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Lama Zopa Rinpoche News and Advice
From Kopan Monastery
Dear Friends
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health is good. The doctors seem satisfied with the blood pressure and sugar levels. Over the past couple of months Rinpoche hasn’t exercised as much (due to the busy schedule) so that has been disappointing and so not any noticeable improvement in the walking action. Now in Nepal Rinpoche has started again to do circumambulations of the stupa, which is very good and I hope this continues regularly while here.
While in India Rinpoche attended an Ayurvedic clinic for 7 days, this seemed to help his health in a general way. The doctor wanted Rinpoche to attend a full treatment program which would be for 21 days. Rinpoche was very reluctant to do for that length of time. The doctor there and the staff were very good. Maybe sometime in the future this can happen.
Rinpoche’s speech in Tibetan is very clear, His Holiness Ling Rinpoche made this comment as well as other Lama’s. English language is also clearer.
Thank you,
roger
The Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund is sponsoring 10 people to do 108 Nyung-Nä retreats at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, from November 18, 2012 to June 20, 2013. This sponsorship is the commencement of one of Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT which he explained in 2007.
[I would like to] sponsor people doing 1,000 Nyung-Näs and then I think people who have completed 1,000 Nyung-Nä in their life, should have a special title, something to do with Chenrezig. Main thing is for the Nyung-Näs to be sponsored by the organization.The idea is to start as a project and then for the whole organization to sponsor. Or to sponsor the food or lodging. This of course would depend on the fund how much to be given to each person etc. Maybe as well as a title they could be given something as a sign of appreciation, when they complete the 1,000 Nyung-Näs, something from the organization, maybe some money, for a pilgrimage, or to attend the teachings or for a retreat.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche on his Vast Vision for FPMT, Aptos, CA, March, 2007
UPDATES:
Please read a November 2013 update about this retreat.
Please read a August 2013 update about this retreat.
Please read a March 2013 update about this retreat.
Benefits of Nyung-Nä Practice
According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, “Nyung-Näs are a most powerful, most beneficial and quickest way for you to develop bodhichitta, to collect extensive merit to quickly achieve enlightenment, to become Chenrezig, to liberate sentient beings from the oceans of samsara suffering and bring them to enlightenment.
This practice is a trillion, billion times greater than becoming an Olympic champion. Doing so many Nyung-Näs you become an unbelievable champion, this is what makes numberless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas most happy and brings sentient beings to enlightenment as quickly as possible.
This is an extremely powerful practice, it in an incredible way to develop bodhichitta.”
The fund sponsored two 100 million mani retreats in 2012, one of which was dedicated to Rinpoche’s long life.
In addition to the 100 million mani retreats taking place over the next six months, the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund is offering all the cost of food to all the nuns for this period as well as the cost of a very qualified geshe to stay during the retreat in order to give lam-rim teachings. This is very important for the nuns’ studies. The retreat lasts three months and about seventy nuns participate. Each nun doing the recitations receives a small offering and the nunnery also receives an offering. This is the main means of support for the nuns and the nunnery.
100 Million Mani Retreats Sponsored
- 2009: One retreat sponsored during Saka Dawa
- 2010: One retreat sponsored during Saka Dawa
- 2011: One retreat sponsored during Saka Dawa
- 2012: Two retreats sponsored over Saka Dawa
- 2013: Two retreats sponsored from December 2012-June 2013 beginning on Lama Tsongkhapa Day
UPDATE April 2013: Lama Zopa Rinpoche just received this message from the Tashi Chime Gatsal Nuns who are currently doing their 2nd 100 million mani retreat. More….
If you would like to contribute to to Rinpoche’s ongoing commitment to sponsor these 100 million mani retreats:
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Vision for 100 Million Mani Retreats
This is the beginning of actualizing one of Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT which he explained in 2007: Sponsoring 100 Million Mani Retreats.
As Rinpoche explained:
“[I would like] for the organization to establish 100,000 recitations of 100 Million Om Mani Padme Hum. This can be retreats of 100 million recitations, so 100,000 different retreats in different parts of the world where it can happen regularly, each year.
There are two ways to count this. One way is once it is established for it to happen regularly each year. Or it can happen in different places, one time, and you count it like that. Maybe they are unable to do regularly but able to do one time or a few times.
So to establish this in different parts of the world such as Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Australia, China etc.
We should create a plan on how to lead the retreat of 100 million Om Mani Padme Hums: What practices to do, a plan on how to schedule the retreat, the whole structure. Once you have a structure then it is easy for people to lead the retreat.
Also you can make mani pills in the retreats.
During the retreat it is a great thing if you also take the 8 Mahayana Precepts during the retreat. You can have lunch and breakfast, but no dinner. People can take precepts for the whole time or every alternative week. So this depends on the different places. I think to combine these two is extremely great.
Then it would be very good if the retreats are sponsored by the organization. Sometimes it can also be sponsored privately, all the expenses. But the idea is to start as a project and then for the whole organization to sponsor. Or to sponsor the food or lodging. Like a center hosting, making the retreat free for everyone. The idea is for it to be sponsored so people do not have to pay. Also if an individual person is doing 100 Million Om Mani Padme Hums then still the organization can sponsor the person.
There is one story about Geshe Thubten Sopa, he led 100 Million Om Mani Padme Hum retreat in the monastery. I think he is regarded as an incarnate Lama, this is not known in Sera, but actually he’s an incarnate Lama. The monastery in Ladakh respect and regard him as an incarnate Lama.
What happened is during the retreat, the mani pills multiplied and that inspired so many people, to have faith and because of that there are now many monasteries in Ladhak that are doing 100 Million Om Mani Padme Hum Retreats. So this is a great thing.”
– Lama Zopa Rinpoche on his Vast Vision for FPMT, Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, CA, March 2007
In 2007, Lama Zopa Rinpoche shared what he and some FPMT students did to benefit the millions of turkeys that are killed in the U.S. for Thanksgiving Day. Rinpoche has long been a proponent of vegetarianism and thanks anyone who works to reduce the amount of meat they eat. Rinpoche suggests two practices that are beneficial for our friends the turkeys.
“I made a divination as to what would be the most beneficial thing to do for the turkeys and found that Medicine Buddha puja came out best, so the Sangha at Kachoe Dechen Ling, Fabrizio Pallotti and I did an extensive Medicine Buddha puja for them.
“Another possibility could have been for us to do prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas, reciting these buddhas’ names with prostrations, to purify the negative karma of the turkeys and all other sentient beings, including the people who killed the turkeys, but in this case it came out better to do Medicine Buddha puja.”
From Mandala February-March 2008.
From Nalanda Monastery:
Yesterday we have finished 1020 times the sixteen arhat pujas (about 920 were done by the monks).
We started immediately after the Chenrezig retreat with Khadro-la, and it took us almost two weeks of mostly five daily sessions.
We recited the Panacea of Pure Nectar and long life prayers for His Holiness and Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche after almost every session.
It was very nice and an honour that we could do it for Rinpoche’s health.
Hope Rinpoche will fully recover very soon, and we hope He might be able to teach again as much as He wants, in the way that He wants and wherever He wants.
And of course we hope He will have a very long life, and that we may be able to fulfil all His wishes.
You can read a recent article in Mandala magazine (October-December 2012) about Nalanda’s 15-Year Master Plan.
*These funds are disbursed in an ongoing manner, according to the needs of the project.
March 2012: Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered 26 Maitreya Buddha statues to FPMT centers, projects and services that wished to have one. Read more and view a photo gallery created by Mandala magazine!
Practicing Bodhichitta (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)- Bodhichitta Motivation in Daily Life
- Bodhisattva Attitude: How to Dedicate Your Life to Others
- How to Live with Bodhichitta
- Training the Mind in Bodhichitta
- Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching on bodhichitta at Bodhgaya stupa (video)
- Living in the Path: Refuge and Bodhichitta
- Discovering Buddhism: How to Develop Bodhichitta
- The Everflowing Nectar of Bodhichitta
- Cooking with Bodhichitta: Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Momo Recipes
Practicing Bodhichitta (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)Dharamsala, India — April 2, 2012
From Ven. Roger:
It’s very dark. There is a strong storm with blasting winds and the road is narrow with room for only one vehicle at a time. The road is on the edge of a cliff at least a 1,000-foot [305-meter] drop on one side – it makes you dizzy looking over the edge. The road is in bad condition: sometimes just gravel and rock, with too many holes really jarring the car. There is a truck coming the other way heading straight for us blasting its horn. (Indian trucks are big and heavy and often held together by wood! They are actually huge pieces of scrap metal on wheels with tires that have no tread or very little.) I have nowhere to go (it’s me driving) and I can’t figure how to avoid this oncoming scrap metal heap on wheels that moves like a crab. The roads are so narrow so when an oncoming vehicle appears, you have to find quickly where the road is a little wider so you can pass each other, otherwise you get stuck and someone has to reverse up. And even then it could be a long way and then you might find another car behind you and he is blasting his horn and the car behind him is blasting away on his horn. Actually, Indian drivers drive with one hand on the wheel and the other on the horn, and it is very acceptable. Anyway, I manage very luckily to find a place where we can pass and we continue in complete darkness. The journey is 12 hours so you really have to be alert all the time, like really alert!
Indian road. Photo by John Haslam. Creative Commons (Flickr: foxypar4)
Everyone has the right-of-way on the roads which is confusing, everyone thinks they own the road which also goes for pedestrians, cows, dogs and donkeys … earlier in the day we came across a guy on the phone rolling with his feet a large gas bottle down the middle of the road, the gas bottle picked up speed and he lost control which didn’t seem to be a problem for him as he continued talking on the phone as the gas bottle picked up more speed and headed straight for us! We swerved and all was fine as it is with Indian roads as there are no rules so no one is doing anything wrong so all is OK … I like it with no rules, but can’t handle the overtaking on blind curves, which is common. (I thought it appropriate to have no full stops when describing the roads here.) (more…)
Dear Friends,
Rinpoche is doing well, progress is still slow but seems normal for this situation. The main thing is that there is still progress. Rinpoche is more independent, using the right hand more and the right leg is stronger we just need to focus on getting the action more correct. Rinpoche’s speech is very clear when speaking Tibetan, in English if he doesn’t make effort there is a slight slur. But when teaching and Rinpoche focuses on the pronunciation it is clear. Blood pressure and sugar levels are good for Rinpoche’s situation, and the doctors are pleased. Long term Rinpoche doesn’t want to have to take western medicine if possible, so in the long term we have to find other methods combined with a good lifestyle!
Thank you everyone for all your support and kindness.
roger
You can view the entire archive of Ven. Roger’s wonderful “Life on the Road with Lama Zopa Rinpoche” blog here.
March 8th 2012
Dear Friends,
Ven Roger recently checked with Ven. Denma Locho Rinpoche whether there was anything FPMT centers, projects and services and students can do to help with Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s quick recovery. Denma Locho Rinpoche kindly advised a few pujas, which we are arranging now, and then gave the following advice:
“The students and centers really need to work according to Rinpoche’s wishes. Whatever Rinpoche has advised for the them to do, it’s important to follow Rinpoche’s advice. The main thing is that everyone in the organization should really strive to fulfill Rinpoche’s advice.
In order to be harmonious, generally, you should not look for any faults in others, but look for the positive, the inner qualities. Thinking negatively like, “He is bad, she is bad”, will not lead to harmony. Try to see the qualities in others and try to work harmoniously.
Recite the prayer Losang gyal tan ma – The Prayer for the Flourishing of Je Tsongkhapa’s Teachings – well [for links to the prayer see below]. Please recite it well. If students can do that, that’s really great.
But the most important thing is not looking at each others’ faults but looking at the qualities of others.
Then, whatever responsibility you have in the center [project or service], do the work from your heart, put all your energy into that, take the difficulties/hardships upon yourself and do the work wholeheartedly. If the work is done well, this will benefit the teachings of the Buddha, and also it will bring about happiness and joy to all sentient beings.”
The Prayer for the Flourishing of Je Tsongkhapa’s Teachings – letter booklet pdf
The Prayer for the Flourishing of Je Tsongkhapa’s Teachings – A4 booklet pdf
This prayer is also in Essential Buddhist Prayers, an FPMT Prayer Book, Volume 1.