Lama Zopa Rinpoche full length teachings Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The purpose of our life is not just to accumulate wealth or power. These pursuits alone cannot bring true satisfaction or happiness. In fact, the more we chase after material wealth without a good heart, the more we experience inner misery and dissatisfaction. Power, without the intention to benefit others, can be dangerous and lead to harm for oneself and others.
Fame and reputation also do not fulfil the purpose of human life. Despite achieving fame, many individuals experience unhappiness and even resort to suicide. This shows that fame alone does not bring inner peace and happiness. The lack of spiritual practice and inner development can leave our hearts empty and unfulfilled, leading to a sad and empty life.
Even if one possesses extensive knowledge of Buddhist scriptures and commentaries, it is meaningless without a genuine intention to benefit others. Education alone does not bring about inner transformation or positive change. Without practice and a compassionate heart, life remains empty, and the mind remains unchanged or even worse than before.
On the other hand, someone with a good heart, even if they have limited intellectual understanding, can experience peace, happiness, and love for others. With a good heart, all external wealth, power, and education can be used to benefit sentient beings and bring them happiness. Fame and reputation can be used as a means to inspire and encourage others on the path of spiritual practice and benefit.
Blocked by negative karma and defilements, one cannot experience the teachings as they are meant to be understood. Without continuous purification and a genuine connection between the teachings and one's heart, intellectual understanding alone does not lead to experiential transformation.
Dedication is also essential as it safeguards the merits we have accumulated through our practice. It is important to meditate and deeply contemplate while reciting dedications, rather than merely reciting words. We should dedicate the merits to spreading the Dharma throughout the world and within our own hearts.
If the mind is unhappy and depressed, it can lead to physical deterioration and a shorter life. By viewing one's own suffering as representative of the suffering of all sentient beings and voluntarily taking it upon oneself, one can cultivate the mindset of a bodhisattva. The main aim of life is to benefit sentient beings, rather than seeking personal comfort, health, praise, or reputation.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18-May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/

Our judgments and labels, whether positive or negative, influence how we experience the world. For example, when we label something as "good" or "beautiful," it creates a positive appearance and elicits feelings of happiness. Conversely, when we label something as "bad" or "ugly," it creates a negative appearance and elicits feelings of unhappiness. People in different cultures may have different perceptions of beauty or value based on their cultural conditioning and the labels they apply.
Our labeling and conceptualization of objects, people, and experiences affect our feelings and perceptions. Even our perceptions of important figures, such as political leaders, are influenced by our mind's labeling and conceptualization. Attachment can arise when we label someone or something as desirable, leading to a painful attachment that makes it difficult to separate from the object.
The mind has the tendency to project a sense of inherent existence onto things, even though in reality, everything is empty and exists only as mere imputations by the mind. When we are attached to an object or person, we are attached to something that doesn't truly exist. The object of our attachment is built upon the wrong view of ignorance, which apprehends it as inherently existent and existing from its own side. In reality, the object is empty of inherent existence. Attachment deceives us by making us believe that the object is worth clinging to and possessing when, in fact, it is not.
Anger arises when there is attachment because attachment leads to the idea of possession. When we feel that someone is taking away what we are attached to, anger and resentment arise. This is another form of deception because it is based on a false view of inherent existence.
We should recognize the power of our own minds in shaping our experiences and the need to develop wisdom and discernment to see beyond the superficial appearances created by our own mental labels and conceptualizations. We need to meditate on these points to free ourselves from the cycle of suffering in samsara.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18 to May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/

Guru Puja (Lama Chöpa) encompasses the essence of both sutra and tantra. This practice is the quickest way to achieve enlightenment. Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends studying His Holiness the Dalai Lama's commentary on Guru Puja, which provides a clear and effective explanation of this essential practice.
Taking vows, specifically the bodhisattva vow and tantric vows, helps eliminate obstacles and create conducive conditions for spiritual progress. While many people recite prayers and perform various practices, it is crucial to target the root of suffering, which is the delusions and, especially, the self-cherishing thought. All practices should aim to overcome these obstacles in the mind.
We should engage in meditation during prayers to prevent them from becoming mere rituals. Such meditation transforms prayers into a meaningful and transformative practice, preparing the mind for enlightenment and benefiting all sentient beings.
We should also generate gratitude and awe for our precious human life and the incredible opportunities it presents for Dharma practice. The chance to practice the Dharma, particularly the lam-rim teachings, is a great fortune, especially when compared to those who lack access to such teachings and live with ignorance. Even though we may have access to extensive teachings, understanding how to integrate them into a path to enlightenment can be challenging without lam-rim guidance.
Rinpoche provides commentary on "Calling the Guru from Afar," a profound guru yoga text composed by Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo. The practice combines guru yoga, guru devotion, lam-rim, and highest tantra, making it an effective and profound meditation.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche discusses the impermanence of life and the significance of remembering the guru at the time of death. No matter how much one wishes to stay with loved ones or cling to life, there is no choice but to face death. Fear and distress can accompany the moment of death, even for those who may not believe in reincarnation or karma. This fear arises from the intuitive understanding of something terrible happening after death.
In order to break free from samsara, we must learn, meditate, and make progress on the path to liberation. We need to take advantage of this precious human life and the opportunities it offers for spiritual growth. Understanding the guru in our hearts will lead to the realization of the dharmakaya, one of the three kayas (bodies) in Mahayana Buddhism.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18 to May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/

There is great positive transformation through the power of mantras, holy objects, and moral conduct. This power comes from the compassion of Buddha, who provided these methods for sentient beings to purify negative karma, accumulate merit, and progress on the path to enlightenment quickly. The more we understand the suffering of samsara, the more we can appreciate the kindness of Buddha in offering such methods for liberation.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains the power and benefits of various mantras, their ability to purify negative karma and lead beings towards enlightenment and the power of holy objects like statues and stupas, even without mantras, in bringing positive results to those who interact with them. The merit accumulated through making offerings to arhats equaling the number of sand grains in the Atlantic Ocean for countless eons is immense. However, merely seeing a statue of Buddha or a picture of Buddha can result in even greater merit.
Achieving a human rebirth is incredibly rare and requires the practice of pure morality. Confession and purification are crucial daily practices to protect ourselves from negative karma and maintain pure morality. The practice of confession should be done continuously to ensure a good rebirth and the basis for spiritual realizations.
Rinpoche discusses negative karma's suffering results, including health problems and rebirth in unhappy realms and stresses the importance of accumulating positive karma through virtuous actions, mantras, and blessing the environment and all sentient beings in it, even if they are unaware of the benefits. This way, we can create a virtuous atmosphere and purify negative karma for ourselves and others.
Negative karmas, like killing, can perpetuate endless suffering unless we engage in purification practices and alter our behaviour. Contemplating the frequency of our negative actions in this life and acknowledging their cumulative impact across countless past lives is essential. The transformative power of dedicated practice and adopting moral behavior to prevent further negative actions, not only brings inner peace and happiness but also benefits other sentient beings by averting harm.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18 to May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/

The great bodhisattva Khunu Lama Rinpoche, a profound scholar and yogi had extensive knowledge of Buddhist scriptures and teachings. His Holiness the Dalai Lama received extensive commentary on the Bodhicharyavatara from him. Lama Zopa Rinpoche attributes the origins of FPMT chanting practices to Khunu Lama Rinpoche.
Khunu Lama Rinpoche's teachings became widely known, with people seeking blessings from him. His teachings for the monks at Kopan Monastery emphasized the need to tame their minds and the importance of lam-rim teachings in this process.
All teachings in Buddhism are meant to help us actualize wisdom, and the main teaching for this purpose is the Perfection of Wisdom, which is the revelation of the truth. Buddha liberates sentient beings by revealing this truth.
Bodhisattva Chenrezig requested teachings from Buddha Shakyamuni on the Perfection of Wisdom. Reciting the name of Chenrezig, his mantra, or extensively explaining, writing down, or making offerings related to Chenrezig leads sentient beings to attain enlightenment in the future.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how our feelings and mental states are intimately tied to how we label or interpret situations and objects as positive or negative. These labels are conceptual in nature and influence our emotional responses. Even seemingly external circumstances, such as other people's behaviour, are deeply intertwined with our own interpretations and labels.
When we do not remember or apply the basic philosophy of Buddhism, we may carry resentment in our hearts for a long time, causing immense pain. Such prolonged suffering is a result of our own concepts and negative interpretations. These issues are often connected to societal beliefs, cultural norms, and concepts of what is considered "good" or "bad."
It is important to accept situations and understand that they are a result of karma. By recognizing that we have harmed others in the past, we can come to terms with the harm we receive in the present and develop patience and understanding.
Rinpoche provides commentary on the Four Immeasurables, to cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity towards all sentient beings. He also discusses meditating on emptiness to analyze the concept of "I" and to recognize that the self is merely a mental construct, not an inherently existing entity. The "I" we grasp onto is a hallucination, and by meditating on its non-existence, we can gain insight into the emptiness of all phenomena.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18-May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/

We can precede the Chenrezig visualization by calming techniques and breathing exercises, reciting prayers and reflecting on the kindness of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. Buddha made immense sacrifices for the benefit of all sentient beings, practicing morality, charity, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom for three countless great eons.
Integrating Lam Rim meditation with deity meditation and mantra recitation can make the practice more powerful. Chanting serves as a form of meditation, giving us time to reflect and meditate on the teachings and carries blessings from enlightened beings and supports the arising of devotion, renunciation, compassion, and bodhicitta.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains the three causes of refuge (recognition of suffering and delusion, compassion for sentient beings, and devotion to the Three Jewels) and the distinction between causal and resultant refuge in the path towards enlightenment.
Generating bodhicitta by reciting, "I must achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, therefore I'm going to generate bodhicitta" accumulates far greater merit than making offerings to the Buddhas for eons equal to the number of sand grains in the Pacific Ocean, or even the Atlantic Ocean. The act of generating bodhicitta is so powerful that it surpasses unimaginable offerings in terms of merit.
When making offerings to Guru Chenrezig, visualize the essence of the offering as generating infinite bliss in his holy mind. Offerings we make during our practice are not just visualizations but are real offerings.
Rinpoche guides us through a visualization of Chenrezig, focusing on the deity's form, attributes, and the symbolism of each aspect. Chenrezig's pure body contains countless pure realms of Buddhas within each pore, signifying the power and qualities of the Buddhas.
The commentary continues with the recitation of Chenrezig's mantra and the development of great compassion, where we can engage in practices such as Tonglen (taking and giving) to alleviate the suffering of sentient beings and purify our own negativities.
We can make requests to Chenrezig using a prayer that includes various requests and aspirations. These requests encompass a wide range of situations and challenges that we may encounter in our lives. We seek Chenrezig's guidance and blessings to overcome them.
This teaching was given at Institut Vajra Yogini, France as part of a Four Kadampa Deities Retreat from April 18 to May 11, 2003. You can see all the teachings from this retreat here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/4-kadam-deities-2003/