Lama Zopa Rinpoche full length teachings

Lama Zopa Rinpoche reads some verses from Phabongkha Dechen Nyingpo’s Calling the Guru from Afar and discusses the meaning. He talks about the rarity of finding a precious human body and meeting the Dharma. In every second, you have the unmistaken choice to either create the cause to be born in hell or to achieve enlightenment. Having this incredible opportunity is only due to the kindness of the...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives an extensive presentation on the benefits of making stupas. He says that it’s so easy to benefit other sentient beings by making holy objects, such as statues and stupas. The minute it’s completed, it becomes an object of purification. It purifies sentient beings’ negative karma and plants the seed of enlightenment because of the powerful mantras and sutras held within. Ri...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche reads the Mahamudra lineage prayer and explains the fundamental meaning of mahamudra. He says it is the unification of emptiness and dependent arising. No phenomena exist without being empty. All phenomena are sealed by emptiness; they exist by dependent arising, being merely imputed by the mind, related to the base. Rinpoche also outlines the supreme mahamudra, which is the pat...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains that the Ten Innermost Jewels of the Kadampa Geshes is mainly aimed toward Sangha and those doing a lifetime retreat. Even though most of us are unable to practice like the Kadampa geshes, reciting the Ten Innermost Jewels leaves a positive imprint so that we can practice like them in the future. Rinpoche reads the bodhicitta motivation aimed toward freeing hell beings,...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains that the Ten Innermost Jewels of the Kadampa Geshes is mainly aimed toward Sangha and those doing a lifetime retreat. Even though most of us are unable to practice like the Kadampa geshes, reciting the Ten Innermost Jewels leaves a positive imprint so that we can practice like them in the future. Rinpoche reads the bodhicitta motivation aimed toward freeing hell beings,...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche emphasizes that this perfect human body is more precious than skies of wish-fulfilling gems. It enables you to achieve any happiness you want. Therefore, it’s important not to waste it. Rinpoche cites Shantideva, who said that while one is ignorant, don’t sleep. Rinpoche explains that this not only refers to sleep, but also the mind being distracted by meaningless activities, pa...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that bearing hardships while doing this retreat purifies negative karma in the same manner as when doing a nyung-nä. He mentions how bodhisattvas bear hardships for other sentient beings, even if it causes life danger. They enjoy it so much because they can see the benefit for others. Rinpoche says that he wants to speak out on behalf of all the millipedes, worms, and other...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives the oral transmissions of the long and short Namgyalma mantras and the Twenty-one Taras’ praise. Next, Rinpoche discusses how the first realization of lamrim is to switch from thinking about the happiness of this life to thinking about future lives. This transformation is achieved by training the mind in the eight freedoms, ten richnesses, impermanence, the sufferings of t...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche emphasizes that the five powerful mantras (Namgyalma, Mitukpa, Kunrig, Stainless Pinnacle, and Wish-granting Wheel) are very powerful for purification. When someone has died, if you recite these mantras while thinking of them, it protects them from the lower realms. Even if they’re already born in the lower realms, they will transcend into a higher realm. It’s also very powerful...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche describes how to do the Lama Chöpa chants based on His Holiness Song Rinpoche’s tunes from Gaden Shartse Monastery (supposed to be also from Pabongka’s lineage). He says that in the past, the chanting came from enlightened beings. It came out of their bodhicitta to benefit sentient beings, and with their realization, so it carries their blessings. Rinpoche advises that when the...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that Lama Tsongkhapa gave very clear explanations about the difficult points of sutra and tantra. He points out that this is not just his personal view but is commonly known. He cites His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, the head of the Nyingma, who praised Lama Tsongkhapa’s clear explanation of the path. Lama Zopa mentions that all four traditions can lead to enlightenment if pra...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues his oral transmission and commentary of the Praise to Buddha Shakyamuni. He explains how the second last verse of this prayer shows how all causative phenomena are transitory and they do not exist in the way they appear. He emphasizes that they do exist, just not in the way they appear. Rinpoche says that it’s a very good meditation to continuously practice mindfulness...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche completes the oral transmission of The Heart’s Utmost Need (previously known as Heart-Spoon) by Pabongka Rinpoche. He explains that this text is particularly good when your mind is losing inspiration or becoming distracted by the activities of this life. It has the power to bring you back into the path to enlightenment. It’s also inspiring to read when you are beginning a retrea...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that the penultimate stanza in Praise to Shakyamuni Buddha contains two important meditations: causative phenomena are transitory, and they do not exist as they appear. ‘A star, a mirage, the flame of a lamp, An illusion, a drop of dew, or a bubble, A dream, a flash of lightning, a cloud— See conditioned things as such!’ Rinpoche explains that the transitory nature of pheno...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche bestows the oral transmission of The Heart’s Utmost Need (previously known as Heart-Spoon) by Pabongka Rinpoche. He says that he received the transmission of this very effective teaching on the nature of life, impermanence, and death from Ribur Rinpoche. Ribur Rinpoche received it from His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, who received it directly from Pabongka Rinpoche. Lama Zopa Rinp...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche emphasizes the importance of this precious human body. He says that it’s extremely rare to find. Therefore, while we have the opportunity to practice Dharma, we should secure a good rebirth, especially a perfect human rebirth, to continue to practice Dharma. Rinpoche explains that rebirth in the deva realm makes it much harder to generate renunciation compared to the human realm...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues the oral transmission of How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (from Pabongkapa Dechen Nyingpo’s Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand). He starts with “Part Six: How to develop the spiritual realizations that relate to the suffering of the lower states.” Rinpoche explains that meditating on the lower realms gives us courage to renounce meaningless a...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that human rebirth is more precious than all the wealth in the human and deva realms. It’s the basis for us to achieve liberation and full enlightenment. Therefore, before death, we must free ourselves from samsara. To do this depends on bodhicitta. Rinpoche explains that without bodhicitta, we cannot practice the tantric path. By cherishing one human being, we can achieve...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how the tea offering to the eight groups of worldly devas can help stop natural disasters, such as extreme weather events. He recalls a time when he was at the Taipei Center in Taiwan during a typhoon. As the wind was pummeling the windows, he asked a geshe to do the tea offering. As soon as the offering was done, the wind stopped. Rinpoche adds that if the person is li...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche goes through the names of the lineage lamas and discusses two important lamrim texts: The Happy Path (by Panchen Palden Yeshe) and The Red Commentary (by Panchen Losang Yeshe). He mentions that The Red Commentary is the basis of Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo. Rinpoche revises the discussion from the previous evening about not seeing faults in the...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche highlights the importance of reading the life stories of the Buddha and the lamrim lineage lamas. These stories show us how they practiced and how much hardship they endured, which inspires us to courageously bear hardships. When you’re able to bear hardships, then there’s no obstacle to continuously practicing Dharma. Rinpoche says that all the purification practices are encomp...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins this session with an analysis of how the mind labels phenomena using the example of the letter ‘M’. He shows how M came from our mind because it’s imputed by the mind. Rinpoche explains that there is no outside creator; the creator is your mind. Rinpoche says that until your mind labels a problem, there is no appearance of a problem. The problem only comes into existence...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues the discussion from the previous session about his pen-pal when he was in Buxa, Rachel Levi (a member of the Buddhist Society in London). Rinpoche recalls his dream about receiving a letter when she passed away. Although they didn’t meet, when Rinpoche was in London, he met her niece. When the niece’s husband passed away, an extensive puja was offered at Manjushri Inst...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that the reason to have meetings is to help with wisdom. Many people have different ideas, so that helps generate a broader view. Rinpoche talks about the importance of Sangha as role models. He says learning the words is incredible, but without practice, it’s like a tape-recorder. When someone has meditated on lamrim, they can teach with experience. Rinpoche introduces the...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche discusses the seven attributes of a perfect human body and clarifies the points relating to caste and gender. He also discusses the eight ripening aspects that Lama Tsongkhapa emphasized in the Hymns of the Experience of the Path to Enlightenment. Rinpoche highlights the preciousness of this perfect human body. He says that it is more precious than the whole sky filled with wish...