Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Khadro-la, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi, Kopan Lama Gyupas, and Kopan nuns, during consecration of the large appliqué 21 Taras and 8 Taras That Save from Fear thangkas outside Kopan Monastery’s main gompa, Nepal, January 2021. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

In the following Essential Extract video, from a teaching Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave in December 2019 at Kopan Monastery, Rinpoche explains the wheel of life drawing and reminds us that death can happen at any time. In the drawing you can see that the whole wheel is in between fangs. During our whole life we are between the fangs of Yama. And they can close any time. Rinpoche recalls a couple of events where people have died suddenly and unexpectedly. He strongly encourages us to meditate on death and impermanence. Otherwise you live your live with the concept of permanence, thinking “I will live long,” while wasting time. When you lie in bed, think, “Now I am lying here in my bed, but tomorrow I can already be on the pile of firewood in the cremation ground.” When you think this, attachment and anger have no reason to exist, and the mind is at peace.

Watch the sixteen-minute video “Our Whole Life We Are in between the Fangs of Yama”:
https://youtu.be/8HvK38Cm0HE

Transcript: So, I mentioned that the dongka, this is fangs, like you are in the mouth of Yama, impermanence, nature of impermanence, under impermanence. So holding like this, but anytime can be like this, mouth can close. So anytime death can happen. You never know, never you know. By next time this year, you are somewhere else—you never know—hell or deva realm, you never know where, by this time next year, by this time tomorrow. We can’t say—can close the mouth, you are inside now, between the fangs, but it can close anytime. So that is a very good meditation—it can close anytime. (Rinpoche closes his fingers.) It can close anytime, so death can happen anytime. You never know.

Even recently, I think in America or somewhere, it might be in the house, [someone] just suddenly died, who, I forgot. (Pause) Pende’s mother. Father and mother [were] talking in the house. They were talking to each other, and father did like this (Rinpoche turns his head), during that time mother, dead. They were just talking, the father and mother. Father went this way, then mother dead. So it always happens that.

One student here, she wanted to become a nun so much, unbelievable, so much. Khadro-la would see, of course. She is young, I think didn’t inspire her to become nun. Of course, Khadro-la can see past, present, and future. She [the student] died here in the toilet. She died here in the bathroom. I forgot her name. I have a big buddha in my room, I told them to make for her purification, good rebirth. I was thinking that her father to keep the buddha in the house, but the father didn’t want, so I have it in my room. … (Rinpoche offers more examples, see complete transcript.)

Like that anytime it can happen. I think that is the most important meditation, that is my, well, I haven’t started Vajrasattva, but my last advice is that. To remember, to always remember mindfulness, to always remember impermanence-death, that is my last very important advice, very important advice. I think that was also said by the Buddha, I forget now, to his disciples. Oh, that.

Kadampa geshe Sharawa said, “Even you have one hundred qualities, but you are under one mistake.” (Tibetan) So many, so many degrees from university, all this, all that, so many, like that, wow—but then even Dharma, even Dharma, “Oh, I know this, I know Madhyamaka, I know Pramanavartika, I did this retreat, that retreat, bah, bah, bah, bah.” But if you haven’t thought of impermanence-death, then there is the concept of permanence, so your life is under the control of hallucination. So “even if you have a hundred qualities but you are under one mistake,” so learned in Dharma texts, so many things, but you never thought of impermanence-death, yourself, or yourself, so then always you live with a concept of permanence, “I will live very long, I will live long,” always the concept of permanence. Then your actions of body, speech, and mind don’t become Dharma. You are very learned in Dharma, yes, unbelievable, but you never think of impermanence, your life is impermanence-death, you never think, so “I’m going to live long,” then your actions of body, speech, and mind don’t become Dharma. So here, even you are expert in Dharma but you waste your life. You understand? So like that. Did that retreat, this retreat, bah, bah, bah, but never, your own life impermanence-death, you didn’t think, so always wrong concept of permanence.

That is what Kadampa geshe Sharawa said. Even living in the monastery, doing extensive study, understanding and can explain, but never thought of impermanence-death, so your actions, with the concept of permanence then your actions didn’t become Dharma. Then death happens, then you know you cheated yourself. That is what you come to know, totally. There are more words, but… As I said, as I told before, same thing, even you are not learned in Dharma, nothing, but a lot of degrees, a lot of education in science, this and that, so many things, but never thought your life is impermanent, then suddenly—but you always live in concept of permanence—then suddenly when death happens so regret, so upset, so regret, bah, bah, bah, because you didn’t expect it, bah, bah, bah.

If you normally meditate, or you normally think, mindful in your life of impermanence-death, if you practice mindfulness every day remember, the awareness in that, even when death comes suddenly, you are not surprised. You are not worried because you did preparation. You did preparation because of mindfulness of that, so you did already preparation. So future life, to achieve happiness, body of happy transmigratory being, liberation from samsara, then enlightenment, thinking of impermanence-death, so then you have no worry when time of death comes, the actual time of death comes. Even for business people it is easier, normally you think so therefore it is easier. But normally you don’t think, so then it is incredible fear, bah, bah, bah, can be anger, like the Japanese boy, sssssh, can be incredible fear. Then of course, then, next life reincarnation, bah, bah, bah, good rebirth, higher rebirth, negative karma, lower rebirth, sssssh, there is another one.

So here it says, it is a good body, the body is here now, body is in your bed, body is here, but by this time tomorrow the body can be on the firewood, burned, skull coming out. You see the skull. (Rinpoche snaps his fingers.) Just anytime this can happen. (Rinpoche snaps his fingers.) It is so good, so good even meditating that you are dying, now you are dying. The whole thing, what is going to happen, going to the cemetery, the body by this time tomorrow, cemetery and fire, next year or next month, next week, tomorrow, the body could be there. That is so good, good meditation, so good meditation, that, to meditate, to think that. It is the reality. (Rinpoche snaps his fingers multiple times.) Then attachment to this and that, anger to this, bah, bah, bah, then you have no, there is no purpose to get angry and to be attached. This and that, all the problems, there is no reason to arise anger and attachment. The mind has great peace, free from attachment, free from anger.

Watch more videos from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching from the 2019 Kopan Course, the annual month-long lamrim course at Kopan Monastery in Nepal:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/kopan-2019/

Find more Lama Zopa Rinpoche Essential Extracts videos:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/essential-extracts/

During February 2021, Rinpoche is taking a break from offering his video series Teachings on Thought Transformation during the Time of COVID-19. You find links to the ninety published videos in this series as well as transcripts, MP3s, additional practice advice, and more:
https://fpmt.org/fpmt/announcements/resources-for-coronavirus-pandemic/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche-for-coronavirus/

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.