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Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
“The benefit that we have been able to offer to sentient beings and the teachings of the Buddha, particularly to spread the teachings of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism in this world, this is due to the kindness of our Gurus. That we have been able to offer service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama who is the sole object of refuge of all of us sentient beings and the originator of all our peace and happiness; to the Tibetan people — particularly the monasteries; and all the extensive service that we have been able to offer sentient beings — not only with Dharma but also with the various social services — all of this is due to His Holiness the Dalai Lama the Buddha of Compassion’s kindness. And particularly it is due to the Lama whose holy name is very difficult to express and who is kinder than all the three times Buddhas — Lama Yeshe’s kindness. It is due to his brave heart, his big heart, as well as the idea of building a very large Maitreya Buddha statue that blows away many living beings’ minds and hearts,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche said during a long life puja at Land of Medicine Buddha in California in 2001, also acknowledge Ribur Rinpoche, who was in attendance as well as “other Gurus who pray every day for the success of the activities, the projects.”
Photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Yeshe on the throne above Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the retreat in Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
“It is because of this that we can have some success. There is a lot to do. What has been done so far is very little. What is going to happen is more. All of this is completely due to the kindness of the Gurus,” Rinpoche continued. “Then, next, I am not going to mention the names of all the students because I wouldn’t remember them and even if I could it would take many days, but there is [Ven.] Roger [Kunsang] who for many years has been my attendant, and many students whose nature is compassionate and faithful. The most important thing is harmony, unity in the organization. That is what has brought success so far — unity. There are many students who are like gold, like diamonds. The most important quality is to have the nature of compassion towards others, to be kind-hearted, next is to be intelligent, understanding the Dharma, and then to be responsible. It is particularly due to the harmony, the unity, that there has been success and that we have been able to offer this much service.
“So there is a lot of potential to be able to offer much much more extensive benefit than this. The Maitreya project didn’t happen yet. It did not get actualized yet. Because it has such immense benefit, skies of benefit to sentient beings, of course it has a lot of obstacles, it takes time. But it’s just a question of time. When the merit is more and more increased, then there will be less obstacles. So I would like to thank very much all the members of the FPMT organization, all the students at the centres in the different countries for all their prayers, not only for my long life but for all the other things and particularly for the Maitreya project. The benefit that we are able to offer, that I am able to offer, is due to the kindness of so many students who are compassionate to sentient beings, faithful, and responsible. And it is due to unity, harmony in the organization. So we can offer much more, many more times extensive benefit to the teachings of the Buddha and more and more service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. So I want to thank very very much.”
From “The Most Important Thing in the FPMT” on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
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.