The Label Is Not Enough

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

Do not be confused by people who try to disprove the existence of objects of faith like reincarnation or karma by simply labeling them as nonexistent.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche addresses how some people try to disprove the existence of reincarnation and other objects of Buddhist faith by labeling them as false views or heresy. Rinpoche demonstrates how labeling something cannot make the labeled phenomena function according to that label. In a similar way, we should not be confused by people who label our objects of faith as nonexistent. Instead we should rely on our faith and apply our wisdom in meditation to experience their functional phenomenal existence. Rinpoche gave these teachings during a lamrim course at Maitreya Instituut, Emst, in August 1990. You can read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/benefits-understanding-karma

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The Enemy is the Kindest Person

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Dharma in Daily Life, Karma, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lamrim (Path to Enlightenment)

By developing the mind in patience, whatever happens to you, whatever harm others give you, you will never get angry.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains the power of the mind of patience to bring happiness to all beings we encounter on the path to enlightenment. The most powerful way for us to develop stable patience is to practice when confronted by the anger of others. Thus the angry person is the most kind to us, kinder than the friends that love us and the strangers we ignore.

Rinpoche gave these teachings at the Thirty-third Kopan Meditation Course held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2000. Read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/day-4-practicing-patience-enemy-kindest-person

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There is No Enlightenment Button

Dharma in Daily Life, Introductory, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

You can’t attain the path just by knowing the words. You have to practice.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche reminds us that we can’t expect to just press a button, say a few words and become enlightened. After all we have accumulated countless causes of suffering during countless lives over countless eons. Even Shakyamuni Buddha himself demonstrated facing many hardships for the sake of enlightenment. We must also expect hardships while practicing Dharma with all our heart.

Rinpoche gave these teachings in June 2008 at the White Eagle Conference Center in Crestone, Colorado. Read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/day-three-part-b-bearing-hardships-lama-atisha

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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

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The Long-Life Mantra of White Tara

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

Those sentient beings who accumulate merit, especially the sentient beings who know how to accumulate merit, if they have long life you see, then the longer they live then they are able to make their life more meaningful. They are able to create more cause of happiness, so there is sense in living long.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

This month on the LYWA podcast, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives the oral transmission of the mantra of White Tara and then leads us an extended recitation of this precious mantra. Rinpoche dedicates the recitation by refreshing the visualization and by pointing out that the purpose of living a long life is even more important for those who are accumulating merit in this life for the sake of others. May all beings receive the undying realization!

These teachings given by Rinpoche at the Fourteenth Kopan Meditation Course in 1981. You can read the transcript on the LYWA website at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/lecture-1-white-tara

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Subduing the Mind

Emptiness, Lama Zopa Rinpoche

If one practices mindfulness in the reality of these things, that which is impermanence, there is liberation from samsara.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The mind is the source of all suffering and the source of all happiness. In this session Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how subduing the mind by meditating on the reality of impermanence is the method by which we can become liberated from samsara. Many of the powerful and poignant examples Rinpoche uses to illustrate impermanence are also used as classic illustrations of emptiness. These teachings were given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Sydney, Australia, in 1993. Read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/subduing-mind-equanimity-meditation

 

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The Power of Cherishing Others

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

Even if we feel we are only capable of doing small things to help others right now, don’t feel hopeless or depressed. Instead rejoice because even the smallest attempt to help others should fill our hearts with happiness and joy.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche encourages us to examine whether our attempts to help others are in fact motivated by cherishing ourselves. Rinpoche assures us that even if our capacity to cherish others is small right now, even our smallest attempts to cherish others should fill our hearts with joy. Rinpoche then illustrates the power of cherishing others by telling the story of Asanga and Maitreya. These teachings given by Rinpoche in Sydney, Australia, 1993. You can read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/cherishing-others-asangas-teachings

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Making This Precious Human Rebirth Meaningful

Introductory, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Perfect Human Rebirth

Be very clever. “I should be very skillful with my life from now on. I should be very careful with my life. I must make it, without wasting the precious human body which I have received now, without wasting it, I must make it meaningful, highly meaningful as much as I can.”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

This teaching on the great preciousness of our perfect human rebirth was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Manjushri Institute, Cumbria, England, August 16-24, 1979. Read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/making-precious-human-rebirth-meaningful

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Compassion and Emptiness Together

Compassion and Bodhicitta, Introductory, Lama Yeshe

One must have the wisdom and method simultaneously developing.

-Lama Yeshe

Lama Yeshe gave a series of introductory talks in Los Angeles in 1975. In this excerpt from these talks Lama describes the difference between Hinayana and Mahayana motivation and impresses upon us the importance of developing our wisdom in order to generate bodhicitta without dualistic emotional obstacles. Read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/compassion-and-emptiness-part-a

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Karma and Purification

Karma, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Practice Commentary, Purification

By being aware, by knowing about negative karma and all the suffering results, we are persuaded to practice purification.

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 reminds us of the many kinds of negative karma we constantly accumulate and why it is so vitally important to practice purification every single day.  Read along with the transcript of these teachings at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/lecture-18-how-vajrasattva-practice-purifies-negative-karma 

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