandemic.”

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.