36 Lama Chöpa chants 26-Apr-2004

Lama Zopa Rinpoche describes how to do the Lama Chöpa chants based on His Holiness Song Rinpoche’s tunes from Gaden Shartse Monastery (supposed to be also from Pabongka’s lineage). He says that in the past, the chanting came from enlightened beings. It came out of their bodhicitta to benefit sentient beings, and with their realization, so it carries their blessings.Rinpoche advises that when the chants are done nicely, it brings several benefits. It moves the minds of sentient beings and helps transform their minds into Dharma. When the chants are done slowly, they help by giving one time to think about the deep meaning of the meditation. The tunes can also persuade the holy minds of the protectors. Thus, the chanting can both benefit sentient beings and be an offering to the merit field.Rinpoche demonstrates the chants and suggests recording, practicing, and writing down the rhythms. He gives detailed instructions of the chants and shows the differences between the slow and fast chants.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that Lama Tsongkhapa gave very clear explanations about the difficult points of sutra and tantra. He points out that this is not just his personal view but is commonly known. He cites His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, the head of the Nyingma, who praised Lama Tsongkhapa’s clear explanation of the path. Lama Zopa mentions that all four traditions can lead to enlightenment if practiced correctly.Next, Rinpoche analyses the existence of the letter M. He distinguishes between the base and the label of the letter M. He says that the minute you see M on the base, it’s mistaken. When you see a real M, in the sense of independent and existing from its own side, this is a hallucination. If you search for the M in any of the lines or in the collection of all these lines together, you can’t find it.Rinpoche highlights the difference between the Prasangika and Svatantrika schools. He says that in the Svatantrika view, the I is findable on the aggregates; it is findable on the base. However, in the Prasangika school, it is unfindable.Rinpoche says that the first thing we have to realize is that the real I as it appears to us—in the sense of independent, truly existent from its own side—is totally empty. He explains that everything is merely imputed by the mind—the label, the base, everything. Everything exists in mere name and is totally empty of existing from its own side.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues his oral transmission and commentary of the Praise to Buddha Shakyamuni. He explains how the second last verse of this prayer shows how all causative phenomena are transitory and they do not exist in the way they appear. He emphasizes that they do exist, just not in the way they appear.Rinpoche says that it’s a very good meditation to continuously practice mindfulness by looking at life as like a dream. Similarly, when we recite the Heart Sutra, we use the word “no” on the merely labeled aggregates, form, feeling, cognition, consciousness. We use the word “no” like an atomic bomb thrown over the object of ignorance, which is the I appearing as a real one existing from its own side.Rinpoche explains how Lama Atisha used the word “AH” instead of “no” when reciting the Heart Sutra. He would say “AH form, AH sound” instead of “no form, no sound”. The reason is because AH is one syllable of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, which encompasses the heart of the 84,000 teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. “AH” is a negative word, the same as “no”; it negates the hallucination of true existence.Rinpoche states that Buddha liberates us by revealing the truth, and it’s only the wisdom realizing emptiness that can directly remove our delusions. So, it’s important to be continually mindful of looking at the hallucination as a hallucination. Rinpoche says that we should use the dream in the place of no or AH and put the dream over the hallucination. When you practice mindfulness of this continuously, it brings you to the point of realizing emptiness (or at least reducing anger and attachment).From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche completes the oral transmission of The Heart’s Utmost Need (previously known as Heart-Spoon) by Pabongka Rinpoche. He explains that this text is particularly good when your mind is losing inspiration or becoming distracted by the activities of this life. It has the power to bring you back into the path to enlightenment. It’s also inspiring to read when you are beginning a retreat.Rinpoche advises that we should put effort into lamrim, guru devotion, and the three principals of the path every day. Next, we should put effort into tantra because life is short, and it can end at any time. Even if we can’t attain tantric realizations, we should at least leave an imprint for future lives.Rinpoche warns that if you’re interested in tantra and spend the whole time on the sadhana, but leave out the lamrim, you can’t accomplish much. If you don’t have lamrim realizations, you can’t succeed in tantra.Rinpoche says that there are two prayers that are essential to read every day: a lamrim prayer (such as The Foundation of Good Qualities or Hymns of the Experience of the Path) and another prayer of the graduate path of tantra of your deity. These prayers plant the seeds for the whole lamrim path and the whole tantric stages of the path of your deity. Each time you do this, it plants the seeds for the complete path to enlightenment. In this way, you make your life closer to enlightenment.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that the penultimate stanza in Praise to Shakyamuni Buddha contains two important meditations: causative phenomena are transitory, and they do not exist as they appear.‘A star, a mirage, the flame of a lamp,An illusion, a drop of dew, or a bubble,A dream, a flash of lightning, a cloud—See conditioned things as such!’Rinpoche explains that the transitory nature of phenomena encompasses gross, subtle, and extremely subtle impermanence. Gross impermanence can be seen in how a flower wilts throughout the day or the ageing of our bodies over time. The changes that occur minute-by-minute and second-by-second are more subtle. Then, the changes within a second are extremely subtle. In reality, these changes are occurring minute-by-minute, second-by-second and even within the second, but we have a hallucination of permanence. We believe the concept of permanence. According to our projection, this beautiful body or this beautiful flower will always be like this.Rinpoche highlights that there’s a huge difference between following the thought of impermanence as opposed to permanence. If you practice mindfulness of this stanza, immediately you find peace in your heart. The minute you reflect on impermanence, desire is stopped. All your problems cease because you have no reason to cling to objects or get angry. In this way, you’re giving yourself freedom to achieve liberation. Conversely, when you follow the concept of permanence, you’re putting yourself in the prison of samsara. Thus, meditating on this stanza is unbelievably important.Rinpoche details how phenomena don’t exist as they appear. It’s like an illusion. They exist in mere name, merely imputed by the mind. They do not exist from their own side.Rinpoche talks about the extremely subtle borderline between whether the I exists or doesn’t exist. It’s not completely nonexistent, but it’s like nonexistent. He says it’s easy to think it doesn’t exist and fall into nihilism. Many famous meditators in the past either fell into nihilism or eternalism because they were unable to see the middle way. Rinpoche praises Lama Tsongkhapa for making the clearest explanation of the right view and clarifying the extremely subtle point of dependent arising. He says that this is one of the special qualities of Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching.Rinpoche urges us to practice recognizing the hallucination as hallucination. He says that if you hold onto things as true, then that becomes the basis for all the other delusions and the cause of samsara.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche bestows the oral transmission of The Heart’s Utmost Need (previously known as Heart-Spoon) by Pabongka Rinpoche. He says that he received the transmission of this very effective teaching on the nature of life, impermanence, and death from Ribur Rinpoche. Ribur Rinpoche received it from His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, who received it directly from Pabongka Rinpoche.Lama Zopa Rinpoche shares his personal experience of supporting an ex-monk while he was dying. He says that the line in the text—“When I become as rigid as earth and stone”—was exactly how the man’s body felt. He also explains how the ex-monk knew how to transfer his consciousness but couldn’t accomplish this because of his attachment to shak (the butter that rises at the top of butter tea). His guru knew this, so he sent someone to tell him that there was better butter in the Tushita pure land. Rinpoche says that we can also help a dying person by telling them that whatever they are attached to (friends, cats, etc.) is better and more abundant in the pure realm.Rinpoche advises that it’s important to mention the name of a pure land (Amitabha pure land or Tushita pure land), as it gives the person something to hold onto. Rinpoche says that Amitabha pure land is the easiest one for ordinary sentient beings to be born in because the bodhisattva, Rim of the Spoke made so many prayers in the presence of the Buddha, Tathagata Essence of Jewel for sentient beings. In the case of Tushita, you need very pure morality to be born there.Rinpoche invites a discussion by asking whether it’s virtue if you generate a motivation of bodhicitta, but when you do the actual meditation, you’re spaced out. He concludes the discussion by clarifying that there’s no wisdom there. It’s ignorance. It doesn’t lead to liberation; it only becomes an obstacle for liberation.In continuing the oral transmission, Rinpoche discusses holy substances and relics that are placed in the mouth at the time of death. He says that these substances are very powerful in preventing rebirth in the lower realms. He also talks about three types of holy grass.Rinpoche concludes by explaining the preparations for sutra mahamudra and tantric mahamudra. He highlights that guru devotion is the root of path. Strong devotion, in turn, depends on strong purification and extensive merit.Rinpoche explains that having studied the whole Madhyamika subject and knowing it by heart, if there’s no strong guru devotion, extensive merit, and powerful purification, then it cannot click in your mind. It’s there, but you can’t recognize it. However, with intensive devotion, powerful purification, blessings, and imprints from past lives, you can realize emptiness just by hearing two or three words. At that moment, when all the causes and conditions are there, everything clicks, and you can realize emptiness.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche emphasizes the importance of this precious human body. He says that it’s extremely rare to find. Therefore, while we have the opportunity to practice Dharma, we should secure a good rebirth, especially a perfect human rebirth, to continue to practice Dharma.Rinpoche explains that rebirth in the deva realm makes it much harder to generate renunciation compared to the human realm. He likens this difference to the monks in Lhasa who came from wealthy families living nearby. They had a lot of distractions and often couldn’t complete their studies. In contrast, many of those from remote regions became great scholars. They lived a real ascetic life in the monastery; their whole attention was focused on study. He gives the example of Geshe Rabten Rinpoche, who was not just a great scholar but also a great yogi.Rinpoche says that real Dharma practice is letting go of the evil thought of attachment to the eight worldly dharmas. Due to self-cherishing, clinging to this life arises. When our actions are stained by clinging to this life, they become non-virtuous. Thus, the self-cherishing thought is so harmful, it makes our precious human life totally empty.Rinpoche completes the last section of Pabongkapa Dechen Nyingpo’s discourse: “Part eight: How to combine the elements of taking refuge and reflecting on the suffering of the lower states in order to meditate on them jointly”. He explains that the main point is that if you have the right doctor and the right prescription, you need to follow them. Your goal is to achieve liberation from samsara; therefore, you need to realize true suffering, the true cause of suffering, and then actualize the true path. So, you start with the renunciation of samsara by relying on the one who reveals the path, the Sangha.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues the oral transmission of How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (from Pabongkapa Dechen Nyingpo’s Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand). He starts with “Part Six: How to develop the spiritual realizations that relate to the suffering of the lower states.” Rinpoche explains that meditating on the lower realms gives us courage to renounce meaningless activities. He shares an anecdote about Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, who actually experienced hell. Afterwards, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche was inspired to continuously chant prayers.Rinpoche continues by reading “Part Seven: Training yourself in the practice of taking refuge.” Rinpoche says that we collect enormous merit each time we take refuge. He then invites a discussion by asking whether a person who abstains from negative actions but hasn’t taken refuge is a Buddhist or not? After some discussion, Rinpoche clarifies that for your action to become Buddhist, it has to be done by relying on Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.Rinpoche elaborates that refuge may not necessarily mean reciting the prayer. Rather, it is the mental factor of having refuge in your heart by understanding that samsara is in the nature of suffering and that the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha have the qualities to liberate you from this suffering. Additionally, for Mahayana refuge, there’s the extra cause of compassion for other sentient beings. Rinpoche emphasizes that these three aspects are the main components; however, reciting the refuge prayer also helps by making your refuge stronger.Rinpoche concludes by stating that refuge is the basis of all the vows. It is the door of the Buddhadharma. Without refuge, you haven’t entered Buddhadharma; you are an outsider. By having refuge in your mind, in your heart, then you’re an insider.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that human rebirth is more precious than all the wealth in the human and deva realms. It’s the basis for us to achieve liberation and full enlightenment. Therefore, before death, we must free ourselves from samsara. To do this depends on bodhicitta. Rinpoche explains that without bodhicitta, we cannot practice the tantric path. By cherishing one human being, we can achieve all the qualities up to enlightenment. After that, we can offer skies of benefit to each sentient being.Rinpoche advises that if you really understand the mind and practice awareness, you’ll realize that there’s no inherently existent harm coming from sentient beings’ side. It’s your own negative mind (past karma) that has caused sentient beings to harm you back. If we analyze situations in this way, we see that the person who’s harming us is only an object of compassion.Rinpoche reminds us to practice mindfulness of guru devotion. We should think about how the aspect of the guru, which is showing an ordinary aspect, is unbelievably important for us. Due to our impure minds, we can only receive guidance through this aspect. Thus, all the buddhas guide us through this ordinary aspect. When we obtain advice, we should think that this advice is all the buddhas’ advice.Rinpoche continues the oral transmission of How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (from Pabongkapa Dechen Nyingpo’s Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand). He reads parts 3, 4, and 5, which refer to an extraordinary meditation technique that will bring great progress, realizations related to leisure and fortune, and impermanence. Regarding impermanence, Rinpoche advises us to think seriously about our own death so that we pursue Dharma practice without any delay. Also, when other people die, it reminds us to pay attention to our own life and practice seriously. Rinpoche concludes by sharing some remarkable stories about the sudden death of one of the Kopan geshes, Geshe Losang Jamyang. He says that it was a great loss as he was a very humble and learned monk.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how the tea offering to the eight groups of worldly devas can help stop natural disasters, such as extreme weather events. He recalls a time when he was at the Taipei Center in Taiwan during a typhoon. As the wind was pummeling the windows, he asked a geshe to do the tea offering. As soon as the offering was done, the wind stopped. Rinpoche adds that if the person is living in more pure morality, it has more power. Rinpoche advises to do the tea offering before building a house, starting a project, or travelling.Rinpoche continues bestowing the oral transmission of The Confession of Downfalls to the Thirty-Five Buddhas, beginning with Infinite Splendor. He outlines how each Buddha purifies negative karma.Rinpoche says that reciting the names of the thirty-five Buddhas purifies negative karma because in the past, when they were bodhisattvas, they made strong prayers to benefit us. In the same way, Rinpoche advises that we should pray that we will be able to help sentient beings in the future when we become enlightened. He says we should follow the example of the Medicine Buddha and the thirty-five Buddhas.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/