Afleveringen
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The teachings of the Buddha provide a universal and fundamental path for liberation from suffering, which encompasses engaging in wholesome actions while refraining from unwholesome ones, subduing the mind, and following the Four Noble Truths.
While these teachings might seem peculiar to those unfamiliar, they are universal truths. Understanding karma reveals that positive actions and virtuous thoughts lead to happiness, while negative actions and thoughts result in suffering. Just as doctors diagnose sickness and its origins, the Dharma identifies the causes of suffering and its remedy, making it universal.
Transforming the mind through wisdom and detachment leads to the cessation of suffering. This transformation involves perceiving the ultimate nature of the self and other phenomena, culminating in the direct realization of emptiness. Lama Zopa Rinpoche asks us to contemplate the impermanent nature of all causative phenomena, including one's life, possessions, surroundings, and sensory enjoyments and how they can cease at any moment.
The negative imprint of past ignorance projects a truly existent appearance onto phenomena, creating the illusion that they inherently exist. The root cause of suffering is our tendency to grasp onto this false appearance and believe it to be true. This mistaken belief has been a source of suffering throughout countless lifetimes. By understanding the illusory nature of phenomena and breaking free from this misconception, one can attain liberation and lasting peace.
By meditating on emptiness and recognizing the illusory nature of the truly existent appearances projected by ignorance, we can begin to understand the emptiness of all phenomena. Even the knowing mind itself is empty, not truly existent. By understanding that all aspects of our practice and experience are empty of inherent existence, we begin to dissolve the grasping and misconceptions that perpetuate suffering.
Meditation on emptiness can serve as a powerful antidote to overwhelming desires. By viewing phenomena as illusory and impermanent, we can weaken the grip of desire and prevent it from taking hold. Just as a powerful bomb can destroy its target completely, the contemplation of emptiness can dismantle desire's hold over the mind.
Samsara and liberation, happiness and suffering, are all created by the mind's conceptualization. Every action, thought, and intention has consequences, and the mind is the ultimate creator of one's experiences. By practicing mindfulness, using the teachings to subdue delusions, and applying them to everyday life, we can transform our minds, create positive karmic imprints, and pave the way towards liberation and enlightenment.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18-May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche discusses the importance of helping young people and the concept of universal education as a means to achieve this goal. He expresses a sense of urgency for universal education, as he believes there is a need for a method that can bring peace to individuals and the world, regardless of their religious background.
Rinpoche envisions an organization that focuses on youth and promotes universal education, aiming to cultivate good hearts and inspire young individuals to become compassionate and peace-loving beings who positively impact the world. By fostering compassion, wisdom, and good conduct, individuals can bring peace not only to themselves and their families but also to their countries, the world, and all sentient beings.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche illustrates the power of generating compassion towards a single sentient being by sharing the story of Getsul Tsembulwa, a disciple of the great yogi Nakpo Chöpawa, encountering a woman with leprosy who needed help crossing a river. This story shows how compassion towards even one sentient being can lead to enlightenment. The stronger the compassion, the quicker the path to enlightenment becomes. By giving up one's life and sacrificing for the welfare of another, heavy negative karma is purified, allowing one to see the true nature of the deity. Generating compassion towards one sentient being can make that being the most kind and precious person in one's life.
Generating compassion leads to bodhichitta, which is the root of the Mahayana path of enlightenment. By cultivating compassion, one can achieve all the realizations of the path, traverse the five paths and ten bhumis, and attain tantric realizations that expedite the path to enlightenment. Through these realizations, one gains the infinite qualities of a Buddha's holy body, speech, and mind, which are unimaginable and limitless. Even making a small offering, such as a rice grain or a flower, to Buddha or a representation of Buddha, brings inconceivable benefits. The ultimate result of such an offering is full enlightenment. Once enlightened, one can liberate countless sentient beings from samsaric suffering and bring them to enlightenment, thus continuously benefiting others.
It is important to practice holy Dharma throughout life, as death is certain and only holy Dharma can guide one at that crucial moment. Rinpoche advises keeping the mind in the lam-rim, the stages of the path to enlightenment, and engaging in virtuous actions aligned with the teachings. By doing so, every aspect of life becomes meaningful and contributes to one's progress towards liberation and enlightenment.
At the end of Lama Zopa Rinpoche's talk, he delves into meditation on emptiness. Realizing the emptiness of the self, the ultimate nature of the "I," is crucial. One should perceive the self as completely nonexistent, without even the slightest atom of inherent existence. This realization strikes at the root of samsara, ignorance.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18-May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche pays homage to Chenrezig (The Compassion Buddha) and Gelongma Palmo, a fully ordained nun who embodied the qualities of the three-time buddhas and had a deep understanding of the past, present, and future.
In a blissful realm, a unique lotus was discovered, and the holy child, Chenrezig, was found inside. Chenrezig made a vow to lead all beings to enlightenment and emitted beams from his holy body, liberating beings in the six realms. However, feeling overwhelmed by the suffering of sentient beings, Chenrezig's commitment wavered, causing his holy body to crack. Amitabha Buddha descended, blessed the pieces, and transformed them into eleven faces.
Gelongma Palmo, the daughter of the king of Orgyen, renounced worldly life and became a fully ordained nun. She excelled in the five knowledges and strictly upheld her precepts. Due to past karma, she developed leprosy. In a dream, she was advised to practice Chenrezig, which reduced her pain. However, she eventually grew bored until, in another dream, Manjushri advised her to practice Chenrezig and gave her a pill symbolizing attainment.
After taking the pill, Gelongma Palmo's infections disappeared, and her sickness gradually healed. By reciting the short and long mantra of the Compassion Buddha and performing nyung-nÀ, she completely healed her sicknesses within a year. Through her loving-kindness and compassion, she gained control over the ten guardians and eight nagas, who became Dharma protectors.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche shares stories of the extraordinary effects of reciting OM MANI PADME HUM, such as the purification of negative karma and the generation of blessings for oneself and others. He also shares stories about the lineage lamas of the Chenrezig practice.
There is a special connection between the Compassion Buddha and the Tibetan people. Historically, Chenrezig has been a special deity for Tibet. Nowadays, Western people also have a close connection with Chenrezig as many of them receive teachings and guidance from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is considered an incarnation of Chenrezig.
Reciting mantras like the Eleven-Face mantra and OM MANI PADME HUM, even once, can purify heavy negative karma, and regular recitation can have immense benefits, including purification and the generation of blessings that can extend to future generations. Reciting the mantra while swimming in water can purify the negative karma of the animals living in the water.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18 to May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche discusses a meditation practice focused on the sound of rain, suggesting two meditations: one on the conventional truth of the rain and the other on the emptiness of the rain. The meditation involves analyzing how the sound of rain appears to one's mind, questioning whether the sound is merely labelled by the mind or if it appears to exist independently from its own side. The correct view, according to the Prasangika school, is that the sound is merely imputed by the mind on the base of the sense of the ear.
Meditate on the sound's hallucinatory nature and its emptiness, recognizing that the sound is not inherently existent and is merely imputed by the mind. The goal is to differentiate between the hallucinatory appearance of the sound and its ultimate nature, emptiness. Meditation on emptiness helps break the root of samsara, but it is crucial to start the practice with bodhichitta motivation to make one's life most beneficial for sentient beings.
We can meditate intensively on the emptiness and ultimate nature of the sound, using the example of a dream where sounds are believed to be true but are actually empty and non-existent. By understanding the false nature of dream sounds, one can recognize the projection of inherent existence on the sound perceived in waking life.
Rinpoche talks about the importance of mindfulness and awareness in daily life, using the lam-rim (graduated path) as an antidote to delusions and a means to practice awareness. Sound can be used as an object of meditation to cultivate wisdom and bodhichitta, leading to liberation and enlightenment for oneself and all sentient beings.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18 to May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how to think well about why we are doing this retreat; about how to make the retreat most beneficial. Many of us received the permission to practice the four Kadampa deities from HIs Holiness the Dalai Lama, and so doing this retreat well with lam-rim meditation, trying to develop our minds in the path to enlightenment, is to repay His Holinessâs kindness. Rinpoche also dedicates the retreat that the political leaders in mainland China come to recognize that His Holiness is the Buddha of Compassion and give Tibet back to the Tibetan people, for peace throughout the world, for the quick success of the Maitreya project, for the flourishing of all the FPMT centers and projects, and for all sentient beings to achieve enlightenment. Rinpoche explains this is how we should think in every session.
Rinpoche then explains that in order to be qualified to receive the permission to practice the four Kadampa deities, we need to receive a great initiation. Then we can generate ourselves as a deity and visualize the mandala, which are fundamental tantric practices that are causes to swiftly achieve enlightenment.
Rinpoche guides us in developing a strong motivation of bodhicitta. By recalling the preciousness of this human rebirth, how rare it is, how difficult it is to create its causes, and how valuable it is in benefiting not only ourselves but all sentient beings from whose kindness we receive every past, present and future happiness. We must bring every single sentient being to enlightenment as quickly as possible, and what makes it possible to achieve enlightenment quickly is by practicing tantra. This should be our motivation for receiving the Chenresig initiation. And then the main purpose of reciting the mantra Om Mani Padme Hung is to develop compassion.
Rinpoche shares several stories illustrating the results of killing and stealing. The presence of insects and animals eating crops is a result of negative karma related to stealing. By killing them, one may temporarily eliminate the current individuals causing damage, but the underlying karmic cause remains, leading to new beings appearing and continuing the cycle. Therefore, the problem persists unless the negative karma is purified.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18 to May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/
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Without Lamrim, life is seen as problematic, creating suffering and lacking real happiness. Lamrim practice is more crucial than material wealth, as inner peace and happiness stem from the mind's development. All forms of happiness, whether mundane or supramundane, ultimately originate from Dharma. Having a strong mind, imbued with compassion, wisdom, and an understanding of Dharma, helps diminish the impact of life's difficulties and we can effectively cope with challenges, experiencing more happiness and peace.
Universal responsibility is the key to cultivating compassion, preventing harm to others, and bringing peace and happiness. Thereâs incredible, great urgency, without delaying even a second, thereâs the need to change our own mind, to develop the mind, the good heart. From waking up to going to sleep, we should approach every action with the intention of serving sentient beings, promoting their happiness, and living a meaningful life rather than the unhealthy mindset of self-cherishing. Happiness arises when one thinks of others rather than focusing solely on oneself. Whenever we cherish the I, the minute we cherish the I, the nature of that thought is not a happy mind, itâs not a relaxed mind. Changing this attitude leads to a sense of freedom and relaxation in the mind.
Scientific evidence has shown a connection between a disturbed mind and physical health issues, individuals with impatience and a bad temper are more prone to heart attacks. There is a correlation between a self-centred mindset and the ease of experiencing anger and negative emotions.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18 to May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/
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On April 8, 2023, five days before showing the aspect of passing away, Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered a White Tara oral transmission and visualization at Kopan Monastery to Glen H. Mullin and a group of his students.
This was one of Rinpocheâs last recorded teachings in this life and offers timeless advice on benefiting and cherishing others.
Rinpoche begins the White Tara oral transmission at 36:27 of the video
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered teachings and advice to a group of Vajrasattva retreaters at Kopan Monastery on April 7, 8, and 9, 2023. In his final teaching from this series, Rinpoche discussed how to develop one's mind in Dharma, the necessity of practising the lamrim and concludes by offering the oral transmission of The Essential Nectar. This was one of the last teaching events Rinpoche offered before showing the aspect of passing away on April 13, 2023.
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered teachings and advice to a group of Vajrasattva retreaters at Kopan Monastery on April 7, 8, and 9, 2023. In his second teaching from this series, on April 8, Rinpoche discussed the benefits of purification practice, the necessity of pleasing and receiving the blessings of the guru, the importance of meditating on death and impermanence, and continues offering the oral transmission of The Essential Nectar. This was one of the last teaching events Rinpoche offered before showing the aspect of passing away on April 13, 2023.
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered teachings and advice to a group of Vajrasattva retreaters at Kopan Monastery on April 7, 8, and 9, 2023. In his first teaching from this series, Rinpoche overviewed some of the many benefits of purification practice and began offering the lung of The Essential Nectar. This was one of the last teaching events Rinpoche offered before showing the aspect of passing away on April 13, 2023.
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A long life puja was offered by the entire FPMT organization to Lama Zopa Rinpoche on December 21, 2022 at Kopan Monastery during the fifty-third Kopan lamrim meditation course. This puja was offered in accordance with the advice of Khandro Kunga Bhuma (Khandro-la), and is part of a collection of practices offered for Rinpocheâs health and the well-being of the entire FPMT organization.
During this puja, Rinpoche spoke about the meaning and benefits of the long life puja and how to visualize all the offerings to make it most beneficial.
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche began a refuge ceremony on December 25, 2022 from the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery by explaining the importance of relying on Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. By protecting our karma we are able to be free from samsara.
Before the refuge ceremony begins (at 13:33), Rinpoche explained the Lesser Vehicle refuge and also Mahayana refuge and shared the motivation for taking refuge.
While guiding those in attendance in prostrations, Rinpoche discussed the significance of holding oneâs hands in the mudra of prostration at the crown of the head, throat, and heart, explaining that this purifies the negative karmas collected with body, speech, and mind from beginningless rebirths and creates the cause to achieve Buddhaâs holy body, speech, and mind. Rinpoche also discussed what to visualize when doing prostrations and the benefits of this practice.
Rinpoche then offered refuge and lay vows.
Please note, the video recording stops just before Rinpoche begins a jenang ritual of Vajrasattva.
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Put all of your effort into realizing dependent arising, Lama Zopa Rinpoche urges in his December 25, 2022 teaching from the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal. It is childish to believe that things exist from their own side, Rinpoche explains, so donât cling to hallucinated appearances.
Whatever you are doing, meditate on how the I came into existence. Why? Because all problems come from believing that the I exists from its own side. The more you meditate, the more you realize that what exists from its own side does not exist at all.
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered the complete oral transmission (lung) of The Essential Nectar of Holy Doctrine, also known as the Essence of Nectar, one of the eighteen great lamrim texts by Yeshe Tsondro. It was given over two teachings from the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery on December 22 and 23, 2022.
This recording is the second teaching from December 23.
This is one of the most important texts for anyone sincerely studying the lamrim or who receives lamrim preliminaries from Rinpoche. All are welcome to take this oral transmission from the videos and receive it. As Rinpoche has explained, even if you donât understand the words at all, even hearing the sound of Buddhaâs teachings becomes a great purification and collection of merit. It is very important not to distract your mind or let it wander.
Anyone with interest may receive this very previous oral transmission from Rinpoche by listening to the two videos as Rinpoche has instructed.
Rinpoche begins offering the oral transmission at 1:33:02.
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered the complete oral transmission (lung) of The Essential Nectar of Holy Doctrine, also known as the Essence of Nectar, one of the eighteen great lamrim texts by Yeshe Tsondro. It was given over two teachings from the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery on December 22 and 23, 2022.
This recording is the first teaching from December 22.
This is one of the most important texts for anyone sincerely studying the lamrim or who receives lamrim preliminaries from Rinpoche. All are welcome to take this oral transmission from the videos and receive it. As Rinpoche has explained, even if you donât understand the words at all, even hearing the sound of Buddhaâs teachings becomes a great purification and collection of merit. It is very important not to distract your mind or let it wander.
Anyone with interest may receive this very previous oral transmission from Rinpoche by listening to the two videos as Rinpoche has instructed.
Rinpoche begins offering the oral transmission at 1:31:40.
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In this world, there are so many ways to help others, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains in this teaching given on December 20, 2022 from the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal. With a bodhicitta motivation, we receive more than skies of merit, and then we can benefit so many sentient beings.
First, we need to equalize ourselves with others, we must cherish others like we cherish ourselves. Secondly, we exchange ourselves with others. Rather than working for ourselves alone which is just one person, we can work for othersâeat for others, sleep for others, help for others, be healthy so we can help others, do business for others, shopping and daily lifeâeverything we can do for others.
It is most important to help others. Even a small service like offering your seat to someone who needs it, offering any small benefit to help someone else, this is so important. This is so important. It is great pleasure to serve others, to take care of others. Serving others is what makes life meaningful. This is how to develop bodhicittaâfrom each service you offer to someone else, you achieve enlightenment.
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On the occasion of Lama Tsongkhapa Day, December 18, 2022, Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered a teaching at the fifty-third Kopan November Course about the very special qualities of Lama Tsongkhapa's teachings.
One of the qualities is how Lama Tsongkhapa clearly explained the lamrim. This makes it possible for us to not make mistakes on the path to enlightenment.
Rinpoche explains that Lama Tsongkhapa received teachings directly from Manjushri, like a guru and disciple in the same room. The essence of what Manjushri taught Lama Tsongkhapa are the three principal aspects of the path to enlightenment.
Another special quality of Lama Tsongkhapaâs teachings is his clarification of the Prasangika-Madhyamaka view of emptiness. These teachings were so clear and extensive, âthe finest,â Rinpoche explains.
This view is very importantâto believe that things truly exist from their own side, or to believe that nothing exists at allâboth of these wrong beliefs prevent us from abandoning the root of samsara, the ignorance holding the I as truly existent.
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We bear unbelievable hardships for this body that we cherish more than anything. We keep it clean, spend lots of money on clothes and food for it, spend time exercising, doing hard work for money, and so much worry and fears taking care of the body. This is the same for billionaires and poor people, there is so much discontentment and dissatisfaction, we try to get everything we can from the world, we try to find happiness but we experience continual physical and mental problems, relationship, and business problems. In spite of all these hardships we bear for the body, one day we will die, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains in this teaching given on December 17 from Kopan Monastery during the fifty-third lamrim meditation course. All of these efforts and hardships we undertake for our body, if done with attachment to this life, becomes negative karma. It is so difficult to think of future lives, we canât bear it. We donât think of impermanence-death in everyday life. Every day we think we are going to live many years. Even on the same morning that we die, we may think this. We cheat ourselves bearing hardships for this body, which we only have for this one life.
Rather than using this body to obtain things that have no meaning, we can use it and bear all hardships to practice Dharma, for the happiness of future lives. If we postpone our Dharma practice, we have no way of knowing how long we are going to live. Some people think they will practice Dharma only when they are old. But thereâs no guarantee we will ever become old.
Rinpoche explains the benefits of receiving lungs (oral transmissions) and the motivation for receiving them. Rinpoche then offers those in attendance the oral transmissions of âCalling the Guru from Afar,â and the Dorje Khadro fire puja (at 1:30:52 in the video).
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Any action stained by the eight worldly dharmas becomes nonvirtue, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains in his teaching given on December 16 at Kopan Monastery during the fifty-third lamrim meditation course. Even spending oneâs whole life in retreat in a cave in the Himalayan mountains or in Africa somewhere; even if you teach Dharma your whole life, if you do these things with attachment to the happiness and comfort of this life, it becomes negative. To practice Dharma means to renounce the eight worldly dharmas.
We can look at problems as positive, as hallucinations like in a dream. When problems are appearing, instead of believing that appearance is real, which causes so much suffering and torture from believing that it is real, analyze how whatever appears is a hallucination. This is the answer to anger, attachment, pride, it helps with everything. It is like an atomic bomb over delusion, it is the bodhisattva practice.
If we think about how the I exits, as a dependent arising, you destroy the delusions. We can be the best psychologist, teacher, doctor, and police â this provides a solution to every problem, when we donât cling to hallucinated appearances but see them as empty. Ignorance fabricates a truly existent I and cheats us. This is an important mindfulness practice, to look at the hallucination as a hallucination. The I is merely imputed by the mind, action is merely imputed by the mind, the object is merely imputed by the mind, so everything is merely imputed by the mind â thatâs what we must think to eliminate problems.
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Harming those who harm us is very ignorant, Lama Zopa Rinpoche warns us in his December 15 teaching from the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery. Fighting back when someone harms us is the behavior of an animal. We create mountains of negative karma when we fight back due to harming others. The result of this is endless samsaric suffering, it goes on and on and on.
Conversely, if we practice patience and compassion and donât harm others, the result is benefitâwe receive so much support and happiness from others, and this goes on and on. What animals and insects do, and humans who harm those who harm them, this is great ignorance and results in unbelievable suffering.
Rinpoche discusses the various ways we can benefit animals and insects including bringing them around holy objects and blessing their food and water. Rinpoche also shared stories of insects who created extensive merit in relation to holy objects.
In Buddhism, the right view is dependent arising, and the right conduct is not to harm. Everything comes from the mind, we have to meditate on this. Every problem we experience was created by our mind, thereâs no one to blame, we have to change our mind to make it happy and in the nature of virtue and health. If the mind is dirty, everything appears as a problem. The negative can appear positive by transforming the mind. We can experience anything negative that happens to us for sentient beings, taking it on for all sentient beings. We can experience it and offer it for all beings to be free from samsara and achieve enlightenment. The more we understand the kindness of sentient beings and how they are so precious, the more we can experience suffering for them.
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