Podcasts about Kopan Monastery

On this episode, I am joined by Michel Pascal, meditation teacher and singer. Michel resided at the Kopan Monastery in the Himalayas, where he studied under the late Buddhist master Chepa Dorje Rinpoche before moving to the US. He has written 20 books and, along with the Amity Foundation, created the first meditation program designed to reintegrate “lifers” (people who have spent 15+ years incarcerated) back into society after prison. He has also performed at Carnegie Hall since 2016. We discuss overthinking, which can lead to burnout, anxiety, depression, and other mental conditions. By calming our mind, we can feel immediately better and reverse the ill effects of overthinking. Michel details why learning how to quiet and calm our minds helps us to increase our focus and achieve inner peace. He describes the importance of integrating meditation into our daily lives. We often think that meditation is something that should only be done in a peaceful surrounding, but Michel emphasizes why learning how to meditate within stressful situations is essential. Learn more about Michel at michelpascal.tv.

The great bodhisattva Khunu Lama Rinpoche, a profound scholar and yogi had extensive knowledge of Buddhist scriptures and teachings. His Holiness the Dalai Lama received extensive commentary on the Bodhicharyavatara from him. Lama Zopa Rinpoche attributes the origins of FPMT chanting practices to Khunu Lama Rinpoche.Khunu Lama Rinpoche's teachings became widely known, with people seeking blessings from him. His teachings for the monks at Kopan Monastery emphasized the need to tame their minds and the importance of lam-rim teachings in this process.All teachings in Buddhism are meant to help us actualize wisdom, and the main teaching for this purpose is the Perfection of Wisdom, which is the revelation of the truth. Buddha liberates sentient beings by revealing this truth. Bodhisattva Chenrezig requested teachings from Buddha Shakyamuni on the Perfection of Wisdom. Reciting the name of Chenrezig, his mantra, or extensively explaining, writing down, or making offerings related to Chenrezig leads sentient beings to attain enlightenment in the future.Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how our feelings and mental states are intimately tied to how we label or interpret situations and objects as positive or negative. These labels are conceptual in nature and influence our emotional responses. Even seemingly external circumstances, such as other people's behaviour, are deeply intertwined with our own interpretations and labels.When we do not remember or apply the basic philosophy of Buddhism, we may carry resentment in our hearts for a long time, causing immense pain. Such prolonged suffering is a result of our own concepts and negative interpretations. These issues are often connected to societal beliefs, cultural norms, and concepts of what is considered "good" or "bad."It is important to accept situations and understand that they are a result of karma. By recognizing that we have harmed others in the past, we can come to terms with the harm we receive in the present and develop patience and understanding.Rinpoche provides commentary on the Four Immeasurables, to cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity towards all sentient beings. He also discusses meditating on emptiness to analyze the concept of "I" and to recognize that the self is merely a mental construct, not an inherently existing entity. The "I" we grasp onto is a hallucination, and by meditating on its non-existence, we can gain insight into the emptiness of all phenomena.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/

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 Rinpoche's 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

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.

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.

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.

Published with permission of Treasure Mountain Podcast. Please visit Treasure Mountain Podcast, Treasure Mountain website and Treasure Mountain Facebook page.  Our guest today on Treasure Mountain is Ian Green, who is Chairman of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion Ltd and Founder of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace. Along with his wife Judy, he has been a Buddhist for over 40 years and a vegetarian for over 25 years. Ian's connection to Buddhism began with a visit to India in 1971. He has had the good fortune to meet many Buddhist teachers including Geshe Loden, Zasep Tulku, Lama Thubten Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Ayya Khema. In 1979 Ian completed the month long course at Kopan Monastery, in Kathmandu. Ian has continued his studies under many Buddhist masters to this day. In the 1980 Ian's father, Ed Green offered 50 acres of land to set up a Buddhist centre near Bendigo. This original 50 acres was later added to with further land from Ian's mother and himself so that the Buddhist Centre in Bendigo is now 200 acres (85 hectares). Ian was founding Director of Atisha Centre, he has served as board members of Tara Institute and Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition Inc. He is currently Chairman of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion Ltd and Founder of the Jade Buddha for Universal peace. Ian has received various awards for his international work for peace and is a recipient of the Order of Australia Medal. It is the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion that is Ian Green's Inspired Project that we are going to focus on in this episode, and as you'll find out in this interview, and what its real meaning and purpose is. --- Links from this episode: The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion Thank you for listening to the Treasure Mountain Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode please share it with you friends. If you'd like to support me to produce this type of content in future, you can support my work by offering a tip or becoming a Supporter or Member of Treasure Mountain Podcast via the Ko-fi payment applet. Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon. To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

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 Rinpoche's 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.

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 one's 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 Buddha's 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.

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 don't 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.

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 don't understand the words at all, even hearing the sound of Buddha's 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.

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 don't understand the words at all, even hearing the sound of Buddha's 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.

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 others—eat for others, sleep for others, help for others, be healthy so we can help others, do business for others, shopping and daily life—everything 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 bodhicitta—from each service you offer to someone else, you achieve enlightenment.

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 can't bear it. We don't 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 there's 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 “Calling the Guru from Afar,” and the Dorje Khadro fire puja (at 1:30:52 in the video).

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 one's 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 — this provides a solution to every problem, when we don't 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 — that's what we must think to eliminate problems.

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 don't harm others, the result is benefit—we 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, there's 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.

When problems arise in our lives—someone has harmed us or perhaps we have harmed someone, we can relate our own experiences to the meditation on how everything comes from the mind, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains in this teaching from December 14 at the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal. All happiness and suffering comes from the mind—we are the creator, everything we experience comes from our karma.When we don't accept that what we experience comes from our own mind, it is very difficult to practice patience and compassion for those who harm us, and we want to harm back. It is important to see our own examples from our own life that everything comes from the mind. Then we are able to subdue our minds, practice compassion, and help many people through our experience. It is so important, rather than believing that everything we experience is true, to think of it as a hallucination. Anger can't arise when we recognize any problem as a hallucination—it is empty, it is merely labeled, so like this we need to meditate on dependent arising. This is so important to destroy ignorance, which is the root of all delusion. This is an important daily life meditation, not only studying emptiness philosophically, we need to digest and experience it. Otherwise, if we don't meditate, we are just collecting information.

We should have bodhicitta motivation in our daily life, our work, and in everything we do, Lama Zopa Rinpoche reminds us in this teaching given on December 13, 2022 from the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal. This is the best motivation to have—to remember that you are just one and others are numberless.Then there are so many things we do to achieve temporary happiness resulting in so many hardships. We risk danger and death to achieve temporary happiness through attaining wealth, becoming famous, or pursuing hobbies such as climbing Mount Everest. Bearing hardships to achieve ultimate happiness—the ceasing of all the delusions and karma—this so much more important.Rinpoche reminds us that the FPMT organization has everything one needs to prepare for and help at the time of death, including the Liberation Cloth, which contains powerful mantras to benefit those who have passed away, including our pets and animal friends.Rinpoche discussed the “best preparation for death” which is to practice patience and stop anger. When we get angry we lose our freedom, we lose our own peace and happiness because anger destroys our good karma. Because our mind is obscured, we never know who is a bodhisattva, enlightened being, or even your own guru, so by directing anger at others we risk destroying eons of merit. Anger also postpones our realizations and causes us to be reborn in the lower realms.Rinpoche also discusses the virtues of practicing contentment and controlling desire. So much of life's problems come from desire and attachment. When we practice contentment it is a preparation for death and all future lives up to enlightenment.Practicing patience, not harming others—every time you are able to do this, you are preparing for your death in the best way possible.

Things can suddenly change in life with no warning, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains in a teaching given at the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery on December 12, 2023. We never expect that someone close to our heart could die without warning, but this happens all the time in the world. If there's a strongly grasping mind, we can easily become crazy when this happens, and it can take a long time to recover. In addition, in the West we don't know how to help the person who died. We live our lives with the expectation that ourselves and everyone in our lives will live forever.The purpose of being born human is to be more kind, to have a good heart, and to give happiness to everyone we meet. Not only human beings, but also insects—no matter how tiny they are, we must try not to harm and only benefit others as much as possible.

Even the most mundane activities of daily life provide us the opportunity to practice Dharma, Rinpoche says. While we are working, being busy, or even arguing with someone, part of the mind can recognize that what appears to be real is actually a total hallucination. Truly existent I and other people are not there but appear to be real due to our ignorance. To prevent this, we must not cling to things which appear true, we must remember that what appears real is not—like a mirage. Remembering this allows us to practice mindfulness of emptiness in all situations so we do not experience oceans of suffering in each realm without end. The teaching for this episode was recorded on December 12, 2018, at Kopan Monastery, Nepal.

#LamaZopaRinpoche began this teaching, given on December 9, 2022 from the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, reminding us that everything comes from the mind—depression, feeling suicidal, and everything we experience. When problems arise it becomes clear whether we are able to actually practice Dharma or not. If we examine our motivation in daily life, what arises is mostly anger and attachment. Virtuous thoughts are very rare. As a result, most of our actions come from negative karma and the result from them is suffering.With one single action to benefit others, we achieve two goals: happiness for others and happiness for ourselves. Before becoming buddhas and bodhisattvas, they generated the realization of bodhicitta. This realization comes from great compassion understanding the numberless sufferings of numberless sentient beings. Rinpoche stressed the importance of having loving-kindness and compassion in our lives.All of the problems in our lives come from the self-cherishing thought and not cherishing others. It is good to always think of serving others. If you live your life this way, you don't cheat others, you don't cause suffering, only happiness. Your future lives get better and better. We need to realize what samsara is and the nature of suffering. This is needed to generate compassion, bodhicitta, and to become a bodhisattva and a Buddha.Achieving happiness depends on how we use our minds. We need to change ourselves. If we don't want suffering we need to change our mind. We need to realize emptiness, actualize bodhicitta, and achieve enlightenment.

Everything comes from the mind, #LamaZopaRinpoche reminds us in this second teaching from the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery, given on December 8, 2022. Samsara, nirvana, suffering, enlightenment, all appearances we have, anything we hold as good or bad - all of this comes from the mind. Rinpoche uses the letter Z as an example. This letter appears and we hold on to that appearance. In fact, everything is like this. Nothing exists from its own side, not even an atom. Everything comes from the mind, is merely imputed by the mind, and later due to the false hallucination, appears as totally existing.Do everything for sentient beings, Rinpoche advises, with a bodhicitta motivation. We have to cultivate the thought to naturally wish to lead every sentient being we meet to enlightenment, like how a mother feels for her child who fell in a fire. Even one second of her child being in a fire is unbearable to her. This is how it should feel toward sentient beings is samsara.Rinpoche shared the following quotation from Lama Tsongkhapa's Three Principal Aspects of the Path to Enlightenment:Without the wisdom realizing ultimate reality,Even though you have generated renunciation and the mind of enlightenment,You cannot cut the root cause of circling.Therefore, attempt the method to realize dependent arising.To eliminate ignorance, we have to realize the Prasangika school's view of emptiness. The four schools happened in Buddha's time in India, but the Prasangika view - this is the one we have to realize.Rinpoche offers the oral transmission of the Heart Sutra starting at 2:14:33 in the video.

In this first teaching #LamaZopaRinpoche offered to the fifty-third lamrim meditation course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, on December 7, 2022, Rinpoche thanked everyone for coming to Nepal to learn lamrim (the gradual path to enlightenment) and get to know the mind. The purpose of this is not just to intellectually learn, but to train the mind in non-anger, non-attachment, non-ignorance. We have tried everything for our happiness - studying in the university, trying yoga, so many activities in our busy lives done with self-cherishing thought. But we didn't think to protect our minds, didn't think of developing ourselves. Lamrim introduces us to who we are. The more we know Dharma, the more we know ourselves. Otherwise, we cheat ourselves with wrong concepts and ignorance.The answer to why we have been suffering since beginningless rebirths is in the lamrim. The effect of meditating on the lamrim is peace and freedom because it leaves so many positive imprints for the mind to become closer to enlightenment. It brings the light of Dharma wisdom within oneself. This is called the gradual path to enlightenment because we can't just jump to bodhicitta without having the lower realizations, we need the foundation. However, even though we are starting at the beginning, it is important to practice with the motivation of bodhicitta.

We can generate loving-kindness by offering the numberless sentient beings in every realm our body, enjoyments, and merit. When we give all of our past, present, and future merit to the numberless sentient beings, they get whatever they want and whatever they need. This enables them to become Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya, Chenrezig, or any deity. Rinpoche explains that when we do this, we collect skies of merit and purify the negative karma we have collected since beginningless rebirths and become closer to buddhahood. Offering charity in this way is the happiest life, Rinpoche assures us. The teaching for this episode was recorded on December 07, 2019, at Kopan Monastery, Nepal.

Walking for exercise, sightseeing, or shopping, can all be used to meditate on impermanence and emptiness. Here Rinpoche offers guided meditations on how, in particular, to think about emptiness, to habituate our mind in a positive way to looking at everything that appears to be real as false. While walking, we can meditate on emptiness in three ways: By seeing the hallucination as a hallucination, by looking at everything we encounter including ourselves as merely labeled, and by looking at everything as empty. These meditations free us from the oceans of unimaginable sufferings of samsara forever in order to help all sentient beings become free from these sufferings as well. The teaching for this episode was recorded on December 13, 2018, at Kopan Monastery, Nepal.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continued his https://fpmt.org/fpmt/announcements/resources-for-coronavirus-pandemic/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche-for-coronavirus/#video-teachings (video teachings on thought transformation) from Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore in August. Here is a summary of the teaching offered on August 16, 2022: Rinpoche offers some of the history of how he began teaching courses at Kopan Monastery in Nepal and how the FPMT organization began (starting at 28:12). Real happiness comes from a good heart, Rinpoche reminds us, not come from the outside. Using the example of Milarepa, who externally had nothing but had incredible realizations and inner peace and happiness, we can see that happiness comes from the mind, not from what we have. Believing that happiness comes from outside, including how much wealth we accumulate, causes great suffering and dissatisfaction, as well as so much worry and fear. For those of us living as lay couples, Rinpoche advises that we practice the ten virtues together and Rinpoche also suggests practicing the ten Dharma conducts.

Talk #1. Lama Zopa talks with Geshe Thubten Sherab of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, Kopan Monastery, and Thubten Norbu Ling in Santa Fe, New Mexico. #WhyNirvanaMatters is a series of talks with contemporary Buddhist teachers about Nirvana, peace, and its relevance in our lives and practice of Dharma. Tibetan singing bowl interludes by Shivnee Ratna PRAJNA SPARKS follows the lunar calendar. Look for new episodes on new and full moon days. RESOURCES Prajna Sparks Episode 1 Listen Contemplate Meditate Episode 4 Nirvana Episodes 4 and 93 Meditative Inquiry Episodes 89 and 89 Q&A Listen Contemplate Meditate, by Lama Yeshe, in Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Guide https://bit.ly/3ygFsus Meditative Inquiry, by Lama Yeshe, in Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Guide https://bit.ly/3xRySck Meet Lama Yeshe & Lama Zopa, in Tricycle Magazine https://bit.ly/3xRySck FOLLOW US Join our Global Community for regular updates on Prajna Fire events with Yeshe and Zopa Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa offer individual spiritual counsel on formal Buddhist practice as well as innovative ways to integrate Buddhist perspective into your everyday life. Book Online at Prajna Fire with immediate confirmation (https://www.prajnafire.com/book-online) Hear Lama Yeshe's story on Opening Dharma Access: Listening to BIPOC Teachers https://ihr.fm/3uwqxZW And follow her guided practice of Tonglen Meditation & Sacred Creativity https://ihr.fm/3Lk9Kjy EMAIL US sparks@prajnafire.com FIND US on the Prajna Fire website (https://www.prajnafire.com/sparks) @prajnasparks on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRUzGmU7c4_TJdLhG9R8IDA/videos) Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa (www.prajnafire.com) IG: @karmayeshechodron @karmazopajigme Shivnee Ratna, Tibetan singing bowls (www.shivgauree.com) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/prajna-sparks/message

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues his video teachings on thought transformation. Here is a summary of a teaching given on June 26 from Kopan Monastery, Nepal, at the request of Telo Tulku Rinpoche, Ganden Tendar Ling FPMT Buddhist Center, Aryadeva FPMT Study Group, and the Save Tibet Foundation in Russia.  The first kindness of sentient beings is that they are the source of all past, present, and future happiness including enlightenment, Lama Zopa Rinpoche reminds us. They are from whom we receive Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and in whom we take refuge. A buddha comes from a bodhisattva. A bodhisattva comes from bodhichitta, and bodhichitta comes from great compassion. Great compassion comes from all those sentient beings whose minds are obscured and suffering including every hell being, every hungry ghost, every animal, every human being, every sura, and every asura being. Before you practice thought transformation, you have to understand that sentient beings are so precious and we must stop harming others. If we remember the kindness of sentient beings, naturally we will respect them and the mind will be less depressed. Rinpoche discusses “the second kindness,” the kindness of sentient being when they were our human mother (55:30), offering commentary on several points related to this. The “third kindness” is that our shelter, food, and clothing came from the kindness of sentient beings (1:13:47). Sentient beings are like a guru, Rinpoche explains. They are wish-granting jewels more precious than gold, diamonds, or sapphires. Cherishing even one sentient being brings us to enlightenment. In fact, the happiness of all sentient beings is in our hands.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues his video teachings on https://fpmt.org/fpmt/announcements/resources-for-coronavirus-pandemic/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche-for-coronavirus/#video-teachings (thought ) https://fpmt.org/fpmt/announcements/resources-for-coronavirus-pandemic/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche-for-coronavirus/#video-teachings (transformation). Here is a summary of a teaching given on June 25 from Kopan Monastery, Nepal, at the request of Telo Tulku Rinpoche, Ganden Tendar Ling FPMT Buddhist Center, Aryadeva FPMT Study Group, and the Save Tibet Foundation in Russia. The foundation of thought transformation is to stop harming others, Rinpoche explains. When anything undesirable happens to us, we believe it came from outside, we never relate it to our own mind. If we didn't harm others in the past, nobody could harm us in the present time. If we are harmed by people or animals, anger arises and we want to harm them back, we view them as an enemy. If we really want to stop experiencing harm, we have to learn and understand karma, we have to stop harming others. When we practice Dharma, we take care of the world. If we think in a positive way, there is peace for oneself and peace for others - we can bring peace to the world and in our family by practicing Dharma. Practicing Dharma means taking care of the mind and benefiting others. Happiness follows a good heart and suffering follows a bad heart. With a good heart, when we speak to someone or undertake any activity - it becomes virtue, the result is only happiness. This is why it is very important, in any action of body, speech, and mind in daily life, before we start, generate a good heart, a Dharma mind. Then every action becomes Dharma.

All of our failures, problems, illnesses, and suffering from beginningless rebirths come from cherishing ourselves, Rinpoche warns. If we want happiness, we must start cherishing others. If someone harms us, instead of blaming them, direct the anger toward the real enemy—self-cherishing. This way, there is no anger toward others, no external enemy for us to harm and kill, and we can put the blame where it belongs, our own mind. This is like shooting a long-range missile exactly on target, causing the enemy (the self-cherishing thought) to burst into a thousand pieces. Less anger means more happiness, more peace. Cherishing others is the root cause of happiness for ourselves and others, all the way up to enlightenment. The teaching for this episode was recorded on December 10, 2017, at Kopan Monastery, Nepal. 

Rinpoche offered this teaching to students from China and Malaysia via Zoom on June 12, 2022 from Kopan Monastery, Nepal. By taking refuge in the Dharma, we should stop harming sentient beings, Rinpoche reminds us. And more than that, we should benefit them. In fact, the real refuge practice is cherishing sentient beings. If we take care of them the most, if we cherish them the most, that is the best offering to all the Buddhas, Dharma, and Sangha. To show respect for everyone is the best practice. Sentient beings are so precious because the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha came from them. Even those who we call enemy, who get angry with us, who harm us with their body, speech, and mind. These people are unbelievably precious because Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha come from them as well. The more we realize the kindness of sentient beings, the more we will dedicate our life to them. Throughout this teaching, Rinpoche also continues to discuss what to abandon and what to practice after having taken refuge in the Sangha.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues his video teachings on thought transformation from Kopan Monastery in Nepal, offered to students from China and Malaysia via Zoom on June 13. All of the 84,000 teachings of Buddha are included in the advice to not harm sentient beings and to benefit them, Rinpoche explains. If we harm sentient beings, we can't benefit them. All of the suffering we experience ourselves, as well as the suffering we cause others to experience, is caused by our self-cherishing thought. Our worst enemy is our self-cherishing thought. From Shantideva's Bodhicharyavatara (v. 8.120): If you want to quickly guide Yourself and others, Secretly practice Exchanging yourself and others. The conclusion, Rinpoche explains, is that the solution to our problems is bodhichitta. Our main practice in life should be bodhichitta, cherishing others. Without giving up the I, we cannot abandon suffering. The less self-cherishing and the more we cultivate the good heart, the less problems we have. Rinpoche discusses the kindness of mother sentient beings, and also the kindness of those who are not your mother starting at (1:07:28) in the video. In preparation for offering the refuge ceremony, Rinpoche discusses four of the five lay vows which one can take in addition to refuge. One can take refuge alone or any/all of the following vows in addition: the vow to abandon killing (1:16:57), the vow to abandon sexual misconduct (1:19:43), the vow to abandon stealing (1:20:27), the vow to abandon lying (Rinpoche did not discuss this vow in this teaching), the vow to abandon alcohol (1:21:37). Rinpoche offers the refuge ceremony at (1:24:48).

Rinpoche offered this teaching, recorded on June 11, 2022, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal for a group of students in China and Malaysia. Numberless buddhas of the past, present, and future can see our suffering and that we need happiness, Rinpoche explains. They want to help, they want to guide us. However, from our side, if we don't rely on them by going for refuge, all of their power together cannot guard us, cannot save us, cannot keep us from the lower realms. Therefore, take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha so we don't cheat ourselves. The reason why we have been suffering in samsara from beginningless rebirths is because we haven't followed the Guru, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Rinpoche discusses what to abandon and what to practice after having taken refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/having-taken-refuge-what-to-abandon-and-what-to-practice/

This podcast is from a teaching that Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave about Buddhist refuge for the graduation ceremony of the first cohort of Human Spirit, an Israel-based Buddhist-psychoanalytic training program over Zoom. Here's a summary of Rinpoche's teaching, which was offered on June 8, 2022, from Kopan Monastery in Nepal. All happiness and suffering come from the mind, not from the outside, Rinpoche reminds us. Since we want happiness and don't want suffering, the vast subject of the mind should be of utmost importance for us to investigate. To become healthy—both physically and mentally—we practice meditation, study the Dharma, and learn about the mind in order to clean it up. A negative and unhealthy mind brings sickness and suffering in so many forms. By continuing with effort to clean up the mind, going deeper and deeper through meditation and analysis, you can completely cease delusions and karma and remove the cause of suffering. By realizing the ultimate nature of the mind—the ultimate nature of I—then we can develop wisdom and realize emptiness. This is ultimate Dharma. The real refuge is ultimate Dharma. This is like taking medicine; it ceases the cause of suffering, delusions, and karma. Since Buddha revealed the path, in the analogy of medicine, Buddha is the doctor. You take refuge in the Buddha when you take refuge in the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha. And the Sangha are those who help you actualize the absolute Dharma and understand conventional Dharma through the scriptures. So this is why we take refuge in the Sangha. Anger makes us very frightening and ugly, and causes us to want to harm others. So much negative karma of the body, speech, and mind are created when we view others as the enemy. This is why the benefits of practicing patience are unbelievable. By completing the perfection of patience, it is impossible for anger to arise. All the gross and subtle obscurations are ceased, purified. Then the mind becomes an enlightened mind. When the mind becomes enlightened, we can liberate the numberless sentient beings from suffering. This is the ultimate benefit to oneself and others, unlike anger which only harms self and others. When you practice patience, there is no enemy. In this way, the person who gives you an opportunity to practice patience is the most precious one in your life!  We invite you to go deeper into the topics presented here, plus many others, by watching Rinpoche's video and reading the full transcript of Rinpoche's teaching. Find links to the transcript and more: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/the-real-refuge-is-your-wisdom-realizing-the-ultimate-nature/

After a 3 month Buddhist Retreat, Moun shares her experiences of diving deep into inner stillness. She shares what a daily routine looks like at a monastery, the difficulties in 3 months of silence, and integration afterwards. She also talks deeply about the gifts that can be found in solitude.    ===   TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro 1:44 Buddhist Retreat 13:20 Day in the Retreat Life  24:42 The Second Month of Silence 30:40 Existential Loneliness 45:31 Superiority & Inferiority  53:54 Gifts of Silence 59:33 Rapid Fire Questions 1:03:11 Conclusion   === MOUN: Moun D'Simone is a spiritual mentor, meditation guide, and artist. She's known for her big sister's warmth and real-talk style. Deeply rooted in Tibetan Buddhism, contemplative psychotherapy, and Hatha Yoga, she's everyone's Spiritual Godmother.  She combines her lived experiences from immigrant to modeling, and photo editor, with extended time studying and in retreats in India, Nepal, Thailand, and Indonesia, with masters like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Venerable Robina Courtin, and the oracle Khadro-la - to create her tangible and empowering methods, that remind us our stories matter and we are innately compassionate badass people. Moun just returned from a 3-month retreat at Kopan Monastery in Nepal. She mentors clients privately, teaches retreats internationally, and group programs. Her next retreat is at Kripalu Center, MA from August 10th to 14th, click here to learn more.  www.moundsimone.com  IG: @MounDSimone ===   Follow me on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/angelikaalana/ https://www.instagram.com/awakenedlove/   My Website: https://www.angelikaalana.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave this teaching to students attending the three-month Vajrasattva retreat at Kopan Monastery in Nepal on April 28, 2022.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave this teaching to students attending the three-month Vajrasattva retreat at Kopan Monastery in Nepal on April 27, 2022. Here's a summary of Rinpoche's teaching. If you want to know the truth of the world, the truth of yourself, and if you want to be free from the oceans of samsaric suffering, then you have to know the root cause of suffering, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains. You need to meet the correct teachings and that depends on merit. And you have to have faith and make correction prayers and dedications. Otherwise, it's difficult. You could meet Buddhism but fall into eternalism or nihilism. Rinpoche offers the retreatants a brief history of how the first month-long Kopan Course began (14:37 in the video). There have been fifty-two courses since this first course in 1971. Generating bodhicitta when listening to the teachings is unbelievable. So we listen to the teachings for all sentient beings—not only to free them from samsara and bring them to nirvana—but for ultimate happiness, the total cessation of obscurations and the completion of realizations. Rinpoche leads the group in offering coffee and cake, including the Clouds of Offering Mantra (48:08 in the video). Rinpoche continues the teaching, saying that it is so important to understand what the I is. All problems go away when we understand this, Rinpoche assures us. But when we believe in the hallucinated appearance of the I, so many problems arise. Abandoning nonvirtue is the source of happiness for us. Rinpoche explains the four parts of completing the action of killing (1:17:12 in the video), discusses the purification practice utilizing the four powers (1:43:19 in the video), and offers some stories of those who have committed the heavy negative karma of killing and how they purified these mistakes. -- We invite you to go deeper into the topics presented here, plus many others, by watching Rinpoche's video. Find links to more resources, including the transcript: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/abandoning-nonvirtue-is-a-source-of-happiness-for-you

“Your coming here to do Vajrasattva, wow, that's really what you need,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche told the students attending the three-month Vajrasattva retreat at Kopan Monastery in Nepal on April 26, 2022. In this teaching, Rinpoche discusses how our ignorance leads to attachment and anger, which make us miserable. By attending courses, studying, and meditating, we can come to understand how our our minds hallucinate. The more we understand about emptiness and how things truly exist, the happier we become. In addition, developing our compassion and living in service to others gives us the greatest happiness. Rinpoche offers three ways to meditate on emptiness and provides commentary for each (starting at 1:38:40 in the video): 1. Meditate that everything is a hallucination. 2. Meditate that everything is merely imputed. 3. Meditate that everything is empty. We invite you to go deeper into the topics presented here, plus many others, by watching Rinpoche's videos. Find links to more resources, including the transcript: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/by-doing-vajrasattva-you-are-doing-exactly-what-you-need-to-do/

Our minds are wrapped up in hallucination, Lama Zopa Rinpoche says in this highly charged teaching recorded on March 30, 2022. Speaking to students attending the three-month Vajrasattva retreat at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, Rinpoche says we must use the wisdom of Buddha's teachings to see the truth, to recognize all the hallucinations we are wrapped up in. The world has so much suffering due to this ignorance. So it is very important to understand how we hallucinate, Rinpoche explains. The teachings of the Buddha show us this, and that is why they are so important. At the end of the teaching, Rinpoche offers the oral transmission of the Vajrasattva mantra (1:30:05) and the oral transmission of Dorje Khadro fire puja practice (1:42:50) to the students in attendance. Find links to resources for this teaching: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/why-buddhism-is-so-important/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues his teachings on refuge from Kopan Monastery in Nepal. In this video Rinpoche reminds us that understanding the topic of refuge is so important because it can take a whole life of studying or even many lifetimes to understand it. Rinpoche offers commentary on Phabongkha Rinpoche's teachings on refuge from Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand as discussed in “Day Twelve” of this famous twenty-four day teaching on the lamrim.  Rinpoche emphasizes that the more you think about other religions, the more you become devoted to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha; and if you have two refuges, you lose your refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Rinpoche discusses the disadvantages of the Bön religion in detail and warns that “taking refuge is not only reciting words.” Read more about his teaching https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/it-is-good-to-know-about-the-bon-religion/ (here).

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this video, recorded on October 12, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, by reminding us why he is offering these teachings on refuge. Due to a young girl and other students in China requesting refuge, Rinpoche will offer the ceremony—which all with interest are welcome to take when that video is released—after explaining the benefits of refuge. As always, the motivation for listening to the teachings isn't for oneself to achieve liberation from samsara; this is not sufficient. The real purpose of human life is to not harm and only benefit sentient beings. Since beginningless rebirths, there are numberless sentient beings from whom you have received happiness. They have suffered and died for you, including small sentient beings involved in making water and food. Because of this kindness, you cannot use your precious human life to achieve happiness for yourself alone. Rinpoche then talks about Lama Serlingpa, from whom Lama Atisha received teachings, especially on bodhicitta. Lama Atisha traveled from India to Indonesia, where he stayed for twelve years, in order to learn from Lama Serlingpa. In Leveling Out All Conceptions, Lama Serlingpa said: That called “I,” the root of negative karma, Is a phenomenon to immediately cast far away. If something is poisonous, dangerous, or deadly to you, you throw it out immediately. All of your suffering from beginningless rebirths and all of your future suffering comes from your self-cherishing thought. Not only that, you have harmed numberless sentient beings since beginningless time due to this. The I is the phenomenon that is to be cast far away and others are the phenomena to immediately cherish. Also in Leveling Out All Conceptions, Lama Serlingpa said: That called “others,” the originator of enlightenment, Is a phenomenon to immediately cherish. You are totally busy your whole life from birth until you die in service to the I, but it isn't even there. Everyone functions on the basis of this “real” concept of I, but there is no such thing in reality, Rinpoche explains. The exception is those who have realized emptiness and meditate every day on seeing everything—I, action, object—as an illusion. Otherwise, what you think you see is a complete hallucination, like a dream. On the basis of this wrong concept, the six delusions—attachment, anger, pride, doubt, ignorance, wrong view—and the twenty secondary delusions arise. What appears as real, what you hold as real, it's not there. This doesn't mean nihilism; it doesn't mean that nothing exists. It is important to put effort into thinking about the shortcomings of true suffering and understanding what binds you to samsara. To do this, rely on your mind being upset with samsara. The suffering of dissatisfaction is the suffering of pain. Even billionaires, kings, and presidents suffer from this, from not being content. Contentment is not something that is taught or emphasized in universities in the West. Even in a world full of viruses, problems, and so much suffering, you can still have contentment and satisfaction. Coming together with people and separating is the suffering of change. Collecting material objects and losing them is the suffering of change. Rebirth ending in death is the suffering of change. Samsaric pleasures, which are the suffering of change, cheat you. You are caught over and over by samsaric pleasures, which are like honey on a blade. At the beginning there is pleasure, and then it ends with the suffering of pain. You have to meditate on the renunciation of samsara, how samsara is in the nature of suffering. For pervasive compounded suffering, the aggregates are under the control of karma and delusion, and so they are “pervaded” by suffering, Rinpoche explains. From the seed of karma and delusion, suffering arises again. So it is “compounded.” Form realm beings have the suffering of change. They have desire for the five external sense objects.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues his explanation of Buddhist refuge. This teaching, recorded on October 7, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, begins with Rinpoche explaining that taking refuge is not something simple. It's not something that you simply hear and chant. One has to understand the four noble truths extensively and also understand the qualities of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, which can take one's whole life to do this. This is why monks study their whole lives in monasteries. Rinpoche reminds us of the proper motivation for listening to the teachings. It is not enough to achieve liberation from samsara and then achieve nirvana and everlasting happiness for oneself alone. Instead think, “I must achieve the state of omniscience, the total cessation of obscurations and the completion of realizations. I must achieve this to free the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and bring them to full enlightenment by myself alone! Therefore, I am going to listen to the teachings.” Rinpoche shares a verse from Lama Tsongkhapa's Hymn of Experience: If you don't attempt to think of the shortcomings of true sufferings, Seeking liberation won't arise exactly. If you don't reflect on the causes, the evolution of samsara, You won't know how to cut the root of samsara. Therefore, rely on an upset mind renouncing samsara And cherish the understanding of what ties you to samsara. Rinpoche explains that an "upset mind renouncing samsara" is so worthwhile even though to worldly people who don't understand Dharma, it looks totally crazy and meaningless. The "upset mind" understands how karma and delusion lead to all suffering, and how one is trapped in the endless cycle of samsara. Due to being upset by this understanding of the suffering of samsara, one is motivated to go into isolation to actualize renunciation, bodhichitta, emptiness, the whole path to enlightenment—this makes that “upsetness” so worthwhile. “Skies of worthwhile upsetness,” Rinpoche says. It is like poison to think that living in isolation and practicing Dharma is crazy and meaningless. The person who thinks this way does not achieve freedom from samsara along with nirvana and everlasting happiness. But the person who is practicing Dharma, who left worldly life with renunciation to actualize the path in isolation—wow! Worldly people don't like suffering, but they don't understand suffering. Westerners can be so shocked when someone lives in a cave. But there is no benefit to being upset with someone who has renounced the worldly life and is practicing Dharma. In fact, it is poison. Even though there are good-hearted people in the West, Rinpoche explains that many of the concepts and actions of body, speech, and mind in the West are totally opposite of Buddhadharma, the teachings of the Buddha. It is important to understand what ties you to samsara. You are suffering and you don't like suffering, but you don't know why you are suffering. It is extremely important to know what ties you to samsara and suffering. Nothing and nobody tied you to samsara from the outside—in fact, you tied yourself to samsara with your hallucinated mind. It is up to you to cut this rope. Rinpoche shares verses from Panchen Lozang Chokyi Gyaltsen's Melodious Song Bringing Joy to Lozang [Dragpa]: Responses to “Queries from a Sincere Heart," which is a response to a text by Lama Tsongkhapa. Even animals renounce the suffering of pain, Rinpoche says. If you wield a stick toward a dog, it runs away. When they are hungry they run to look for food. They have the thought to be free from pain and the suffering of hunger and thirst. Likewise, even non-Buddhists renounce the suffering of change. Rinpoche explains how in Lama Tsongkhapa's Lamrim Chenmo there are eight types of suffering and goes over Tsongkhapa's five points on the eighth type of suffering. The aggregates, due to karma and delusion, contain already actualized suffering

In this video, recorded on October 5, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues a short series of teachings on refuge. These teachings will culminate with Rinpoche offering the refuge ceremony, which will be available to anyone wishing to take the life-long refuge vows from Rinpoche. This series is due to the request of a few Chinese students, including a young girl, for Rinpoche to offer refuge vows. In response, Rinpoche is explaining refuge in detail prior to offering the vows. Rinpoche begins by warning us that we must be aware of the heavy negative karma one creates by belittling one's guru. Rinpoche recommends writing down the following verse from the Fifth Dalai Lama, Lozang Gyatso, in our prayer books: In the view of your own perverted mind, Your own mistakes appear in the guru's actions. Your heart is totally rotten from the depths. Recognizing that it is your own mistake, abandon it like poison. Even if you killed your mother, your father, or an arhat, or caused blood to flow from a Buddha, or created disunity in the sangha, you can still purify those mistakes and achieve enlightenment. But the heaviest negative karma is belittling a guru with whom you have made a Dharma connection, Rinpoche explains. This verse from the Fifth Dalai Lama if very powerful for protecting you from mistakes, including breaking vows and belittling the guru. You need to recognize that seeing mistakes in your guru's actions is your own mistake. And your own mistakes appear in the guru's actions. In the West, Rinpoche explains, people look for a guru, then they create the heaviest negative karma in relation to the guru. This is like finding gold and using it for a toilet or a garbage can. Instead of seeing mistakes, we need to see whatever the guru does as positive. The Fifth Dalai Lama advises this: With the pure appearance that sees whatever is done as positive And the devotion that accomplishes whatever is said as advice, Whatever you do becomes the profound vital point of accomplishing Dharma. Understand this to be the root of the benefit and virtue that accomplish whatever you wish. In this way, seeing whatever your guru does as positive, allows you to accomplish whatever your guru advises. Rinpoche says that this is another important verse to write down in one's prayer book so it isn't forgotten. Rinpoche shares that at the time of death, Dolgyal practice harms those who do it and when a practitioner dies, terrifying visions, incredible fear, and regret appear. When the body of a Dolgyal practitioner is offered to the birds, vultures won't even eat the bodies of those who practiced this deity. Rinpoche shares this to warn, “Be careful before taking refuge. Be careful about whom you take refuge from. Don't cheat yourself.” Rinpoche then offers a translation of a short sutra on going for refuge, The Mahayana Sutra Called “Going for Refuge to the Arya Three Rare Sublime Ones” (at 46:35 in the video). This sutra describes just how precious it is to take refuge. “Be careful,” Rinpoche advises. “Don't waste your life.” -- Those wishing to take refuge with Rinpoche should continue to watch these teachings from Rinpoche. For links to past teachings on the topic of refuge, as well as links to the transcript and translations: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/the-sutra-going-for-refuge-to-the-arya-three-rare-sublime-ones/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche beings this teaching, recorded on September 30, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, reminding us that there are many ways in which we can help others. Even if you have limited Dharma understanding, limited experience of the path, there are ways you can benefit others. For example, when you build very big statues of buddhas, people come to see them, and then they purify and collect the most unbelievable merit. You can also bring Dharma books and teachings to people to help them dispel ignorance. There are many ways, according to their individual capacities, that you can help others. Before taking ultimate refuge, you must check up. As Rinpoche has explained in his last two teachings, there are four qualities which make Buddha the ultimate refuge: 1. Buddha is free from suffering and the cause of suffering 2. Buddha is expert in the methods to free others from suffering 3. Buddha has no discriminating thought and has equal compassion and care for all 4. Buddha works to benefit every sentient being whether they benefit him or not So why take refuge? This question is from your side only. There are numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas who have compassion for you. So why have you been suffering from beginningless rebirths up to now? Even if all the buddhas and bodhisattvas put their power together, they can't guide you if you don't decide to receive their help, if you don't take refuge. In Buddhism, your mind is the creator. Rinpoche quotes from A Good Vase Filled with Nectar (verse 3.7): Whatever happiness and suffering there is in samsara, All of it comes from your karma. Therefore, through always examining your three doors, Make effort to abandon nonvirtue and practice virtue. Everything comes from the mind, including enlightenment and hell, samsara and nirvana, happiness and problems. Rinpoche emphasizes that we have to work and make effort in order to achieve enlightenment. Even though the help of the buddhas and bodhisattvas is available to you, the reason you have to suffer is because you made mistakes from your side, Rinpoche explains. In this context, Rinpoche shares more stories about the spirit Dogyal. Rinpoche also talks about how the annual one-month Kopan Course began and how he was inspired by reading Kachen Yeshe Gyaltshen's lamrim. Rinpoche also credits as inspiration Lama Yeshe's kindness and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Rinpoche reflects that during the early Kopan Courses the already depressed Western students became even more depressed after hearing about the lower realms and eight worldly Dharmas. The accommodations at the early courses were very simple. It was great for the Western students to learn about lamrim and to see their lives, to realize what should be avoided, and what should be done for happiness in the life up to enlightenment. Rinpoche shares that he and Lama Yeshe stayed at Kachen Yeshe Gyaltshen's monastery in Boudhanath when they first came to Nepal. From there, Lama Yeshe could see Kopan Hill, about which, Rinpoche says, Lama Yeshe was very interested. Kachen Yeshe Gyaltshen also advised people not to practice Dolgyal. Rinpoche then shares details of the various lamas who have advised not to practice Dolgyal, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama. By taking refuge in Buddha, you won't be reborn in the lower realms. By taking strong refuge in Buddha, your heavy negative karmas get purified. And if the merit of taking refuge was materialized, Rinpoche explains, it would not fit in three-thousand-fold galaxies. -- You can find links to the full transcript of Rinpoche's teaching, translations, and more: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/the-merits-of-taking-refuge-dont-fit-in-the-three-thousand-fold-galaxies/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues discussing refuge in this new video, recorded September 27, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal. Rinpoche begins by reminding us that we must be careful about the objects in which we take refuge—for example, people take refuge in animals, nature, or spirits. To make the point of why it is best to go for refuge to Buddha, Rinpoche again discusses the four qualities of a Buddha and shares stories and commentary after each: 1. Buddha is free from suffering and the cause of suffering; 2. Buddha is expert in the methods to free others from suffering; 3. Buddha has no discriminating thought and has equal compassion and care for all; and 4. Buddha works to benefit every sentient being whether they benefit him or not. Worldly gods and spirits don't have the four qualities of the Buddha. Before you take refuge in things like food, drink, medicine, and clothes, you always check up on the quality. For example, you don't buy food that has gone bad; you check it first before buying. Like this, you also have to check the quality of the one in whom you are going to take ultimate refuge. When you are dying, in order to not be born in the lower realms, to purify negative karma, to obtain a higher rebirth, Rinpoche says emphatically, "Rely on Buddha!" To free you from samsara, to achieve nirvana, ultimate happiness forever—"Rely on Buddha!" Buddha has all the power and qualities to guide you. If you take refuge in worldly beings, samsaric beings who have discriminating thoughts, no compassion for sentient beings, attachment, anger, ignorance, self-cherishing—how can they help you? Rinpoche then shares several stories about the dangers of trusting worldly spirits, particularly in relation to the spirit Dolgyal (Shugden). Things appear to us according to our karma. You see things as pure or impure based on how pure or impure your own mind is. For example, one container filled with liquid appears to a preta as pus, to a human as water, and to worldly gods, suras, and asuras as nectar. To Buddha's attendant, who served him for twenty-two years, Buddha appeared to be a liar; he didn't see Buddha as Buddha. Rinpoche explains that was due to his karma. Likewise, some lamas have showed the aspect of practicing Dolgyal, but didn't actually do the practice. There are many examples of enlightened beings who showed the aspect of being ordinary. What we see in others is due to our own karma. Rinpoche shares a verse from the Fifth Dalai Lama: In the view of your own perverted mind, Your own mistakes appear in the guru's actions. Your heart is totally rotten from the depths. Recognizing that it is your own mistake, abandon it like poison. Rinpoche advises that this is very, very powerful, and it is so important to do mindfulness practice in relation to guru yoga. Then you never give rise to heresy and anger. If you see any mistake in the guru, it is a reflection of your ordinary mind's mistake. Don't think that taking refuge is something easy. Monks and nuns study refuge and the qualities of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha their whole lives so they can learn the meaning of the words and actualize them to achieve enlightenment by completing the qualities of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. This is not easy! You take refuge to be free from samsara. In order to do that, you have to know what samsara is. -- We invite you to go deeper into the topics presented here, plus many others, by watching Rinpoche's video and reading the full transcript of Rinpoche's teaching: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/dont-think-taking-refuge-is-something-easy/

At the beginning of this video, which was recorded on September 25, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, Rinpoche talks about doing a tsog offering practice at Boudha Stupa and the benefits of making offerings to stupas. He explains how offering tsog to stupas makes you achieve all the realizations; offering medicine to stupas stops diseases; and offering grains to stupas stops famine in the world. Rinpoche also discusses how important it is to consecrate stupas, including the benefit of eliminating war. From his room at Kopan Monastery, Rinpoche then leads an offering practice to Boudha Stupa accompanied by many senior Sangha members. You can follow along with the offering practice (beginning at 6:43) by reading the transcript, which includes the text of the practice. Rinpoche also provides commentary on verses from Liberation Upon Hearing: The History of the Great Jarung Kashar Stupa by Padmasambhava on the benefits of making offerings to Boudha Stupa, which include the following: Making requests to the stupa Whoever supplicates it will spontaneously accomplish the benefit of self and others. The benefits of offering water Whoever offers drinking water to it will be born free of thirst and disease. The benefits of offering flowers Whoever offers flowers will completely attain the freedoms and advantages. The benefits of offering light Whoever offers butter lamps will see the manifest faces of the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. Whoever offers grain oil lamps will be clarified of all obscurations of ignorance. Whoever offers the fire for butter lamps will radiate the light rays of the Dharma throughout the ten directions. The benefits of offering perfume Whoever offers scented water will be freed from depression and all suffering. The benefits of offering food and drink Whoever offers food and drink will be sustained by the sustenance of samādhi. The benefits of offering music Whoever offers music will proclaim the melodious sound of Dharma throughout the ten directions. Whoever offers cymbals will attain profound and perfect courage. Whoever offers bells large and small will attain clear and melodious speech, and the voice of Brahmā. The benefits of offering the five precious jewels (pearls, turquoise, lapis lazuli, gold, coral) Whoever offers maṇḍalas of the five precious jewels will be free of poverty and attain an inexhaustible sky treasury. Before doing the dedications, Rinpoche acknowledges that what is missing from his commentary is the benefits of offering the seven king's objects, the eight auspicious signs, and the seven royal things. Rinpoche concludes the teaching with the instruction that these offerings "should be done after the seven-limb practice. Do the Thirty-Five Buddhas, Vajrasattva, the seven limbs, then a short mandala, then a lamrim prayer, then after, dedication to complete the practice." -- We invite you to go deeper into the topics presented here, plus many others, by watching Rinpoche's video and reading the full transcript of Rinpoche's teaching: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/making-offerings-to-boudha-stupa/

At the beginning of this video, which was recorded on September 25, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, Rinpoche talks about doing a tsog offering practice at Boudha Stupa and the benefits of making offerings to stupas. He explains how offering tsog to stupas makes you achieve all the realizations; offering medicine to stupas stops diseases; and offering grains to stupas stops famine in the world. Rinpoche also discusses how important it is to consecrate stupas, including the benefit of eliminating war. From his room at Kopan Monastery, Rinpoche then leads an offering practice to Boudha Stupa accompanied by many senior Sangha members. You can follow along with the offering practice (beginning at 6:43) by reading the transcript, which includes the text of the practice. Rinpoche also provides commentary on verses from Liberation Upon Hearing: The History of the Great Jarung Kashar Stupa by Padmasambhava on the benefits of making offerings to Boudha Stupa, which include the following: Making requests to the stupa Whoever supplicates it will spontaneously accomplish the benefit of self and others. The benefits of offering water Whoever offers drinking water to it will be born free of thirst and disease. The benefits of offering flowers Whoever offers flowers will completely attain the freedoms and advantages. The benefits of offering light Whoever offers butter lamps will see the manifest faces of the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. Whoever offers grain oil lamps will be clarified of all obscurations of ignorance. Whoever offers the fire for butter lamps will radiate the light rays of the Dharma throughout the ten directions. The benefits of offering perfume Whoever offers scented water will be freed from depression and all suffering. The benefits of offering food and drink Whoever offers food and drink will be sustained by the sustenance of samādhi. The benefits of offering music Whoever offers music will proclaim the melodious sound of Dharma throughout the ten directions. Whoever offers cymbals will attain profound and perfect courage. Whoever offers bells large and small will attain clear and melodious speech, and the voice of Brahmā. The benefits of offering the five precious jewels (pearls, turquoise, lapis lazuli, gold, coral) Whoever offers maṇḍalas of the five precious jewels will be free of poverty and attain an inexhaustible sky treasury. Before doing the dedications, Rinpoche acknowledges that what is missing from his commentary is the benefits of offering the seven king's objects, the eight auspicious signs, and the seven royal things. Rinpoche concludes the teaching with the instruction that these offerings "should be done after the seven-limb practice. Do the Thirty-Five Buddhas, Vajrasattva, the seven limbs, then a short mandala, then a lamrim prayer, then after, dedication to complete the practice." -- We invite you to go deeper into the topics presented here, plus many others, by watching Rinpoche's video and reading the full transcript of Rinpoche's teaching: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/making-offerings-to-boudha-stupa/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this teaching, recorded on September 14, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, by explaining that people who don't understand holy Dharma use prayers to pray for success in this life alone—for their relationships, their children, and other situations that will end at the end of this life. This is ignorance. When you experience happiness, it is due to the kindness of mother sentient beings—every hell being, every hungry ghost, every animal, every human being, every sura being, every asura being, every intermediate state being. When you experience happiness, it is important to think, “I have received this by the kindness of others.” The other thing to think about when happiness occurs is that every happiness is thanks to the kindness of the guru. Just like your consciousness has no beginning, your wrong concepts—which mean your delusions, ignorance, self-cherishing thought, attachment, and anger—are also beginningless. The antidote to impure appearances is tantra, Rinpoche explains. In tantra you visualize everything as pure—yourself as the deity, the place as the mandala, the beings you encounter as deities, sounds as mantras, thoughts as the dharmakaya. In tantra, the root of samsara is the impure subtle consciousness and wind. The continuation of all the wrong concepts has no beginning, so your suffering of samsara's continuation also has no beginning. Once you think about beginningless samsaric suffering, hell, and the sufferings of all the realms, there is no time for self-cherishing, no time for all the negative karma. In the West, people think, “I am alone, nobody loves me!” If you are Buddhist you must know that numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas cherish you the most! You are never alone. Buddha gave away his wives, sons, wealth, and body for sentient beings—including you! He practiced the six paramitas for sentient beings, including you! Buddha has perfect power—perfect holy body, holy speech, and holy mind—unlike us, who are limited. Buddha's holy mind is everywhere. Once your obscurations are purified, you will see numberless buddhas wherever you are. Buddha's compassion embraces all sentient beings, including you, all the time. From the buddhas, you receive a perfect human rebirth, the happiness of this life, the happiness of future lives, liberation from samsara, and enlightenment. They buddhas are working for you by manifesting in the ordinary aspect of the guru. All of your happiness comes from the guru. This is a very important thing for you to remember! All of your happiness comes from the guru, but all of your suffering comes from harming others. That means that if you have problems, suffering, depression, even if somebody kills you, beats you, gets angry at you—this is because you harmed them in the past, in past lives. It could have been numberless eons ago. Sometimes as soon as the person sees you in this life, they shoot you, they are angry with you, even before meeting them in this life. In the view of your disturbed mind, whatever your delusions believe appears to be good. In the view of anger, you think it is good to destroy and harm others. In the view of ignorance, you think it is good to believe things are real. In the view of pride, you believe that it is good to think about how you are better than everyone else. This is all totally wrong. But in your impure view, you believe what you are doing is good. This is the dance of a crazy person. Someone who harms you is only an object of compassion. You abused that person in past lives, so now they are creating negative karma by harming you. If you hadn't ever harmed them in the past, they wouldn't have to harm you now due to karma! And because of harming you, they will have to get lost in the hole of hell. This is why you must only have patience when someone harms you; don't harm them back. You must help the person, even just recite OM MANI PADME HUM. Do whatever you can do to create benefit. If you have depression,...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this teaching, recorded on August 17, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, by reminding us that while we are so fortunate to have received this rare and perfect human rebirth, which is qualified by the eight freedoms and ten richnesses, death can happen at any time, even before this teaching ends. Therefore, the real purpose of life is not just to achieve liberation from samsara for ourselves alone, but to never harm and only benefit all sentient beings by freeing them from the oceans of samsara, the total cessation of the gross and subtle obscurations and the completion of realizations. That means every single one, including every ant and fly, and even those you can't see with your eyes. As a human, this should be the purpose of life. This should be our attitude all day and night, even if we are enjoying ourselves in a five-star hotel, even if we are in the process of dying—we can enjoy for sentient beings, we can die for sentient beings! To bring every sentient being to enlightenment by oneself alone is the purpose of life, therefore we must achieve a state of omniscience as quickly as possible. Therefore, I'm going to listen to the teachings. Rinpoche shares that the current incarnation of Domo Geshe Rinpoche is going to be an incredible benefit to the world by helping the teachings spread and last a long time. Rinpoche currently offers help for this young lamas' yearly expenses. Rinpoche also shared some stories of Sera Je Khen Rinpoche Lobsang Delek's life in the Buxa Duar, the camp in India where refugee Tibetan monks lived in the 1960s. Rinpoche reminds us that these teachings are specifically for the ordained Sangha, to remind them that it is most important to live a life in ordination and that this is not just some hippie trip. However, anyone is welcome to listen and benefit from this advice. Rinpoche then discusses sections from Garland of Jewel Light by Geshe Tsewang Samdrub. He begins by offering commentary on the four doors for receiving downfalls from breaking vows: 1. A lack of conscientiousness. 2. A lack of respect. 3. Not knowing the vows. 4. Having many delusions. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has emphasized the need to live an ethical life, to be a good human being, Rinpoche says. To do this, you need discipline to practice patience, tolerance, compassion, loving-kindness, and forgiveness for those who harm you, and to immediately apologize when you harm others. Rinpoche explains the four ways to prevent downfalls, citing Garland of Jewel Light: 1. Continuously possessing conscientiousness. 2. Having great respect for the vows of morality. 3. Knowing the vows. 4. Striving in the remedy to the delusions. When you do these, the doors to making mistakes and downfalls are closed. Rinpoche then goes over the benefits of protecting morality, again from Garland of Jewel Light: 1. All your collections of goodness will increase and develop. 2. You will be praised by the buddhas. 3. You will be praised by the devas. 4. You will be praised by your friends. 5. You will be worthy of being praised by even yourself. 6. You will be worthy of being naturally praised. 7. Your reputation will cover all the directions. 8. You will listen to the holy Dharma. 9. You will not forget the holy Dharma you listened to. 10. Your realizations of the paths and bhumis will increase. 11. When you die you will be happy and you will go to a happy transmigration. 12. Day and night you will be happy. 13. You will be protected by the devas. 14. You will be happy in front of holy beings. 15. You won't be able to be harmed by human beings and non-human beings. 16. You will receive whatever enjoyments you need without effort. 17. Whatever prayers you do will succeed. The results of living in pure vows are very powerful. "You become Dzambhala!" Rinpoche says. "When other people make offerings to you and respect you, they collect much merits....

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this teaching, recorded on August 14, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, by reminding us of how fortunate we are to wake up in the morning with a perfect human rebirth that is qualified by the eight freedoms and ten richnesses. The life we have is like a candle flame in the wind or a bubble in the water, and can be stopped at any time by death. Rinpoche references verse 55 from Nagarjuna's Letter to a Friend. Last night many people went to bed, thinking they had another day to live, but their body became a corpse instead. However, you were able to wake up. Every day you are able to wake up is a real birthday. If you can recognize impermanence and death, it is like skies of happiness! You didn't die! You aren't in hell! You weren't reborn as a hungry ghost or an animal! You can still use your perfect human rebirth to collect merit and purify negative karma. Even reciting OM MANI PADME HUM without a bodhichitta motivation, you collect more merits than drops of water in the ocean, more than blades of grass growing on the hills. When your breathing stops it will be difficult for your mind to be happy. Rinpoche quotes a verse from Gungthang Tenpai Dronme's Verses of Advice for Meditating on Impermanence. Rinpoche then reminds us of the motivation for listening to these teachings. At this time, while we are still breathing, it is not enough to achieve liberation from samsara for oneself. That alone would be a meaningful life, but it is not sufficient. The main purpose of life is to benefit sentient beings, not harming a single one, and more than that to free them from oceans of samsaric suffering and bring them to enlightenment by oneself alone. To do that, we must achieve full enlightenment. Therefore, with a motivation to accomplish this, we listen to the teachings. Rinpoche offers advice to the gelongs about what brings happiness according to several verses of the Sutra of Individual Liberation (from sojong). You can hear Rinpoche discuss these verses and his commentary on each starting at 11:50 in the video. Without morality, Rinpoche stresses, we cannot accomplish our own work, let alone successfully work for others. "Therefore," as noted in the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva by Thogme Sangpo (verse 26cd), "to protect morality without wishing for samsara is a practice of a bodhisattva." For a bodhisattva, those who offer harm are like a precious treasure (Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, verse 27ab). Therefore, cherish evil beings like a precious treasure, as advised in Eight Verses for Training the Mind by Langri Tangpa. Rinpoche stresses that it is important to understand what this means. People who create harm for others create so much negative karma and have so much suffering. When you see that it is like you have found a precious treasure, a diamond, gold, a sapphire, a wish-granting jewel in the garbage. They are so precious and rare that you must cherish them, like how some cherish money so much! Why? Because by cherishing them you generate strong renunciation of your own samsara and sooo much compassion for them. From that, you generate strong bodhichitta, and from that, quick enlightenment. And with that you can liberate the numberless sentient beings from oceans of samsaric suffering. A jewel or money doesn't do that, but this type of person can! So cherish them. Another verse Rinpoche emphasizes in this teaching and suggests we write down in our prayer books is verse 28 from Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva: Since even the hearer-listeners and solitary realizers, who achieve only the works for self, Are seen to make effort, like putting out a fire on the head, It is a practice of a bodhisattva to make effort to receive all qualities For the sake of all transmigratory beings. Write the above verse down so you can learn it, Rinpoche says. Otherwise, your motivation will always be controlled by the self-cherishing thought. “Today I...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this teaching, recorded on August 11, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, by reminding us that we are so fortunate to have received a precious and perfect human rebirth. While it is precious, it is also fragile and can be ended at any time with death. In this precious life we have received teachings on how we should not harm any sentient being, and not just the ones we love and like to help, but including those we don't like such as mice, rats, spiders, cockroaches, and mosquitoes. When mosquitoes come near your ears you become very concerned with the real I, which doesn't even exist in mere name. This has been happening since beginningless rebirths. So much suffering, including all wars, comes from believing in the real I! Even spiders and ants suffer due to believing in the real I. The pandemic and all of the disasters of the world are happening because of ignorance. This all comes from the mind. Therefore, you have to take care of the mind: don't let it go berserk. If you don't want to suffer, if you don't want bad things in the world, if you don't want problems with the environment, if you want to make a happy world, then take care of the mind. Rinpoche shares several stories about how great bodhisattvas are able to manipulate the elements or perform actions that look like miracles. They are able to do this due to their minds. Whether you make the world more peaceful or not depends on your mind. Rinpoche also shares the story of how the young incarnation of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama said, “I'm the one who works for all beings” to the lama Keutsang Rinpoche when he came to check whether the four-year-old child recognized him. Rinpoche expressed being moved to tears when he heard that His Holiness had said that as a young child. Rinpoche then discusses verses 5.4-5.5 of Bodhicharyavatara: Tigers, lions, elephants, bears, Snakes, and all enemies, The guardians of hell beings, Evil spirits, and likewise cannibals, Are all fastened By fastening only this mind. They are all subdued By subduing only this mind. Rinpoche urges us to write these verses down in our prayer books so we will see them every day. Especially when we are angry or selfish, or when we have so much attachment. When we subdue our minds, everything is subdued. When we have control over our minds, we are free from fear. By controlling our minds and making them free from attachment and anger, from the self-cherishing thought, and from the ignorance holding the I as real when it's not, then, all those who would otherwise harm us are subdued. We produce all the suffering we experience with our mind, so the solution for problems, harm, enemies, and fear is to pacify the mind. Verse 5.12cd of Bodhicharyavatara says: If you subdue the mind of anger alone, It is like you have subdued all your enemies. And as Nagarjuna said: If you kill your anger, You kill all your enemies. We have to learn this if we want to bring peace and happiness to the world. Otherwise, you just talk, talk, talk. Everything depends on whether you control your mind or not. Rinpoche translates verse 5.3 of Bodhicharyavatara as: If you fasten the elephant of your mind With the rope of remembrance all the time, All fears will become nonexistent And all virtues will come into your hands. By subduing the mind, which is like a crazy elephant, you can achieve anything you want. Whether or not you experience samsara or nirvana, hell or enlightenment—this all depends on whether or not you control your mind. Verse 5.17 of Bodhicharyavatara says: If someone doesn't know the supreme principal of the Dharma, The secrecy of the mind, Even if they wish to achieve happiness and destroy suffering, They will wander in samsara without meaning. and verse 5.18cd: Except for conduct protecting the mind What is the use of so many conducts? Rinpoche explains that all the capacities of the mind are based on...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues his teachings for ordained Sangha, which are open to all who wish to benefit from his advice. He explains in this video, recorded on August 10, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, that trying on being Sangha, like trying different foods hoping they bring you happiness, is not being real Sangha. You can enjoy wearing the robes and trying them on, but if it is just like a trip, your mind is not Sangha. If your mind is messy and not healthy, you easily give up your liberation and enlightenment. Rinpoche then reminds us of the motivation for listening to the teachings. A perfect human rebirth—qualified by the eight freedoms and ten richnesses—is extremely rare, Rinpoche explains. It is not enough for ourselves to be free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings. The real purpose of life is to not harm others and on the basis of that to benefit the numberless sentient beings and free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings by oneself alone. We listen to the teachings to achieve this. As Rinpoche explained in his recent teachings, by engaging in nonvirtue, you become habituated to it and do it again. By doing this, you make your future lives sooo difficult. You know that it's bad, but you can't stop doing it due to past habituation. In fact, much of your behavior is due to habituation with negative karma, and due to that habituation, it becomes more and more difficult to separate from negative karma. You think only of today's happiness, not about future lives. Your wrong concept is cheating you, causing you to drown in an ocean of attachment and anger. The coronavirus manifests in different ways according to one's karma. Some people have some pain and sickness, some have no symptoms, and some die. Rinpoche discusses some of the different ways the virus has manifested in people he knows, and also the possibility that he had the virus himself just with very mild symptoms. When we meet with suffering, we don't remember karma. We can even believe killing ourselves is the solution to the pain we are experiencing. When one is having emotional problems, spirits can also harm you. Rinpoche shares some examples of people who have been harmed by spirits. Rinpoche then reads and gives commentary on the Sutra on Having Perfect Morality. (This starts at 50:19 in the video.) Referencing Nagarjuna in Letter to a Friend, Rinpoche reminds us again that even great pain in the human realm is nothing compared to a small suffering in the hell realm, and the suffering has to be experienced until the negative karma finishes. Rinpoche concludes by saying that Sangha are given unbelievable freedom by being able to purify twice a month with sojong, which is the monastics' confession day. You should think that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is reciting sojong for you. Because we can't see Buddha in that aspect, he recites in the form of the abbot. You see the abbot reciting it, but you should know that it is actually Buddha reciting for the Sangha. Buddha is so kind. Unbelievable, most incredible. For links to the transcript, translations, and more resources: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/by-the-force-of-habituation-you-uncontrollably-engage-in-nonvirtue-again/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this video, recorded on August 6, 2021, at Kopan Monastery, reminding listeners that while this teaching is being given specifically for ordained Sangha, anyone is welcome to take the advice offered. If you haven't spent your life with a good heart and a positive mind, Rinpoche warns, and instead spend your life trying this and that until life finishes, then you will go to the lower realms. There are many wrong views available to you in this life. You have to check the quality of these views carefully, the same way you check the quality of clothing or food before you purchase it. Rinpoche then recounts several stories, including about the building of Lama Yeshe's stupa at Tushita Meditation Centre, Serkong Tsenshab Rinpoche, and Serkong Dorje Chang. Rinpoche reminds us of the motivation for listening to the teachings—to free the numberless sentient beings from oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment by oneself alone. Therefore, you think of how you must achieve the state of omniscience to do that. Therefore, you are listening to the teachings. Being attached to sex has not freed you from the oceans of samsaric suffering, Rinpoche observes. Since beginningless times, every sentient being has been one's own husband, wife, children, and so forth. You have cheated yourself by thinking that the pleasures of this life that you experience are new. You believe you are meeting someone for the first time. By learning Dharma, you can recognize right and wrong concepts. Usually in the world, any suffering is attributed to outside influences: animals, insects, other people. Rinpoche explains that this is from not knowing Dharma. Learning about Dharma is learning about your life, your mind, and your concepts. It is learning what is the right mind and what is the wrong mind, so you can stop having the wrong mind. Then you can have a healthy, beneficial, harmless, and right life, and have all the good things right up to perfect enlightenment. You have been totally deceived by your attachment and wrong concepts since beginningless rebirths. Therefore, there is nothing to be attached to. It's all a hallucination! Since there is nothing to be attached to, you should renounce samsara. Samsaric happiness is only suffering; this is the heart of Buddhism. You experience suffering until your negative karma finishes, Rinpoche explains. Even great pain in the human realm is nothing compared to a small suffering in the hell realm. Rinpoche then shares the four suffering results of sexual misconduct: 1. The Ripened-Aspect Result of Sexual Misconduct: This means a rebirth in the lower realms. 2. The Possessed Result of Sexual Misconduct: You are born as a human being but the environment is muddy, dirty, unhealthy, and has contagious diseases and viruses. Even if we just spend five minutes in a place like this, that is the result of past sexual misconduct. 3. Experiencing the Result Similar to the Cause of Sexual Misconduct: However you harmed others, you experience others doing this type of harm to you. 4. Creating the Cause Similar to the Result: This is done due to habituation with the past negative karma of sexual misconduct. Even if you think an action is bad, you do it uncontrollably. By engaging in nonvirtue, you become habituated to it, and do it again and again. This is the same for stealing, telling lies, killing—any negative behavior you're engaged in. Even in lay life you can abandon sexual misconduct. There are five lay vows one can take to help abstain from negative actions such as sexual misconduct. In this teaching we are discussing the purpose to become Sangha. Rinpoche then recites the Phagpa Chulung Rolpai Do Mantra: OṂ HANU PHASHA BHARA HE YE SVĀHĀ. He explains that each time you see this mantra, it purifies your negative karma, one hundred thousand eons! Rinpoche also holds up the Buddha's Teachings on Our Lives card and explains

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this teaching, recorded on July 31, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, by referencing this quote by Thogme Sango in Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva: All sufferings come from desiring happiness for oneself. Full enlightenment comes from the thought of benefitting others. Therefore, exchanging one's own happiness for the suffering of others Is the practice of bodhisattvas. Rinpoche gives commentary on this passage and explains that all undesirable things, all the sufferings we experience, come from desiring happiness for oneself. Therefore, exchanging one's own happiness for the suffering of others is the practice of bodhisattvas. When pleasure and problems happen, you can see whether or not you are practicing Dharma. When a problem comes, it is like you are completely drowned in the ocean. Instead of thinking of Dharma to solve and overcome your problem, you are "under" the problem, not having control over it. When pleasure comes, you are totally distracted by it, you are under the control of worldly concern and attachment, again—like you are drowning in the ocean. This is when you can see if you are practicing Dharma or not. Because you are a human being, and not a stone or wood, you can benefit others. Even the ants or mosquitoes—you can make sure not to step on them, you can take them around holy objects, you can do what you can to benefit them. Reciting OM MANI PADME HUM three times and blowing on any sentient being purifies so much negative karma. If you aren't living to benefit others, you are living a very dry, uninteresting, boring life! Using your life to achieve enlightenment is not boring at all. Rinpoche then reviews the motivation for receiving oral transmissions and teachings. He also discusses the great yogi Thangtong Gyalpo in preparation for the oral transmissions he gives later in the teaching. Before the oral transmissions, Rinpoche explains that the benefits of reciting and hearing OM MANI PADME HUM are extensive. Rinpoche lists many of these benefits and provides commentary on each: • Reciting it one time purifies the four defeats of a fully ordained monk • Reciting it purifies the five heavy negative karmas without a break • Reciting it seven times purifies the negative karma of one hundred lifetimes • Reciting it twenty-one times purifies the negative karma of 1,000 eons • Reciting it 108 times purifies the negative karma of 40,000 eons • Anyone who hears it gets a higher rebirth • When you recite it, your mind is free from expectations and therefore pure In short, Rinpoche stresses to us that we must recite OM MANI PADME HUM while we still have a perfect human rebirth. Rinpoche then offers, “a million, zillion, trillion” thanks to all the one hundred Sangha who join together on Saturdays for twenty-four hours to recite OM MANI PADME HUM for the COVID-19 pandemic. He also thanks everybody at Chenrezig Institute who arranged all the technical aspects that allow for this to happen online. Rinpoche ends this video by offering commentary on and the oral transmissions in Tibetan of three prayers of Thangtong Gyalpo: “Liberating Sakya from Disease” (starting at 37:45 in the video), “Words of Truth Pacifying the Danger of Weapons” (39:45), and “A Request to Pacify the Fear of Famine” (42:57). Rinpoche also offers the oral transmission of King of Prayers (1:01:21), Homage to Tathagata Amitabha and Buddha Amitayus, A Brief Prayer to Be Reborn in Sukhavati (1:11:04), and The Array of Sukhavati Pure Land (1:13:15). -- Find links to the transcript, texts for the oral transmissions, translations, and more: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/a-zillion-thanks-to-the-sangha-for-reciting-manis-during-the-pandemic/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this teaching, recorded on July 30, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, explaining that while he's offering this teaching specifically to the Sangha at this time—to encourage them to keep their vows as those intent on the virtue that is nirvana—anyone is welcome to listen and benefit from the advice. The total cessation of obscurations, is nirvana, ultimate happiness. It is forever, not like you are going on vacation, which is only temporary and is actually suffering, and not pleasure as your hallucinated mind believes. Because nirvana is everlasting happiness, it is worthwhile to bear hardships in order to practice Dharma. As an example, Rinpoche shares that Milarepa bore hardships such as living on nettles for many years and building a nine-story building three times alone, and then achieved enlightenment in a brief lifetime of degenerate times. This was due to all the hardships Milarepa experienced, not in spite of them. As another example, Rinpoche explains that the bodhisattva Always Crying One sacrificed himself to follow his guru and collected two great eons of merit in seven years' time. Right now you see samsara as a beautiful park in the same way that dogs see kaka as nectar. If you analyze it, you can see clearly that there is no pleasure existing from its own side. You label pleasure, but the mind is merely imputing this. The label came from the negative imprint left on the continuation of your consciousness since beginningless rebirths. Your entire life needs to be analyzed, then you recognize the truth. You discriminate “good” and “bad,” then attachment and anger arise. From there you create all the negative karma. This is why it is so important to learn Dharma! Everything is embodied in the lamrim, the three principal aspects of the path. Samsaric pleasures cheat us, like honey on a knife. It is not only a hallucination, but it is what creates negative karma—not only suffering in this life but causes the lower realms. Being pierced by three hundred spears is nothing compared to a small suffering in hell. If you understood the suffering of hell, you would faint. Grasping at samsaric pleasures is like a fish seeing a worm and getting caught on the hook. The fish sees the worm and thinks, “Oh! There's something to eat!” They see pleasure and immediately jump toward it but then become hooked there and death follows. There are many examples like this—there is so much clinging to pleasure only to be cheated and destroyed by it. Even beauty can't be found when you analyze it. Someone you think of as so beautiful, visualize them without their skin. Then see them as a pile of skin, flesh, and bones—where is the beauty? Then using the example of blood: when the body is cut, one bleeds. This is frightening to see. Even the skin itself, if you looked at it with a magnifying glass, you can see all of the bumps. There's no beauty to be attached to if you examine the body; it exists because you labeled it as beautiful, but this came from your mind. Your negative imprints project good and bad, you differentiate between beautiful and ugly, causing attachment and anger to arise. Without analyzing it looks like beauty comes from the outside, but that's a total hallucination. This is why practicing mindfulness every day is necessary. It solves the wrong concept. You can counteract attachment to someone's body by thinking about what's inside it—muscles, nerves, blood, flesh, skeleton. You can also counteract attachment to someone's body by thinking it has a dirty smell when it isn't washed and perfumed, or when it is dead. Even insects project beauty onto other insects of the opposite sex and wish to have sex with them. The same is true for human beings; negative imprints cause us to see particular body parts as beautiful. From the side of the body, there is no beauty at all. It is difficult to take the lay vow to abstain from sexual misconduct because attachment overcomes the mind...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this teaching, recorded on July 25, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, by reminding us that the perfect human rebirth doesn't last long. This body is like a machine—breathing in and out—and can stop at any time. Why does the body keep working? Karma. How long the breath lasts is also due to karma. It can stop at any time, we have to remember this. Some students have even died while using the bathroom. It can happen at any time, and when you don't expect it, so while you are still breathing, make your life most beneficial for others by doing everything with bodhichitta. The two basic practices in your life should be the two bodhichittas: absolute bodhichitta and conventional bodhichitta. Bodhichitta is the two wishes; one is the wish to benefit sentient beings, and one is the wish to achieve enlightenment. The real purpose of life is to benefit numberless sentient beings, to free them from suffering and bring them to enlightenment by yourself. Therefore, you need to achieve enlightenment. This is the motivation for listening to the teachings. It is so important to know that samsaric pleasures are actually the suffering of change. Most students meditate on the suffering of pain, but they don't meditate on how samsaric pleasures are in the nature of suffering, or on pervasive compounding suffering. This third type of suffering, the pervasive compounding suffering, is the most important to meditate on; it is the suffering of samsara. When you are free of this type of suffering, you become free from the other two sufferings, the suffering of pain and the suffering of change. As Rinpoche mentioned yesterday, quoting from Lama Chopa verses 87cd-88ab, you have to renounce the thought of seeing samsara as a beautiful park: "Please bless me to generate a strong wish to be liberated From the endless and terrifying great ocean of samsara." "Having renounced the thought seeing samsara, Which is difficult to bear like being in prison, as a beautiful park," You have to abandon this thought of the hallucinated mind. If there were no negative imprints left on the mental continuum by ignorance, there would be no projection of a real I. Rinpoche explains how the thought focuses on the aggregates—form, feeling, cognition, compositional factors, and consciousness—and that is the phenomenon or base that is merely labeled "I." When that happens, it is extremely fine, so subtle, Rinpoche emphasizes. It is not that the I doesn't exist. The I exists, but it is like it doesn't exist. The negative imprints left by ignorance on the continuation of our consciousness decorate the I that just now was merely imputed, projecting true existence, existing from its own side. So we think, “This is real. This is true!” Believing, holding onto that—that is ignorance. As you are creating ignorance, you are creating the root of samsara, the root of all suffering. This is from ignorance holding the I as truly existent. Your hallucinated mind also makes up pleasure. If you check up on samsaric pleasure, you can see it is the basis of all suffering. Your mind labels it as pleasure. In reality, it is a hallucination, made up by the mind according to the different things an individual wants. Traveling, drugs, sex, going into the mountains—these various things are labeled pleasure according to the individual, but in reality there is nothing there at all. You have to recognize the hallucination as a hallucination. If you don't look at the dream as a dream, you believe it is real. Then all of the problems of anger, ignorance, and attachment, all the delusions, arise. -- For links to this teaching's transcript, translations, and practice resources: https://fpmt.org/lama-zopa-rinpoche-news-and-advice/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche/renounce-the-thought-seeing-samsara-as-a-beautiful-park/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this teaching, recorded on July 22, 2021, at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, by reminding us of the motivation he established last session, particularly for the Sangha. He emphasized requesting the guru for blessings to be able to generate a strong wish to be liberated from samsara, quoting verse 87 of Lama Chopa. Rinpoche adds that for this teaching's motivation, we can look to verse 88 from Lama Chopa: Having renounced the thought seeing samsara, Which is difficult to bear like being in prison, as a beautiful park, Please bless me to hold the three higher trainings, the treasure of the exalted beings' wealth, And then to uphold the victory banner of liberation. In this way, the motivation is to renounce the thought of seeing samsara as a beautiful park. You don't want to think like this even for a second. People in the East look at life in the West as pleasurable, Rinpoche explains, but soon find out that the lifestyle is very expensive! Many Tibetans work hard all year to save money in order to make offerings to the monasteries. This is their way of collecting merit by doing something good each year. This is very different than the customs in the West, where people work hard just to support an expensive lifestyle. Rinpoche cautions that if your mind is not holy Dharma, your actions become nonvirtue. So even if you give all of your money to the monastery, your motivation is what determines whether this is worldly dharma, resulting in future suffering, or holy Dharma, which is the cause of happiness. Rinpoche then discussed going on pilgrimage to Gyalwa Dromtonpa's monastery in Tibet. Dromtonpa said that practicing holy Dharma means you renounce this life. Renouncing this life means giving up attachment clinging to this life. All the sufferings, all the problems, all nonvirtue—all of this comes from the root, which is the eight worldly concerns, clinging to the pleasures of this life. So renouncing means giving this up. There is more and more dissatisfaction the more wealth you have. It is the worst suffering. Even though you have everything materially, the mind suffers unbelievably. Rich people look at poor people and think they are happier than them, but having that much wealth causes so many mental problems and so much suffering. Being in samsara is like being in the center of a fire, like sitting on top of a needle, like being in prison. The essential path to become free from samsara is the practice of the three higher trainings: morality, concentration, and wisdom. Rinpoche then discusses why it is so important to be Sangha. Lama Tsongkhapa explained in Lamrim Chenmo that being ordained makes it easy to practice the higher training of morality—which is the base of all realizations. Generally, Sangha have more time to practice Dharma than lay people. This is because many lay people get caught in family life and there is no time to practice and actualizing the path becomes very difficult. Due to having more freedom to practice, Sangha can develop renunciation and then compassion. This is why it is very important to have the motivation to request the guru for blessings to be able to uphold the three higher trainings and receive liberation. Your view depends on how pure or impure your mind is. What you see on the outside is all according to your mind. The more impure your mind is, the more impure things appear outside. If your mind is more pure, you will see things outside as pure also. To a Buddha, whatever appears is only a pure appearance—negative imprints are totally removed, and there is no dualistic view. Attachment and anger arise only after you discriminate “good” or “bad.” Lama Tsongkhapa mentioned this in Lamrim Chenmo: Ignorance, which is in the nature of exaggeration, exaggerates the differentiation into good and bad. Then attachment and anger arise. Therefore, the way of holding [objects] by these [wrong concepts] can also be gotten rid of by logic. Real pleasure is a...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this teaching, recorded on July 20, 2021 at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, discussing two important and powerful holy objects. First, Rinpoche discussed the three-story Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) statue being built in Maratika, Nepal, to pacify war, famine, and disease—and, of course, for all the six-realm sentient beings, who have been suffering from beginningless rebirths, to be free from samsara and achieve enlightenment. Then, Rinpoche discusses the Maitreya Buddha statue being built in Bodhgaya, India, on the land offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This statue is also being built to pacify war, famine, and disease. Rinpoche explains that one can never know what is going to happen. There are earthquakes, landslides, flooding, and other disasters of the elements. There can also be viruses, famine, war—all kinds of things can happen in samsara. Even in places like Germany, no one expected flash floods there, but they occurred. These dangers actually come from people's minds, from their karma. So even in an area where a certain disaster wouldn't be expected, it can happen. Most people don't have the merit to understand karma, so they believe in the wrong things and attribute causes to the wrong things. Because Buddhism explains the mind, studying it is important, Rinpoche says, even if you don't believe it! Even if you are not practicing or believing, you are developing wisdom by studying the Dharma. Due to practicing Dharma, karma can ripen as suffering in this life rather than in the hell realm. This is due to purification from practicing virtue. Instead of having to experience the heaviest suffering for eons, the karma ripens as some catastrophe in this life, and then there will be happiness in the future. Rinpoche illustrates this point, quoting Kadampa Geshe Kharag Gomchung from Mind Training: The Seventy-Two Exhortations: Even this small present suffering Finishes past heavy negative karma, And then in the future there will be happiness. Therefore, feel happy with your suffering. Rinpoche then discusses verses 85–87 from Lama Chopa: Realizing how this perfect human body of freedoms and richnesses Is found only one time, is difficult to find again, and easily perishes, Please bless me to make it meaningful and take its essence, Without being distracted by the meaningless activities of this life. Being afraid of the blazing suffering of the lower realms, Please bless me to voluntarily persevere in Going for refuge from my heart to the Three Rare Sublime Ones, Abandoning negative karma, and practicing all the collections of virtue. Violently tossed by the waves of afflicted actions and disturbing thoughts, Harmed by the many water lions of the three types of suffering, Please bless me to generate a strong wish to be liberated From the endless and terrifying great ocean of samsara. The first verse means we must make this perfect human rebirth truly meaningful. Then, we request the guru for blessings to go for refuge, abandon negative karma, and practice virtue. Rinpoche uses Milarepa as an example of how to practice this. Milarepa took on hardships purposefully. Many thought he was very poor and had nothing—but he achieved the whole path to enlightenment. Many people might think, “I have a job, I have money, I have an education.” They achieved whatever they needed to achieve, but they are still suffering in samsara because they don't know Dharma. Rinpoche emphasizes that it is so important to request the guru for blessings to generate a strong wish to be liberated from the great ocean of samsara. We should request this single-pointedly, making the strongest request. This is the motivation we should have for listening to the teachings. Rinpoche reminds us that our personal suffering in samsara is nothing compared to that of numberless sentient beings, who have suffered since beginningless rebirths. Practicing the higher training of morality is the foundation for...

By being aware, by knowing about negative karma and all the suffering results, we are persuaded to practice purification. Lama Zopa Rinpoche These teachings were given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the 36th Kopan Meditation Course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal in 2003. In this session, Rinpoche reminds us of the many kinds of negative karma … Continue reading Karma and Purification →

It was October 18, 1975, when a farmer found the body of a young woman floating face down in the Gulf of Thailand.  Teresa Knowlton was wearing a floral bikini - a detail that journalists would use to eventually brand her murderer 'The Bikini Killer'. The 21-year-old had traveled to Bangkok, from Seattle in the US, and was following the “Hippie Trail” that would eventually lead her to study Tibetan Buddhism at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu.  But along the way, she'd met someone.  Although accounts differ, it appears that a man invited Theresa to his home in Pattaya, about 100 kilometres southeast of Bangkok.  There, it's likely her drink was poisoned. And then, she was invited out for a swim.  She would become the first victim of a man who would come to be known as 'The Serpent'.  And his crimes would only get worse.   CREDITS Guest: Julie Clarke Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Gia Moylan Audio Producer: Ian Camileri CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With that continual thought of benefiting other sentient beings, then with every single morsel of food or drop of drink, you collect limitless skies of merit. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche These teachings were given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the 36th Kopan Meditation Course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal in 2003. In this session, Rinpoche teaches how … Continue reading The Yoga of Offering Food →

"We are about Success To Significance through Selling To Strategics." - Rob FollowsSTS stands for Success To Significance through Selling To Strategics. STS' mission is to be the best sell side advisor in the world, and to support entrepreneurs and family business owners maximize value on their journey to an Extraordinary Exit. Rob Follows is driven to helping entrepreneurial business owners achieve maximum value when the right time comes to sell. He has a passion for helping people live their vision and wants to help other entrepreneurs achieve full value for their business.Today, Rob has been involved with or led over a thousand M&A transactions with a total transaction value of over $100 billion. As well as being CEO and founder of STS Capital Partners, Rob is also the founding Chairman of Altruvest Charitable Services, a Canadian charity that provides training and tools to improve the performance of charitable organizations so they can give more to their causes.Rob is a true believer in contributing leadership. He has held various roles with Young Presidents' Organization and World Presidents' Organization, including founding chapter chair, former Chair of the Global Deal Network, Founding Chair of the Executive Committee of the Social Enterprise Networks, serving on the networks committee of the international board of YPO for over five years and contributing to over 100 events as a YPO best of the best premier speaker.Rob is also an extreme adventurer. When Rob summited Everest on May 24th, 2006, he became part of an elite group of people who have climbed all Seven Summits. His adventures also include skiing the North and South poles. Canoeing the Nahanni River in the Canadian Arctic.  The first international descent of the Onan River on the Siberia/Mongolia border. Completing the 250-kilometer Gobi Desert Ultra Marathon and 110-mile Trans Rockies Challenge. Rob has practiced deeper meditation and mindfulness with the Tibetan monks at the Kopan Monastery in Nepal, Tiger's Nest Monastery, and other monasteries in Bhutan.Rob's academic accomplishments include a BA with distinction from the University of Toronto; an LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University; a certificate in Not-for-profit management from the University of Toronto and Sheridan College; the Arbor Award from the University of Toronto as an international leader in corporate philanthropy; a master's degree from Oxford University's Saïd Business School in Advanced Strategy and Corporate Philanthropy. He was also honored by being identified as one of the "Group of 175": the 175 most visionary and philanthropic living graduates in the history of the University of Toronto.Today, Rob Follows and STS Capital Partners is presented to you by Deep Wealth.The Deep Wealth Experience has you learn the 9-steps of preparation in 90-days. At the end of the 90-day's you create a blueprint to help you optimize your business value. You also have the certainty of capturing the maximum value for your liquidity event.‍SHOW NOTESThe importance of knowing the difference between a sell-side advisor and an investment bankerRob shares how he had the largest independent marketing services business in CanadaHow Rob sold his business for 27 times EBITDA to later learn his  buyer would have paid 100 times EBITDAWhy Rob created STS Capital Partners as a result of his experienceSTS Capital stands for "Success To Significance" through “Selling To Strategics”The advantage of sell-side advisory that business owners won't find anywhere elseHow financial buyers, VCs, Private Equity, and SPACs  look for death, disease, divorce, disability, disenchantment, and disintermediation to buy as low as they can to aim to buy low from entrepreneurs and sell high to strategic buyersHow you too can “Sell To Strategics”

Once we are free from delusion and karma, there is no cause for fear, so we are free from fear forever. Lama Zopa Rinpoche These teachings were given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the 36th Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2003. In this session, Rinpoche explains how to use our fear … Continue reading The Useful Fear of Death →

Christmas Eve public talk from Venerable Robina Courtin: “How to bring the Dharma to Christmas Dinner”! The festive season can often be experienced as stressful and hectic, with increased family and social commitments and the pressure to spend, spend, spend! In this public talk, Venerable Robina discusses ways we can apply a Buddhist perspective to find peace and create harmony amidst the Christmas mayhem. This Christmas Eve talk was inspired by Lama Yeshe's “Silent Mind, Holy Mind” teachings at Kopan Monastery in 1971, about Christmas and Buddhist practice. You can read some of these teachings on the FPMT website here: https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/christmas-dharma.

Desire will be there all the time, but on top of that there is more anger. So much of the problem is desire; it is really the whole world’s problem. Lama Zopa Rinpoche These teachings were given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the 36th Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2003. In … Continue reading The Shortcomings of Desire →

Naeem has a wonderful time talking with his dear friend @shaundabrown_! She was (and currently is) living in Bali for the interview. Before that she was traveling around the world, volunteering in the slums in Bangalore and taking a meditation training at the Kopan Monastery in Nepal.She recently raised $18,500 with her event Bali Live, which was an epic 12 hour virtual festival to raise funds for the Balinese people impacted by Covid-19.They had 19,000 attendees to tune in and participate in the workshops, ceremonies and talks from 32 artists from around the planet. They used the funds to build the Urban Garden Project with NGO Kopernik to support Balinese severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Get my BEST Body and Mind Performance Tools Delivered to Your Inbox: https://sendfox.com/lp/1jj6n6 SUBSCRIBE:https://bit.ly/2P4EdWA About Naeem Mahmood:Naeem is a world renowned Peak Performance Coach and lifestyle entrepreneur. He graduated with honors from NYU where he studied economics and played on the basketball team. He started his professional career working in private equity and then at a fund of hedge funds on Wall Street in New York City. From there he worked for a venture capital firm and tech startup in Silicon Valley. After realizing the traditional forms of success in the forms of money, status and prestige wouldn’t bring him the fulfillment he wanted he started studying personal development. He worked for the legendary Tony Robbins as one of his top five national speakers and corporate business trainers. While working for Tony he travelled all across North America meeting with some of the most successful entrepreneurs and companies such as Google, Salesforce, Berkshire Hathaway, JP Morgan Chase and worked with them to optimize their business revenues but more importantly their mindsets and wellbeing. He shows entrepreneurs and business owners how to build prosperous and purposeful businesses structured around their ideal lifestyle.

I know you people understand something, have discovered something; but many things are only intellectual and not yet realization, therefore, I think you need something more. Lama Yeshe In the early 70s, Lama Yeshe used to give Sunday afternoon lectures at the location of Kopan Monastery and people would come from all around to listen. … Continue reading Integrating What You Have Heard →

Meditation is such an important tool for stress reduction. My guest on this episode, Michel Pascal, was trained in the authentic Tibetan Buddhist tradition of meditation at the Kopan Monastery in the Himalayas. He has taught this type of meditation to prisoners and parolees in Los Angeles and New York, with outstanding results. In this episode, you will learn the difference between meditation for daily stress vs. the usual meditation we learn in the West, as well as how to start a meditation practice. Michel also talks about his upcoming film about suicide prevention, called "I Am Never Alone," on which he is working with Deepak Chopra and Gabriella Wright. Visit michelpascal.tv to learn more or download the "Mind Dive" app on your smartphone!

Es ist endlich so weit - mein 4-wöchiger Meditationskurs in der Kopan Monastery steht bevor. Meine ersten Eindrücke sind äußerst positiv und ich freue mich wie ein Schnitzel auf die kommenden Wochen. Ich habe schon super viele herzliche und einzigartige Menschen kennengelernt und freue mich auf eine unvergessliche Zeit im Kloster.

Final Countdown bevor mein 4-wöchiger Meditationskurs in der Kopan Monastery beginnt. Ich habe die letzten Tage in Pokhara und Bhaktapur noch in vollen Zügen genossen und mich ins Touri-Getümmel gestürzt

The benefits of bodhicitta can never be finished explaining it is said in the teachings by Buddha, like limitless sky. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these lamrim teachings on the immeasurable benefits of bodhicitta at the 29th Kopan Meditation Course held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 1996. You can also read along with the transcript by … Continue reading The Benefits of Bodhicitta →

Are you stressed out in your daily life?  Have you ever been curious about meditation but don't know where to begin?  Michel Pascal, the famous spiritual teacher and writer, who lived for many year in the Kopan Monastery in the Himalayas, explains simple and efficient techniques you can use to quickly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.  

I visited the Kopan Monastery in October 2014 where I took vows and took refuge in the three jewels. Here is what it was like for me to learn about Buddhism by the Dalai Lama's monks.

Author of 20 published books, 19 in French, 1 in English. Before moving to the US, Michel Pascal calls on his experience living in Kopan Monastery ... Hello, my name is Adam Lowery. I hope you’re taking care of you and living your Cognitive Rampage! What does that mean? It is about cultivating happiness through a passionate pursuit of life optimization, an enthusiastically persistent search for competence in mind, body and belief while building an optimistically rational life philosophy and living and growing your purposeful structure. The Cognitive Rampage hosts cerebral guests, offers mental health help and pushes you to question everything, including yourself. I fuse the cognitive, behavioral, social and biological sciences into a book & podcast. Available on Amazon & iTunes

Drawing on his experience living at the Kopan Monastery in Nepal, meditation teacher Michel Pascal revisits Soulful Living to expand on his simple method of meditating in the moment to calm the mind and break the cycle of stress addiction.

On today's journey From Grief to Grace, host Chaz Wesley interviews Michel Pascal, author of the book Meditation for Daily Stress: 10 Practices for Immediate Well-Being. Michel Pascal is a french writer, meditation teacher/singer, photographer, and director for spiritual documentaries. Before moving to the United States, Michel lived in the largest monastery in the Himalayas, Kopan Monastery in Nepal. The high master Chepa Dorje Rimpoche (descendant of Milarepa) was his meditation teacher for 15 years. Michel has written 19 books in French about spirituality. Drawing on his experience of living at the Kopan Monastery in Nepal, Michel shares his new and easy method of meditating in the moment to calm the mind and break the cycle of stress addiction. In the midst of one's grief experience, Michel's book is a guide to a revolutionary meditative techniques for finding peace, quiet, mindfulness, and centeredness. A true authority in meditation, Michel introduces readers to the power of meditation as a coping mechanism for daily stress, anxiety, and depression—and yes, grief!

Michel Pascal is a french writer, meditation teacher/singer, photographer, and director for spiritual documentaries. Before moving to the United States, Michel lived in the largest monastery in the Himalayas, Kopan Monastery in Nepal. The high master Chepa Dorje Rimpoche (descendant of Milarepa) was his meditation teacher for 15 years. Michel has written 19 books in French about spirituality. Drawing on his experience of living at the Kopan Monastery in Nepal, Michel shares his new and easy method of meditating in the moment to calm the mind and break the cycle of stress addiction.   Meditation for Daily Stress: 10 Practices for Immediate Well-Being is more than just an exploration of why we experience stress; it is a guide to a revolutionary meditative technique for finding peace, quiet, mindfulness, and centeredness in our daily lives. A true authority in meditation, Michel introduces readers to the power of meditation as a coping mechanism for daily stress, anxiety, and depression. He then prescribes a series of visualization and breathing practices and techniques that can be used throughout the day—whether in the workplace, while commuting, or at home—to unplug in the moment, before stress takes hold.

Michel Pascal is a French writer, meditation teacher, singer, photographer, and director of spiritual documentaries and plays. Before moving to the United States, Michel lived in the largest monastery in the Himalayas, Kopan Monastery in Nepal. The high master Chepa Dorje Rinpoche (descendant of Marpa) was his meditation teacher for many years.His latest play, Saint Therese, was an international success having performed 1,000 shows. Michel’s last documentary, Lhamo, The Little Himalayan Girl (the first documentary to be filmed in a Buddhist nunnery), was one of the most successful airings on French television.Michel created a new way of meditation, specifically for daily stress. His unique brand of meditation is practiced at Google, Harvard University, Dharma Yoga Center of New York, Dharma Yoga Center of Los Angeles, and in various schools and large companiesin the United States.His new book, Meditation for Daily Stress, will be published April 2017 by Abrams. Follow Michel on Twitter @michelmeditates or on www.michelpascal.tv  

Michel Pascal is a French writer, meditation teacher, singer, photographer, and director of spiritual documentaries and plays. Before moving to the United States, Michel lived in the largest monastery in the Himalayas, Kopan Monastery in Nepal. The high master Chepa Dorje Rinpoche (descendant of Marpa) was his meditation teacher for many years. His latest play, Saint Therese, was an international success having performed 1,000 shows. Michel’s last documentary, Lhamo, The Little Himalayan Girl (the first documentary to be filmed in a Buddhist nunnery), was one of the most successful airings on French television. Michel created a new way of meditation, specifically for daily stress. His unique brand of meditation is practiced at Google, Harvard University, Dharma Yoga Center of New York, Dharma Yoga Center of Los Angeles, and in various schools and large companies in the United States. His new book, Meditation for Daily Stress, will be published April 2017 by Abrams. Follow Michel on Twitter @michelmeditates or on www.michelpascal.tv  

Exploring both spirituality and physicality, mind and body, Meditation for Daily Stress is an essential read for busy people looking for an approach to meditation that will allow them to start a daily practice right away in order to live a healthier, happier life.Michel Pascal is a French author, meditation teacher, singer, filmmaker, and photographer. Michel's unique brand of meditation is being practiced at Google, Harvard University, and many other major organizations. Before moving to the United States, Pascal lived in the Kopan Monastery in the Himalayas. He has spent more than 15 years adapting traditional teachings and practices for students around the world.

Meditation for Daily Stress: 10 Practices for Immediate Well-Being  with Michel Pascal Meditation for Daily Stress: 10 Practices for Immediate Well-being is more than just an exploration of why we experience stress; it is a guide to a revolutionary meditative technique for finding peace, quiet, mindfulness, centeredness and simplicity in our daily lives. A true authority in meditation, Michel Pascal introduces readers to the power of meditation as the best solution for daily stress, anxiety, and depression. He prescribes a series of one minute visualization and breathing practices and techniques that can be used throughout the day-whether in the workplace, while commuting, or at home-to unplug in the moment, before stress takes hold (or after if necessary).  Michel Pascal is a French author, meditation teacher, singer, filmmaker, and photographer. Michel's unique brand of meditation is being practiced at Google, Harvard University, and many other major organizations. Before moving to the United States, Pascal lived in the Kopan Monastery in the Himalayas. He has spent more than 15 years adapting traditional teachings and practices for students around the world. Pascal lives in Los Angeles. For more information visit: http://www.michelpascal.tv/ ************************************************* For more information about BITEradio products and services visit: http://www.biteradio.me/index.html

Drawing on his experience living at the Kopan Monastery in Nepal, meditation teacher Michel Pascal shares his simple method of meditating in the moment to calm the mind and break the cycle of stress addiction.

Michel Pascal is a French author, meditation teacher, singer, filmmaker, photographer and director for spiritual documentaries. His unique brand of meditation is being practiced at Google, Harvard University, and many other major organizations. Before moving to the United States, Michel lived in the Kopan Monastery in the Himalayas. He has spent more than 15 years adapting traditional teachings and practices for students around the world. Michel has authored 19 books in French on spirituality, including Instants Sacrés with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His first English language book, Meditation for Daily Stress - 10 Practices for Immediate Well-being will be released in April. Michel has a multi-media program called Relax-Sing which involves his soul-touching singing with images and meditations. He performed this program at Carnegie Hall last November. He works with one of the most powerful tools that human beings have in the world - the imagination.  Visit www.michelpascal.tv. Get the Off the Grid Into the Heart CD by Sister Jenna.  Like America Meditating & follow us on Twitter.  Visit www.americameditating.org.  Download Pause for Peace App for Apple or Android 

Tenzin Ösel Hita, the recognized reincarnation of Lama Yeshe, gave this talk during the 45th Kopan Lamrim Course at Kopan Monastery in 2012. Ösel covers many lamrim topics such as guru devotion, Dharma, the sufferings of samsara, our five senses and love, all from a contemporary viewpoint. You can also read along to the transcript … Continue reading You have to find your own truth →

This teaching is excerpted from Lecture 10 of the 41st Kopan Course held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in December 2008. In this section of the teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche discusses the great meaning of the precious human rebirth, with reference to a verse from Calling the Guru From Afar, and the story of Milarepa, who achieved enlightenment … Continue reading Basic Philosophy of Buddhism →

Ven. Robina Courtin was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1978. She has worked full-time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. She is now director of Liberation Prison Project, which supports the Buddhist practice of thousands of prisoners in the USA and Australia. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Ven. Robina Courtin was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1978. She has worked full-time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. She is now director of Liberation Prison Project, which supports the Buddhist practice of thousands of prisoners in the USA and Australia. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

This lecture is from teachings given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the 28th Kopan Meditation Course at Kopan Monastery in November, 1995. Included in this teaching are oral transmissions of the Heart Sutra, the Thirty-five Buddhas Confession Prayer, and Pabongka Rinpoche’s Heart-Spoon. You can read along with the transcript here and explore the rest of the teachings given during the 28th … Continue reading 28th Kopan Meditation Course: Lecture 8 →

These teachings were given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the 28th Kopan Meditation Course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal in December, 1995. This is the first talk on compassion and includes discussion of the mantra of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion. You can read the transcript of this talk here.

Ven. Robina Courtin was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1978. She has worked full-time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. She is now director of Liberation Prison Project, which supports the Buddhist practice of thousands of prisoners in the USA and Australia. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Ven. Robina Courtin was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1978. She has worked full-time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. She is now director of Liberation Prison Project, which supports the Buddhist practice of thousands of prisoners in the USA and Australia. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Ven. Robina Courtin was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1978. She has worked full-time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. She is now director of Liberation Prison Project, which supports the Buddhist practice of thousands of prisoners in the USA and Australia. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Ven. Robina Courtin was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1978. She has worked full-time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. She is now director of Liberation Prison Project, which supports the Buddhist practice of thousands of prisoners in the USA and Australia. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Ven. Robina Courtin was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1978. She has worked full-time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. She is now director of Liberation Prison Project, which supports the Buddhist practice of thousands of prisoners in the USA and Australia. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter