Category Archives: Dharma in Daily Life

The Yoga of Offering Food

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Dharma in Daily Life, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Practice Commentary

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 and why to make all our meals the practice of Dharma and the cause of enlightenment. Rinpoche explains in detail the three motivations for making food offerings and then joins the students in a food  offering practice. Read along with the transcript of these teachings at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/lecture-7-yoga-offering-food

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Lama Yeshe Rides the Radio Waves

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Dharma in Daily Life, Introductory, Lama Yeshe, Nature of the Mind

We hope you enjoy listening to a radio interview with Lama Yeshe on the “What’s Cooking?” radio show with Judy O. This wide-ranging interview took place in Boulder Creek, California on July 22, 1983, just before Lama offered public talks at UC Santa Cruz on the subject of “Anxiety in the Nuclear Age.”

Please also watch video of Lama giving these public talks on the LYWA Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGpGqjz7TIXF3ghd2nHD5bDDg40bx3NE and experience a multimedia presentation of the teachings, edited by Nick Ribush and created by Megan Evart at https://multimedia.lamayeshe.com/2017/12/27/switch-your-mind-from-emotion-to-peace.

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The Shortcomings of Desire

Dharma in Daily Life, Karma, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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 this session, Rinpoche discusses how we must understand how pervasive compounding suffering permeates everything we experience. Without understanding this, we can never remove our suffering completely and instead will wander mindlessly in ignorant darkness driven by endless desire and dissatisfaction. But with Dharma wisdom, you are a success no matter what happens. Read along with the lighted edited transcript of these teachings at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/lecture-4-shortcomings-desire

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The Kindness of the Enemy

Dharma in Daily Life, Introductory, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Purification

The minute our anger arises, we find an enemy in our life. We see a person that we hate or we want to hurt, or a person harms us and we see them as an enemy. But the minute our anger is gone, we don’t see them as an enemy.

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 discusses how we can only practice patience with those who appear to be our enemy. By resisting our urge to respond to the enemy in anger, we protect our mind and advance our realizations. Because these benefits are dependent upon the practice of patience, Rinpoche urges us to recognize the special kindness of the enemy and to feel a very deep sense of gratitude towards them.

You can also read along with the transcript of this podcast at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/lecture-3-kindness-enemy.

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The Path of Universal Responsibility

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Dharma in Daily Life, Introductory, Karma, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Just by lecturing that we need compassion, that alone cannot generate compassion in the hearts of the people in this world. We need to learn how to develop compassion. Compassion, like rain falling, doesn’t just happen.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

These teachings were given by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche at the 36th Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2003. In this first lecture, Rinpoche begins by describing universal responsibility and illustrates this practice by telling the story of the four harmonious brothers. Rinpoche explains how living in harmony is the cause of inner and outer peace and powerful beauty. Rinpoche also gives commentary on the eight Mahayana precepts and ends with a guided meditation on universal responsibility. You can read along with a lightly edited transcript on our website at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/lecture-1-universal-responsibility

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The Power of Positive Attitude

Dharma in Daily Life, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

When we protect our mind, we protect our life.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

These teachings were given in June 2008 at the White Eagle Conference Center in Crestone, Colorado. Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains that when we practice a positive attitude, the good heart, we cause ourselves and everyone around us to be happy and healthy. Rinpoche notes that the good heart is so powerfully protective that a person doesn’t necessarily need a Buddhist motivation for their actions to become Dharma. You can read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/day-one-part-b-positive-attitude-taking-care-yourself-dedications

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The Benefits of Thought Transformation

Dharma in Daily Life, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Practice Commentary

All the hindrances of life, all the hindrances of meditation, of practicing Dharma, by practicing Mahayana thought training, all those hindrances of meditation, of Dharma practice, all those become helpers, beneficial conditions to practice Dharma.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

When we face so many obstacles and challenges to our practice, it can be helpful to listen to this excerpt from teachings on Geshe Langri Tangpa’s Eight Verses of Thought Transformation, given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Manjushri Institute, Cumbria, England, August 16-24, 1979. These teachings were given by Rinpoche while Lama Yeshe was still alive. You can follow along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/benefits-thought-transformation.

You can also read the history surrounding these teachings in Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe in Volume 2, Chapter 17: Even Your Enemy Who Tries to Kill You is Your Best Friend. Big Love is available at https://www.LamaYeshe.com/BigLove

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Dharma in Daily Life

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Dharma in Daily Life, Guru Devotion, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

When you look at people, when you relate with them, if you look at their mind and how their life is motivated, you can see how much they’re suffering and you feel unbearable.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Please enjoy another extract from a series of teachings prior to a chöd initiation given by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Maitripa College, Portland, Oregon, in June 2009.

In this extract, Rinpoche shows us how to examine each of our regular daily activities and to see whether we are motivated by Dharma or, as is more likely, motivated by worldly goals. We might not like what we find but at least we know enough to look because we have met the Dharma through the kindness of our gurus.

Rinpoche reminds us that the vast majority of people living in the world all around have not met the Dharma like we have. They have no idea that their endless efforts to find happiness are only creating more causes for even more suffering. Contemplating their situation intensifies our practice of compassion for them and our engagement with bodhicitta for their sake.

Here is the transcript for those who like to read along-> https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/dharma-daily-life

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Integrating What You Have Heard

Dharma in Daily Life, Introductory, Karma, Lama Yeshe, Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment)

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. This month’s podcast is the earliest known recording of Lama Yeshe teaching to Westerners. In this talk, Lama emphasizes the importance of actually practicing the teachings, ending with a lively question and answer session with the students. We warmly invite you to read along with the transcript of Lama’s talk on our website: https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/integrating-what-youve-heard-audio-and-unedited-transcript

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The Meaning of Guru Devotion

Dharma in Daily Life, Guru Devotion, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Purification

Devotion is like the mother. From the mother comes many children, then grandchildren, then all the generations. Like that, from devotion all the qualities come, the realizations and all the qualities. From devotion comes the understanding of Dharma words and then the realization of their meaning. From devotion so many qualities come, and also with devotion you are able to protect those qualities.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

These teachings were given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India, between December 26-31, 2006. Rinpoche describes the mystery of the guru deity and discusses the importance of guru devotion in developing all the qualities on the path to the enlightenment. Those who live their lives infused with devotion can progress much more quickly than by intellect alone. Rinpoche then illustrates this phenomena with engaging stories from his youth. You can read along with the transcript by visiting https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/day-four-meaning-guru-devotion

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