Category Archives: Emptiness

Using Everything to Practice Mindfulness

Dharma in Daily Life, Emptiness, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Because you look at everything as empty, the strong selfish mind, the ego, doesn’t arise. When you think like this, it makes your life stable, filled with peace, happiness, contentment; it brings so much benefit.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how to practice mindfulness as we go through our day, and offers advice on daily practice. These teachings were given by Rinpoche at the Thirty-third Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2000. Listen along with the transcript on our website.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

How We Name the World

Emptiness, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Every single phenomena is like that. There’s merely gathered, the base to be labeled, then due to that, then mere imputation, then only after that, then you have that appearance.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

In these teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche given during a lamrim retreat held at Vajrapani Institute in Boulder Creek, California, from August 20-23, 2006, Rinpoche explains how everything we experience is merely imputed by our minds by using the example of a child who is too young to speak. If a child doesn’t know the name of something, does it exist? You can follow along with the transcript here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

How to Find Our Real Potential

Dharma in Daily Life, Emptiness, Tenzin Ösel Hita

Tenzin Ösel Hita gives a talk on “How to overcome limitations to find our real potential” at the Center for Wisdom and Compassion in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 11, 2017.

Read the talk at http://www.lamayeshe.com/article/how-find-our-real-potential

Learn more about Ösel at http://www.lamayeshe.com/teacher/tenzin-osel-hita

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Meditation on Emptiness at Vulture’s Peak

Emptiness, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

On March 12, 2014, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche ascended Vulture’s Peak, Rajgir, India, to give a transmission of the Vajra Cutter Sutra to a group of students. Rinpoche began by reading out a Dedication Prayer by Mipham Dawa Rinpoche, then, after the sutra transmission, Rinpoche led students in a meditation on emptiness. Read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/meditation-emptiness-vultures-peak-audio-and-transcript

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Chöd: Slaying the Ego

Emptiness, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Practice Commentary

Practicing Dharma is just a question of changing, you know, your own mind, changing, from self-cherishing thought into cherishing others, from anger, those violent, harmful mind, into loving-kindness, compassion to others, so, basically like that.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Enjoy this profound excerpt from a series of teachings given prior to a chöd initiation by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Maitripa College, Portland, Oregon, in June 2009. Read along with the transcript at bit.ly/CHOD-SLAYING-THE-EGO

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Making Your Mind Vajrayana

Emptiness, Guru Devotion, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Nature of the Mind, Practice Commentary, Sutras, Mantras and Root Texts

So whatever happens, whatever is happening around, around you, your heart has peace.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

In this month’s podcast, Lama Zopa Rinpoche leads us in the vajra practice of Chenrezig. Rinpoche begins by chanting Om Mani Padme Hum slowly and powerfully. Within that resonance Rinpoche teaches on how to maintain the vajra visualization of Chenrezig where method and wisdom are unified in one mind. Rinpoche also touches upon the vajra method of hearing all sounds as mantra and then leads the group again in chanting Om Mani Padme Hum, this time using the kind of chanting Rinpoche says he would hear his mother use at Lawudo. While chanting Rinpoche repeatedly pauses to refresh the visualization of Chenrezig on the crown of all sentient beings to whom the practice is dedicated. After ending this session of chanting while visualizing mindfully, Rinpoche returns to analyzing the emptiness of Chenrezig and helps us see how true existence looks when it is projected on that visualization.

Listening to this experiential teaching will both increase your knowledge of the ultimate view and deepen your practice of Chenrezig for the benefit of all. Rinpoche gave this talk in Madrid, Spain on June 10, 2009. You can follow along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/chenrezig-visualization.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

The King of the Superstitious Mind

Dharma in Daily Life, Emptiness, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Nature of the Mind

The basic Buddhist philosophy is that everything comes from karma which comes from your mind, from your intention.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how imprints condition our mind to project karmic appearances upon everything we see, hear, smell, touch and taste. By changing our mind, we can change our experience. This short teaching by Rinpoche is excerpted from Lecture 10 of the 41st Kopan Course held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in December 2008. You can read along with the transcript on the LYWA website at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/basic-philosophy-buddhism-audio-and-unedited-transcripts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Why We Need to Practice Dharma

Emptiness, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these teachings in June, 2008 at the White Eagle Conference Center in Crestone, Colorado. This podcast presents the first session in this four day teaching series. In this session Rinpoche explores why we suffer, how to find the I that causes us to suffer and why we need to practice the Dharma right now. Read along with the transcript on our website here- https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/mahamudra-teachings-and-medicine-buddha-teachings-audio-and-unedited-transcript

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

The Prajnaparamita, the Wisdom Gone Beyond

Emptiness, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

It is huge, it is most profound meditation, of the most important meditation, just thinking meaning of existing, or just thinking meaning of dependent arising, just that word, think meaning, meditate on meaning of dependent, then meditate on meaning of arising without many words, that’s just, say, the two truths are there.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche praises the ultimate wisdom, the Prajnaparamita, the Wisdom Gone Beyond. This wisdom goes beyond the path, the result and the very nature of reality itself. Rinpoche leads us through the steps of how to apply these profound teachings to our appearances and experiences. These teachings were given during a lamrim retreat held at Vajrapani Institute in Boulder Creek, CA from August 20-23, 2006.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Emptiness and Lama Atisha

Emptiness, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

A talk by Lama Zopa Rinpoche given during teachings entitled “Why We Need a Spiritual Path” at Tara Institute in Australia, 2006. Follow along with the unedited transcript and listen to the entire teaching here.

04346_sl-3-final-comp-1

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More