Category Archives: Practice Commentary

Why Are There So Many Different Buddhas?

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Practice Commentary

With ignorant mind you cannot approach the omniscient mind. Like without the fuel in the car you cannot reach your destination. Even if you have the car, if you don’t have the fuel then you cannot reach to the desirable place.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

In this talk, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains why we work with so many different aspects of the Buddha during our practice. By taking refuge in these varied aspects of the Buddha’s enlightenment, we open ourselves to their particular attributes, guidance and inspiration. For example, cultivating a relationship with Manjushri creates the conditions to increase our wisdom-knowledge and with White Tara we can increase the span of our perfect human rebirth. Cultivating the appropriate conditions help us overcome our personal karmic obstacles on the path to enlightenment for the benefit of others. Rinpoche gave these teachings at the Fourteenth Kopan Meditation Course in 1981. You can read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/lecture-2-manjushri-why-there-are-different-aspects-buddha

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Loving-kindness and Realizing the Yidam

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche answers questions from students on how to generate loving-kindness without generating attachment and does it mean to realize the yidam. Rinpoche also describes the many joys and benefits from living a meaningful life guided by the Dharma. These teachings given at Tse Chen Ling Center, in San Francisco, California USA, in November 2003. You can follow along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/day-two-questions-and-answers

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Seeing Oneself as Lower Than Others

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

So main thing is by practicing oneself as lower, then pride does not rise.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Listen to Day Two from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s 2003 commentary on Eight Verses of Thought Transformation, an essential mind training text composed by Kadampa Geshe Langri Tangpa. This teaching was given at Tse Chen Ling Center, in San Francisco, California USA. Rinpoche explains why we must purify the mind of pride, how to prepare our mind to be able to see ourselves as lower than all others and describes the great joy we will feel upon accomplishing this powerfully medicinal state of mind. You can read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/day-two-seeing-oneself-lower-others

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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

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Compassion is the Real Answer

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Karma, Oral Transmission, Practice Commentary, Sutras, Mantras and Root Texts

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave this talk in Madrid, Spain on June 10, 2009. The teaching includes a commentary on the visualization of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the Buddha of Compassion, and group chanting of OM MANI PADME HUM mantra. Rinpoche also explained the benefits of compassion and the laws of karma. Read along with the transcript at http://www.lamayeshe.com/article/compassion-real-answer-audio-and-unedited-transcripts

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Chanting the Names of Manjushri

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Oral Transmission, Practice Commentary, Sutras, Mantras and Root Texts

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave this commentary and oral transmission of the Manjushri-nama-samgiti in New York in September 2007. You can find additional resources about the practice here.

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What is Dharma

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment), Practice Commentary

An excerpt from teachings given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche before a Mitrugpa Initiation in Taiwan, 2007. Follow along with the unedited transcript and listen to more of this teaching here.

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28th Kopan Course: Lecture 1

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment), Oral Transmission, Practice Commentary, Sutras, Mantras and Root Texts

These teachings were given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the 28th Kopan Meditation Course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal in December, 1995. This is the first talk on compassion and includes discussion of the mantra of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion. You can read the transcript of this talk here.

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Teachings From the Medicine Buddha Retreat

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Practice Commentary, Sutras, Mantras and Root Texts

This talk by Lama Zopa Rinpoche about the Medicine Buddha practice was given in 2001 during the Medicine Buddha Retreat held in California, 2001. Follow along with the unedited transcript here and the entire teachings were published as a book in October 2009.

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