Category Archives: Death and Transitions

Proof of Reincarnation by Habituation

Death and Transitions, Introductory, Karma, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

By training the mind in patience, it leaves a positive imprint on your mind. Then later you find it easier for the mind to be patient and more and more difficult for the mind to get angry. It’s the same with self-cherishing or bodhicitta. Whichever way one trains the mind, one can become more easily habituated towards that mind even in this life.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains the difference between the mind and the body, engages in debate with the students on this difference, and ends by offering the proof of reincarnation by habituation. These teachings were given by Rinpoche during the 29th Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 1996. You can also read along with the transcript on the LYWA website.

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Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri

Death and Transitions, Dharma in Daily Life, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Oral Transmission, Sutras, Mantras and Root Texts

Manjushri bodhisattva is the highest manifestation of being, the embodiment of all knowledge.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The Ārya-mañjuśrī-nāma-saṅgīti (Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri) consists of 160 verses and mantra sentences, condensing an enormous tantric lore. Listen to Lama Zopa Rinpoche reciting the Ārya-mañjuśrī-nāma-saṅgīti in Tibetan. Rinpoche recorded this recitation in 2006, and asked for the recording to be made available for anyone to listen at any time during their day. Rinpoche also suggested to play it loudly so that animals and others nearby can hear it, and thereby benefit from it as well.

Recently His Holiness the Dalai Lama has offered us all the precious advice to recite Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri continuously for a few months, for the swift return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s reincarnation. Thus all students of Lama Zopa Rinpoche are requested to please recite Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri as much as you can, continuously, starting now. You can download the English translation of Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri and read His Holiness’s letter of advice on the FPMT website.

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The Urgency of Realizing Lamrim

Benefiting Animals, Compassion and Bodhicitta, Death and Transitions, Dharma in Daily Life, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Introductory, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment), Perfect Human Rebirth, Renunciation

So we’re going to destroy, to totally cease, make it completely non-existent, this enemy, this inner enemy, this delusion, this demon, this self-cherishing thought that harms, that has been harming you, torturing you, and all the time, giving you problem all the time, even this life.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives this introductory teaching during a lamrim retreat at Vajrapani Institute in 2006. In this session Rinpoche impresses upon us the urgent importance of concentrating all our efforts on realizing the stages of the path to enlightenment for ourselves and all sentient beings. Read along with the transcript on our website.

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The Transference of Consciousness

Death and Transitions, Lama Yeshe, Sickness and Health

“From the Buddhist point of view, human life and death are equally important events. There’s no reason to think that life is important and death is bad, unimportant. You should not think that way. Both are important.”

Lama Yeshe’s teachings on the transference of consciousness at death are particularly poignant as these were from the last teachings Lama gave in the West; he passed away some five months later.  These teachings have been published by LYWA as “Life, Death and After Death” and are drawn from teachings given by Lama in London, 1982 and Geneva, 1983. You can also read along to the transcript of this podcast at http://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/6-transference-consciousness

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Transference of Consciousness

Death and Transitions, Lama Yeshe

Teachings given by Lama Yeshe on po-wa, the transference of consciousness at the time of death, given in London in September, 1982.  These teachings were edited into the book Life, Death and After Death.

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We Are the Cure of Our Own Samsara

Death and Transitions, Karma, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

All our suffering is caused by our belief that even though the I is merely labeled on the aggregates, it exists from its own side. This sickness is the root of all our suffering and our cure is our wisdom.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives a short vivid explanation about how we circle in samsara, why we circle, and whose fault it is that we circle and suffer. This teaching is from the Fourteenth Kopan Course, 1981. Read along with the transcript on our website here.

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