Category Archives: Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment)

Covering The Whole Earth

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Karma, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Once your inner enemy of delusion is destroyed, it is the same as if all outside enemies have been destroyed in one instant.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

This month on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive podcast, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how to protect ourselves from anger and expands upon the mind of loving kindness. These teachings were given by Rinpoche at the Thirty-third Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2000. You can follow along with the transcript on our website.

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The Shortcomings of Self-Cherishing

Guru Devotion, Introductory, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment), Nature of the Mind

When you follow the ego, you become a disciple of the ego. You follow the ego day and night and listen what ego says all the time. Even if you have received all the sutra and tantra teachings and have heard them many times, when you follow the ego nothing happens in your mind.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche discusses the many shortcomings of following the self-cherishing mind, and encourages us to abandon it without delay. These teachings were given at at the Thirty-third Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2000. Read along with the transcript on our website.

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Relying on the Buddha

Guru Devotion, Introductory, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Refuge

Because we rely on the methods revealed by Buddha – the path to liberation and enlightenment – we naturally take refuge in the Buddha.

– Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains why we take refuge in the Buddha. Rinpoche then chants a prayer asking for blessings of the lineage lamas, followed by recitation of The Foundation of All Good Qualities, a lamrim prayer by Lama Tsongkhapa. These teachings were given by Rinpoche at the Thirty-third Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2000. You can follow along with the transcript on our website.

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Change Your Attitude, Change Your Action

Dharma in Daily Life, Introductory, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Perfect Human Rebirth

The ego, this self-cherishing thought, the ego is much more harmful than all the atomic bombs that are in the world because atomic bomb even if it explodes, if you have bodhichitta it doesn’t cause you to be reborn in the hell realm, lower realm.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how Shakyamuni Buddha was just like us until he changed his attitude from ego to bodhichitta and explains how the ego causes more harm than even the most powerful weapon and must be abandoned. Rinpoche gave this teaching during the 33rd Kopan Meditation course in 2000. You can follow along with the transcript on our website. 

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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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Our Practice Is Like A Seed

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment), Purification

The meditation practice is like the seed. The actual body of meditation, the practice, that is like the seed and purifying the hindrances and the accumulation of merit are like the soil and water.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains why we must prepare the ground of our mind with merit accumulation and karmic purification so that the seeds of our practice of listening, contemplation, and meditation can grow into realizations on the path to attain enlightenment for the sake of all mother sentient beings. These teachings were given by Rinpoche at Manjushri Institute, Cumbria, England, August 16-24, 1979.

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The Power of the Object of Merit

Dharma in Daily Life, Guru Devotion, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Perfect Human Rebirth, Practice Commentary

If you don’t practice Dharma, don’t learn Dharma, don’t meditate, if you don’t pray to have realization of the path to enlightenment, at least even the path to liberation, if you don’t do that then so many sentient beings have to suffer for you to live, for your happiness, it is so unimaginable, unbearable, so unbearable.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Everything we do to keep this human body alive inevitably harms other sentient beings and thus accumulates negative karma. Rinpoche describes this harm and the incredible power of the object to quickly accumulate huge amounts of positive merit. Contemplate how this power of the object can help us accumulate more than enough positive merit to offset the constantly accumulating negative karma of living. May we accumulate more than enough positive merit to quickly and more quickly constantly progress on the path to enlightenment for the sake of all mother sentient beings. Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave this Dharma talk prior to a refuge ceremony at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, on January 18, 2009. You can read along with the transcript on our website.

 

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Taking Care of the Mind

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment)

Sometimes uncontrollable anger arises and uncontrollable self-cherishing thought arises, self-concern, anger, pride also, but then sometimes it makes you aware there’s choice. There’s choice. You can choose.

Listen to a public talk by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on how to bring peace and happiness to oneself and others, given at Conway Hall, London, England on July 10, 2014. Read along with the transcript and more at http://www.lamayeshe.com/article/taking-care-mind-audio-and-transcript

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You have to find your own truth

Dharma in Daily Life, Introductory, Karma, Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment), Tenzin Ösel Hita

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 at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/teachings-45th-kopan-course-audio-and-unedited-transcripts.

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This Precious Human Rebirth

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Dharma in Daily Life, Introductory, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Perfect Human Rebirth

It is amazing how even within a minute, even in each second, eating, walking, sitting, sleeping, wow, what you can do with this precious human body by understanding and practicing the Dharma.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche celebrates our perfect human rebirth and encourages us to bring every single moment in our life into the path to enlightenment. Rinpoche gave these teachings prior to a chöd initiation at Maitripa College, Portland, Oregon, in June 2009. You can read along with the transcript on our website.

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