Lama Zopa Rinpoche full length teachings

This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.00:00:00 The quickest way to purify negative karma and collect merits is to follow advice of the guru - the most powerful holy object.00:12:34 Untimely death arises from negative karma and lack of merit but can be prevented by serving others, abandoning killing, and creating causes for long life. Rinpoche gives advice on how one can prolong one's life by liberating animals, not only by buying and releasing them, but also by offering food to birds which prevents them from killing worms and insects, becoming a vegetarian, or benefitting animals in other ways.00:49:37 To be free from suffering and to free others, one must generate renunciation, abandon the self-cherishing 'I', and cherish others. Ultimate happiness comes from by abandoning suffering, which includes three types of suffering.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.00:00:00 Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives an extensive commentary on the meaning of "guru devotion" and then gives a short overview of the three principal aspects - renunciation, bodhicitta, and right view.00:55:45 Rinpoche explains what makes one's practice Dharma.01:27:50 Rinpoche explains the reason for giving the long life initiation, it is because it is worthwhile to have a long life when one is motivated by benefitting others. Rinpoche then describes what it means to benefit others in terms of Dharma: to teach them about how the mind and karma work.02:17:51 When you don't think about karma, everything looks okay. But when you learn about karma and the sufferings of the lower realms, fear and sadness arise due to not having practiced Dharma well.02:23:26 We need to understand and meditate on the whole path, not just one meditation. Intellectual understanding alone is not enough - the teachings must be put into practice to gain realizations.02:28:24 To be truly free from the oceans of samsaric suffering, we must engage in the five paths to enlightenment, starting with guru devotion. Now is the best opportunity, as we cannot predict future lives.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.00:00:00 Rinpoche gives teachings on extensive benefits of listening to, reading, reciting, and writing Arya Sanghata Sutra.00:36:00 Rinpoche begins the oral transmission of Arya Sanghata Sutra.01:03:30 Rinpoche tells about benefits of writing even one syllable from Arya Sanghata Sutra.01:08:50 Rinpoche continues the oral transmission of the first chapter of Arya Sanghata Sutra.01:19:45 Rinpoche teaches on the benefits of offering robes to scriptures, statues, and stupas.01:27:45 Rinpoche leads extensive dedications.01:59:45 Rinpoche gives advice on how to practice mindfulness of things being merely labeled during the break times.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.00:00:00 Even without realizations, there are many ways we can benefit sentient beings, such as taking insects around holy objects to purify their karma. Rinpoche tells that he carries holy objects in order to help insects purify negative karma. One can also recite the five powerful purification deity mantras and bless them with blessed water or other substances to lead them to higher rebirth and enlightenment.00:28:30 Rinpoche tells about the mantras that can benefit sentient beings, such as Stainless Pinnacle deity’s mantra and King of the Tantra Purifying the Lower Realm.00:42:58 Rinpoche gives instructions on how to dedicate one’s merits to others’ enlightenment with specific examples.01:19:50 Rinpoche tells how one can benefit insects and animals and shares the story of seven insects who went around a Buddha statue on a leaf blown by the wind - in their next life they were born as humans, generated renunciation, and in the life after that met Buddha Kashyapa and were predicted to enlightenment. This shows the power of circumambulating holy objects.01:57:00 When liberating animals, set up an altar with many holy objects and take the animals around it - this creates unbelievable causes for their enlightenment. The animals are also benefiting you by purifying your karma.02:14:14 Rinpoche begins the oral transmission of the King of Prayers. Recitation of this prayer leads to Amitabha guiding you at the time of death and then in the Blissful Realm.02:24:15 Rinpoche gives an oral transmission of a short Amitabha practice that he received from His Holiness Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche.02:27:08 Rinpoche explains the benefits of reciting the Maitreya Buddha mantra.02:35:00 The group recites extensive dedications.02:52:35 Rinpoche gives extensive instructions on how to think during break times, relating to the Lamrim meditations one did in the session. One should think that one's ignorance is like the magician. The magician uses some material object and recites mantras and things like that to cause people to see illusions. The negative imprint left by ignorance on our mental continuum is like the mantra or substances used to cause the hallucinations. One should keep one's mind in bodhicitta, emptiness, guru devotion, etc. This makes one's whole life meaningful and becomes a quick path to enlightenment. Try to remember the Lamrim and bodhicitta even when very busy in daily life.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.00:00:00 The heart of wisdom, the essential teaching of the Buddha, is realizing the truth of the nature of oneself and all phenomena. This wisdom cuts the root of samsara and liberates beings.00:14:14 Rinpoche gives pith instructions on how to meditate on the emptiness of the "I".00:37:10 It is important to listen to teachings on emptiness over and over again, and then correctly devoting to the virtuous friend, one can achieve the realization of emptiness.00:41:05 Rinpoche tells the story of Tehor Kyorpen Rinpoche, a top Drepung scholar who renounced fame and lived in retreat and acted eccentrically to avoid distractions. Despite being misunderstood, he guided others to realize emptiness easily due to his deep realizations and great merit. According to this lama, a person with great merit has no difficulty realizing emptiness. Difficulties arise only for those with small merit. Therefore, it is important to collect extensive merit in daily life.01:08:25 Rinpoche gives instructions on how to collect merits in daily life. Whatever action we are doing we should always try to transform it into virtue; we should always try to take the opportunity to collect merit.01:54:00 Rinpoche explains that nothing exists from its own side and gives an example of a year and a day. Analyzing a "real" day - the 24 hours cannot be found in any of the individual hours or even in the collection of hours. The "year" and "day" are merely labeled by the mind in dependence on their parts.02:41:31 In daily life, practice mindfulness that all appearances are like dreams - not truly existent as they appear. This prevents the mind from being disturbed by appearances.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.00:00:00 Rinpoche gives a commentary on Heart Sutra and teaches on how suffering arises.01:15:05 Rinpoche gives extensive teachings on how to meditate on guru devotion based on teachings and quotations of Kunkyen Jamyang Shepa and Kungtang Jampel Yang about gurus manifesting as ordinary beings. Rinpoche tells stories about His Holiness the Dalai Lama as an example of showing ordinary aspect to students, but in actuality being an enlightened being. Rinpoche explains the difference between appearances and reality. Appearance of gurus as ordinary beings and believing that is true is due to a mistaken and obscured mind.02:48:00 Prayers and dedications.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.00:00:00 Rinpoche tells about the importance of the practice of morality and teaches on the benefits of doing prostrations.00:39:15 Rinpoche tells a short story about Khandro-la.00:47:22 Prostrating to holy objects like statues and stupas immediately brings eight benefits, such as achieving a perfect body in future lives and being able to live in pure morality.01:03:00 Pure morality is the main cause for achieving perfect concentration (shamatha). Without shamatha, one cannot achieve higher trainings of wisdom.01:09:30 In the Lama Tsongkhapa tradition lineage lamas put so much effort into doing many hundred thousands of prostrations in their daily life. Rinpoche gives detailed explanations of how to do the practice of prostrations. Rinpoche also emphasizes that it is very good to have as many holy objects as possible in one's house to constantly create merit by seeing them.02:10:05 According to Khedrup Je, in retreat once one increased the number of sessions to four, one doesn't decrease the number of sessions afterwards.02:13:20 Torma offering, protector prayers, and dedications.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.00:00:00 kar ma rab rib mar me dang...di tar ta stanza is a very powerful Buddhist teaching and meditation to practice awareness, cut negative emotions like anger, desire and ignorance, and realize impermanence.00:11:00 We believe we will live a long time, even on the day of our death. But Buddha advises not to trust this thought of permanence as it cheats us.00:35:00 We can't predict who among us here will die first, even by this time next year. Death could happen to oneself at any time.01:07:00 The main mistake is always thinking worldly concerns are more important than Dharma practice. Because of that, nothing has happened in our minds, no realizations.01:25:00 Until one lets go of desire and clinging to this life, even if one tries to practice Dharma, it does not become holy Dharma. The motivation is stained by attachment.01:54:22 Rinpoche gives a commentary on Heart Sutra.02:25:50 Rinpoche leads the practice of Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.00:03:33 Remembering the suffering of sentient beings in samsara, we should strive to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible to liberate them. Practicing guru yoga, as past yogis did, enables achieving enlightenment in one brief lifetime.00:04:09 The foundation of tantric practice is guru yoga, which involves generating very strong devotion. This is what enabled past masters like Milarepa and Lama Tsongkhapa's disciples to achieve enlightenment in a brief lifetime.00:07:22 Rinpoche explains the benefits of reciting the Clouds of Offerings Mantra.00:32:30 Rinpoche continues leading the practice of Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga and gives instructions on how to do visualizations.01:51:15 Rinpoche gives an extensive teaching on benefits of doing prostrations.02:32:02 Rinpoche continues teachings and leads dedication prayers.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.00:00:00 Rinpoche leads the motivation for the practice.00:18:15 Rinpoche leads the practice of Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/