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Rinpoche Available Now
Video Teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Click on any of the event titles below to watch, listen to, or read the transcripts of teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche given during that specific event. We carefully extract the essence of Rinpoche’s teachings available as our Essential Extracts.
All of these teachings are translated to Italian and Spanish and Chinese, many are available in Portuguese and French.
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Teachings from Potowa Center 2010Venue: Potowa Center, Indonesia Lama Zopa Rinpoche covered many topics during these 12 session teachings: • Emptiness and Phenomena: Rinpoche emphasized that all phenomena, including the self, are empty of inherent existence. They appear real due to our hallucinated mind, but in reality, they are merely imputed by the mind and do not exist from their own side. This understanding is crucial for overcoming attachment, the root cause of samsara, and for progressing towards enlightenment. • Self-Cherishing and Bodhicitta: The teachings highlighted the detrimental effects of self-cherishing, which is the root of all suffering. Lama Zopa Rinpoche stressed the importance of cherishing others and cultivating bodhicitta, the mind that wishes to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. This is the foundation for both the sutra and tantra paths. • Guru Devotion: Guru devotion was a recurring theme, where Rinpoche explained that strong devotion to the guru is essential for receiving blessings and achieving realizations on the path. The guru may manifest delusions or mistakes to guide disciples, and it is crucial to view these manifestations as part of the guru’s kindness. • Tantric Practice: Rinpoche taught that tantra, particularly the Vajrayana path, is necessary for achieving enlightenment quickly, especially in this degenerate time. He encouraged practitioners to embrace the Tantra path, as it provides the most skillful means to reach enlightenment within a single lifetime. • Impermanence and Death: Understanding the impermanent nature of life and phenomena was another key topic. Meditating on impermanence helps reduce attachment and prepares the mind for the eventuality of death, transforming it into a cause for liberation rather than fear. • Karma and Non-Harming: The teachings also covered the law of karma, emphasizing that all harm and benefit experienced in life result from past actions. The core Buddhist practice involves not harming others, which encapsulates the Hinayana teachings, while benefiting others aligns with the Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings. These teachings provided a comprehensive overview of key Buddhist concepts, focusing on how to integrate them into daily practice to progress on the path to enlightenment. |
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Teachings from Langri Tangpa Center 2006Venue: Langri Tangpa Center, Australia Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave four sessions of profound teaching on the “Eight Verses of Mind Training,” a classic Tibetan Buddhist text that offer deep insights into Buddhist philosophy and practice. Rinpoche covers a wide range of topics, including:
With his characteristic blend of profound wisdom, personal anecdotes, and occasional humor, Lama Zopa Rinpoche makes these complex teachings accessible to both beginners and experienced practitioners. These sessions offer invaluable guidance for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of Buddhist philosophy and integrate its principles into their lives. |
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Interview for Universal EducationVenue: Aptos, California, USAl Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave an extensive interview at his house in Aptos. He explained the reasons why we need a non-secular way of education. |
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April 2024 Heart Sutra Retreat at Kopan MonasteryVenue: Kopan Monastery, Nepal Following the commemoration activities at Kopan Monastery honoring the one-year anniversary of Lama Zopa Rinpoche showing the aspect of passing away, a Heart Sutra Retreat was held from April 15-20, 2024 with commentary by His Eminence the 104th Ganden Tripa, meditations led by Ven. Steve Carlier, and evening sessions with short extracted videos of Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching a topic related to emptiness. The following ten videos from 2017 and 2019 are the teachings on emptiness shared during the 2024 Heart Sutra Retreat. |
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Teachings from Vajrayogini retreat, France 2019Venue: Institute Vajra Yogini, France From May 10 to June 15 Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave teachings preliminary to the Heruka and Vajrayogini Initiations and during the Vajrayogini retreat at the Institute Vajra Yogini in France. Additionally some other teachers gave discourses and review classes on what Lama Zopa Rinpoche had taught. The teachings were translated live into French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and German. |
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Teachings from Madrid 2019Venue: Nagarjuna center, Madrid From April 26 to April 29 Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave teachings preliminary to the White Umbrella deity initiation. |
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Teachings from Kopan November Course 2018Venue: Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal From December 6 to 16 Lama Zopa Rinpoche taught extensively during the 51st one month November course at Kopan Monastery. The Long Life Puja was held on December 17th. |
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Teachings from the Europe tour 2018Venues: Nagarjuna Center Madrid, Aryatara Institut Munich, Longku Center Bern, Gendun Drupa Center Martigny In October and November Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave teachings in various centers in Spain, Germany and Switzerland. In Spain he taught on mind training. In Germany he granted a Medicine Buddha initiation with preliminary teachings. In Bern he gave a public talk on how to know your own potential and in Martigny he taught again on mind training and gave a Jenang of Chenrezig. |
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Teachings from Singapore 2018Venue: Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore From September 13 to 29 Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered the recently finished golden crown to the amazing Chenrezig statue in the main gompa of Amitabha Buddhist Center, gave a teaching on mind training and extensive commentary on Lama Chopa and conferred the “Amitabha Obtaining the Pure Land” Initiation. |
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Teachings from Boston, Massachusetts, USA 2018Venue: Kurukulla Center, Boston Rinpoche gave the initiation for Red Tara and preliminary teachings in Kurukulla Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA from August 19 to 21. |
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Teachings from Portland, Oregon, USA 2018Venue: Maitripa College, Portland, Oregon Rinpoche gave the oral transmission of the Prajnaparamita in 8000 verses and preliminary teachings in Maitripa College, Oregon, USA. |
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Teachings from Eudlo, Queensland, 2018Venue: Chenrezig Institute, Eudlo Rinpoche taught on thought transformation and granted a Most Secret Hayagriva Initiation. |
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Teachings from Hobart, Tasmania, 2018Venue: Chag Tong Chen Tong, Hobart Rinpoche taught on the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation. |
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Teachings from Bendigo, Australia, 2018Venue: Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo Rinpoche taught extensively on guru devotion and bodhichitta, and also gave many oral transmissions, over a six-week period. He also gave the initiations of the first five deities of Rinjung Gyatsa. |
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Teachings from Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre, Delhi, India 2018Venue: Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre Rinpoche gave teachings in Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre in Delhi for two days introducing the Golden Light Sutra and explaining the benefits of Bodhicitta. He then gave several oral transmissions including lung of the Verses for the Arya Eight Auspicious one by Je Mipham. Lung of the Method to Transform a Suffering Life into Happiness, Blessing speech and mala etc. |
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Teachings from the Kopan Nov Course 2017Venue: Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal Rinpoche gives teachings at the end of the annual Kopan November one month course. This was the 50th November course and it was also the first that was live-streamed. |