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Lama Zopa Rinpoche News and Advice
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.
In the prayers before teachings, it is important to always include the powerful prayer to dispel obstacles for the center, which comes at the end of the Heart Sutra. The prayer is called “Extensive Dispelling of Hindrances (according to the Heart Sutra)”. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche recited this very short prayer, which is very good to recite at the end of the Heart Sutra. Also, when a great lama comes, this prayer should be recited to dispel all harm for the centers, the lama, and everybody there. If the lama recites it, that is so good for the center, such a rare opportunity. The prayers before and after the teachings shouldn’t be changed around, but this prayer should be added and printed it in the booklet that is given out to everybody.
Regarding Lama Chopa, it seems sometimes centers don’t want to do all the additions, so these are the essential things that are really, really good to do, and what I am recommending as a MINIMUM:*
- Recite the “Strengthening the Bodhisattva and Tantric Vows” (after verse 37)
- Definitely need to do the “Special Request for the Three Great Purposes” as part of the mandala offering, most especially the line about requesting to pacify all outer and inner obstacles. Almost everyone has obstacles to practice Dharma, outer and inner obstacles, so this prayer of the three great purposes pacifies outer and inner obstacles. This is regarded as very important.
- Then it is good to do “Nine-Line Migtsema” recitation and here you have to do the visualization for purification as part of the requests: “Due to having made these requests, five-colored nectar along with beams of light flow forth from the holy bodies of the guru and the host of deities, entering my body and mind and those of all sentient beings…” In Kopan, they always include this when doing Lama Chöpa.
- Recite the Nine Attitudes of Guru Devotion. This is very important always to do because so many people work in the center so this is to remind them, so they can rejoice, feel happy, that it is a great thing. Also, if they are having problems, having negative thoughts towards the guru, then this is like an atomic bomb for that; reciting, thinking about, and meditating on the Nine Attitudes of Guru Devotion can immediately pacify that.
- Chant the tonglen verse (verse 95). This is so people can meditate on the meaning; it gives the chance to meditate.
It would be extremely good to always include as a minimum these five practices each time you do Lama Chopa at the centers. Especially when so many people come to the center, so then, they learn how to do Lama Chopa by the way; it is so good. It’s like food, having many different salads to choose from.
With much love and prayers,
Lama Zopa
*These practices are marked in the Lama Chopa text itself along with other optional practices highly recommended by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Learn more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), and Rinpoche’s vision for a better world. Sign up to receive news and updates.
Bangalore, India — February 2, 2011
From Ven. Roger:
Rinpoche jumped up from his chair suddenly and ran to the center of the restaurant, went on to his knees and quickly tried to protect the cockroach from the waiter about to severely damage it with his foot! The cockroach got away and we were all after it. It ran under Rinpoche’s foot and Rinpoche stood still keeping it under his foot, protecting it and reciting mantras. While this was happening we explained to the six or seven waiters that we were just trying protect the cockroach and bless it.
We are in Bangalore about to go to the airport again after a day with the Indian bureaucracy. It is a long complicated process dealing with the foreign registration office but we had lots of help and at the end Rinpoche was asked if he would go behind the counter and bless all the staff. Rinpoche happily accepted and blessed the staff one by one. That takes time!
Now we are about to leave (or should leave) but Rinpoche met one of the hotel people and is now explaining the story of Atisha. I guess we had better sit down and relax…This will take time.
India — January 31, 2011
From Ven. Roger Kunsang:
It’s time to leave for the airport. Everything is ready and we are on
time. Suddenly, someone turns up sick, they need a puja done … Rinpoche
says he will do it now! Now we are all waiting. Of course, it’s important the
puja is done, it’s just that something always happens at these times when you
need to be somewhere on time.
* 15 minutes later *
Puja is still going on! In these situations Rinpoche seems to have no
concern about the time. He even carefully explains to the person what the
puja is about and what to think. What to do? It’s getting late ….
* half an hour later *
Still at hotel. (It was one of the hotel staff that was sick and is having
the puja done.) We’re trying to leave, but another from the hotel staff wants Rinpoche to
write something so he can frame it in his house as a blessing. Rinpoche
writes something about bodhichitta. It’s getting late, so I think I will have
to rush ahead with the luggage and check in and hope Rinpoche can come soon
after ….
* four hours later *
So we finally get to the airport and still people are asking for things to be
signed. Rinpoche is taking time and care to not only sign, but write
something meaningful. We check in OK. We get to immigration and they say
that because we didn’t register at the Foreign Registration Office on entering
India we cannot fly today!
We entered India within 2 months after departing India, and got permission to
do so, but didn’t realize we had to register at each city we visited, even if
we visited only for one day!
So we can’t fly and have to register tomorrow. Then we should be OK to fly
tomorrow night. Now it is time to relax and have a cup of tea and a nice
samosa! Rinpoche loves a good samosa and this is a really good one!
Varanasi, India — January 22, 2011
From Ven. Roger Kunsang:
6,000 nuns and monks attended His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings and each day the number seemed to increase. Of course there were many, many lay people as well. After His Holiness taught there was a three day conference on the Vinaya attended by a delegation of monks from Burma, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Taiwan and Tibet. In the opening speech His Holiness mentioned how this was the first time to have all traditions of Buddhism together for discussion! His Holiness said for the past 30 years he has been having dialogue with different religions but this was the first time to have all the Buddhist traditions together. A very historic occasion!
The meetings went very well and we hope to soon have video and audio of the discussions. Many areas concerning the vows (the Bhiksuni ordination, etc.) were discussed.
Rinpoche was keen to make the audio and video available to FPMT sangha.
During the teachings, Rinpoche invited the incarnation of Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche and family to dinner (the incarnation is about 17 years old now). There was Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche’s daughter, Chime Wangmo; her daughter Tara, who left school to concentrate on practice; and Chime Wangmo’s son, Rabjam Rinpoche, who himself is the incarnation of Dilgo Khentse ‘s guru. It was a very nice dinner…not due to the food, but the company.
During this time Rinpoche did mos [observations] for Lama Lhundrup’s health and advised him to go to hospital in Singapore where he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Now Lama Lhundrup is returning to Kopan, at Rinpoche’s advice, to undergo treatment with the best Tibetan doctors. Khadro-la will also help with her own healing techniques.
Rinpoche teaches Tibetan class the alphabet
Now the teachings are over and we are staying a few days at Valentino’s school in Sarnath. The school is doing very well, Valentino has built a Tara temple and has now offered that to Kopan. About 15 of the Kopan nuns live here. The nuns do continuous recitation of the Tara mantra through the night and the children attending the school take turns to have the mantra going throughout the day. So Tara mantras and prayers are recited continuously without break 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year for as many years as possible into the future! Nice…don’t you think!?
Varanasi, India — January 12, 2011
From Ven. Roger Kunsang:
It’s the first day of His Holiness’ teachings in Sarnath. We are staying in Varanasi, so it’s a 45-minute drive if we are lucky and there is no traffic. We take the back streets due to road construction. They are narrow, busy and full of lots different activity. We come across a little puppy. Rinpoche stops the car and we all pile out to see him. The puppy is lying still on the road, looking dead. The mother is nearby in a very pitiful condition – only bones and limping, upset about her puppy. Rinpoche starts to recite mantras in the middle of the road. We try to keep the busy traffic from running us all over. Indians are very curious to what is happening. A dead dog doesn’t carry much value culturally so it’s interesting for them to see this. The mother of the puppy is frantic, howling and confused. She seems upset and, because she is also starving, drinks the blood of her puppy and then howls and then drinks and then howls.
Teachings are over and we are on the way back, it’s the end of the day. We screech to a halt and all pile out. Rinpoche wants to recite mantras for a buffalo that looks about to die. She’s on the side of the very busy narrow road. The locals say she was hit by a truck a few days back and had been left on the side of the road. She can’t move because perhaps the back legs are broken or worse. Rinpoche spends time blessing her and we give her water and then get back into the car.
Varanasi, India — January 10, 2011
From Ven. Roger Kunsang:
The flight to Varanasi was delayed which is good because we were running late. Rinpoche seemed not at all concerned about the lateness and he even gave a short teaching just prior to leaving Tushita.
We arrived in Varanasi (nice new airport). On the way to the hotel from the airport, Rinpoche sees a chicken alone, about to be killed. We stop and buy it, put it in a little bag, and away we go, Rinpoche reciting mantras.
A few miles down the road, we pass another butcher, this time with many chickens and goats. Rinpoche wants to stop immediately. There is intense discussion with Rinpoche: “If we buy many, where to put them?” Anyway, we buy three goats and one chicken and start driving again ….
Delhi, India — January 9, 2011
From Ven. Roger Kunsang:
His Holiness thanked Rinpoche and everyone in FPMT for helping the Dharma.
It’s a very cold day for Delhi, about 4 ˚C. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in Delhi for a few events including the 30th Delhi Dharma Celebration. Tushita has had the great good fortune to host His Holiness 30 times since the late 70s! Rinpoche says that offering service to His Holiness, especially in this way, “is the most extraordinary, most amazing thing! Most unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable ….”
In the morning we had a small group appointment with His Holiness. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was running late for the appointment and arrived at the hotel just behind His Holiness. His Holiness turned around to find Rinpoche behind and jokingly said, “You’re behind me, you’re supposed to be in front of me,” and then took Rinpoche by the hand and went into the small meeting room.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche refused to sit in a chair out of respect and devotion for His Holiness.
His Holiness sat on a chair and asked everyone to sit down on the chairs. Rinpoche immediately dropped to the floor with his head not far from the floor. His Holiness joked with Rinpoche but couldn’t get Rinpoche to sit on the chair.
His Holiness asked for the first question (it was about happiness) and His Holiness said that that subject would come in the afternoon talk, but started to explain a little, and then mentioned how much he appreciated Lama Yeshe and Rinpoche and how much benefit the FPMT had been in offering the Dharma. His Holiness said, “I really appreciate … I think it is something marvelous!” and also mentioned how Rinpoche, although he had done so much to benefit others and had many centers, remained a very simple, humble monk! How he was a very good example!
His Holiness spoke to a crowd of 3,000.
Later that day, we had lunch at the center and Rinpoche said he needed to write down his thank you speech. This always happens at the last minute, so Rinpoche dictated and I wrote, watching my watch as we needed to leave! Rinpoche spoke fast and kept slipping in quotes. There were five large pages of praises to His Holiness, and I only just managed to get down most of it in almost unintelligible writing – what a mess! We rushed off to the talk and arrived just in time to meet His Holiness. Rinpoche was on the stage with His Holiness and the talk started. I looked down at my notes (Rinpoche’s thank you speech) – what a mess! I had to get it ready for the end of the talk for Rinpoche to read. I asked Ven. Ailsa to help. It wasn’t easy, especially knowing it had to be all figured out soon for Rinpoche to read out in front of His Holiness and 3,000 people. Anyway, Ven. Ailsa did a great job, and I managed to get the notes to Rinpoche just prior to the end of the talk.
THANK YOU to Renuka (director of Tushita) to Ven. Ailsa and Ven. Kabir and all the Tushita staff for putting together a great event – His Holiness was very happy!
Worth a few minutes of rejoicing!