Lama Zopa Rinpoche in hospital, with great difficulty putting hands in mudra of prostration during extensive offering practice.

Photograph by Holly Ansett

Ongoing list of pujas and practices dedicated to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health and long life. Please click here.

His Holiness the Private Office sent a message to Sera Je requesting:

1. Extensive Hayagriva Tsog Kong for 2 days – all the monks of Sera Je
2. 4 Mandala offering to Tara – all the monks of Sera Je
3. Recite 3 long life deity mantra – all the monks of Sera Je
4. Medicine Buddha mantra – all the monks of Sera Je
5. Extensive Hayagriva Tsog  puja for one day by the special Hayagriva committee

Geshe Sopa

1. Offered 2 xMedicine Buddha puja
2. 1 x Tara 4 Mandala Offerings Puja

Choden Rinpoche

1. Extensive Hayagriva Tsog with Geshe Ngawang Drakpa and all the students in the Bay area
2. Extensive Hayagriva puja by the Hayagriva committee at Sera Je Monastery x 7
3. Students to recite praise and mantra of Most Secret Hayagriva

Khadro la Namsel Dolma

1. Sera Je monks Tara puja and Extensive Hayagriva puja
2. Khadro la herself did many Tara pujas, Tsog offering, Tea offering, Incense offerings, water purification (dorje Namjom)
3. Extensive animal liberations and to count the numbers and to offer them to Rinpoche and request Rinpoche to live long.
4. For students to do Tara Puja, Tara mantra and Tara praises with extensive offerings
5. Medicine Buddha puja and practice

Khandro Chhochen

1. To recite 100,000 x Vajra Armor mantra – completed by students at Atisha Center
2. To recite Phurba Setop

Dagri Rinpoche

1. Students to do Long Life sutra –as much as possible

Oser Rinpoche

1. 1,000 Offerings to Namgyalma
2. 1,000 offerings to Medicine Buddha
3. King of Prayers betraying the death puja

Sera Je Abbott requested the Sera Je monastery to do

1. Heart Sutra puja and White Umbrella – by all the monks
2. Extensive Hayagriva puja – by all the monks
3. Medicine Buddha Puja – by all the monks
4. Tara Puja – by all the monks
5. 2 days Hayagriva extensive puja by the special Hayagriva monks

This is just a few of the pujas and practices. Please click here for ongoing updated list.

April 28 2011

Dear Friends,

Some students asked for help on how to view Lama Zopa Rinpoche while doing practice for Rinpoche’s health and long life, as they experienced some confusion between seeing Rinpoche with pure view as enlightened while also doing practice to help Rinpoche’s ‘ordinary’ ill-health.

I asked Choden Rinpoche, who is one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s gurus, for advice on this point.  Choden Rinpoche very kindly replied very quickly with the following advice:

“Students need to hold the view that the guru is holy Buddha, but he manifests ordinary appearance, like having a stroke.  Just like Buddha Shakyamuni in reality he is enlightened,  but he manifests ordinary appearance, like having a headache and back pain.

So when students engage in practices like Medicine Buddha and so forth for Lama Zopa Rinpoche to have a healthy and long life, students can do the practice while maintaining the view that the lama is Buddha, but  dedicate the practice in order to pacify the ordinary appearance of having a stroke.”

Ven Roger Kunsang also commented:

 “Your karmic projection is ill, the dharmakaya isn’t ill!
And we share a similar karmic projection. “

The Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive’s April newsletter also includes some very helpful and relevant advice on this topic.

love Claire

Dear Friends,

This morning was an early start for Rinpoche. The physiotherapist came to his room at 9 a.m. sharp and began Rinpoche’s training, helping him to understand how he can get out of bed by himself and into a wheel chair with the minimum amount of help.

Then the two therapists and I (with Rinpoche in the wheelchair) went to the gym. Sangpo and I had dressed Rinpoche in his swimming shorts and singlet. (This is the first time ever Rinpoche has gone to the gym, in gym style clothes.)

Rinpoche spent about one hour in the gym and the therapists were quite surprised by how eager and fast he was in learning to reuse his right leg again. The therapists are mainly concentrating on the right leg moving (the right arm has no movement at all, but that will come later). In the gym session Rinpoche was mainly learning how to help himself get onto the wheel chair and off and back on to the bed, and some simple walking movements.

Rinpoche still is not able to walk unaided but the process has started. At the end of the session the doctor and the two therapists were quite pleased with Rinpoche’s first session in the gym and his progress. Tomorrow they want to Rinpoche to go in the hydro pool to start exercises there. Later today Rinpoche will have a session with the speech therapist and the occupational therapist.

Both the therapists were surprised by how much Rinpoche was laughing and joking through the session. Rinpoche commented to the therapists that he thinks his progress is partly due to the 3,000 monks in Sera Je doing prayers.

Love

roger

Dear Friends,

Today was the first day we could have access to key medical staff due to the Easter holidays.

The doctors have said no visitors for sometime as Rinpoche is exhausted and with the physio it is going to be very tiring for him.

Here in the private hospital now we have 2 doctors looking after Rinpoche and a good team of physiotherapists. Plus great support  from the retreaters doing lots of prayers and pujas; Atisha Center and Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery are always helping out.

The doctors  say Rinpoche has a good  chance of  recovering with intensive therapy over the next several months … maybe not fully recover … that is still too hard to say, but they are  feeling quite positive after today’s tests.

In the next  2 weeks the doctors say they will have a better idea of the longer term outlook. The doctors do want Rinpoche to stay in the rehabilitation ward of the hospital for the next 2 weeks. Their biggest concern apart from the therapy is controlling the sugar levels and blood pressure … if this doesn’t happen  they are very concerned Rinpoche will have another  stroke and this could be far more  serious … although they say this was a serious one.

Khadro-la in Dharamsala is very eager to come to Australia to help  Rinpoche using her own unique methods … we are trying hard to get her here as soon as possible. Khadro-la has been on the phone every day giving advice and organizing pujas for Rinpoche.

All of Rinpoche’s Gurus, many High Lamas and so many students have been doing prayers and pujas … This is deeply, deeply appreciated, THANK YOU.

Rinpoche seems in very good spirits, laughing and joking a lot and entertaining the staff with short little comments on Dharma  (that need to be translated), but tiring easily.

roger

Practices Requested on April 24 2013

The full list of pujas and practices to do and which are being done:

1. Animal Liberation – do as much as possible, either yourselves or by donating online to Amitabha Buddhist Center, who does substantial animal liberations every two weeks. Text available here and in Essential Buddhist Prayers, vol 2.
2. Tendil Nyersel prayer flags should be hung in all FPMT centers, projects and services.  How to order.
3. Recite Hayagriva mantras as much as possible.
4. Offer long life puja(s) to Rinpoche through the 5 Dakinis. FPMT will request Khadro-la to offer a long life puja to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Also when Rinpoche visits FPMT centers during the year, good to offer a long life puja with the 5 dakinis.

Practices being done at monasteries (can be done personally too):

5. Read the longest version of the Golden Light sutra x 67
6. Recite 100,000 praises to Tara within Tara pujas
7. Dor.de Kelsang x 67
8. Dukchuma as much as possible
9. Dukka x 1000
10. Mamo Trukung x 2
11. Gyal sod Tsen sod

 April 25 2011

Dear Friends,

Lama Zopa Rinpoche entered hospital on Saturday 23rd April, now is the second day under observation. Yesterdays cat scan showed no bleeding or clot in the brain. There will be another scan to confirm that. Possibly Rinpoche will be able to leave the hospital tomorrow if doctors say ok.

Rinpoche’s right arm and leg have lost some use, speech is slurred making it difficult to understand him, but this part got a little better today.

Doctors say Rinpoche will need intensive therapy for His right side and speech … Hopefully to regain all or most use back. This can take several months but difficult to say.

Rinpoche’s tour in Australia and Indonesia as well as his return to Nepal will have to be cancelled.

Practice Requested Dec 7 2011:

Recite the Golden Light Sutra (see posting above for more details)

This is the advice for practices that can be done, as advised by Khadro la and Choden Rinpoche:

1. Medicine Buddha puja … with extensive offerings.

2. 4 Mandala offering to Tara … as many as possible.

3. Most Secret Hayagriva mantra with supplication as much as possible:

Chinese
Portuguese

4. White Tara mantra with Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s name

Chinese
Portuguese

With deep gratitude for all your support,

roger

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is in hospital in Australia receiving treatment for a stroke.

All FPMT centers, projects, services and study groups are requested to offer Medicine Buddha puja with strong prayers for Rinpoche’s health and long life.

All students are requested to do Medicine Buddha practice, and to recite the mantras of long life deities such as White Tara and Amitayus, with strong prayers for Rinpoche’s health and long life.

Rinpoche’s Schedule: Rinpoche’s remaining teachings in Australia, and the program in Indonesia have been cancelled.

Dear Friends,

fpmt.org has now been set up with a page which will house all official updates regarding Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health. Please subscribe to the RSS feed of this page so you don’t miss any news.

https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/rinpoches-health-updates-and-practices.html

http://feeds.feedburner.com/RinpochesHealth-UpdatesAndPractices

With love,

Your Friends at Mandala

Previous Updates from Ven Roger Kunsang:

Dear Friends,

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has been admitted to hospital, the medical staff have confirmed that Rinpoche has had a stroke and temporally lost some of the movement of his right side and his speech is impaired.

The hospital have requested that Rinpoche stay for a few days to observe and monitor him to ensure there are no further complications.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been informed of Rinpoche’s situation and high Lamas close to Rinpoche are doing pujas as well as Kopan Monastery.

Apart from Rinpoche’s right side and speech being affected, Rinpoche seems in good humor and is doing his prayers in the hospital (altar is set up with prayer wheel, thanka and texts)

Regarding practices – at this time the main practice is Medicine Buddha puja and to recite the mantras of the Long Life Deities such as White Tara and Amitayus.

Specifically I am requesting if Centers could organize extensive Medicine Buddha pujas or Medicine Buddha practice with many offerings and to do strong prayers for Rinpoche’s health and long life at this time.

Love

roger

Dear Friends,

Yesterday I received some important advice from Khadro la that we need to do Medicine Buddha puja and recite the mantra of one of the Long Life deities such as White Tara and Amitayus for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health and long life.

Specifically I am requesting if centers could organize extensive Medicine Buddha puja or Medicine Buddha practice with many offerings and doing strong prayers for Rinpoche’s health and long life.

Thank you everyone for your understanding and help and support, it’s very important at this time.

Love

roger

Victoria, Australia — April 2, 2011

From Ven. Roger:

We are on the road in Australia, 45 minutes from arriving at Atisha Centre. When we arrive we will go straight to the gompa which is the first floor of the Great Stupa! Those already there say the space is big and already has a powerful vibe. This morning we spent time in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, Rinpoche’s second visit in three days! This is unusual as Rinpoche hardly ever does the “tourist thing.” Rinpoche said in all his world travels he has never seen anything like it and it is a great place for practice! It is an AMAZING place. The design and layout is really something. So we spent most of the time in the cactus area. So many there! Rinpoche explains the meditation: The designs of the flower petals, the patterns in the plants, etc., this all comes from the mind, based on karma, intention. Rinpoche kept repeating to be mindful how everything comes from the mind. Then we sat on the lawn, visualized a pure land, offered it to the merit field and dedicated extensively. Now we’re still driving in the bush, Rinpoche is doing prayers out loud. Galahs on the road, a kangaroo racing through the fields…it is near sunset.

Aptos, California, USA — March 16, 2011

From Ven. Roger:

It’s Wednesday March 16. Yesterday was the Tibetan 10th, so a tsog day. Rinpoche did Vajrayogini self-initiation at Land of Medicine Buddha in California. The self-initiation started at about 4 in the afternoon. Lama Chöpa was meant to start at 7 p.m., but the self-initiation went on much longer, so Rinpoche gave a break and then we did the Lama Chöpa, and after that, continued the self-initiation. Somewhere in the middle of this, Rinpoche sent a message to some of the Sangha in Rinpoche’s house telling them not to come to the puja as there will be many worms on the road, so better to stay at the house and do the puja there.

Rinpoche finished self-initiation at about 4:30 a.m. and then was not sure whether to drive back to his house (because of killing the many worms that come out on the road due to a lot of rain we have been having). Rinpoche did drive back and stopped the car at the foot of our road (this is now 5 a.m.) and then Rinpoche and Sangha got out of the car and started carefully and delicately removing the worms, placing them in a bucket to be blessed with mantras, circumambulated around relics and then put carefully back in the garden.

We arrived back in California during the rainy season (end of February) and for several days Rinpoche refused to leave the house because of the worms on the road – we were house bound.

Last weekend, Rinpoche gave the lung (oral transmission) of the Golden Light Sutra. In the morning on the Sunday before the lung, we started the extensive Medicine Buddha puja. There was no time to finish the puja, so we stopped, left Land of Medicine Buddha, drove to San Jose where Rinpoche gave the lung, finishing around 10:30 p.m., and then came back to Land of Medicine Buddha to finish the puja. We finished about 3:30 a.m. and then we drove home but had to get out of the car in the dark and rain with torches and clear away the worms  by gently picking them up to be blessed. As usual, we would pick up the worms while Rinpoche held the buckets and recited prayers. This finished around 6 a.m.

Then the other day it was difficult for Rinpoche to drive to the periodontist: Rinpoche and Tsering walked in front of the car, clearing away the worms as I drove very slowly behind.

When you give it thought, it is very hard to drive over the worms squashing them to death.

Rinpoche mentioned even though we don’t have the intention to kill the worms, they are killed and there is some karmic result, just as in the example of Nagarjuna accidentally cutting the head off an ant and having to experience the result later. So Rinpoche is making 10 stupas (about 10 inches [25 cm] high) for the worms accidentally killed.