receive our newsletters
join Friends of FPMT
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.
|
|
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. |
 |
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. |
 |
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. |
 |
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. |
 |
Teachings from Australia 2015Venue: various FPMT centers in Australia Lama Zopa Rinpoche toured Australia in May and June 2015. Rinpoche started by visiting De-Tong-Ling on Kangaroo island, where he consecrated the stupa. Then he visited Buddha House in Adelaide on May 30 and 31 giving teachings on “Making the Most of your Life” and a Medicine Buddha Initiation. He then travelled to Sydney to Vajrayana Institute where he gave teachings on “How to Apply Dharma in Daily Life”. He also gave a public talk on Karma at Minh Dang Quang Temple. |
 |
Teachings from New Zealand 2015Venue: various FPMT centers in New Zealand Lama Zopa Rinpoche toured New Zealand in May 2015. He visited Mahamudra Center, Coromandel, New Zealand on May 9 and 10. Then he continued to Chandrakirti Center on the South Island, where he gave two days of teachings and a Vajrasattva Initiation. From May 22 to May 24 Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave teachings at Dorje Chang, Auckland and a public talk at the Amitabha hospice. |
 |
Teachings from Bodhgaya 2015Venue: Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India Rinpoche gave extensive teachings and initiation to Chittamani Tara during his stay in Bodhgaya. Rinpoche emphasised the importance of practicing patience, gave definitions on what is dharma and taught on lam rim topics such as Precious Human Rebirth and emptiness. |
 |
Teachings from Delhi 2015Venue: Tushita Centre, Delhi, India Rinpoche gave a talk at the centre the first day and then a series of teachings at a venue. He gave an oral transmission on taking refuge and over several days an oral transmission of the Golden Light Sutra. |
 |
Teachings from Bangalore 2015Venue: Choe Khor Sum Ling Centre, Bangalore, India Rinpoche gave a series of teachings and a Heruka initiation. The teachings covered topics such as Lojong, the benefits of 35 Buddhas and Vajrasattva practice, mantras from sur to die peacefully, Calling the Guru from Afar, Guru devotion and Precious Human Rebirth. |
 |
Teachings from the Kopan Nov Course 2014Venue: Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal Rinpoche gives teachings at the end of the annual Kopan November one month course. The full length recordings are available both as streaming video and mp3 downloads. Several highlights of these teachings were extracted into separate videos. These are also available as streaming audio and mp3 downloads including transcripts. |
 |
Teachings from Australia 2014Venue: Chenrezig Institute, Tara Institute, Atisha Centre, Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery and the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion. Rinpoche gave teachings in Chenrezig Institute from September 6 to 9 and Tara Institute on September 19 followed by teachings from the Bodhicaryavatara and Rinjung Gyatsa Retreat in the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion. |
 |
Teachings from Light of the Path 2014Venue: Hosted by Kadampa Center, North Carolina, United States Video and audio recordings of the 2014 LOP retreat teachings in English, Spanish and French are available. A PDF teaching transcript in English of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings is also available. |
 |
Teachings from Bangalore 2014Venue: Hosted by Choe Khor Sum Ling, Bangalore, India Seven days of teachings which Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave in March 2014 at Choe Khor Sum Ling Centre, Bangalore, India. In addition to general lam-rim teachings, Rinpoche taught extensively on emptiness and gave an oral transmission (LUNG) of the “Heart Spoon”. On the last day Rinpoche gave a Vajrasattva Initiation. |
 |
Teachings from Bendigo, Australia 2011Venue: Great Stupa of Universal Compassion This event is the first in a series of teachings given at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion at Bendigo in Australia. Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave teachings on the LamRim in preparation of offering Rinjung Gyatsa initiations. The retreat was hosted by Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery and Atisha Center. |
 |
Teachings from Light of the Path 2010Venue: Hosted by Kadampa Center, North Carolina, United States In September 2010 Lama Zopa Rinpoche continued to give teachings in the Blue Mountains in North Carolina hosted by Kadampa Center, Raleigh. These teachings were the second in a series of recurring teachings on the text “Lamp on the path to enlightenment” by the Nalanda master Atisha. The essence of these teachings was then compiled into an online course in the FPMT online learning program called “Living in the Path” . The teachings were translated live into the French, Spanish, German and Chinese. |
|
|
|
Teachings from Light of the Path 2009Venue: Hosted by Kadampa Center, North Carolina, United States In September 2009 Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave teachings in the Blue Mountains in North Carolina hosted by Kadampa Center, Raleigh. These teachings started a series of recurring teachings on the text “Lamp on the path to enlightenment” by the Nalanda master Atisha. The essence of these teachings was then compiled into an online course in the FPMT online learning program. The teachings were translated live into the French, Spanish and Chinese. |